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What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026

77 replies

MmeWorthington · 07/03/2026 15:13

I currently have my eye on
Tracey Emin
Whistler
Frida Kahlo
Vanessa Bell
Julio le Parc (All Tate in London)

Ai Weiwei - Manchester

Bridget Riley - Margate (maybe - saw the big BR exhibition at the Haywood a few years ago - will it be different works?)

Hockney - Serpentine - maybe (have seen the Normandy work at the National Gallery and in Saltaire - will it be different?)

OP posts:
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MmeWorthington · 03/04/2026 09:48

TemporarilyCantDoMyself · 03/04/2026 07:40

I haven't but I will be going sometime in the next three days (membership so I can get in whenever).
Yesterday though I went to Hurvin Anderson at Tate Britain, and Rose Wylie followed by Michaelina Wautier both Royal Academy.

Wautier; gorgeous and of great historical significance, she's a little known artist from the 1600s when obviously it was a much tougher gig to be a woman artist. Amazing portraiture with a very vibrant sensibility.

Hurvin Anderson: anyone who loves contemporary painting should try and see this. I absolutely loved it. Political and personal but above all with a unique and beautiful language and vision.

Rose W: fuck me overhyped shit. I was in there about 5 minutes and I'm just glad I have a membership because if I'd forked out the £23 or whatever I'd have been furious. I fact, I am furious: this is the first RA show in its history to focus on a single woman artist. And it's shit. I'd actually love someone to argue with me because I don't get it. And I love modern art. Help, anyone?

Evidence: photos I took, 10 at Wautier, 37 at Hurvin Anderson, 0 at Rose Wylie.
I wanted to like her, I really really did. But I just couldn't. I even felt like talking to the serene and discreet attendants, I was dying to say to one of them, what do you think? Is it me or is it shit? 🫢
Would anyone like to see some Hurvin Anderson pics? 🤩

Really looking forward to H Anderson.

Glad you mentioned T Britain as I have sometimes turned up on the wrong side of the river 🙄

OP posts:
Nomedshere · 03/04/2026 10:04

I enjoyed Tracey Emin but felt drained. Jim Moir at Cartwright Hall was small but fun ( and free)

Roomgigi · 03/04/2026 12:34

I thought the Tracey Emin was dreadful
My friend said the Rose Wylie reminded her of primary school artwork

Sitwithit · 03/04/2026 12:34

@TemporarilyCantDoMyself I'm in the HA exhibition right now if you want to share some pics and show us what you liked 😊

TemporarilyCantDoMyself · 03/04/2026 12:42

@Sitwithit ah bless you. I was especially drawn to all the pics with foliage/jungles/gardens. One of my faves in the whole show was this, Grace Jones, of which there were a couple of iterations.

What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
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What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
TemporarilyCantDoMyself · 03/04/2026 12:43

And these.

What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
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What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
TemporarilyCantDoMyself · 03/04/2026 12:45

More...

What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
TemporarilyCantDoMyself · 03/04/2026 12:47

But also lovely figurative/narrative work.

What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
ApriloNeil2026 · 03/04/2026 12:48

Exhibitions
Trading Station: How Hot Drinks Shape Our Lives
December 14, 2019 - December 31, 2026
https://manchesterartgallery.org/event/trading-station/

TemporarilyCantDoMyself · 03/04/2026 12:50

Can't stop now...😂

What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
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TemporarilyCantDoMyself · 03/04/2026 12:52

@Sitwithit what are you liking? 😍

Sitwithit · 03/04/2026 12:59

@TemporarilyCantDoMyself your photos are very good!! I haven't been all the way through yet (not reached Grace Jones) but loved the swimming pool ones, an intimate head tilt in a barber's shop, while the barber is actually cutting the hair, and the huge multi panel one.

Sitwithit · 03/04/2026 13:29

@TemporarilyCantDoMyself also the tree/beach one with a lot of purple (in your second set above) and the drifting figures in blue/green (4th set).

Nitgel · 03/04/2026 13:32

We saw the Joseph Wright of Derby exhibition. Really beautiful.

