Five cultural events to enjoy this month

Celebrate pride, female power and unsung trailblazers with these brilliant exhibitions

Glyn Philpot, Profile of a Man with Hibiscus Flower (Félix), 1932, Oil on canvas, Private Collection, Image courtesy Daniel Katz Gallery, London

Discover the unacclaimed oeuvre of Glyn Philpot

Celebrated in his day, painter and sculptor Glyn Philpot disappeared from public consciousness after his death. However, a new exhibition at Pallant House Gallery shows just how groundbreaking and prolific he was. Stunning portraiture, religious allegories, mythic creatures and more show an artist untrammelled by one particular style. The coded queerness within his work and his dignified approach towards black sitters – whether they be a doorman at a Parisian jazz club, his servant Henry Thomas or famed actor Paul Robeson – are vital elements of his practice that have been seldom celebrated, until now.

Glyn Philpot: Flesh and Spirit, at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, until 23 October

Kali Murti , Kaushik Ghosh, India, 2022. Image © The Trustees of the British Museum

Experience female power in all its forms

This incredible selection of objects and artworks from around the world considers depictions of female power – whether it be divine or otherwise – across history and cultures. Expect to see Egyptian amulets, early images of the demonic Lilith, an incantation bowl depicting warrior goddess Kali, and much more besides. It’s a brilliant survey showing that feminine power has been celebrated for aeons. 

Feminine Power: The divine to the demonic, at The British Museum, until 25 September

Vivian Maier, Self - portrait, New York, 1953 © Estate of Vivian Maier, Courtesy of Maloof Collection and Howard Greenberg Gallery, NY

See unseen snaps from a secretive street photographer

Vivian Maier was completely unknown as a photographer for her entire life. Despite the tens of thousands of images she took, her professional career was that of a nanny, in New York and Chicago, and she took photographs in her spare time. A chance discovery of several boxes of negatives sold at auction, after her storage locker fees were unpaid, led to her reappraisal as one of the most important street photographers of the 20^th century, capturing the banality and oddities of modern life with a deft, keen eye. A new exhibition at MK Gallery shows a whole host of unseen images, as well as those that have already garnered acclaim. 

Vivian Maier: Anthology, at MK Gallery, Milton Keynes, 11 June–25 September

George Shaw, The World Turned Upside Down, 2019. Humbrol enamel on board 92 x 120 cm. Private Collection Basel / Courtesy: Anthony Wilkinson Gallery, London / Copyright The Artist

With a play on words alluding to the nearest pub, artist George Shaw’s latest exhibition, The Local, considers the intimacy of family and home. Split into three chapters, he considers his nostalgic feeling towards his childhood home of Tile Hill in Coventry, the death of his mother and subsequent loss of the family house, and the simple pleasures of walking down a country road that leads from it. His paintings are as melancholic and peaceful as ever.

George Shaw: The Local, at The Box, Plymouth, 18 June–4 September

Stuart Feather conducting a Street Theatre Demo at the Festival of Light, 1971

Celebrate Pride Month with Queercircle

This new permanent LGBTQ+ charity and project space in Greenwich houses a whole host of new art initiatives, including a bespoke mural by Michaela Yearwood-Dan and a photography exhibition titled The Queens’ Jubilee. Rather than focusing on anything of a royal flavour, it showcases the incredible activism of drag queens and allies through the years, with archival material drawn from Come Together – the Gay Liberation Front newspaper. It marks 50 years since the first Pride march in the UK.

The Queens’ Jubilee is at Queercircle, Greenwich, until 8 September