Here’s my pick of three things to do this week, a lovely Picasso exhibition exploring his early work, a major Lichtenstein retrospective at the Tate, and a Venice Biennale exhibition that’s coming to London.
STOP
What: Becoming Picasso: Paris 1901
Where: Courtauld, London
When: Until May 26
Discover how Picasso came to be such as renowned and famous artist, with an exhibition documenting the story of his breakthrough year in Paris in 1901. The nineteen-year-old painter launched his career with an exhibition in Paris that set him on course to become the artist as we know him today. He tried copying major modern artists of the age, such as Van Gogh, Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec, before settling on his own unique style.
LOOK
What: Lichtenstein: A Retrospective
Where: Tate Modern, London
When: Until May 27
This exhibition is the first full-scale retrospective of American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, showcasing over 125 of his paintings and sculptures. Tate Modern has teamed up with The Art Institute of Chicago to bring together his signature works based on comic strips and advertising imagery, with hand-painted Benday dots, as well as key paintings such as Look Mickey 1961, and his monumental Artist’s Studio series of 1973-4. Other highlights include a selection of previously unseen drawings, collages and works on paper.
LISTEN
What: Venice Takeaway: Ideas to Change British Architecture
Where: RIBA, London
When: Until April 27
The British entry for the David Chipperfield-curated Venice Architecture Biennale travels to the RIBA in London. The exhibition, titled Venice Takeaway, presents the work of ten architectural teams that travelled the world to learn lessons from other countries. I worked on the exhibition for the British Pavilion in Venice, so I’m excited to see how it will look in the galleries of the RIBA. There’s also some interesting talks on the ten different architectural ‘explorers’, starting with a discussion based on dRMM’s research into Dutch floating communities and London waterways on February 26.
What are you doing this weekend? Any tips?
