- Tal R - This new exhibition by Tal R comprises large scale paintings and an installation of over 200 etchings. A self imposed system allows Tal R to challenge the fundamentals of painting using a fixed colour palette and set dimensions. Tal R uses seven colours: black, white, pink, green, red, yellow and brown – often applied directly from the tube. He focuses on graphic mark-making and collage, using characteristic blobs and small ‘worms’ of oil paint. The overall effect is childlike – yet their exuberant surfaces hide the seriousness of their content. Floor-based coloured ‘pedestals’ present paintings as sculpture. Until 29 June. www.camdenartscentre.org
- Home Lands-Land Marks: Contemporary Art from South Africa - An exhibition presenting new and recent work from seven South African artists at Haunch of Venison London will be the first in London to focus on contemporary South African art since 1995, presenting work by David Goldblatt, Nicholas Hlobo, William Kentridge, Vivienne Koorland, Santu Mofokeng, Berni Searle and Guy Tillim. The exhibition focuses on images and invocations of landscape which explore contemporary South Africa. Differing from the usual approach to post-apartheid South Africa, the exhibition addresses the complexity of the South African landscape, reflecting upon notions of memory, place and identity, referring to the political context and historical background of South Africa only through the imprint and trace of human experience on the physical landscape. From 29 May until 5 July. www.haunchofvenison.com
- China Design Now - China Design Now is the first exhibition in the UK to explore the recent explosion of new design in China, and the first to attempt to understand the impact of rapid economic development on architecture and design in Chinas major cities. From the 2008 Olympic stadium, and other significant architectural projects, to the latest in fashion and graphics, China Design Now captures a dynamic phase as China opens up to global influences and responds to the aspirations of its new urban middle class. The exhibition takes the form of a journey through three fast growing cities - Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Around 100 designers are featured, 95% of them Chinese, in a display that focuses on architecture, fashion and graphic design as well as film, photography, product and furniture design, youth culture and digital media. Until 13 July. www.vam.ac.uk
- Jazz in London: Photographs by Walter Hanlon - New photographic display documents the jazz scene of 1950s Britain. To mark the National Portrait Gallery's recent acquisition of a selection of photographs by Walter Hanlon, this display brings together his atmospheric portraits of the jazz scene in London in the 1950s. Including portraits of the most popular UK and US players of the period amongst them Sir John 'Johnny' Dankworth, Humphrey Lyttelton and Cab Calloway. Until 20 July. www.npg.org.uk
- Spencer Finch - Finch's work entwines a scientific methodology and a poetic sensibility. Using a wide range of media including painting, drawing, photography and installations using fluorescent lights with coloured filters, Finch distills his views of the world into glowing abstract colour. Each work has its origin in Finch's own observation of a particular time or place with a lingering historical resonance, such as Troy in Eos (Dawn, Troy, 10/27/02) or Paris/Texas (France at dusk on January 8, 2003). Lux and Lumen will include new installations, a video work and works on paper. For his exhibition at Lisson Gallery Finch will create two new installations, resulting from a residency in New Zealand. One of the works will transform London daylight through the use of coloured filters. Affixed directly to the window of the gallery, the filters will recreate the light of the southern hemisphere. From 29 May until 26 July. www.lissongallery.com
- Hans Josephohn - Hans Josephohn ’s sculptures are shy beings, 'self-enclosed figures' in the words of their maker, who keep their distance from the chatter of contemporary culture. Until recently the German-born artist was little known outside Switzerland where he has lived since 1938, yet his profound oeuvre is increasingly becoming recognised by a growing number of curators, artists and critics. Josephsohn’s art is devoted entirely to the human form, the classical theme of sculpture: standing, sitting and recumbent; as full or half figures, bodyless heads or reliefs in which figures are positioned in relation to one another. Formed out of plaster, they are then cast in bronze. From 28 May until 26 July. www.hauserwirth.com
