FIVE OF THE BEST NEW EXHIBITIONS
This season’s top picks are all either curated by or centred on women in the art world
1. THE BLOCKBUSTER ‘Men put me down as the best woman painter… I think I’m one of the best painters,’ Georgia O’keeffe once said. In 2014, her ‘Jimson Weed/ White Flower No 1’ canvas (right) fetched the highest price ever paid for a work of art by a female artist, more than doubling the previous record. However, no UK public art collection owns a single O’keeffe. London’s Tate Modern has therefore managed a major coup with its new retrospective, which shows over 100 paintings on loan from around the world. Until 30 October (tate.org.uk).
2. THE PHOTOGRAPHER At Hastings’ Jerwood Gallery, alongside rarely seen works by Picasso, are photographs by his friend, Vogue correspondent and war photographer Lee Miller, in a new show called ‘Bitten By Picasso’, organised by Miller’s son, Antony Penrose. Until 9 October ( jerwoodgallery.org).
3. THE WEARABLE ART Who knew that 20th-century American sculptor Alexander Calder also designed necklaces, brooches and earrings? Artists’ jewellery is gallerist Louisa Guinness’ speciality – her Mayfair gallery has shown pieces by figures from Picasso to Man Ray. Geometric, handcrafted and striking in scale, designs that echo Calder’s famous mobiles will be exhibited in her autumn exhibition ‘The Boldness of 2 Calder’. Also on show will be intriguing archive photographs of notable women wearing his pieces, from Peggy Guggenheim to Anjelica Huston (above). 27 September–5 November ( louisaguinnessgallery.com).
4. THE FASHIONABLE SCULPTOR Nicole Farhi started her fashion career at French Connection during the 1970s before launching her eponymous label. Today she’s no longer associated with it, instead focusing on her other talent: her exhibition of a series of hands sculpted in bronze, entitled ‘The Human Hand’, opens at London’s Bowman Sculpture gallery this month. 13–30 September ( bowmansculpture.com).
5. THE PRIVATE COLLECTOR Valeria Napoleone, an Italian living in London, is one of the world’s leading collectors of art by female artists. As part of Sheffield’s ‘Going Public’ initiative, which exhibits Europe’s top private collections, her portfolio will be on show at Graves Gallery until 1 October. It will then transfer to Touchstones Rochdale (museum-sheffield.org.uk).