Welcome to the IanVisits alternative guide to London.
Lectures, talks, heritage events, organised walks and other random geeky miscellany.
This is quite an old listings page, did you want: Monday, 26th February 2024?
Displayed in date order by how soon they close.
An exhibition about the eighteenth-century foundling and sailor George King, whose first-hand account of the battle is being shown for the first time. (Ending Soon Sun, 27th Feb)
Foundling Museum
The opening display will feature highlights from The Courtauld’s remarkable collection of British drawings and watercolours. (Ending Soon Sun, 27th Feb)
Courtauld Institute of Art
£10
Amazônia
This exhibition offers an exclusive opportunity to get inside the mind of this great photographer and see nature and humanity in dialogue. (Ending Soon Sun, 27th Feb)
Science Museum
A collection of work exploring artists’ responses to the Battle of Britain and the Blitz as they represented evolving machinery, communications, and urban landscapes, shaped by what was an unprecedented ‘war in the air’. (Ending Soon Sun, 27th Feb)
RAF Museum
From the collection of the Late John Constable, this exhibition features over 40 works, including a full set of lithographs, alongside wartime drawings and watercolours. (Ending Soon Sun, 27th Feb)
Cromwell Place
Free
Light Festival 2022
Six installations are now on display across the Battersea Power Station neighbourhood. (Ending Soon Sun, 27th Feb)
Battersea Power Station
The exhibition will showcase embroidery both as fine art in the modern sense, and also reflect the centuries of heritage which form the craft of embroidery today. (Ending Soon Sun, 27th Feb)
Bankside Gallery
A solo exhibition by the American artist, who's polymorphic practice draws references from popular culture, modern art and African folklore. (Ending Soon Sun, 6th Mar)
Cromwell Place
£15
Orchids
Celebrate the richness of Costa Rica with Kew Gardens' annual orchid festival. (Ending Soon Sun, 6th Mar)
Kew Gardens
explores fabulous and rare examples from the mid-1960s era-defining stores and designers. (Ending Soon Sat, 12th Mar)
Fashion and Textile Museum
Broken wing or fractured limb - uncertain profile, shadow of its own form - the work of Julie Maurin gestures us into a zone of layered eclipse and unsettling liminality. (Ending Soon Sat, 12th Mar)
South Parade
Comprising over 20 paintings, most made over the last 18 months, as well as hand-painted ceramics and a new group of posters, it explores Katz’s long-standing relationship to questions of identity and expression, selfhood and voice. (Ending Soon Sun, 13th Mar)
Camden Art Centre
This exhibition explores the characters, events, places and personal tales of triumph and tragedy that inspired and shaped the novel that made Charles Dickens a household name across the world. (Ending Soon Sun, 13th Mar)
Charles Dickens Museum
Showcasing previously unseen material from Paul McCartney’s personal archive, this display celebrates the life and art of one of the world’s most successful songwriters and performers. (Ending Soon Sun, 13th Mar)
The British Library
An exhibition of new images by Himali Singh Soin with historian of science Alexis Rider inspired by the collection of Sir Richard Burton. (Ending Soon Sun, 13th Mar)
Orleans House Gallery
How William Hogarth and artists across Europe captured the new modernity of the 18th century (Ending Soon Sun, 20th Mar)
Tate Britain
This exhibition follows the pioneering Russian scholar of Ismaili studies, Wladimir Ivanow (1886 – 1970) across the Muslim world. (Ending Soon Thu, 31st Mar)
The Aga Khan Centre
America in Crisis brings together 40 leading American photographers and over 120 works exploring social change in the U.S from the 1960s till today. (Ending Soon Sun, 3rd Apr)
Saatchi Gallery
A landmark group exhibition spanning a whole ocean and half a century (Ending Soon Sun, 3rd Apr)
Tate Britain
This exhibit explores relations between space, time and materials through titanium, and can be found in the lobby of One Canada Square. (Ending Soon Fri, 8th Apr)
One Canada Square
A display exploring the central role food plays in Black enterprise and identity in South East London. (Ending Soon Sat, 9th Apr)
