With so many great shows on, it's hard to know what to see, so we've compiled a list of the best art exhibitions in London and the rest of the UK. This list will be regularly updated, so get out your diary and make sure you don't miss the best shows nationwide.
Goya: The Portraits
See 70 of the Spanish master's portraits from public and private collections around the world, including paintings, drawings, and miniatures never before seen in London. The show includes ten masterpieces on loan from the Prado and two famous and rarely lent royal portraits, Charles IV in Hunting Dress and Maria Luisa wearing a Mantilla, which have both hung in the Palacio Real in Madrid since 1799 when they were painted by Goya. "This is the most enjoyable, profound, spectacular show of the year," says the Financial Times.
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National Gallery, London, until 10 January 2016
Ai Weiwei
This powerful show gives viewers a chance to see some of the major works of China's most famous living artist, and one of the most influential artists in the world. Works date from 1993 right until the present day and include large-scale installations, reconstructed furniture sculptures, glass and ceramics, and pieces commenting on creative freedom, censorship and human rights. The Times says: "He shows us why art matters. That is why this is a show you should see."
Royal Academy, London, until 13 December
Artist Rooms: Roy Lichtenstein
Lichtenstein was one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, best-known for his comic-strip-inspired art, and work commenting ironically on popular culture. This newly assembled group of Lichtenstein's iconic Pop Art is brought together in a special three-room display, as part of the touring Artist Rooms exhibition, and accompanied by In the Car from the gallery's permanent collection. "A man whose work looks more prescient the further we travel into a digital century which increasingly values images over words," says The Herald Scotland.
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, until 10 January 2016
The World Goes Pop
This exhibition explores the impact Pop Art has had around the world, from Latin America to Asia, and from Europe to the Middle East. The show features Austrian Kiki Kogelnik's anti-war sculpture Bombs in Love and the subversive commercial logos painted by both Antonio Caro in Colombia and Boris Bucan in Croatia. This "handsome" show "convincingly reflects an extraordinary global surge in pop's colour and graphic exuberance", says the Evening Standard.
Tate Modern, London, until 24 January 2016
Enchanted Dreams
Discover the work of "lost" Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Robert Hughes in the first exhibition dedicated to his work. Lesser-known than many of his contemporaries, Hughes created fantastical narrative work that experimented with ambitious techniques. This exhibition brings together a series of his most impressive works, many of which haven't been seen in the 100 years since his death. See Hughes's "delightful child portraiture and exquisite chalk drawings as well as the magical late 'blue pictures' such as Night with her Train of Stars", says the Birmingham Mail.
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham, until 14 February 2016
Grayson Perry: A House For Essex
A House for Essex, designed by Grayson Perry and FAT Architecture, is both an artwork in itself and the setting for a number of artworks by Perry exploring the unique character of Essex. The building is inspired by a tradition of pilgrimage chapels and folk follies, but also comments on the consumerist dreams of our present age. It's "deliriously madcap" says the Daily Telegraph. "A place where one everyday life has been elevated to mythic status and where guests are invited to view their own triumphs and tragedies in the same transformative light."
This is a permanent display with short-stay accommodation for guests.
The World of Charles & Ray Eames
Husband and wife team Charles and Ray Eames were among the most influential designers of the 20th century. The creative duo experimented in photography, film, architecture, furniture and product design. Explore their impressive creative output in this wide-ranging collection of design furniture and objects, video installations, textiles, photography and sculpture. The Guardian says this "cornucopian" exhibition reveals the prodigious and abundant talent of a couple who occupy "an unequalled position in the pantheon of design".
Barbican, London, until 14 February 2016
