From David Hockney to James Dyson, some of the world’s best-known artists and designers have studied or taught at the Royal College of Art. Now the RCA has launched a new exhibition about its 175-year history.

I visited the free show yesterday and was amazed at the breadth of work on display, from a real Porsche designed by RCA graduate Matthias Kulla, to David Hockney paintings from the 1960s, sculptures by Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, and a boat designed by James Dyson while he was still a student at the college.

I liked Gavin Turk’s blue plaque stating “Gavin Turk, Sculptor worked here”, which he famously exhibited in an empty studio for his degree show, and Tracey Emin’s The Perfect Place to Grow, a shed on stilts with a peephole that visitors are encouraged to look through.

Two of the most memorable artworks were a big cat made from coat hangers by David Mach (pictured above) and a sculpture made from plastic dolls’ heads joined together at the neck by Jake and Dinos Chapman.

I left feeling inspired and excited by the creative buzz at the RCA, and almost wishing that I could become a student again.

The Perfect Place to Grow: 175 Years of the Royal College of Art is on until 3 January

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.

Some of Britain’s top artists, including Tracey Emin and Bridget Riley, have produced posters for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The posters will be displayed in a free exhibition at Tate Britain next summer. If you don’t want to wait until then, you can buy your own copies for £7 each from today.

Find out how to get your hands on a London 2012 poster or limited edition print at www.london2012.com/shop  

It is hard to believe that the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts has been running for 243 years! 

Each year it showcases a selection of art from established and emerging artists chosen from more than 12,000 pieces, all hoping for a place at this prestigious art show. The result is a superb array of paintings, photography, sculpture and film to brighten your day – even if the weather does not match it!

The fantastic sculpture by Jeff Koons that greets visitors as they walk into the RA courtyard is a personal favourite as we loved the warm, cheery feelings that it evokes and it sets the tone for the rest of the exhibition.

The Summer Exhibition gives visitors an unrivalled variety of art. Each room is jam-packed with art: big art, miniscule art, art in boxes, art hanging from the ceiling, minimal art, immensely detailed art, kinetic artworks, modern sculpture sitting alongside impressionist-styled painting, surrealism standing alongside new architecture and plenty more.

At first we found it odd that the myriad works in the gallery weren’t accompanied by individual explanations or titles. After a few minutes we realised why; The focus of the exhibition is on the artwork rather than the explanation. We are granted a short overview in each room but that’s it.

Favourite pieces include Simon Brundret’s Dog In a Bin which shows a life-size moving dog sculpture rummaging for food in a rubbish bin and a beautiful oil painting of London by Ken Howard titled Rain Effect In The City.

It’s rare to be afforded the privilege of experiencing works by established modern artists such as Tracey Emin and Anish Kapoor alongside emerging talent. This is one exhibition where, like London, there really is something to suit all tastes.

Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts until 15 Aug 2011. Book tickets

This week’s video comes from the Southbank Centre, and is a tantalizing glimpse at what’s coming up for the venue this summer.

The Southbank Centre is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain with a four-month festival of British culture and creativity.

Highlights include Ray Davies curating Meltdown  in June; a major show by Tracey Emin at the Hayward Gallery (18 May to 29 August); plus appearances by Lang Lang, Heston Blumenthal, Billy Bragg, John Berger, Meera Syal and Tony Benn.

Themed weekends celebrate some of the highlights of British culture: a weekend of comedy and music curated by Stewart Lee (27 to 30 May), a hip-hop weekend (22 to 24 July) and Wayne Hemingway’s vintage weekend (29 to 31 July).

Find out more here.

Are you excited about the Festival of Britain 2011? Let us know in the comments below.

• Miró, Tate Modern, 14 Apr-11 Sep
  The first retrospective of Surrealist painter Joan Miró’s work in London for nearly 50 years
• Degas Dancers, Royal Academy, 17 Sep-11 Dec
  A landmark exhibition featuring Edgar Degas’ famous paintings and sculptures of young ballerinas
• Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World, British Museum, 3 Mar-3 Jul
  More than 200 ancient objects from the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul
• Tracey Emin: Love is What You Want, Hayward Gallery, 18 May-29 Aug
  The first-ever major survey of Tracey Emin’s work in London
• Glamour of the Gods: Hollywood Portraits, National Portrait Gallery, 7 Jul-23 Oct
  Film portraits from the industry’s golden age, the period from 1920 to 1960

Let me know what you’re excited about seeing at London’s art galleries in 2011 in the comments below.

