We Recommend
Illuminating Women: Photographs by Mayotte Magnus
Sat 8 Sept - Sun 24 Mar
National Portrait Gallery
This exhibition celebrating creative women revisits key portraits from Magnus including artists Liliane Lijn and Glenys Barton, authors Marina Warner and Margaret Drabble, actresses Glenda Jackson and Judi Dench or Nadine Gordimer.
Visual Arts
Ulla von Brandenburg: Sweet Feast
Thu 20 Sept - Sun 31 Mar
Whitechapel Gallery
Ulla von Brandenburg takes previous Whitechapel Gallery exhibition Sweets (1973) as inspiration for this new commission. Von Brandenburg re-enacts this show with local children in a new immersive and colourful seating structure. With the support of Fluxus Art Projects.
Visual Arts
Research Seminar: Baudelaire and Philosophy
Wed 3 Oct - Wed 19 Jun
Goldsmiths University of London
Goldsmiths University is organising a year-long seminar exploring the poetic and critical writings of Charles Baudelaire and their impact on modern and contemporary philosophical thought, insisting on the richness and ambiguity inherent to his philosophy.
Talks
Beatrice Gibson: Deux sœurs qui ne sont pas sœurs
Fri 18 Jan - Sun 31 Mar
Camden Art Center
This film takes inspiration from the 1929 unrealised script by American Novelist Gertrude Stein. Beatrice Gibson uses Stein' script as a talismanic guide through a contemporary moment of social and political unrest. With the support of Fluxus Art Projects.
Visual Arts
When Legacies Become Debts
Fri 18 Jan - Sat 30 Mar
The Mosaic Rooms
This show contemplates personal and collective forms of reliance between two generations of Iranian artists and writers. Turning the notion of inheritance on its head, the exhibition suggests an inward excavation that asks how one might inherit oneself.
Visual Arts
ARTIST ROOMS Louise Bourgeois
Tue 22 Jan - Sun 24 Mar
Kettle’s Yard
Widely recognised as one of the most important figures of modern and contemporary art, Louise Bourgeois' wide-ranging art, encompassed painting, sculpture, installation and printmaking, exploring themes including childhood, family, motherhood & gender identity.
Visual Arts
Pierre Bonnard, the Colour of Memory
Wed 23 Jan - Mon 6 May
Tate Modern
The exhibition concentrates on Bonnard's work from 1912, when colour became a dominant concern in his work and his unconventional use of it.
Visual Arts
Down to Earth: Politics in the New Climatic Regime by Bruno Latour
Wed 30 Jan - Sat 30 Mar
Polity Books
Thinker Bruno Latour argues for a redefinition of politics as what leads toward the Earth and not toward the global or the national, insisting on the necessity to anchor political and personal decisions in the lived experience of "belonging" to a same Earth.
Books
Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams
Sat 2 Feb - Sun 1 Sept
V&A
Spanning 1947 to the present day, this exhibition traces the history and impact of one of the 20th century’s most influential couturiers, exploring the enduring influence of the fashion house, and Dior’s relationship with Britain.
Visual Arts
Night by Bernard Minier
Wed 6 Feb - Sat 6 Apr
Hodder and Stoughton
Night is the thrilling new novel from award-winner Bernard Minier, following the steps of Detective Kirsten Nigaard and French policeman Martin Servaz as they chase Julian Hirtmann, a serial murderer on the run. But they also have to battle their own demons...
Books
Kader Attia: The Museum of Emotion
Wed 13 Feb - Mon 6 May
Hayward Gallery - Southbank Centre
Kader Attia’s first UK survey exhibition questions our ideas of wholeness and injury, authenticity and repair, belonging and otherness in regard to the legacy of western colonialism.
Visual Arts
Je t’aime by Véronique Mortaigne
Wed 13 Feb - Sat 13 Apr
Icon
Coinciding with Valentine’s Day and the 50th anniversary of the legendary banned song Je t’aime… moi non plus, Véronique Mortaigne’s brilliantly-written book skilfully identifies the pairing of Gainsbourg and Birkin as an expression of the spirit of the age.
