Take a trip down this rabbit hole

This exhibition – dedicated to Lewis Carroll’s classic books – was meant to be held 12 months ago. But everyone’s trip down the rabbit hole was postponed because of Covid. The wait was worth it. This audio-visual extravaganza has you listening to Jefferson Airplane’s 1967 song White Rabbit one minute, and watching Disney’s 1951 animation film Alice In Wonderland the next.

There’s a brief opening section on how Carroll came up with the idea for his books. However, most of the exhibition is devoted to the cultural impact of Alice. Of more than 300 exhibits (Alice Following The White Rabbit, right, by Chris Riddell), among the highlights is a selection of Surrealist art works by the likes of Max Ernst and Salvador Dalí. The Surrealists took great inspiration from Alice’s dreamlike escapades.

Carroll’s books have never been out of fashion. The curators here suggest that’s because of Alice’s intellectual curiosity and courage in speaking out. Whether or not you agree, this will leave you grinning like a Cheshire cat.

None of the recent glut of exhibition openings is higher-profile than David Hockney: The Arrival Of Spring, Normandy, 2020 at the Royal Academy (until September 26, ).

It features 116 works, created in and around the artist’s French farmhouse. They’re all landscapes – but with a twist. Hockney made them with a painting app on his iPad, and has printed them off on paper.

The 83-year-old’s theme is the beauty of springtime. His works are presented chronologically, from early pear, quince and cherry trees with bare boughs, to later in full blossom.

Hockney has said these ‘paintings’, made at the start of the pandemic, were intended as a joyful antidote to coronavirus. The trouble is that the iPad comes nowhere near the richness achieved with paint and brushes.

Alice: Curiouser And Curiouser Victoria & Albert Museum, London Until December 31 (booking essential)