11 Art Exhibitions To Look Forward To In 2015

Tabish Khan
By Tabish Khan Last edited 110 months ago
11 Art Exhibitions To Look Forward To In 2015

2014 was yet another great year for London's art scene, but what does 2015 hold for art lovers in our city? We've sifted through the gallery and museum line-ups to pick out our top choices for blockbuster art exhibitions to see this year:

Peter Paul Rubens
<br />Tiger, Lion and Leopard Hunt, 1616
<br />Oil on canvas, 256 x 324.5 cm
<br />Rennes, Mus??e des Beaux Arts
<br />Photo c. MBA, Rennes, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Ad??la??de Beaudoin
<br />Exhibition organised by the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp, Royal Academy of Arts, London, and Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels.
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Peter Paul Rubens - Tiger, Lion and Leopard hunt. Copyright Musee des Beaux Arts, Rennes

Rubens and His Legacy at Royal Academy
Peter Paul Rubens is one of Europe's most prolific and well travelled Baroque painters. His diverse works influenced painters such as Rembrandt, Constable and Picasso. This exhibition brings together masterpieces by Rubens, as well as great works by those who drew inspiration from this 'prince of painters'. From 24 January

History Is Now at Hayward Gallery
What do artists make of the last 70 years of British history? Seven artists curate different themes, ranging from the Cold War to Thatcherite society to Mad Cow Disease. From 10 February

Sargent: Portraits of Artists & Friends at National Portrait Gallery
American painter John Singer Sargent is considered by many to be one of the great portrait painters. This show brings together 70 of his portraits including those of his well-known friends and contemporaries in the arts. From 12 February

Goya: The Witches and Old Women Album at The Courtauld Gallery
No artist can portray the grotesque quite like Goya, so we look forward to this re-unifying of all the surviving drawings from his Witches and Old Women series. If that isn't enough Goya for the year, the National Gallery is hosting an exhibition of his portraiture later in the year. From 26 February

Claude Monet, Poplars in the Sun. © National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo

Inventing Impressionism at National Gallery
Impressionism is widely loved now, but it wasn't always so, and the genre struggled to establish itself in the first instance. Using paintings by the likes of Monet, Manet, Renoir and Degas, this exhibition charts the life of Paul Durand-Ruel, a Parisian art dealer, and his struggle to get their works noticed. From 4 March

Defining Beauty: The Body in Ancient Greek Art at British Museum
Some of the most magnificent ancient sculptures of the human form were created by Greek sculptors, and there will be examples aplenty in this major exhibition. It's a 2,000 year journey, starting from the Cycladic sculptures that still influence Western European art today. Later in the year the British Museum has promised an exhibition on Celtic art. From 26 March

Joshua Reynolds: Experiments in Paint at Wallace Collection
One of Britain's greatest portraitists will have an exhibition in a setting where his paintings could not feel more at home. Visitors should also make sure they check out the Wallace Collection's permanent exhibits, some of which is housed in the newly-refurbished central gallery upstairs. From 12 March

Barbara Hepworth, Squares with Two Circles. Copyright Tate.

Barbara Hepworth at Tate Britain
Hepworth is often overshadowed by her contemporary Henry Moore, although she really shouldn't be. Here's a chance to appreciate the full portfolio of her work including textiles, collages, drawings and trademark sculptures. From 24 June

Ai Weiwei at Royal Academy
Ai Weiwei is not afraid to challenge the status quo, and can make important statements about our world while enchanting us with thousands of manufactured sunflower seeds. With the excellent Kiefer exhibition still in our minds, we expect this to be similarly superb. From 19 September

Frank Auerbach at Tate Britain
Pictures can never do justice to the heavily layered impasto paintings of Auerbach. His heavy use of paint and sparing use of bright colours create powerful portraits and landscapes. From 9 October

Alexander Calder: Performing Sculpture at Tate Modern
Calder's mobile works are unmistakable: these fragile kinetic sculptures hang from the ceiling perfectly balanced and ready to move on the slightest puff of air. This major exhibition also looks at his collaborative efforts in film, theatre, music and dance. From 11 November

Hopefully this preview has whetted your appetite for the upcoming year in art. As soon as each of these exhibitions opens, we'll review them, to let you know whether they live up to the hype.

Last Updated 02 January 2015