Books
Antonin Artaud: Cahiers de Rodez et d’Ivry
Thu 14 Feb - Sat 6 Apr
Cabinet Gallery
An exclusive exhibition of drawings and writings gathered from some seventy Cahiers, offering snippets into the lives of Antonin Artaud, Jacques Prevel and Colette Thomas.
Talks, Visual Arts
The Son by Florian Zeller
Wed 20 Feb - Sat 6 Apr
Kiln Theatre
As a family breaks down, a son begins to unravel. Following the Olivier Award-winning The Father and the critically-acclaimed The Mother, comes the highly anticipated UK premiere of playwright Florian Zeller's latest in a production by Michael Longhurst.
Performing Arts
Adèle by Leïla Slimani
Wed 20 Feb - Sat 20 Apr
Faber & Faber
Adèle appears to have the perfect life. A respected journalist, she lives in a flawless Parisian apartment with her surgeon husband and their young son. But beneath the veneer of ‘having it all’, Adèle is bored – and consumed by an insatiable need for sex.
Books
Happening by Annie Ernaux
Wed 27 Feb - Sat 27 Apr
Fitzcarraldo Editions
In 1963, Annie Ernaux, 23 and unattached, realises she is pregnant, in a France where abortion is still illegal. Understanding that her pregnancy will mark her and her family as social failures, she knows she cannot keep that child.
Books
Boilly: Scenes of Parisian Life
Thu 28 Feb - Sun 19 May
The National Gallery
Explore revolutionary Paris through Boilly’s daring and playful paintings. Working in a politically turbulent Paris, Louis-Leopold Boilly witnessed the French Revolution, the rise and fall of Napoleon, and the Restoration of the French Monarchy.
Visual Arts
The Community Live in Nottingham
Mon 4 - Sat 30 Mar
Bonington Gallery
Inviting members of the public and students from Nottingham Trent University to explore weekly themes via a range of activities with members of The Community, each group will create new works within the space. Supported by Fluxus Art Projects.
Visual Arts
Salt on my Skin by Benoîte Groult
Wed 6 Mar - Mon 6 May
World Editions
Set in France in the 1960s, the novel follows the passionate, life-long relationship between mismatched lovers: a Parisian intellectual and a Breton fisherman, brought together by lust, through love letters and exotics encounters.
Books
The Cracks in Our Armor by Anna Gavalda
Wed 13 Mar - Mon 13 May
Europa Editions
In this collection of short stories, all written in the first person, Gavalda explores ephemeral snippets of the lives of colourful characters, ranging from the trucker who puts his dog to sleep to the alcoholic widow who befriends a stranger.
Books
Edmond de Bergerac by Alexis Michalik
Fri 15 Mar - Sat 4 May
Birmingham Repertory Theatre & UK Tour
Edmond de Bergerac, Alexis Michalik’s five-time Molière Award winning play tells the hilarious story behind Cyrano de Bergerac. The French theatre phenomenon will have its UK premiere in Birmingham, before touring to York, Northampton, Cambridge and Richmond.
Performing Arts
French Fest 2019
Sun 17 - Sun 24 Mar
Crazy Coqs (Brasserie Zédel)
After sold out festivals in both 2017 and 2018, Live At Zedel’s celebration of Francophile music and cabaret returns for a week from March 17 only at Crazy Coqs, headlined by French Jazz and impersonation superstar, Liane Foly, for 4 nights.
Contemporary Music
La Fabrique des Traducteurs
Tue 19 Mar - Thu 23 May
Collège International des Traducteurs
The French association for the promotion of literary translation Atlas is offering emerging translators under 35 an amazing professional development opportunity in the form of an intense two-month programme (“La Fabrique des Traducteurs”), set in Arles.
Talks
Animalia by Jean-Baptiste Del Amo
Wed 20 Mar - Mon 20 May
Fitzcarraldo Editions
Animalia retraces the history of a modest peasant family through the twentieth century as they develop their small plot of land into an intensive pig farm. Five generations endure the cataclysm of war, economic disasters, and their own tendency to violence.
