Treasures of Today: Silver from Goldsmiths' Hall, London 1980 - 2008. From the private important collection owned by the London Goldsmiths' Company, a selection of some 140 examples of the finest silver objects made by 58 designer silversmiths working in Britain.
The National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Benburgh Street, Dublin 7, Ireland. Tel. 00 353 1 677 74 44. (Open Tues - Sun) 1 October 2008 - 18 January 2009.

Cartoons and Coronets: The Genius of Osbert Lancaster. Maudie Littlehampton, her family and friends, all inhabitants of pocket cartoons - plus architectural drawings, stage designs, book illustrations and murals by the unique British satirist Osbert Lancaster who was born in 1908.
Sponsored by the John R. Murray Charitable Trust.
The Wallace Collection, Hertford House, Manchester Square, London W1U 3BN. Tel. +44 (0)20 7563 9500. (Open daily) 2 October 2008 - 11 January 2009

Taking Shape: Finding sculpture in the decorative arts. One of the consequences of the invention and growth of art history has been the dismissal of many works of sculpture integral with tables, clocks, and mirrors for example, as merely decorative art: a distinction unknown to the original makers.

A selection of Baroque and Rococo objects in bronze, wood, marble and porcelain from the J. Paul Getty Museum in California and Temple Newsam House in Yorkshire should help change all this. Removed from their customary period contexts to a modern gallery space these 17th and 18th century items will be seen for their true sculptural selves.
Plus: Sculpture in the Home - a restaging of the influential and idealistic post-war exhibitions that toured the UK in the 40s and 50s.
The Henry Moore Institute, 74 The Headrow, Leeds LS1 3AH. Tel. +44 (0)113 246 7467. (Open daily; late Wed) 2 October 2008 - 4 January 2009.

Pearce & Ramsey, Best in Show. Pearce and Ramsey are recent Goldsmiths' Graduates who have trawled the UK graduate shows and selected for exhibition 19 artists - the majority of whom sold out at their shows. Their chosen artists include: Matt Musgrave, Louise Chang, Sharon McPhee, Giles Ripley amd Anita Wernstrom. For collectors and others interested in emerging artists - before they arrive - this should be a must-see exhibition.
John Jones Project Space, 4 Morris Place, off Stroud Green Road, Finsbury Park, London N4 3JG. Tel. +44 (0)20 7281 5439. (Open Mon - Fri) 3 - 31 October.

From Sickert to Gertler: Modern British Art from Boxted House. Boxted House, near Colchester, was the home of Bobby and Natalie Bevan. Its walls were hung with works by their many friends including John Nash, Harold Gilman, Mark Gertler and Cedric Morris as well as Robert Bevan (Bobby's father) Christopher Nevinson, John Armstrong, Frederick Gore - and Walter Sickert. Organised by the National Galleries of Scotland.
Gainsborough's House, 46 Gainsborough Street, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2EU. Tel. +44 (0)1787 372958. (Open Mon - Sat). 4 October - 13 December.

Heimo Zobernig. First exhibition in the UK of the multi-disciplinary works by Austrian-born artist Heimo Zobernig which will include works chosen from the Tate Collection integrated and juxtaposed with his own.
Tate St. Ives, Porthmeor Beach, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 1TG. Tel. +44 (0)1736 796226. (Open daily until end Oct, thereafter closed Mon) 4 October 2008 - 11 January 2009.

*Miro, Calder, Giacometti, Braque: Aime Maeght and His Artists. This loan exhibition of unusually fine works by important mid 20th century artists has been selected from the Fondation Marguerite et Aime Maeght at Saint-Paul in the South of France, and from the Maeght family collection in Paris. It is a delight to visit, in part because the works seem linked by a singular personality and not least because of the spirit of close friendships that the exhibition evokes.

