If you’ve been planning to visit this summer’s must-see exhibitions such as Damien Hirst at Tate Modern or Yoko Ono at the Serpentine Gallery, be quick! It’s changeover time at London museums and galleries and the following shows are all set to close this month:

Closing this weekend

• Damien Hirst at Tate Modern
• Yoko Ono at Serpentine Gallery
• Royal River at National Maritime Museum
• London 2012 Medals at the British Museum

Closing later in September

• Stadia at Sir John Soane’s Museum
• BP Portrait Award at National Portrait Gallery
• Metamorphosis: Titian 2012 at the National Gallery
• Road to 2012: Aiming High at the National Portrait Gallery
• London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Posters at Tate Britain
• Heatherwick Studio at the V&A

But don’t worry there are plenty of exciting new exhibitions coming up this autumn, including Pre-Raphaelites at Tate Britain and Hollywood Costume at the V&A. Keep an eye on our Arts page for all the latest information.

Not only can you find some fantastic food in London, but it’s often served in aesthetically-pleasing surroundings. Some of the capital’s restaurants – regardless of whether you’re looking for haute cuisine or a quick burger – even offer you the chance to enjoy works from world-famous artists along with your food.

Burger King, Leicester Square
It’s probably not the first place you’d think to look, but the top floor of the fast food giant’s Leicester Square venue is graced with a two-metre wide painting by Damien Hirst (above). Entitled “Beautiful Psychedelic Gherkin Exploding Tomato Sauce All Over Your Face, Flame Grilled Painting 2003″, the work was made using the “spin painting technique” and is on loan to the venue until at least the end of the year.

L’Escargot, Soho
This renowned Soho restaurant is littered with fine art. See works by the likes of Hockney, Matisse, Chagall, Warhol and Miro downstairs, or check out the fantastic selection of Picasso sketches on the first floor.

Rules, Covent Garden
The walls of this venerable restaurant, which serves delicious British cuisine, are covered in hundreds of paintings and drawings. Don’t miss the large allegorical painting by John Springs, which features a triumphant Margaret Thatcher against a backdrop of the Faulkland Islands.

Le Gavroche, Mayfair
Admire works by Miro, Giacometti, Dali and Picasso from one of the sought-after tables at this brilliant restaurant from Michel Roux Jr.

Rivington Grill, Shoreditch
This Shoreditch hotspot hosts a regularly changing selection of work from the nearby Carl Freedman Gallery, as well as two works by Tracey Emin: “No Time” and “Life Without You. Never”.

Langan’s Brasserie, Piccadilly
See art by Lucien Freud, Francis Bacon, David Hockney and many others at this popular brasserie, which is sister to the equally art-infested Odin’s. 

Sketch, Oxford Street
Turner prize-winner Martin Creed, creator of All The Bells, has designed the restaurant at Sketch. It consists of various of his works: look out for the 96 types of marble on the zigzagging floor, the large scale wall paintings and the astounding attention to detail paid to the furniture and cutlery, every item of which is different.

Tramshed, Shoreditch
Damien Hirst has installed two of his pieces in the latest meat-centric outpost of Mark Hix’s restaurant empire. You can’t miss “Cock and Bull”, the huge formaldehyde installation suspended in the middle of the restaurant, but look out for his “Beef and Chicken” painting too.

The Restaurant at the Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly
The spectacular range of art extends into the restaurant of this world-famous venue, and diners can enjoy fantastic sculptures and murals alongside tasty dishes.

Nandos, venues across London
The popular chicken chain deserves an honourable mention for its commitment to showcasing South African art in its restaurants. It now has the largest collection in the UK, and you can see a variety of examples at their restaurants around town.

Have you spotted any more art over your supper at a London restaurant? Let us know in the comments below.

This year we enjoyed blockbuster exhibitions including Miró at Tate Modern, Leonardo da Vinci at the National Gallery and Degas at the Royal Academy.

