Visit one of these fantastic exhibitions throughout the city for a dose of culture.
With collections spanning decades and buildings that are frequently works of art in and of themselves, London is home to some of the top art galleries in the world. As a result, the shows there are of the highest caliber. These are the shows motivating the next generation and fostering the growth of the city's creative ecosystem, ranging from classical to modern works by era-defining artists and movement-making revolutionaries to high-tech immersive experiences with visual effects and virtual worlds. To keep you informed about the top forthcoming exhibits in London in 2022 and 2023, we update this article every week with all the information you need to know.
The Arx Equilibrium
The most recent to rock Knightsbridge's art scene is a solo show by Dutch artist Lucas Thorik. Strong abstract paintings that contrast impasto white plaster with sprays and streaks of brilliant color or neon bursts explore the concept of balance. Thorik, who was influenced by the abstract expressionist movement, is well-known for applying his colorful magic to numerous canvases at once while they are set out on the floor. The most gloomy British winter evenings will be cheered by this display.
URL: thearx.com
Place of business: Arx, 197-205 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London SW3 1LB
Dates: Through Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Executions, London Docklands Museum
As the Museum of London Docklands debuts its most exciting exhibition, learn about the effects of 700 years of public executions. From the first public execution, which took place in London, also known as the "City of Gallows," in 1196 through the last, which occurred in 1868, the death penalty remained in use, but only behind closed doors. The show includes a variety of fascinating artifacts, from the elaborate silk vest allegedly worn by King Charles I during his death to personal items of jail reformer Elizabeth Fry, which tell the sometimes terrible human stories of persons behind the legends. Face the towering door of Newgate Prison, where hundreds of inmates took their last steps, and listen to the heartfelt farewell letters of those who paid the price for their misdeeds with their lives.
Address: Museum of London Docklands, No. 1 Warehouse, West India Quay, London E14 4AL
Visit the museumoflondon.org.uk website.
Cost: starting at £12 per person
Dates: until Sunday, April 16, 2023
Harrods's The Fabulous World of Dior
This festive period, Harrods is decked out entirely in Dior to honor the firms' seven-decade partnership and take tourists on a spectacular tour through Maison's history of fashion and beauty. Harrods' traditional green has been transformed with golden caramel tones to create The Fabulous World of Dior, fusing British flair with French elegance. 44 of the department store's windows are completely taken up by illuminating installations as part of the glam costume change. In addition to an amazing gingerbread house display with animated delights symbolizing Monsieur Dior's legendary 30 Montaigne atelier, the main Parisian shop, there is an all-day Dior café. Additionally, Harrods-only limited edition items exist. To top it all off, the gift store for cosmetics has a station where customers can add engraving to items like lipsticks, perfume bottles, and gift sets to make the ideal present. Darma Zahra Surya
Location: 87-135 Brompton Road, London SW1X 7XL (Door 9)
Internet address: thefabulousworldofdior.com
Cost: Free admission (must book in advance)
Date: Through January 3, 2023, Tuesday
Saatchi Yates, Danny Fox
It was only a matter of time until Danny Fox made a welcome comeback to the capital's art scene, especially in light of the popularity and praise of his first solo exhibition at Saatchi Yates back in 2021. Five large-scale paintings from this recent private exhibition at Burlington Arcade honor Danny's early influences in the manner of his Modernist heroes. After spending his early years in the St Ives suburbs, the artist traveled to Los Angeles before moving back to his hometown; in the engrossing The Sower, you can see the daffodil fields that surround his current house.
Address: 51 Piccadilly, London W1J 0QJ, 68-69 Burlington Arcade
URL: saatchiyates.com
Dates: Through Friday, January 20, 2023
British Museum: Hieroglyphs: Unlocking Ancient Egypt
With the British Museum's most recent intriguing exhibition, discover the mysteries of one of the oldest and most mysterious civilizations in the world. While millions of tourists travel the untamed Nile's waters and Egypt's desert landscapes every year in pursuit of precious artifacts, majestic pyramids, and mummies, hieroglyphs are all too frequently overlooked as a part of this civilization. This significant new exhibit commemorates one of the key turning points in our knowledge of these people: the discovery of their language more than 200 years ago. More than 240 pieces, many of which contributed to the decoding of the sequence of photographs on Egyptian landmarks, are on exhibit thanks to loans from national and international collections.