- Skin+Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture - We all live in buildings and wear clothes. Traditionally, fashion and architecture have remained quite distinct. In recent years, however, the two disciplines have become closer than ever before. Since the 1980s, these two worlds have increasingly shared intriguing connections. Sharing materials, design methods and fabrication has inspired radical developments. Discover how over 50 internationally-renowned architects and designers including Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Comme des Garcons, Yohji Yamamoto, Future Systems, Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid 'fashion' buildings and 'construct' garments. Until 10 August. www.somersethouse.org.uk
- Amazing Butterflies - From chomping caterpillars to beautiful butterflies, the Natural History Museum comes alive this summer with a tropical butterfly house and giant outdoor maze. Shrink down into the undergrowth, enter an interactive maze as a caterpillar and find your way through a secret, wild world as grass and leaves tower above your head. Choose the right route and emerge as a beautiful butterfly. But beware. The maze includes dead ends and down these lurk poisonous plants and predators waiting to pounce. With challenges around every twist and turn, collect stamps as you take on puzzles, fun games and exciting activities. For the brave, you can even take to the air and soar down our butterfly zip slide. Once you’ve survived the maze, you’ll emerge into our stunning butterfly house. Experience the beauty and magic of walking among hundreds of free-flying tropical butterflies and come face to face with a huge variety of these incredible creatures, marvelling at the diversity and behaviour of species from America, Africa and Asia. Until 17 August. www.nhm.ac.uk
- Tutankhamun & Golden Age of Pharaohs - King Tut Exhibit - Since the discovery of his tomb in 1922, Tutankhamun has captured the hearts of people around the world. Buried with him were treasures beyond the imagination, a tomb holding the most magnificent treasures of the Golden Age of the Pharaohs and giving us a glittering glimpse into the past. Visit the O2 Arena this November to see this truly amazing exhibition. Until August. Buy tickets
- Summer Exhibition 2008 - The Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition is the largest open contemporary art exhibition in the world. Held annually since the Royal Academy’s foundation in 1768, the Summer Exhibition is a unique showcase for art of all styles and media, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, drawings, prints and architectural models. The majority of works are for sale. An essential part of the London art calendar, the show drew over 150,000 visitors in 2007. From 9 June until 17 August. www.royalacademy.org.uk
- Richard Rogers + Architects - From the House to the City - One of the most influential British architects of our time, Richard Rogers has established himself and his practice at the forefront of today’s architectural culture through such high-profile projects as the Pompidou Centre, the headquarters for Lloyd’s of London, the Millennium Dome and the National Assembly for Wales. Richard Rogers – From the House to the City presents a detailed survey of Rogers’ work, from the early years with Norman and Wendy Foster and Su Rogers at Team 4 in the 1960s, designing the Pompidou Centre with Renzo Piano in the 1970s, to the establishment of the Richard Rogers Partnership – now Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners – and numerous projects designed by the practice and built throughout the world over the past three decades. Until 25 August. www.designmuseum.org
- Psycho Buildings: Artists and Architecture - This exhibition marks The Hayward’s 40th anniversary as one of the world’s most architecturally unique exhibition venues. Borrowing its title from a book by artist Martin Kippenberger, the exhibition brings together the work of artists who create habitat-like structures and architectural environments that are mental and perceptual spaces as much as physical ones. Viewers enter and explore a series of atmospheric, spatially dynamic constructions that use elements of light, colour, smell and design to trigger profound visceral responses that heighten their attention to the relationship between the individual and their surroundings. The exhibition spills out onto The Hayward’s three outdoor sculpture terraces, and features major installations by participating artists. From 28 May until 25 August. www.hayward.org.uk