Museum of London Docklands
£14.50
Amy: Beyond the Stage
Celebrate the legacy and creativity of one of the greatest musicians of our time, Amy Winehouse. (Ending Soon Sun, 10th Apr)
The Design Museum
Explore how windows take on cultural significance and surprisingly shape all our views on the world in an exhibition by the Tokyo-based Window Research Institute. (Ending Soon Sun, 10th Apr)
Japan House
An exhibition of photography of the enormous talent and resilience of London's theatreland. (Ending Soon Tue, 12th Apr)
House of Photography
Animal Therapy: The Cats of Louis Wain reintroduces the public to the resplendent work of this lately overlooked figure. (Ending Soon Wed, 13th Apr)
Bethlem Museum of the Mind
The exhibition features more than 70 European fans incorporating both handmade and machine lace leaves dating from the 18th century to present day. (Ending Soon Sat, 16th Apr)
Fan Museum
£24.50
Francis Bacon: Man and Beast
Explore Francis Bacon’s visceral paintings, where the line between human and animal is constantly blurred, reminding us that our primal instincts lie just below the surface. (Ending Soon Sun, 17th Apr)
Royal Academy of Arts
The first major UK exhibition of woodcuts by leading Abstract Expressionist, Helen Frankenthaler. (Ending Soon Sun, 17th Apr)
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Described as an "interactive experience", this exhibition showcases unseen Marley photographs and memorabilia with a focus on his lifestyle, passions, influences, and legacy. (Ending Soon Mon, 18th Apr)
Saatchi Gallery
Free
Kehinde Wiley
Kehinde Wiley is an American artist best known for his portraits that render people of colour in the traditional settings of Old Master paintings. (Ending Soon Mon, 18th Apr)
National Gallery
£8
Beethoven
Against the backdrop of war and revolution raging in Europe and the United States, a young man grew up in Bonn inspired by the ideals of freedom, and went on to compose some of the greatest works of music ever written. (Ending Soon Sun, 24th Apr)
The British Library
Free
Body Vessel Clay
For their 10th annual exhibition, Two Temple Place will showcase the ceramic medium through artworks by three generations of Black women artists working in clay. (Ending Soon Sun, 24th Apr)
Two Temple Place
£8.50
Dredd @45
8 original artworks by different artists and eras are displayed in our In Focus space in the museum’s main gallery. (Ending Soon Sun, 24th Apr)
Cartoon Museum
Discover the close-knit world of the Georgian music industry, where not what you knew, but who you knew, was of greatest importance. (Ending Soon Sun, 1st May)
Foundling Museum
Free
Brothers in Arms
Follow the story of the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry, an elite British tank regiment whose men fought their way across North-West Europe in the final stages of the Second World War. (Ending Soon Fri, 6th May)
National Army Museum
This exhibition explores master goldsmith, Carl Fabergé – who symbolised Russian craftsmanship, luxury and elegance – and the Anglo-Russian relationship which saw the opening of a London branch in 1903. (Ending Soon Sun, 8th May)
Victoria and Albert Museum
Featuring highlights from the museum's manuscripts collection, this exhibition explores the types of books illuminations came from and the 19th-century context in which they were cut up and collected. (Ending Soon Sun, 8th May)
Victoria and Albert Museum
Free
London: Port City
This exhibition will trace more than 200 years of extraordinary experiences and intense activity on a river that has always been essential to the city’s survival. (Ending Soon Sun, 8th May)
Museum of London Docklands
The myth of Van Gogh today is linked as much to his extraordinary life as it is to his stunning paintings. This exhibition will allow both aspects to be explored. (Ending Soon Sun, 8th May)
Courtauld Institute of Art
A once-in-a-century opportunity to see this iconic painting in the UK. (Ending Soon Sun, 15th May)
National Gallery
The exhibition shows artwork from the children’s stories that Heath Robinson both wrote and illustrated. (Ending Soon Sun, 15th May)
Heath Robinson Museum
