Exhibitions to Check Out in London This Summer
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With Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebration on June 2 around the corner, London’s cultural institutions are putting on Royal-themed exhibitions, as well as a variety of exciting other things for the summer. Here are some of the shows worth checking out whenever you are in town.
Royal Collection Trust/Courtesy Photo
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The Queen’s Jewelry Collection
To celebrate her 70 years of service to the people of the U.K., some of the most prized items from Queen Elizabeth II’s jewelry collection, alongside iconic pieces from her wardrobe, will go on display at royal properties including Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse this summer. Highlights include the Diamond Diadem at Buckingham Palace, which was worn by the Queen on postage stamps from 1953 to 1971, as well as the Delhi Durbar necklace, which features the Cullinan Diamond, the largest ever found.
Courtesy of The British Museum
Feminine Power: The Divine to the Demonic
The British Museum, home of the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Sculptures, and many an Egyptian sarcophagus, broke new ground for the summer with an exhibition dedicated to female power in world history, religion and folklore, which opened on May 19. As its name suggests, the show doesn’t shy away from violent, menacing and hell-raising figures of women throughout the ages, and is a thought-provoking and interactive experience. Art and artifacts from the ancient world to the modern day are on display, including Kiki Smith’s 1994 sculpture “Lilith,” which is on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Peter Kelleher/Courtesy
Fashion Masculinities: The Art of Menswear
The menswear exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum is a must-see this year for those who haven’t been. Featuring 100 looks and 100 artworks, dating from the Renaissance to the modern day. Contemporary looks from fashion designers like Harris Reed, Edward Crutchley, Craig Green, Grace Wales Bonner and Raf Simons are displayed alongside historical items from the V&A’s collections, such as paintings by Sofonisba Anguissola and Joshua Reynolds, contemporary artworks by Robert Longo and Omar Victor Diop, and an extract from the all-male ballet performance “Spitfire” by Matthew Bourne.
Felix Speller/Courtesy
Football: Designing the Beautiful Game
Timed in anticipation of the 2022 World Cup to be held in Qatar later this year, the Design Museum put on a thorough exhibition to examine how design has shaped the world’s most popular sport. It features more than 500 historical objects from legendary players like Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane and Diego Maradona, as well as films and interviews around sporting performance, kit development, stadium design and more for visitors to explore.
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