Books
LSO Futures: Manoury’s Ring
Sun 24 Mar
Barbican Hall
For the first time in the UK, the London Symphony Orchestra performs Philippe Manoury’s piece, Ring. This LSO Futures season focuses on the concept of space and on the relation with the orchestra and the audience. Supported by Diaphonique.
Classical Music
Gainsbourg Confidential
Sun 24 Mar
Crazy Coqs (Brasserie Zédel)
Jean de Talhouët returns to Crazy Coqs for French Fest 2019, together with a crew of handpicked musicians, to take you on a wild journey through the life of one of the 20th century's standout cultural icons, Serge Gainsbourg.
Contemporary Music
Noémi Lefebvre: Goethe Institut
Tue 26 Mar
Goethe Institut
What are the fault lines thrown up by Brexit? Meet playwright Marius von Mayenburg and Noémi Lefebvre in conversation with director Amy Hodge. They will talk about their latest collaboration on The European Project, a series of fictional monologues.
Talks
Malik Djoudi
Wed 27 Mar
Pickle Factory
Djoudi is an enigmatic solo artist from France, producing synth-driven music that is at once intimate and evasive. His sound evokes artists such as Connan Mockasin, LCD Soundystem and James Blake but with a deliciously Gallic twist.
Contemporary Music
Balco Atlantico by Jérôme Ferrari
Wed 27 Mar - Mon 27 May
Quercus Books
In a village square in Corsica, two stories intertwine: that of Stéphane Campana, an ardent nationalist, shot dead, and that of brother and sister Khaled and Hayet, who once dreamt of a better future and are now stranded on the island.
Books
The EY Exhibition: Van Gogh and Britain
Wed 27 Mar - Sun 11 Aug
Tate Britain
This major exhibition brings together 45 works by Vincent van Gogh to reveal how he was inspired by Britain and how he inspired British artists.
Visual Arts
Leyla McCalla
Thu 28 Mar
Kings Place
Haitian-American singer and multi-instrumentalist McCalla is a vital voice whose new album The Capitalist Blues looks at the pressure cooker her country has become while drawing on jazz and folk as well as traditional Creole, Cajun and Haitian music.
Contemporary Music
Going Through by Estelle Savasta
Thu 28 Mar - Sat 27 Apr
Bush Theatre
Going Through is a poetic and touching story of one girl’s journey through adolescence, across borders and through a well-guarded secret. As part of Cross Channel Theatre and En Scène! programmes.
Performing Arts
Quatuor Van Kuijk
Fri 29 Mar
LSO St Luke's
Winners of the Wigmore Hall's prestigious string quartet competition in 2015 and currently part of the BBC New Generation Artists scheme, The Van Kuijk quartet celebrates French music with pieces from Poulenc, Durupt and Debussy.
Classical Music
Noémi Lefebvre at Lancaster Litfest
Fri 29 Mar
Lancaster Litfest
The author of four novels, all of which have garnered intense critical success, such as L’Autoportrait bleu (Blue Self-Portrait) and L’Etat des sentiments à l’âge adulte (2012), Noémi Lefebvre will be taking part in the panel Found in Translation.
Talks
Down and Out: A Celebration of 46 Years of European Jazz
Sat 30 Mar
Ronnie Scott's
The Ronnie Scott's and Duc des Lombards jazz clubs present a European jazz exchange like no other. For the first time in the club’s 60-year history, the Ronnie Scott’s All Stars will be joined on stage by musicians from Duc des Lombards in Paris.
Contemporary Music
Laydeez Weekend Festival 2019
Sat 30 - Sun 31 Mar
Free Word, London
Laydeez Do Comics is a women-led voluntary organisation championing and supporting the work of female-identifying cartoonists, comics artists and graphic novelists whose work focuses on everyday life. The festival will include screenings, Q&As, and a lot more!
