I happen to love collage so I guess am predisposed to enjoy this iconoclastic master of the art who took this medium to a new level of brilliance. He was hounded out of Germany before WWII - his work was considered degenerate by the Nazis) and was given sanctuary (of a kind) in Britain spent time in a various internment camps as an "enemy alien" before settling London and then the north of England. Although influenced by both Expressionism and the Dada movement he was driven by a very personal zeal; and despite rubbing shoulders with many of up-and-coming artists of wartime Britain - Nash, Nicholson, Hepworth and others - sadly he was never really celebrated in his own lifetime. He died in 1948, the day after receiving UK citizenship.
Once you've had your fill at Tate Britain mosey over to the Tate Modern, if you have time, to view the Lichtenstein: A Retrospective 21st February – 27th May 2013. Lichtenstein doesn't need an introduction as he was one of the first of the great Pop Artists with a huge influence on people like Andy Warhol and his work is now part of our social consciousness. This show dazzles with colour and imagery and you'll either love it or hate it.
And the third and final exhibition worth the effort of visiting the Big Smoke for is Manet: Portraying Life 26th January—14th April 2013 where you will find familiar and not-so-familiar portraits by the artist in the flesh. To quote the RA, "This singularly important exhibition is the first ever retrospective devoted to the portraiture of Edouard Manet. Spanning the entire career of this enigmatic and at times controversial artist, 'Manet: Portraying Life' brings together works from across Europe, Asia and the USA".
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