Come on in: the new Saatchi Gallery is expected to cement its place as a visitor favourite

Picasso and the Masters

It seems that 2009 will be a year of classics – not blockbuster exhibitions, so much, but major movements and big-name artists. The big spring exhibition at the V&A takes a recession-defying look at the splendour of Baroque (April 4 to July 19; vam.ac.uk) while Tate Britain will feature Van Dyck (February 18 to May 17, tate.org.uk). Above all, the National Gallery in London is focusing on the world’s favourite artist, Pablo Picasso, in a major exhibition that runs from February 25 to June 7.

Saatchi Gallery

The new Saatchi gallery in a Georgian barracks, the Duke of York’s HQ, not far from Sloane Square in Chelsea, West London, opened in October. Its inaugural exhibition of new Chinese art is expected to have drawn more than half a million visitors by the time it closes on January 18 – beating the previous record set by Sensation, the BritArt show at the Royal Academy in 1997. The Saatchi, where entry is free, is set to be the place to visit in 2009, in the same way that the then-new Tate Modern drew the crowds in 2000. Its next exhibition is of Middle Eastern art (January 30 to May 6).

Venice Biennale

There’s an interesting line-up of UK contributors to the international art exhibition, from June 7 until November 22. Steve McQueen is to represent Britain (see www.britishcouncil.org and click “Arts”); John Cale, the Velvet Underground musician, is producing a video installation for Wales (walesvenicebiennale.org.uk ); Scotland has the illumnated sculptures of Martin Boyce (see themoderninstitute.com ); and Northern Ireland’s entry is video artist Susan MacWilliam (susanmacwilliam.com ).

Glastonbury

The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts takes place between June 24 and 28. The official website (glastonburyfestivals.co.uk ) points out that no artists are confirmed yet, but rumoured to be playing are Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Led Zeppelin, Oasis, Kanye West and even (again!) Rolf Harris. Virtual Festivals brings news of arts festivals across Europe throughout the year, from classical music in Salisbury to techno techno techno in Belgium.

Donmar Warehouse Theatre

Having stretched out from its original Covent Garden base to take up a year-long residency at Wyndham’s, the Donmar is pushing out even more top-notch drama. Perhaps the highlight of 2009’s theatre calendar could be Jude Law as Hamlet at the West End venue.

Field for Devon

Antony Gormley is surely Britain’s pre-eminent popular artist, and Field for the British Isles is probably his most popular work, even ahead of Angel of the North and Another Place, his steel figures on a beach near Liverpool. It is showing from June 27 to August 23 in a medieval barn at Torre Abbey, Torquay, Devon, and entry is free.

Pittenweem

If you’d like a change from the hurly burly of major city arts events, try this. A fishing village on the coast of Fife (the bit of Scotland just across the water to the north and east of Edinburgh), Pittenweem has a considerable population of artists who open their homes and studios to visitors for a week or so (August 1 to 9). While you’re in the area, do not miss the superb fish and chip shop in Anstruther.

New Exhibitions

The online version of a magazine, New Exhibitions is the place to find out about upcoming exhibitions at smaller galleries. Its only drawback is that it is so comprehensive that there is a mass of information to scroll through, but you can use the search to home in on a particular gallery, such as White Cube or the Serpentine.

The Art Newspaper

Perhaps even better than New Exhibitions as a way of finding out what’s on (click “What’s on”) is The Art Newspaper’s selection of exhibitions around the world. It lists 83 shows in London, a wealth of choice rivalled only by New York with 148. Highlights include Turner watercolours at the Courtauld (until January 25) and Francis Bacon at Tate Britain (until tomorrow).

Campaign for the Titians

At time of writing, It is not known whether the National Gallery of Scotland and the National Gallery in London have suceeded in raising £50 million to buy Titian’s Diana and Actaeon and help to ensure that the Bridgewater Collection – which includes works by Raphael, Poussin and Rembrandt – will continue to be on display in Scotland. For now, however, the endangered Titian is back in Edinburgh after a tour to London.

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