‘Ah’ you cry, tiredly munching on more small chocolates from tubs and loading up another cracker with some cheese. ‘How can it possibly be the end of 2017 already?’. To which we reply: we feel you. It seems mere seconds ago that we were compiling the award-winning* ‘2016 as told through the nation’s art collections’ article, searching for images that would represent the launch of Art UK, that year’s unfortunate spate of celebrity deaths and the election of President Donald Trump.
But the end of this year is, indeed, nigh. As we renew our best intentions and prepare to sally forth on the good ship 2018, let’s take a pictorial trip down memory lane and gaze back on the year we’ve completed with the shock/horror/amusement/glimmers of hope it deserves.
*did not actually win any awards
January: up the women
January was a chilly one, particularly if you were one of the millions of women around the world who took part in a march in reaction to the inauguration of one Donald J. Trump.
In the art world, Maria Balshaw was announced as the new director of Tate – the first ever woman in the role.
February: monarchy and Moonlight
Queen Elizabeth II became the only British monarch to have reached her Sapphire Jubilee, having been on the throne for 65 years. She surpassed the 64 years on the throne of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.
At the end of February, Moonlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture, though confusion reigned on the night as La La Land was mistakenly announced as the winner. One of Moonlight’s stars, Mahershala Ali, made history as he became the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar.
March: the triggering of Article 50
Last year’s referendum was just the beginning of Brexit, and on 29th March Theresa May signed Article 50: the official declaration that we’d be leaving the EU, setting the exit date for March 2019. Tick tock.
April: going (a bit) greener
In April, the UK spent a continuous 24 period without deriving energy from any coal-fired source, the first time it has done so since the use of fossil fuel began.
May: En Marche!
Leonard Squirrell (1893–1979)
In the spring, France went to the polls to decide who their new president would be. After several rounds of voting, and a final choice between Emmanuel Macron and Marine le Pen, Macron won by a decisive margin and became France’s youngest-ever president.
Later in the year, Macron again increased interest in French politics by adopting Nemo, a labrador-griffin cross. Nemo lives in the Elysée Palace, greets foreign dignitaries, and sometimes pees in awkward places.
June: a general election
The snap general election was called by Theresa May in April, and took place on 8th June. The exit polls predicted a hung parliament – and they were right, leading Mrs May to form an alliance with the DUP.
July: all about Austen
This year marked 200 years since the death of Jane Austen. Events took place across the country to mark the bicentenary, and at Art UK we took a look at where we can find Jane Austen's England in art. This portrait is the only confirmed likeness of the author in existence.
Cassandra Austen
In September, the new ten pound note, featuring Jane Austen, came in to circulation, so now we can see the author every time we spend a tenner.
July also marked 50 years since the Sexual Offences Act of 1967, which was the start of the path towards full decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK.
And we won the World Cup! The women’s world cup. Of cricket. Obviously.
August: Big Ben stops bonging and a total eclipse of the sun
As the final chime rang out, the crowds and onlookers cheered. Big Ben’s famous bongs won’t be heard again until 2021 (apart from important occasions like Remembrance Sunday and New Years’ Eve), to protect the hearing of the workers carrying out essential repairs to the clock tower.
Meanwhile, across the pond, Americans gathered to witness a total solar eclipse. As the moon moved in front of the sun it caused night to fall and temperatures to drop for a few brief moments. Animals acted strangely, the president couldn’t resist looking directly at the sun, and then – back to normality.
Saint Denis Watching the Eclipse
(panel from an altarpiece) early 16th C
French School 
September: blowing in the wind
Harvey, Irma, Jose, Katia, Lee and Maria: the hurricanes whose almighty powers came to bear on the USA, Puerto Rico and numerous Caribbean islands in September, making it the most energetic month for hurricanes in the Atlantic ever recorded.
October: an homage to Catalonia
Despite a ruling that it was illegal, Catalonians held an independence referendum. While the vote came out in favour of seceding from Spain, scenes of violence from polling stations played out across the media and disputes over the region have been ongoing after Spain’s central government stepped in to impose their rule.
November: Paradise papers
Not quite as seismic a data leak as 2016’s Panama Papers, the Paradise Papers nevertheless shone a light on the tax practices of corporations and individuals alike. 13.4 million documents were leaked from the offshore firm Appleby and indicted pop stars and sports stars, monarchs and politicians.
December: when Harry and Meghan were photographed
At the end of November, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement to the world. In December, the couple released their official engagement photos – giving royal fans something to look forward to in 2018.
Good news
Among the year’s tumultuous events, there are nuggets of good news, including the location and capture of the first ‘cave squeaker’, a critically endangered series of frog, since 1962.
Anthony Preston Hillier (1942–2014) 
And Beyonce gave the world not one, but two new babies, announced via some carefully managed Instagram posts.
Happy New Year from Art UK!
Molly Tresadern, Art UK Content Creator and Marketer
