Art in March (part one)
Portrait of Jeff Koons at Espace Louis Vuitton Osaka, 2026 with Wild Boy and Puppy, 1988 [Photo credits: Jérémie Souteyrat / Louis Vuitton]
Jeff Koons Paintings and Banality – Selected Works from the Collection: Espace Louis Vuitton, Osaka, Japan
American artist Jeff Koons is famed for transforming banal, everyday objects – from balloon animals to toys and household items such as vacuum cleaners – into monumental sculptures using stainless steel, porcelain and glass. The artist first gained renown in the mid-1980s when he presented glass and plexiglass display cases filled with objects – including basketballs within his Three Ball 50/50 Tank of 1985 (a piece on display in this exhibition) – all symbols of the American Dream. His work bridges the gap between pop culture, kitsch and high art and questions the boundaries between "good" and "bad" taste in an unapologetic celebration of popular culture. Many of Koons' iconic works feature highly reflective surfaces that force viewers to see themselves in the art, creating a personal connection with the piece. This show delves into the artist’s four-decade exploration of the banal – and how his work transforms what society considers worthless into something of great value, while holding a mirror to observers, reflecting what constitutes identity — both individual and collective. Until 5 July. Espace Louis Vuitton Osaka, Louis Vuitton Maison Osaka Midosuji 5F, 2-8-16 Shinsaibashi-suji Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-0085
Installation view, Beatriz González at the Barbican, London [Image: Barbican Art Gallery, David Parry © Beatriz González]
Beatriz González: Barbican Art Gallery, London, UK
The Colombian artist passed away in Bogotá in January of this year at the age of 93, bringing deeper meaning to this retrospective of her work, which showcases more than 150 artworks, many shown in the UK for the first time, and surveys the artist’s practice from the 1960s to the present. González was celebrated for blending Pop Art sensibilities with biting political commentary on Colombia’s history of violence, social inequality and cultural memory. Her work features bold, vibrant palettes, in which she repurposed newspaper clippings, popular culture, postcards and art history, while frequently painting onto found furniture and objects to critique authority and violence while reflecting on grief, displacement and community. Until 10 May. The Barbican Art Gallery, Level 3 of the Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS; barbican.org.uk
Works by Orfeo Tagiuri. Image courtesy of the artist/ Mutty Gallery
Orfeo Tagiuri Doing Nothing: Mutty Gallery, Brescia, Italy
Orfeo Tagiuri lives and works in London. His oeuvre spans painting and drawing to performance, film, woodcarving, animation and music. He draws on his cultural heritage – his father is Italian-Mexican and his mother is German-Irish –and often blends text and imagery to explore themes of emotion, memory, love and the "micro-details" of daily life. This is the artist’s first Italian solo exhibition at Mutty gallery, a new space combining an independent bookshop and exhibition space in Brescia, Italy. On display is a selection of drawings on paper of various sizes, a new series created specifically for Mutty, as well as an archive table containing sketchbooks, books, objects “and fetishes” that are part of his creative process. Until 4 April. Mutty Gallery, Brescia, Italy; mutty.it
Soane office, Royal Academy Lecture Drawing of the work of Sir John Vanbrugh, `Goose-Pie House', London - Whitehall, perspective. Image courtesy of Sir John Soane's Museum
Vanbrugh: The Drama of Architecture: Sir John Soane’s Museum, London, UK
Hailed as “The Rockstar of the English Baroque” and “The original starchitect”, Sir John Vanbrugh (1664-1726) was a renowned Restoration playwright turned architect who designed some of the UK’s most beloved country houses, including Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard (see details of the stately home's exhibition below), with a dramatic sensibility. Sir John Soane (1753-1837) cited Vanbrugh as one of his great influences, remarking that he had “all the fire and power of Michelangelo and Bernini”, which is why this show, curated by Sir Charles Saumarez Smith CBE and architect and academic Roz Barr, is being staged by the museum 300 years after his death. Opening today, the showcase features never-before-exhibited drawings from the collections of the V&A, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the National Portrait Gallery and Sir John Soane’s Museum, including many in Vanbrugh’s own hand. The oeuvre includes drawings for major projects, including Castle Howard. Until 28 June. Sir John Soane’s Museum, 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3BP; soane.org
Seurat, The Lighthouse at Honfleur, 1886, Collection of Mr and Mrs Paul Mellon, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Image courtesy of The Courtauld
Seurat and the Sea: The Courtauld, Somerset House, London
The first ever exhibition dedicated to the seascapes of the French artist Georges Seurat (1859–1891) also boasts the largest group of such works ever assembled. It charts the development of the artist’s Pointillism technique through his depictions of the sea – a voyage of discovery that is a counterpoint to his better known urban work in Paris. Between 1885 and 1890, Seurat spent five summers on the northern coast of France (including Honfleur, Port-en-Bessin, and Gravelines), where he produced numerous seascapes, paintings of ports and ships. He aimed to "wash his eyes" of the studio, focusing on the light and clarity of the seaside. This Griffin Catalyst exhibition brings together 26 paintings, oil sketches and drawings made by Seurat during this time. Until 17th May, Denise Coates Exhibition Galleries, Floor 3, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN; courtauld.ac.uk
