China Through the Lens of John Thomson, 1868-1872, Merseyside Maritime Museum
5 February-6 June
An exhibition of glass plates by Scottish travel photographer John Thomson. His images offer a valuable topographical record of imperial China in the early 1870s. Thomson photographed all sections of society, from flower sellers and knife-grinders to opulently dressed brides and powerful Mandarin bureaucrats.
The exhibition also features historic models of traditional Chinese junks and other vessels from the museum’s collections.
Cost £15,000
Main funder Wellcome Trust
Curator Betty Yao
Clouds and Myths: Monotypes by Lino Mannocci, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
9 February-9 May
An exhibition of recent monotypes by Italian-born print-maker Lino Mannocci exploring the world of myth. The artist often places recognisable figures from historic pieces in his work, set against backdrops of cloud or sea. This exhibition features a group of prints incorporating characters from 15th-century paintings by Domenico Veneziano that are in the Fitzwilliam’s collection.
An accompanying display, curated by Mannocci, shows a series of old master prints exploring the theme of Annunciation, centred around Veneziano’s own take on the heavenly announcement.
Cost undisclosed
Main funder in-house
Curators Craig Hartley, Lino Mannocci
Ron Arad: Restless, Barbican Art Gallery, London
18 February-16 May
The first major solo display of work by Israeli designer and architect Ron Arad. The exhibition traces the designer’s progress from an early post-punk approach through to his latest state-of-the-art metal sculptures.
It features floor-to-ceiling LED screens which transmit a constantly changing sequence of words and images relating to the surrounding works. There is a programme of talks and late-night events to complement the exhibition.
Cost undisclosed
Sponsor Absolut Vodka
Media partner Wallpaper*
Online media partner Dezeen
Sponsorship in kind iGuzzini, Join Merit Rental, LEDA
Curator Lydia Yee
Painting History: Delaroche and Lady Jane Grey, National Gallery, London
24 February-23 May
The National Gallery puts Paul Delaroche’s famous portrayal of Lady Jane Grey in the context of his preparatory sketches and other historical paintings. The exhibition also features comparative works by the artist’s contemporaries, including Eugène Lami and Claude Jacquand.
An accompanying display will show Delaroche’s Charles I Insulted by Cromwell’s Soldiers, which was damaged by shrapnel during the Blitz and subsequently lost for more than 60 years.
Cost undisclosed
Main funder in-house
Curators Stephen Bann, Linda Whiteley, Christopher Riopelle, Anne Robbins
Mat Collishaw on Paradjanov, BFI Gallery, London
26 February-9 May
The BFI Gallery has commissioned British artist Mat Collishaw to create an installation in response to the work of Georgian/Armenian film director Sergei Paradjanov, widely regarded as one of the masters of 20th-century cinema.
The project blends sculpture with moving image in a piece that reflects the visionary style of Paradjanov’s work. A season of Paradjanov films in the BFI Southbank cinemas accompanies the show.
Cost undisclosed
Main funders Film Council, Henry Moore Foundation, Singha Beer
Curator Elisabetta Fabrizi
Lewis’s 5th Floor: A Department Story, National Conservation Centre, Liverpool
26 February-30 August
A chronicle of the iconic Liverpool department store using images of its deserted fifth floor taken by local photographer Stephen Bird. The time-capsule shots reveal a 1950s-style hair salon, cafeteria and restaurant, hidden to the public since the floor was closed almost 30 years ago.
The exhibition will also include some of the store’s original fixtures and fittings, as well as oral history recollections and images of employees. A documentary by artist Jacqueline Passmore explores life in the store.
Cost £32,000
Main funders Arts Council England, PH Holt Foundation, Granada Foundation, National Museums Liverpool, Calumet Photographic
Curators Neutral Spoon, Nicky Lewis (NML)
Japanese Sashiko Textiles, Collins Gallery, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow
27 February-11 April (closed 2- 5 April)
The first major national tour of blue-hued Japanese sashiko textiles arrives in Glasgow this month. Sashiko (“little stabs”) is the traditional method of making workwear in rural areas throughout Japan and an art that, with the advent of industrialised clothing production, is now very rare.
The display incorporates historic and contemporary garments, including two air-raid hoods that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. It aims to explore the lives of women who made and wore sashiko garments, and the spiritual beliefs associated with the stitched patterns.
The exhibition has been selected by textile artist Michele Walker whose research has been facilitated by a three-year Arts and Humanities Research Council Fellowship. Lenders include the Japan Folk Crafts Museum, the Aikawa and Ogi Folk Museums, Sado Island, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Fukuoka City Museum and private collectors. The exhibition was developed by York Museums Trust.
Cost c£106,500
Main funders Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Arts Council England, Renaissance Yorkshire, Japan Foundation, Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation. Transport subsidised by Japan Airlines
Curator Michele Walker