Aime Maeght, his wife Marguerite, their children and grandchildren were the attractive centre of what grew into an important and influential series of collaborations and exhibitions. The inspiration was Aime Maeght, who was not only a successful and enterprising art dealer in post war Paris but an innovative publisher of artists' prints and books.

The whole story is told in the excellent illustrated catalogue. In brief it began during the Second World War in the South of France, where the Maeghts became friends with Bonnard and Matisse who encouraged Aime to open a gallery in Paris in 1945. Its success led to further friendships, notably with Miro and Calder, as well as with Giacometti and Braque - whose works some in their own right outstanding, others delightfully personal, lie at the heart of the exhibition.

One room is devoted to a selection of the books made by artists and poets working together, original lithographs, and a spectacular series of covers for Derriere le Miroir - Galerie Maeght's house journal that doubled as the catalogue for its exhibitions, illustrated with artists' original prints.

It is hard to tear oneself away from this exhibition which has so many pleasures: four small landscapes by Braque; a bronze dog by Giacometti; two tiny iron-wire birds by Calder; a painted ceramic vase by Miro; plus drawings a plenty, family photographs and films. Don't miss it.
Sponsored by BNP Paribas.
Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly, London WIV 0DS. Tel. +44 (0)20 7300 8000. (Open daily; late Fri) 4 October 2008 - 2 January 2009.

Cotswold Art & Antique Dealers' Association. The eleventh autumn season of selling exhibitions including English furniture and pottery, sporting items, field furniture, master drawings, garden ornaments, paintings, mirrors and samplers. An enticing opportunity to visit eleven dealers in seven fine Cotswold towns.
www.cotswold-antiques-art.com 4 - 18 October.

The Illuminated Word: Qur'ans and Sacred Texts, 550 - 1930. Exhibition of more than 50 splendid examples of Qur'anic calligraphy and illumination including leaves and complete manuscripts.
Sam Fogg, 15d Clifford Street, London W1S 4JZ. Tel. +44 (0)20 7534 2100. (Open Mon - Fri) 6 - 24 October.

Andy Warhol: Other Voices, Other Rooms. The work of Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987) continues to attract many fans as well as those keen to investigate and understand the myriad processes and ideas that gave rise to his work. This exhibition is especially concerned with his films, videos and television programmes to which are added paintings, installations and archive material.
The Hayward, South Bank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XZ. Tel. +44 (0)871 663 2519. (Open daily; late Fri) 7 October 2008 - 18 January 2009.

Lucian Freud: Early Works, 1937 - 1957. Especially interesting loan exhibition from private and public collections of early works by major British artist Lucian Freud (born 1922). Many pictures have not been seen in public since first exhibited or sold.
Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert, 38 Bury Street, St. James's, London SW1Y 6BB. Tel. +44 (0)20 7839 7600. (Open Mon - Sat) 9 October - 12 December.

British Abstract Art 1950 - 1985. Important exhibition of more than 50 paintings and sculptures including works by Prunella Clough, John Hoyland and Merlyn Evans plus paintings from the estate of Michael Tyzack. Examples of hard-edged, landscape-based and constructivist abstract art will be on view.
Portland Gallery, 8 Bennet Street, St James's, London SW1. Tel. +44 (0)20 7493 1888. (Open Mon - Fri) 10 - 31 October.

Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age. Vermeer's famous View of Delft is included in this exhibition of paintings by Dutch 17th century artists fascinated by then rapid urban development. Jan van de Heyden and Gerrit Berckheyde were specialists but landscape painters such as Jacob van Ruisdael and Aelbert Cuyp also tried their hands. Rareties include Jan Christiaen Micker's Birds-eye view of Amsterdam and View of Dordrecht's Port by Abraham van Calraet's.
Sponsored by Unilever, Siemens and NIBC.
Mauritshuis, Buitenhof 35, The Hague, The Netherlands. Tel. +31 70 302 34 35. (Open Tues - Sun) 11 October 2008 - 11 January 2009.

Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster has been invited to make this year's work for the Unilever Series of commissions for the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern. She was born in France in 1965 and lives and works in Paris and Rio de Janeiro.
Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG. Tel. +44 (0)20 7887 8888. (Open daily; late Fri & Sat) 14 October 2008 - 13 April 2009.

Renaissance Faces: Van Eyck to Titian. Major exhibition of more than seventy breathtaking 15th and 16th century paintings from Northern and Southern Europe shown with sculptures, drawings and medals. The artists include Raphael, Botticelli, Holbein, Durer and Bellini as well as Leoni, Van Eyck and Titian.
Sponsored by AXA.
National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN. Tel. +44 (0)20 7747 2885. (Open daily; late Wed) 15 October 2008 - 18 January 2009.

Cildo Meireles. Exhibition of work by leading Brazilian conceptual artist Cildo Meireles (born 1948).
Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG. Tel. +44 (0)20 7887 8888. (Open daily; late Fri & Sat) 15 October 2008 - 11 January 2009.

Rembrandt: Painter of Stories. International loan exhibition of some 35 paintings with five prints devoted to showing Rembrandt (1606 - 1669) as a narrative painter - deriving some his subjects from history, religion and classical mythology. This great artist is surprisingly little represented in Spanish collections.
Sponsored by BBVA.
Museo Nacional del Prado, Paseo del Prado, 28014, Madrid, Spain. Tel. +34 91 330 28 00 (Open Tues - Sun). 15 October 2008 - 6 January 2009.

Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life, 1990 - 2005. More than 150 works by Annie Leibovitz include personal photographs of her family and friends, portraits of public figures, landscapes, and reportage from, for example, the Seige of Sarajevo.
National Portrait Gallery, St. Martin's Place, London WC2H 0HE. Tel. +44 (0)20 7306 0055. (Open daily; late Thur & Fri) 16 October 2008 - 1 February 2009.

Brueghel to Rubens: Masters of Flemish Painting. The first exhibition ever mounted of 15th, 16th and 17th century Flemish paintings in the Royal Collection. More than 50 works will be on show by such artists as Quinten Massys, Hans Memling, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, David Teniers and Peter Paul Rubens.
The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London SW1. Tickets and information Tel. +44 (0)20 7766 7301. (Open daily) 17 October 2008 - 26 April 2009.

This is War! Robert Capa at Work.
Gerda Taro.
On the Subject of War: Geert van Kesteren; An-My Le; Paul Chan; Omer Fast.
Three exhibitions concerned with war and photography.
Barbican Art Gallery, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS. Tel. +44 (0)845 120 7550. (Open late daily; except Tues & Thurs) 17 Otober 2008 - 25 January 2009.

Emma Sergeant: Ali Baba's Mausoleum. Exhibition of new work by much sought-after British figurative artist and portraitist who paints on boards prepared with layers of gesso, gold, and silver leaf - to startling effect.
The Fine Art Society, 148 New Bond Street, London W1S 2JT. Tel. +44 (0)20 7629 5116. (Open Mon - Sat) 22 October - 6 November.

Women in Power: Caterina and Maria de' Medici. The Return to Florence of Two Queens of France. Both these Medici Queens of France were widowed young. The former commissioned in the 1560s, and the latter completed, a series of 15 tapestries portraying the story of Artemesia, weaving together the chronicles of two different queens from antiquity, to reinforce their own precarious positions. Long separated then reunited in 2005 and newly restored, these monumental Royal tapestries come from the Mobelier National & Manufactures des Gobelins in Paris to Florence, for the first time.
Palazzo Strozzi, Piazza Strozzi, 50123, Firenze [Florence] Italy. Tel. +39 055 277 6461. (Open daily) 24 October 2008 - 24 January 2009.

