Eight art events to get to this month

War in the Sunshine: The British in Italy 1917–1918
Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, London (13 January–19 March)

Following the refurbishment of its Grade II-listed Georgian building, the Estorick’s opening exhibition uncovers the experiences of British forces in Italy during the First World War. At its heart are the paintings and drawings of Sydney Carline, which are brought together with documentary photographs to capture life on the Italian front.

Delirium: The Art of the Symbolist Book
Morgan Library and Museum, New York (20 January–14 May)

The late 19th-century Symbolist movement emphasised the artist’s inner world. Drawing on the Morgan’s own collection, this exhibition examines encounters between Symbolist authors and artists and includes work by Mallarmé and Redon.

Claude Monet
Fondation Beyeler, Switzerland (22 January–28 May)

To mark the 20th anniversary of the Fondation Beyeler, the museum celebrates one of the most important artists in its collection. This is the first Monet exhibition in Switzerland in more than 10 years and it features 50 works from the 1880s to the artist’s late water lily paintings.

Charing Cross Bridge: Fog on the Thames (1903), Claude Monet. © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Museum Barberini
Potsdam (Opening 23 January)

The Barberini Palace, built by Frederick the Great in 1771–72, was largely destroyed in 1945 and demolished in 1948. It has been reconstructed under the patronage of Hasso Plattner and opens with an exhibition of Impressionist works, including paintings by Monet, Van Gogh, and Caillebotte.

Photo: Helge Mundt, courtesy Museum Barberini

Marisa Merz: The Sky Is a Great Space
Met Breuer, New York (24 January–7 May)

This is the first major retrospective in the US of works by the Italian painter, sculptor, and installation artist Marisa Merz – one of the few female artists associated with Arte Povera. Five decades of her work are on show, from early experiments to the post-1975 portrait heads.

Untitled (1993), Marisa Merz. Courtesy the artist and Fondazione Merz

Jimmie Durham: At the Center of the World
Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (29 January–7 May)

Featuring nearly 200 works, this is the first US retrospective of the elusive Native American artist, performer, and activist. At the core of Durham’s practice is sculptural assemblage, but his work encompasses many themes including identity, colonisation, exile, and genocide.

Ahead (1991), Jimmie Durham. Courtesy of the artist and kurimanzutto, Mexico City. Photograph: Nick Ash

L’Afrique des routes
Musée du quai Branly, Paris (31 January–12 November)

This survey of the African continent and its history of international trade and exchange spans the 5th millennium BC to the present day, and includes a rich variety of artworks and objects. Pictured is a 20th-century anthropomorphic Malinke mask surmounted by a comb.

Photo: Partrick Gries and Vincent Chenet; © Museé du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac

Hull UK City of Culture 2017
Various venues, Hull (Throughout 2017)

Hull celebrates its status as the UK City of Culture with a year- long programme of events. Highlights include the reopening of the Ferens Art Gallery with a complete redisplay of its permanent collection, and the opening of a brand new contemporary art space, the Humber Street Gallery.

Sea Of Hull (9 July 2016), Spencer Tunick. Courtesy of Ferens Art Gallery