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The nights are getting longer and the mercury is sinking lower, but there’s no excuse to stay at home this November. The Shapero team have picked the best exhibitions and events for November 2019 both in London and further afield.
Egyptian treasures, surrealist photography, book fairs and more make the cut in the first of our monthly round ups of the best in culture.
What: Marie-Antoinette: Metamorphoses of an Image
When: Ongoing until 26th January 2020
Where: Conciergerie, Paris
Only a handful of historic figures have been the subject of such an abundance of representations. Marie-Antoinette is one of these, both during her lifetime and more notably after her death. Even today, this queen-turned-icon is still a key emblem in popular culture.
The exhibition illustrates the many representations of her through almost 200 works, artefacts, heritage and contemporary archives, never-before-seen interviews, film extracts and more.
Held each autumn in the beautiful and historic Chelsea Old Town Hall, this 29th edition of the Fair brings together more than 80 exhibitors from all round the world, including Shapero Rare Books, Stand 43.
For those of you who plan their Christmas shopping in advance (as opposed to the mad dash many do come Christmas eve), this is the perfect place to find the perfect present for the bibliophile in your life!
What: TUTANKHAMUN: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh
When: 2nd November - 3rd May 2020
Where: Saatchi Gallery
The third stop in a record-breaking global tour that has seen both Paris and Los Angeles play host to the boy pharaoh. In LA the exhibition was among the most successful in the history of the California Science Centre, while in Paris it became France's most attended exhibition of all time with over 1.4 million visitors!
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, it will be the final chance for Londoners to see these glittering world heritage artefacts before they return to Egypt forever.
Exploring the life of King Tutankhamun, and the history of the discovery that captivated the world, there are more than 150 authentic pieces from the tomb, 60 of which are travelling outside of Egypt for the first time.
What: Marvellous and Mischievous: Literature's Young Rebels
When: 8th November – 1st March 2020
Where: The British Library
A free, family-friendly exhibition exploring rebels in classic children’s literature.
Roald Dahl's handwritten drafts of Matilda sit alongside Quentin Blake's iconic illustrations, as well as other enduring classics from The Secret Garden to Where the Wild Things Are.
What: Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair
When: 15th - 17th November
The annual Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair, is a key event in any book collector’s calendar. Run under the aegis of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA), it draws in a wide selection of exhibitors from America and abroad (including Shapero Rare Books), and attracts a diverse range of collectors.
If you're attending do drop by Stand 519 to say hi to Bernard, Jeffrey and Roddy.
Exploring the breadth of Dora Maar’s long career in the context of work by her contemporaries, this is the largest retrospective of the Surrealist photographer ever held in the UK.
During the 1930s, Maar’s provocative photomontages became celebrated icons of surrealism. Her eye for the unusual also translated to her commercial photography, including fashion and advertising, as well as to her social documentary projects.
A legend that’s endured for more than 3,000 years, the story of the city of Troy, plunged into a 10-year war over the abduction of the most beautiful woman in the world, is irresistibly dramatic and tragic.
This allure has sent adventurers and archaeologists in quest of the lost city, which is now widely believed to have existed. But what of the characters and main players who are said to have taken part in the Trojan war? This exhibition explores these captivating characters, bringing them to life through some truly breath-taking art.
What: Quentin Blake: An Anthology of Readers
When: 29th November - 22nd December
Where: Shapero Rare Books
Yes, yes, we know! It's our exhibition! But we couldn't include a round up of the best exhibitions in November without including it.
Opening on the 29th November 2019, An Anthology of Readers is comprised of seventy-two new pen, ink & watercolour drawings by the much-loved Quentin Blake, all of which affectionately caricature people who love books - the perfect Christmas present for any bibliophile.
Head over to the blog to read an interview we were lucky to do with the great artist.
Following in the footsteps of Ai Weiwei and Anselm Kiefer, Antony Gormley is the next artist to take over the Main Galleries at the RA.
Testing the scale and light of the RA’s architecture, this is the most ambitious exhibition seen from the artist in more than ten years.
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