Recommendations

London's blockbuster exhibitions open now

Nora Turato, pool7, 2025

Planning a cultural day out in the city? From a boundary-pushing contemporary artist at the ICA to a deep-dive into swimming at the Design Museum, don't miss the biggest exhibitions in London open now.

London is home to one of the most vibrant art scenes in the world. Whether you're interested in major international artists, world history or the bright new stars of visual art, there's something on offer for every cultural appetite.

From visitor favourites such as Tate and the V&A to neighbourhood gems like Dulwich Picture Gallery, a rolling programme of must-see exhibitions runs throughout the year.

Here's our guide to some of the biggest blockbuster exhibitions in London right now.


Don't forget to pack your National Art Pass to get reduced-price entry at every venue, and check out our full listings for more upcoming exhibitions.

Discover some of the best exhibitions in London with an Art Pass

01
Installation view of Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style at Design Museum, London

Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style

Peek at Pamela Anderson's iconic Baywatch swimming costume in this blockbuster exhibition, diving into our ever-lasting love of water. Charmingly split into three swimming-themed sections – the pool, the lido, and nature – you'll journey through 100 years of design history to discover the culture of swimming, the seaside and style.

02
Grayson Perry, Alan Measles and Claire meet Shirley Smith and The Honourable Millicent Wallace, 2024 (detail)

Grayson Perry: Delusions of Grandeur

Meet Shirley Smith, Grayson Perry's latest alter ego and museum heiress in crisis, in the largest contemporary exhibition ever staged at the Wallace Collection alongside masterpieces from their collection. From striking sculptures, vibrant tapestries, and story-filled ceramics, Perry's works of art add to the mythology of his newest persona, while drawing on childhood experiences and examining what it means to make and collect art today.

03
Duccio, Maestà Panels - Christ and the Woman of Samaria, 1308-11

Siena: The Rise of Painting 1300-1350

Step into Siena's Golden Age in this blockbuster exhibition. In the 14th century and for the first time in Western art history, artists dramatically transformed painting. Duccio, Simone Martini and the Lorenzetti brothers began adding emotion, movement, colour and perspective in a way that had never been seen before, changing the course of art history forever.

04
Ed Atkins, Hisser, 2015.

Ed Atkins

Delve into a pioneering contemporary artist's fascinating career. Ed Atkins draws on digital technology and his own experiences to uncover the messiness of life, while examining how reality and fiction often overlap. Computer-generated videos and moving-image works will be displayed alongside his writing, paintings, embroideries and drawings, to reveal an artist grappling with his own life and work.

05
Nora Turato, pool7, 2025.

Nora Turato: pool7

Meet a contemporary artist fascinated with language and how our use of it reflects our fears, dreams and desires. Nora Turato collects words from the media, advertising, conversation and online content to create one of her signature 'text pools'. These are expressed through graphic installations, performances, video and sound works to reveal language's lessening power in contemporary society.

06
Girls on Bikes (Sarf Coastin’), by Elaine Constantine, styled by Polly Banks, December 1997

The Face Magazine: Culture Shift

The cult fashion magazine The Face gets the all-star treatment in this look back at its iconic covers graced by the models, musicians and movie stars who shaped our cultural landscape from 1980 to 2004. Marvel at photographs by trailblazers in the fashion industry, including Corinne Day, David Sims and Elaine Constantine.

07
Fergus Greer, Leigh Bowery Session I Look 2, 1988

Leigh Bowery!

The iconic performer, club promoter and fashion designer Leigh Bowery gets the all-star treatment at Tate Modern. Be dazzled by his boundary-pushing designs – which treated clothing and makeup as painting and sculptural works and challenged preconceptions of the body, sexuality and gender.

08
Linder, SheShe, 1981. Silver bromide photographs from original negative.

Linder: Danger Came Smiling

Meet a pioneering feminist artist from Manchester's punk scene. Linder creates montages, photographs, sculptures and performances to examine gender roles, the body, and how women are represented in the media. From early glamour to digital deep-fakes, discover a radical artist who has spent 50 years revealing our changing attitudes to lifestyle, sex, food and fashion.

09
Noah Davis, 1975 (8), 2013

Noah Davis

Experience Noah Davis's boundless creativity in the UK's first institutional retrospective dedicated to the late American artist, whose practice spanned figurative painting, sculpture, curating and community-building. Davis was committed to demonstrating the beauty of everyday life and the people around him, often blending reality with fiction to create dreamlike and joyful scenes. And while you're there, don't miss Citra Sasmita's immersive installation in The Curve, which is free to all.

10
May 1st demonstration in solidarity to the Sans-Papiers in hunger strike at the Halle Pajol before the occupation of the Saint Bernard Church, 1996, Paris.

Hard Graft: Work, Health and Rights

Explore the impact of physical labour on the body and health in this major exhibition, which reveals the experiences of people who take on undervalued work. Three sections – The Plantation, The Street, and The Home – each investigate the distinct spaces where often invisible, precarious or physical work takes place to reveal the connection between unregulated work practices and healthcare inequalities over history and into today.

11
Black and white photo of women with raised, linked hands in front of a chainlink fence
Melanie Friend, Greenham Common, 14 December 1985, 1985, reprinted 2023

The 80s: Photographing Britain

Discover how a wide-ranging community of photographers captured a decade of change. The powerful shots in this exhibition document race uprisings, the miners' strikes, section 28 and the AIDS pandemic – giving voice and visibility to overlooked and ignored groups. Used as a tool for social change, they're now a remarkable showcase of photography's impact on both art and the world.

12
Anthony McCall, installation view of Face to Face, Sean Kelly, New York, 2013

Anthony McCall: Solid Light

Step inside and interact with immersive light sculptures in this major presentation of Anthony McCall, a contemporary artist who redefined the possibilities of sculpture in the 70s. Create new shapes with your own movement in these translucent installations that blur sculpture, cinema, drawing and performance.

IndividualTiana Clarke Please note this is an example card and not a reflection of the final product

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