1 Exhibition: New York

'Soutine/Bacon'

Presenting paintings by Belarusian Expressionist Chaim Soutine alongside those of the younger Francis Bacon, “Soutine/Bacon” is the first show to suggest a relationship between the two artists’ work. Arguing that Bacon was highly influenced as a young man by seeing Soutine’s work in Paris, the curators draw comparisons between paintings such as Soutine’s Portrait of a Man with a Felt Hat, painted in the early 1920s, and Bacon’s Seated Figure of almost 40 years later.

Soutine/Bacon, Helly Nahmad Gallery, 975 Madison Avenue, New York. Open daily, 10.00–18.00 (from 11.00 on Saturday, closed Sundays). Until 18 June.
[hellynahmadgallery.com] (http://hellynahmadgallery.com)

2 Music: US

Stevie Nicks, 'In your dreams'

Behind every great man, there has to be a great woman, shrilled Annie Lennox. Flipping that assertion is ex-Fleetwood Mac starlet Stevie Nicks, who’s enlisted some Y chromosome support in the form of both Dave Stewart (Lennox’s Eurythmics cohort) and Glen Ballard (the wizard behind Alanis Morissette’s best LPs) on this, Nicks’s first solo album for a decade. These titans all made their musical mark decades ago, and their clashing on this record has a distinctly old-fashioned flavour, but Nick’s emotive ethereality shines through as always.

Stevie Nicks, “In Your Dreams”, on release in the US by Reprise Records.
[stevienicks.net] (http://stevienicks.net)

3 Exhibition: London

Michael Craig-Martin, 'Drawings 1967-2002'

Celebrating the Dublin-born artist’s 70th birthday this year, Alan Cristea present around 60 drawings never before seen. The show includes works made in situ in the Cork Street gallery space (Manhattan, pictured above), as well as older preparations and studies for some of Craig-Martin’s best works, including An Oak Tree. Now part of the Tate collection, the original work – a glass of water on a glass shelf – was one of the greatest stabs a British artist has made at conceptualism.

“Drawings: 1967-2002”, The Alan Cristea Gallery, 31 Cork Street, London. Open daily, 10.00 – 17.30 (Saturday, 11.00-14.00. Closed Sunday). Until 4 June.
alancristea.com

4 Book: UK

Alan Bennett, "Smut: Two Unseemly Stories"

it might not be the book you want on your coffee table when your gran comes over for tea, but Bennett’s “Unseemly Stories” make for a sophisticated and characteristically witty read, the perfect park companion as the barometer starts to climb into sunbathing range this weekend. This new release from the Leeds-born playwright, screenwriter and author tells two convoluted love stories: one regarding a widow who develops a dodgy set of lodgers, and the other a disappointing son with a sexual secret.

Alan Bennett, “Smut: Two Unseemly Stories”, available in the UK now.

5 Festival: Lisbon

8th Independent Film Festival

In Les Amours Imaginaires, a dinner between friends turns into a three-way love frenzy when Francis and Marie fall for the uninterested Nicolas, sparking a flirtatious competition for his attention. Xavier Dolan’s film is a wild card selection from the 245 movies screened at the 8th edition of IndieLisboa, Portugal’s most important independent film event. Of the total, 28 films that have never been shown before will have their world premier during the 10 days Lisbon will be glued to the screens.

‘Les Amours Imaginaires’, 7 May, 00.00, São Jorge, Rua Júlio César Machado 8. ‘IndieLisboa’, at various venues until 15 May.
[indielisboa.com] (http://indielisboa.com)