A rollicking statue, Beryl’s buddies and a swimming pool in a roundabout – the week in art
This week's Guardian art roundup highlights Tschabalala Self's new Fourth Plinth statue in Trafalgar Square, described as a joyful, "rollicking" work that critics say echoes the vibrant, saucy energy of the late painter Beryl Cook, whose work is also on show nearby in Bicester. The piece matters as a rare, widely visible piece of public art in central London, prompting comparisons to Cook's popular style of celebrating everyday, unglamorous fun.
Elsewhere, the digest covers Peter Howson's visceral Passion paintings at Flowers Gallery, Liz Larner's mythologically-inspired sculptures at Camden Art Centre, and Monika Sosnowska's installations on Polish history at South London Gallery. It also flags Round About Baths, a finalist for the European Prize for Urban Public Space, in which Swiss architect Leopold Banchini converted a disused roundabout in Logroño, Spain, into a public swimming pool, alongside news of George Lucas's new art museum, a Nazi-looted painting being returned by Argentina, and a National Gallery altarpiece fragment from around 1515 showing a donor portrait beside Saint Paul.
In short
- Tschabalala Self's joyful new Trafalgar Square statue evokes Beryl Cook's style.
- Spanish architects turned a roundabout into a public swimming pool.
- Roundup also covers Howson, Larner, Sosnowska shows and a Nazi-looted painting's return.
Explained simply
Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth is a prominent spot for temporary public artworks, seen by people crossing one of central London’s busiest public spaces. Tschabalala Self is an American artist whose work often explores the body and everyday life; her new statue has been compared with the lively scenes painted by Beryl Cook, known for depicting people enjoying themselves.
The roundup also features exhibitions by Peter Howson, Liz Larner and Monika Sosnowska, whose works draw on religious themes, mythology and Polish history. It includes projects and news from beyond galleries, such as a swimming pool made in a former roundabout in Spain, reflecting how art and design can shape shared public spaces.