2023 is just around the corner, and for a 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 amazing 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 few free art exhibitions for the penny-pinchers among you – let’s face it this is London. Notably, under-25s can visit all Tate exhibitions for £5 when they join the free ‘Collective’. Oh, one other thing to note: the National Portrait Gallery has closed for three years of refurbishments, so if it’s on your bucket list, you’re facing a bit of a wait.
1. The Horror-Show! A Twisted Tale of Modern Britain, Somerset House
The Horror Show! A Twisted Tale Of Modern Britain delves into the last 50 years of creative rebellion and ideas rooted in horror, with over 200 artworks to cast your eyes on – each exploring horror as a reaction to the times the country has lived through. From the punk boom in the 70s to modern ideas of witchcraft, The Horror Show presents a chamber of spooky views on the nation through provocative art, both hoping to subvert and make sense of the world facing us. Fans of all things scary will delight at the fact that the exhibition is split into three different acts of psyches: Monster, Ghost, and Witch. Until Feb 19 2023. Price from £16.50. More info.
2. 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! Until April 2023. From £19.75. More info.
3. 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. Until February 27. Price from £13.90.
4. Harland Miller: Imminent End, Rescheduled Eternally, White Cube Gallery
This intriguing art exhibition addresses what acclaimed artist and writer Harland Miller calls ‘a perpetual imbalance’; between language and image, colour and form, the visual and the emotional. Designed to unearth themes of anxiety, love and mortality – that he argues are the foundations of the human condition – it’s certainly worth a trip to Bermondsey for. Until January 22 2023. Free! More info.
5. LuYang NetiNeti, Zabludowicz Collection
Enter the disorientating and darkly humorous worlds created by multimedia artist LuYang NetiNeti at this intriguing art exhibition in Chalk Farm. Immersed in the cultures of anime, video games and sci-fi, LuYang combines Buddhism, neuroscience and digital technology to investigate the mysteries and mechanics of the human body and mind. This is one you really don’t want to miss! Until February 12 2023. Free! More info.
6. In Plain Sight, The Wellcome Collection
‘In Plain Sight’ explores the different ways we see and are seen by others. It questions the central place that sight holds in human society through the different experiences of sighted, partially sighted and blind people. Through four different themes – ‘symbolism of the eye’, ‘bias in visual perception’, ‘eyewear and identity’, and ‘the interconnection between senses’ – you’ll be able to examine the tools that shape how we view the world through historical and contemporary artworks and objects. With commissions by artists such as Alexandra Zsigmond and Fayen d’Evie, you’ll get to travel all the way back to the days of the 1600’s. Sign us up! Until February 12 2023. Free! Find out more.
7. Making Modernism, Royal Academy of Arts
Making Modernism is dedicated to the pioneering women working in Germany in the early 1900s, showcasing the art of Paula Modersohn-Becker, Käthe Kollwitz, Gabriele Münter, and Marianne Werefkin. It’s the first major UK exhibition of its kind, and will bring together 65 unique works. Until February 12, 2023. Price £17 (without donation £15). More info.
8. Dalí Cybernetics: The Immersive Experience
Take an awe-inspiring journey into the incomparable universe of Salvador Dalí, the artistic genius behind surrealist masterpieces such as ‘The Persistence of Memory’ (famous for its melting clocks). Explore his life, his work, and his secrets as never before through cutting-edge 360-degree digital projections, a one-of-a-kind VR experience, and a uniquely atmospheric light and sound show. Become completely immersed in the works of art around you, and feel the shift in reality as you dive deep into the world created by Dalí’s brush strokes. Get your tickets for Dalí Cybernetics: The Immersive Experience in London here. Until February 25 2023. From £22.90.
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. Until February 26 2023. From £17.50.
10. Japan: Courts and Culture, Queen’s Gallery
The Royal Collection holds some of the most significant examples of Japanese art and design in the western world. This year highlights from this outstanding collection are brought together to tell the story of 300 years of diplomatic, artistic and cultural exchange between the British and Japanese royal and imperial families. Items on display include samurai armour, and diplomatic gifts from Royals. Until February 26 2023. From £17. Find out more.
11. M.K. Čiurlionis: Between Worlds, Dulwich Picture Gallery
Widely considered as Lithuania’s greatest artist, this eclectic art exhibition will explore over 100 different pieces of artwork by Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis – with many of them travelling to the UK for the first time. It will focus predominantly on humankind’s relationship to the universe, and examine the themes and motifs that aligned his art to European Symbolism. Until March 12 2023. Price £15. More info.
12. The EY Exhibition: Cézanne, Tate Modern
The EY Exhibition is sticking with French legends going into the new year; once Rodin has cleared out, they’ll welcome a huge show dedicated to Paul Cézanne. He astonished Paris with an apple, so imagine what he’ll do to London with a whole bevy of paintings. Until March 12, 2023. Price £22 More info.
13. 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. Until April 2 2023. Price £10.
14. Sculpture In The City, City of London
The tenth edition of this popular exhibition has set up shop in the City of London, boasting work from Alice Channer, Almuth Tebbenhoff, Bram Ellens, Elisa Artesero, Eva Rothschild and many more. Who said these art exhibitions had to be indoors? Until Spring 2023. Free! More info.
