Eileen Agar: Angel of Anarchy, Whitechapel Gallery, 19th May to 29th August 2021
The Whitechapel Gallery reopens in May with “Eileen Agar: Angel of Anarchy,” a major retrospective of the work of Argentinian-born, British based artist Eileen Agar (1899-1991). Classically trained at the Slade before a rapid immersion in Cubism in Paris, Agar was a significant figure in the evolution of surrealism in both France and Britain, working across painting, sculpture, collage and photography. Classical art, ancient mythologies, the natural world and sexual pleasure were among the themes that inspired her, through a career that extended through eight decades. Though celebrated as an artist, Agar was also known for her trailblazing experiments in surrealist fashion design, modelling for Issey Miyake at the age of 87.
Veronica Ryan: Along a Spectrum, Spike Island, Bristol, 19th May to 5th September 2021
Spike Island regularly spotlights under-appreciated talent. Born in Montserrat in 1956, arriving in England as an infant, Veronica Ryan has built a substantial career straddling Britain, the United States and the Caribbean. Known for sculptures inspired by organic forms, this ambitious new body of work has grown out of an extended residency. Cast forms in clay and bronze, tea-stained fabrics and bright neon crocheted fishing line pouches filled with seeds, fruit stones and skins, explore ideas of displacement, history, trade and the natural environment.
Canaletto: Painting Venice, Holburne Museum, Bath, 17th May to 5th September
In the 1730s, the 4th Duke of Bedford commissioned twenty three paintings of Venice from Canaletto, then a rising star—the largest series ever accomplished. Destined for Woburn Abbey, where they have hung ever since, rarely loaned, this is an exceptional opportunity to see them close up. Besides classic views of the Grand Canal and Piazza S. Marco, there are paintings of less familiar angles and corners, which offer in some ways a more vivid contemporary record of the city.
