Around the galleries: London assumes a distinctly twentieth-century flavour this April with post-War abstraction, arts and crafts furniture and art-deco silverware on show

The seminal book Nine Abstract Artists by Lawrence Alloway, published in 1954, is a succint analysis of the development of post-War avant-garde art in Britain that helped to focus attention on the movements of a 'constructivist' group. Fifty years on, its forsightedness is being celebrated and reappraised in the exhibition 'Nine Abstract Artists--Revisited' at Osborne Samuel (23a Bruton Street, London, +44 [0]2 7493 7939). Running until 9 April, the exhibition unites the works of Robert Adams, Terry Frost, Adrian Heath, Anthony Hill, Roger Hilton, Kenneth Martin, Mary Martin, Victor Pasmore and William Scott in homage to the exhibition 'Nine abstract artists' shown in 1955 at the Redfern Gallery as a direct result of the success of Alloway's book. Significant works by each of the nine artists from the 1950s through to the late 70s are on display and Alloway's book has been reprinted to mark the occasion.

Ghostly visions of towering, impenetrable buildings dominate the darkly atmospheric paintings by Stefan Hoenerloh that are currently on display at The Blue Gallery, 15 Great Sutton Street, London (+44 [0]20 7490 3833) until 9 April.

To celebrate the V&A's 'International Arts and Crafts' exhibition, the sponsor of the show--UK contemporary furniture retailer Heal's--is showcasing original antique pieces from the Arts and Crafts era as well as contemporary oak furniture and accessories inspired by the movement at its flagship store on Tottenham Court Road. See www.heals.co.uk for more details.

Functional elegance is synonymous with the style of Lucie Rie. An exhibition of around thirty examples of her distinctive tableware will be on show until 28 April at Galerie Besson (15 Royal Arcade, 28 Old Bond Street, London, +44 [0]20 7491 1706), providing an exceptional opportunity to view some of the most highly sought-after ceramics of the twentieth century.

A thoughtful, four-pronged exhibition that focuses upon the public commissions of Eduardo Paolozzi between 1976 and 2000 is taking place at Flowers East, 82 Kingsland Road (+44 [0]20 7920 7777) this month. Abstract reliefs, German sculptures and prints, the transport projects of the 1980s and finally his figurative portrait statues are all key elements of this enlightening show, which runs from 8 April until 14 May.

Although little known today, during the first half of the twentieth century Henry George Murphy was one of the UK's most successful silversmiths. Apprenticed to the hugely influential Henry Wilson, Murphy developed his own elegant style reconciling the arts and crafts and the art deco movements. The loan exhibition 'At the sign of the Falcon--H.G. Murphy: Art Deco Silversmith and Jeweller', organised by the Goldsmiths' Company at Goldsmiths' Hall (Foster Lane, London +44 [0]20 7606 701; 4-30 April), is the first to be devoted exclusively to his works. Superlative examples spanning his career will be on display, including refined gold and gem-set jewellery, tableware and flatware, civic and corporate silver and regalia.

Inspired by Giuseppi Tomasi di Lampedusa's novel The Leopard, twenty artists travelled to Sicily in early 2004 to record their responses to its landscape and to the fictional Sicily depicted in the book. The richly evocative and varied works of art that resulted from this task are on display at Francis Kyle Gallery, 9 Maddox Street, London (+44 [0] 20 7495 0180) from 6 April until 12 May. Works by Hugh Buchanan, Genevieve Dael and John Fisher are particular highlights.

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