British Museum

This exhibition will feature over 90 works on paper by some of the leading names in modern German art, drawn from the private collection of Count Christian Duerckheim. It will explore six key artists – Georg Baselitz, Gerhard Richter, A.R. Penck, Markus Lüpertz, Blinky Palermo and Sigmar Polke – all of whom migrated from East to West and redefined art in Germany in the 1960s and 70s and negotiated with the past on both sides of the Wall.

Half of the works on display are by Georg Baselitz (b. 1938), and 34 of the works in the exhibition, including 17 by Baselitz, have been generously donated to the British Museum by Count Duerckheim.

Suitable for

• Any age

Website

http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on.aspx

Discover the beauty and culture of south-east China in this selection of paintings dating from the 6th to the 19th centuries. The display includes the famous Admonitions Scroll (from 5 June) and examples of rare ceramics from the region.

The Yangzi River runs through an area of south-east China known as Jiangnan (literally 'south of the river') that has been one of the country’s most prosperous and culturally productive regions. The paintings and ceramics in the exhibition reflect the diverse life of its inhabitants, such as the elegant literati scholars and wealthy merchants, as well as fishermen and farmers. Landscape paintings from along the Yangzi River show lush, fertile fields and rolling hills and highlight the region’s famous gardens. Paintings and ceramics from Jiangnan have shaped in great part our image of traditional China.

Jiangnan is also a region where some of the finest examples of the Chinese concept of the three arts – poetry, calligraphy and painting – were produced. It is the home of China’s patriarchs of calligraphy and painting, including Gu Kaizhi (c. 344–406).

The famous Admonitions Scroll, traditionally attributed to Gu Kaizhi, is an early example for the combination of the three arts. It is one of the most important Chinese paintings to survive anywhere in the world. Due to its fragility and for conservation reasons, it is rarely shown and will now be on display in the exhibition between 5 June and 16 July. After this you will be able to see a digital version of the scroll on an interactive touchscreen.

Website

http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/gems_of_chinese_painting.aspx

Since the late 1960s, artist Noda Tetsuya (born 1940) has created an on-going series of prints under the title, ‘Diary’. Intimate portraits of his family, landscapes experienced on his travels and objects from everyday life are recorded with sensitivity, wit and a certain mystery. Spanning almost fifty years and now reaching some five hundred works, the Diary series shows from within one individual’s world, with evocative perspectives onto a wider society.

This special display presents twenty-two of Noda’s Diary prints, works that span his life and career. The unusual technique of the prints combines colour woodblock with photo silkscreen. Noda cuts woodblocks to print areas of colour and subtle shades of white background onto handmade Japanese paper. Photographic images which have been deliberately altered by the artist to express his personal sensibility are then printed over the colours using silkscreen. This adds the darker outlines and areas of shading. Noda describes the camera as his sketchbook, using it to fix the compositions that are most significant to him. Noda’s everyday subjects and colour and outline style sometimes recall traditional Japanese ukiyo-e prints, with their observation of everyday-life, frankness and absence of ostentation.

Recent Noda acquisitions have been generously donated by the artist and also funded by the JTI Japanese Acquisition Fund.

Website

http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/noda_tetsuyas_diary_series.aspx

This display examines a selection of medals made by artists who lived and worked in Germany between 1914 and 1919. Challenging and at times deliberately provocative, many of the medals were intended to influence popular opinion against Germany’s enemies. Others provide a more universal criticism about the futility of war and waste of human life.

Initial enthusiasm for the First World War quickly descended into horror at its scale and brutality. Reflecting upon this, numerous artists revived the medieval Dance of Death motif to present an almost apocalyptic view of the conflict. On these medals, Death stalks the battlefield, sea and sky, hacking down soldiers, sinking ships or manipulating giant Zeppelin airships. The figure becomes an active malevolent presence and indiscriminate force of destruction.

Medal artists also embraced Expressionism to explore the psychological effects of war, distorting reality to convey mood and emotion. Vulnerable stick-like figures become dominated by giant war machines in scenes that strip humanity of its individualism. German medallists were also keen to consider the collateral effects of war, depicting refugees displaced by invasion or people starving as a result of food shortages. This showed the totality of the First World War in a way that eluded most contemporary medals made in Allied countries.

Due to their use of pro-German propaganda, wartime Britain regarded these medals with outrage. Despite this, the British Museum was highly proactive in acquiring them, realising their significance as historical documents. A century on, this display of medals from the collection offers a fresh perspective to our understanding of life and death during the First World War.

Suitable for

• Any age

Website

http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/the_other_side_of_the_medal.aspx

This exhibition will introduce you to eight people from ancient Egypt and Sudan whose bodies have been preserved, either naturally or by deliberate embalming. Using the latest technology, the exhibition will unlock hidden secrets to build up a picture of their lives in the Nile Valley over a remarkable 4,000 years – from prehistoric Egypt to Christian Sudan.

Suitable for

• Any age
• Family friendly

Admission

£10 (free for under-16s)

The centuries AD 300–1100 witnessed great change in Europe. The Roman Empire broke down in the west, but continued as the Byzantine Empire in the east. People, objects and ideas travelled across the continent, while Christianity and Islam emerged as major religions.

By 1100, the precursors of several modern states had developed. Europe as we know it today was taking shape. Room 41 gives an overview of the period and its peoples. Its unparalleled collections range from the Atlantic Ocean to the Black Sea, and from North Africa to Scandinavia.

The gallery’s centrepiece is the Anglo-Saxon ship burial at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk – one of the most spectacular and important discoveries in British archaeology.

Suitable for

• Family friendly

Website

http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/galleries/europe/gallery_41_europe_ad_300-1100.aspx

This display features a selection of delightfully detailed netsuke and other traditional Japanese male accessories.

Step into Edo, one of the biggest cities in the world in the 18th century – now modern-day Tokyo. Discover the art of Japanese male fashion in this sophisticated urban centre, where men wore fashionable garments and carefully chosen accessories to demonstrate their status and personal style.

Netsuke (pronounced net-ské) are intricately carved toggles that were worn by Japanese men during the Edo period (1615–1868) to prevent dangling items (sagemono), hanging from a sash (obi) tied around a kimono, from falling to the ground. Netsuke were used by all classes of society, but in particular by merchants who wanted to demonstrate their wealth and taste. Much like European fob watches and cufflinks they revealed the sartorial taste of the wearer. Netsuke come in a variety of forms and materials such as wood, ivory and porcelain, and are now highly collectible.

Netsuke are often displayed as miniature sculptures, but this display will show how they were worn as part of a complete outfit. Apart from a group of some of the Museum’s most stunning netsuke, a bespoke kimono, an inro (a case for holding small objects), a sword, and smoking accessories will also be on display.

Website

http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/dressed_to_impress.aspx#2

This major exhibition will explore a golden age in China’s history.

Between AD 1400 and 1450, China was a global superpower run by one family – the Ming dynasty – who established Beijing as the capital and built the Forbidden City. During this period, Ming China was thoroughly connected with the outside world. Chinese artists absorbed many fascinating influences, and created some of the most beautiful objects and paintings ever made.

The exhibition will feature a range of these spectacular objects – including exquisite porcelain, gold, jewellery, furniture, paintings, sculptures and textiles – from museums across China and the rest of the world. Many of them have only been very recently discovered and have never been seen outside China.

Suitable for

• Any age

Admission

Adults £16.50, Members free

Website

http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/ming.aspx