Choice: The Critics

EXHIBITIONS

Impressionism and its Rivals

Generations have been brought up to recite by rote the litany of Monet, Sisley, Renoir and Cezanne. But how well-known were they in the Paris of their own time? Here, for the first time this century, we can see the Impressionists in their true context, as their work is hung alongside that of painters who were the familiar names of the time. A simple idea, cleverly and instructively done. Hayward Gallery, London

John Virtue

Transferred from Bristol, a show of recent paintings by the artist described as "Constable meets Pollock in a monochrome mist". Virtue is one of the most interesting painters at work in Britain today, producing beautiful, hypnotic and questioning works which push the landscape tradition to its limits. The accompanying catalogue provides an illuminating introduction to his work. Whitechapel Art Gallery, London

William Crozier

One of the most underrated of the Edinburgh School artists, Crozier, unlike his fellows such as Mactaggart and Gillies, has been too long neglected. This show sets the record straight with an impressive body of work (including his best known painting, a breathtaking aerial view of Edinburgh), which emphasises the artist's debt to l'Hote and his subsequent originality. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh