We’re now well into 2023 (Summer is finally here!), and for a real full-on art attack, London has you covered. Below, we’ve rounded up all the current and upcoming art exhibitions from London’s major galleries and museums, from the Tate Britain and Tate Modern to Somerset House, the V&A and the National Gallery.
These art exhibitions in London encompass everything from classic works to cutting-edge modern pieces, but all offer something for the curious. Prices quoted are generally for adults in advance. On-the-day, walk-up tickets will be a few pounds more, while students and other concessionary fares may be slightly less. There’s even a fair few free art exhibitions for the penny-pinchers among you here – winner, winner!
1. Frameless, Marble Arch
Frameless is a brand new culturally-rich, immersive, multi-dimensional art experience right in the heart of Central London.
Set within a 30,000 square-foot-venue, it offers four different galleries, and elevates the traditional art experience to a whole new level. Add in 158 state-of-the-art surround sound speakers and over 479 million pixels of light, and you can see that you’re in for a real experience here!
Frameless, 6 Marble Arch, London, W1H 7AP.
Nearest station is Marble Arch.
🎟️ Until October 31 2023. From £19.75. More info.
2. We Are Queer Britain, Queer Museum
The award-winning Queer Britain museum opened back in 2022, with an aim to save and preserve LGBTQ+ history, and the award-winning ‘We Are Queer Britain!‘ exhibition remains in place at Queer Britain.
The exhibition, which arrived in 2022 shortly after the museum’s opening, marks the 50th anniversary of the UK’s first Pride March. It’s described as “a diverse and rich array of artifacts that culminates voices, objects and images from the worlds of activism, art, culture and social history covering over 100 years of queer life.”
Queer Britain, 2 Granary Square, London, N1C 4BH.
Nearest station is Kings Cross St. Pancras.
🎟️ Open indefinitely. Free! More info.
3. Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Rooms, Tate Modern
The mesmerising mirrored rooms of Yayoi Kusama delight whenever and wherever they appear, and that includes Tate Modern, where a pair of delightfully trippy installations have appeared. The first of these, named ‘Filled with the Brilliance of Life’, has spent plenty of time at Tate Modern, back when the gallery hosted a Kusama retrospective in 2012, and is one of the artist’s largest Infinity Rooms.
The other, entitled ‘Chandelier of Grief’, depicts a Swarovski-encrusted chandelier inside a mirrored room, which gives the impression of endless chandeliers stretching around you, as if one were in the most gloriously OTT dining room imaginable.
Tate Modern, Bankside, London, SE1 9TG.
Nearest station is Blackfriars.
🎟️ Until September 30 2023. Price £10. More info.
Colors Festival has finally opened its doors in London and you can still grab your tickets for it. It’s taking over 1000m² of reimagined space in one of London’s street art hubs, Camden for an unforgettable art experience. Taking place in Camden Market’s Hawley Wharf, you will get the chance to see the works of 35 incredibly talented artists from both the international and local art communities. The experience spans a number of artistic mediums and is displayed in larger than life fashion in rooms themed by colour.
1 Dockray Place, Camden Market Hawley Wharf, London, United Kingdom, NW1 8JZ.
Nearest station is Camden Town.
🎟️ Until September 24. Tickets from £15. Get your tickets here.
5. David Hockney: Bigger and Closer (Not Smaller & Further Away), Lightroom
Now, this man really needs no introduction. The legend that is David Hockney is back with a bang at this fantastic art exhibition, taking us on a journey exploring over 60 years’ worth of his art.
In a cycle of six themed chapters – with a specially composed score by Nico Muhly and a commentary by the artist himself – Hockney reveals his process to us in a brand-new, fully-projectable space in London’s Kings Cross St. Pancras. It promises to be an excellent addition to this art exhibitions roundup that’s for sure.
Lightroom, 12 Lewis Cubitt Square, London, N1C 4DY.
Nearest station is Kings Cross St Pancras.
🎟️ Until December 3 2023. Price £25. More info.
6. The Offbeat Sari, Design Museum
Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6AG.
Nearest station is High Street Kensington.
🎟️ Until September 17 2023. Price £12.60. More info.
7. Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, Commercial 106
One of the most popular art exhibitions of the year has to be this incredible immersive installation dedicated to Vincent Van Gogh, where you can literally step into his paintings.
Treat yourself to this all-encompassing, 360-degree display of the Dutchman’s work – which takes over all your surroundings with the use of several dozen projectors and hyper-realistic VR headsets. Tickets for this exhibition have been flying out faster than any swish of any paintbrush could manage, so grab yours here before they’re gone.
Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, 106 Commercial Street, London, E1 6LZ.
Nearest stations are Liverpool Street and Aldgate East.
🎟️ Until September 30 2023. Price from £13.90.
8. Monet: The Immersive Experience
Embark on an astonishing journey through the incomparable universe of Claude Monet, one the greatest artistic geniuses of the nineteenth century at the Boiler House in Brick Lane. Explore his life, his career, and his secrets like never before with the help of 360º digital projections and a unique virtual reality experience. Immerse yourself in Monet’s Impressionist artwork, and step into the world created by his brushstrokes – this is one you really don’t want to miss! Get a hold of your tickets here.
Monet: The Immersive Experience, Boiler House, 152 Brick Lane, London, E1 6RU.
Nearest station is Shoreditch High Street.
🎟️ Until September 30 2023. Price from £21.
9. Dopamine Land: An Immersive Experience, 79-85 Old Brompton Road
Can you imagine a space created just to delight your senses and stimulate dopamine? Welcome to Dopamine Land, the immersive experience in London, an interactive museum of dopamine-inducing sensory experiences.
Explore a series of spaces designed to stimulate touch, sight, smell and even memory. Pop bubbles, relax in meditative spaces, and channel the limitless imagination of your inner child. Grab your Dopamine Land tickets here.
Dopamine Land, 85 Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, London, SW7 3LD.
Nearest station is South Kensington.
🎟️ Until September 30 2023. From £17.50.
10. Crown to Couture, Kensington Palace
The glittering world of the Georgian court will come head-to-head with the high glamour of the modern-day red carpet in a new exhibition set to open at Kensington Palace – famously a stage set for historic fashion – this April.
Crown to Couture will see contemporary couture worn by high-profile celebrities including Lizzo and Lady Gaga, displayed alongside historic costumes – drawing fascinating parallels between the world of the red carpet and the world of the Royal Court in the 18th century.
To bring the experience to life, Historic Royal Palaces – the charity that cares for Kensington Palace – is working with Emmy award-winning production designer Joseph Bennett, who is best known for his creation of Alexander McQueen’s famous catwalk shows.
Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, London, W8 4PX.
Nearest stations are High St Kensington and Queensway.
🎟️ Until October 29 2023. £25.40. More info.
11. Paula Rego: Crivelli’s Garden, National Gallery
This intriguing exhibition explores the relationship between Dame Paula Rego’s monumental painting, Crivelli’s Garden, and the 15th-century altarpiece and National Gallery staff that inspired it. It is designed to celebrate Dame Paula’s connections to the National Gallery and her time as a resident artist, and is a tribute to the work and life of one of the most important artists of her generation.
National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DN.
Nearest station is Charing Cross.
🎟️ Until October 29 2023. Free. More info.
12. Tracing Freud on the Acropolis, Freud Museum London
Located on a limestone hill high above the city, the Acropolis of Athens in Greece is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. Over time, the site has been a fortress, a religious centre and a major cultural monument – and it was a favourite spot of none other than Sigmund Freud, who paid it a visit in 1904. Tracing Freud on the Acropolis opened earlier this Summer at the Freud Museum London, and it brings together archives, images and objects exploring Freud’s journey to Greece, and his encounter with the Acropolis.
