London Diary: 8 October

It’s that time of year again in London. Frieze art fair is almost upon us, and in an effort to tempt the crowds out of Regent’s Park galleries across London are putting on their best shows all at once. Can’t keep track? We’ll be rounding up the latest clutch of exhibition openings every morning until the tent comes down. View the full series here.

Paula Rego: The Last King of Portugal
1–25 October, at Marlborough Fine Art

The last king of Portugal was the young Manuel II, who reigned for just two years before the Republican revolution in 1910, and ended up in exile in Twickenham. Paula Rego imagines his life in a new set of pastels, shown here alongside two other series based on works of fiction. The Relic envisages scenes from the eponymous novel (1887) by Eça de Queiróz; Stone Soup illustrates a new book by her daughter Caroline Willing.

The King’s Death (2014), Paula Rego

José Damasceno: PLOT
3 October–23 November, at the Holborn Library

Artangel’s latest commission also has a literary emphasis. The artist has left a trail of site-specific works throughout the library building that follow on and play into each other like chapters in a book. Familiar characters from London’s cultural history – Jonathan Swift and Max Ernst, Hammer Horror and Monty Python – are given a nod along the way. Don’t miss the events series which kicked off this week.

Tracey Emin: The Last Great Adventure is You
8 October–16 November, at White Cube Bermondsey

A cheery looking neon winks at passers-by in the entrance to Emin’s latest show, but don’t be fooled. ‘The work is about rites of passage, of time and age, and the simple realisation that we are always alone’, says the artist. Bronze sculptures, embroideries, paintings and gouaches are on display inside, the latest products of Emin’s career-long act of self-examination. Meanwhile in Mason’s Yard, works by David Hammons are on display until 3 January 2015.

Good Red Love (2014), Tracey Emin © Tracey Emin. All rights reserved, DACS 2014. Photo: Ben Westboy. Courtesy White Cube

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