IMAGES: VASANTHA YOGANANTHAN; ALAMY


SMART TRAVELLER


LONDON A CAPITAL SHOW


With all eyes on the capital for the Coronation, some of London’s most venerable cultural venues have unveiled shiny new galleries and innovative exhibitions


National Portrait Gallery In March 2020, the National Portrait Gallery closed its doors to undergo the biggest transformation since it first opened its Trafalgar Square site in 1896. This June, after three years and a refurbishment to the tune of £35m, the gallery reopens complete with a new entrance and bridged walkway on the north facade of the building. The redevelopment also includes a comprehensive redisplay of the museum’s collection — the world’s largest assemblage of portraiture. npg.org.uk


V&A In South Kensington, the V&A will open phase two of its Photography Centre on 25 May. There are four new galleries with exhibits ranging from early experimental photography to the modern era. The latest additions make the V&A the UK’s largest permanent space dedicated to photography, showcasing 800,000-plus works acquired since it was founded in 1852. vam.ac.uk


British Museum The major new exhibition, Luxury and Power: Persia to Greece, will explore how priceless antiquities from 550– 30 BC, from Afghanistan to Italy, still inform our ideas of luxury today. Among the displays are treasures captured from the royal command tent of the Persian king during the Greco-Persian Wars (499–449 BC), including gold and silver furniture, goblets and jewelled cups. 4 May – 13 August. britishmuseum.org


The Royal Academy Taking place every year since 1769 and with £50,000 worth of prizes awarded, the Summer Exhibition is the world’s oldest open-submission expo. Coordinated by Royal Academicians such as Grayson Perry and Yinka Shonibare, some two-thirds of the works on show are by non-Academicians, which sit alongside established artists such as Tracey Emin, Wim Wenders and David Hockney. 13 June – 20 August. royalacademy.org.uk


Natural History Museum The colossal titanosaur Patagotitan mayorum is on display for the first time in Europe, at the Natural History Museum. Four times heavier than Dippy the Diplodocus and almost 40ft longer than Hope, the museum’s beloved blue whale, the titanosaur is one of the largest known creatures to have ever walked our planet. Visitors can browse interactive displays and illustrations of Cretaceous plants and animals. To 7 January 2024. nhm.ac.uk SARAH BARRELL


From top: Vasantha Yogananthan, Longing for Love, 2018, from the series A Myth of Two Souls, 2013–20, at the V&A; the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court at the British Museum


JUNE 2023 19


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195  |  Page 196  |  Page 197  |  Page 198  |  Page 199  |  Page 200  |  Page 201  |  Page 202  |  Page 203  |  Page 204