Exhibition of the week
The Encounter
This exhibition of portrait drawings made from life by the likes of Holbein, Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt is a chance to get close to the creative processes of some of the greatest artists in history. It homes in on the magical way great portraits preserve people who lived long ago.
• National Portrait Gallery, London, 13 July – 22 October. Also showing Soul of a Nation
Radical art in the age of Black Power is revisited in this exciting survey of American cultural history.
• Tate Modern, London, 12 July – 22 October. Emma Hart
Ceramics with an Italian flavour from the winner of the Max Mara art prize for women. Read our interview with her here.
• Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, 12 July – 3 September. Whales: Beneath the Surface
Dive deep into the natural history of earth’s largest animals in a special exhibition that coincides with a blue whale skeleton taking centre stage in the museum’s main hall.
• Natural History Museum, London, 14 July – 28 February. Jiro Takamatsu
String, bottles and shadows are among the materials this innovative Japanese sculptor used.
• Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, 13 July – 22 October. Masterpiece of the week | 
Perfectly preserved … a detail from Holbein’s portrait drawing of an unidentified woman, c1532-43. Photograph: Royal Collection/NPG 
