35 upcoming art events
Venice unmasked: Canaletto and the portrait of a city
Thu, 23 Jul 2026
The National Gallery
Join a focused talk at the National Gallery exploring Canaletto’s view of Venice and how the city is portrayed in 18th-century painting. The session features expert-led conversations from curators and historians, revealing hidden details of cityscapes, light, and civic life in this celebrated exhibition.
Titanic Exhibition London
Sat, 25 Jul 2026 at 10:00
Olympia London
Titanic Exhibition London at Olympia London offers a rich, immersive journey through the famed voyage. View meticulously curated artifacts, reconstructed scenes, and interactive displays that bring maritime history to life for adults and families alike in an iconic West London venue.
Kew’s New Carbon Garden
Sat, 25 Jul 2026
Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens in London unveils the Carbon Garden, a permanent outdoor installation that blends planting and innovative design to showcase sustainable urban gardening.
Portrait of a City: A Century of American Photography
Tue, 28 Jul 2026 at 11:00
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Step into a century of American urban life through iconic photographs at Dulwich Picture Gallery. Portrait of a City traces how photographers captured people and spaces that built modern cities, offering a vivid, immersive view of American urban life.
The life and times of William Hogarth
Wed, 22 Jul 2026
The National Gallery
Explore the life and times of William Hogarth at the National Gallery with a dedicated members-only tour. This exhibition delves into Hogarth's 18th-century satirical painting and portraiture in a refined gallery setting.
Queer Diary: Zine-Making Evening
Thu, 6 Aug 2026 at 19:00
London LGBTQ+ Community Centre
Join the Queer Diary team for an evening of nostalgia, collage, and zine-making at the London LGBTQ+ Community Centre. Create your own personal Queer Teenage History zine, doodle your coming-of-age story, and share space with a friendly queer crowd while a throwback soundtrack plays.
Broken, Burnt, Buried: Ritual Lives of Objects in Ancient Egypt
Wed, 22 Jul 2026
University College London (UCL)
Explore how ritual objects illuminate life, death, and belief in ancient Egypt at UCL's Museums and Collections. The exhibition traces votive offerings, vessels, and other artifacts through hands-on context and expert interpretation, offering fresh perspectives on material culture.
Hurvin Anderson
Sun, 23 Aug 2026
Tate Britain
Experience Hurvin Anderson's intensely colourful paintings at Tate Britain. This exhibition surveys his vibrant explorations of memory and identity, blending bold palettes with nuanced landscapes in a striking gallery setting.
Beyond the body: From drawing to sculpture summer school
Fri, 4 Sept 2026
The National Gallery
Beyond the body: From drawing to sculpture summer school at MATERIAL Gallery in London offers hands‑on art making for everyone, guiding curious creators from sketch to sculpture in a welcoming space.
Paulo Nimer Pjota: Encantados
Sun, 23 Aug 2026 at 11:00
South London Gallery
Free contemporary art exhibition Encantados by Paulo Nimer Pjota at South London Gallery. The indoor show features immersive installations and sculptural works blending magical realism with contemporary practice, opening Aug 23, 2026.
Tracey Emin: A Second Life
Mon, 31 Aug 2026
Tate Modern
Explore Tracey Emin's intimate, confessional universe in a wide-ranging exhibition at Tate Modern. Tracey Emin: A Second Life surveys provocative installations and text works, inviting reflection on memory, vulnerability, and identity in a landmark London show.
Cleopatra: The Experience
Mon, 31 Aug 2026 at 10:00
ExCeL London
An immersive Cleopatra experience at ExCeL London that transports visitors to ancient Egypt with interactive displays, atmospheric rooms, and storyteller-led scenes. A cinematic, photo-friendly exhibit celebrating Cleopatra's history and allure.
Grand Designs Live London
Mon, 31 Aug 2026 at 10:00
ExCeL London
Grand Designs Live London at ExCeL invites design and home-improvement enthusiasts to explore the latest in architecture, interiors and renovation. Expect expert talks, live demos, and showroom booths from top brands, making it a must-see for homeowners and designers alike.
Marie Antoinette Style at the V&A
Sun, 20 Sept 2026
South Kensington
Sweep into the V&A South Kensington for the UKs first Marie Antoinette exhibition, tracing origins and revivals of the queen style through opulent gowns, shimmering silks, and dazzling period rooms.
The Jewellery Show
Wed, 2 Sept 2026 at 10:00
Olympia London
The Jewellery Show arrives at Olympia London on 2 September 2026, opening at 9:00, a premier trade exhibition for jewelry designers, retailers, and makers. Explore hundreds of collections, meet suppliers, and gain industry insights in this dynamic indoor venue.
The 90s
Thu, 8 Oct 2026
Tate Britain
The 90s at Tate Britain invites you into a decade of bold creativity and rebellious spirit, weaving provocative art with Tate’s grand spaces into a tactile, time-traveling stroll.
Paper & Tissue Show
Mon, 31 Aug 2026 at 10:00
ExCeL London
Experience the Paper & Tissue Show at ExCeL London, a design-forward art exhibition highlighting innovative paper crafts, tissue art, and packaging ideas. Discover immersive installations, live demonstrations, and designer talks that celebrate material versatility within a bright, modern expo hall.
Acton Depot Open Weekend
Fri, 18 Sept 2026
Acton, London
Not normally open to the public, Acton Depot Open Weekend invites visitors behind the scenes of a working museum storehouse, revealing hundreds of thousands of treasures tucked away in the depot’s sprawling archive.
