Our long, glorious summer lies ahead. And what the city lacks in sunshine it makes up for with dozens of fantastic, illuminating art exhibitions.
Here’s our pick of the shows you can see.
Open now
These excellent exhibitions, which run throughout the summer, are not to be missed.
Michelangelo: The Last Decades
Michelangelo’s two-meter-tall preparatory drawing, Epifania, is his only complete surviving pre-fresco sketch. Now, after years of conservation, it can finally be seen as part of this extraordinary exhibition, featuring more than 100 of his drawings. The Standard has described the astonishing collection, focusing on the work the master created over the last thirty years of his life, as one of the “most beautiful things you will ever see”.
The British Museum, until July 28
Judy Chicago: Revelations
Celebrated American artist, environmentalist and author Judy Chicago, 84, returns to London with her largest ever solo presentation in the city. The show, which focuses on her drawings and asks questions about birth, creation, masculinity and power, offers a radical retelling of history: “Her advocacy over the years for women’s history and expression serves as a poignant reminder of the continued need for equality. social transformation and a just world,” the Standard said.
Serpentine North Gallery, until September 1
Enzo Mari
Maverick Italian industrial designer Enzo Mari (1932-2020) created more than 2,000 works during his six-decade career, including furniture, conceptual installations, functional household items and children’s toys. The modernist artist, a Marxist, advocated the democratization of design. Here, the Design Museum explores his legacy with a retrospective of hundreds of his projects.
Design Museum, until September 8
Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence
Delve into Tropical Modernism, an architectural style developed in West Africa in the 1940s and later adopted by architects in India and Ghana, in this fascinating collection of paintings, photographs, films and models.
V&A Museum, until September 22
Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain 1520 – 1920
This extraordinary exhibition brings together the work of 110 professional women artists in Britain who have been forgotten by art history. A huge undertaking and a statement of intent from Tate Britain, the Standard described the show as “strikingly powerful”.
Tate Britain, until October 13
Fragile beauty: photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish collection
Not only are we fortunate that Elton John and David Furnish are passionate about the work of some of history’s greatest photographers, but that they have now decided to share their incredible collection with the public. The series covers fashion photography to photojournalism and everything in between and is “well worth watching”, according to the Standard. “From the greatest hits to hidden gems, it does what great shows do: effortlessly broadens the viewer’s horizons, yet leaves them wanting more.”
V&A Museum, until January 5, 2025
Zanele Muholi
Acclaimed photographer and visual activist Zanele Muholi celebrates the lives of South Africa’s black LGBTQI+ communities, depicting scenes of beauty and intimacy alongside images that reference traumatic events, alongside portraits of the artist himself. “By turns delightful and devastating, it is one of the greatest exercises in self-portraiture of this or any era,” the Standard said.
Tate Modern, until January 26, 2025
Opening soon
Tavares Strachan: There is light somewhere
Bahamian-born conceptual artist Tavares Strachan is fascinated by the world. He has written his own encyclopedia entitled The Encyclopedia of Invisibility, worked with SpaceX and was the first person from the Bahamas to reach the North Pole. Here, in sculptural installations, collages, neon works, bronze and ceramic sculptures, Strachan continues his exploration of cultural connections – infusing his work with his infectious curiosity.
Hayward Gallery, June 18 to September 1
Summer exhibition
It’s always great fun to go to the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition, where more than 1,200 beautiful works of art from both celebrated artists and the public are displayed side by side. This year’s show was coordinated by award-winning British abstract sculptor Ann Christopher.
Royal Academy, June 18 to August 18
Yoshida: three generations of Japanese printmaking
This exhibition is a rare opportunity to see the works of three generations of the Yoshida family – a Japanese artistic dynasty – together in Britain. This exhibition examines Japanese printmaking over two centuries.
Dulwich Picture Gallery, June 19 to November 3
Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens
This illuminating exhibition will look at the ways in which Henry VIII’s wives, Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Katherine Parr, have been represented in art throughout history. The six women have remained a constant source of inspiration for artists over the centuries, as seen here in paintings, drawings, photography and film.
National Portrait Gallery, June 20 to September 8
Francis Alÿs: Ricochets
Interdisciplinary Belgian artist Francis Alÿs, perhaps best known for pushing an ice block through Mexico City in 1997, presents a new immersive exhibition celebrating the game – and we can’t wait. Since 1999, Alÿs has been documenting children around the world having fun. Here, in a series of multi-screen film installations, his first major British show since 2010, he presents his joyful recordings.
Barbican, June 27 to September 1
Anthony McCall: Solid light
British-born artist Anthony McCall, based in New York, creates innovative light installations that challenge our assumptions about sculptural work. Here is one of his enchanting three-dimensional shapes, in which light is beamed through thin mist and shapes appear and fade in the darkness.
Tate Britain, June 27 to April 27, 2025
In the eye of the storm: modernism in Ukraine, 1900-1930
This collection of groundbreaking modernist art was born out of change, as empires collapsed, the country suffered a devastating famine, the continent went to war, and Soviet Ukraine fought for independence. The result is a series of daring and experimental works that oppose misery.
Royal Academy, June 29 to October 13
Barbie: The Exhibition
Barbie fever conquered the world last summer thanks to Greta Gerwig’s billion-dollar blockbuster, which raised questions about feminism, motherhood and patriarchy through the iconic plastic doll. In this major exhibition, the Design Museum will explore Barbie’s design evolution, from the blonde-haired original to its more modern versions.
Design Museum, July 5 to February 23, 2025
Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Prize 2024
This prestigious prize for contemporary portrait painting always attracts fascinating and brilliant entries. Check out some of this year’s best entries here.
National Portrait Gallery, July 11 to October 27
Van Gogh: poets and lovers
Sure, the summer holidays are over and we can predict with certainty that London will once again be under a gray cloud, but this exciting exhibition is too exciting to miss from the list. Van Gogh’s most famous paintings – Starry Night Over the Rhône (1888, Musée d’Orsay), The Yellow House (1888, Van Gogh Museum), Sunflowers (1888) and Van Gogh’s Chair (1889), to name just a few – are brought together from all over the world.
The National Gallery, September 14 to January 19, 2025