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Critic's choice: Top 5 exhibitions
By Hephzibah Anderson, Evening Standard 01.03.07
Modern? Hogarth's The Painter and his Pug
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The Tate Britain's Hogarth exhibition continues to draw the crowds, dapper duo Gilbert & George take over Tate Modern and London provides the inspiration for Canaletto in England...
Hogarth
Tate Britain, SW1
We think of Hogarth as a deft satirist, scratching out scabrous, still-famous engravings such as Gin Lane and Beer Street. But his was a multi-faceted career, encompassing society portraits as well as salacious brothel scenes, and confronting subjects from crime and corruption to sex, charity and patriotism. Hogarth was the nation's first truly modern artist - or so this comprehensive exhibition seeks to persuade us. It makes an entertaining case, bringing together more than 200 works. Until 29 Apr.
Gilbert & George: Major Exhibition
Tate Modern, SE1
This gargantuan celebration of the dapper duo is the largest retrospective exhibition ever held at Tate Modern. Spanning 40 years, it fills 18 rooms with charcoal-on-paper "sculptures", vibrant, gridded photographs, graffiti, flowers, excrement and blood. Throughout, the figures of Gilbert and bespectacled George loom, revelling in gleeful squalor and boozy bawdiness while wrestling with themes of prejudice, religious fundamentalism and violence. Until 7 May.
Canaletto in England
Dulwich Picture Gallery, SE1
By the time Canaletto arrived in England in 1746, his paintings had already made themselves at home here, brought back as Venetian souvenirs by so-called Grand Tourists. He was to end up staying for nine years, installed in a Beak Street studio where he turned his attention to his immediate surroundings. London's teeming streets and enormous parks, the Thames and its warehouses, and the suburban villas of the wealthy all appear in this gently revelatory exhibition. Until 15 April.
Xanto
Wallace Collection, W1
Francesco Xanto Avelli was a leading ceramic artist in Renaissance Italy. He worked in maiolica, which involves painting on to tin-glazed earthenware to achieve rich, lasting colours. While canvases can dim over the centuries, maiolica retains its vividness, and the 60 plates and dishes assembled here offer a glimpse of an altogether brighter Renaissance. A treat for anyone curious about the history of ceramics. Until 15 Apr.
Sliding Doors: Recent Contemporary Acquisitions
Tate Modern, SE1
This restless display groups together some of the Tate's latest acquisitions. It borrows its title from Carsten Holler's 2003 work, whose five electronic sliding doors create the impression of an endless mirrored corridor through which gallery-goers may wander. Other exhibits include Angela Bulloch's West Ham - Sculpture for Football Song, whose orange beacons flash on in response to sound. Until 22 Apr.
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