The ultimate Easter holiday art gallery guide

Now the Easter holidays are upon us and the sun is finally shining (sometimes), the break is the perfect time to get out and explore some of London’s favourite art galleries.

Two of the ongoing exhibitions at Tate Britain are the JMW Turner and Historic and Early Modern British Art displays. Spanning over seven rooms, the entirely free collection explores Turner’s work through five main themes, with two rooms dedicated to other artists closely related to Turner: John Constable and Paul Pfeiffer. Tate Britain has had a permanent Turner display for some time now, but will be celebrating his 250th anniversary on April 23 and in the upcoming few weeks, making the Easter holidays the perfect opportunity to get into some of his works if you haven’t already. Turner250 comes with exhibitions, classes and books to commemorate one of Britain’s most famous artists. I am personally quite intrigued by his sea and storm works which were particularly prominent in the later parts of Turner’s career, and are featured in the second room of Tate Britain’s Turner display. However, ‘Morning After the Deluge’ which examines Paul Pfeiffer’s video display inspired by Turner also promises to “challenge our human-centred view”, which I think sounds exciting.

Artists here use dream symbolism and themes of performance to express individuality and personal experience

Featured in seventeen rooms at Tate Britain, is the Historic and Early Modern British Art display, and the room which looks the most appealing to me is 1870-1910’s ‘Sensation and Style’, which is influenced by new ideas regarding psychology and ‘the self’. Artists here use dream symbolism and themes of performance to express individuality and personal experience. Displaying artists like Audrey Beardsley, James Abbott McNeil Whistler and John Singer Sargent, including his famous ‘Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth’. This part of the exhibition promises great quality and an interesting reflection on the turn of the 20th century.

The “eclectic” exhibition is an opportunity to immerse yourself in Bowery and his daring performances

’80s counterculture is also being prominently displayed in London galleries this holiday, with the Leigh Bowery! exhibition at Tate Modern, Photographing Britain at Tate Britain and The Face Magazine at The National Portrait Gallery. The Face Magazine will explore the importance and displays of The Face, a youth culture and style magazine, through 1980 to 2004. The magazine has a “fast and furious” energy which perhaps stems from the fact that a lot of its photographers were starting out their career, and seemed to align with the magazine’s “work hard play hard” mindset. It was at its most successful in the ’90s, with iconic shots of Kate Moss and fashion shots featuring Alexander McQueen. I’d love to see the exhibition, and even though tickets are normally £23, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, they’re only £5 for under-25s.

Bowery features in this display, but has a whole display dedicated to him and his work in Tate Modern. The “eclectic” exhibition is an opportunity to immerse yourself in Bowery and his daring performances as well as his many collaborations, says the Tate. Whilst entry costs £18, this can be reduced to £5 with Tate Collective for 16-25 year olds.

From ’80s counterculture to the 18th century and everything in between, the exhibitions in London should have more than enough to cater to your interests

From the March 21 until June, the Royal Academy of Arts will display a collection of Victor Hugo’s rarely seen drawings. Hugo, a writer and politician, was one of France’s leading figures in the 19th century, whose books Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Miserables were distributed worldwide. His drawings, which feature caricatures in his earlier works and move to landscapes and abstract experiments, were last seen in the UK 50 years ago. I for one am looking forward to exploring this collection and taking advantage of the Royal Academy’s student discount!

Some of these London collections end in the summer and won’t still be on display by the time exams are over, making this holiday a great opportunity to get out and see some of them. From ’80s counterculture to the 18th century and everything in between, the exhibitions in London should have more than enough to cater to your interests.