Freud Museum, 20 Maresfield Gardens, London, NW3 5SX.
Nearest station is Finchley Road.
🎟️ Until January 7 2024. From £14. More info.
13. Capturing The Moment, Tate Modern
The arrival of photography changed the course of painting forever. In this unique exhibition, we explore the dynamic relationship between the two mediums through some of the most iconic artworks of recent times. From the expressive paintings of Pablo Picasso and Paula Rego, to striking photographs by Hiroshi Sugimoto and Jeff Wall, you’ll see how these two distinct mediums have shaped each other over time.
Tate Modern, Bankside, London, SE1 9TG.
Nearest station is Blackfriars.
🎟️ Until January 28 2024. From £20. More info.
14. The Spaces In-Between, Outernet
This fantastic (and free!) art exhibition is brought to you by the immersive experience studio Pixel Artworks and visual light artist Rupert Newman at London’s hottest new venue Outernet – the largest digital exhibition space in the whole of Europe.
It consists of three separate artworks: ‘Tessellations’ and ‘Transcendence’ – which will transport visitors through a digital natural world – and ‘A Step Beyond’, where geometric shapes respond to your every body move!
Outernet, Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 8LH.
Nearest station is Tottenham Court Road.
🎟️ Until the foreseeable future. Free! More info.
15. Martin Wong: Malicious Mischief, Camden Arts Centre
Martin Wong is widely recognised for his extraordinary depictions of social, sexual and political scenographies from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. This upcoming exhibition is designed to weave together narratives of queer existence, marginal communities, and urban gentrification, and Wong stands out as an important countercultural voice at odds with the art establishment’s reactionary discourse at the time. His work offers an important insight into a decisive period of recent American history, as told through its changing urban landscapes and unfolding hidden desires.
Camden Arts Centre, Arkwright Road, London, NW3 6DG.
Nearest station is Finchley Road & Frognal.
🎟️ Until September 17 2023. Free! More info.
16. A World In Common: Contemporary African Photography, Tate Modern
Bringing together a group of artists from a whole host of different generations, this much-anticipated photography exhibition at the Tate Modern ‘will address how photography, film, audio, and more have been used to reimagine Africa’s diverse cultures and historical narratives‘. Running from July 2023 until January 2024, it’ll reflect aspects of the whole continent and will explore themes of spirituality, identity, urbanism and the climate emergency too. Definitely worth of its place on this art exhibitions roundup then!
Tate Modern, Bankside, London, SE1 9TG.
Nearest station is Blackfriars.
🎟️ Until January 14 2024. Price £17. More info.
17. Up Close & Personal, Haricot Gallery
This fantastic show comprises of paintings, works on paper, and photography by artists: David Surman, Alfie Kungu, Maisie Cousins, András Ladocsi, Jessica Rose Bird, Kevin Ford, Mingxuan Zhang, and Yulia Zinshtein. The exhibition weaves together the creative narratives of these eight artists, inviting you to delve into a world where intimate details and profound closeness take centre stage. At a time when our attention often gravitates towards the grand and sweeping, this exhibition serves as a captivating reminder to pause, lean in, and immerse ourselves in the intricate beauty of life’s minutiae. Sign us up!
Haricot Gallery, 2 Blackall Street, London, EC2A 4AD.
Nearest stations are Old Street and Shoreditch High Street.
🎟️ Until September 30 2023. Free. More info.
18. Be Human, Carnaby Street
Carnaby Street has unveiled a vibrant immersive art experience, in partnership with artist Kris Andrew Small, as part of the ‘Carnaby in Colour’ campaign. The installation is located at 57 Carnaby Street until September 27 2023.The eye-catching space, which has been designed by Kris Andrew Small, features a bright floor to ceiling wrap-around artwork and offers limited edition prints and apparel for sale. Plus, there will be a line-up of immersive workshops, including screen printing with People of Print, Live LDN Painting and a panel talk. The installation is centred around the message of ‘Be Human’ encouraging visitors to experience life in all its colours and potential. It’s definitely not one to miss!
