For London headliners, we’ll go with the big Ludwig Kirchner show at the Royal Academy of Arts because the German expressionist gets the full treatment and, because we want to keep up to speed with the Brit art scene, Damien Hirst at the new Saatchi Gallery. Kirchner’s acidly colored, circa 1910 pictures can be seen June 28 to Sept. 21, and Hirst’s new post-pickled-shark work is up through Aug. 31. Tate Britain gives “op art” doyenne Bridget Riley a retrospective June 26 to Sept. 28, and Tate Modern has “Cruel and Tender” photos to Sept. 7.
In Rome (well, Vatican City) there’s “The Vatican Museums and Contemporary Art: Acquisitions from 1980 to 2003” (who knew?) through July 27. Any ecclesiastical aspect often places second to the simple good looks of such underknown artists as painter Alberto Burri and sculptor Giacomo Manzu. If the Vatican can collect modern art, why can’t Prague put on a biennale? It embraces 200 emerging artists and runs from June 26 to Aug. 26. Since it’s likely to be pretty conceptual, we’ll close with a colorful choice: Olivier Mosset’s big geometric abstractions at the Musee Cantonal in Lausanne, Switzerland, ending Aug. 24. Happy hunting!
