Exhibitions

Juergen Teller: I Need to Live at Grand Palais Éphémère, Paris: December 16, 2023 – January 9, 2024
Juergen Teller fans in Paris are in for a treat. The lauded German fashion photographer is the focus of the Grand Palais Éphémère’s latest show, I Need to Live, a career-spanning survey designed by 6a architects, the same firm that conceived Teller’s London photography studio. From the image-maker’s iconic celebrity portraits and distinctive fashion campaigns for Loewe, Marc Jacobs, Vivienne Westwood, Saint Laurent et al, to his various personal projects touching upon notions of family, identity and self, prepare to be fully immersed in Teller’s candid, idiosyncratic world.

Barkley L. Hendricks: Portraits At The Frick at the Frick Madison, New York: Until January 7, 2024
On the top floor of The Frick’s temporary venue on Madison Avenue, a dazzling exhibit of 14 portraits by the late American painter Barkley L Hendricks spotlights the artist’s exceptional talent within the context of one of his own favourite museums. Hendricks’s oeuvre was both inspired by and posed a challenge to the European artistic canon, with its abundance of white, aristocratic subjects. Turning his brush to his own friends, family and acquaintances, the artist masterfully encapsulated his predominantly Black sitters’ distinct demeanours and sartorial style (denim and wool are rendered with all the same breathtaking detail as Flemish Renaissance fur and lace), emphasising the “dignity and individuality” of each and revolutionising portraiture along the way.

Women Dressing Women at The Met, New York: December 7, 2023 – March 3, 2024
Also in New York, The Met Fifth Avenue’s forthcoming show, Women Dressing Women, will draw from the Costume Institute’s vast collection to explore “the creativity and artistic legacy of women fashion designers from the turn of the 20th century to the present day”. Spanning the work of 70 designers, from French haute couture icons like Jeanne Lanvin, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Madeleine Vionnet through contemporary designers such as Iris van Herpen, Rei Kawakubo and Simone Rocha, the display promises to “offer a new interpretation of the traditional canon of fashion history and examine the ways in which the industry has served as a powerful vehicle for women’s social, financial, and creative autonomy”.

Nicole Eisenman: What Happened at Whitechapel Gallery, London: Until January 14, 2024
Londoners, don’t miss the first major UK retrospective of the ever-inventive artist Nicole Eisenman at the Whitechapel Gallery, which brings together more than 100 works in different media from across the French-born, US-based painter and sculptor’s three-decade career. Titled What Happened, the show “illuminates the critical, yet often highly humorous approach that Eisenman uses to explore some of the most prescient socio-political issues of the day”, including gender, identity and sexual politics, protest and activism, and the impact of technology on our interpersonal relationships.

Hélène Amouzou: Voyages at Autograph, London: Until January 20, 2024
Meanwhile, at Autograph, be sure to catch the first UK solo show of Togolese-born, Belgium-based artist Hélène Amouzou. Comprising a series of hand-printed photographic self-portraits taken during a period of time when Amouzou was seeking asylum in Belgium, Voyages serves as “a crucial document of a migrant who has grappled with notions of freedom, exclusion and bureaucracy”. Using long exposures that render her form diaphanous and fleeting, Amouzou examines the “complex emotions of displacement and exile” that she experienced during her journey to finding safety and citizenship – with deeply moving results.

Nan Goldin: This Will Not End Well at the Stedelijk, Amsterdam: Until January 28, 2024
Confirming her position as one of the most important artists and activists working today, Nan Goldin has just been named number one in the Art Review Power 100 list. For those who happen to be in Amsterdam over the holiday period, make sure you pay a visit to the Stedelijk to see her latest touring exhibition This Will Not End Well, where you’ll have the chance to experience six of Goldin’s legendary slideshows consisting of thousands of her extraordinarily intimate, diaristic photos, presented in “six unique buildings, supported by music, voice-overs, and archive material”.

The Red Shoes: Beyond the Mirror at The BFI Southbank, London: Until January 7, 2024
If you love Powell and Pressburger, head over to BFI Southbank stat, where, alongside a retrospective season of the subversive British filmmakers’ movies, you can also see a special exhibition dedicated to one of their most beloved films, 1948’s The Red Shoes, the story of a young ballerina “torn between the demands of love and art”. Made up of more than 100 objects, the display showcases previously unseen costume and production designs, scripts, and behind-the-scenes photographs and posters, as well as the film’s mesmeric titular footwear.

Robert Mapplethorpe: Subject Object Image at Alison Jacques, London: Until January 20, 2024
“I’m trying to make sculpture without having to sculpt … I’m looking for perfection in form … It’s no different from one subject to the next,” said the boundary-busting US photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in 1983. This statement reveals one of Mapplethorpe’s key artistic ambitions: to objectify his subjects, whether male muses, female bodybuilders, delicate orchids or still lifes made up of actual objects. Now, a new show at Alison Jacques, spanning two decades of Mapplethorpe’s career – from 1976 until his untimely death in 1989 – takes a deep dive into the breadth of his subject matter at this time, and the ways in which he achieved such objectification through “a relentless pursuit of aesthetic equilibrium through meticulous attention to detail, lighting, and composition”.

