The cultural wonders you won't want to miss this month
Capa in Colour: November 21 - May 29, 2016
Robert Capa, the undisputed master of war photography, is back in the spotlight this autumn, and this time with a groundbreaking dose of colour thanks to a new exhibition at Jeu de Paume in Paris. Via his works, which capture the vivacious women and sophisticated men of postwar Europe, Capa conjured a fun and optimistic vision of the future for the magazines of the late 1940s. Capa in Colour gives audiences the chance to explore these photographic delights, with over 150 rare prints, personal papers and tear sheets acting as a showcase for this little-known side of Robert Capa’s brilliant work.
Yayoi Kusama: In Infinity: until January 24, 2016
Enter the vibrant, quirky, and radiant world of Yayoi Kusama with her new In Infinity exhibition at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Built up chronologically, the show traces Kusama’s journey from the Japanese provinces to the progressive New York art scene. The works centre on the theme of infinity which Kusama proves to be endlessly interesting, with pieces ranging from eroticised furniture-sculptures to performance videos. The pièce de resistance, however, is the world famous Polka Dot Love Room (1967) installation, which is presented here in its entirety for the first time since the 1960s.
Alexander Calder: Performing Sculpture: November 11 - April 3, 2016
His inimitable handle on kinetic sculpture has made him the subject of many exciting conversations in contemporary art, and this season Alexander Calder is to be the focus of a major retrospective at Tate Modern. Influenced by both bohemian Paris and industrial Connecticut alike, Calder’s idiosyncratic works plunge viewers into the world of circus, cabaret, and all things frivolous and fun. Boasting over 100 works, Performing Sculpture will include such gems as his most momentous motorised mobiles, and figurative wire portraits of Joan Miró and Fernand Léger.
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The Best of Film
As winter unfolds, so too do the possibilities of guilt-free cinema visits and luckily November has lots of gems in store. Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara dazzle in Carol – Todd Haynes’ captivating adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s lesbian love story, The Price of Salt. The highly anticipated Steve Jobs biopic from Danny Boyle hits screens on November 13, with the ever-mesmerising Michael Fassbender taking on the role of the ambitious Apple founder. And speaking of Apple, we can’t wait to watch Tangerine, the American comedy-drama shot entirely on an iPhone 5s. It follows a prostitute who, after discovering that her boyfriend/pimp cheated on her while she was in jail, plots an elaborate revenge.
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Then there’s the release of Gaspar Noé’s controversial drama Love, the sexually charged tale of a ménage a trois gone wrong. Finally, classicists should take note of two terrific re-releases: the epic drama-romance Doctor Zhivago, starring Julie Christie and Omar Sharif, and True Romance – a welcome chance to revisit Tony Scott’s cult favourite, replete with Tarantino’s perfectly scripted one-liners and Patricia Arquette’s sartorial splendour.
Marco Walker, ZAP / SNAP: until November 16
A new exhibition by Austrian-American artist Marco Walker, is now on display at 43 Saint George’s Drive following a one-night show at the ICA, and promises an experimental collage-based collision of Americana, emojis and the digital zeitgeist. Intriguingly entitled ZAP / SNAP, the show is the artist’s second solo display in London, and gives a proud nod to the work of artists including Ed Ruscha, John Baldessari and the all-powerful pop art movement.
Jackson Pollock: A Collection Survey, 1934-1954: November 22 - March 13, 2016
Spanning world famous masterpieces such as One: Number 31 (1950) to rarely seen engravings and lithographs, this new exhibition of Jackson Pollock’s work at MoMA promises to expose the source of the painter’s creative genius, by placing emphasis on the energetic creative process and relentless experimentation behind his works.
Karl Lagerfeld: A Visual Journey: until March 20, 2016
Don’t miss the rare opportunity to see the world through Karl Lagerfeld’s black-tinted lenses courtesy of a new exhibition of the fashion maestros's beguiling photographs, at the Pinacothèque in Paris. “What I really like is what l’ve never done before,” expounds Lagerfeld, whose images range from daguerreotypes to Polaroid transfers, and feature beautiful landscapes, imposing architecture and, of course, his many beautiful muses.
