SAN FRANCISCO

Take Your Time: Olafur Eliasson An unadulterated joy. Eliasson is fascinated by science, but his explorations of colour, light, temperature and more are accessible and touching. No mere experiments, these installations, such as Beauty, a sheet of uplit water vapour in a darkened room, and the 360? room for all colours will have you gasping in wonder. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third Street, San Francisco (001 415 357 4000, www.sfmoma. org), until Feb 24 Also on: The Missing Peace: Artists consider the Dalai Lama, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St, San Francisco (001 415 978 2787; www.ybca.org), until March 16

LOS ANGELES

DalÍ: Painting and Film Catch this show if you missed it at the Tate Modern earlier this year. Even if you’re not a fan of the egomaniac Surrealist, this exploration of DalÍ’s dabblings in film, with the likes of Luis Buñuel in Un Chien Andalou and L’Age d’Or, and, in a less well-known collaboration, with Disney, is witty and enlightening. LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles (001 323 857 6000; www.lacma.org ), until Jan 6 Also on: © Murakami, The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, 152 North Central Avenue, Los Angeles (001 213 626 6222, www.moca.org), until Feb 11

AMSTERDAM

Barcelona 1900 It is perhaps slightly odd to see an exhibition about Barcelona in Holland – but it’s worth it. Between 1880 and 1909 the Catalan city underwent an astonishing period of architectural and artistic blossoming, the results of which still define the city. This is explored in the show with works from artists including Picasso, Santiago Rusiñol and Ramon Casas and the architects GaudÍ and Josep Puig i Cadafalch. Van Gogh Museum, Paulus Potterstraat 7, Amsterdam (0031 20 570 5200, www.vangoghmuseum.nl), until Jan 20 Also on: Rembrandt and the Golden Age, Rijksmuseum, Jan Luijkenstraat 1, 1071 ZD Amsterdam (0031 20 6747000; www.rijksmuseum.nl ), until Feb 13

ST PETERSBURG

Ancient frescoes of Stabiae Stabiae was a wealthy city located not far from Pompeii – and was also destroyed by the famous Vesuvian eruption of AD79. This exhibition presents more than 170 items excavated from the site, the stars of which are spectacularly well-preserved frescoes, their intricate, brightly coloured paintings still intact. It’s a rare treat to see such ancient work in such good condition. State Hermitage Museum, Dvortsovaya Naberezhnaya 34, 190000 St Petersburg (007 812 710 96 25; www.hermitagemuseum.org ), until March 30 Also on: Great British Watercolours from the Paul Mellon Collection at the Yale Center for British Art, State Hermitage Museum (details as above), until Jan 13

SYDNEY

Tim Hawkinson: Mapping the Marvellous The Los Angeles-based Hawkinson’s work is strange, whimsical and utterly engaging. The show includes 23 of Hawkinson’s works from 1990 until now, from a bat made of shredded plastic bags and twist-ties to chattering, kinetic sculptures. They have the air of things made in the shed of a mad genius. Museum of Contemporary Art, 140 George Street, The Rocks, NSW 2000 (0061 2 9245 2400; mca.com.au), until March 5 Also on: Sydney Nolan: A New Retrospective, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery Road, The Domain, NSW 2000 (0061 2 9225 1700; www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au ), until Feb 3

TOKYO

Roppongi Crossing: Future Beats in Japanese Contemporary Art The fourth in this series of exhibitions (the first was in 2004) intended to showcase Japanese contemporary (but not necessarily young) artists working in all genres, from painting, design and photography to manga, games and doll-making. A thrilling snapshot of this most different of cultures. Mori Art Museum, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo (0081 3 5777 8600; www.mori.art.museum ), until Jan 14 Also on: Siebold & Hokusai and his tradition, Edo Tokyo Museum, 1-4-1 Yokoami, Sumida-ku, Tokyo (0081 3 3626 9974; www.edo-tokyo-museum.or.jp ), until Jan 27 NEW YORK

Georges Seurat: The Drawings This show focuses entirely on the Neo-Impressionist Seurat’s breathtaking drawings, such as The Echo (1883), left, of which he left around 500 after his death at the age of 31. Seurat’s lightness of touch belies the complexity of his investigation of the relationship between darkness and light, which gives these delicate but dramatic works their singular luminosity. The Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd Street, New York (001 212 708 9400; www.moma.org ), until Jan 7 Also on: Foto: Modernity in Central Europe 1918-1945, Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue, New York (001 212 423 3500; www.guggenheim.org ), until Jan 13

BILBAO

Art in the USA: 300 years of innovation About 200 works, largely paintings, make up this show exploring how the nation’s art – including John Baldessari’s Umbrella (Orange) with Figure and Ball (Blue and Green) (2004), right – has contributed to America’s cultural story. Guggenheim Bilbao, Avenida Abandoibarra 2, 48001 Bilbao (0034 94 435 90 23; www. guggenheim. org ), until April 27 Also on: Paper Art (VI): from Goya to Benlliure, Museo de Bellas Artes, Museo Plaza 2, 48011 Bilbao (0034 94 4396060; www.museobilbao.com ), until Feb 17

MADRID

Velázquez’s Fables Marking the opening of the Prado’s new extension, the 51 works on show explore the master’s narrative paintings, such as St Joseph’s Tunic, right. Museo del Prado, Paseo del Prado, s/n.28014, Madrid (0034 91 330 28 00; www.museo delprado.es ), until Feb 24 Also on: Andy Goldsworthy Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Calle Santa Isabel 52, 28012 Madrid (0034 91 774 1000; www.museoreinaso-fia.es ), until Jan 21

PARIS

Richard Rogers + Architects Massive retrospective of work by the architect responsible, alongside Renzo Piano, for the Pompidou Centre itself. Includes exhibits of such iconic work as Lloyd’s of London and the frankly gorgeous Terminal 4 at Madrid Barajas Airport, above. Pompidou Centre, Place Georges Pompidou, 75004 Paris (0033 1 44 78 12 33; www.centrepompidou.fr ), until Mar 3 Also on: Masterpieces of Islamic Art from the Aga Khan Museum, Louvre, 75001 Paris (www.louvre.fr ), until Jan 7

Or if you’re planning to stay at home...

LONDON

Louise Bourgeois Major retrospective for the feisty French artist, who is still making fascinating work in her 95th year. Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 (020-7887 8888; www.tate.org.uk ), until Jan 20

CARDIFF

Industry to Impressionism The story of Gwendoline and Margaret Davies, two Welsh art collectors, told through a number of paintings that they donated to the museum. National Museum, Cathays Park, Cardiff (029-2039 7951; www.nmgw.ac.uk ), until Jan 6, free

EDINBURGH

BP Portrait Award Some of the very best examples of contemporary portraiture, including the winner of the prize, a painting of the artist Michael Simpson by Paul Emsley. Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street, Edinburgh (0131-624 6200; www. nationalgalleries.org ), until April 27

GLASGOW

Kylie Tons of teeny weeny dresses worn by the diminutive pop singer ( below), including Charlene’s overalls and those gold hotpants. Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Argyle Street, Glasgow (0141-276 9599; www.glasgowmuseums. com ), until Jan 13

LIVERPOOL

The Twentieth Century: How it looked and how it felt About 200 key works from the Tate collection, telling the story of the 20th century in art. Tate Liverpool, Albert Dock, Liverpool (0151-702 7400; www.tate.org.uk ), until April 1

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