Looking for the best London exhibitions to see right now? From blockbuster museum shows to lesser-known gallery gems, London’s cultural scene is constantly changing. This regularly updated guide to the best London exhibitions in August 2026 helps you decide what to see and where to go.
Table of Contents
Top 5 London Exhibitions Right Now
My favourite London exhibitions at the moment.
- Queen Elizabeth: Her Life in Style at the King’s Gallery
- Tracey Emin at Tate Modern
- Zurbarán at the National Gallery
- David Hockney at Serpentine North
- Paint! Pattern! Print! at the Fashion and Textile Museum.
London Exhibitions Opening closing in August 2026 to catch now
Planning a visit soon? These are the most exciting new exhibitions opening in London this month.
- Zurbarán at the National Gallery, closes 23 August 2026
- Royal Academy Summer Exhibition closes 23 August 2026
- David Hockney: A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting at Serpentine North, closes 23 August 2026
- Hurvin Anderson at Tate Britain, closes 23 August 2026
- nora chipaumire: Gadzi at Tatę Modern, closes 23 August 2026
- Tracey Emin: A Second Life at Tate Modern, closes 31 August 2026
Best London Art Exhibitions August 2026
Barbican
Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica until 6 September 2026
As Panafricanism grows this exhibition takes a look that the role that visual art has taken in shaping visions for Panafrica
- Barbican Art Gallery, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS
- Open: Daily 10am – 7pm
- Admission: Black Planet £19
British Museum
Early Netherlandish Drawings until 20 September
Prints from Rogier van der Weyden, Lucas van Leyden, Pieter Bruegel the elder et al. Taking a look at the artists networks and studios in the Low Countries during the 1400s and 1500s. Free.
- British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG
- Open: Daily 10am -5pm (8.30pm on Friday)
- Admission: Samurai £17, Hawa’i £14, Netherlandish drawings Free
- Members free and Art Fund discounts
Courtauld Gallery
Hepworth in Colour until 6 September 2026
Barbara Hepworth is famous for exploring form, she was also obsessed with colour. Hepworth in Colour takes a look at this less well known preoccupation.
- Courtauld Gallery, Somerset House, WC2R 0RN
- Open: Daily 10am – 6pm
- Admission: £18 includes the whole collection
Design Museum
NIGO: From Japan with Love until 4 October
From couture at KENZO to street style NIGO has a cult following.
- Design Museum, High Street Kensington
- Open: Daily 10am – 6pm (until 9pm Friday and Saturday)
- Admission: West Anderson £26, NIGO £19
- Members free
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Portrait of a City: A Century of American Photography until 4 October 2026
Photographs of American cities taken over the past 100 years. Cityscapes, building and living in cities.
- Dulwich Picure Gallery, Gallery Road, SE21 7AD
- Open: Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 5pm
- Admission: £18 includes general gallery admission
Fashion and Textile Museum
Paint! Pattern! Print! until 13 September 2026
Celebration of Collier Campbell designs. The curtains in my first house were made of Collier Campbell fabric. I bought in the Liberty sale, as full price was way beyond my budget. Sadly the curtains are long gone.
- Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3XF
- Open: Tuesday – Saturday 11am – 6pm
- Admission: £11.50, Art card holders half price
Francis Crick Institute
We Go Way Back until 2 July 2027
Find out how DNA not only shapes who we are but how ground breaking research is affecting the way we treat disease.
- Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Rd, NW1 1AT
- Admission: Free
Garden Museum
Benton End: A Paradise of Pollen and Paint until 20 September 2026
The garden at Benton End in Hadleigh in Suffolk is a place of wonder. Created by Sir Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines. Lucian Freud and Beth Chatto both spent time at Benton End. Discover the Garden via artworks at this exhibition and then make plans for a horticultural East Anglian excursion.
- Garden Museum, Lambeth Palace Road, SE1 7LB
- Open: Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 4pm
- Admission: £14.50
Guildhall Art Gallery
Jock McFayden with Jem Finer: Underground (and Surface) until 20 September 2026
I can’t wait to see this pairing of Jock McFayden’s giant works featuring the London Underground and Jim Finer’s music.
- Guildhall Art Gallery, Guildhall Yard, EC2V 5AE
- Open: Daily 10am – 5pm
- Admission: Pay what you can
Hayward Gallery
Anish Kapoor until 18 October 2026
Major retrospective from the man who gave us Sky Mirrors and the Orbit in the Olympic Park.
- Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, SE1 8XX
- Open: Tuesday – Friday 10am – 6pm 8pm on Saturday
- Admission: £22
Kew Gardens
Henry Moore: Monumental Nature until 31 January 2027
Henry Moore sculptures set amid Kew Gardens, one to visit several times to see sculptures as the seasons change.
