THE BEST ART SHOWS TO VISIT FROM THIS MONTH ONWARDS
BERYL COOK / TOM OF FINLAND
15 May to 25 August
This major new exhibition will bring the two cultural icons’ – Beryl Cook and Tom of Finland – works together for the first time, and will reveal interconnected ideas surrounding gender, sexuality, taste and class. It will explore the perhaps unexpected parallels in the artists’ practices – connected by their distinct ways of hyperrealising the body, both artists produced works that celebrate pleasure and deny shame. A self-taught painter, Cook (1926-2008) was renowned for her exuberant images of everyday life, particularly her portrayals of larger-than-life women in nightclubs, pubs and at hen parties. Tom of Finland’s (1920-1991) pioneering depictions of homosexual machismo broadly represented queer, leather and muscle communities and influenced the likes of The Village People, Robert Mapplethorpe and Freddie Mercury. Studio Voltaire, 1A Nelsons Row, London SW4 7JR. studiovoltaire.org
MARIE-LOUISE VON MOTESICZKY: (IN)VISABLE WOMEN
Until 15 December 2024
This exhibition spotlights the extraordinary artistic legacies of women émigrés who sought refuge in Hampstead during the tumultuous years of the 1930s. Marie-Louise von Motesiczky: (in)Visible Women is not only an artistic reflection of their personal journeys but profound insight into the experiences of women in the 20th century. Here, Motesiczky’s vibrant expressionist paintings take centre stage, offering a poignant exploration of the rich everyday lives of women. Burgh House, New End Square, London NW3 1LT. burghhouse.org.uk
AUGUSTUS JOHN & THE FIRST CRISIS OF BRILLIANCE
Until 13 July 2024
In 1908, Virginia Woolf wrote, “The age of Augustus John was dawning.” This exhibition explores the early artistic networks around John and his Slade School alumni before the First World War. Piano Nobile, 96 and 129 Portland Rd, London W11 4LW. piano-nobile.com
GARDENING BOHEMIA: BLOOMSBURY WOMEN OUTDOORS
15 May to 29 September
The Garden Museum will present the first exhibition to explore the gardens of the Bloomsbury Group. Focusing on four extraordinary women, Virginia Woolf, Vanessa Bell,
