Top 10 exhibitions in London (updated for 2026)

A stroll through Tracey Emin: A Second Life is an evocative experience. Positioned as a 40-year retrospective through the pioneering artist’s vast and varied repertoire, the show lays bare Emin’s life through her distinct and often unsettling art, from career highs – such as the iconic, Turner Prize-nominated ‘My Bed’ (1998)– to stark personal lows in work depicting her experiences with sexual violence, abortion and recent life-threatening illness.

Why go: This exhibition perfectly encapsulates Emin’s defiant approach to life and her ability to turn traumatic experiences into mesmerising art. You’ll leave feeling emotionally rung out, but struck by the realisation that ‘Mad Tracey from Margate’ is truly a force to be reckoned with.

The first major European exhibition of James McNeil Whistler’s work in 30 years has arrived at Tate Britain. Known as a truly global aritst, The Victorian oil painter re-wrote many of the rules of art, and was an early adopter of ’art for art’s sake’. Through his landscapes of London and Paris you will discover his incredible knack for turning urban ugliness into visual harmony. As for his exquisite portraits, Whistler captured people in a way that was both emotionally rich, yet wonderfully simple.

Why go: This lavishly diverse collection of Whistler’s work singles him out as a relentless artist who was ceaselessly receptive to the world around him. His cosmopolitan scenes of London alone are worth the £24 price of entry.

From still lifes of plump, waxy lemons to monumental saints, bloodied martyrs and ecstatic Virgins, Baroque master Francisco de Zurbarán did it all. He painted vast multi-canvas scenes that once lined the walls of convents and monasteries across Spain, worked for private patrons, the court of Philip IV of Spain and clients across the Spanish Americas, where more than 100 of his paintings ended up. And now, improbably, many of them are here, in the artist’s first UK exhibition, thanks to loans from institutions including the Louvre Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museo del Prado. 

Why go? Zurbarán painted to inspire devotion with a total conviction, whether it was the flesh of Christ, the rough folds of a monk’s robe or the bloom on a lemon. Four centuries later, the paintings still inspire that same kind of awe and fixation in the people standing before them.

A first major solo show dedicated to Turner Prize-nominated painter Hurvin Anderson, this Tate Britain exhibition brings together more than 60 of his vibrant paintings. Dating from 1995 when he was an art student at the Royal College of Art up to this year (some he even finished off once they’d been hung), it’s a vibrant portrayal of his experiences as a Black British man of Caribbean heritage. 

Why go: This is a big show of big paintings. Big, energetic, vibrant, happy paintings which are just as enjoyable to stand in front of as one can imagine they were to make.

There are some absolute treasures to be found in the first British exhibition dedicated to Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, who became famous in Paris during the World Wars for her surreal designs and stunning creations. More than just a dressmaker, Schiaparelli was a close collaborator with Surrealists Salvador Dalí, Man Ray and Leonor Fini, whose works are displayed alongside the clothes. 

Who go: Spanning the 1920s to present day, this exhibition documents the dazzling and sometimes bizarre clothes created by Schiaparelli and her predecessor, current Schiparelli Creative Director Daniel Roseberry. You’ll see dresses worn by Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa, and world-famous artworks like Dalí’s lobster telephone. And the clothes are very, very pretty. 

Until relatively recently, few art historians believed that paintings bearing Michaelina Wautier’s signature could possibly have been made by a woman, instead attributing them to her brother or other male artists. Rediscovered after her painting ‘The Triumph of Bacchus’ was found in storage at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, the 17th century Flemish artist is the subject of a first major exhibition at the Royal Academy this spring. 

Why go: Wautier did it all; flowers and still lifes, portraits and large-scale history paintings. The twenty-five pieces featured in this landmark exhibition demonstrate her mastery of subjects typically reserved for her male peers, and demonstrate that she has more than earned her place in the annals of art history. 

This long-overdue retrospective of Windrush generation  ceramicist and painter Donald Locke concludes its three-venue UK tour at the Camden Arts Centre. Spanning painting, drawing, sculpture, and ceramics, it examines the legacy of colonialism in the Guyanese-British artist’s hometown via some of his most celebrated works, including large scale mixed media piece ‘Trophies of Empire’.

Why go: Donald Locke shows don’t come around often, so don’t miss the chance to get up close to these angry, claustrophobic yet beautifully crafted works, ranging from wild, black paintings to intricate assemblages of found objects and ceramic pieces that suggest cages or instruments of violence.

The V&A East’s first exhibition explores the trailblazers, visionaries and unsung heroes of Black music in the UK from the 1900s to the present day. From swing and jazz, to jungle, grime and trip hop, no genre goes uncovered. More than 200 objects from the V&A’s collection are displayed, with photographs, instruments, fashion, sheet music and artworks on show. 

Why go: This exhibition is a comprehensive and triumphant ode to some of the best music to come out of this small island. You’ll see everything from Stormzy’s Union Jack-print stab vest, to Shy FX’s clunky ‘90s synthesiser. And the highlight: everyone gets a personal pair of headphones that plays tracks corresponding with the display. 

Reliquaries devoted to Prince, Dolly Parton and the Spice Girls; home videos of pilgrimages to Andy Warhol’s grave; and a piece of gum chewed by Nina Simone are just some of the things you can see at Somerset House’s new exhibition Holy Pop!, which explores the excesses of fan culture through photos, artworks, videos and memorabilia. The free exhibition interrogates what it means to be a fan in our modern, secular world, and makes the case that a steadfast devotion to artists, musicians and celebrities is a contemporary type of spirituality.

Why go: For anyone who has run a Tumblr dedicated to Lana Del Rey, or has a room full of Marvel memorabilia at home, this sincere, fun and vibrant exhibition will be a joyous celebration of pop culture fandoms, and all their quirky, messy extremes. 

For the Barbican Sculpture Court’s grand revival, Colombian artist Delcy Morelos spent a month filling the brutalist courtyard with earth and clay. Working by hand, Morelos and her team layered more than ten tonnes of the stuff to create origo, a mammoth, multi-sensory installation stretching 24 metres wide and 12 metres high, named after the Latin word for ‘origin’.

Why go: Visitors are invited to bask in the multi-sensory experience of entering origo. Inside, you will be plunged into darkness, and will smell the scents of clove and cinnamon that are infused in the loam.