Carnaby Street, W1F 7DU.
Nearest station is Oxford Circus.
🎟️ Until September 27 2023. Free. More info.
19. Marina Abramović, Royal Academy of Arts
Time for a spot of performance art, as pioneering practitioner Marina Abramović once again tests her physical and mental limits in the first major UK exhibition of her work. Like many art exhibitions, however, this one was also delayed by the pandemic.
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BD.
Nearest stations are Piccadilly Circus, Green Park, Oxford Circus and Bond Street
🎟️ From September 23 2023 until December 10 2023. Price TBD. More info.
20. Frans Hals, The National Gallery
Four hundred years since they were painted, Frans Hals’s exquisite portraits still breathe with life. Some 50 of Hals’s finest works will be brought together, including the exceptional, first-ever loan of his most famous picture, ‘The Laughing Cavalier’ (1624), from the esteemed Wallace Collection. From small works to large group portraits, there will be many different things here for you to enjoy – so don’t miss out!
The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DN.
Nearest stations is Charing Cross.
🎟️ From September 30 2023 until January 21 2024. Price £20. More info.
21. Sylvia Snowden: M Street on White, Edel Assanti
Edel Assanti is pleased to present the first UK solo exhibition of paintings by acclaimed Washington D.C.-based artist Sylvia Snowden (b. 1942, Raleigh, North Carolina), organised in collaboration with Franklin Parrasch Gallery, New York. Her singular painting oeuvre now spans over six decades, and she’s renowned for her gestural brush marks and densely worked surfaces. Conceived in thematic series, Snowden’s works commemorate everyday experiences of ordinary people.
Edel Assanti, 1B Little Titchfield Street, London, W1W 7BU.
Nearest stations is Oxford Circus.
🎟️ From September 14 2023 until October 28 2024. Price TBD. More info.
22. 0º00 Navigation at The Line, East London
From Sunday September 17, marking the launch of London Sculpture Week, East London’s public art trail, The Line, will present 0º00 Navigation, a body of work by artist Simon Faithfull, which relates to two epic journeys he undertook in order to trace 0° line of longitude across the planet. The project seeks to explore the paradoxes and absurdities of this hypothetical line, whilst leading visitors into the thriving biodiversity on the banks of the River Lea.
The Line, East London.
Nearest stations are Stratford and North Greenwich.
🎟️ From September 17 2023. Free. More info.
23. Hiroshi Sugimoto: Time Machine, Hayward Gallery
The Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
Nearest station is Waterloo.
🎟️ From October 11 2023. From £16. More info.
24. Plains to Coast, Patrick Mavros
This month, a brand-new pop-up exhibition by contemporary landscape artist and founder of Art for Charity Collective (ACC) Lucy Kent is arriving into London Town. This is Lucy’s first oeuvre inspired by the African landscape, which displays her signature style with a Kenyan twist whilst raising money for two Kenya charities – Lion Guardians and Diani Children’s Village. Having trained originally in portraiture at Charles Cecil in Florence, Lucy has painted professionally since 2004. Earlier this year she travelled to Kenya with The Luxury Safari Company and explored the Chyulu Hills, Lake Naivasha and Diani Beach. The country’s vast expanses of land and sky, never-ending acacia trees, white sand beaches and bright blue sea provided her with endless inspiration and served as the perfect subjects for her dynamic brushstrokes, allowing her to convey the sense of energy that defines her work.
Patrick Mavros, 104-106 Fulham Road, London, SW3 6HS.
Nearest station is South Kensington.
🎟️ From September 20-23 2023. Free. More info.
So there you have it – a rundown of some of the best art exhibitions in London. So what are you waiting for culture vultures? Get out there and explore!
Also published on Medium.