What’s on: European artists and cultural events to look out for in London and the UK this month
From the visual arts to music and theatre, London and the UK host a wealth of European culture. Here is a guide to the events planned in the coming weeks.
15 January to 11 May – The Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art presents ‘Breaking Lines’, an exhibition on futurism and the origins of experimental poetry. Italian Futurism was in fact founded and led by a poet, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. The display charts the distinct phases of Futurist poetry and complements an exhibition focusing on the work of Dom Sylvester Houédard, widely recognised as one of the masters of concrete poetry.
16 January – Event at Univerity College London (UCL) to discuss ‘European security in the aftermath of the US election’ with senior practitioners from politics, policy, and journalism.
16 to 19 January – UK premiere of Olga Ravn’s dystopian sci-fi masterpiece The Employees, by Polish theatre director Łukasz Twarkowski at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre. This production is supported by the Polish Cultural Institute in London.
19 January – Screening of ‘A Bear Named Wojtek’ (2023), with Q&A, and ‘War Game’ (2002), award-winning animated short films capturing the resilience of the human spirit and the unbreakable bonds forged in times of war, at BFI Southbank in London.
Until 19 January – Monet and London – views of the Thames, at the Courtauld Gallery. Claude Monet (1840-1926) is the leading figure of French Impressionism, the movement that changed the course of modern art. Less known is the fact that some of Monet’s most remarkable paintings were made in London. Begun during three stays in the capital between 1899 and 1901, the series — depicting Charing Cross Bridge, Waterloo Bridge and the Houses of Parliament — was unveiled in Paris in 1904. The exhibition realises Monet’s unfulfilled ambition of showing these works in London, and just 300 metres from the Savoy Hotel where many of them were painted.
Until 19 January – Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers, at the National Gallery. Over two years in the south of France, Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) revolutionised his style in a symphony of poetic colour and texture. This exhibition looks at this time in Arles and Saint-Rémy as a decisive period in his career, inspired by poets, writers and artists.
23 January – Timna Brenner Presents “Flowers From the Orient” at the Austrian Cultural forum in London. To commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day, singer Timna Brenner will perform accompanied by virtuoso musician Jannis Raptis in a programme celebrating the unique and little-known history of Jews in the Mediterranean and North Africa.
Until 24 January – The Czech Centre London presents ‘A Shocking Experience Behind the Curtain’, an exhibition of new paintings by Jakub Matuška aka Masker, the award-winning representative of new figurative painting in Central and Eastern Europe, renowned for detailed combinations of digital manipulations, airbrushes and traditional drawing and painting techniques.
25 January – The 53rd Polish Ball. Open to all, the traditional ball is a charitable event aiming to build British-Polish relations.
25 January to 11 May – Gladiators of Britain at Dorset Museum & Art Gallery. A British Museum Partnership Exhibition with Colchester + Ipswich Museums will delve into the lesser-known history of gladiatorial contests in Roman Britain. Launching at Dorset Museum & Art Gallery in January 2025, the exhibition will tour four UK venues, tracing the footsteps of gladiators who once fought in Britain’s amphitheatres.
27 January – Fragments of the Past – Holocaust Legacies and Commemoration, a special event commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day at the British Library co-organised by the Polish Cultural Institute in London. This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp built on the territory of Nazi-occupied Poland.
28 January – ‘Courier: my life as a spy in communist Czechoslovakia’, a talk on the secret police surveillance in communist Czechoslovakia in the 1980s, organised by the Friends of Czech Heritage. Prof. Mark Cornwall, Emeritus Professor of Modern European History at the University of Southampton, draws on his own surveillance file, asking why, when and where he was being followed and assessed by the StB (the Czechoslovak security police).
28 January – Universities UK webinar on UK-German higher education collaborations. The event will offer practical insights of five kinds of academic partnerships: Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s (EMJM), research partnerships, European University Alliances, strategic partnerships, and COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning).
Until 30 January – Slovak artist Ivan Pavle exhibition at the Slovak Institute London. Ivan Pavle is a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava. His artwork is of a distinctive style, blending traditional finest art with a contemporary content.
