Toy Boats, National Maritime Museum, London
1 May-31 October
Back when Britain was the world’s greatest seafaring power, demand for all things maritime drove toy boatmakers to become as innovative as their naval counterparts. Technology moved from basic rubber band propulsion to prototype batteries and steam-producing miniature burners.
Focusing on the years between 1850 and 1950, this exhibition will display model ocean liners, toy paddle steamers, tin battleships and clockwork submarines as well as advertising and archive material. The show was developed in collaboration with the Musée national de la marine, Paris.
Cost undisclosed
Funder DCMS
Curator Kris Martin
Empire Mail: George V & the GPO, Guildhall Art Gallery, London
7 May-25 July
This exhibition is the flagship of London’s year-long Festival of Stamps and traces postal heritage during the reign of George V, known as the Philatelist King because of his passion for stamp-collecting. Innovations such as pillar boxes, graphic design and new modes of transportation will be on display.
Rare exhibits include the 2d Tyrian Plum, the only known survivor of a print run destroyed following the death of Edward VII. Further rarities can be seen in a concurrent show, Treasures from the Archive, at the British Postal Museum & Archive in Freeling House, London.
Cost £94,000
Main funders British Postal Museum & Archive, Royal Philatelic Collection, Guildhall Art Gallery
Curator Douglas Muir
Beatles to Bowie: The Sixties Exposed, Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery
8 May-5 September
For those whose memories of the decade are a little hazy, this showcase of pop photography faithfully recalls the swinging Sixties. The show incorporates pop memorabilia with iconic images of legends such as David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles. Featured photographers include David Bailey and Gered Mankowitz. The exhibition traces music culture from pure pop through to psychedelia and prog rock. Part of the Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2010.
Cost undisclosed
Main funders National Portrait Gallery, Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service, East Anglia Art Fund in association with Aquaterra Energy
Curator Terence Pepper
Undercover: the Evolution of Underwear, the Hub: National Centre for Craft & Design, Sleaford, Lincolnshire
1 May-4 July
Set in a boudoir, this exhibition offers an intimate glimpse into the history of women’s underwear, exploring how styles and marketing closely reflect changing social, cultural and economic patterns.
The display will guide visitors through different fashion eras – from the tightly laced corsets of the 1900s, designed to mould the female silhouette into a perfect S-shape, to more natural shapes and futuristic breakthroughs in engineering and fabric. Exhibits include the first modern bra, patented in 1915, and scene-stealing garments from movies and shows such as The Merry Widow and Sex and the City.
Cost undisclosed
Main funders sponsored by Marks & Spencer, Swarovski Crystal
Curator Alison McCann
High Kicks and Low Life: Toulouse-Lautrec Prints, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
14 May-8 August
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec will always be associated with fin-de siècle Paris and this exhibition shows why he became known as the decadent era’s “quintessential chronicler”. Using a selection of the artist’s graphic prints, the display is divided into two sections, Scenes from Theatrical Life and Scenes from Daily Life.
There are exuberant scenes of nightlife in Montmartre, but also sensitive portrayals of the intimate world of the brothel through his favourite muse, Jane Avril. A national tour will follow.
Cost £25,000, plus touring costs of £13,000
Main funders British Museum, Dorset Foundation
Curators Jennifer Ramkalawon, Pat Hardy
Picasso: Peace and Freedom, Tate Liverpool
21 May-30 August
More commonly seen as a maverick playboy, Tate Liverpool’s summer exhibition aims to redefine Picasso’s reputation, exploring his status as a major political campaigner and humanitarian activist.
More than 150 works on loan from across the world will go on display, focusing on the artist’s post-1945 evolution; motifs of violence and peace dominate. Highlights include Still Life with Skull, Leeks and Pitcher, and Dove. Picasso’s experiments in screenprints and lithographs also feature.
Cost undisclosed
Main funders Supported by the European Regional Development Fund, Spanish and Andalucía Tourist Offices, Spanish Embassy Cultural Office, Fundación Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso para el Arte.
Curators Lynda Morris, Christoph Grunenberg
The Lewis Chessmen: Unmasked, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
21 May-19 September
Legend has it that the medieval Lewis chessmen were unearthed in a sandbank by a 19th-century cow. Whatever the truth, this touring exhibition will be the most comprehensive display of the rare find for over a decade, reuniting pieces from the British Museum with their counterparts in Scotland.
Drawing on new research by National Museums Scotland on their craftsmanship and origins, the display will tell the story of their 1831 discovery in the Bay of Uig and show how the figurines, carved from walrus ivory and whale tooth, reflect 12th-century society.
