November is Here: What to See, Eat, Drink and Do this Month

Events and Exhibitions

Paris Photo at the Grand Palais, Paris: November 8 – November 11, 2018
This November Paris’ Grand Palais will be taken over by the largest international art fair devoted to photography. With over 200 exhibitors representing some of the leading galleries from around the world, the fair showcases a diverse and comprehensive presentation of contemporary and historic photography. The 22nd edition is one not to be missed, with the chance to buy rare editions of works and books while enjoying a carefully curated programme of artist and curator talks and special events.

Home Futures at the Design Museum, London: November 7, 2018 – March 24, 2019
Held in partnership with the IKEA Museum in Älmhult, Sweden, the Design Museum’s latest exhibition considers whether we are living in the way that pioneering architects and designers of the 20th-century predicted – or whether our idea of home has proved reluctant to change. Encompassing over 200 objects it will explore yesterday’s vision of the future, and what the ‘home of the future’ might look like today.

Cecily Brown: When, Where, How Often and With Whom? at the Louisiana Museum, Denmark: November 8, 2018 – February 10, 2019
One of the most important figures in contemporary painting, Cecily Brown’s enigmatic paintings promise to inspire and perplex. The exhibition is one part of a series celebrating contemporary painters, featuring Peter Doig and Tal R, with Brown offering a much needed female perspective. Inspired by the work of Degas, de Kooning and Bacon to name a few, Brown has made a name for herself with a unique take on painting the figure in a contemporary world, filling her canvases with a sea of figures. Often crossing between figurative and abstract, the effect is beguiling.

Klimt / Schiele at the Royal Academy, London: November 4, 2018 – February 3, 2019
A blockbuster exhibition at the Royal Academy will celebrate two of Vienna’s biggest names, Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. This once in a lifetime exhibition presents a selection of works on paper that are so fragile they almost never go on display. The intergenerational artists were elite craftsmen and their works on paper reflect their most intimate, direct and raw forms of expression. The exhibition promises a unique chance to see these masters of early Modernism side by side, offering an intimate insight into their artistic relationship and skilled draughtsmanship.

Diane Arbus Untitled at David Zwirner, New York: November 2 – December 15, 2018
On display at David Zwirner this autumn will be Diane Arbus’ series Untitled, seen in its entirety for the first time. The presentation will display 66 photographs taken at residences for people with developmental disabilities, including several never before seen photographs. These were places Arbus frequented in the last years of her life, visiting and documenting various picnics and dances to produce enigmatic portraits of the residents. She wrote at the time: “FINALLY what I’ve been searching for”.

Still I Rise: Feminisms, Gender, Resistance at Nottingham Contemporary: until January 27, 2019
Resistance movements – their participants and history – are at the centre of a new exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary. Still I Rise focuses on the role that women played in uprisings and demonstrations, taking into consideration historical and contemporary events such as Black Lives Matter, the Civil Rights Movement, movements against colonialism in Africa and the AIDS crisis through the galvanising and collaborative work of over 40 artists, architects, designers, writers and activists.

Shooting Stars: Bob Willoughby at Elliott Halls, Amsterdam: November 17, 2018 – January 19, 2019
Few people can boast quite the calibre of subjects as Bob Willoughby, whose on-set photographs of golden age Hollywood – he was the first ‘outside’ photographer hired by film studios – pioneered the celebrity portrait. A new exhibition collects some of his most memorable photographs, from those of Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Audrey Hepburn, among others, capturing each with renewed vitality.

Alice Neel in New Jersey and Vermont at Xavier Hufkens, Brussels: until December 8, 2018
Known for her visceral portraits and groundbreaking nude studies, American painter Alice Neel’s work spans most of the 20th century and was groundbreaking in both subject matter and approach. Xavier Hufkens gallery is showcasing some of Neel’s vibrant paintings made in Spring Lake and Vermont. There is much intimacy on show in the selection of works: Neel often made her family and personal memories the subject of her paintings, and portraits of her children and grandchildren feature in the collection.

Skate at Somerset House with Fortnum & Mason: November 14, 2018 – January 13, 2019
Somerset House’s atmospheric skating rink returns this month, heralding the arrival of winter festivities in the city. In addition to a turn on the ice, there will be plenty of pre- or post-skate activities to enjoy: from Skate Extras in Fortnum’s Lodge to Skate Lates, where music takes centre stage and DJs from iconic London venues like Dalston Superstore and Five Miles will take to the decks.

The Best of Film

November is laden with enticing cinematic offerings. There’s Steve McQueen’s masterfully realised new mystery, Widows, starring Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki and Cynthia Erivo. Based on the book of the same name by Lynda La Plante and centring on four women brought together by the debts they’ve each incurred courtesy of their dead husbands’ criminal undertakings and a steely determination to forge their own futures. Be sure to catch New Zealand drama Waru, a feature made up of eight 10-minute short films, each written and directed by Māori women filmmakers, telling the story of a Māori community united in the face of tragedy when a young boy dies at the hands of his caregiver.

