This October, the art world lights up with a variety of exhibitions that promise to take us on a journey of exploration and reflection.
From the vibrant Swab Barcelona, where East Asia takes centre stage, to the show that reveals the hidden connections between two titans of art: Joan Miró and Henri Matisse. Among the art novelties in October, we find that Fundación MAPFRE pays tribute to the creative independence of 31 women artists who defied the rules in the last century, or the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, which takes us into the mystical universe of Tabita Rezaire.
East Asia takes Swab Barcelona
Swab Barcelona is back for another year with its 17th edition, this time focusing on emerging art from East Asia, highlighting the creative dynamism of cities such as Taipei, Tokyo and Seoul. This year 70 galleries from 20 different countries are participating, and are presented with the mission of creating a space with artistic diversity through consolidated works as well as independent and avant-garde projects. Programmes such as Solo Show and Video Box explore the cultural connections between Barcelona and Taipei, while Focus Tokyo – Seoul invites you to immerse yourself in the dialogue between tradition and modernity of the two Asian cities.
An exhibition by artist Kevin Kavanagh, who was present last year in the general programme of Swab Barcelona. Editorial credit: Swab Barcelona.
In addition, the fair introduces the PERHUTANA initiative, by the Indonesian collective Jatiwangi Art Factory. With a sustainable outlook, it is an alternative proposal that challenges technological visions and focuses on the human and ecological essence. In total, more than 200 artists will present their works at Swab Barcelona, combining traditional roots, reinventions and new steps in artistic collaboration.
When does it take place? From 3 to 6 October 2024
Where? Avinguda de Rius i Taulet, 10, Barcelona
Timetable: Friday from 16.00h to 21.00h. Saturday from 12.00h to 21.00h. Sunday from 12.00h to 20.00h.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
The Mutual Influence of Miró and Matisse
The Fundació Miró in Barcelona is preparing to unveil the exhibition Beyond Images, which will explore the connection between Joan Miró and Henri Matisse. At first glance, these artists seem to have explored two different worlds; Matisse, with his Fauvism, and Miró, Surrealism. However, the exhibition delves into the hidden connections, analysing their trajectories and the influence they exerted on each other. The tour follows a biographical narrative, revealing how Matisse and Miró became reflections of each other’s inspiration.
Joan Miró and Henri Matisse at the café Les Deux Magots, Paris, 1936. Editorial credit: Pierre Matisse, Sotheby’s.
Key moments, such as Fauvism in Miró’s works in the late 1910s and early 1940s, or the surrealism that influenced Matisse in the mid-1930s, come to life in this exhibition. Through a selection of carefully chosen pieces, we will be able to witness his great works where colour, form and experimentation come together with harmony and balance. Their paintings are compared with the decorative image they represented, and although at first glance they may seem different, the great artists are at a particular point in their search for inspiration.
When does it take place? From 24 October 2024 to 9 February 2025.
Where? Parc de Montjuïc, s/n, Barcelona.
Timetable: Tuesday to Saturday, from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm. Sunday from 10.00h to 19.00h.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
Barcelona aims for sustainable design
Barcelona Design Week returns with its 19th edition under the slogan Design for Human Future, and its aim to promote a more sustainable future. Over the ten days, Barcelona will offer a variety of talks, workshops, activities and exhibitions focusing on regeneration and care for the planet through the eyes of design. The Roca Barcelona Gallery will present Sparking Change, a work by Mario Cucinella Architects that uses 3D ceramic blocks to illustrate the cycle of vital renewal for sustainability. In addition, on 17 October at the Bernadí Hub, regenerative design will be explored, opening a dialogue on how design can contribute to a more conscious future.
The central installation of Inspired in Barcelona: Terra Rossa, curated by Júlia Esqué, is a pyramid made up of 80 botijos, symbolising our past and present. Editorial credit: Francesco Stelitano.
One of the outstanding proposals is Underground BDW, a collective exhibition area that will take place in the LCI Barcelona car park in Poblenou. Among the installations, the Swiss designer Annabelle Schneider will present Breathe with me, an immersive bubble that will combine breathing, sounds and fabrics in movement to explore the spaces of the human future. In addition, Disseny Hub Barcelona is hosting the exhibition Inspired in Barcelona: Terra Rossa, an exhibition that celebrates clay as a primordial element in Mediterranean design.
When will it take place? From 16 to 26 October 2024
Where: Barcelona
Timetable: Check the exact times and tickets for each event on the official website.
The imprint of the 31 women who stopped being muses
Fundación MAPFRE begins the autumn with major exhibitions, in this case, 31 women. An exhibition by Peggy Guggenheim, which reinterprets the works of thirty-one artists who took part in the Art of This Century gallery show in 1943. The artists, from Europe and the United States, challenged the boundaries of surrealism and abstraction, reinterpreting and questioning the dominant art movements of the time. The exhibition focuses on highlighting their creative independence, and how they broke away from the view that they were muses or decorative figures because they were women.
