Any art exhibits people are thinking of going to in May or August? We will be in London for 6 days in May and again in August and will go to the bigger museums and some smaller ones but are wondering about specific exhibits.
Thanks!
Posted by
San Franciso Bay Area, USA
1158 posts
We are going to be in London in May and will be catching the Dame Tracy Emin exhibit at the Tate Modern. She is one of the most important contemporary artists of her generation. He most iconic work is the Turner Prize nomination My Bed. This exhibit will have My Bed, plus many of her other award winning works, including those that have not been displayed before.
Posted by
Massachusetts
1696 posts
Here are some resources for what’s happening in London:
https://londonist.com/london/museums-and-galleries/the-top-exhibitions-to-see-in-london-in-2026
Posted by
Duluth, MN🌲
11448 posts
I'm not saying you shouldn't come here and ask, but I would also suggest that you go to each of the websites of the museums that you are thinking of visiting. For example; Tate Modern, Tate Britain, National Gallery, and so on. They usually have a list of their exhibits on the home page, and you can scroll through and find the dates for any that you're interested in.
That's usually what I do, because then I can also make a note of the hours and the cost and if I need to book ahead for tickets.
Posted by
Bristol, UK
2035 posts
Tracey Emin at the Tate Modern is a must see for me this year. On until the end of August.
Posted by
London
1208 posts
These are ones I am personally interested in, but your taste may vary (and definitely agree with Mardee's suggestion above!):
May
British Museum- Samurai (until 4 May)
Tate Modern- Nigerian Modernism (until 10 May)
Courtauld Gallery- Seurat and the Sea (until 17 May)
Design Museum- Wes Anderson (thru July)
May and August
Somerset House- Holy Pop (21 May- 9 August)
August
National Portrait Gallery- Marilyn Monroe
Barbican- Project a Black Planet: The art and culture of Panafrica
Tate Modern- Frida Kahlo
Edited to add: I recommend advanced booking for everything now. We used to be able to just decide on the day we wanted to go to an exhibition but now things get booked up weeks or even months in advance- even for some of the smaller shows.
Posted by
London and Chester
243 posts
The best place to look is the London TimeOut website.
Pretty much everythIng that is happening will be listed there.
Posted by
OP
725 posts
Thanks so much for the specific suggestions. There are a lot of exhibits mentioned that sound fantastic to our eclectic tastes. Some I could not find on websites when I looked just now, for example the Holy Pop one at Sommerset House, but I am so glad to know about it and will keep an eye out for it.
Also I did not know about the Sommerset House or Barbican so thank you for the posts all of which are much appreciated!
Posted by
London
1208 posts
You are most welcome!
Here is the link to Holy Pop: https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/holy-pop
The Barbican is one of my favourite galleries- they put on really interesting stuff. If you like Brutalist architecture at all it's also a great place to walk around (don't miss the winter garden) or even take a tour.
Another smaller one which does interesting exhibitions is the Hayward Gallery, on the South Bank.