Location: The British Museum, Great Russell St, London, United Kingdom, WC1B 3DG
Website: britishmuseum.org
Adult tickets start at £18
Adult tickets start at £18
Somerset House / Stephen Chung
The Horrific Show Somerset House, "A Twisted Tale of Modern Britain"
The Horror Show!: A Twisted Tale of Modern Britain, one of London's most horrifying exhibits, is being presented by Somerset House as part of its autumn/winter calendar. The significant exhibition explores our most distressing eras over the past five decades and how artists have exploited national and international crises as a source of inspiration, going beyond horror as a genre. The three acts, Monster, Ghost, and Witch, look at the contemporary British mind. Noel Fielding and Richard Wells' artworks and installations tackle the 1970s punk movement, the 2008 financial crisis, and our hyper-connected society today.
Address: Somerset House, Strand, London, WC2R 1LA
URL: somersethouse.org.uk
Adult tickets start at £16.50.
Dates: Through February 19, 2023
81 Old Brompton Road, Auschwitz sightseeing
A powerful new exhibition detailing the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime has just arrived in South Kensington. Throughout the 60-75 minute showcase, more than 100 images of perpetrators, victims, and liberators are shown alongside testimonies from survivors. With a percentage of the earnings going to the Polish Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum as they work to assure the long-term preservation of the site, your attendance will help preserve history.
Location: South Kensington, London SW7 3LD, Old Brompton Road
Internet address: seeingauschwitz.com
Price per person: £16
Dates: Through Sunday, December 18.
Hayward Gallery's exhibit Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art
View works made of clay in a variety of unusual forms and aesthetics as the Hayward Gallery debuts a new exhibition, Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art, organized by Dr. Cliff Lauson. This exhibition, the first of its kind in the UK, examines how modern artists are creatively expressing themselves via the use of clay. It is appropriate given the rise in popularity of pottery and ceramics workshops across the nation. The exhibition features the creations of 23 worldwide and multi-generational artists, including well-known artists like Betty Woodman, Beate Kuhn, and Ken Price. The botanical installation by Klara Kristalova, a fanciful muddle of plants and ceramic sculptures inspired by the artist's workshop in the Swedish woods, is one of the exhibition's highlights.
Address: Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX, Southbank Center, Hayward Gallery
Southbankcentre.co.uk is the website.
Dates: Through January 8th, Sunday.
Bailey: Vision and Sound, 45 Park Lane
Discover previously unseen images from David Bailey's famous 60-year career in his new show, The Bailey: Vision and Sound, which offers a glimpse into the worlds of pop culture luminaries. Bailey is most known for using photography to define how the world saw the Swinging Sixties. Among his idols were Grace Jones, Bob Dylan, and Kate Bush, all of whom may be found in this remarkable archive. Highlights of the exhibition include an original canvas painting of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, as well as outtakes from the photo, shoots Bailey performed for album covers, such as the sleeve for The Rolling Stones' Jumpin' Jack Flash.
Place of business: 45 Park Lane Hotel, 45 Park Lane, London, W1K 1PN
Website: dorchestercollection.com
until January 2023.
The Wallace Collection's Richard III-themed book, The Lost King
An exhibition on Richard III has arrived at The Wallace Collection in advance of the fall release of the movie The Lost King (starring Sally Hawkins and Steve Coogan), which is coincidentally 10 years after the controversial monarch's remains were found buried beneath a parking lot in Leicester. Examine some of the most well-known and well-preserved examples of late medieval armor before viewing Paul Delaroche's 1831 masterwork Edward V and The Duke of York in the Tower, which depicts the two young lives the 'hunchback King' is alleged to have slain. For decades, writers, painters, and designers have drawn inspiration from the artifacts in The Wallace Collection, and the curator, Dr. Tobias Capwell, provided historical guidance for the production of the new movie. You're in excellent hands to weigh the data and reach your conclusions on one of the most baffling people in British history.
