Last Updated on January 16, 2025
Look forward to plenty of fine art in the city
At London Unattached we like to keep on top of all ‘matters cultural’ in the city. This week we are looking at what is coming up in the world of fine art and what exhibitions to look out for in the months ahead.
London is home to more art museums and galleries, art fairs, and artists’ studios than could be visited in one day if all you did was move from one place to another. So one has to be selective. Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities in London for whatever art form interests you most. I regularly visit the major art museums where I enjoy seeing the work of artists with whom I am familiar as well as being challenged by new artists and ideas.
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Tate Britain
The original Tate, this museum, became Tate Britain after Tate Modern opened in 2000. You can hop on a boat to ferry you between the two museums if you have the energy for both in one day.
Until 13 October, Tate Britain has an important exhibition, much overdue some would say. Now You See Us: Women Artists 1520 – 1920 presents over 150 works of women artists who were thought of as amateurs. In fact they bravely challenged prevailing attitudes to women artists by painting subjects considered to be the preserve of male artists: nudes, battle scenes and historical subjects. This group of women opened pathways for post-WWI women artists who, even 100 years on are still working towards parity. When I saw the show it made my blood boil, not because the work is controversial, but due to the myriad ways in which women artists were thwarted and barred from the profession.
Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1 4RG
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is one of the must-see art museums in London. You can spend the day enjoying the permanent collection for free. The temporary exhibitions (these are charged for) are almost always worth seeing.
The shows are large and there are usually several running at any time, especially since Tate Modern almost doubled its exhibition space with the Blavatnik Wing that opened in 2016. Running until 26 January 2025 is one of the best exhibitions I have seen in many years. Zanele Muholi is a photographer from South Africa who describes themselves as a visual activist, photographing and celebrating the lives of South Africa’s Black LGBTQIA+ communities. While these communities are protected by law by South Africa’s progressive constitution, in reality, there is a great deal of prejudice and violence. Many of the portraits document the lives of these communities and there is also a substantial body of work in which Muholi takes self portraits which reminded me of the work of Cindy Sherman, using themselves as a canvas. The large-scale images are stunningly powerful.
Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG
The National Gallery
Taking pride of place overlooking Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery is always worth a visit either for its blockbuster exhibitions or for a wander through some of the permanent collection.
Come autumn, the latest spectacular show is Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers. This is going to be hugely popular so do not delay in booking tickets. Part of the National Gallery’s 200th birthday celebrations, the exhibition opens on 14 September and runs until 19 January 2025. The National Gallery describes this show as a once-in-a-century exhibition. Not only will it include some of Van Gogh’s most loved works, it will include pieces that are rarely seen in public.
The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN
National Portrait Gallery
Another perennial favourite haunt of art lovers in the city is the National Portrait Gallery, just around the corner from the National Gallery. If you haven’t yet visited since its extensive renovation, treat yourself this autumn. The space is transformed by the new entrance on Ross Place although you can still use the old one. The downstairs tearoom is also a lovely space to catch your breath with tea and some delicious sandwiches. I find it is always a toss-up between seeing the exhibition first or having tea first. A bit like putting jam or cream first on your scone. It’s good both ways.
One show I am very excited for is Francis Bacon: Human Presence which opens on 10 October and runs until 19 January 2025. It will explore Bacon’s connection to portraiture and his way of challenging the genre. The exhibition will trace Bacon’s life history with portraits of his lovers Peter Lacy and Goerge Dyer as well as sitters such as Lucian Freud and Isabel Rawsthorne. Self-portraits will be included as well.
Many museums have reduced prices for under-25s and seniors (50 % off adult prices for the over-60s on Mondays). This gallery also has a Pay What You Wish scheme (minimum payment of £1) on Saturdays from 17.30 – 20.00 and Sundays from 10.30 – 12.00.
National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London WC2H 0HE
Royal Academy of Arts
Once the Summer Exhibition closes its doors in mid-August, the main halls of the Royal Academy of Arts will prepare for the opening of the exhibition of the work of Michael Craig-Martin RA (21 September – 10 December). He is a key figure in British art and this exhibition is a retrospective of his 60-year-long career. A renowned sculptor, the galleries will exhibit installations, and immersive digital works alongside his large-scale vivid colour paintings of everyday objects for which he is so well known. This promises to be the most comprehensive exhibition of Craig-Martin’s work ever assembled in the UK.
