CONTINUING

Open through February & March

Medieval and Renaissance Galleries. Long anticipated opening of the V&A's spacious new galleries, ten in all, devoted to the display of its great collection of medieval treasures: well-worth the wait, a considered notice will be following in due course.
Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL. Tel. +44 (0)20 7942 2000. (Open daily; late Wed) www.vam.ac.uk. Opens 2 December.

The Unilever Series: Miroslaw Balka. How It Is. The Polish artist Miroslaw Balka (born 1958) has undertaken the tenth commission to fill the great Turbine Hall. His installation takes the form of an enormous container-like construction, entered up a ramp and more or less totally dark within. “How It Is is only complete when you, the viewer, enter... the container focuses you inwards, both physically and psychologically... you create your own journey.” Try it and see for yourself.
Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG. Tel. +44 (0)20 7887 8888. (Open daily; late Fri & Sat) www.tate.org.uk 13 October 2009 - 5 April.

Oman. Exhibition of some 300 items, principally from museums in Oman highlighting its ancient traditions of seafaring and international trade. The sultanate has a lengthy coastline on the South East corner of the Arabian peninsular and the Ibadi School of Islam as its leading faith. The exhibition reflects the life of its peoples from ancient times including Oman's contacts with Europe from the 15^th to the 19^th centuries, specifically through the Dutch East India Company.
De Nieuwe Kerk, Dam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Tel. +31 20 6386909 (Open daily; late Thurs). www.nieuwekerk.nl 17 October 2009 – 18 April.

Revolution on Paper: Mexican Prints 1910 – 1960. The Mexican socialist revolution of the second decade of the 20^th century spawned not only democratic government but committed artists whose prints and posters are the basis of this exhibition – the first of its kind in Europe. All the exhibits have been acquired by the British Museum through the generosity of the Aldama Foundation, Dave and Reba Williams – and independent charity The Art Fund which made a 100% grant of £25,061 for the purchase of Diego Rivera's great lithograph: Emiliano Zapata and his horse.
Supported by The Monument Trust and the Mexico Tourism Board.
British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Tel. +44 (0)20 7323 8000. (Open daily) www.britishmuseum.org 22 October 2009 – 5 April.

Henry VIII: A 500th Anniversary Exhibition. Special exhibition marking Henry VIII's accession to the throne, includes miniatures, illuminated manuscripts, portrait drawings, books and letters.
The Drawings Gallery, Windsor Castle, Berkshire. Information Tel. +44 (0)20 7766 7304. (Open daily) 8 April 2009 - 18 April.

The Heart of the Great Alone: Scott, Shackleton and Antarctic Photography. Marking the 100^th anniversary of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated expedition to the South Pole and commemorating too Ernest Shackleton's equally dramatic attempt to cross Antarctica on foot in in 1914, this exhibition is of the extraordinary photographs from the Royal Collection taken on the expeditions by Herbert George Pontin and Frank Hurley.
The Queen's Gallery, The Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh. For advance tickets: Tel. +44 (0)131 556 5100. (Open daily) www.royalcollection.org.uk 2 October 2009 - 11 April.

Decode: Digital Design Sensations. With the effects of the computer era all around us, this V&A exhibition aims to show the latest developments in digital and interactive design, small and large. It will have three themes: 'Code as Raw Material,' 'Interactivity,' and 'The Network.' Centred on its dedicated contemporary Porter Gallery, there will be interventions throughout the museum, with a specially commissioned digital work for the its website. The exhibition is curated in collaboration with the London-based moving image and digital arts organisation onedotzero. A complementary display will be devoted to the history of digital arts and design using material from the V&A's recently acquired computer arts collection.
Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL. Tel. +44 (0)20 7942 2000. (Open daily; late Wed) www.vam.ac.uk 8 December 2009 – 11 April.

The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection: Selected Works. Some 126 paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints from an important collection of past-war American art especially of works by Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein, Brice Marden, Robert Rauschenberg and Frank Stella.
National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street at Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20565. Tel. +1 202 737 4215. (Open daily) www.nga.gov 1 October 2009 – 2 May.

The Anniversary Show. With the general theme “75 Years of Looking Forward” this exhibition celebrates the 75^th anniversary of the foundation of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) through displays of paintings, sculptures, works on paper, photographs, video works, architectural models, and design objects – plus archive material illustrating the stories of the people whose interest and work created the institution, including artists, collectors, “cultural mavericks” and city leaders.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. Tel +1 415 357 4000. (Open daily; late Thurs; closed Wed) 19 December 2009 – 16 January 2011.

*especially recommended

Please check opening times and days before travelling any distance.