Address: The Wallace Collection, Hertford House, Manchester Square, London W1U 3BN
URL: wallacecollection.org
Dates: Through January 8, 2023
Roadman Times New, Browns East Gallery
Times New Roadman has up until lately unwittingly stayed unidentified despite his sharp, sarcastic observations on contemporary culture. Now, the artist (real name Niall Gallagher) from Bournemouth is breaking into the mainstream with a new exhibition of 30 paintings at London Gallery Browns East. After graduating from Bristol, Times New Roadman created a painting with a satirical take on culture, a Penguin Classic of a downward-facing dog. This painting became his first to be sold. He currently shares several works with the world that represent contemporary trends and attitudes, with clues to political events, and describes his work as a "visual marmite." Expect the exhibition walls to stare at you with phrases like "You're not 'The Wolf of Wall Street you simply have £150 in crypto" and "The worst night of my life: Boxpark Shoreditch"; whether you leave feeling inspired or offended is up to you.
Address: 21 Club Row, London E2 7EY, Browns East
URL: brownsfashion.com
Dates: Through Saturday, December 31, 2022
We are Queer Britain, Queer Britain.
With a first exhibition covering every facet of queer history, the Queer Britain Museum, which inaugurated its Kings Cross location this summer, is poised to solidify its position as a landmark of LGBTQ+ education—50 years after the UK's first pride march. Oscar Wilde's posthumously released 1897 letter from Reading Prison will be among the records on exhibit, which will span more than 100 years of history. On show will be Duncan Grant's recently found pornographic artwork as well as outfits from significant events, including an Olly Alexander Glastonbury 2019 rainbow performance dress and a rainbow hijab loaned by Faizan Fiaz. The exhibition, a wholly immersive experience, will also include a virtual reality space with cutting-edge technology created to preserve the tales of significant persons, as well as a reading section with a variety of books accessible to explore on shelves.
Address: 2 Granary Square, London, N1C 4BH, Queer Britain
Internet address: queerbritain.org.uk
Through the spring of 2023
Beatrix Potter's "Dreams of Nature," V&A
Nothing keeps kids amused on a gloomy winter day like a family-friendly display. Here comes the crew from the V&A, who are launching an exhibition in honor of Beatrix Potter, everyone's favorite author, and natural scientist. As well as personal items like letters, manuscripts, and diaries that highlight Potter's life as a gifted lady who was attracted by the natural world, the exhibition will feature original watercolors and paintings for adults to marvel at.
Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature, Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL
URL: vam.ac.uk
Dates: Through January 8, 2023, Sunday
Price: £14
Hew Locke: The Procession, Tate Britain
Every year, a new artist installs a unique commission that will be on view for a whole year in the enormous Duveen Galleries at Tate Britain. Hew Locke, a British sculptor with a Brixton studio, is the creator of the 2022 version. Here, he exhibits some of his earlier works, including portraits of Queen Elizabeth II from the 2005 Sovereign series. Throughout, there are references to Indian and Indo-Caribbean culture, especially Carnival culture, as well as visuals that recall the atrocities of colonialism and slavery as well as the environmental disaster.
The address for Hew Locke is The Procession at the Tate Britain in Millbank, London SW1P 4RG.
URL: tate.org.uk
Dates: Through Sunday, January 22, 2023
Cost: Free
Tate Modern, Hyundai Commission, and Cecilia Vicua
The most recent artist chosen to transform Tate Modern's Turbine Hall for the Hyundai Commission 2022 is Chilean artist Cecilia Vicua. Vicua has been writing for 50 years, during which time her works have focused on feminist and environmental themes. She is best known for creating sculptures out of trash and debris as well as knotting colored strings, an Andean method of communication.
Address: Bankside, London SE1 9TG, Tate Modern
URL: tate.org.uk
Through April 2023
Beyond London's Streets: Saatchi Gallery
The largest street art show in the UK to date features 150 artists. It is the first time in eight years that an exhibition has taken up the whole 70,000 square-foot Saatchi Gallery for an event showcasing original art, photography, fashion, and immersive installations from top creatives. The show explores significant events in contemporary street art history, from graffiti on trains to fashion that has fluctuated on the trend-o-meter. This one is worth scheduling in advance since it follows a tried-and-true structure that has attracted sell-out crowds in New York and Los Angeles.
URL: saatchigallery.com
Address: King's Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4RY, Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York's HQ
Price: Starting at £15 When: Friday, February 17, through Tuesday, May 9, 2023