Read AnOther’s feature on the exhibition here.

Sophie Calle: À Toi de Faire, Ma Mignonne at the Musée Picasso, Paris: Until January 7, 2024
Timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Picasso’s death, Paris’s Musée Picasso has given free rein to the French conceptual artist Sophie Calle, who has taken over all four of its floors with a retrospective show that uses some of Picasso’s most emblematic works as its starting point at ground level. Unsurprisingly, the artist gives these pieces a distinctly Calle-esque twist, partially or fully obscuring them to tie in with her ongoing inquiries into memories and blindness, which visitors can explore on the floors above. It’s a show that must be seen in order to be fully appreciated, filled as it is with the archives and writings that lie behind so many of Calle’s sociological and autobiographical investigations, and offers a fascinating insight into a truly unique practice.

Saul Leiter: Centennial at Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York: December 2, 2023 – February 10, 2024
Saul Leiter was one of the most influential early colour photographers, using bold hues, abstractive forms and endlessly imaginative compositions to capture everyday life as it had rarely been shown before. Now, to mark 100 years since the American image-maker’s birth, Howard Greenberg in New York has just opened a special survey of Leiter’s work, comprising over 40 photographs, paintings and painted photographs (many of which have never been shown publicly in the US before) to demonstrate his wide-ranging talents in colour photography and beyond.

Retinal Hysteria at Venus Over Manhattan, New York: Until January 13, 2024
Inspired by the Stedelijk Museum’s landmark exhibition Eye Infection (2001) – which brought together five US artists united by a fondness for aesthetic bombasticism and the eschewing traditional artistic notions of beauty – New York gallery Venus Over Manhattan has invited Robert Storr (the former MoMA curator, who wrote an essay for the Eye Infection catalogue) to curate his own take on the theme over 20 years later. The result is Retinal Hysteria, a cross-generational array of works, by more than 40 artists, that “irritate, provoke, and unsettle, all against the backdrop of a world [that Storr] perceives as ‘coming apart at its seams’”. Many of the artworks, including pieces by John Waters, Kara Walker and R Crumb, have been made specially for the show, while others, by Louise Bourgeois and David Wojnarowicz, for instance, pay homage to visual disruptors past.

Ruth Orkin: The Illusion of Time at Mai Manó House, Budapest: Until January 14, 2024
Last but not least, if you’re in Budapest in the coming month, we recommend heading to Mai Manó House for its exhibition on the renowned American reportage photographer Ruth Orkin. The show explores how Orkin’s early work in the film industry (as a messenger at Metro Goldwyn Mayer) shaped her work as an image-maker, seeking to highlight how she combined “the temporal characteristics of the photographic image” in order to simulate film. This resulted in wonderfully evocative photographs, captured in the US, Italy, Hungary and beyond, all of which boast a brilliantly compelling narrative flow.

Events & Performances

Seeking out excellent live events to brighten up your December? Look no further. Rebecca Frecknall is making her directorial debut at the National Theatre with Alice Birch’s radical take on Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba: “a pitch-black drama exploring the consequences of oppressing women”. Running until January 6, the play tells the story of five sisters living under a formidable matriarch (played by Succession’s Harriet Walker) in the wake of their father’s death.

At the Almeida until January 27, don’t miss Conor McPherson’s stage adaptation of Paweł Pawlikowski’s Oscar-nominated movie Cold War, directed by Rupert Goold with music by Elvis Costello. A decade-spanning love story set in communist-controlled Poland, it centres on a singer and a composer who bond over their love of music and shared dreams of escape. Upstairs at the Royal Court theatre until December 20, meanwhile, Nathan Queeley-Dennis’s debut play Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz is garnering rave reviews. Billed as a love letter to Birmingham, it examines “Black masculinity through Beyoncé lyrics, techno raves and the deeply intimate relationship between a man and his barber”.

For those on the hunt for more festive entertainment, head to Sadler’s Wells for the latest revival of Matthew Bourne’s dance production of Tim Burton’s cult classic Edward Scissorhands. The tale of “an extraordinary boy who brings a slice of magic to an ordinary town”, Bourne’s spellbinding choreographic interpretation is set to haunting music by Danny Elfman and Terry Davies, and runs from December 5 – January 20. Then there’s the return of Peter Wright’s much-loved take on The Nutcracker for The Royal Ballet, promising an enchanting evening of festive dance, set to Tchaikovsky’s mesmerising score, at the Royal Opera House from December 6 – January 13.