The Philippe de Montebello Years: Curators Celebrate Three Decades of Acquisitions. A unique tribute to a unique Director: Philippe de Montebello who is retiring after 31 years, no less, at the helm of the Met. His current curators have selected 300 works of art from many cultures and periods to represent "the breadth and greatness" of the acquisitions made during his leadership.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028. Tel. +1 212 535 7710. (Open Tues - Sun; late Fri & Sat) 24 October 2008 - 1 February 2009.

Byzantium 330 - 1453. Potentially stupendous exhibition of great works of art included with some 300 objects, such as icons, wall paintings, micro-mosaics, ivories, enamels, gold and silver metalwork on loan from Venice, from elsewhere in Europe, and from the USA, Russia, Ukraine and Egypt. The chosen period stretches from the foundation of Constantinople by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great to the capture of the city by the Ottoman forces of Sultan Mehmed II.
Supported by the J.F. Costopoulos Foundation, the A.G. Levantis Foundation and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.
Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly, London WIV 0DS. Tel. +44 (0)20 7300 8000. (Open daily; late Fri) 25 October 2008 - 22 March 2009.

The Intimate Portrait: Drawings, Miniatures and Pastels from Ramsay to Lawrence. First ever exhibition in Britain devoted to these delightful 'private' portraits from the Georgian and Regency eras. It comprises nearly 200 works from the collections of the British Museum and the National Galleries of Scotland.
Sponsored by Artemis.
Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 1JD. Tel. +44 (0)131 624 6200. (Open daily; late Thurs) 25 October 2008 - 1 February 2009.

Jan Lievens: A Dutch Master Rediscovered. For whatever reasons and despite his contemporary success and fame, the life and work of Jan Lievens (1607 - 1674) has become hidden in the shadows of history. This exhibition of some 130 paintings, drawings and prints aims to re-establish his reputation and to clarify his relationship with his 17th century peer, Rembrandt.
National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street at Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20565. Tel. +1 202 737 4215. (Open daily) 26 October 2008 - 11 January 2009.

Paths to Fame: Turner's Watercolour Landscapes. The Courtauld's collection includes examples of Turner's works from the length and breadth of his career. Also on exhibition for the first time are nine major watercolours by Turner bequeathed to the Courtauld by the late Dorothy Scharf. Other fine watercolours from her extraordinary bequest are on display in another gallery; these include works by Thomas Jones, J. R. Cozens, Francis Towne, Richard Parkes Bonington, John Constable and Edward Lear.
Sponsored by The Bank of New York Mellon.
The Courtauld Gallery, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN. Tel. +44 (0)20 7848 2526. (Open daily) 30 October 2008 - 25 January 2009.

Asian Art in London. 30 October - 12 November.
This important annual festival, now in its 11th year, includes some especially interesting exhibitions. www.asianartinlondon.com
Sydney L. Moss celebrates the opening of its new premises, 12 Queen Street, London W1J 5PG. Tel. +44 (0)20 7629 4640, with two: This Single Feather of Auspicious Light: Old Chinese Painting and Calligraphy; and, Such Stuff as Dreams are Made On: Japanese Netsuke from the Willi G. Bosshard Collection. 30 October - 28 November.
Eskenazi, 10 Clifford Street, London W1S 2LJ. Tel. +44 (0)20 7493 5464: Chinese Ceramics and Stone Sculpture. 30 October - 28 November.
Rossi & Rossi, 16 Clifford Street, London W1S 3RG. Tel. +44 (0)20 7734 6487: Gods and Monsters: Photographs of Himalayan sculpture by Caroline Chiu. 30 October - 28 November.
Sam Fogg, 15d Clifford Street, London W1S 4JZ. Tel. +44 (0)20 7534 2122. The Art of Enlightenment: Buddhist Manuscripts from the Himalayas, India, China, Japan and South-East Asia. 30 Otober - 21 November.
Khulla Dhoka: The Open Door Exhibition of Nepalese & British Contemporary Art organised by, and to raise funds for, the Kathmandu Arts Centre. Royal Overseas League, Park Place, St James's, London SW1S 1LR. Info. Tel. +44 (0)20 7244 9307. 28 October - 11 November.

