Curated London

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The best art in London - October 2014

From Old Masters to Young British Artists and everything in between, there's plenty to see in London this October. See below our pick of the ten exhibitions you won't want to miss. Like what you see? Click here to join the Curated London mailing list and receive our monthly roundup of the best art in town.

The Royal Academy turns the spotlight on 'colossus of contemporary art' Anselm Kiefer - expect painting, sculpture and monumental installation

A magnificent and deeply moving collection of photographs for Shelter: Nick Hedges' Make Life Worth Living is at the Science Museum

The Dutch master's later paintings are dark, mysterious and marred with controversy; learn more in Rembrandt: The Late Works at National Gallery

Pace Gallery presents a major retrospective of the late, great Italian contemporary artist Mario Merz, with work inspired by the natural world

The big cheese of contemporary art awards, see work by the four Turner Prize nominees at Tate Britain - with print, mixed media and lots of video

The Courtauld Gallery presents Egon Schiele: The Radical Nude, a rare opportunity to see fantastic work by the artist who died tragically young

Painting, sculpture and more besides - but no sweaty beds this time - YBA Tracey Emin's first London show in five years is at White Cube Bermondsey

Not just wallpaper - National Portrait Gallery presents a major survey of the great Victorian artist's life and work: William Morris - Anarchy & Beauty

Vorsprung durch Technik? Discover 600 years of German history, art and technology in Germany: Memories of a Nation, at the British Museum

Politicians, artists and entrepreneurs are among the 100 Leading Ladies to have their portrait taken by Nancy Honey, at Somerset House

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Cerith Wyn Evans at the Serpentine Sackler Gallery ★★

Some nice lighting installations with a tortuous nightmare soundtrack. Free admission until 9 November 2014.

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Trisha Donnelly at the Serpentine Gallery ★

Some incredibly tedious video art. Free admission until 9 November 2015.

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Constructing Worlds: Photography and Architecture in the Modern Age at the Barbican ★★★★

A terrific display of architectural photography, with the emphasis on the photography rather than the architecture. £12, until 11 January 2015.

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Walead Beshty at Barbican Curve Gallery ★★★★

12,000 amazing cyanotype prints fill Barbican's curve gallery until 8 February 2015. Admission is free.

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Open For Business at the Science Museum ★★★

Rob Kidd, Editor

Nine international photographers visited 100 manufacturing businesses to document British industry in the 21st century. Although it's not true to say 'we don't make anything anymore', it's all got rather more hi-tech than it used to be. Those lusting after our dark, satanic mills are likely to be disappointed. 

Some of the work is frankly rather dull, although there are several images that make this worth seeing if you're in the area. Bruce Gilden's portraits of staff at the Tate & Lyle factory make you question their human rights record, while Peter Marlow's shots of heavy industry from the Midlands will make even the softest southerner proud of our nation's industrial heritage. 

Open For Business is at the Science Museum until 2 November 2014. Admission is free. 

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Sensational Butterflies at the Natural History Museum ★★★★

Rob Kidd, Editor

The novelty of nature's tiny symmetrical works of art never seems to wear off. This beautiful exhibition on the lawn outside the museum has been running all summer and its popularity shows no signs of abating. There's science for those who want it, with thoughtful displays and interpretation for junior lepidopterists. The real appeal, though, is seeing these amazing creatures. They seem to have an uncanny sense of when they're about to have their photo taken, so the only way to see them in their full glory is in the flesh.

Sensational Butterflies is at the Natural History Museum until 14 September. Admission is £5.50.

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Art on the Underground gets its feet wet

Already bringing a little colour to the grey commute of London's subterranean commuters, the Art on the Underground programme is expanding - to the river. In a bid to double the number of people travelling by boat, TfL has begun commissioning work to brighten up London's piers and jetties. The first commission, a pair of paintings from British artist Clare Woods, goes on display in poster form from this month.

Commenting on the new work, Clare said: “The view of the city and the river banks, the muted feel to the sound and the general chaos of London are all elements of travelling on the river. I was very much influenced and interested by the huge tidal range, in some places eight meters, and what this drop in tide exposes. It is a whole other part of London that’s unseen by most people. I wanted to paint where these human structures meet the river but from the river’s point of view.”  

