Our top picks of exhibitions together with cultural spaces and places, both online and in the real world.

All, Art, Auctions, Exhibitions, Travel & Hospitality, Initiatives

Viewing Rose Wylie: The Picture Comes First

Above Rose Wylie. “Study for Red Twink” (2002) © Rose Wylie. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner. Photo: Jack Hems

Above Rose Wylie. “A Dream” (2024) © Rose Wylie. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner. Photo: Anna Arca

Above Rose Wylie. “A Handsome Couple” (2022) © Rose Wylie. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner. Photo: Jack Hems

Above Rose Wylie. “Study for Red Twink” (2002) © Rose Wylie. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner. Photo: Jack Hems

Above Rose Wylie. “A Dream” (2024) © Rose Wylie. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner. Photo: Anna Arca

Above Rose Wylie. “A Handsome Couple” (2022) © Rose Wylie. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner. Photo: Jack Hems

Royal Academy of Arts
28 February – 19 April, 2026

Another huge moment for a rebel of the British art world comes in this major solo exhibition of work by Rose Wylie, who is 91, at the Royal Academy, one of the most significant presentations of her work to date including her most iconic paintings alongside new and previously unseen pieces.

Wylie, who rose to international fame as a painter in her 80s, is celebrated for her large-scale, exuberant canvases that often look deceptively simple and youthful at first glance but reveal a highly personal and sophisticated visual language on closer inspection. Her work draws from a wide range of sources—including mass media, cinema, history, sport, mythology and personal memory—juxtaposing figures such as Elizabeth I, Nicole Kidman and Snow White with autobiographical elements. Yet as the title suggests, Wylie is rarely only interested in the meaning of the images and more so what they can do in, and for the painting, creating a new world on the canvas with its own message and life.

The exhibition also highlights Wylie’s deep commitment to drawing as a foundational activity, her physical, tactile approach to paint, and her instinctive, associative imagery that often feels deeply observant of cultural life. Quirky, colourful, humorous and irresistible, Wylie is one of the most irrepressible and standout painters working today.

Viewing Tracey Emin: A Second Life

The Wick Culture - Tracey Emin. Why I Never Became a Dancer (1955) © Tracey Emin. Image courtesy of Tate

Above Tracey Emin. Why I Never Became a Dancer (1955) © Tracey Emin. Image courtesy of Tate

Above Tracey Emin. “The End of Love” (2024) © Tracey Emin. Image courtesy of Tate

Above Tracey Emin. “I Never Asked To Fall in Love – You made me Feel like This” (2018) © Tracey Emin. Image courtesy of Tate

Above Tracey Emin. “I whispher to My Past Do I have Another Choice” (2010) © Tracey Emin. Image courtesy of Tate

Above Tracey Emin. Why I Never Became a Dancer (1955) © Tracey Emin. Image courtesy of Tate

Above Tracey Emin. “The End of Love” (2024) © Tracey Emin. Image courtesy of Tate

Above Tracey Emin. “I Never Asked To Fall in Love – You made me Feel like This” (2018) © Tracey Emin. Image courtesy of Tate

Above Tracey Emin. “I whispher to My Past Do I have Another Choice” (2010) © Tracey Emin. Image courtesy of Tate

Tate Modern
27 February – 31 August, 2026

Tracey Emin doesn’t want to call A Second Life, her huge new show at Tate Modern, a retrospective, and indeed, this milestone moment in the artist’s forty-year career reframes the notion of an evolving survey into a life story of transformation, resilience and self-expression, bringing together more than 90 works spanning four decades—paintings, installations, neon texts, video, sculpture and textiles. It is the largest showcase of Emin’s practice to date.

What makes A Second Life particularly interesting is the way it maps Emin’s personal evolution against her artistic development. It doesn’t just present a chronology of famous pieces like My Bed (1998) or Why I Never Became a Dancer (1995); it places them in dialogue with recent works created after her recovery from cancer and major surgery, offering a narrative of survival and renewal. This narrative arc – from early confessional works to mature explorations of illness, vulnerability and the body – makes the exhibition feel less like a catalogue and more like a lived journey.

Emin’s art has long been associated with raw emotional honesty, rebellion and autobiography. She dissolves the barrier between private experience and public art, using her own life – trauma, relationships, family, illness – as material. A Second Life highlights how this confessional approach reshaped contemporary art, challenging what can be depicted and whose stories matter. An unforgettable show.

Viewing Collect Art Fair

Above Jihyun Kim. “Salty Fairy Ring” (2023 – 2024). Image courtesy of Crafts Council

Above Vadim Kibardin. “Black Nostalgia (SIze M and L)” (2025). Courtesy of Mia Karlova Gallerie

Above Cara Murphy. “Long Grass Teapot” (2025). Courtesy of Design Council Ireland

The Wick Culture - Oriel Zinaburg, installation view. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Above Oriel Zinaburg, installation view. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Above Jihyun Kim. “Salty Fairy Ring” (2023 – 2024). Image courtesy of Crafts Council

Above Vadim Kibardin. “Black Nostalgia (SIze M and L)” (2025). Courtesy of Mia Karlova Gallerie

Above Cara Murphy. “Long Grass Teapot” (2025). Courtesy of Design Council Ireland

Above Oriel Zinaburg, installation view. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Somerset House
27 February – 1 March, 2026

Established in 2004, Collect is one of the only events of its kind in the UK devoted to museum-quality local and international contemporary craft and design. Held from 27 February – 1 March 2026 at Somerset House in London, the fair is presented by the Crafts Council, and this year brings together more than 40 specialist galleries from around the world. Showcasing exceptional work across a wide range of disciplines including ceramics, glass, jewellery, furniture, metalwork, sculpture, wearable art, textiles and more, each work is handmade and carries a rich narrative, reflecting both technical excellence and creative, material innovation.

The fair offers collectors—from emerging enthusiasts to seasoned patrons—the opportunity to acquire pieces that span price points from hundreds to tens of thousands of pounds, making high-quality craft accessible while also supporting the market for collectible design. The Collect Open platform, meanwhile, invites individual artists and collectives to present bold, craft-led installations that challenge material, social, political or personal perceptions, highlighting experimental practices and emerging voices in the field. In addition to the display of works, Collect features a talks programme where visitors can hear from artists, galleries and leading experts about trends, materials and the role of craft today.

The Wick recommends heading to the booth of Daguet-Bresson to see work by Mel Arsenault, Jardin de falaise, who blends science, nature, and poetry to create enigmatic ceramic works that are alive with colour and dreams. Also among the highlights of the 2026 edition are incredible cast glass and textile pieces presented by Design-Nation, and beguiling metal and stone structures by OVO shown by Jig Studio, inspired by “a moment of stillness beside a river in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, the Rio Series began with the simple instinct to sit on stone.”