GSK Contemporary. Three-month season of "cutting-edge visual culture" with more than 100 exhibitions, live events, film screenings, symposia, performance, experimental theatre and music - featuring international artists from Europe, Asia and the US.
Supported by GlaxoSmithKline.
Royal Academy of Arts, 6 Burlington Gardens, London WIS 3EX. Tel. +44 (0)20 7300 8000. (Open daily; late Thurs, Fri, Sat) 1 November 2008 - 19 January 2009.

The Mushrooms of the Avant-Garde. Sculptures, paintings and photomontages of buildings in Moscow by Russian artists Igor Makarevich (b. 1943) and Elena Elagina (b. 1951). This is the inaugural UK exhibition presented by ARTiculate, "a London-based contemporary art fund founded in 2007 by a group of private collectors with Russian backgrounds."
Sponsored by GAZPROM Germania.
Club Row, Rochelle School, Arnold Circus, London E2 7ES. (Open Tues - Sat) 5 November - 22 November.

Demons, Yarns and Tales. Exhibition of 14 tapestries, three years in the making, by 15 artists including Grayson Perry, Gavin Turk, Peter Blake, Kara Walker, Beatriz Milhazes, Gary Hume, Shahzia Sikander and Fred Tomaselli. Presented by Banners of Persuasion, a new visual arts commissioning organisation.
The Dairy, 7 Wakefield Street (off Handel Street), London WC1. Tel. +44 (0)20 7243 7345. (Open daily) 10 November - 22 November.

Sisley in England and Wales. The Impressionist painter Alfred Sisley (1839 - 1899) visited the UK twice to paint. First in 1874 when the river Thames in London was an important subject; and secondly in 1897 when he was enraptured by the cliffs and bays of the South Wales coast.
National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN. Tel. +44 (0)20 7747 2885. (Open daily; late Wed) 12 November 2008 - 8 February 2009.

The Art of Italy in the Royal Collection: The Baroque. Painting and drawings by 17th century artists including Caravaggio, Annibale Carracci, Orazio Gentileschi, Guercino, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Guido Reni.
The Queen's Gallery, The Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh. For advance tickets: Tel. +44 (0)131 556 5100. (Open daily) 13 November 2008 - 8 March 2009.

Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar (605 - 562 BC) is at the heart of this loan exhibition of archaeological treasures which also includes much later paintings and prints that confirm the continuing allure of this ancient city, damaged again in recent times.
Supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation.
British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Tel. +44 (0)20 7323 8000. (Open daily) 13 November 2008 - 15 March 2009.

Art, Price and Value - Contemporary art and the market. Timely exhibition that aims to examine the "increased links between contemporary art and the international [now global] market." With the money markets internationally in disarray this should be an especially interesting project. Presented by the Centre for Contemporary Culture Strozzina (CCCS).
Palazzo Strozzi, Piazza Strozzi, 50123, Firenze [Florence] Italy. Tel. +39 055 277 6461. (Tues - Sun; late Thurs). 11 November 2008 - 11 January 2009.

Beyond Babylon: Art, Trade, and Diplomacy in the Second Millennium B.C. Loan exhibition of some 350 objects showing how the international connections made thoughout the Near East four thousand years ago by kings, diplomats and merchants "totally transformed the visual arts" of a vast region.
Made possible by Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028. Tel. +1 212 535 7710. (Open Tues - Sun; late Fri & Sat) 18 November 2008 - 15 March 2009.

Saul Steinberg: Illuminations. The American Artist Saul Steinberg (1914 - 1999) is best known for his work spanning six decades in The New Yorker magazine. This retrospective exhibition of drawings, collages and sculptural assemblages shows the range of his work in a more rounded perspective.
Supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, London SE21 7AD. Tel. +44 (0)20 8693 5254. (Open Tues - Sun) 26 November 2008 - 15 February 2009.