- The American Scene: Prints from Hopper to Pollock - The first half of the 20th century in America was a period of great change. This exhibition examines society and culture as viewed through the prints produced by some of the most important artists of the time. The exhibition begins with John Sloan's Ashcan School etchings of everyday urban experience in the 1900s and concludes with Jackson Pollock and the triumph of abstract expressionism in the 1950s. Prints by Blanche Lazzell, Stuart Davis, Milton Avery, Edward Hopper, Thomas Hart Benton, Josef Albers, David Smith and Joan Mitchell are among the 150 or so works featured to show the principal themes and episodes in American printmaking during this period. Until 7 September. www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
- Tim Walker - Pictures - Fashion photographer, Tim Walker creates evocative images full of textured nuance and intriguing detail. His innovative photography is amongst the most imaginative and exuberant being produced today. His work regularly features in magazines such as Vogue and W and he has also created advertising campaigns for exclusive clients such as Comme des Garcons. This comprehensive overview of Walker’s work will offer a rare glimpse into his artistic process, from inspiration to execution, and will deconstruct the complex process of creating fashion images. Until 7 September. www.designmuseum.org
- The House of Viktor & Rolf - This summer Barbican Art Gallery will showcase the work of radical Dutch fashion designers Viktor & Rolf. This will be the first time in the United Kingdom that an exhibition has been devoted to this highly influential duo. Over the past 15 years Viktor & Rolf have taken the fashion world by storm with their particular blend of cool irony and surreal beauty. The exhibition will chart their career to date within the context of a specially commissioned installation that will dominate the entire Gallery. Highlights will include pieces from Atomic Bomb, 1998–99, featuring dramatic mushroom cloud-like cushioned necklines and Russian Doll, 1999–2000, in which a single model was painstakingly dressed by the designers themselves in front of a catwalk audience in 10 independent layers, in an experience reminiscent of performance art. From 18 June until 14 September. www.barbican.org.uk
- Amazing Rare Things: The Art of Natural History in the Age of Discovery- This extraordinary exhibition, recently shown at The Queen’s Gallery in Edinburgh, is selected from the collections of the Royal Library in collaboration with the distinguished naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough. It brings together the works of four artists and a collector who have shaped our knowledge of the world around us. Leonardo da Vinci, Cassiano dal Pozzo, Alexander Marshal, Maria Sibylla Merian and Mark Catesby are diverse figures who shared a passion for enquiry and a fascination with the beautiful and bizarre in nature. All lived at a time when new species were being discovered around the world in ever increasing numbers. Many of the plants and animals represented in the exhibition were then barely known in Europe. Today some are commonplace, while others are extinct. Until 28 September. www.royalcollection.org.uk
- Wyndham Lewis portraits - An important new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, London, will show the striking portraits of the great British modernist artist and writer Wyndham Lewis (1882-1957), bringing together for the first time a unique visual record of some of the most important cultural figures of the first half of the twentieth century. 58 portraits ranging from delicate drawings to large oil paintings assembled from collections worldwide will chart Wyndham Lewis's range and achievements as a portraitist. Among the highlights of the exhibition will be his now iconic renderings of his fellow 'Men of 1914,' credited with revolutionising 20th-century literature, the writers Ezra Pound, T S Eliot and James Joyce. From 3 July until 19 October. www.npg.org.uk
- Hadrian: Empire and Conflict - Hadrian, emperor of Rome from 117 to 138 AD, is best known for his interest in architecture, his passion for Greece and Greek culture and of course the eponymous wall he built between England and Scotland. This exhibition will look beyond his established image and offer new perspectives on his life and rule, exploring the sharp contradictions of his personality and his role as a ruthless military commander. Set against the backdrop of the events of his 21-year reign, the exhibition will explore his immense legacy, incorporating recent scholarship and the latest archaeological discoveries from Tivoli, his spectacular villa near Rome. From 24 July until 26 October. www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
- Utsavam - Music from India - Until November 2008 the Horniman Museum is holding a major exhibition showcasing a new collection of relatively unknown musical instruments from rural areas of India. The exhibition provides glimpses of the cultural, musical and linguistic diversity of the sub-continent, by exploring the music and musical instruments of communities that are representative of the four main language groups of India (Dravidian, Indo-Aryan, Tibeto-Burman and Austroasiatic). www.horniman.ac.uk
