Romantic portraits in Hamburg, textiles in Marrakech, the 200th anniversary of the opening of the National Gallery — 2024 promises one cultural highlight after another.
new era art
Caspar David Friedrich’s “The Wanderer on the Sea of Mist” is the subject of a major retrospective exhibition at the Hamburg Kunstmuseum.
Hamburg Kunstmuseum, Hamburg, until April
Germany is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Caspar David Friedrich, the Romantic painter whose intense depictions of mountain landscapes and Gothic ruins changed the face of landscape painting. Throughout the year, exhibitions are held in his hometown of Greifswald.In Dresden he painted something powerful Wanderer of the Sea of Mist (1818); and at the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin. But the starting point is a comprehensive retrospective exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum Hamburg, which also takes into account the relevance of his work today (hamburger-kunsthalle.de)).
Stay At Hotel Louis C. Jacob, you can admire paintings on the terrace by German impressionist Max Lieberman. 3 nights B&B sharing from 460 euros (£395) per person. Hotel-Jacob.de
1-54 Marrakech 2024
New Riad Hotel Itza Marrakech with its own art collection
Marrakech, February 8th-11th
Moroccan and Nigerian textiles and artworks will be featured prominently in the fifth edition of this leading fair for contemporary African art. In addition to 25 to 30 gallery shows at the famous La Mamounia Hotel and Dada Art Space, the Black Rock Art Foundation, founded by American portraitist Kehinde Wiley, explores art from across the continent. We are planning to co-host a symposium (1-54.com).
Stay The new Riad Hotel Itza Marrakech houses an important physical collection of digital and generative art – the “Museum of the Medina”. B&B doubles from €160 (£140). izza.com
Grand Egyptian Museum
Statue of Ramesses II in the Grand Egyptian Museum
Grand Egyptian Museum
cairo, spring
The long-awaited GEM, encompassing 12 galleries and 100,000 artifacts, including all 5,000 items excavated from Tutankhamun’s tomb, is scheduled to open this spring. Until then, you can book guided tours of certain areas online at visit-gem.com. Visitors can admire buildings by Irish architect Heneghan Penn, admire towering statues of Ramesses II and Ptolemaic kings and queens, eat, drink, shop, and watch. Masu. Tutankhamun — an immersive exhibitlaunched in Madrid in 2022.
Stay Marriott Mena House is located between GEM and Pyramids. Or head to the new Waldorf Astoria Cairo Heliopolis. This district was once one of the oldest cities in Egypt and has its own obelisk, built around 4,000 years ago. Doubles from $290 (£233). marriott.com. B&Bs double from $400 (£329). hilton.com
NG200
Van Gogh’s sunflowers will be on display in a new exhibition at the National Gallery from September
london national gallery
National Gallery, London and other locations nationwide
To celebrate its 200th anniversary, the London institution is partnering with 12 museums and galleries across the UK for performances NG200: National Treasure (Starting May 10th), blockbuster works from the gallery’s collection will be exhibited at each venue, providing a novel perspective. In the capital, van Gogh: poets and lovers (September 14, 2025 – January 19, 2025) sunflower (1888), plus around 50 other works that explore the artist’s skill in idealizing Provence (nationalgallery.org.uk).
Stay Raffles London at OWO, also known as Churchill’s Old Army Offices. Its glittering art collection includes works by Arthur Stockdale and his Lord Cope. naval officer of world war i (1921), on loan from the National Gallery; act of gratitude Two paintings by Idris Khan inspired by Churchill’s speech in the House of Commons on August 20, 1940. B&B doubles from £930. raffles.com
opera in sicily
Garibaldi Theater in Modica
Renato Gallo
Ortigia, October 18th-24th
Sicily may be associated with Greek temples, but this beautiful Baroque town also has a beautiful 19th-century theater. On this special trip by cultural tour specialist Martin Randall Travel, participants will stay in one of six hotels on the island of Ortigia and enjoy daily talks, Monteverdi and Mozart in Syracuse and Vivaldi in Noto. Watch performances by some of Europe’s best musicians. An aria composed by Handel in Modica and Sir Thomas Allen in his small 100-seat Teatro Donna Fugata in Ragusa.
Stay The newly renovated Grand Hotel des Étrangers (desetrangers.com) on the Syracuse waterfront. 6 nights B&B including return flights, tickets and 4 dinners from London to Catania from £6,190 per person. martinrandalltravel.com
Montreux Jazz Festival
View of Lake Geneva from the Belle Époque-style Fairmont Le Montreux Palace
Fairmont Le Montreux Palace Switzerland
Montreux, July 5th-20th
If you watched last year’s three-part documentary everyone came to montreux You might know how the late Claude Nobbs, then a humble tourism official, turned this lakeside town into one of Europe’s leading jazz festivals. For the 58th edition, the organizers will hold the show on a new stage on the shores of Lake Geneva, but the Memphis club is still the best place to hold Jam his sessions (montreuxjazzfestival.com).
Stay Fairmont Le Montreux Palace in Belle Époque style. It features a distinctive yellow awning and lakeside location. B&B doubles from 950 francs (£866). fairmont.com