Top 5: Cultural events not to miss in 2012
Read our guide to this year's cultural highlights
Richard Schmidt
From cutting-edge exhibitions to fashion shows and film screenings, this year’s got plenty in store when it comes to cultural offerings. Whisk yourself away to Australia or head to sunny Portugal, with our guide to the top five cultural events you won’t want to miss this year.
London, UK: ‘David Hockney RA: A Bigger Picture’
Steve Oliver
Starting things off, this weekend sees the opening of ‘David Hockney RA: A Bigger Picture’ at the Royal Academy (21 January - 9 April), set to be a blockbuster of an exhibition. The works on show span the prolific painter’s career, and will include the colourful Yorkshire landscape paintings Hockney made upon his return to England. Ever a fan of new technologies, the exhibition will also display his iPad drawings.
Helsinki, Finland: World Design Capital 2012
Hemera / Thinkstock
Highlights include Open Doors Weekend (3-5 February) where visitors to the capital can drop in on studios, go behind the scenes at museums and participate in over 180 events taking place across Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen, Lahti as well as Helsinki. There’s also September’s Design Week (6-16 September) which aims to bring together local artists and international designers for 10 days of education, celebration and innovation within design.
New York City, USA: Frieze Art Fair and ‘Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations’
Harper’s Bazaar / Hearst Communications, Inc.
If you prefer your art in sartorial form, then head to the Met’s Costume Institute exhibition ‘Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations’ (10 May – 19 August). The exhibition will focus on the connections between these two influential designers, looking at the role of art (in particular Surrealism), technology and contemporary notions of beauty, on their designs.
Guimarães, Portugal: European Capital of Culture 2012
Creative Commons / Jsome1
There’s a mammoth calendar of events, kicking off with the opening ceremony on 21 January (an open-air multimedia show) and followed by events ranging from art exhibitions and film screenings to talks, workshops and concerts, including ‘Mi Casa Es Tu Casa’ where musicians will play concerts in local homes throughout the town.
Sydney, Australia: Museum of Contemporary Art reopens
Creative Commons / TwistieMan
The first exhibition to be housed in the new galleries will be ‘Collection Volume 1’. It will feature indigenous and non-indigenous Australian art collected over the past 20 years, grouped around several themes including mythology and movement.
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