The art scene across the South is flourishing and 2019 is shaping up to be a sensational year for art lovers with plenty of exciting exhibitions throughout the year in some wonderful spaces. And, of course, there will be some iconic works on show in London for those venturing into the capital city!

Here is our must-see list for creative inspiration:

1 / Visiting Masterpiece by Hockney
The Holburne Museum, Bath
Until 27 January 2019

One of the nation’s most loved paintings, ‘Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy’ (shown above) is also one of the great portraits of British art. The image speaks powerfully to the eighteenth-century conversation pieces in the Holburne’s own collection as well as to the portraits of singers, dancers and actors in Gainsborough & the theatre.

Where: The Holburne Museum, Great Pulteney Street, Bath, BA2 4DB
When: Until 27 January 2019, Monday – Saturday 10am to 5pm | Sunday and Bank Holiday 11am to 5pm
Admission: £12.50 / £7 (includes a donation)

2 / On Paper: from the Arts Council Collection
Victoria Art Gallery, Bath
Until 17 February 2019

All the artworks in this exhibition are made from paper, used as a material in its own right rather than merely a surface to be painted or drawn upon. Among the leading artists featured are Damien Hirst, Roy Lichtenstein, Bridget Riley, Gillian Ayres and Eduardo Paolozzi. Included are large three-dimensional objects constructed from paper such as Karla Black’s delicate and sensuous hanging structures and Brian Griffiths’ giant futuristic cardboard computer. Other artists, such as Roger Ackling and Cornelia Parker, have made art from burnt, torn and cut paper. Collage is represented with pieces by Roland Penrose and Eduardo Paolozzi, among others.

Where: Victoria Art Gallery, Bridge Street, Bath, BA2 4AT
When: Until 17 February 2019, Monday – Sunday 10.30am to 5pm. Last entry is at 4.40pm.
Admission: £4.50 / Concessions, 16 & under and Discovery Card holders free

3 / Matthew Day Jackson, Pathetic Fallacy
Hauser & Wirth Somerset
19 January – 6 May 2019

The title for Jackson’s exhibition ‘Pathetic Fallacy’ is a literary term used to describe the attribution of human emotions onto inanimate objects in nature. This is the starting point for the artist’s investigation in Somerset, where Jackson has been living with his family as artist-in-residence at Hauser & Wirth Somerset since August 2018. His continued investigation into society’s relationship with its natural environment haunts the exhibition, which is punctuated by collaborations with his family and the local community.

Where: Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Durslade Farm, Dropping Lane, Bruton, Somerset, BA10 0NL
When: 19 January – 6 May 2019, Tuesday – Sunday 10am to 5pm (March – October) / 10am – 4pm (November – February)
Admission: free entry

4 / Jeff Koons
Ashmolean, Oxford
7 February – 9 June 2019

In spring 2019, The Ashmolean Museum Oxford will stage a major exhibition of Koons’ career to date, from his early works of the 1980s to seven works from his celebrated Gazing Ball series, never seen before in the UK. Curated by Koons himself and guest curator Norman Rosenthal, this landmark show will trace Koons’ creative trajectory since exploding onto the contemporary art scene in the 1980s.

Where: Ashmolean, Beaumont St, Oxford, OX1 2PH
When: 7 February – 9 June 2019, daily 10am to 6pm
Admission: £12.25 / Concessions £11.25

5 / RWA Sculpture Open Exhibition
The RWA, Bristol
16 March – 2 June 2019

In a change from their usual biennial open drawing exhibition, Drawn, 2019 will see an open-submission sculpture exhibition in the main gallery spaces of the RWA. The Sculpture Open will celebrate the diversity of form, medium and scale in contemporary sculptural practice.

This year’s selection panel comprises internationally-known sculptors Ann Christopher RA, Daphne Wright and Kate MccGwire, Artistic Director of New Art Centre at Roche Court Stephen Feeke and RWA Academicians Ian Middleton, Simon Hitchens and Dallas Collins.

Where: Royal West of England Academy, Queen’s Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 1PX
When: 16 March – 2 June 2019, Tuesday – Saturday 10am to 5.30pm, Sunday 11am to 5pm. Last admission 30 minutes before closing.
Admission: Adults: £7.95 (includes 80p donation) / Concessions: £6.75 (includes 70p donation) / Under 18s/SGS, UoB & UWE students: FREE / National Art Pass holders: 50% discount on ticket price

6 / Olafur Elliasson
Tate Modern, London
11 July 2019 – 5 January 2020 

Experience the remarkable world of this endlessly inquisitive artist.
In 2003, hundreds of thousands of visitors came together in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall to experience Olafur Eliasson’s ‘The Weather Project’ a glowing sun visible through fog. In 2019, he will return to Tate Modern for a major survey of his career so far.

Eliasson creates experiences that can be shared by young and old – the exhibition includes a selection of these captivating immersive installations. Some, like Beauty, recreate natural phenomena such as rainbows. Others involve reflections and shadows to play with the way we navigate or perceive the world. Within the exhibition will also be an area which will explore Eliasson’s deep engagement with social and environmental issues, such as his Little Sun project which has brought light and income to people around the world without electricity.

Where: Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG
When: 11 July 2019 – 5 January 2020, Sunday – Thursday 10am to 6pm, Friday – Saturday 10am to 10pm
Admission: prices to be announced 

7 / Tim Walker
V&A, London
Opening on Saturday 21 September 2019

An immersive journey into the fantastical worlds created by photographer Tim Walker. Take a backstage look at the creative process of one of the world’s most inventive photographers through his photographs, films, photographic sets, and special installations, including a new series of photographs influenced by the V&A’s collections.

Where: V&A, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL
When: Opening on Saturday 21 September 2019, daily 10am to 5.45pm, Friday 10am to 10pm
Admission: prices to be announced

8 / Antony Gormley
Royal Academy of Arts, London
21 September – 3 December 2019

Acclaimed sculptor Antony Gormley presents his most significant solo exhibition for over a decade. A conversation between old works and new, it will span his wide-ranging practice and exploit the scale and light of the RA’s architecture.

This exhibition is intended as a form of adventure that invites both physical and imaginative participation. The body in Gormley’s work is not a protagonist in a narrative, nor an ideal, a portrait or a memorial, it is the body in and as space.

Early experimental sculptures, objects and drawings, often made using his own body as a primary tool, material and subject, are brought together with large-scale environments made especially for the RA.

Where: Royal Academy of Arts, Main Galleries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BD
When: 21 September – 3 December 2019, daily 10am to 6pm, Friday 10am to 10pm
Admission: prices to be announced