To find out more about travel on the river, check out the TfL website.

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Virginia Woolf: Art, Life and Vision at the National Portrait Gallery ★★★★

Rob Kidd, Editor

One of Britain's greatest writers, Virginia Woolf had the misfortune to be alive during both the world wars of the 20th century. As a result, her life and work pale into insignificance in the context of world events. Happily, the National Portrait Gallery has staged this comprehensive exhibition covering Woolf and her circle of friends.

Known as the Bloomsbury Set, this group of writers, artists and other free-thinkers radiated around Woolf's grand salons and house parties. Through drawings, paintings, photographs and other ephemera, many created by Bloomsbury members, the exhibition tells the story of Woolf's extraordinary life and legacy.

Virginia Woolf: Art, Life and Vision is at the National Portrait Gallery until 26 October 2014. Admission is £7 (£6 concessions).

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Building the Picture: Architecture in Italian Renaissance Paintingat the National Gallery ★★★★

Rob Kidd, Editor

It's all too easy to be a lazy Londoner - having great institutions like the National Gallery right on your doorstep, but never quite getting round to going. But with 2,300 paintings in the collection, even the hardiest art lover can feel a bit overwhelmed. That's why it's so lovely that the National Gallery stages exhibitions like this - a narrow cross-section of some of the best work, with a laser-like focus on a particular topic. In this case, it's the depiction of architecture in Italian paintings from the 14th - 16th centuries.

As well as the exquisite works from the permanent collection, some from as early as 1311, there are a handful of choice loans from other institutions. This well-rounded and rewarding exhibition is big enough to be worth a trip, but compact enough to do in your lunch hour.

Building the Picture: Architecture in Italian Renaissance Painting is at the National Gallery until 21 September 2014. Admission is free.

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Martin Parr: Signs of the Times at Beetles + Huxley ★★★★★

Rob Kidd, Editor

This fantastic exhibition is a must-see for anyone who lived in Britain in the 1990s, but will be a treat for anyone. Parr worked on a BBC documentary from the start of that decade called 'Signs of the Times'. This exhibition of stills from the series presents a snapshot of the nation at the time.

Floral prints, bad perms and ruched curtains feature strongly of course, but what really sets these images apart is the attitudes of the subjects. Each image is captioned with a quote from someone featured in the series. The quotes reveal how vain, self-absorbed and vapid they (we) all are. That said, the work is not in any way judgemental (Parr leaves that to the audience). It's just a set of honest portraits of Brits at home. 

Martin Parr: Signs of the Times is at Beetles + Huxley until 30 August 2014. Admission is free.

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Disobedient Objects at the V&A ★★

Rob Kidd, Editor

Disobedient Objects surveys the use of decorative arts in protest and demonstration. Badges, posters and placards all feature of course, alongside some more unusual pieces. A particular highlight is Carrie Reichardt's Tiki Love Truck, a 'mobile mosaic mausoleum' dedicated to a death-row inmate.

While the content is interesting (and in some cases very moving), the curation is jarring and laboured. Lots and lots of fragmented text competes for viewers' attention, while a booming soundtrack makes it hard to concentrate. A nice idea, but clumsy execution mean this is a disappointing show overall. 

Disobedient Objects is at the V&A until 1 February 2015. Admission is free.

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Primrose: Early Colour Photography In Russia at Photographers' Gallery ★★★★

Rob Kidd, Editor

Early black and white photographs in Russia, as elsewhere, were painstakingly hand-coloured using watercolour and oil paints. Several excellent examples are featured in the first section of the show, with results ranging from convincing to day-glo psychedelia. 

Tsar Nicholas II was keen to produce a visual record of the Russian Empire. Some of the photographs he commissioned to document the people, architecture and landscapes of this huge area are featured in the second section.

The third section focuses on the post-War period, when the government, under Lenin, saw photography as a powerful propaganda tool. State-sanctioned socialist-realist work appears alongside the work of talented amateurs, often working illegally. 

