The best art exhibitions in the UK in December 2020—Richard Hamilton at Pallant House Gallery and Bags at the V&A

Plus the Hepworth Wakefield celebrates 100 years of contemporary art
November 6, 2020
Richard Hamilton: Respective, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, 3rd December to 18th April 2021

Richard Hamilton is known for his founding definition of Pop Art as “popular,” “transient,” “expendable,” “gimmicky” and “big business.” Pallant House Gallery’s outstanding collection includes some of his iconic pieces, on view here—including the witty, sexy, glamorous painting, Hers is a Lush Situation (1958), the screen print Adonis in Y-Fronts (1963), and the print Swingeing London 67 (1968-9) of Mick Jagger handcuffed to art dealer Robert Fraser.

Bags Inside Out, V&A, openingearly December

The first-ever Hermès Birkin bag owned by Jane Birkin and Mulberry handbags worn by Kate Moss and Alexa Chung are the stars of this Mulberry-sponsored exhibition. But once you start to look in the archive, it is not just celebrities who care for status-enhancing accessories: other highlights include a large embroidered burse used to protect the silver matrix of Elizabeth I’s Great Seal of England, a delightful 17th-century frog-shaped purse and Winston Churchill’s red despatch box.

Vision & Reality: 100 Years of Contemporary Art in Wakefield, Hepworth Wakefield, 3rd December to 25th April 2021

Established in 1923 with the aim of supporting local understanding of contemporary art, the Hepworth Wakefield celebrates its tenth birthday with a show of highlights from earlier bequests and key purchases from the last decade. These include a very significant bequest of ceramics and paintings from Yorkshire collectors Terence Bacon and John Oldham in 2020