- Kew Gardens, TW9 3AE
- Open: Weekdays 10am – 7pm, Weekends until 8pm
- Admission: Adult £22 online, £25 at gate
- Exhibitions included in entrance to the gardens
- Kew members free
King’s Gallery
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life In Style until 18 April 2027
Quite simply the largest ever display of clothes and jewellery worn by the late Queen. We are promised her christening gown, wedding dress, and coronation dress. Along side more workaday outfits. There will letters to designers and sketches. A fashion treasure trove.
- King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, SW1A IAA
- Open: Daily 10am – 5pm
- Admission: £22 Booking essential
National Gallery
Zurbarán until 23 August 2026
Unmissable. Christ and saints wearing beautiful textiles. A giant painting of a head and still lives to real you want to eat the fruit.
Waldmüller: Landscapes until 20 September 2026
Friedrich Waldmüller was primarily known for his portraits but always paid great attention to the background. Overtime the people became smaller and the landscape more prominent. Beautifully observed depictions of the Austrian countryside.
- National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN
- Open: Daily 11am – 6pm (Friday until 9pm)
- Admission: Zurbarán £20/£22, Waldmüller Free
- Members free and Art Fund members half price.
National Portrait Gallery
Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait until 6 September 2026
Happy Birthday Marilyn 100 years old this year. To mark the occasion a selection of photographs of Marilyn from before she was famous, right up to the end.
- National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place WC2H 0HE
- Open: Daily 10.30am – 6pm until 9pm on Friday and Saturday
- Admission: £27
- Members free, Art Fund half price, over 60s half price on Mondays, Pay what you can on Saturday evening, tickets released on Friday for the next week.
Natural History Museum
Jurassic Oceans : Monsters of the Deep until 3 January 2027
Meet the dinosaurs that swam in pre-historic oceans.
- Natural History Museum, Cromwell Rd, SW7 5BD
- Open: Daily 10am – 6pm
- Admission: £15/£17.50
Pitzhanger Manor
Clare Woods: Garden Without Seasons until 8 November 2026
Big, flower inspired works from Clare Woods at John Soane’s country house.
- Pitzhanger Manor, Mattock Lane, Ealing W5 5EQ
- Open: Thursday – Sunday 11am – 7pm
- Admission: Adults £14
- Ealing residents pay-what-you-can on first Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings, Art Pass holders get a discount
Royal Academy
Summer Exhibition until 23 August 2026
Unmissable summer show featuring Royal Academicians alongside regular artists.
Richard Dadd: Beyond Bedlam until 25 October 2026
It all started so well for Richard Dadd. He was a scholar at the Royal Academy Schools, his art well thought off. He set off on a trip across the Eastern Mediterranean. On his return he began to experience delusions and ended up murdering his father. The rest of his life was spent in secure mental institutions. He never stopped painting. Beyond Bedlam showcases his extraordinary, mainly Fairy based work.
- Royal Academy, Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1J 0BD
- Open: Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 6pm
- Admission: Richard Dadd £15, Summer Exhibition £25.50
- Members free, art fund cardholders discount
Postal Museum
Jolly Postman until January 2027
Original artwork from The Jolly Postman by Janet and Allan Allberg. A trip down memory lane remembering both the book and the countless happy hours reading and re-reading it to the baby Cultural Wednesday twins.
- Postal Museum, 15 – 20 Phoenix Place, WC1X 0DA
- Open: Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 5pm
- Admission: £18.50
Serpentine Gallery
David Hockney: A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting until 23 August 2026
A Year in Normandie is a 90 metre long frieze inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry. See it, for the first time in London, for free at the Serpentine North. This will be popular, so pre-book your tickets. There will be some on the day walk up entry slots but you will have to queue.
Cecily Brown: Picture Making until 6 September 2026
Just a short stroll across the park you will find the landscapes of Cecily Brown.
Summer Pavilion
25th iteration of the Serpentine’s Summer Pavilion, this year designed by Mexico City based LANZA atelier.
Somerset House
Holy Pop! 21 until 9 August 2026
The power of fandom. I’m listening to David Cassidy to take me back to days of pre-teen pop fervour.
Somerset House
M C Escher: The Exhibition until 6 September 2026
Immersive exhibition featuring the work of the King of mind bending images M C Escher
- Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA
- Open: Sunday – Wednesday 10am – 6pm, Thursday – Friday 12pm – 8pm, Saturday 10am – 6pm
- Admission: Holy Pop! Pay What You Can, M C Escher £21.50
South London Gallery
Paulo Nimer Pjota: Encantados until 23 August 2026
Big colourful canvases from Brazilian Paulo Nimer Pjota who draws inspiration from art history, popular culture, mythology and folk tales.