David Hockney, 2002 (oil on canvas) ©The Lucian Freud Archive. All Rights Reserved 2025 / Bridgeman Images. Private Collection. Image courtesy of National Portrait Gallery
Lucian Freud Drawing into Painting: National Portrait Gallery
A spotlight is shone on the artist's works on paper, including some on display for the first time. Spanning sketches, drawings in charcoal and pastel and etchings they reveal the intensely observational and highly personal nature of Freud's creative process. His "drawing into painting" approach, in which paper allowed him to experiment with composition, line and volume, served as an independent and sometimes more intimate extension of his painted oeuvre. This exhibition explores the artist’s lifelong preoccupation with the human face and figure from the 1930s to the early 21st century – and “the dynamic dialogue between his practice on paper and on canvas”. Until 4 May,National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE; npg.org.uk
Tracey Emin My Bed 1998 ©Tracey Emin. Image Courtesy The Saatchi Gallery, London / Photograph by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd
Tracey Emin A Second Life: Tate Modern, London, UK
Tracey Emin is celebrated for her raw, unflinching and unapologetic exploration of the female experience, transforming autobiography into a language of emotion, trauma and resilience. As a central figure in the Young British Artists (YBA) movement of the 1990s, she dismantled the boundaries between personal and public art, establishing a "confessional" style that challenged conventions of taste and the role of women in art. This exhibition surveys 40 years of her oeuvre through painting, video, textiles, neons, writing, sculpture and installation, demonstrating her commitment to painting, and presenting her recent work “as the culmination of the ways she has channelled her life into her art”. Until 31 August, Tate Modern Bankside London SE1 9TG; tate.org.uk
Yinka Shonibare's African Flower Magic I, 2025. Relief print with woodblock and batik fabric collage on Somerset Tub Sized Satin Radiant White 410gsm paper
Yinka Shonibare: Patterns of Power: The Gallery at The Arc, Winchester, UK
The British-Nigerian artist is renowned for exploring colonialism, post-colonialism, race and cultural identity through an often ironic, post-colonial perspective. His work in sculpture, painting and film is defined by the use of vibrant, "African" Dutch wax-printed fabrics to subvert Western art history and examine the connection between Africa and Europe. This show features over 40 artworks spanning 20 years of the artist’s career, including Shonibare’s recent woodblock project Ritual Ecstasy of the Modern, and a new series of screenprints, African Flower Magic (2025) on loan from Cristea Roberts Gallery, London. The centrepiece of the display will be The Crowning, (2007), an early, large-scale sculpture on loan from the Arts Council Collection. Until 3 June, The Gallery at The Arc, Jewry St, Winchester SO23 8SB; hampshireculture.org.uk
Kiefer's painting Caterina Sforza will be displayed from February 9th to June 30th, 2026, at the Unipol Tower in Milan (Piazza Gae Aulenti), in another version specifically conceived by Kiefer. It is free to visit via: https://www.cubounipol.it/it/servizi/visita-guidata-milano
Kiefer: The Women Alchemists: Palazzo Reale, Milan
The renowned German painter and sculptor’s beguiling, large-scale tactile works confront Germany’s dark history while exploring memory and cultural identity. In Milan, the 80-year-old artist pays homage to female alchemists with a series of 42 monumental canvases conceived specifically for the city’s Palazzo Reale. The works engage with the architecture of the Sala delle Cariatid, (Hall of the Caryatids), the palace’s neoclassical former ballroom, which was preserved in a state of intentional ruin as a memorial to the 1943 Allied bombing of World War II. Within the ruins were the remains of 40 sculptures of the women of Caria that once supported the room’s perimeter balcony, which have become part of the exhibition – Kiefer's zigzagging canvases interact with the original wall mirrors and the ruined statues. The historical women in his painting were involved in alchemy, proto-science and medicine but were largely forgotten or overlooked, and are brought to life in works that are “alchemical laboratories”. Lead, sulfur, oxides, gold, flowers and ash transmute into artworks; the faces and bodies of the women appear through the violence of the blowtorch and from dense matter. The exhibition is part of the cultural program for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, until September 27th, Piazza del Duomo, 12, 20122 Milano; palazzorealemilano.it
Galerie Downtown will present a selection of iconic pieces by the French architect, builder and designer, Jean Prouvé, at The Fondation CAB Saint-Paul de Vence. Image courtesy of Galerie Downtown
Jean Prouvé: Inventeur de Maisons (Inventor of Houses): Fondation Cab x Laffanour Galerie | Downtown, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France