Cost Undisclosed
Main funders British Museum, Scottish government
Curator David Caldwell
1 May-31 October
Back when Britain was the world’s greatest seafaring power, demand for all things maritime drove toy boatmakers to become as innovative as their naval counterparts. Technology moved from basic rubber band propulsion to prototype batteries and steam-producing miniature burners.
Focusing on the years between 1850 and 1950, this exhibition will display model ocean liners, toy paddle steamers, tin battleships and clockwork submarines as well as advertising and archive material. The show was developed in collaboration with the Musée national de la marine, Paris.
Cost undisclosed
Funder DCMS
Curator Kris Martin
Empire Mail: George V & the GPO, Guildhall Art Gallery, London
7 May-25 July
This exhibition is the flagship of London’s year-long Festival of Stamps and traces postal heritage during the reign of George V, known as the Philatelist King because of his passion for stamp-collecting. Innovations such as pillar boxes, graphic design and new modes of transportation will be on display.
Rare exhibits include the 2d Tyrian Plum, the only known survivor of a print run destroyed following the death of Edward VII. Further rarities can be seen in a concurrent show, Treasures from the Archive, at the British Postal Museum & Archive in Freeling House, London.
Cost £94,000
Main funders British Postal Museum & Archive, Royal Philatelic Collection, Guildhall Art Gallery
Curator Douglas Muir
Beatles to Bowie: The Sixties Exposed, Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery
8 May-5 September
For those whose memories of the decade are a little hazy, this showcase of pop photography faithfully recalls the swinging Sixties. The show incorporates pop memorabilia with iconic images of legends such as David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles. Featured photographers include David Bailey and Gered Mankowitz. The exhibition traces music culture from pure pop through to psychedelia and prog rock. Part of the Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2010.
Cost undisclosed
Main funders National Portrait Gallery, Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service, East Anglia Art Fund in association with Aquaterra Energy
Curator Terence Pepper
Undercover: the Evolution of Underwear, the Hub: National Centre for Craft & Design, Sleaford, Lincolnshire
1 May-4 July
Set in a boudoir, this exhibition offers an intimate glimpse into the history of women’s underwear, exploring how styles and marketing closely reflect changing social, cultural and economic patterns.
The display will guide visitors through different fashion eras – from the tightly laced corsets of the 1900s, designed to mould the female silhouette into a perfect S-shape, to more natural shapes and futuristic breakthroughs in engineering and fabric. Exhibits include the first modern bra, patented in 1915, and scene-stealing garments from movies and shows such as The Merry Widow and Sex and the City.
Cost undisclosed
Main funders sponsored by Marks & Spencer, Swarovski Crystal
Curator Alison McCann
High Kicks and Low Life: Toulouse-Lautrec Prints, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
14 May-8 August
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec will always be associated with fin-de siècle Paris and this exhibition shows why he became known as the decadent era’s “quintessential chronicler”. Using a selection of the artist’s graphic prints, the display is divided into two sections, Scenes from Theatrical Life and Scenes from Daily Life.
There are exuberant scenes of nightlife in Montmartre, but also sensitive portrayals of the intimate world of the brothel through his favourite muse, Jane Avril. A national tour will follow.
Cost £25,000, plus touring costs of £13,000
Main funders British Museum, Dorset Foundation
Curators Jennifer Ramkalawon, Pat Hardy
Picasso: Peace and Freedom, Tate Liverpool
21 May-30 August
More commonly seen as a maverick playboy, Tate Liverpool’s summer exhibition aims to redefine Picasso’s reputation, exploring his status as a major political campaigner and humanitarian activist.
More than 150 works on loan from across the world will go on display, focusing on the artist’s post-1945 evolution; motifs of violence and peace dominate. Highlights include Still Life with Skull, Leeks and Pitcher, and Dove. Picasso’s experiments in screenprints and lithographs also feature.
Cost undisclosed
Main funders Supported by the European Regional Development Fund, Spanish and Andalucía Tourist Offices, Spanish Embassy Cultural Office, Fundación Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso para el Arte.
Curators Lynda Morris, Christoph Grunenberg
The Lewis Chessmen: Unmasked, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
21 May-19 September
Legend has it that the medieval Lewis chessmen were unearthed in a sandbank by a 19th-century cow. Whatever the truth, this touring exhibition will be the most comprehensive display of the rare find for over a decade, reuniting pieces from the British Museum with their counterparts in Scotland.
Drawing on new research by National Museums Scotland on their craftsmanship and origins, the display will tell the story of their 1831 discovery in the Bay of Uig and show how the figurines, carved from walrus ivory and whale tooth, reflect 12th-century society.
Cost Undisclosed
Main funders British Museum, Scottish government
Curator David Caldwell
