What’s On

GRAYSON PERRY: The Pre-Therapy Years

The Sainsbury Centre, Norfolk Road, Norwich Until 30 January 2022

The exhibition will see some of Perry’s earliest works – pots, plates and sculptures – that first made Perry’s name, and will shine a light on his experimental and exploration of the potential of pottery to address radical issues and human stories. For Art lovers, this exhibition represents a unique opportunity to enjoy the artist’s clever, playful and politically-engaged perspective on the world through a number of pieces, many of which have not been seen in public since they were first exhibited. Often challenging and explicit, these works reveal the early development of Perry’s distinctive voice that has established him as one of the most compelling commentators on contemporary society. www.sainsburycentre.ac.uk

Meaningless Symbols Grayson Perry 1993 ©Grayson Perry and Victoria Miro

POUSSIN & THE DANCE National Gallery, London

9 October – 2 January 2022

A landmark exhibition of works by Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665) – the first ever to focus on his pictures of dancers and revellers – opens at the National Gallery in Autumn. Nicolas Poussin is an artist’s artist. For centuries, his works have been hugely influential, inspiring artists as diverse as David and Cézanne, Picasso and Bacon. Yet Poussin is sometimes overlooked by the public who often find his paintings cold, difficult or overly erudite. Art Oil on canvas 98 x 142.8 cm. A Bacchanalian Revel before a Term. historians have tended to characterise him Nicolas Poussin 1632-3 ©The National Gallery, London as a philosopher, rather than a painter, and his pictures are rarely presented in a warm or approachable way. 'Poussin and the Dance' intends to challenge this perception, exploring a part of the artist’s production that has never been examined before: his depictions of dance. 'Poussin and the Dance' will include wild, raucous and surprisingly joyous scenes, showing whirling, cavorting figures who are either half-naked or too drunk to hold themselves up. It will cast the French classical artist in a completely new light, showing how he grappled with the challenges of arresting movement and capturing the expressive potential of the body. Around twenty paintings and drawings from public and private collections around the world will be shown for the first time alongside some of the celebrated Classical antiquities that inspired them. These works are being seen together for the first time in a generation and will allow visitors to trace Poussin’s influences and the sophisticated translations he made between marble, paint and paper. www.nationalgallery.org.uk

The Adventures of Clara

The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle Until 31 October 2021

Meet Clara – once the most famous rhinoceros in the world. See, hear and even smell what life was like for her in the adventures of Clara This interactive fun family exhibition, ideal for the grandchildren, follows the story of Clara, an Indian rhinoceros who travelled from her home in India to Europe in the 18th century, creating a sensation where ever she went. She was greeted by royalty and cheering crowds who journeyed from far and wide to see her as she toured around the cities on the continent. She inspired paintings, songs, poems and sculptures, just like the Museum’s very own white marble statue, to be created. The Museum has teamed up with the charity ‘Helping Rhinos’, to highlight the danger the species is in today and to show what work is happening to preserve and protect rhino populations in the wild. Tickets to the Museum must be pre-booked online at thebowesmuseum.org.uk

Salvador Dali, A Mad Tea Party, 1969, © Salvador Dali, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, DACS 2019. Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Lynne B. and Roy G. Sheldon, 1999

ALICE: CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER

V & A Museum, the Sainsbury Gallery, London On now until 31December

Celebrating one of the most iconic, imaginative and inspiring stories of all time. Offering an immersive and fantastical journey down the rabbit hole, the V&A invites visitors to delve into the origins, adaptions and reinventions of Alice in Wonderland over 158 years, charting the book’s evolution from manuscript to a global phenomenon beloved by all ages. Explore over 300 objects, across five Alice-inspired worlds arranging thematically – spanning film, performance, fashion, art, music and photography. The V&A is the first museum to fully explore the cultural impact of Alice in Wonderland and its ongoing inspiration for leading creatives, from Salvador Dali and Yayoi Kusama, to The Beatles, Vivienne Westwood and Little Simz. For further information visit www.vam.ac.uk