From left to right: Unnamed Self-Portrait, 1940. The estate of Dorothéa Tanning and Juno and Vulcan, 1936. Milena Pavlovic-Barilli. Editorial credit: JPS Artworks LLC.
This exhibition pays tribute to the work of Peggy Guggenheim, and highlights the need for support to revolutionise classical prejudices. In addition to the works, photographs, documents and detailed archival materials are on display, showing the historical and cultural context of these women at the time. The exhibition is also a reminder of the equality that should exist by nature, and that small actions, such as those taken by those 31 women, can always be the key to progress, in art and in life.
When does it take place? From 19 September 2024 to 5 January 2025.
Where will it take place? Paseo de Recoletos, 23, Madrid
Opening hours: Monday from 14.00h to 20.00h. Tuesday to Saturday from 11.00h to 19.00h. Sunday from 11.00h to 19.00h.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
The Lyon Biennale navigates between history and nature
Under the theme The Voices of Rivers Crossing Water, the 17th edition of the Biennale de Lyon embarks on the complex relationships that intertwine between human beings and their environment. The exhibition brings together 78 artists who will present nearly 280 works, many of which are creations for the occasion. Taking place in cultural spaces such as Les Grandes Locos and the Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie, the biennale invites artists to explore the history and diversity of each place, revealing local memories and rituals.
At the Grand Hotel Dieu, Florian Mermin exhibits the sculpture Violette Cristal. With it he recalls the natural cycle of nature, its transience and ephemeral existence. Editorial credit: Biennale de Lyon.
Among the novelties, the Les Grandes Locos area, a former train maintenance centre, dialogues with the industrial history of the site, exploring themes of travel, movement and resistance. In addition, the Grand Hôpital-Dieu, with its legacy of care, hosts proposals that reflect on the cycles of life and coexistence. As every year, the Biennale becomes a point of discovery and debate, where art becomes a source of creativity and self-discovery.
When does it take place? 21 September 2024 to 5 January 2025
Where will it take place? Lyon, France
Timetable: Check the exact times of each programme on the official website.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
Tabita Rezaire connects ancestral tradition with the digital future
The Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza enters a mystical universe with the exhibition Nebulosa de la Calabaza, by the French artist Tabita Rezaire. This exhibition displays two monumental installations, Des/Astres and OMI: Yemoja Temple, where technology and spirituality merge in a journey of healing and decolonisation. Rezaire connects indigenous and African ancestral traditions with the digital world, creating an immersive space that invites introspection. Here, realities are not separated, they flow as a whole, and colonial actions are questioned, giving way to spiritual resilience through art.
The IMO installation: Yemoja Temple. Editorial credit: Jens Ziehe.
Des/Astres recreates the Amazonian skies, combining elements of indigenous architecture with a digital projection that explores the stars. On the other hand, OMI: Yemoja Temple honours the goddess Yemoja, mother of rivers and oceans, through an immersive installation that intertwines biology and spirituality. Water, the symbol of life and origin, becomes the guiding thread of an experience that invites us to explore the beginning of existence.
When does it take place? 8 October 2024 – 12 January 2025
Where? P. del Prado, 8, Madrid
Opening hours: Monday from 12.00h to 16.00h. Tuesday to Friday and Sunday from 10.00h to 19.00h. Saturday from 10.00h to 23.00h.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
An artistic dialogue between Rembrandt van Rijn and his pupil
The Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna presents an exhibition dedicated to Rembrandt van Rijn, a leading artist of the Dutch Baroque period. This exhibition pays tribute to the artist through the eyes of his pupil, Samuel van Hoogstraten. Van Rijn’s work and creative process are explored through the writings of Hoogstraten, who, in 1678, made a record of his years in Rembrandt’s studio. These first-hand experiences allow us to discover unique details about the artist’s techniques and artistic vision.
Sermon of John the Baptist 1634-35, by Rembrandt van Rijn. Editorial credit: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
The exhibition focuses on their ability to create optical illusions through the use of colour, light and shadow as they played with perception. Throughout the tour, we discover how Hoogstraten highlights his master’s ability to capture emotions and create effects of striking realism. The exhibition presents more than 60 works, including paintings, drawings and prints, as well as a dialogue between the master and the pupil who admired him.
When does it take place? 8 October 2024 – 12 January 2025
Where: Maria-Theresien-Platz, Vienna, Austria
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00h to 18.00h. Thursdays until 21.00h
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
A journey through Cartier-Bresson’s gaze
In the KBr space, the exhibition Watch! Watch! Watch! pays tribute to the master of photography, Henri Cartier-Bresson, one of the most influential icons of the 20th century. The exhibition brings together 240 original prints that reveal his talent for immortalising decisive moments. Throughout the exhibition, the spontaneous and the everyday are intertwined, revealing works of art through the camera.
Henri Cartier captured the simplicity and innocence of children resting in Naples in 1960. Editorial credit: Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, Magnum Photos.