Photo-Poetics: An Anthology: November 20 - March 23, 2016
Has the digitisation of photography changed the way we consume it? Focusing on the work of ten contemporary photographers, from Erica Baum to Lisa Oppenheim, Photo-Poetics at the Guggenheim in New York hones in on the changing course of photography in the digital age. With the pace of photographic circulation constantly accelerating, the exhibition will attempt to slow down our desire to swipe, click, and like, in favour of a more detailed, and rewarding, analysis of the photographs on show.
Excellent Performances
Evening at the Talk House, the new play from writer and actor Wallace Shawn, arrives at the National Theatre later this month for its world premiere and promises to be tantalising viewing. A group of creative minds – the actor, the composer, the playwright, the TV star – reunite at “the almost legendary club, The Talk House,” where they once spent many a happy hour for “the possibility of a pleasant night.” Then there's Roosevelvis at the Royal Court, a fantastic exploration of “gender, appetite, and the multitudes we contain,” courtesy of a spellbinding two-woman cast who play a gay, small-town meat-packer and her imaginary friend (who just happens to be Elvis), and Teddie Roosevelt (Elvis’s very own imaginary friend) and a liberal, adventurous bisexual respectively. A heady and surreal road-trip ensues, with laughs and tears along the way.
Fashion Regained: The Treasured Dresses of Élisabeth, Countess Greffulhe: November 7 - March 20, 2016
In spite of her status as the cousin of French poet Robert de Montesquiou, the muse of Marcel Proust and the wife of Count Henry Greffulhe, Élisabeth, Countess Greffulhe was not defined by the men in her life. Instead she was widely celebrated for her work as an early ambassador of sciences and the arts – she produced several operas – and politics. She was also something of a style queen, adorning herself in the creations of grand couturiers from Worth and Fortuny to Babani and Lanvin. Now, a new exhibition at the Palais Galliera in Paris explores the legacy of the early power woman through her enviable wardrobe.
Revelations: Experiments in Photography: November 20 - February 3, 2016
Whether it’s a close-up shot of a pair of butterfly wings, or snapshots of a bullet passing through an apple, the new Experiments in Photography exhibition at the National Media Museum is sure to delight. Paying tribute to a variety of pioneering photographers of the 19th and 20th centuries, the photographs trace the fast-paced advancement and ingenious approaches to photography around the world. The works on show reach far beyond aesthetics, to bring visitors' attention to revolutionary scientific images, from X-ray prints to the visualisation of air currents.
The Best of Food and Drink
What might a banquet based on those of the Indian Royals Courts look like, if reimagined by the chef who spent a decade reinventing Indian cuisine at the Cinnamon Club? The answer is DarBaar, a new restaurant by Abdul Yaseen, which blends classic and contemporary dishes, and is set to open on November 4. Elsewhere in London, nestled cosily between King’s Cross and St Pancras, is an enormous Grade II listed building which started life as Britain’s first purpose-built gym. As of November 12, it will be unveiled as the German Gymnasium, a new restaurant and bar by D&D. Serving what it describes “as the best of Mittel-European food,” the kitchen will be headed up by Bjoern Wassmuth, promising a pronounced nod to German cuisine in a startlingly impressive setting. Finally, for those wishing to counteract eating with exercise and a spot of shopping, Skate at Somerset House returns on November 18, offering on-ice club nights, a pop-up Fortnum & Mason store and delicious après-skate treats from cocktails to Welsh rarebit to warming hot chocolate.
Allen Jones: Colour Matters: November 25 - January 23, 2016
Get down to Marlborough Fine Art late this month to revel in innovative sculptures from the inimitable British pop artist Allen Jones, including the new Green Shoes and Black Shoes totemic columns, twirling aluminum sheets, along with new studies of Kate Moss in wood, glass, and stainless steel.
Daido Moriyama in Colour: November 8 - January 10, 2016
While Daido Moriyama is most widely celebrated for his grainy, black and white depictions of 20th century Japan, a new exhibition at the Carla Sozzani Gallery explores his coloured photographic output with a display of 130 unseen works. Offering a truly revolutionary glance at Japanese society from the late 60s to the eary 80s – a time of immense cultural change – Moriyama’s work flits between tradition and modernity to paint a vivid, and unique picture of this pivotal period.