15. WEIRD SENSATION FEELS GOOD: The World of ASMR, Design Museum
This unique exhibition is the first of its kind to lift the world of ASMR out from your screen and into the physical space. You’ll be able to explore the emerging field of creativity that has grown up around this feeling and the work of designers and content creators who try to trigger it in their viewers. It’s definitely one to visit! Until April 10 2023. From £9.50. Find out more here.
16. Maria Bartuszová, Tate Modern
This Tate show takes Slovakian artist Maria Bartuszová as its subject, exploring the abstract sculptures she composed out of white plaster. Until April 16, 2023. Price £16 More info.
17. Africa Fashion, V&A Museum
While you’re here, why not give yourself a double whammy of art?! Africa Fashion is designed to ‘explore the vitality and global impact of a fashion scene as dynamic and varied as the continent itself’. Having received five star reviews across the board, it incorporates photographs, textiles, music and the visual arts in one hell of an art exhibition. Until April 16 2023. Price £16. More info.
18. A Year in Art: Australia 1992, Tate Modern
Expect to learn plenty at this show, which explores the relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have with their lands, modern Australia, and the legacy of colonialism. Until May 14 2023. Free! More info.
19. Magdalena Abakanowicz, Tate Modern
Part textiles, part sculptures; whatever Magdalena Abakanowicz’s ‘Abakans’ are, they’re certainly impressive. Filling Tate Modern’s Blavatnik Gallery, these imposing pieces will be hung from the ceiling. Until May 21, 2023. Free! More info.
20. Hallyu! The Korean Wave, V&A Museum
The V&A is bringing a massive cultural phenomenon to town this September, with the arrival of Hallyu! The Korean Wave, the first UK exhibition dedicated to the music, art, cinema, fashion, and beauty of modern South Korea. Which no doubt means K-pop fans will be queueing out the door to get inside… Until June 25 2023. Price £20. More info.
21. Lynette Yiadom-Boakye: Fly In League With The Night, Tate Britain
Portrait pro Lynette Yiadom-Boakye paints imagined characters in the style of classic European portraiture, and has been rewarded with her largest show yet. It was first exhibited in 2020, but since the pandemic ended the run early, Tate have planned another run from 2022. November 24 until February 26, 2023. Price £16. More info.
22. Spain and the Hispanic World, Royal Academy of Arts
From masterpieces by the famous artist Goya and Velázquez to treasured items all the way from Latin America, this exhibition gives you an insight into the rich story of Spanish and Hispanic art and culture from the ancient world to the early 20th century. You’ll get to explore over 150 fascinating works including the famous ‘World Map of 1526’ by Giovanni Vespucci and Sorolla’s monumental series of 14 paintings, known as the ‘Vision of Spain’. January 21 until April 10 2023. Price from £22. More info.
23. David Hockney: Bigger and Closer, Lightroom
Now, this man really needs no introduction. The legend that is David Hockney is back with a bang this January, 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. From January 25 until April 23 2023. Price £25. More info.
24. Beyond the Streets, Saatchi Gallery
Over 100 international artists will be featured in Beyond the Streets, a fantastic new exhibition which opens this February. The exhibition, supported by Adidas Originals, will be the most comprehensive graffiti and street art exhibition to open in the UK, and is set to take over all three floors of London’s famous Saatchi Gallery. Following successful art exhibitions in Los Angeles and New York, it will feature exceptional moments in the history of the movement, from the emergence of punk to the birth of hip-hop. This is definitely one you don’t want to miss! From February 17 to May 9 2023. Price from £15. More info.
25. Ai Weiwei: Making Sense, Design Museum
This major new exhibition – developed in collaboration with Ai Weiwei – will be the first to present his work as a commentary on design and what it reveals about our changing values. Through his engagement with material culture, Ai explores the tension between past and present, hand and machine, precious and worthless, construction and destruction.The exhibition draws on Ai’s fascination with historical Chinese artefacts, placing their traditional craftsmanship in dialogue with the more recent history of demolition and urban development in China. From April 7 2023 to July 30 2023. From £15. More info.
26. Luxury and Power: Persia to Greece, British Museum
This major exhibition at the British Museum will explore the relationship between luxury and power in the Middle East and southeast Europe between 550-30 BC. This was a period when the Persian empire of ancient Iran clashed with the cities and kingdoms of Greece before it was conquered by Alexander, king of Macedon, known to history as ‘Alexander the Great’. Among the exceptional loans to the exhibition is the extraordinary Panagyurishte Treasure from Bulgaria. Accidentally discovered by three brothers way back in 1949, these treasures are outstanding examples of ancient metalworking and demonstrate the influence of Persian and Greek luxury across the Balkans. From May 4 2023 until August 13 2023. From £12. More info.
27. The Offbeat Sari, Design Museum
The sari in urban India manifests as a site for design innovation, an expression of identity, and a crafted object carrying layers of cultural meanings. Curated by the Design Museum’s Priya Khanchandani, this exhibition will unravel its numerous forms, demonstrating the sari to be a metaphor for the layered and complex definitions of India today. It will bring together on loan dozens of the finest saris of our time from designers, wearers and craftspeople all across India. From May 19 2023 until September 17 2023. Price TBD. More info.
28. 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 delayed by the pandemic. From September 23 until December 10 2023. Price TBD. 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.