The Best UK Art Exhibitions in 2021

With galleries having now reopened, we are spoiled for choice with the exhibitions on offer to us this year and to avoid missing out, we've rounded up the top exhibitions to get tickets for now.  

Helen Frankenthaler: Radical Beauty
Dulwich Picture Gallery
September 2021
A new exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery will showcase the groundbreaking woodcuts of abstract artist Helen Frankenthaler. This will be the largest display of Frankenthaler's works to have ever been shown in the UK, some pieces for the first time. Highlights include Frankenthaler’s first woodcut East and Beyond (1973) created by printing onto multiple blocks to avoid negative space and the masterpiece that is Madame Butterfly (2000) 46 woodblocks and 102 colours, the work measures over two metres in length and will occupy an entire room in the exhibition.

Joan Miró: La Gran Belleza
Newlands House in Petworth
Until 4th July 2021
Newland's House presents the hugely celebrated twentieth century artist, Joan Miró, in an intimate retrospective of his colourful work spanning 50 years ( 1930s to 1980s). The exhibition title, La Gran Belleza, translates as The Great Beauty, and draws inspiration from Miró's attitude towards life, always seeking beauty and joy. With Miró having lived through crises like the Spanish Flu and Civil War, this exploration of his magical universe instils a much needed sense of optimism. 

34 leading contemporary British artists have joined together in creating original miniature artworks for the Model Art Gallery. The collection features work from the likes ofDamien Hirst, Rachel Whiteread, Lubaina Himid and Michael Armitage. The art pieces vary from sculpture, photography, ceramics to paintings and all range from the size of a pound coin to 20cm. The 2021 Model Art Gallery will be displayed alongside two earlier model galleries – The Thirty Four Gallery and The Model Gallery 2000 with the aim of telling the story of Modern British art from the 1930s until today.

This is multi-sensory experience designed to immerse you in the life and works of Vincent van Gogh. Unlike a traditional exhibition, Van Gogh Alive is a multimedia art experience which combines high definition projections of up to 3,000 works by the artists set to a classical score of music delivered via a high-fidelity 3D sound system. You're also invited into a representation of the iconic, Bedroom in Arles painting, complete with a mirrored selfie room surrounded by hundreds of sunflowers.

During the first lockdown, David Hockney filled his days with creating paintings of the arrival of spring with just his stylus and iPad. Paying homage to the French impressionists with this modern medium. Almost exactly a year later, the collection is being displayed at The Royal Academy and serves as a reminder of the comfort we found in nature during the pandemic. 

After being postponed last summer, the V&A’s highly anticipated Alice in Wonderland-themed exhibition is now on display and tickets are selling fast after rave reviews. This is an immersive show where guests are invited to tumble down the rabbit hole and see all things mad and wonderful that have stemmed from Lewis Carroll's imaginative tale.

Infinity Mirror Rooms is undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated art exhibitions of 2021 and since it's opened, it has not disappointed. Social media has been flooded with images of the dazzling installations.The exhibition features two spectacular installations. The first is Infinity Mirrored Room – Filled With The Brilliance of Life, one of Kusama’s largest installations, specifically created for her landmark 2012 retrospective at Tate Modern and the second is Chandelier of Grief, a 2016 room which creates the illusion of a boundless universe of rotating Swarovski crystal light fittings. A truly unforgettable exhibition that's not to be missed. 

Image source: Artnet.com