From his beginnings in photojournalism, Cartier-Bresson left his mark on street photography, becoming a point of reference for the following generations. In addition to the photographs, the exhibition also presents a selection of portraits of renowned artists and writers, offering an in-depth view of the cultural context of the time. Through their political reportage and photographs of everyday life, they invite us to reflect on human actions and the essence of today.
When does it take place? 11 October 2024 – 26 January 2025
Where? Avenida litoral, 30, Barcelona
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 11.00h to 19.00h
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
Francis Bacon and his legacy in portraiture
Continuing with October’s art news, the National Portrait Gallery in London opens its doors to the exhibition Francis Bacon: Human Presence, where you can discover the artist’s unique vision when creating portraits. Through more than 50 works, the exhibition covers five stages that trace the evolution of his approach to the human figure, from portraits of anonymous people to paintings of friends, lovers and self-portraits. The exhibition reflects how Bacon gradually eliminated traditional techniques and innovated with colour, texture and distortion in portraiture.
Three Studies for a Portrait of Isabel Rawsthorne, 1965. Property of Francis Bacon. Editorial credit: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.
Among the works on display are portraits inspired by artists such as Van Gogh, Velázquez and Rembrandt, whose works Bacon uniquely reinterpreted. The exhibition also explores the more personal moments of his career, such as the self-portraits created after the loss of loved ones, including his partners Peter Lacy and George Dyer. These works speak of them, but also concealed Francis Bacon’s pain, anguish and loneliness at that time.
When does it take place? 10 October 2024 to 19 January 2025
Where: St Martin’s Place, London, UK
Opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 10.30am to 6pm. Friday and Saturday 10.30am – 9pm.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
The poetry of Helen Frankenthaler’s abstract painting
The Palazzo Strozzi in Florence celebrates the revolutionary artistic career of Helen Frankenthaler with the exhibition Dipingere senza regole. The exhibition brings together works spanning five decades, from 1953 to 2002. Through a visual dialogue with contemporary artists such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Robert Mortherwell and Anne Truitt, we discover the artist’s development from the soak-stain technique to the colour field painting method.
The interior of the exhibition Dipingere senza regole. Editorial credit: Ela Bialkowska.
The exhibition invites us to discover the influences and friendships that shaped Helen’s creative life, showcasing her innovative approach to breaking with traditional techniques. The exhibition features more than fifty paintings and sculptures, and allows us to delve into the evolution of her technique of applying thinned paint to untreated canvases, creating transitions of colour and unique forms that broadened the horizons of abstract painting.
When does it take place? 27 September 2024 – 26 January 2025
Where? Piazza degli Strozzi, Florence, Italy
Hours: Monday to Sunday from 10.00 am to 8.00 pm. Thursdays until 23.00h
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
The visual symphony of Alvin Ailey at the Whitney
The Whitney Museum of American Art celebrates the life and legacy of Alvin Ailey with the exhibition Edges of Ailey. The artist transformed American culture, and the exhibition combines visual art, music, video, and personal archives to immerse us in Ailey’s creativity. In addition, the exhibition brings together works by more than eighty artists, from Jean-Michel Basquiat to Kara Walker, exploring spirituality, migration and black resilience, connecting with cultures from the Caribbean, Brazil and West Africa.
The interior of the Edges of Ailey installation, showing, from left to right, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Fly Trap, 2024 and Purvis Young, Love Dance, 1991. Editorial credit: Jason Lowrie/BFA.
Alongside the exhibition, there is also a live dance programme on the third floor of the museum, allowing visitors to experience the iconic choreographies of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. For one week each month, the choreographers will present more than ninety performances over five months, alternating between classics and new interpretations. In addition, on the weeks they are not there, choreographers such as Bill T. Jones, Ralph Lemon and Ronald K. Brown will present their own creations.
When does it take place? 25 September 2024 to 9 February 2025
Where: 99 Gansevoort St, New York, New York, USA
Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 10.30am to 6pm. Friday from 10.30am to 10pm. Tuesday closed
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
Between the dreams and realities of Marc Chagall
Earlier this year Madrid hosted the exhibition A Cry for Freedom recalling the artist Marc Chagall and how the wars of the 20th century made him leave Europe. For this occasion, the Albertina Museum in Vienna opens October paying homage to his artistic career and his ability to capture his personal experiences on canvas. The exhibition brings together around 90 works showing his beginnings in Belarus, childhood, love and the figure of the mother, to the symbol of his own existence and death.
The Great Circus, one of the paintings in the exhibition. Editorial credit: Albertina Museum.
The exhibition highlights Chagall’s ability to interweave the everyday with the dreamlike, the logical with the illogical. His recurring elements, such as the rooster, the donkey and the fish, had different meanings within the works, and allow visitors to draw their own reflections. In addition, throughout the exhibition one can see the different techniques he used, ranging from the more traditional to the avant-garde.
When does it take place? 28 September 2024 to 9 February 2025
Where? Albertinapl. 1, Vienna, Austria
Opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 10.00h to 18.00h. Wednesday and Friday from 10.00h to 21.00h.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
