Ambitious exhibitions finally open, from major solo retrospectives to group shows exploring photography and the rise of the avant-garde in Paris
Paris, Fin de Siècle: Signac, Redon, Toulouse-Lautrec, and their contemporaries | May 12 to September 17
The Parisian fin de siècle was a time of intense cultural transformation and political upheaval. This exhibition sets out to explore that era, analysing the budding avant-garde movements—neo-impressionism and symbolism, to name just two—through the paintings, drawings, prints, and works on paper of some of the most prominent artists of the period.
Guggenheim, Bilbao
Giacometti | May 10 to September 10
Alberto Giacometti’s tall, spindly fi gures are some of the most instantly recognisable works of modern art. The Tate brings them back into the limelight—alongside plasters and drawings never exhibited before—in this large-scale exhibition of the late Italian artist’s work, the fi rst major Giacometti retrospective in the UK in 20 years.
Tate Modern, London
Venice Biennale: Viva Arte Viva | May 13 to November 25
“In a world full of conflicts and jolts, in which humanism is being seriously jeopardised, art is the most precious part of the human being.” This, for the director of the Venice Biennale, Christine Macel, is the premise of Viva Arte Viva. Nine pavilions following one another like chapters of a book form the structure of the show.
Venice, Italy
Faraway Focus: Photographers Go Travelling (1880-2015) | May 5 to Semptember 11
Travel photography is bestowed artistic status in this exhibition, which features 180 pictures by 17 photographers and reflects the history of the 20th century, giving insight into the political, social, and cultural life of many countries.
Berlinsche Gallerie, Berlin
Richard Serra: Films and Videotapes | May 20 to October 15
The American artist is considered by many to be one of the most significant sculptors of our era. This retrospective, however, shifts away from Serra’s physical works to focus on a lesser known side of his oeuvre. On show are 15 films and videos he produced between 1968 and 1979, each a fascinating study in the experimental use of the media.
Kunstmuseum, Basel
Nature (Re)turns | June 3 to September 17
For its summer exhibition, two internationally recognised artists, Nanna Debois Buhl and Tue Greenfort, have created site-specific works exploring the relationship between mankind and nature, and how art can help us experience the changes in our surroundings. The outdoor installations address climate change, the decline of biodiversity and the consequences of the human imprint on the planet.
Arken Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen
Grayson Perry: The Most Popular Art Exhibition Ever! | June 8 to September 10
Grayson Perry is one of Britain’s most astute commentators on contemporary culture. The cross-dressing winner of the Turner prize is known for his sculpture and ceramics, and an artistic practice concerned with what you might call the fabric of society. This major exhibition presents some of his new work, touching on Perry’s favoured themes of masculinity, art, and the current cultural landscape.
Serpentine Gallery, London
Skulptur Projekte Münster | June 10 to October 1
The festival-cum-exhibition invites 35 commissioned international artists to explore public art as medium traversing spatial and physical boundaries. Temporary works such as sculptures, LED shows and performance pieces will dot Münster and, for the first time in the project’s 40-year history, the nearby city of Marl.
Citywide, Münster and Marl
David Hockney | June 21 to October 23
The first systematic retrospective of the British artist’s work in almost two decades, the exhibition—organised by Tate Britain, the Pompidou Centre, and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art—gathers an extensive selection of paintings, drawings, prints, and photography celebrating Hockney’s visual achievements over the past 50 years, as well as the diverse styles and techniques that define his practice.
Pompidou Centre, Paris
Gauguin: Artist as Alchemist | June 25 to September 10
The exhibition—a collaboration between the Art Institute of Chicago, the Musée d’Orsay, and the Réunion des Musées Nationaux–Grand Palais—is the first to delve into Gauguin’s radical experiments in the applied arts, underscoring his highly personal achievements not only as a painter but also as a sculptor, ceramist, printmaker, and decorator.
Art Institute of Chicago