Historical art and craftmanship

Dive deep into historical art and craftmanship, or finesse your own colour palette with these creative outings.

BP Portrait Award

This year, the winner of the annual BP Portrait prize was selected from 2,538 submissions from 84 countries. The most prestigious portrait painting competition in the world, the winner is awarded £35,000 from the total prize fund of £74,000. The aim of this annual prize is to encourage artists to focus on developing portraiture in their work. This year, London-based artist Charlie Schaffer won first prize for his skillful and contemporary oil painting titled Imara in her Winter Coat. Second prize went to Norwegian painter, Carl-Martin Sandvold, forThe Crown, a self-portrait in existential thought.

Natalia Goncharova Tate Modern

This summer from 6 June – 8 September, Tate Modern is hosting the UK’s first-ever retrospective of avant-garde Russian artist Natalia Goncharova. Famous now as well as in her lifetime, she was inspired by the traditional customs and cultures of her native Central Russia. The exhibition gathers over 160 international loans, which rarely travel, including from Russia’s State Tretyakov Gallery, home to the largest collection of Goncharova works globally. In addition to her visual art, Goncharovawas renowned for her vibrant costume and set designs for the Ballets Russes. Her artistic approach combines diverse techniques and styles including painting, print, theatre design, fashion, cinema, interior design, book illustrations and performance art, and became known as ‘Everythingism’.

Jewels! Hermitage Amsterdam Exhibition

From 14 September until 15 March 2020, the Hermitage Amsterdam will display 300 precious gems once worn by Russian high society. The Jewels! Exhibition in Amsterdam will present a vast array masterpieces that painstakingly survived the Russian Revolution. Along with elegant ball gowns, imperial costumes, and majestic portraits, the jewels give a fascinating view into the history of fashion and jewellery over the past 200 years. Equally, the stunning exhibition offers a sense into the extraordinary wealth and power of the Russian tsars.