The exhibitions you must see this November
Stay inspired this November with seven new exhibitions that you won't want to miss.
How is November already here? Whether you love the cosiness of this time of year or despair the shortening of the days, it can be tempting to hide away at home with loved ones and debate whether this season of The Celebrity Traitors was a letdown (it was). But, now that the murderous game show is over and a new month of must-see exhibitions has arrived, you've really no excuse to embrace the chillier weather and experience some of the best art and culture happening across the UK.
From a celebration of Agatha Christie at the British Library in London to a deep dive into the Pre-Raphaelites at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, there's a little bit of something for everyone this month. So, get your puffer jacket out and pack your National Art Pass. You're not going to want to miss out on these.
What exhibitions can I see in November with a National Art Pass?
A Call to Art: William Morris and the Pre-Raphaelites
Dive into how both William Morris and the Pre-Raphaelites looked to pre-industrial times and the natural world to create art, craft and design that offered radical visions of the future. While they were working during the late 19th century, many of their works still resonate with contemporary talking points today – from the destructive impact of pollution on the natural world to the importance of access to art for a fairer society.
LS Lowry: The Battle of Life
Immerse yourself in the world of LS Lowry, the beloved British painter widely known for his foggy industrial scenes of northwest England and populated with stick figures – immortalised in a catchy 1977 folk song. Marking 50 years since his death, the exhibition explores the breadth of his career, charting his student days in Manchester and his 41 years occupation as a clerk and rent collector that he balanced alongside his career as an artist.
Grenfell
The first Black director to win an Academy Award for Best Picture, Steve McQueen is a highly acclaimed feature length filmmaker. Experience this poignant film installation that offers a powerful act of remembrance: documenting Grenfell Tower before it was obscured by hoarding, following the devastating 2017 fire. As demolition of the tower gets underway and the fight for justice continues, McQueen’s work takes on renewed significance, asking audiences to confront a tragedy that remains deeply present.
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
Witness the largest exhibition dedicated to Wilhelmina Barns-Graham's eight-decade career. An innovator of British modernism and a leading figure in St Ives's thriving community of artists, Barns-Graham's works transformed the landscape genre and embraced abstraction to capture her sensory relationship to the world around her. Over 170 paintings, drawings and archival materials reveal her significant contribution to modernism and British art history, including the biggest museum presentation of her works inspired by Grindelwald Glazier in Switzerland, that she visited in 1949.
Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery
Who doesn't love a whodunit? Step into the world of one of the world's most famous crime writers and one of Britain's most enduring cultural exports: Agatha Christie. The exhibition is divided into five immersive sections to tell the story of her life, inspirations and work – from her childhood growing up in an English country house, to the development of her pharmaceutical knowledge, to her visits to archaeological digs in Syria and Iraq. Plus, Christie fans and budding sleuths are in for a treat: can you find the clues and Easter eggs hidden in plain sight throughout the exhibition?
Tai Shani: M.I.A.S.M.A.
Delve into Tai Shani's contemporary reimagining of the ancient Greek tragedy about Antigone, whose inability to mourn her own brother has tragic consequences. Bleding sculpture, installation and sound, Shani draws on this play to ask poignant questions about death and grief in our present moment against the backdrop of political, ecological and moral crisis. Alongside this exhibition, don't miss Shani's sculptural installation in the grounds of Jupiter Artland, which has been supported by Art Fund.
Mad Bloomsbury
Explore well-recognised and lesser known histories of the Bloomsbury group's experiences of mental health during the 20th century, reexamined through the lens of disability and neurodiversity. Curated by Charleston’s Curating Visibility Fellow Hazel McMichael, the exhibition spotlights art and personal objects from their collection that illuminate how the group of artists, writers and thinkers understood ideas of 'madness'.