- South London Gallery, 65-67 Peckham Road, SE5 8UH
- Open: Wednesday – Sunday noon – 6pm (9pm Wednesday)
- Admission: Free
Tate Britain
James McNeil Whistler until 27 September 2026
Everything you ever wanted to see by James McNeil Whistler, from the very famous works to rarely seen sketches.
Hurvin Anderson until 23 August 2026
Colour drenched canvases in this first major show ever devoted to Hurvin Anderson.
- Tate Britain, Millbank SW1P 4RG
- Open: Daily 10am – 6pm
- Admission: Turner & Constable £24, Hurvin Anderson £18
- Members free, art fund card holders discount
Tate Modern
Tracey Emin: A Second Life until 31 August 2026
Dame Tracey Emin has been creating art for forty years. She crashed into side public consciousness with her Turner Prize nominated My Bed. See the bed and work that followed. Book early, this will be popular.
nora chipaumire: Gadzi until 23 August 2026
Installation in the Tanks beneath Tate Modern expect to be immersed in dance, theatre, music, film, and sculpture FREE
Julio Le Parc: Light. Colour. Action. until 3 May 2027
Retrospective over a 50 year career creating shimmering sculptures, immersive light works and interactive sound art. £15
Frida: The Making of an Icon until 3 January 2027
30 works by Frida Kahlo and many more by artists inspired by her.
Ana Mendieta until 17 January 2027
I confess that Ana Mendita is new to me. That maybe because she mainly created ephemeral earth-body artworks and died in 1985. Looking forward to finding out more.
- Tate Modern, Bankside SE1 9TG
- Open: Daily 10am – 6pm
- Tracey Emin £20, Frida £25, Julio le Parc £15, Ana Mendieta £18, nora chipumire free
- Members free
V&A
Schiaperelli: Fashion Becomes Art until 8 November 2026
Elsa Schiaparelli not only created groundbreaking, beautiful clothes, she was also at the centre of an artistic network and a great entrepreneur. Frocks, shoes, jewellery and artwork, it should be a feast.
- Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL
- Open: Daily 10am – 5.45pm until 10pm on Fridays
- Admission: Marie Antoinette £23 (£25 weekends), Schiaparelli £28 (£30 weekends)
- Members free
V&A East
The Music is Black: A British Story until 3 January 2027
First exhibition in the brand new V&A East is devoted to 125 years of black music making in the UK. Costumes, music, lyrics, instruments and, of course, music.
- V&A East,107 Carpenters Rd E20 2AR
- Open: Daily 10am – 6pm
- Admission: £22.50 weekdays, £24.50 weekends
Wallace Collection
Winston Churchill: The Painter until 29 November 2026
Winston Churchill not as politician or revered leader but as an accomplished artist.
Wallace Collection at War until 25 October 2026
When World War II broke out the treasures of the Wallace Collection were evacuated for the duration. Instead of standing empty the building became the stage for some cultural diplomacy. Artists Aid Russia gathered 900 works by living artists and put them on show in Hertford House. Proceeds from the exhibition went to Clementine Churchill’s First Aid fund.
- Wallace Collection, Hertford House, Manchester Square W1U 3BN
- Open: Daily 10am – 5pm
- Admission: free, Winston Churchill £18
Wellcome Collection
The Coming of Age until 29 November 2026
One in ten children born today are expected to live to beyond 100 years old. The Coming of Age looks at how we treat people of different ages and what we can expect as we get older. Art works and artefacts explore what it is to age.
- Wellcome Collection, Euston Road, NW1 2BE
- Open: Daily 10am – 6pm
- Admission: Free
Whitechapel Gallery
Backyard Biennial: East until 6 September
A whole slew of exhibitions, workshops and events across East London, centred on the Whitechapel Gallery
- Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High St E1 7QX
- Open: Tuesday – Sunday 11am – 6pm, until 9pm on Thursday
- Admission: £16.50
Young V&A
Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends until 15 November 2026
Celebrate 50 years of Aardman. From Morph to Shaun the Sheep via Wallace and Gromit.
- Young V&A, Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9PA
- Open: Daily 10am – 5.45pm
- Admission: £12.50
Whilst I am out and about stopping for refreshment at an excellent London Museum Cafés is always a pleasure. Membership or Friendship of galleries and museums will often get you into the exhibitions for free as often as you like. Take a look at my guide to London Museum Membership for a full run down. Exiting through the gift shop is always a pleasure, take a look at my guide to London’s Museum Shops. Should you fancy a visit to a famous house, I have a handy guide to London’s Historic Houses.
