Contemporary Art Venues From London to Mumbai

Museums and galleries in these locales reflect the vibrant diversity of the art world.

Feb 12, 2013

By: Jeff Book

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Electric Kettle, Fred Moffatt, Design Exchange, Toronto

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The collection at Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, formed by Argentine developer/venture capitalist Eduardo Constantini, numbers 500-plus pieces and growing, with works by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Antonio Berni, Xul Solar, and other modern and contemporary artists. The chronologically arranged collection imparts a strong sense of how art in the region evolved from the early 20th century to the present. MALBA also hosts cinema, a café and exhibitions that have exposed Porteños to the likes of Roy Lichtenstein, Frank Stella and Andy Warhol.

Photography Alejandro Leveratto/AFT Arquitectos

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China’s third-largest urban area has its own fast-evolving art scene. Once such upstart in Guangzhou is the Guangdong Times Museum, designed by Rem Koolhaas and built atop a residential complex. Since opening in 2005 the museum has held exhibits by Chinese and international artists along with lectures and film screenings, and also organises an artist residency program.

Photography Iwan Baan

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Electric Kettle, Fred Moffatt, Design Exchange, Toronto The former Toronto Stock Exchange now houses the Design Exchange, or DX, in Art Deco splendour. New president Shauna Levy is expanding the non-profit’s offerings, snagging travelling exhibitions from worthy venues such as London’s Design Museum, source of “Urban Africa,” English architect David Adjaye’s documentation of that continent’s burgeoning cities in photographs and other media. The DX recently unveiled "DX Uncrated," a gallery dedicated to its collection of Canadian industrial design since 1945.

Photography courtesy DX Toronto

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“Mumbai’s contemporary art scene depends much more on commercial art galleries than museums,” comments art critic Zehra Jumbahoy, London correspondent for ART India magazine. “Fortunately, over the last few years the galleries have got bigger, more experimental and more international.” Among her favourites: Chatterjee & Lal, located in the Colaba neighbourhood.

Photography courtesy Chatterjee & Lal Gallery

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For more than a century, Whitechapel Gallery has been a pioneering venue for contemporary art. It mounted the country’s first major shows of Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Frida Kahlo, Gilbert & George, and Nan Goldin, among others. Since doubling its size with a 2009 expansion into an adjacent public library, this East End touchstone has continued to break new ground under director Iwona Blazwick.

Photography courtesy Guy Montau-Pollock@Arcaid

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“Artists and collectors from elsewhere are excited to come here, and people here want to see art from elsewhere,” says Mari Spirito, an observer of the Istanbul art scene and curator of Protocinema, which mounts exhibitions in Istanbul and New York. Must-sees include SALT, the Arter exhibition space and, pictured here, the Museum of Innocence, created by Nobel Prize–winning novelist Orhan Pamuk after his book of the same name.

Photography courtesy Refik Anadol/Innocence Foundation

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The Institute of Contemporary Art moved into its dramatically cantilevered home on Boston’s waterfront in 2006 with a permanent collection to supplement its stimulating temporary shows. Beyond the ICA’s small but significant collection, expect to find rewarding fare such as the current survey of 1980s art and “Dance/Draw,” a 2011 success that traced the evolution of the line from two dimensions to three using dance performances to carry out the theme.

Photography Iwan Baan

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In late 2010, the Qatar Museums Authority unveiled the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art. Consisting of more than 6,000 works, it is the world’s most comprehensive collection of Arab modern art, encompassing works from across the region and from the 19th century to the present. Housed in a converted school, the Mathaf (“museum” in Arabic) displays works from the collection and commissioned art.

Photography courtesy Mathaf

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Check out Harbourfront Centre, a marvellous arts complex on Lake Ontario. From the Power Plant contemporary art gallery to avant-garde theatre at World Stage so much more, the centre is buzzing year-round.

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In cities around the world, homes for contemporary art are a badge of civic pride, a sign of economic and cultural vitality. Globalisation has led to endless cross-pollination, with art and artists flowing freely across borders. These venues not only reflect the art world’s diversity, they’re also on the leading edge of the international art scene.

Contemporary Art Venues From London to Mumbai