The exhibitions you must see this July
From immersive installations to fashion photography, make this your best summer yet with our must-see exhibitions of the month.
Summer is officially here and with a new season comes a new swathe of exhibitions to keep your longer days filled with lots of brilliant things to see and do.
From celebrating the plastic, fantastic icon that is Barbie at the Design Museum to delving into Ronald Moody's contribution to modern sculpture at the Hepworth Wakefield, our round-up of the biggest exhibitions to see in July will get you out of the house and into some much-needed air con.
Got a National Art Pass? It'll make you great savings on lots of the exhibitions listed. So why not treat yourself to an ice cream afterwards?
What are the best exhibitions to see in July with an Art Pass?
Bharti Kher: Alchemies
Marvel at monumental bronze sculptures that explore the female body and experience by contemporary artist Bharti Kher. Addressing issues of gender and identity, this major exhibition will explore Kher's works from 2000 to today, tracing different approaches from key periods in her career.
Ronald Moody: Sculpting Life
A founding member of the Caribbean Artists Movement and a leading Modernist sculptor, Ronald Moody's significant contribution to 20th-century art has been historically overlooked, until now. Don't miss this major exhibition examining the artist's career through 50 works that play with materials, from wood to concrete. Once you're done, check out their two other exhibitions: Igshaan Adams and Sylvia Snowden: Painting Humanity.
NAOMI: In Fashion
One of the original supermodels and the first Black woman to appear on the cover of French Vogue at the tender age of 18, who doesn't know (and love) Naomi Campbell? Through her enviable wardrobe and legendary looks from over the years, this exhibition tells the story of her life and successful career which saw her turn into a global superstar and fashion icon.
Megan Rooney
Inject some colour into your life and pay a visit to Megan Rooney's solo show at Kettle's Yard. The contemporary painter has created a vibrant, site-specific mural, responding to the gallery's light conditions and architectural design, while drawing upon her background in dance to think about the movement of her body within the space as she created this new work. Also on display are her abstract canvas paintings.
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.
Barbie®: The Exhibition
If you couldn't get enough of last summer's Barbiemania then you're in luck with the Design Museum's deep-dive into the iconic doll. Discover how Barbie's style, houses, cars and friends all evolved over the decades with design trends and a shift towards a more inclusive, multicultural world. You'll leave realising that life in plastic really is fantastic.
Paris 1924: Sport, Art and the Body
Journey back to Paris in 1924, the year of the city's first Olympics that changed the future of sport and the global competition forevermore. See how the city of love's avant-garde spirit and modernist culture left an indelible mark on the classical legacy of the Olympics through art, fashion, film, photography, and more.
An Irish Impressionist | Lavery On Location
Luxuriate in a life of leisure as John Lavery's Impressionist paintings take you across the globe during the 19th and 20th centuries. Experience the hedonism and heat of the incredible places the artist visited during his career, from Paris to Palm Springs.
The more you see, the more we do.
The National Art Pass lets you enjoy free entry to hundreds of museums, galleries and historic places across the UK, while raising money to support them.