Treats round the country

For any art lover, the prospect of a new year of exhibitions – of new wonders revealed and old friends revisited – is, of course, immensely exciting. But only the very organised institutions have their exhibition programmes confirmed well in advance, and in these increasingly uncertain times, even the top museums sometimes have to change their plans at the last moment. Since 9/11 collectors abroad have been less inclined to lend valuable works, while the downturn in the economy has made sponsorship more elusive than ever. Some institutions report falling attendance figures – although by the generally packed nature of the pavements you wouldn’t have thought tourism was suffering particularly – and the gridlock and failing public transport systems apparently manage to deter visitors from the country. All these factors influence decisions of what to show to attract the public, but I am glad to report that on the whole standards remain pretty high.