So which will be the most talked-about shows in 2012? Here are five to look out for:

• Lucian Freud Portraits, National Portrait Gallery: More than 100 works by the artist who died in July 2011, including his portrait of Benefits Supervisor Sue Tilley. 9 Feb-27 May
• Damien Hirst, Tate Modern: The first substantial survey of Hirst’s work in the UK, featuring his famous Pharmacy installation and shark in formaldehyde. 5 Apr-9 Sep
• Picasso and Modern British Art, Tate Britain: Major exhibition bringing together Picasso’s work and that of admirers such as Henry Moore and David Hockney. 15 Feb-15 Jul
• David Hockney RA: A Bigger Picture, Royal Academy of Arts: Exhibition spanning 50 years and showcasing brand new landscapes, iPad drawings and films. 21 Jan-9 Apr
• Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton: A Diamond Jubilee Celebration, Victoria and Albert Museum. One of several major exhibitions celebrating the Diamond Jubilee. 8 Feb-22 Apr

Which exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2012? Let us know in the comments below.

An exciting new exhibition has opened at the Royal Academy of Arts dedicated to the world of modern sculpture and the influence of key works on more recent British artists and pieces.  

Modern British Sculpture is the first exhibition in 30 years to focus on British sculpture so it is essential viewing to sculpture fans as well as novices like me. 

I was amazed at the range of sculptures included.  There were fantastic early works which included sculpture from Native American, Indian and African traditions which influenced later designers. 

My highlights include Damien Hirst‘s Let’s Eat Outdoors Today complete with a rotting cow’s head and swarms of flies, as it is so intriguing and disturbing.  I loved the simplicity of Henry Moore‘s Festival Figure and the fabulous and stylish Pelagos by Barbara Hepworth – it would look wonderful in my living room!

There is a huge replica of the Cenotaph in Whitehall, which is magnificent and an incredible tribute to the popular and well-known modern British sculpture.

The show gave me a new appreciation and understanding of sculpture and the Royal Academy of Arts displayed the exhibits in a clear and beautiful way.

Modern British Sculpture at the Royal Academy of Arts until 7 April 2011. Book tickets

The year kicks off with Modern British Sculpture, the first exhibition for 30 years to examine 20th-century British sculpture. “It’s a long overdue exhibition,” said curator Dr Adrian Locke. The show will feature Hepworth, Moore and Hirst alongside Jacob Epstein, Richard Long and Anthony Caro.

March sees the opening of Watteau’s Drawings: Virtuosity and Delight, dedicated to the French artist Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721). Watteau’s subjects included theatre actors, rural labourers and children. He also created sensual depictions of nude women.  “It will be quite a sexy show,” promised Kathleen Soriano, the Royal Academy’s director of exhibitions.

Eye Witness: Hungarian Photography in the 20th Century opens in June, showing the work of Hungarian artists who left their home country to make their names in the fields of photojournalism, fashion and art photography. The display will include 200 photos from 1914 to 1989, ranging from rural scenes to war photography and radical fashion pictures.

Degas Dancers, featuring Degas’ famous paintings and sculptures of young ballerinas, is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Curator Ann Dumas (who was responsible for this year’s Van Gogh blockbuster) hopes the show will alter people’s perceptions of Degas. Although known for his pretty pictures of dancers, Degas was a forward-thinking and experimental artist, who was “well aware of and sometimes actively involved in” early developments in photography and film, said Dumas.

The focus will turn to Russia in autumn 2011, with the opening of Building the Revolution: Soviet Art and Architecture 1915-1935. This exhibition will look at Russian avant-garde architecture during a brief but intense period of design and construction, with photos showing how the drive towards a new socialist society brought together radical art and architecture.

As well as these highlights, there’ll be the usual Summer Exhibition and RA Schools Show in the summer, and a series of exhibitions in the Architecture Space, including “something rather unexpected from Will Alsop,” according to Kathleen Soriano.

For more details visit www.royalacademy.org.uk

London artist Michael Landy is proving modern art is indeed rubbish with his new show, Art Bin, at South London Gallery.

Landy appealed to artists to donate their unwanted works, to be thrown into a giant, see-through bin, which he calls “a monument to creative failure”.

Damien Hirst was one of the first to donate work, and one of his glittering skull pictures was lying at the bottom of the Art Bin when I visited.

Every few minutes, one of the gallery assistants would climb the stairs beside the bin and throw in another piece of art.

Tracey Emin and Gillian Wearing are among the high-profile artists who’ve contributed work, but you don’t have to be famous to have your art binned as part of the show.

From today, anyone can take a piece of art to the gallery, where Landy or one of his assistants will decide whether to add it to the bin.

More photos on Flickr