Galerie Downtown will present a selection of iconic pieces by the mid-century French architect, builder and designer, Jean Prouvé, at The Fondation CAB Saint-Paul de Vence, a 1950s architectural gem renovated by designer Charles Zana in 2021. Prouvé applied the same constructive and democratic approach to architecture and furniture, and this show highlights his research for the Coque and Métropole prefabricated houses in Meudon – transportable and easy to assemble homes that were designed for displaced populations after the Second World War. They feature signature design details: Axial gantries, self-supporting panels and curved steel shells. A selection of his iconic furniture is also on show: the Cité bed, Compas table, Standard chair, Antony armchair and Marcoule bench, as well as rare architectural elements. Until 31 October. Fondation CAB, Saint-Paul de Vence, 5766 Chemin des Trious, 06570 Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France
Rothko's celebrated abstract canvases of the 1950s and 1960s will be showcased in Florence. Image courtesy of Palazzo Strozzi
Rothko in Florence: Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, Italy
American artist Rothko’s Colour Field paintings featuring rectangular blocks of soft line and luminous colour invite contemplation: the viewer is compelled to linger, look deeper, immerse themselves in his works. They evoke profound, universal human emotions – from ecstasy to dread – in a spiritual, almost physical experience. This show presents a selection of works, including large paintings never exhibited in Italy before, from prestigious private collections and international museums such as the MoMA and the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Tate in London, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington. Curated by Christopher Rothko and Elena Geuna, it is a survey of the artist’s evolution and maturation, from his early figurative works, in dialogue with Expressionism and Surrealism, to the celebrated abstract canvases of the 1950s and 1960s, while also delving into his connection with Italian artistic tradition. Until 23 August. Palazzo Strozzi, Piazza degli Strozzi, 50123 Florence, Italy; palazzostrozzi.org
Sholto Blissett, Orders of Magnitude I, 2026. Courtesy the artist and Pilar Corrias, London.
Sholto Blissett Orders of Magnitude: Pilar Corrias, London, UK
The London-based British painter is known for creating large-scale oil paintings of fantastical landscapes shaped by surrealism and magical realism, featuring classical ruins, follies and sculpted topiary, which appear to be overtaken by nature. The otherworldly paintings suggest a world existing in a state of limbo, or a future where nature has outlasted human civilisation. Water features heavily within the artist’s works as a powerful, sculpting force in the landscape. This exhibition is Blissett's first with the gallery since the announcement of his representation last year, and includes works that continue his exploration of humanity’s relationship with nature. The show focuses on scale and relational meaning – objects, environments and human presence are understood not in isolation but through their proximity to one another.
Until 25 April. Pilar Corrias, 2 Savile Row London W1S 3PA; pilarcorrias.com
Sir John Vanbrugh, the architect of Castle Howard, is honoured in an exhibition delving into his conception of the grand stately home in York. Images courtesy of Castle Howard
Staging the Baroque: Castle Howard, York, UK
In another homage to Sir John Vanbrugh, Castle Howard is celebrating its architect throughout 2026, marking the 300th anniversary of his death. This exhibition, curated by architect Roz Barr, tells the extraordinary story of how the stately pile was conceived: “When an ambitious Vanbrugh encountered Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle, in the confines of the Kit-Cat Club in London. The Earl wanted to build a grand country house and Vanbrugh’s bold, theatrical vision inspired him to take a chance on this would-be architect who had never built anything before. Vanbrugh enlisted the help of Nicholas Hawksmoor and the collaboration gave rise to the masterpiece that is Castle Howard.” The show explores Vanbrugh’s visionary use of scale, shadow and light, which gave rise to one of Britain’s most iconic houses, a masterpiece of English Baroque architecture.
Part of Vanbrugh 300 at Castle Howard, until 31 October. Castle Howard, Castle Howard, York, YO60 7DA, castlehoward.co.uk
Artist and designer Marthe Armitage. Image courtesy of Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery
Marthe Armitage: Pattern Maker: Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery, London, UK
Marthe Armitage, the queen of handprinted wallpaper, is a celebrated British artist and designer renowned for her whimsical prints, often featuring natural motifs of flora and fauna. She is a master printmaker who has been working for more than 60 years using traditional lino-cutting techniques, while creating designs that are still printed on her original century-old, hand-operated press in Chiswick. This exhibition in the former home of architect Sir John Soane – a restored Regency-era country house and contemporary art space located on Ealing Green – presents more than 40 prints, objects and archive materials representative of the artist’s illustrious career, from her first ever lino block in 1964 to her most recent 2023 print Chess. Now 95, this is a wonderful homage to Armitage, recounting her early work printing wallpaper solely for her family, to later designs – one of which featured in Hammer Horror’s return to cinema in The Woman in Black. Until 19 July. Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery, Mattock Lane, Ealing, London W5 5EQ; pitzhanger.org.uk