TemporarilyCantDoMyself · 03/04/2026 13:54

Sitwithit · 03/04/2026 13:29

@TemporarilyCantDoMyself also the tree/beach one with a lot of purple (in your second set above) and the drifting figures in blue/green (4th set).

Gorgeous aren't they? So glad you're enjoying it. 💚

Charlize43 · 04/04/2026 10:24

Roomgigi · 03/04/2026 12:34

I thought the Tracey Emin was dreadful
My friend said the Rose Wylie reminded her of primary school artwork

I thought so too. I find her endless narcissism so boring. I wouldn't mind so much if she had some jaw dropping technical skills. I came out thinking her legacy will probably be reality tv stars will now start doing 'art' about themselves.

Rose Wylie - Sadly a walk through for me. There's not much there is there - A stick woman painting of Nicole Kidman on the red carpet. I did stop and talk to quite a few people (I'm chatty) including staff who kept pointing out that she's a woman and she's 93, as if these were by someone's Nan. They almost seemed to be embarrassed to discuss her paintings.

I'm all for curators showcasing women artists but can we have some with talent please.

Luckily the RA had Michaelina Wautier as a reminder that women can draw and paint as well (and in some cases better) than men.

The Lucian Freud Drawings at the NPG is spectacular. I think the NPG has recently had a good run of shows: Francis Bacon & Jenny Saville were standouts.

I am looking forward to Frida Kahlo & Vanessa Bell.

Interestingly, I was told that both the RA & the Tate Modern had lost a lot of money (millions) recently with shows that didn't perform well and I can totally see why.

The Renoir retrospective at the National Gallery is totally going to slay, like the Van Gogh show of the previous year.

Modern art programming and curation seems to have tediously fallen into this rotation of women artists / black artists / gay artists and not in a good way. Britain has never been great for the arts, they didn't exhibit Matisse & Picasso until 1946. You have to wonder why an institution like the RA didn't take the Rothko retrospective that was in Paris and now is in Florence?

champagnetrial · 04/04/2026 10:51

Oh I'm really glad to see the Hurvin Anderson mentioned. Honestly, I was smiling all the way through that. Just lovely. And really interesting exhibition labels.

The Constable and Turner at Tate Britain is also good but super crowded (HA was v quiet!) but what is more interesting I thought were the spaces in the general galleries where they have borrowed a Constable or Turner for the current exhibition and hung a contemporary artist influenced by either of these.

Also the big auction houses (Christies, Sothebys etc) 20/21st century viewings - the Spring ones have just been but Autumn to come. A free show of painting after painting of big hitters you will likely never see again (before they vanish into some vault somewhere).

And Venice Bienalle. Always worth a trip.

champagnetrial · 04/04/2026 11:03

@TemporarilyCantDoMyself if you are interested in a discourse on Wylie's show, check out the London Art Critic's post of March 17th on instagram (who agrees with you!) and then the replies which give a really measured discussion and perspective on her work.

TemporarilyCantDoMyself · 04/04/2026 12:47

champagnetrial · 04/04/2026 11:03

@TemporarilyCantDoMyself if you are interested in a discourse on Wylie's show, check out the London Art Critic's post of March 17th on instagram (who agrees with you!) and then the replies which give a really measured discussion and perspective on her work.

I think I've read that. But not the comments, so thanks!
Just about to plunge into Tate Modern right now - but look at the bloody queue!
I'll nip round to the back entrance, usually quieter...

What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026
Plexie · 14/04/2026 10:54

I saw the Rose Wylie exhibition at the weekend - loved it! Was in there for 2 hours. And bought the catalogue.

AllaMova · 15/04/2026 00:56

I’m going to see the Gwen John one in Cardiff within the next few weeks.

Sitwithit · 15/04/2026 06:17

Thank you those who recommended Two Temple Place, I'd never heard of it but went at the weekend and found the Weight of Being exhibition very moving.

SpringAndSunshineIsHere · 15/04/2026 06:28

Excited to see Frida!

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