This is a comprehensive but accessible series of work, well chosen and thoughtfully interpreted. It sheds new light on a country that has long been shrouded in secrecy, and celebrates the work of its photographers working on both sides of the law.

Primrose: Early Colour Photography In Russia is at the Photographers' Gallery until 19 October 2014. Admission is free.

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Lorenzo Vitturi: Dalston Anatomy at Photographers' Gallery ★★★★

Rob Kidd, Editor

This bright and bold exhibition draws inspiration from Dalston's Ridley Road Market. Italian artist Vitturi has used discarded fruit and veg to create still-lifes for the 21st century. Sometimes used as found, sometimes allowed to rot and sometimes augmented with pigment, the subjects are at once familiar and otherworldly. 

Alongside the blackened bananas and mouldy melons are portraits of local people the artist encountered during the project. The result is a series of absorbing, colourful and thoroughly modern images that beautifully capture the essence of the area. 

Lorenzo Vitturi: Dalston Anatomy is at Photographers' Gallery until 19 October 2014. Admission is free.

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Malevich: Revolutionary of Russian Art at Tate Modern ★★★

Rob Kidd, Editor

This exhibition traces some of the most turbulent periods in Russia's history, from the fall of the Tsars to the Revolution via the First World War. The artist started out producing figurative images, learning from European household names like Cézanne, Picasso and Matisse, whose work was displayed in Moscow. He quickly built a reputation as a talented artist.

It didn't take long for Malevich to develop his own style, distinct from the Europeans who influenced him. Blending elements of Cubism and Futurism, his paintings draw on a consistent, bold colour palette and angular geometry of form. 

Malevich's work became more and more abstract, reaching an esoteric crescendo with his infamous Black Square. For many, it sits alongside Duchamp's Readymade urinal as a turning point in modern art. For others, it falls firmly into the 'my five-year-old could have done that' category. Two versions are featured, so you can make your own mind up.  

As the years went by, Malevich came full circle and returned to his figurative beginnings. With the social upheaval of 1917, and civil war two years later, he struggled to maintain focus, and abandoned painting altogether for a time. He returned to it in the late 1920s, creating stark and controversial works depicting the plight of peasants. Stalin's stranglehold on the arts meant he fell out of favour during the last years of his life.

This is an interesting exhibition, but one with a potentially limited appeal. At £14.50, it's pretty steep, but likely to find favour with die-hard modern art fans looking to expand their knowledge. 

Malevich: Revolutionary of Russian Art is at Tate Modern until 26 October 2014. Admission is £14.50 (£12.50 concessions). 

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Joan Fontcuberta: Stranger Than Fiction at the Science Museum ★★★★★

Rob Kidd, Editor

Spoiler alert: All is not as it seems in this bold and thought-provoking exhibition from Catalan artist Joan Fontcuberta. Through botanical illustration, photography, stellar cartography and even taxidermy, the artist presents an exhibition of pure science. Because we can see the evidence - and it's in the Science Museum - we know what we see before us is true. Or do we? 

Through six diverse bodies of work, Fontcuberta has staged a series of elaborate hoaxes. So elaborate, in fact, that many visitors will surely come away believing at least some of what they have seen to be true. All the exhibits are presented as fact, and the illusion is only shattered upon reading the accompanying leaflet.

You'll never look at museums in the same way again.   

Joan Fontcuberta: Stranger Than Fiction is at the Science Museum until 9 November 2014. Admission is £8 (£5 concessions). 

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Gilbert + George: Scapegoating Pictures for London at White Cube Bermondsey ★★

Rob Kidd, Editor

Writ large across the walls of the White Cube are many of Gilbert and George's mantras. 'Quality not quantity' is sadly not one of them. This latest collection of collage work from the infamous artistic duo is vast, but still manages to say very little: burkas might be scary and club kids might be naughty seem to be the main messages. Compared to some of the work in their back catalogue, this is seriously disappointing. 

Gilbert + George: Scapegoating Pictures for London is at White Cube Bermondsey until 28 September 2014. Admission is free.