From the October 2026 issue of Apollo.
Renoir and Love
National Gallery, London
3 October–31 January 2027
From scenes of lovers dancing in the sun to those of friends taking leisurely boat rides along the Seine, there’s an innate romance in the works of Renoir; not just in their subject matter but also in the Impressionist’s feathery application of paint. This show, organised with the Musée d’Orsay and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, brings some of the artist’s most joyful paintings to London, exploring his depictions of love and friendship at the peak of his career in the 1860s–80s.
The 90s: Art and Fashion
Tate Britain, London
8 October–14 February 2027
Fashion, photography, film and more make up this show, which explores how the final decade of the last millennium transformed British culture. Curated by former British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, works range from garments by Vivienne Westwood to Eddie Otchere’s snapshots of London’s counterculture and films by Steve McQueen (pictured).
Robert Ryman: The Real Thing
Barbican Gallery, London
8 October–28 February 2027
Ryman’s deceptively simple all-white paintings are up for close inspection in the artist’s first UK survey in 30 years, which spans early pieces from the 1950s to works from the 2010s.
2026 Robert Ryman/DACS, London; © The Greenwich Collection, New York
Cecilia Vicuña: Living Threads
Whitechapel Gallery, London
7 October–14 February 2027
The Chilean artist’s first retrospective in the UK takes in all aspects of her six-decade career, from early experiments with sculpture and figurative painting in the 1970s – the decade she left Chile for London after the violent military coup of 1973 – to fibre works from the last five years. Also on display are rarely seen documents and photographs, including those made for Artists for Democracy, a collective she co-founded in London in 1974.
From the October 2026 issue of Apollo.
