Damien Hirst

Muca, Munich © beigestellt

Artist, provocateur, millionaire: Damien Hirst is the subject of a retrospective at the Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art in Munich, with 40 works from 40 years of his career. "Hai-light" is the tiger shark marinated in formaldehyde with which the British artist achieved world fame in 1992. Probably the most valuable piece is a platinum cast of a human skull set with 8601 flawless diamonds - a superlative memento mori that can be seen until the end of January. Hirst: "I have tried to create the maximum anti-death work - the greatest celebration against death!"

Muca, Munich © beigestellt

Through fall 2024
Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art
Hotterstraße 12, 80331 Munich, Germany
Web: muca.eu

Cindy Sherman

 Deichtorhallen, Hamburg© beigestellt

Fashion has always been a leitmotif in the multifaceted work of Cindy Sherman. For the first time, an exhibition examines the dialogue between the U.S. photo artist and the fashion world: "Anti-Fashion" in Hamburg's Deichtorhallen displays around 50 works that challenge traditional notions and stereotypes of beauty. Among the main sources of inspiration for the 69-year-old artist are her many commissions from glossy magazines like Vogue or Harper's Bazaar, and her collaborations with fashion brands such as Chanel and Stella McCartney.

Through March 3, 2024
Deichtorhallen Falckenberg Collection
Wilstorfer Straße 71, Gate 2, 21073 Hamburg-Harburg, Germany
Web: deichtorhallen.de

Mark Rothko

 Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris © Marc Domage

Mark Rothko is said to have described his art as "a pharmacy for the soul". To find out why, visit the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, which is showing a blockbuster Mark Rothko exhibition with 115 paintings. The exhibition opens with the only known self-portrait of the U.S. painter (1903-1970), a loan from the collection of Christopher Rothko. The artist's son is co-curator ... which extends from lesser-known early works to the iconic and seminal color field paintings Rothko is best known for.

Through April 2, 2024
Fondation Louis Vuitton
8, Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi, Bois de Boulogne, 75116 Paris, France
Web: fondationlouisvuitton.fr

Coco Chanel

Victoria & Albert Museum, London  

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel was a legend in her lifetime - and it is astonishing that the world's most famous fashion designer is only now being honored with an exhibition in the U.K. "Gabrielle Chanel: The Fashion Manifesto" follows the evolution of her iconic style and the foundation of the House of Chanel, from the opening of her first millinery boutique in Paris in 1910 to the presentation of her final collection in 1971. An oeuvre that has never gone out of style.

Through March 10, 2024
Victoria & Albert Museum South Kensington
Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL, United Kingdom
Web: vam.ac.uk

Sarah Lucas

Tate Britain, London © Robert Glowacki Photography

Body, sex and symbolism: Like Andy Warhol in the 1960s, Sarah Lucas elevates everyday items and turns them into works of art. The results are unsettling, fascinating, deeply complex and sometimes strangely beautiful. What's special about her work is how she infuses character into her creations. Her works come alive under the gaze of the observer, who creates both the figure and the narrative. The British artist's retrospective "Happy Gas" is now showing at the Tate Britain.

Through January 14, 2024
Tate Britain
Millbank, London SW1P 4RG, United Kingdom
Web: tate.org.uk