Royal Academy of Arts, London
23rd September 2006 - 1st January 2007
summary: all his most well-known works are represented here, but it is a pity 'The Thinker' is a plaster version. highlight: the huge bronze 'Gates of Hell' standing in the courtyard where passers-by can take a look for free.
HOLBEIN IN ENGLAND
Tate Britain, London
28th September 2006 - 7th January 2007
summary: dominated by portraits; preparatory sketches and paintings - he does very good fur-lined garments. highlight: 'Design for the More Family Group' and a freaky, but probably accurate, 'Edward, Prince of Wales'.
SUMMER EXHIBITION 2006
Royal Academy of Arts, London
12th June 2006 - 20th August 2006
summary: some shockingly bad large abstracts but generally this exhibition is as good as any in recent years. highlight: bronzes by James Butler; 'pets corner' in the Large Weston Room; Patrick Caulfield, in memoriam.
GOTHIC NIGHTMARES - FUSELI, BLAKE AND THE ROMANTIC IMAGINATION
Tate Britain, London
15th February 2006 - 1st May 2006
summary: horror and fantasy in British art 1770-1830, with emphasis on imagination rather than artistic skills. highlight: raison d'être of the entire show, Fuseli's 'The Nightmare', borrowed from the Detroit Institute of Arts.
CHINA - THE THREE EMPERORS, 1662-1795
Royal Academy of Arts, London
22th November 2005 - 17th April 2006
summary: eleven rooms of superbly intricate art and fine artefacts on a grand scale - surpasses 2005's 'Turks'. highlight: ink and colour scrolls and silk paintings; contribution of Castiglione; 'jade boulder with two ladies'.
RUBENS - A MASTER IN THE MAKING
The National Gallery, London
26th October 2005 - 15th January 2006
summary: no real surprises, but not his best works; great canvases remain hanging in the main gallery rooms. highlight: Sistine Chapel and Laocoön sketches; 'Ecce Homo' and the 'Massacre of the Innocents' on canvas.
