Book your next mini break around these top exhibitions in some of our favourite cities …
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What to see: For fans of Tracey Emin, “I Followed You to the End” is on at the uber cool White Cube gallery, featuring new paintings and drawings as well as a monumental bronze sculpture. Visitors can see references to her beloved cats and her home in Margate, as well a new video filmed by Emin revealing in candid detail the stoma with which she now lives, post treatment for bladder cancer.
The National Gallery is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year with a spectacular exhibition, “Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers” which includes the Dutch artist’s most famous works – Starry Night over the Rhône, The Yellow House, Sunflowers and Van Gogh’s Chair, to name a few.
At the Victoria Miro Gallery, the recent Yayoi Kusama exhibition “Every Day I Pray for Love” was hugely successful as is the current “Joyful Sorrow” exhibition by Chris Ofili which continues his exploration of Shakespeare’s Othello, until December 14.
At the Victoria & Albert Museum, “Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection” brings together 300 prints by 140 of the world’s leading modern and contemporary photographers – from Robert Mapplethorpe and Cindy Sherman to William Eggleston, Diane Arbus, Sally Mann, Zanele Muholi, Ai Weiwei and Carrie Mae Weems. It’s a must-see, as is a visit to the museum shop to stock up on Christmas stocking fillers!
Stay: Ellen Kensington is one of London’s newest boutique hotels in South Kensington, overlooking the historic Barkston Gardens. It’s a discreet base that pays homage to the building’s past. The decor is inspired by the famous Victorian actress, Dame Ellen Terry, who lived there. Guests have access to a stylish pan-Asian restaurant, daily afternoon tea, bar, cigar lounge and outdoor terrace in a quiet area behind the hotel. The perfect hidden spot to enjoy an al fresco drink.
What to see: At the Albertina, there’s a special exhibition dedicated to the master of the Russian avant-garde, Marc Chagall. Born into an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic working-class family in what is now Belarus, the themes of birth, love and death became key aspects of his work, as well as his poetic images with animal motifs (the donkey, cow and fish were frequently used.)
“Gauguin: Unexpected” at the Bank Austria Kunstforum explores Gauguin’s career from a post-Impressionist artist to his role as one of the founders of modernism.
There’s also an acclaimed Rembrandt exhibition at the KHM Museum that focuses on the the artist’s use of colour and illusion across 60 works. The museum also features the work of Rembrandt’s talented pupil, Samuel van Hoogstraten, who spent several years in Vienna and enjoyed success at the Habsburg imperial court.
Pick up a Vienna City Card to avail of discounts to all museums listed here, and more.
Stay: Grand Ferdinand on the Ringstrasse. This boutique hotel is seriously cool with a rooftop bar and pool with stunning views over Vienna exclusively for members and guests, three restaurants and classic cars to hire for the day if that’s your thing. At ground-floor bar Gulasch & Soehne, pair Viennese ‘fast food’ with fine fizz or a glass of Velkopopovický beer. As a base for an arty stay, Grand Ferdinand is a five-minute stroll to the Wein Museum where the works of native creatives Klimt and Schiele are housed.
What to see: Make a beeline for the “Dior/Lindbergh” exhibition at La Galerie Dior with images taken between 1988 and 2018, showing the designs of successive creative directors and their take on Mr Dior’s guiding principle of clothes “in the movement of life”.
The Musée d’Orsay invites us to meet Harriet Backer, the famous Norwegian painter, in a colourful and poetic exhibition until January 12 2025.
The Jeu de Paume gallery in the Tuileries Gardens has a great exhibition on photographer Tina Barney, famous for her portraits of elite American families in the 1970s. All taken in her signature retro pastel tones.
Stay: If you crave some country life in addition to cultural stimulation, the Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay will appeal. It’s just 45 minutes from Paris, hidden within a forest in the Chevreuse Valley. The 12th-century Cistercian abbey has been restored as an elegant country house hotel and also includes La Ferme accommodation, which opened in September. This is a luxe farm stay where guests are encouraged to help care for the chickens, rabbits, goats and donkeys that populate the surrounding fields. Guests of La Ferme also have access to the facilities of the main Abbaye estate, via a short buggy ride. There are different types of accommodation across four farm buildings, all decorated by interior designer Corinne Sachot. Think Colefax and Fowler fabrics, Vime wickerwork, antiques, floral wall hangings and vintage tableware.
What to see: “Vive l’impressionnisme! Masterpieces from Dutch Collections” at the Van Gogh Museumcelebrates the 150th anniversary of Impressionism with rarely seen works drawn from Dutch museums and private collections across the Netherlands.
“Banksy: Laugh Now” is at Moco Museum and includes Girl with Balloon, Flower Thrower, Smiling Copper and many more.
For fashionistas, there’s a chance to see “Dior – A New Look” at the Kunstmuseum, The Hague (until January 26) and “Phosphor: Art & Fashion” (until January 11 2025) by Viviane Sassen, the Dutch fashion photographer famous for her surreal images for brands such as Dior and Louis Vuitton.
Stay: Sir Adam, part of Sircle Collection, is housed in a renovated 1970s skyscraper. Colourful and quirky, it’s a hub for creatives who enjoy hanging out in the communal areas and browsing the hotel’s vinyl library. The lifts (themed with appropriate playlists) and gourmet burger restaurant are highlights. Rooms are generous in size and comfort with music-inspired artwork, a Gibson guitar and record player with vinyls.
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