Until 31 January – In the public space outside of the Czech Embassy in London you can immerse yourself in the captivating world of Franz Kafka’s The Castle. The open-air exhibition showcases black & white prints of Czech illustrator and musician, Jaromír 99, created for the David Zane Mairowitz’s comics adaptation. From the solitary figure of K. with his pilgrim’s stick to the ethereal presence of the chateau looming in the clouds, the exhibition captures the essence of Kafka’s surreal universe.
31 January – The London Lasses celebrate St Brigid’s Day with a live play of their anniversary album ‘LL25’, at the Irish Cultural Centre in London. The album spans 4 centuries of Irish music, whilst celebrating the rich cultural history and heritage of Irish music in London.
February and beyond
3 February – The Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence at King’s College London hosts an event in its School of Diplomacy series on Scientific Diplomacy, with CONNECTS-UK, a collaborative platform of European scientists. The JMCE NEXT-REL School of Diplomacy is a series of lectures given by academics or external speakers to diplomats and practitioners on the future of the relations between the EU and the UK in the financial, legal and political sphere that seeks to engage students, academics, the EU institutions, government officials, and other stakeholders.
Until 7 February – “Alain Delon: An Odyssey“, a cinematic journey through the career of a true icon of French cinema whose influence has transcended borders and eras, at Ciné Lumière in London.
8 February – International Organ Festival with Reitze Smits at the Dutch Church in London. Reitze Smits is an award-winning organist who has performed in many international festivals, and has received the prestigious Sweelinck-prize for his contributions to Dutch organ culture.
8 February – The Jazz Cafe Posk hosts Marta Mathea Radwan, who will present a programme of jazz songs featured in Polish movies spanning from the 30s to the 80s. Accompanied by Anita Łazińska, Jakub Cywiński and Eric Ford.
11 February – In discussion with His Exellency Pedro Serrano, EU Ambassador to the UK, at UCL.
12 February to 28 March – The Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Italian Ministry of Culture and the MUFOCO – Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea, in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of London and the Archivio Eredi di Luigi Ghirri present Viaggio in Italia, a photographic project by Luigi Ghirri in 1984, which is considered to be a milestone of the history of contemporary Italian photography.
Until 16 February – “Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael: Florence, c. 1504″ at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. On 25 January 1504, Florence’s most prominent artists gathered to advise on an appropriate location for Michelangelo’s nearly finished David sculpture. Among them was Leonardo, who – like Michelangelo – had only recently returned to his native Florence. The exhibition explores the rivalry between Michelangelo and Leonardo, and the influence both had on the young Raphael.
From 16 February to 17 April – The Garden Cinema presents “Contemporary Greek Cinema: Beyond the Weird Wave”. The season showcases films exploring Greek’s turbulent political and social past, and the experimental nature of Greek cinema featuring directors like Yorgos Lanthimos and Argyris Papadimitropoulos.
Until 23 February – Letizia Battaglia: life, love and death in Sicily, at the Photographers’ Gallery in London. Born in Palermo, Sicily in 1935, Battaglia began her photographic career in the early 1970s. She reported for the daily newspaper L’Ora documenting everyday life, alongside the brutal reality of the Mafia and their victims during the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. Her images are some of the best-known records of life in the shadow of the Mafia. British Sign Language tour on 30 January.
Until 2 March – Medieval Women: In Their Own Words, an exhibition at the British Library on the rich and complex lives of women in medieval Europe, with over 140 extraordinary items that reveal their artistry, resourcefulness, courage and struggles. They include The Book of the Queen by Christine de Pizan, the first professional woman author in Europe; the 12th-century ivory cross of Sibylle, countess of Flanders, who went on Crusade to the Holy Land; and a silk textile made in al-Andalus (Islamic Spain), where Muslim women labourers were fundamental to the silk industry. A series of events accompany the exhibition.
Until 9 March – Drawing the Italian Renaissance at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace. The exhibition displays the widest range of drawings from this revolutionary artistic period (1450-1600) ever shown in the UK, featuring around 160 works by over 80 artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian.
