Art and Design
From Da Vinci to Vogue, these shows are sure- re blockbusters
T
hanks be to the doctor who, in 1941, suggested the subject of the exhibition Ky n Williams: the Artist and
Amgueddfa Cymru should take up art ‘for the sake of his health’ a !er being invalided out of the army. John Ky "n Williams would go on to become Wales’ de# ning artist of the mid to late 20th century, capturing popular imagination with darkly atmospheric Snowdonia landscapes before # nding global renown as a member of the Royal Academy of Arts. At the National Museum Cardi $ until 1st May. museum.wales/cardi The years fall away in the Royal Collection show Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing from 1st February 2019-15th March 2020. ‘ You can see the marks Leonardo made with his own hands, as though he’d made them yesterday,’ enthuses curator Martin Clayton, the Royal Collection Trust’s Head of Prints and Drawings. ‘ That sense he’s not a distant echo from the past but somebody you can see at work on a sheet of paper he held in his hand, allows a tremendous connection.’ The exhibition marks the 500th anniversary of Da Vinci’s death by simultaneously displaying 12 of his drawings in 12 venues nationwide, ahead of more concentrated exhibitions in London and Edinburgh. And, says Martin, they are essential to our understanding of history’s most celebrated Renaissance man: ‘So many of his paintings were un # nished, but they were the tip of the iceberg of a life in architecture,
‘You can see the marks Leonardo made with his own hands, as though he’d made them yesterday.’
sculpture, science and engineering; our knowledge comes almost entirely from drawings, because nothing else survives.’ rct.uk
‘ Van Gogh’s years in London were very important,’ says Carol Jacobi, lead curator of The EY Exhibition: Van Gogh
and Britain at Tate Britain, London from 27th March-11th August. During the period of his stay, from 1873- 6, it was the ‘most technologically advanced city on the planet,’ Carol explains. ‘ He saw the future, the fallout from capitalism in terms of the city’s poor. It made him think about what kind of life a man should lead in this new world, about what art was for; he sensed it should be for working people.’ Besides 45 Van Gogh works, the exhibition will display his in !uence on British artists, from Francis Bacon to Walter Sickert. tate.org.uk Wild and Majestic – Romantic
Visions of Scotland is a major exhibition reminding us that, in becoming the muse for many a member of the European Romantic movement of the late 18th to mid 19th century, the country formed an international identity we still recognise today. On show at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, from 26th June- 10th November. nms.ac.uk
Fans of clean-lined living are directed towards Nordic Cra
and Design at Manchester Art Gallery from 6th July-10th November, a comprehensive showcasing of Scandi furniture, fashion and art from 1930 to the present day. manchesterartgallery.org
‘ I love beautiful clothes, but I don’t give a monkey’s what’s on the catwalks,’ says regular Vogue photographer Tim
Walker. ‘ Fashion is the only photography that allows fantasy, and I’m a fantasist.’ The Victoria and Albert Museum will offer a behindthe-scenes perspective of his creations in this eponymous exhibition from 21st September, including new work in !uenced by the museum collections. vam.ac.uk