5 Springtime Exhibitions in London by Swide

Springtime is here at last, and, with the turn of the season well under way, what better way to beckon in the sun than exploring the art exhibitions that are on offer. Today, Swide focuses on London

One of the world’s culture capitals never fails to bring the some of the very best artists to you and Spring 2012 is proving no different. Swide has selected some of the cities finer offerings to help exercise your creative thinking this season…

British Design 1948-2012: Innovation in the Modern Age at V&A

Milan is about to hog the design limelight for the globally celebrated Fuori Salone 2012 and the V&A museum is giving the impatient ones amongst us the chance to brush up on their British Design history before it all kicks off. ‘Innovation in the Modern Age’ takes you through the works of Denys Lasdun, the sexy something chairs of Allen Jones, passing by designs by Hugh Casson and arriving at Zaha Hadid’s Aquatics Centre for London 2012. The retrospective telling of British Design is enough to evoke a sense of astonishment at the achievements exhibited.

Until August 12th

V&A, South Kensington, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL, Tel. +44 (0)20 7942 2000

'British Design 1948-2012: Innovation in the Modern Age' installation view - © V&A Images

Yayoi Kusama at Tate Modern

The enigmatic 80-something (you should never reveal a woman’s age) Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s first British retrospective is being proudly housed at Tate Modern, offering us the chance to see the work of the artist that has spent the last 40-odd years as a voluntary resident in a psychiatric hospital. That caught your attention, didn’t it? Kusama is world famous for her obsessive attitude towards her craft, the way her illness is expressed through her work and, now, those in London are invited to delve into her career in differing immersive environments. From the stretched polka dots through to the final installation from her ‘infinity light’ collection, not only do we witness the work of Yayoi Kusama through the years but one that is unexpected, challenging and mesmerising all at once.

Until June 5th

Tate Modern, Bankside London SE1 9TG United Kingdom +44 (0)20 7887 8888

Infinity Mirror Room, Yayoi Kusuma

Out of Focus: Photography at Saatchi Gallery

Coming at a time when photography is, essentially, a free-for-all of activity, the borders of professional and amateur are being increasingly blurred. The Saatchi Gallery presents its first major photography exhibition since 2001, presenting the work of 37 international artists for ‘Out of Focus’. Highlighting that fashion, advertising, art and documentary photography are merging in exciting ways, this exhibition provokes the audience and confronts our habit of classification; art or photography?

April 25th – July 22nd

Saatchi Gallery, Duke Of York's HQ, King's Road, London, SW3 4RY +44 207.811.3070

'Anonymous, Los Angeles, Boulevard 11', by Katy Grannan - © Katy Grannan, courtesy Saatchi Gallery, London

And two exhibitions to keep your eyes out for at the very beginning of May...

Bauhaus: Art as Life at Barbican Centre

Another first in a long time, the Barbican Centre presents the biggest exhibition in 40 years of the modern world’s most famous art school, the Bauhaus. From the beginnings of expressionism to pioneering thinking, this event recounts the utopian vision to change society after the First World War. Exploring the core subjects at the heart of Bauhaus, the collection includes painting, film, textile, theatre, design, etc, from the Bauhaus Masters.

May 3rd - August 12th

Barbican Centre, Silk Street London, EC2Y 8DS 020 7638 8891

Leonardo Da Vinci at The Queen's Gallery

Remaining unpublished for almost 400 years, these anatomical drawings would have changed the European knowledge of human body greatly had they been processed appropriately after the artist’s death in 1519. The Queen’s Gallery offers the public the chance to peruse the largest ever exhibition of his human studies and is a opportunity that should not be missed.

May 4th - October 7th

The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Gate, Buckingham Palace Rd, London SW1A 1AA 020 7766 7321