For a special one-off event, be sure to catch the script-in-hand staging of Harry Kondoleon’s Christmas on Mars at London Performance Studios on December 9 – the second production by The Aids Plays Project, a venture dedicated to reviving “the lost voices of playwrights who passed away during the first decade of the HIV/AIDS epidemic”. Or head to the Royal Festival Hall On December 13 for a screening of Steven Spielberg’s extraterrestrial drama ET with a live score performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Film

December is filled with excellent film releases. First up, Fallen Leaves, Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki’s simultaneously despondent and delightful romantic drama, in which two lonely, down-and-out souls living in Helsinki keep finding their paths crossing. Fierce British thriller Femme, by Sam H Freeman and Ng Choon Ping, follows Jules, the victim of a life-altering homophobic attack, who finds himself presented with a surprising opportunity to exact revenge upon one of his attackers. While Joram, from Indian filmmaker Devashish Makhija, sees a softly spoken father forced to flee for his life, baby daughter in tow, in a spine-chilling survival drama with “a hard political edge”.

Then there’s Eileen, William Oldroyd’s heady adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s celebrated novel of the same name. In it, a strange young woman living in 1960s Massachusetts becomes captivated by a glamorous new employee at the local youth prison where she works, but can’t predict the havoc their budding friendship will wreak. Earth Mama, the impressive debut from British director Savanah Leaf, follows a pregnant single mother as she “battles drug addiction and the oppressive foster-care system” in an attempt to regain custody of her two children. While Timothée Chalamet is said to shine in Wonka, Paul King’s new film telling the origin story Willy Wonka, the esoteric figure at the heart of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We predict a chocolatey Christmas classic.

Documentary fans, book your tickets for Anselm, Wim Wenders’ captivating examination of the life and work of the German painter and sculptor Anselm Kiefer, providing insight into his “inspiration, processes, and fascination with myth and history”. And don’t miss Every Body, American filmmaker Julie Cohen’s revelatory investigation into the ways intersex people have been misunderstood and mistreated throughout history – and the global movement seeking to change that. Syrian director Waad Al-Kateab’s film We Dare To Dream follows refugee athletes as they train to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020, resulting in a powerful essay on freedom.

Food & Drink

When it comes to December’s culinary delights, there’s the newly opened Akara, “bringing the flavours of West Africa” to Borough Yards, near London Bridge. Expect to sample Akara fritters – the restaurant’s namesake – filled with tantalising options such as barbecued tiger prawns or seared hand-dived Orkney scallops, as well as a selection of barbecued meat, fish and vegetable plates designed for sharing (Lagos chicken with glazed carrot and Senegalese hot sauce, for instance, or grilled pollock with a deliciously sweet caramelised onion and lemon sauce).

While in Battersea, popular South African café concept tashas has just opened its first UK outpost, featuring a menu of timeless, all-day dishes made with locally sourced produce. Favourites from the original destination include the Texas Salad, with corn, feta, cherry tomatoes, olives, basil, rocket and a pesto and lemon dressing. While new dishes range from Sweet Toast, “a classic play on French Bostock made with homemade almond frangipane, apricot jam and spiced syrup-soaked brioche, to Cornflake Pork Schnitzel – a cut of pork loin, coated in cornflakes – served with potato salad and fresh slaw”.

If you fancy a winter getaway in the heart of the South Downs National Park, why not take a trip to The White Horse, Graffham, in West Sussex, where chef Grant Jones (who trained at Le Gavroche) is now heading up the brand new destination restaurant amid the rolling hills. Jones’s menus centre on “contemporary and seasonal fare, capitalising on the abundance of great produce in the immediate area”. Think: Sussex pork terrine with caramelised apple purée and hazelnut salad, and wild sea bass, Jerusalem artichoke, lobster beignet and rouille.

London hotel Broadwick Soho has just opened its flagship eatery, Dear Jackie, billed as “an Italian restaurant that combines opulence with refined dining and a touch of nighttime glamour”. There, chef Harry Faddy (previously of River Cafe) is putting a modern spin on Italian classics, with highlights including roast veal with tonnato, capers and crispy shallot; spaghetti vongole, with bottarga, and datterini tomatoes; and Cornish lamb with puntarelle and anchovy.

The celebrated Greek restaurant Gaia will open its debut London space on Dover Street this December, focussing “on simple, honest and humble ingredients that come together to create joy,” in the words of its co-chef Izu Ani. Among a menu peppered with Mediterranean delights, Gaia‘s specialty is set to be its fish counter, where you can choose your own fresh fish, decide how it’s prepared (raw, grilled, pan-fried with aromatic harissa or salt-baked) and select from a series of tasty mezze accompaniments.

Last but not least, there’s The Petersham in Covent Garden’s chic holiday knees-up, Christmas in Tuscany, on December 19: a special wine-tasting dinner centred around seasonal produce and a selection of classic Christmas wines. Tickets can be purchased here to guarantee a steady flow of champagne, Belguardo, Chianti, and dessert wine alongside Italian fare. Here’s to festive cheer and feasting aplenty!