- Nought to Sixty: An Introduction - Nought to Sixty is an ambitious, fast-moving programme of exhibitions and events that presenting solo projects by sixty emerging British- and Irish-based artists over the course of six months. Nought to Sixty is an ambitious, fast-moving programme of exhibitions and events that - over the course of six months - is presenting solo projects by sixty emerging British- and Irish-based artists. This wide-ranging programme is being held at the ICA from spring until autumn 2008, over which period there will be new events staged every week, building up a multi-faceted portrait of the contemporary art scene in Britain and Ireland. Until 2 November. www.ica.org.uk
- Turmoil and Tranquillity - This exhibition will celebrate the National Maritime Museum’s unrivalled collection of 16th- and 17th-century Dutch and Flemish maritime paintings. These seascapes and coastal views of the Stuart Age are of outstanding quality, whilst the Queen’s House itself once housed a studio for featured father and son artists, the van de Veldes. Turmoil and Tranquillity will focus on the emerging genre of maritime art in the Low Countries in the 17th century. The exhibition will highlight the key maritime painters of the period and demonstrates the rich aesthetic and narrative potential of the genre. By displaying both Dutch and Flemish artists, the exhibition will highlight the reciprocal influences within the Netherlands and illustrate the emergence of the seascape as a distinct art form. Fom 20 June 2008 until 11 January 2009. www.nmm.ac.uk
- For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond - To celebrate the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth, Imperial War Museum London will launch the first major exhibition devoted to the life and work of the man who created the world’s most famous secret agent, James Bond. The exhibition will examine the extent to which the books and films reflect the reality of the Cold War and how far they were a product of Fleming’s prodigious imagination. The exhibition features fascinating material, much on display for the first time, including a selection of annotated Bond manuscripts and Fleming’s Colt Python .357 Magnum revolver. Until 1 March 2009. london.iwm.org.uk
- Dan Dare & the Birth of Hi-tech Britain -Dan Dare’s rocket fleet roars high over Venus to trounce his arch foe – the power-mad Mekon. Meanwhile, back on Earth, another extraordinary future is unfolding – one which laid the foundation for Britain’s hi-tech consumer society. After 1945, though war-weary and broke, Britain found huge pride in wartime advances such as radar, penicillin and the jet engine. Discoveries like these were now tipped to kick-start world-beating industries, bring prosperity and bankroll the emerging welfare state. In an age before globalisation, products from rockets to radios sprang from local roots. Together they reveal a fascinating ‘lost world’ of British design and invention – a glimpse of a time when the TV in the corner was a Murphy, not a Sony. This exciting new temporary exhibition explores the role played by technology in creating post-war Britain. Until 25 October 2009. www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
- London’s Burning: the Great Fire of London 1666 - Explore the Great Fire, the most famous disaster in London's history, and find out how it shaped the city we know today. Hear the real stories of how Londoners lived through this tragedy. What was it like to live through the terror of having your home and livelihood destroyed? How did people cope? And why did a fire which claimed less than a dozen lives end up changing London’s cityscape forever? Be transported back to September 1666, with interactive displays and a wide range of objects, including archaeological finds and 17th century fire-fighting equipment and see the Great Fire through the eyes of those who survived it. Until winter 2009. www.molg.org.uk
- Courtauld - Permanent Collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collections and Early Renaissance Italian and Flemish art and artefacts at Somerset House, Strand, WC2. Please phone 0207 845 4600 for more details or visit www.somerset-house.org.uk
- Dali Universe - (Permanent) Presented in a surreal, labyrinth sequence of galleries, this tourist attraction place viewers in the heart of a Dalinean fantasy land. Some 500 works of art set in 30,000 square feet help to unravel the great Spanish mind. Located at County Hall, Riverside Building, SE1. Telephone 0207 620 2420 for more information.