Until 9 March – Parmigianino: The Vision of Saint Jerome at the National Gallery. This exhibition explores the creation of Parmigianino’s ‘The Madonna and Child with Saints’, also known as ‘The Vision of Saint Jerome’, which returns to public display for the first time in 10 years following conservation. Born in the Northern Italian city of Parma, after which he was nicknamed, Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (1503‒1540) was a child prodigy. This altarpiece was his first major work in Rome, where he received praise by the Pope. In 1527, the Sack of Rome erupted around him while he finished the painting. According to legend, looting Imperial soldiers invading his studio were so amazed by it that they let him continue.
Until 30 March – Franciszka Themerson – Walking Backwards at Tate Britain in London. Films, drawings and paintings mingle tragedy and humour to explore the turbulent years before and after the Second World War. Born in Poland in 1907, Franciszka Themerson trained as a musician, graphic designer and painter in Warsaw. There, she met her husband, Stefan Themerson. At a time of rising fascism in Europe, the Themersons’ work challenged social conformity and revealed their belief in individual freedoms. In 1938, the pair moved to Paris to continue their work. They volunteered for the Polish army in France but were separated during the war. Following the Nazi invasion in 1940, Franciszka was able to leave for London while Stefan remained in hiding, fearing persecution. The couple were reunited in 1942 and remained in London for the rest of their lives, but only one member of their families survived the Holocaust.
Until 30 March – Picasso printmaker at the British Museum. In addition to his many paintings, sculptures and drawings, Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) made over 2,400 prints during his career. This exhibition offers insights into the life of the Málaga-born artist, from his early years in Paris to his old age in the South of France, including his complex relationships with women and his partnerships with printers, publishers and other artists.
Until 21 April – Versailles: Science and Splendour, an exhibition on how the Palace of Versailles used science as a tool of power, at the Science Museum in London. The Palace of Versailles is famous for its opulent architecture and rich history. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it also became a major site of scientific thinking. On display, spectacular objects including Louis XV’s rhinoceros, an extraordinarily detailed map of the moon by Jean-Dominique Cassini and the world’s most famous watch, designed for Marie Antoinette. The exhibition also tells the stories of significant figures associated with the pursuit of knowledge at Versailles, including the pioneering Madame du Coudray, who trained thousands of midwives across rural France.
Until 26 April – A Polish Heart Beats Here, exhibition at the National Civil War Centre, Newark-on-Trent. Co-produced with members of the local Polish community, the exhibition explores Newark’s ties to Poland, from the Polish Armed Forces’ historical presence to the twin town of Sandomierz, and the vibrant Polish community that now call Newark home.
Until 15 May – Women & Freud: patients, pioneers, artists, an exhibition at the Freud Museum in London about the women who helped Freud invent psychoanalysis, and their legacy in its practice. The Freud family moved to England as refugees, having escaped Austria following the Nazi annexation in March 1938. The museum is Sigmund Freud (1856-1839) family home, with his study and famous psychoanalytic couch. Here is where he spent his final days, and where his daughter, psychoanalyst Anna Freud, also lived, worked and died.
Until 4 June – Once upon a time… For European History Wednesdays the French Association of Historians (L’Association des Historiens) offers a series of lectures on the Roman civilization, with a renowned French academic discussing each month the story of the peoples that preceded us in Europe.
Ongoing – ABBA Voyage, at the ABBA Arena in London. The concert features the Swedish band, one of the biggest pop acts of all time, as digital versions of themselves backed by live musicians playing their most popular hits.
Ongoing – ‘Lost & Found: a European literary map of London’, by University College London (UCL). An online map to explore London through the eyes of European writers and reflect on the city as a place where people and cultures meet and are transformed. You can also submit new entries via the website.
For more events check the following organisations:
- Austrian Cultural Forum
- Battersea Spanish
- British Czech and Slovak Association
- CinemaItaliaUK
- Cyprus Culture in the UK
- Czech Centrę London
- Dutch Centre
- Finnish Institute
- Goethe Institut
- Hellenic Centre
- Institut Français
- Irish Cultural Centre
- Italian Cultural Institute
- London Irish Centre
- Polish Jazz Café POSK
- Polish Cultural Institute London
- Settled website with European cultural events in Wales
More events to share? Let us know at hello [@] europestreet.news
Hugo Annarumma contributed to this article @ Europe Street News, all rights reserved
Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash
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