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD
Hayward Gallery
Situated on London’s Southbank, the Hayward Gallery has long been the home of some cutting-edge artwork. The large exhibition halls provide a spacious feeling so it never seems too crowded. It is well designed for exhibiting large installations and over the decades there have been shows that linger in the mind due to the sensory experiences.
Opening in October is Haegue Yang: Leap Year (9 October – 5 January 2025). I was intrigued by this title as I had not heard of the artist. Born in Seoul in 1971, Yang’s oeuvre spans a wide range of media from paper collage to performative sculpture and sensory installations. She also draws on a wide range of influences from East Asian traditions and folklore to modernism, nature and contemporary art history. The exhibition is the first major show in the UK of this internationally acclaimed artist.
Hayward Gallery, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX
Dulwich Picture Gallery
A much loved and smaller gallery than the other big hitters above, the Dulwich Picture Gallery is situated in leafy Dulwich as the name suggests. I find this to be a gem of a gallery which often introduces me to artists with whom I am unfamiliar. Although it is off the beaten track for those who do not reside in south London, it is well worth making the effort to visit. I usually make a day trip of a visit, seeing the exhibition and then strolling around the area and finding a spot for lunch. There is also a tearoom in the grounds.
Just announced is the autumn exhibition entitled Tirzah Garwood: Beyond Ravilious. Opening on 19 November, it runs until 26 May 2025. This will be the first major exhibition of the work of this designer and artist since 1952. Her mid-century works (she died in 1951) will be showcased – over 80 pieces almost exclusively from private collections. She is better known as the wife of Eric Ravilious (hence the title) who wrote the autobiography Long Live Great Bardfield. It seems that a deeper look at her own work is overdue and this show will provide the opportunity for the public to gain an appreciation of her distinctive output.
Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, London SW21 7AD
Moco Museum
Moco (modern contemporary) is a new museum opening in Marble Arch on 8 August. Having visited the branches of this museum in both Barcelona and Amsterdam, I can confidently recommend buying a ticket to experience some of the exciting artworks they will display. These include very popular and accessible artists such as Keith Haring, Damien Hirst, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Yayoi Kusama and Andy Warhol. The first temporary exhibition at Moco Museum has been announced – Healing Frequency, a new performance artwork by Marina Abamović, performance and conceptual artist who recently had a solo show at the Royal Academy. The show will run from 11 September 2024 – 11 March 2025.
Moco Museum, 1 – 4 Marble Arch, London W1H 7EJ
White Cube
A cutting-edge gallery with a few different locations in the city, The Bermondsey branch of White Cube is holding a solo show of Tracey Emin to coincide with the Frieze London – the major Art Fair held in Regents Park later in the year. Entitled “I followed you to the end” the show opens on 19 September and runs until 10 November. It will feature new paintings and a monumental bronze sculpture by Emin.
White Cube Bermondsey, 144 – 152 Bermondsey Street SE1 3TQ
Victoria Miro Gallery
If you have not managed to get a ticket to the Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms at Tate Modern, then book yourself a ticket (free admission) to the show that will no doubt sell out at Victoria Miro Gallery. Yayoi Kusama: Every Day I Pray For Love opens on 25 September and runs until 2 November. Kusama’s work has been all over London in the past year, not only at Tate Modern but also in a collaboration with Louis Vuitton in 2023 at Harrods. It was great fun. Hugely popular in her home country, Japan, Kusama’s art is instantly identifiable by its dots with which she covers every available surface, often on giant pumpkins. Hyde Park currently has one on show (it is part of the Serpentine Gallery’s summer public art installation programme) and both kids and adults alike will delight at this wonderful artwork.
Victoria Miro, 16 Wharf Road N1 7RW
More from London Unattached
Check our series of cultural previews for Autumn 2024 through to Spring 2025
- The Best Opera in London for the Autumn/Winter 2024 season here, from Dr Adrian York, our lead opera critic
- Off West-End Theatre for the next few months here from Madeleine Morrow, our culture specialist.
- Coming Soon – West-End Theatre from Lucy Foxell
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