The Guardian's weekly entertainment guide highlights two major art exhibitions opening in May 2025: 'Aleksandra Kasuba' at Tate St Ives (2 May to 4 October) and 'Zurbarán' at the National Gallery, London (2 May to 23 August). The Kasuba show is the first UK presentation of the Lithuanian American artist's proto-immersive 'spatial environments,' featuring early paintings, mosaics, and installations focused on utopian social harmony. The Zurbarán exhibition presents a blockbuster survey of the 17th-century Spanish Baroque master, known for his intense religious subjects and dramatic chiaroscuro.
These exhibitions matter because they represent two distinct but significant moments in art history: Kasuba's prescient work anticipates contemporary immersive art trends by decades, while Zurbarán's show reaffirms the enduring appeal of Baroque painting. The Kasuba exhibition introduces a largely overlooked artist to UK audiences, potentially reshaping narratives around the origins of installation art. The Zurbarán blockbuster at a major national institution underscores the continued public appetite for Old Master exhibitions and their role in driving museum attendance.