Talks
No Place to Lay One’s Head by Françoise Frenkel
Wed 3 Apr - Mon 3 Jun
Pushkin Press
In 1921, Françoise Frenkel – a Jewish woman from Poland – opens her first bookshop in Berlin. It is a dream come true. But the rise of the Nazi regime means she has to flee, like so many others, all the way to Paris, then Nice, in order to survive.
Books
Intra Muros by Alexis Michalik
Wed 3 Apr - Sat 4 May
Park Theatre
An ageing thespian is preparing to direct his first theatre class in a maximum security prison. When only two inmates turn up he decides to go ahead with the class nonetheless, and so begins a captivating and darkly comic exploration of life, within the walls.
Performing Arts
6th International Impro Match
Wed 3 Apr
Tabernacle Theatre
A battle of wits in French (with some English too!) to win the favour of the public!
Performing Arts
Digital&Dead
Thu 4 - Fri 12 Apr
SPACE
Digital&Dead is a Franco-Canadian collaborative entity that explores the issues intersecting online culture, digital legacy and death. Following their residency period at SPACE, they will take part in a group show on the Future Human theme.
Visual Arts
Kokoko!
Thu 4 Apr
XOYO
A collaboration between Congolese musicians who produce their own instruments from scrap metal and French producer Débruit, Kokoko!’s music, which they call “tekno kintueni”, is arguably the best representation of contemporary Kinshasa’s soundscape.
Contemporary Music
European Poetry Festival
Thu 4 - Mon 15 Apr
Various venues
This year, French poets Pierre Alféri and Yekta will be taking part in the festival, most interestingly with The European Camarade on the 6th of April, which will gather 34 poets from all over Europe to present brand new collaborations of performances.
Talks
The National Gallery Lecture
Fri 5 Apr
The National Gallery
Laurence des Cars, Director of the Musée d'Orsay and Musée de l'Orangerie, compares the different ways in which the National Gallery and the Musée d'Orsay present 19th-century painting within their collections.
Visual Arts
Re-Opening of Victor Hugo’s Home in Guernsey
Fri 5 Apr
Hauteville House, Guernsey
Hauteville House was the residence of Victor Hugo during his exile in Guernsey and the place where he wrote some of his masterpieces including Les Misérables. Following major refurbishment, it will re-open to the public in April 2019.
Visual Arts
Guy Ferrer – Le Jardin des Délices
Fri 5 Apr - Sat 4 May
Everard Read
For his second solo exhibition in London, Guy Ferrer has assembled a compelling body of work, both paintings and sculptures, that continues his investigation into the duality of life and the universe, using the daily practice of his art to search for meaning.
Visual Arts
Handel vs Porpora
Mon 8 Apr
St George’s, Hanover Square
Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu and charismatic mezzo-soprano Giuseppina Bridelli perform a programme of Handel and Porpora directed by Franck- Emmanuel Comte.
Classical Music
Nø Førmat 15th Anniversary
Wed 10 Apr
Earth Hackney
With its unique visual approach and global roster of artists, Nø Førmat has marked itself out as a truly distinctive independent label. This birthday event will feature Gérald Toto, Cuban jazz collective Que Vola? and an acoustic set from Oumou Sangaré.
Contemporary Music
Lise de la Salle
Sun 14 Apr
Wigmore Hall
The French pianist returns to Wigmore Hall in a classical-to-modern programme that includes Chopin’s luminous nocturnes and Fauré’s substantial barcarolles alongside Prokofiev’s self-arranged ballet score.
Classical Music
Kap Bambino
Sat 20 Apr
Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen
Returning with Dust, Fierce, Forever, their first album since 2012, the Bordeaux duo are recognised as electropunk pioneers and precursors to the likes of Crystal Castles with their glitchy squall of a sound and thrillingly committed live performances.
Contemporary Music
Ensemble Correspondances
Mon 22 Apr
Wigmore Hall
A varied programme of sacred works by a leading French Baroque composer who held several important appointments under both Louis XIV and his successor and which climaxes in one of his celebrated grands motets.
Classical Music