Women artists are everywhere right now, with a fantastic array of exhibitions on display in London bringing the best female artists to beloved galleries across the city. From exploring feminist ideals to exhibits highlighting world-famous artists, be sure to check out these must-visit, female-focused exhibitions before it’s too late.
With March marking Women’s History Month, one easy way to celebrate and honour this significant time of the year is by checking out a couple of these unmissable exhibitions, that not only display art by female artists, but explore important themes of feminism, womanhood, and beyond.
This is London, so there are so many incredible options to choose from, including a fabulous feminist art exhibit at Tate Britain, or the UK’s largest Yoko Ono exhibit at the Tate Modern. Keep on scrolling to find out some of our recommendations when it comes to essential exhibitions in London, celebrating women in the arts.
Exhibitions currently on display:
1. Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind, Tate Modern
As one of the many trailblazers of conceptual art, film, and performance, Yoko Ono is famed for being a formidable campaigner for world peace. Tate Modern have put together the UK’s largest exhibition celebrating key moments in Ono’s groundbreaking career, with a collection spanning over seven decades, including her years in London when she met her future husband and collaborator, John Lennon.
📍 Tate Modern, Bankside, London, SE1 9TG.
🚇 Nearest station is Blackfriars.
2. Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants, Saatchi Gallery
The Saatchi Gallery is one of the city’s favourite contemporary art museums, opening a spectacular exhibition on Women’s History Month celebrating Dutch female artists. Explore this fabulous collection of works by both renowned and up-and-coming artists, all exploring themes of solidarity, feminism, and beyond. It’s one of their free exhibitions so it’s a great option if you’re looking for fun and free things to do in the capital.
📍 Saatchi Gallery, Duke Of York’s Hq, King’s Road, SW3 4RY
🚇 Nearest station is Pimlico.
🎟️ Until May 12, free of charge
3. Ranjani Shettar: Cloud songs on the horizon, Barbican Conservatory
If you’ve never visited the gorgeous Barbican Conservatory, then this is your sign to do so! Sculptor Ranjani Shettar has completely transformed the space with her hand-crafted sculptures. The pieces are inspired by both the complexities of nature, as well as the space itself and what it means to Londoners. There are also night-time openings with the exhibition lit up beautifully to explore after-hours.
📍 Barbican Centre, Centre Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS
🚇 Nearest station is Barbican
🎟️ Until March 24, free of charge but booking advised
4. An Idea of Life, Women’s Museum
There’s a brand-new museum in Barking that celebrates the stories, heritage, and role of women and girls both locally and across the globe. Be sure to visit their inaugural exhibit, An Idea of Life, curated by Nephertiti Oboshie Schandorf and featuring newly commissioned works by Lesley Asare, Meera Shakti Osborne, and Sarina Mantle.
📍 4-5 Barking Wharf Square, London, IG11 7HZ.
🚇 Nearest station is Barking.
🎟️ From March 8, free of charge
5. Acts of Resistance: Photography, Feminisms, and the Art of Protest, South London Gallery
The power of photography has made the art form long-tied with acts of resistance, and this enthralling exhibit explores themes of feminism and activism from a contemporary perspective, featuring photographers from all over the globe. Acts of Resistance reflects on recent events on an international level, from intersectionality to the rise in violence against women and girls. This is a collaborative exhibition between the SLG and the V&A, part of the V&A Parasol Foundation Women in Photography Project.
📍 82 Peckham Road SE5 8UH
🚇 Nearest station is Peckham Rye
🎟️ From March 8 until June 9, free of charge
6. Angelica Kauffman, Royal Academy of Arts
A Neoclassical master has been highlighter major exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. Angelica Kauffman is famed for her celebrity portraits and history paintings, possessing huge influence by helping shape European art at the time. Another artist breaking boundaries, her history paintings focus largely on female protagonists from classical history and mythology. However, this collection spans her entire career, from her rise and fame in London to her later career in Rome.
📍 Burlington House, Piccadilly, Mayfair W1J 0BD
🚇 Nearest station is Green Park
7. Francesca Woodman & Julia Margaret Cameron: Portraits To Dream In, National Portrait Gallery
Photographers Francesca Woodman and Julia Margaret Cameron are two of the most influential women in the history of photography. Although they lived a century apart in vastly different locations, their portraiture and photography feel evolutionary, both known for their notions of beauty, symbolism, transformation, and storytelling.
📍 St Martin’s Place, WC2H 0HE
🚇 Nearest station is Charing Cross
🎟️ From March 21 until June 16, £9.50 (with donation)
8. Rong Bao Is Me, Saatchi Gallery
Another addition from the Saatchi Gallery, a cultural hotspot famed for its commitment to showcasing emerging talent in the contemporary art world. Rong Bao Is Me is a self-titled exhibition, paying testament to Bao’s playful style and evolution with sculpture. With total sensory immersion, this exhibit needs to be seen to be believed, inviting the viewer to get playful as we poke fun at soietal norms.
📍 Saatchi Gallery, Duke Of York’s Hq, King’s Road, SW3 4RY
🚇 Nearest station is Pimlico.
🎟️ Until May 12, free-of-charge
Upcoming exhibitions coming to London:
9. Now You See Us: Women Artists In Britain 1520-1920, Tate Britain
Boasting 400 years of works by renowned women artists, this exciting exhibition coming to the Tate Modern takes us back in time from Tudor times to the First World War, depicting the journey of many artists throughout history, who paved the way for generations of women. Often overlooked throughout art history, this exhibit flips the script and highlights women’s impact on the art world, breaking boundaries just like the pieces and artists present.
📍 Tate Britain, Millbank, London, SW1P 4RG
🚇 Nearest station is Pimlico
🎟️ From May 16 until October 13, £20
10. Judy Chicago: Revelations, Serpentine North Gallery
Famed for challenging the male-dominant landscape within the art world, Judy Chicago is a revolutionary artist who rose to fame in the late 1960s. Her work tackles several themes that ring true to her personal life, focused on spotlighting female perspectives within these realms. From her Jewish identity to notions of power; extinction; and a longstanding concern for climate justice, this fantastic exhibition is a powerful journey of activism through artistic expression.
📍 Serpentine North, West Carriage Drive, W2 2AR
🚇 Nearest stations are Lancaster Gate, Knightsbridge, and Hyde Park Corner.