The year may be drawing to a close, but there are still plenty of inspiring art exhibitions to provide some cultural sustenance as we head into 2025. Here’s a look at some of the best shows to visit around the country at the turn of the year.
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Parmigianino: The Vision of Saint Jerome, National Gallery, London, until 9 March
Parmigianino (1503-1540) was an Italian Mannerist Painter who was originally from Parma, and worked in Florence and Rome. Despite a career that was disrupted by war, and an untimely death at the age of 37, he achieved a reputation as one of the leading draughtsmen and etchers of his generation.
Mannerism was an art movement that arose during the late Renaissance period in Italy, roughly from 1520 to 1600. The style is characterised by highly artificial compositions that were a deliberate departure from the leading artists of the day such as Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci.
Mannerist paintings often featured figures with exaggerated proportions, poses and gestures and unconventional colours. The artists also sought to convey a heightened sense of drama and tension in the work, and to question the established norms of the times.
The London exhibition explores the legacy of one of Parmigianino’s best known works, ‘The Madonna and Child with Saints’, also known as ‘The Vision of Saint Jerome’. It includes several preparatory drawings made with chalk and ink, and is supported by a series of talks from prominent art historians.
Romance to Realities: The Northern Landscape and Shifting Identities, until April 2025
This exhibition is held in the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle, and explores over 200 years of landscape painting in the north of England and Scotland.
The broad range of works show various rural, urban and coastal landscapes of the north, with differing artistic approaches from quaint and idealised pastoralism to wild romanticism. The works also explore the human interactions with the landscape, from industrialization and urbanisation to recreation and belonging.
The exhibition will include works from artists such as John Knox, Alexander Nasmyth, Anne Redpath, L.S. Lowry and Joan Eardley. Knox (1778-1845) was a Scottish artist who primarily painted Glasgow and the surrounding area. He was influenced by Romanticism, and sought to capture the dramatic and sublime aspects of the Scottish landscape, with a particular focus on the interplay between light and shadow and reflections.
Joan Eardley (1921-1963) was a highly original Scottish painter with a versatile talent. She produced expressive and immediate paintings of children she observed on the Glasgow streets, and wild semi abstract paintings of the coast and countryside.
She is considered to be one of Scotland’s greatest painters, achieving a lasting legacy before her death from breast cancer at the age of 42, in an era when few female artists got the recognition they deserved.
Barbara Walker, Being Here, The Whitworth Gallery, Manchester, until 26 January
Barbara Walker (b. 1964) lives and works in Birmingham, and her drawings and paintings are directly influenced by the social, political and cultural landscape of her native environment. Her figurative works have been widely exhibited and she has won numerous awards and accolades, including a Turner Prize nomination in 2023.
The Being Here exhibition is her first major retrospective, spanning her career from the 1990s to the present day with over 70 artworks. If you are in Manchester between now and late January, it’s well worth visiting the Whitworth for the chance to see some rare drawings and paintings by this extraordinary talent.
Brasil Brasil! The Birth of Modernism, Royal Academy, 28 January – 21 April 2025
This exhibition explores the modern works produced by South American artists from the early 20th century to the 1970s. The artworks are informed by the Indigenous community and the Afro-Brazilian experience, as well as the evolving artistic influences from abroad.
The artists on display include Tarsila do Amaral and Anita Malfatti, as well as names who have received little or no recognition outside of their homeland such as Alfredo Volpi. There’s also a chance to see the performance artist Flávio de Carvalho.