Good to see that I am keeping up my London tradition of desperately rushing to see exhibitions that have been on for ages the weekend before they close. This time it was the Artists Rooms: Roy Lichtenstein show at the Hatton Gallery. I have no excuse – it’s round the corner from Northern Stage, where I practically live, and it’s free – but it’s still taken me 4 months to get round to it. But wow, am I glad I did.

I’m not sure I’ve been to the Hatton before – if I have, I don’t remember – but it’s an absolutely gorgeous space. Part of the University, it hosts shows year-round and has a nice little gift shop (yes, I did shop). The Lichtenstein was a bigger show than I expected, covering 2 full rooms (and with a video component, which I of course skipped). They had a mix of pieces, some of which I was familiar with, and it was intelligently curated.

There was also an abstract exhibit by Lothar Gotz that worked well in the Hatton’s space, and a show by Heather Ross, All the Better to Hear You With (unlike the Gotz and Lichtenstein, you can still see this – it runs till 15 Feb). The Ross is a reaction piece to the permanent exhibit by Kurt Schwitters, Merz Barn Wall.

Since we were in the mood for art, we decided also to pop into the Hancock Gallery. While currently still dominated by the work of Alexander Miller, of which I am not a massive fan, it has a rolling programme of new works, so is always worth popping in (and the staff are always friendly – we had a nice chat with the guy who was working). I was particularly taken by the Mark Demsteader pieces, which were lovely, and they have a great programme lined up for the year, so I’ll definitely be going back.