Actor Paul Dano makes his (extraordinarily accomplished) directing debut with Wildlife, starring Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal as Jeanette and Jerry, a housewife and her golfing pro husband, in 1960s Montana. A series of unfortunate events see Jerry leave his wife and 14-year-old son Joe to fend for themselves, resulting in a finely rendered portrait of a family in crisis that packs a potent punch.

Suspiria, Luca Guadagnino’s anticipated remake of Dario Argento’s 1970s horror classic, arrives on screens this month. It is the tale of a young American dancer who arrives in 1970s Berlin to join a prestigious dance company, unearthing a whole world of sinister secrets in the process. Expect style and cerebral scares in abundance. Don’t miss the Cannes-winning Japanese drama Shoplifters, Hirokazu Koreeda’s subtle but deeply stirring story of a family of petty thieves who take in a small girl they find in the street. Last but not least there’s Disobedience, Sebastián Lelio’s follow up to Una Mujer Fantastica, which sees the South American director turn his lens to London for a rousing tale of repressed desire. Upon the death of her estranged father, a New York photographer (played by Rachel Weisz), returns to the Orthodox Jewish community she grew up in, reigniting the forbidden spark between herself and her childhood friend (Rachel McAdams).

For this month’s unmissable documentaries, meanwhile, look no further than Black Mother, Khalik Allah’s breathtakingly poetic portrait of Jamaican life; Mila Turajlić’s The Other Side Of Everything, exploring Serbia’s turbulent political past through the eyes of her mother, an active critic of Slobodan Milosevic during his presidency; and The Price Of Everything, Nathaniel Kahn’s fascinating deep dive into the contemporary art world and the figures, both corporeal and financial, that keep it aloft. Finally, for a hefty dose of female empowerment, there’s The Judge by Erica Cohn, following Kholoud Al-Faqih, the first female Shari’a judge in Palestine.

Food and Drink

Oyster Happy Hour at Prawn on the Lawn, Islington
Colder weather marks the perfect time to be eating oysters, and seafood specialist haunt Prawn on the Lawn is taking full advantage with their playful oyster happy hour. Fresh from the shores of Cornwall, Porthilly oysters can be enjoyed either fresh or fried, with a glass of Cornish sparkling wine to accompany. What more could you want?

Alpine Winter Terrace at Orrery, Marylebone: from November 15, 2018
On the roof of Marylebone restaurant Orrery a space opens this month designed to transport guests to the Alps. Cosy blankets and pine cones will be in abundance on the winter terrace, where warming cognac cocktails will be on offer alongside French charcuterie and sirloin steak with gruyere fondue sauce – all scented with Diptyque candles.

DIRT. at Berber & Q Shawarma Bar: November 4, 11 and 18, 2018
The opportunity to discover (and of course taste) how different soils and climates affect wine arises for the second year at Berber & Q’s Shawarma Bar on Exmouth Market. In a competition-style event, two sommeliers from restaurants the world over will showcase different wines from a chosen terroirs, some recognisable and others more obscure, with the aim of introducing guests to an unknown side of their chosen wines. (And don’t miss the delectable mezze from the Middle Eastern rotisserie menu.)

Great Performances

There’s no excuse for not getting yourself to the theatre this month thanks to the diverse array of productions hitting London’s stages. The Almeida’s stunning production of Tennessee Williams’ Summer and Smoke, directed by Rebecca Frecknall, transfers to the West End, so if you missed the sublime study of “love, loneliness and self-destruction” the first time around, now’s your chance. Don’t miss Jodee Mundy Collaborations’ Imagined Touch at the Barbican, a truly unique immersive event created by deafblind artists Heather Lawson and Michelle Stevens, allowing audiences to experience the “the humour, grief, beauty and profound isolation of their lives”. At Sadler’s Wells, acclaimed British-Bangladeshi choreographer Akram Khan curates the Darbar Festival, offering viewers the chance to discover some of the world’s oldest dance styles in what is sure to be an unmissable programme dedicated to Indian classical music. Meanwhile, Courage Everywhere at the National Theatre, celebrates the 100th anniversary of (some) women in the UK gaining the right to vote, with a series of rehearsed readings, talks, and screenings centred on themes of suffrage. Lastly, if you haven’t booked your tickets to see Marianne Elliott’s brilliant reimagining of Stephen Sondheim’s beloved 1970 musical Company you’d better get cracking. The intelligent and uplifting musing on marriage and singledom, starring Rosalie Craig and Patti LuPone, has already won over many a musical sceptic and tickets are selling out fast.