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'Too Bold to Have Been Painted by a Woman'

So the question to ask about the  Michaelina Wautier  exhibition at the Royal Academy in London must be: Is the hype about this recently rediscovered 17th-century woman painter justified? The answer: Yes, absolutely.  She really does merit acknowledgement -- and not just because we recognise a woman working in a man's world. Her art shows she was extremely talented, producing superb canvases covering a diverse range of subject matter. What's more, she painted very large pictures featuring male nudes, such as Bacchus, despite her contemporaries thinking that was not the sort of thing a female artist could do. And her portraits are wonderfully lively and lifelike. This is Martino Martini, an Italian Jesuit missionary who travelled to China in the 1640s. It was painted in 1654, when Michaelina was around 40. Martini, who was staying at the Jesuit College in Brussels, is depicted wearing traditional Chinese silk court attire and a hat of fur and feathers. A rather substantial...
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New Exhibitions in January

Hawaii: A Kingdom Crossing Oceans at the British Museum in London examines the art and history of the islands in the Pacific, in an exhibition marking 200 years since their king and queen travelled to London to seek an alliance with Britain. Many of the 150 objects and artworks have never been seen in the UK before. On from January 15 to May 25.
At the Courtauld Gallery, 10 little-known names will be showcased in A View of One's Own: Landscapes by British Women Artists, 1760-1860. Fanny Blake, Harriet Lister and Amelia Long are some of those whose drawings and watercolours will be on display; some were recognised in their lifetimes, the work of others has only recently come to light. January 28 to May 20. 

Her work was instantly recognisable and hugely popular. Beryl Cook: Pride and Joy at The Box in Plymouth marks the centenary of the birth of a painter who celebrated everyday life but whose pictures were often regarded as mere kitsch by the art establishment. This show, running from January 24 to May 31, gathers more than 80 of the estimated 500 paintings she made, and alongside the attempt to show her credentials as a serious artist, it's bound to be a lot of fun.
From January 31 to May 10, People Watching at the Dorset Museum & Art Gallery in Dorchester will be showing around 50 portraits from the Ingram Collection of Modern British Art. Elisabeth Frink, Barbara Hepworth, Dod Procter and Bridget Riley are among the sculptors and painters represented. 

The big exhibition opening on the Continent this month looks like being the one devoted to Paul Cezanne at the Fondation Beyeler on the outskirts of Basel. Focusing on the final years of the painter's career, the show will bring together about 80 oils and watercolours. It's on from January 25 to May 25. 
At the start of the 20th century, Jan Toorop was known as the most avant-garde artist in the Netherlands. He's included in the Neo-Impressionists show at the National Gallery in London, and a new exhibition at Singer Laren near Hilversum with around 80 exhibits looks at his whole career, with a focus on his Javanese roots. On from January 21 to May 10, The Worlds of Jan Toorop will also include paintings by artists he admired, such as Whistler and Gauguin. 

Last chance to see....

Swirling drapery, big hair, glorious colours. Evelyn De Morgan: The Modern Painter in Victorian London is an oddly named exhibition at the Guildhall Art Gallery in the City, but it certainly deserves a visit if you can get there by January 4; and you pay what you think it's worth.

Images

Mahiole hulu manu (Hawaiian feathered helmet), undated. © The Trustees of the British Museum
Beryl Cook (1926-2008), Elvira's Cafe. Courtesy of ourberylcook.com. © John Cook 2025 
Paul Cezanne (1839-1906), Apples and Oranges, c. 1899, Musée d’Orsay, Paris. © Grand Palais RMN (Musée d'Orsay)/Hervé Lewandowski
Evelyn De Morgan (1855-1919), The Storm Spirits, 1900, De Morgan Foundation


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