Pick of the bunch: 2017’s top 5 exhibitions not to miss

Out with the old and in with the new! We cannot wait for the fun to begin and here at the Affordable Art Fair HQ we’ve crafted a list of arty happenings in London that have us buzzing for the New Year!

Basquiat: Boom for Real – Barbican Art Gallery 

21 September 2017 – 28 January 2018

Boom for Real will be the first large–scale exhibition in the UK of the work of Haitian-Puerto Rican artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, as the Barbican draws from international museums and private collections to showcase more than 100 works never before seen in the UK.

The self-taught artist began turning the New York art scene on its head after he first teamed up with classmate Al Diaz to graffiti enigmatic statements across the city under the pseudonym ‘SAMO’. Basquiat’s work has been a massive influence in the work of many including Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja who uses abstract sloganeering, social and political data mining in his live shows, inspired by the artist’s work.

This exhibition is one close to our hearts and is definitely one not to miss!

Find out more here.

Cezanne Portraits – National Portrait Gallery

26 October 2017 – 11 February 2018

Remarked by Matisse as “the father of us all”, Cezanne absorbed many inspirations, including those of Courbet and Manet in his early years and had a significant influence on artists such as Picasso, as well as the development of 20th century art.

Cezanne Portraits will see over 50 portraits from post-impressionist artist Paul Cezanne which have never been on public display in the UK. Painting almost 200 portraits, including 26 of himself and 29 of his wife, Hortense Fiquet, the exhibition will dive into the special pictorial and thematic characteristics of Cezanne’s portraiture.

Curated by John Elderfield, chief curator of The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), it’s sure to be a great exhibition!

Find out more here.

Image above: Boy in a Red Waistcoat, 1888-90 by Paul Cézanne. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art, 1995.47.5

Eduardo Paolozzi – Whitechapel Gallery

16 February – 14 May 2017 

Described as the ‘godfather of Pop art’, Paolozzi consistently challenged artistic convention from the 1950’s, through to the ‘Swinging Sixties’ and in the advent of ‘Cool Britannia’ in the 90’s. 

Presented in four chronological sections, the exhibition will begin with Eduardo Paolozzi’s early brutalist concrete sculptures such as ‘Seagull and Fish’ and ‘Blue Fisherman’, which have been reunited for the first time since his London debut in 1947. The exhibition will also include materials from the artist’s influential performative lecture, ‘Bunk!’ and examples of textile, fashion and design work.

Like the sound of this exhibition? Click here for more information on tickets and times.

Image: Wittgenstein in New York (from the As is When portfolio) 1965, Screenprint, 76 x 53.5cm. Courtesy Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art © Trustees of the Paolozzi Foundation, licensed by DACS

Rachel Whiteread – Tate Britain

12 September 2017 – 4 February 2018

Explore the career of Britain’s leading contemporary artist and the first female winner of the Turner Prize Rachel Whiteread with Tate Britain’s exciting exhibition. The study of Whiteread’s work will bring together well-known pieces such as ‘Ghost’ and ‘Untitled’, alongside pieces not previously exhibited.

Whiteread’s portfolio is characterised by its use of industrial materials such as plaster, concrete, resin and rubber to create evocative sculptures ranging from the intimate to the monumental. 

Find out more here.