(Relaxnews) - As buzz starts to build for the opening of the 2012 London Olympic Games, visitors who are already in London can take part in the city’s biggest-ever festival, the London 2012 Festival. While in London don’t miss the winner announcement and the launch of the BP Portrait Award exhibition, the most prestigious annual portrait competition in the world.

Picasso to Warhol: Fourteen Modern Masters exhibition
June 16 - December 3
Art Gallery of WA
Perth, Australia

A touring exhibition of famous artworks from New York’s world-renowned Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) -- including pieces by Andy Warhol, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso -- will be shown at the Art Gallery of Western Australia as part of the gallery’s Great Collections of the World series. The Art Gallery of Western Australia will be the only Australian venue to host this exhibition. The partnership with New York’s MoMA will give visitors the chance to see exclusive highlights from this outstanding collection, many of which have never been seen outside the United States. The large-scale exhibition will feature more than 100 modern art masterpieces by 14 iconic artists of the 20th century. Five subsequent exhibitions at the gallery will feature works from MoMA’s extensive collection.
http://www.artgallery.wa.gov.au/exhibitions/Picasso_to_Warhol.asp
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12th Melbourne International Animation Festival
June 17-24
ACMI Cinemas, Melbourne
Victoria, Australia

The 12th edition of the Melbourne International Animation Festival (MIAF) is an eight-day festival showcasing some of the greatest animations created by artists around the globe. MIAF is one of the largest animation festivals in the world. More than 400 films from over 30 countries will grace screens at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image during the festival. Entries in the MIAF are automatically considered for the UTS Sydney International Animation Festival, the London International Animation Festival, and Australia’s smaller, regional touring festival, the Australian International Animation Festival.
http://www.miaf.net/
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59th Cannes Lions
June 17-23
Cannes, France

Now in its 59th year, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity highlights innovative and inspirational works of art created by advertisers and advertising agencies. The event has become the world’s biggest celebration of creativity in communications and includes an awards ceremony and film festival. More than 9,000 creatives attend Cannes Lions each year to participate in seminars, workshops and master classes.
http://www.canneslions.com/
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BP Portrait Award
June 21 - winner announced
June 21 - September 23 - exhibit
National Portrait Gallery
London, UK

The BP Portrait Award is the most prestigious annual portrait competition in the world. The more than 2,100 entries received from artists across the world were whittled down to 55 for the 2012 BP Portrait Award exhibition. Aleah Chapin, Alan Coulson, Ignacio Estudillo and Jamie Routley are the four artists shortlisted for this year’s BP Portrait award.
http://www.npg.org.uk/index.php?id=9112


London 2012 Festival
June 21 - September 9
Various locations in the UK
UK

The London 2012 Festival is being hailed as the “biggest festival London has ever seen.” The major 12-week-long event will be held concurrently with the Olympics Games and will highlight the very best in music, theater, dance, visual arts, literature, fashion and film from the UK and abroad. The festival is also the finale of London’s Cultural Olympiad, a four-year arts event that is described as the “largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movements.”
http://festival.london2012.com/
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18th Biennale of Sydney
June 27 - September 16
Various venues across Sydney
Sydney, Australia

The Biennale of Sydney is Australia's largest and most respected contemporary visual arts event. It’s the fourth oldest recurring contemporary art exhibition on the international calendar after Venice, São Paulo and Documenta. The event highlights recent and new works created by Australian artists alongside leading international artists in iconic locations across the city. The Biennale of Sydney is completely free and open to the public.
http://bos18.com/
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Les Rencontres d'Arles
July 2 - September 23
Arles, France

Held in a small, picturesque town in the South of France, Les Rencontres d’Arles is far from the quaint little country exhibition one might expect to see in such a location. The photography festival traverses 60 exhibitions, professional exchanges, and seminars. Unlike other major photography events such as PHotoEspaña, Contact and Paris Photo, Les Rencontres d'Arles juxtaposes the works of famous photographers with those by unknown amateurs.
http://www.rencontres-arles.com/A11/Home
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35th Galway Arts Festival
July 16-29
Various venues
Galway, Ireland

The Galway Arts Festival is a celebration of street art, music, theater, literature and visual arts. The event showcases an international lineup of artists alongside Ireland's best talents and is Ireland's largest annual international arts festival.
http://www.galwayartsfestival.com
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Edinburgh Art Festival
August 2 - September 2
Various locations in Edinburgh

Created in 2004, the Edinburgh Art Festival is comprised of over 45 exhibitions ranging from shows by major international artists to new, provocative contemporary works by leading British artists. During the summer, Edinburgh becomes the biggest festival city in the world with a film festival in June, and in August the Fringe arts festival and an international literary fest.
http://www.edinburghartfestival.com/
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39th SIGGRAPH
August 5-9
Los Angeles Convention Center
Los Angeles, CA, USA

Computer graphics, technology and art collide at the International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH). The event mixes computer graphics and interactive techniques with digital art, technology and multimedia. The latest gadgets, hardware, software and technology will also be presented at the event. SIGGRAPH Asia will take place in Singapore from November 28 - December 1.
http://s2012.siggraph.org/
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Ars Electronica Festival
August 30 - September 3
Various venues in Linz
Linz, Austria

The Ars Electronica Festival is an annual event that harnesses innovative collisions between state-of-the-art technology, provocative art, and intellectual thinking. It is considered to be the most important digital arts festival in the world and attracts 35,000 visitors annually.
http://www.aec.at/festival_about_en.php
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