Gilbert & George: SCAPEGOATING PICTURES for London, White Cube, Bermondsey, London
The career of Gilbert & George may now span five decades but it shows no signs of slowing down. This new collection of work is as topical as ever, exploring the volatile, tense, accelerated and mysterious reality of our increasingly technological, multi-faith and multi-cultural world – with particular reference to the Spitalfields area of London where Gilbert and George live and work.
Until 28 September, whitecube.com
American Impressionism, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh
This bumper show traces the discovery of Impressionism by American artists in the late 19th century. Perhaps most intriguing is the group of artists, including Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent and James McNeill Whistler, who trained in Paris and settled near Monet at Giverny in the late 1880s.
Until 19 October, www.nationalgalleries.org
Sandra Blow, The Exchange and Newlyn Art Gallery, Penzance
The late Sandra Blow was a pioneer of the British post-war abstract movement and closely associated with the St Ives artists. This double exhibition across two sites features nine of her large-scale painting and collage pieces from the latter 1980s onwards. Extraordinarily ambitious, the works illustrate Blow’s mastery of her medium.
Until 4 October, newlynartgallery.co.uk
Phyllida Barlow: GIG, Hauser & Wirth, Somerset
Hauser & Wirth’s brand new space in Somerset houses this superb exhibition by Phyllida Barlow. GIG has been created in response to the gallery’s unique surroundings – a converted 18th century barn and adjoining farm buildings. The result is a series of exuberant installations best described as a jubilant cacophony of colour and fabric.
Until 2 November, www.hauserwirthsomerset.com
Virginia Woolf, National Portrait Gallery, London
Celebrate the life of one of the most important writers of the 20th century with this extensive exhibition of portraits and rare archival material. Featuring portraits of Woolf by her Bloomsbury Group contemporaries Vanessa Bell and Roger Fry, plus photographs by George Charles Beresford and Man Ray, this show provides an intimate view of this fascinating figure.
Until 26 October, www.npg.org.uk
Selections chosen by Jack Hutchinson