The first major retrospective of this legendary artist to focus exclusively on her work using fabrics and textiles. (Ending Soon Sun, 15th May)
Hayward Gallery
Free
True is The Dream
The exhibition explores the photography of Derek D’Souza, who has captured glimpses of one of Britain’s most revered groups - and frontman Paul Weller - over 4 decades. (Ending Soon Mon, 16th May)
Barbican Arts Centre
Joanna Hiffernan’s relationship with Whistler ran deeper than artist and muse. In this exhibition explore her life and role as a friend, model, lover and collaborator. (Ending Soon Sun, 22nd May)
Royal Academy of Arts
Sweet Harmony looks at a significant five-year period in UK dance music history and the previously undocumented contribution that young people living and working in the London Borough of Waltham Forest made to it. (Ending Soon Wed, 25th May)
Vestry House Museum
An exhibition of the most beautiful private press books ever published, illustrating Walker’s revolutionary book printing techniques and legacy in his former home in Hammersmith. (Ending Soon Sat, 28th May)
Emery Walker's House
Step back through millennia and discover how this ancient civilization questioned, contemplated, and debated the natural world. (Ending Soon Sun, 5th Jun)
Science Museum
£14
Freud and China
This exhibition explores Sigmund Freud's fascination and relationship with China. (Ending Soon Sun, 5th Jun)
Freud Museum
Gaze through the lens of some of the world's best wildlife photographers and marvel at the beauty of our planet. (Ending Soon Sun, 5th Jun)
Natural History Museum
Explore incredible objects, including some never seen by the public before, from Professor Stephen Hawking’s office in this new, free display. (Ending Soon Sat, 11th Jun)
Science Museum
Free
Chihoi: The Train
A slideshow of selected artworks from Hong Kong artist Chihoi’s graphic novel, based on a story written by Taiwanese poet Hung Hung, evokes a dreamlike train journey. (Ending Soon Sun, 19th Jun)
Southbank Centre
Free
Hair: Untold Stories
This exhibition puts the substance before the style and unlocks the untold stories of hair. (Ending Soon Sun, 19th Jun)
Horniman Museum
£16
Lubaina Himid
Tate Modern presents Himid’s largest solo exhibition to date, incorporating new paintings and significant highlights from across her remarkable career. (Ending Soon Sun, 3rd Jul)
Tate Modern
Informed by recent archaeological and scientific discoveries, this exhibition offers new insight on one of the world’s great wonders, bringing the true story of Stonehenge into sharper focus than ever before. (Ending Soon Sun, 17th Jul)
The British Museum
Explore the 100-year history of the prestigious Royal Academy of Dance. (Ending Soon Sun, 28th Aug)
Victoria and Albert Museum
This landmark exhibition will rewrite the history of the revolutionary art movement. (Ending Soon Mon, 29th Aug)
Tate Modern
Pitzhanger’s new exhibition by Rana Begum RA explores the perception of light, colour and form within sculpture, painting and installation. (Ending Soon Wed, 31st Aug)
Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery
Life in a cup presents a fascinating beverage story and explores the traditions that make coffee a way of life in parts of the Islamic world. (Ending Soon Sun, 18th Sep)
The British Museum
An immersive exhibition exploring the latest cancer research taking place at the Crick - Europe’s largest biomedical research institute under one roof. (Ending Soon Sat, 3rd Dec)
The Francis Crick Institute
Free
Treasures
Spanning centuries, the unexpected treasures on display in the Art Deco library include hand-drawn illustrations, curious texts and beguiling bindings. (Ending Soon Fri, 23rd Dec)
Museum of Freemasonry
An exhibition exploring the Elstree Extension through the Northern Heights that was suspended during World War 2, and never restarted. (Ending Soon Sat, 31st Dec)
Elstree and Borehamwood Museum
Celebrating the life and work of one of the best loved children's authors of the 20th century. (Ending Soon Sun, 8th Jan)
Victoria and Albert Museum
Visit an 'abandoned' Tube station underworld and discover what secrets lurk beneath our busy streets in this Hidden London exhibition. (Ending Soon Mon, 31st Jul)
London Transport Museum