Willem de Kooning review – the artist’s lifelong rebellion against himself is thrilling to watch
Rijksmuseum, AmsterdamMarking a century since the Dutch artist stowed away to New York, this vast retrospective gloriously showcases the abstract expressionist’s fierce boundary-pushingWillem de Kooning was the last great artist who really knew how to…
Lourdes gets a Vegas glow-up at Dublin theatre festival, where canvases are slashed
A musical about a drama group’s pilgrimage and reflections on activist art join an intriguing show about lost languagesIn a Dublin theatre festival programme tackling heavy themes of racism, conflict and prejudice, Lourdes! The Musical (★★★★☆) promises…
Crush-worthy photography, camp sci-fi and a centenarian’s florals: five free exhibitions to see
A little exhibition of Daidō Moriyama at his artiest and strangest, like Warhol with added filth, is among the best on show in London’s free-entry commercial galleries this weekIf it’s a crime to have a crush on an elderly avant garde Japanese street…
Robert Ryman review – can your brain handle a show that only has white paintings?
Barbican Art Gallery, LondonWhat seem at first indistinguishable canvases offer challenges, revelations and transcendental effects – but only if you can give yourself over to themWriting about painting is a futile exercise at the best of times. This is…
‘My poetry won me asylum’: Cecilia Vicuña on exile life in ‘sad’ Britain after Pinochet’s coup
Five decades after convincing judges she’d be killed if she returned to Chile, the artist is back with a politically charged retrospective in the country she grew to loveCecilia Vicuña was 24 when she first arrived in London. She had come from Santiago…
Balraj Khanna: Lines of Flight review – plenty of dazzle, but where is the darkness?
Ikon, BirminghamThis six-decade survey is a riot of biomorphic blobs, candy-coloured galaxies and cosmic spectacle – but the quieter works pack the biggest punchThe work of Balraj Khanna will be familiar to many residents of Birmingham, whether they know…
Renoir and Love review – the happiest exhibition of the year? Pourquoi pas!
National Gallery, LondonGrab your straw boater – and revel in these light-as-souffle masterpieces that celebrate life’s pleasures, from picnics to dances to frolics in the bushes‘They knew how to enjoy themselves,” David Hockney once told me, gleefully…
Korea review – a nirvana of wild beauty shattered by the 20th century
British Museum, LondonThe staggering resourcefulness and fantastic originality of bygone artisans is showcased in earthenware so exquisite it will soothe your soul. But a lurch into the modern breaks the spellCan they do it again? The runaway success of…