Francesca Albini

Royal Academy – until 27th October 2019 If the name Helene Schjerfbeck doesn’t ring a bell, you are not alone, but by now you probably have been intrigued by the haunting portrait in the poster advertising the RA exhibition, and wonder why such a distinctive artist is not more familiar. Unless, of course, you are Finnish. Born in Helsinki in 1862, and died in Sweden in 1946, Schjerfbeck had a long and extremely productive career. Her talent was recognised very early on, at

Royal Academy – until 29 September When you visit, it won’t take you long to understand the subtitle of this exhibition. Even in his earliest works, Félix Vallotton displayed a unique, mysterious and disorienting vision. Born in Switzerland, in 1865, he moved to Paris at age 16 to study art in the very epicentre of cultural innovation and political unrest. He was not particularly attracted by the experimentation of contemporary movements, such as Impressionism, and preferre

Royal Academy 27 January – 15 April 2018 If you were born, like me, in Venice and raised in Florence by scholarly parents, you would love Renaissance art, and know a great deal about it. Or not. It could also work the other way. Overwhelmed by the cultural weight of the indisputable and unreachably perfect heroes of the brush and chisel, your heart might just switch off entirely, and search to connect with more approachable and spontaneous art forms. Whichever camp you b