Queer Diary: Zine-Making Evening
Thu, 5 Nov 2026 at 18:00
London LGBTQ+ Community Centre
Join the Queer Diary team for an evening of nostalgia and hands-on crafting at the London LGBTQ+ Community Centre. Create your own personal zine—collage, letters, drawings, and a coming-of-age theme—while a friendly queer crowd shares a throwback soundtrack. No prior experience needed; all supplies provided.
Light and Magic: The Birth of Art Photography
Wed, 14 Oct 2026
Tate Modern
Step into Tate Modern for Light and Magic, a vivid tour of pictorialism—the birth of art photography—tracing its globe-spanning rise from 1880s studios to 1960s galleries, with lush textures, daring visual poetry, and iconic moments.
Anish Kapoor
Sun, 18 Oct 2026
Hayward Gallery
Anish Kapoor's imposing, velvet-dark forms fill the Hayward Gallery's luminous spaces in London, turning color and scale into a meditative, awe-filled encounter with contemporary sculpture.
Hokusai: Thirty-six views of Mt. Fuji from the Iuchi Collection
Tue, 20 Oct 2026 at 11:00
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Explore Hokusai's Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji from the Iuchi Collection at Dulwich Picture Gallery. This focused exhibition reunites the complete series, inviting visitors to study Fuji’s changing moods, the precision of line, and the drama of seasonal landscapes in a world-class display.
Sabine Moritz
Wed, 7 Oct 2026 at 11:00
Garden Museum
A solo exhibition by Sabine Moritz at the Garden Museum from 7 October to 20 December 2026. The show presents Moritz's distinctive artworks in a garden-adjacent museum setting, offering a fresh look at contemporary art through botanical-inspired spaces.
Vanessa Bell & Duncan Grant
Thu, 12 Nov 2026
Tate Britain
Vanessa Bell & Duncan Grant spark Tate Britain with a Bloomsbury duet show, a vivid exploration of color, pattern, and intimate dialogue between two artists from the famed group.
Charlie Mackesy: The Boy, the Fox, the Mole, the Horse... And You
Tue, 3 Nov 2026 at 10:00
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Explore Charlie Mackesy's magical drawings in a dedicated one-room exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery. This intimate display brings together iconic scenes from his books and invites reflection on kindness and courage, included with standard gallery admission.
The Land Carries
Sat, 7 Nov 2026
University College London (UCL)
Explore landscape, memory, and material traces in a major UCL Museums and Collections exhibition. The Land Carries runs from 7 November 2026 to 16 May 2027, presenting works across sculpture, photography, and installation media in the university’s museum spaces.
Hyakkō: 100+ Makers from Japan
Thu, 3 Dec 2026
The Kensington
Hyakkō lands in Kensington, a vibrant celebration of contemporary Japanese craft, where clay, glass, wood, leather, metal and bamboo converge in a living mosaic from 120+ artists, craftspeople and designers, in a Kensington gallery glowing with warm spotlights and tactile install
See The Glorious Gloriana at St Katharine Docks
Thu, 31 Dec 2026
St Katharine Docks, E1WPrices: Free
View the ceremonial royal barge Gloriana moored at St Katharine Docks, a Jubilee-era icon now open for public viewing. This free, dockside glimpse lets Londoners admire the historic vessel and enjoy the marina setting near the Tower of London.
Monet: Painting Time
Thu, 25 Feb 2027
Tate Modern
Monet: Painting Time at Tate Modern offers a focused look at Claude Monet’s masterpieces, tracing his evolving brushwork and light across iconic canvases. Housed in Tate Modern’s dramatic spaces, the exhibition invites visitors to immerse themselves in the painter’s late-19th to early-20th century vision.
Historical Highlights Tours at Somerset House
Mon, 21 Dec 2026
Temple
Step into London's hidden past with Historical Highlights Tours at Somerset House—an upgraded one-hour journey through grand arches, intimate courtyards and surprising histories, guided by expert storytellers who bring the building to life.
Sonia Boyce
Wed, 24 Mar 2027
Tate Britain
Explore the powerful and playful works of Sonia Boyce at Tate Britain. This exhibition surveys the groundbreaking British artist's contributions to contemporary art, inviting reflection on race, identity, and collaboration within the gallery's historic spaces.
Aquarium
Sat, 26 Dec 2026 at 10:30
Horniman Museum and Gardens
Explore the Horniman's Aquarium exhibit inside the museum's halls, where vivid tanks showcase diverse marine life and interactive displays spark curiosity for visitors of all ages. A family-friendly, immersive outing that blends science and wonder in a welcoming London venue.
Two Centuries Here: The UCL200 exhibition
Thu, 18 Feb 2027
University College London (UCL)
A university-curated exhibition at UCL marking two centuries of the institution (UCL200). Explore historical artifacts, milestones, and scholarly displays spanning 18 Feb–31 Jul.
Thomas Gainsborough
Thu, 20 May 2027
Tate Britain
Explore Thomas Gainsborough's refined portraiture at Tate Britain in an exhibition that traces the painter's glamorous society portraits and elegant salon scenes in a London setting.
Wednesdays Pop-Up Displays: Amongst Visions
Thu, 14 Jan 2027
University College London (UCL)
The Wednesdays Pop-Up Displays program showcases visual art in a rotating, pop-up format at UCL's Museums & Collections. 'Amongst Visions' gathers contemporary works installed across university spaces, running from 14 January to 1 April, inviting students, staff and visitors to experience evolving displays each week.