On the peaks of the Andes or in the scorching desert heat, from as early as 2500 b.C., the populations of Perù gave life to blossoming civilisations, until the arrival of Europeans in the XVI Century. In occasion of the bicentennial of Peruvian independence, the British Museum celebrates the South American’s millennial culture with a grand exhibition. From the first indigenous people to the refined Incas, discover how the civilisations of the past developed in symbiosis with some of the most inhospitable environs of the planet, shaping remarkable living landscapes. The weather, agriculture, economy and systems of government are just some of the spheres in which Perù has expressed the uniqueness of its culture. This exhibition at the London museum offers a detailed analysis in an itinerary that moves from history to religion, highlighting the cultural conquests that, one by one, transformed the lives of the local population. Helping narrate are archeological finds chosen from the collection of the British Museum or brought in from Perù for the occasion. On display, ceramics, textiles, ritual accessories, jewellery and objects hewn from precious metals, but also photos and videos from iconic sites like Nazca and Machu Picchu, still-vivid witnesses to the splendour of Andean culture.
The British Museum exhibition traces more than a thousand years of samurai history, moving beyond the stereotyped image of the warrior. Armour, objects and works of art reveal the evolution of a class that shifted from military elite to a central force in Japan’s political and cultural life.
The Royal Academy in London presents a major retrospective devoted to Michaelina Wautier, a seventeenth-century Flemish painter long overlooked by art history. Portraits, mythological scenes and allegories reveal an artist working with full independence across genres.
At the Saatchi Gallery, a group exhibition explores the domestic space as an emotional archive. Everyday objects, fragments and gestures become traces of memory and transformation. A restrained exhibition reflecting on the relationship between intimacy and contemporary narrative.
Opening in April at Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style traces more than seventy years of reign through garments and accessories from the Royal Collection. The exhibition examines the Queen’s style as a political language, a tool of representation and a form of visual diplomacy.