The best exhibitions to see in December

Francis Hamel – Italian Formal Gardens and their Landscapes at John Martin Gallery, 38 Albemarle Street, London W1 until 11 Dec. www.jmlondon.com

Christmas Past – 400 years of seasonal traditions in English homes, offering a fascinating insight into how Christmas has been celebrated in English middle-class homes from 1600 to the present day. At the Geffrye Museum, Kingsland Road, London E2 until 5 Jan. 020 7739 9893

Annual exhibition of the New English Art Club, with a diverse range of work by honorary artists, including HRH The Prince of Wales and former bank-note designer Harry Eccleston. At the Mall Galleries, the Mall, London SW1 from until 5 Dec. www.mallgalleries.org.uk

Exhibition of works by Birmingham Pastel Society at the Ludlow Assembly Rooms, 1 Mill Street, Ludlow, Shropshire until 2 Jan. 01584 813712

Bridget Riley: Paintings and Related Work at the National Gallery Sunley Room, Trafalgar Square, London until 22 May 2011. www.nationalgallery.org.uk (see review in Country Life 24 Nov 2010)

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Michael Taylor – recent paintings at Waterhouse & Dodd, 26 Cork Street, London W1 until 17 Dec. www.waterhousedodd.com

The Scottish Gallery: various exhibitions: Richard Demarco – Scotland and Italy in Watercolour; A Wall of Wee Gems – works by artists including Victoria Crowe, Rebecca Collins, David Michie, Christopher Wood and many more; New Paintings by Frances Macdonald; and The Man in the Moon – first solo exhibition by Zoe Arnold; Mark Hearld – first solo exhibition. All at the Scottish Gallery, 16 Dundas Street, Edinburgh from 1-24 Dec. www.scottish-gallery.co.uk

Aware Art Fashion Identity at Royal Academy of Arts, 6 Burlington Gardens, London W1 from 2 Dec to 30 Jan.  

Cape Farewell; Unfold – a body of work by a diverse group of artists, musicians and other creative practitioners made in response to climate change at Newlyn Art Gallery, Cornwall until 22 Jan. www.newlynartgallery.co.uk

Philipe Parreno’s first solo exhibition in a public institution in the UK, employing a diversit of media including film, sculpture, performance and text, at the Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Gardens, London W2 until 13 Feb. www.serpentinegallery.org

Rejoice: the beguiling art of Andrew Logan, sculptor and jeweler at Flowers, 82 Kingsland Road, London E2 until 31 Dec. www.flowersgalleries.com

Susan Rosenberg – Water: Recent painting 2010, at the Millinery Works Gallery, 85-7 Southgate Road, Islington, London N1 until 22 Dec. www.millineryworks.co.uk

Christopher Miers; new paintings at Oakham Contemporary, 27 Bury Street, St James’s, London SW1 from 30 November to 17th December. www.oakhamcontemporary.com

Tom Hunter – Unheralded Stories’ at Purdy Hicks Gallery, 65 Hopton Street, Bankside, London SE1 until 15 Jan. www.purdyhicks.com

Ron King and the Circle Press – and exhibition of early prints and books at the Schneideman Gallery, 331 Portobello Road, by Golborne Road, London W10 until 24 Dec. www.schneidemangallery.com

Christmas show at Frost & Reed, 2-4 King Street, London SW1 from 1-23 Dec. www.frostandreed.com

Christmas show 2010, including works by Kirstie Cohen, Helen Denerley, Michael Forbes, Lotte Glob, James Hawkins, Allan MacDonald and Eugenia Vronskaya at the Kilmorack Gallery, by Beauly, Invernessshire until 24 Dec. www.kilmorackgallery.co.uk

John Stewart: A Retrospective at Wilmotte Gallery at Lichfield Studios, 133 Oxford Gardens, London W10 until 28 Jan. www.tristanhoare.com

Field Works: photographs from East Anglia by Justin Partyka at Eleven Spitalfields Gallery, 11 Princelet Street, London E1 until 18 Dec. www.elevenspitalfields.com

Feuilles D’Etudes – selected studies on paper ranging from a rare early work by 17th century artist Charles Le Brun to a study of a figure for the decoration of a chapel at the church of St Severin, Paris by 19th century artist Victor-Francois Biennoury, at Didier Aaron, Clifford House, 15 Clifford Street, London W1 from 3-17 Dec. www.didieraaron.com

Christmas Show featuring paintings, drawings and sculpture by over 40 artists, at Wendy J Levy Contemporary Art Ltd, 17 Warburton Street, Didsbury, Manchester from 3 Dec to 29 Jan. www.wendyjlevy-art.com

CLOSING SOON

Mali Morris RA – paintings on canvas and paper 2000-2010 from the recently elected Royal Academician, at the Sir Hugh Casson Room for Friends, Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly, London until 1 Dec. www.royalacademy.org.uk

Fiftieth Anniversary Exhibition: Twelve Chinese masterworks at Eskenazi Oriental Art, 10 Clifford Street, London W1 4-30 Nov. 020 7493 5464

Bronzes by George Bingham at the Osborne Studio Gallery, Motcomb Street, London until 4 Dec.  

Andrew Macara – Solo Exhibition at Red Rag Gallery, Church Street, Stow on the Wold, Gloucs until 3 Dec. ww.redraggallery.co.uk

The Last Flowering of Court Art: A Russian Private Collection of Faberge at Wartski, Mayfair, London until 3 Dec. www.wartski.com

Anthropomorphism – new work by Alice Boyle at the Zetter Hotel, 86-8 Clerkenwell Rd, London EC1 until 30 Nov.

The Body In Women’s Art Now: Part 2 – Flux. The second exhibition in the three-part series, The Body In Women’s Art Now looks exclusively at artworks created by women artists since 2000, in which the body is central. Artists include Tracy Emin, Cecily Brown, Tiina Heiska, Nathalie Djurberg, Sarah Lederman and Helen Carmel Benigson. At ROLLO Contemporary Art, London, from 8th Sept – 5th Nov. At New Hall Art Collection, from 7th Nov – 5th Dec. 02075800020.

The Pre-Raphaelites and Italy at The Ashmolean, Beaumont street, Oxford until 5 December. www.ashmolean.org

Rare Beasts – A joint exhibition from wildlife artists Gary Stinton and Vicky White in support of Mark Shand’s charity ‘Elephant Family’ at Jonathan Cooper Park Walk Gallery, Park Walk, Fulham, London SW10 until 4 Dec. 020 7351 0410

Still Lives – an exhibition of ten artists’ work at the Summerleaze Gallery, East Knoyle, Salisbury until 5 Dec. www.summerleazegallery.co.uk

Words and Deeds; Library and Archive Paintings by Hugh Buchanan at Francis Kyle Gallery, 9 Maddox Street, London W1 until 2 Dec. www.franciskylegallery.com
 
John Yardley RI – watercolours inspired by recent trips to Yorkshire, Bath, Oxford, Honfleur, Seville, Catalonia, Malta and Venice at Llewellyn Alexander, 124-6 The Cut, Waterloo, London SE1 until 3 Dec. 020 7620 1322

Rare Beasts – joint exhibition from wildlife artists Gary Stinton and Vicky White at Jonathan Cooper Park Walk Gallery, Fulham, London from 18 Nov to 4 Dec. 020 7351 0410

Paintings by Lottie Cole: A London Life and a Sussex Summer at 12 Park Walk, London SW10 until 4 Dec. www.moncrieff-bray.com