Visit London was allowed a sneak preview of this year’s Summer Exhibition at London’s Royal Academy of Arts. It certainly is an impressive display of some of the best in contemporary art.

While work by David Hockney and Tracey Emin is a major draw and rightly so, the most impressive work is arguably by some lesser-known artists.

The theme of the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2010 is “raw” and that’s certainly conveyed in the paintings. Bright colours, in particular a burning orange, dominate much of the work.

The notion of raw is also transferred in sculptural form with David Mach’s Silver Streak, an imposing ten-foot tall gorilla made from coat hangers dominating Gallery VII.

If contemporary art is not your thing, head to the Lecture Room where drafts and models by some of the World’s most influential architects are shown. It’s worth looking to find the next Gherkin, The O2 or Millennium Bridge, arguably some of London’s most treasured landmarks.

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

Something’s happening round the back of the Royal Academy… A brand new exhibition, GSK Contemporary – Earth: Art of a Changing World, is about to open at 6 Burlington Gardens.

The show explores the subject of climate change, and features the work of 35 leading contemporary artists. You’ll see video, photography, sculpture, installation and more, from artists including Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley and Cornelia Parker.

Each artist has approached the theme in a different way, making for an interesting and thought-provoking exhibition.

Highlights include:

• A giant neon globe
• Antony Gormley’s room full of little terracotta people
• Colourful tents
• Growing seedlings
• Glass jellyfish
• A wall of digital clocks

The eco-art focus continues in Sketch‘s pop-up restaurant, with quirky sculptures, kitsch décor and recycled furniture.

There’s an outdoor crêperie and oyster bar complete with blankets and hot water bottles, plus an amazing indoor eaterie serving breakfasts, lunches, cakes and eco-friendly champagne.

Whether you visit for the art, the environmental theme, or the cool café, you’re sure to love GSK Contemporary.

If you’re into contemporary art, you’ll definitely want to see Tate Modern‘s new exhibition, Pop Life: Art in a Material World.

The show features work by many groundbreaking artists, including Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Keith Haring and Jeff Koons.

Across 17 rooms, Pop Life charts the way that artists have embraced commerce and celebrity in an increasingly multi-media world.

The show starts with a look at the work of Andy Warhol, who once proclaimed, “Good business is the best art.”

Warhol sold his services as a portrait artist for a fixed fee, and you can see his paintings of celebrities such as Mick Jagger, David Hockney and Grace Jones.

Other items on show include copies of Warhol’s Interview magazine, advertising images, videos of the artist and friends in the Factory studio, and wallpaper covered with pictures of Warhol’s face.

In the following rooms, you’ll see the work of a new generation of artists, who followed in Warhol’s footsteps and became part of mass media culture.

One highlight is a recreation of Keith Haring’s Pop Shop, which originally opened in New York in 1986.

The shop has been faithfully reconstructed at Tate Modern, complete with black and white patterned walls and 80s house music. You can even buy Haring’s sew-on patches, badges and t-shirts from a hatch in the wall, manned by staff from the Tate shop.

Other must-see exhibits include:

• Damien Hirst’s glittering Memories of / Moments with You, made from gold and diamonds
• A metalic bronze room containing the work of Pruitt Early (Rob Pruitt and Jack Early), whose work explores popular conceptions of race and adolescence
• Images of artist and porn star Cosey Fanni Tutti, whose exhibition at the ICA was taken down after people complained about the adult content
• A gallery dedicated to the Young British Artists, including items from Tracey Emin and Sarah Lucus’s shop in Bethnal Green, East London

Allow a few hours to walk around the entire exhibition, and prepare to be starstruck!

Pop Life: Art in a Material World opens at Tate Modern on 1 October.