It's not opening until September 10, but tickets to see The Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum go on sale at 1000 on July 1, so if you want to see it this year you'll probably need to get in early. Follow the link for details. Booking for the rest of the run, from January 1 through to July 11, 2027, will open later in 2026. If you've never seen this most astounding of historical artefacts in its natural habitat in Normandy, you'll want to seize the chance in London. But what about this month? Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (1793-1865) is regarded as one of Austria's finest 19th-century painters, and there's a free single-room show devoted to his views of the Alps, Vienna and Sicily from July 2 at the National Gallery. Waldmüller: Landscapes is on till September 20. Richard Dadd (1817-1886) was already known as a successful painter of Shakespearean fairy scenes before he began experiencing delusions, leading him to kill his father. Confined to Bethlem and Broa...
While we're sitting here in Britain waiting for any indications of an easing in the coronavirus lockdown that might allow museums and galleries to reopen, some countries on the European mainland are moving, albeit cautiously, towards letting the public back in.
So yes, if you're in the right place, you may be able to get out to enjoy an exhibition in May. And that's important, because however much art you might be able to access online, it's never going to be the same as getting up close to the real thing.
Austria and Germany look to be leading the way. In Vienna, there's a last chance at the Belvedere from May 15 to June 1 to catch Into the Night, a look at the role played by clubs and cabarets around the world in the story of modern art -- the antithesis of social distancing. Late 19th-century Paris, Harlem in the 1920s, Weimar-era Berlin: It's a great subject, and there's some fascinating art on show (especially Toulouse-Lautrec's almost abstract depictions of the serpentine dancer Loïe Fuller in her billowing silks), but we have to admit that when we saw this same exhibition at the Barbican in London last year, we found the presentation rather sterile.
Among Vienna's other big galleries, the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Albertina are also due to reopen towards the end of May.
In Germany, the rules on what can reopen when vary region by region, but the Museum Barberini in Potsdam will allow visitors back into its Monet: Places show from May 6. This exhibition, which is being extended to July 19, charts the locations that inspired the Impressionist's landscapes and features more than 100 works. If you can't get there, the link above provides a number of videos about the show.
The Barberini's announcement about its reopening gives some indication of the sort of changes we can expect at exhibitions, at least in the short term. Visitor numbers are being drastically reduced, the time you can stay in the show is limited to 120 minutes, there'll be a specific route through to ensure correct social distancing and, this being Germany, you'll have to wear a face mask.
Museums in Berlin have been given the go-ahead to resume opening from early May, but there's been no word yet on any concrete plans.
In Italy, museums are being allowed to restart operations from mid-May, but there's been no announcement so far on any resumption of the big Raphael show at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome. Again, those without any hope of getting there can see a video presentation by clicking on the above link.
Belgian museums can also reopen their doors from mid-May (too late, alas, to let any more people experience the fantastic Jan van Eyck exhibition in Ghent), and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels will be among the first to do so.
Meanwhile, France is to allow small museums to open up again from May 11, though major institutions such as the Louvre will have to remain closed. How small is small? That's not immediately clear. In Spain, from the same date, galleries will be permitted to open to a third of their normal visitor capacity.
Switzerland's also just brought forward the date for a reopening of museums to May 11, so there's possibly still an opportunity of getting to see the excellent Edward Hopper show at the Fondation Beyeler, just outside Basel; there's no closing date now mentioned on the museum website. Some videos from that exhibition, including a taste of Wim Wenders' movie homage to Hopper, can be found here.
So yes, if you're in the right place, you may be able to get out to enjoy an exhibition in May. And that's important, because however much art you might be able to access online, it's never going to be the same as getting up close to the real thing.
Austria and Germany look to be leading the way. In Vienna, there's a last chance at the Belvedere from May 15 to June 1 to catch Into the Night, a look at the role played by clubs and cabarets around the world in the story of modern art -- the antithesis of social distancing. Late 19th-century Paris, Harlem in the 1920s, Weimar-era Berlin: It's a great subject, and there's some fascinating art on show (especially Toulouse-Lautrec's almost abstract depictions of the serpentine dancer Loïe Fuller in her billowing silks), but we have to admit that when we saw this same exhibition at the Barbican in London last year, we found the presentation rather sterile.
In Germany, the rules on what can reopen when vary region by region, but the Museum Barberini in Potsdam will allow visitors back into its Monet: Places show from May 6. This exhibition, which is being extended to July 19, charts the locations that inspired the Impressionist's landscapes and features more than 100 works. If you can't get there, the link above provides a number of videos about the show.
Museums in Berlin have been given the go-ahead to resume opening from early May, but there's been no word yet on any concrete plans.
In Italy, museums are being allowed to restart operations from mid-May, but there's been no announcement so far on any resumption of the big Raphael show at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome. Again, those without any hope of getting there can see a video presentation by clicking on the above link.
Belgian museums can also reopen their doors from mid-May (too late, alas, to let any more people experience the fantastic Jan van Eyck exhibition in Ghent), and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels will be among the first to do so.
Meanwhile, France is to allow small museums to open up again from May 11, though major institutions such as the Louvre will have to remain closed. How small is small? That's not immediately clear. In Spain, from the same date, galleries will be permitted to open to a third of their normal visitor capacity.
Switzerland's also just brought forward the date for a reopening of museums to May 11, so there's possibly still an opportunity of getting to see the excellent Edward Hopper show at the Fondation Beyeler, just outside Basel; there's no closing date now mentioned on the museum website. Some videos from that exhibition, including a taste of Wim Wenders' movie homage to Hopper, can be found here.
Images
Rudolf Schlichter, Women's Club, c. 1925, Private collection. © Viola Roehr von Alvensleben,
Munich. Photo: akg-images
Claude Monet, Under the Poplars, 1887, Private collection
Claude Monet, Under the Poplars, 1887, Private collection
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