EXHIBITIONS ON IN LONDON IN 2026

Chiharu Shiota : Threads of Life and Yin Xiuzhen: Heart to Heart (installation, sculpture)

Samuel Lawrence Cunnane: Blue Road: photographs showing the subtle qualities of light

 

Where: The Hayward Gallery, 26 Feb to 3 May 2026

Subs and Gandha visited this exhibition in February - very interesting, lively and colourful. It's our favourite art gallery.

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Beatriz Gonzalez

This is the first ever UK retrospective of Colombian artist Beatriz González’s works and it’s a big one. We’re talking over 150 works that trace six decades of fearless, energetic image-making, many of which will be on display for the first time. González takes the pictures we scroll past or see every day – from newspaper photos to postcards to reproductions of Western art – and flips them on their head. Using her signature graphic style and vibrant colours, she turns the ordinary into sharp social commentary. The Barbican : Until the 10th May

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Artist: George Seurat: Seurat and the Sea

It brings together the seascapes of French painter Georges Seurat for the first time in the UK, and represents his first major exhibition here in over 30 years. The Courtauld Gallery,On until the 17th May

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Major Art & Photography Exhibitions in 2026

  • Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting: National Portrait Gallery (12 Feb–4 May 2026) – Focuses on his sketching and painting techniques.

  • Chiharu Shiota: Threads of Life: Hayward Gallery (17 Feb–3 May 2026) – Large-scale installations.

  • Tracey Emin: Tate Modern (27 Feb–31 Aug 2026) – A major new show.

  • Michaelina Wautier: Royal Academy of Arts (27 March–21 June 2026).

  • James McNeill Whistler: Tate Britain (21 May–27 Sept 2026).

  • David Hockney: Various potential exhibitions (check Tate/RA). 

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History, Culture & Specialized Exhibitions

  • Samurai: British Museum (3 Feb–4 May 2026) – Explore 1,000 years of armor and art.

  • Hawaiʻi: a Kingdom Crossing Oceans: British Museum (15 Jan–25 May 2026).

  • Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends: Young V&A (12 Feb–15 Nov 2026) – Interactive, family-friendly.

  • Fairy Tales: The British Library (27 March–23 Aug 2026).

  • Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style: The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace (Opens 10 April 2026).

  • The Coming of Age: Wellcome Collection (26 March–29 Nov 2026).

  • V&A East Museum Opening: (Opens 18 April 2026). 

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Fashion & Design

  • Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art: V&A South Kensington (Opens 28 March 2026).

  • The Music is Black: A British Story: V&A East Museum (Opens 18 April 2026). 

Other Top 2026 Highlights

  • Henry Moore: Monumental Nature: Kew Gardens (9 May–27 Sept 2026).

  • Van Eyck: The Portraits: The National Gallery (21 Nov 2026–11 April 2027).