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: Tuesday, 31st December 2024?
Displayed in date order by how soon they close.
An exhibition of paintings showing many of Britain's folk traditions. (Ending Soon Sun, 31st Dec)
The Last Tuesday Society / Viktor Wynd's Museum of Curiosities
Explore thread as a method and metaphor for connection, collaboration and conversation in this exhibition by ten students. (Ending Soon Sun, 31st Dec)
Whitechapel Gallery
Featuring over 200 items dating from the Middle Ages to the present day, many of them on display for the first time. (Ending Soon Sun, 31st Dec)
Guildhall Art Gallery and Roman Amphitheater
This exhibition brings together a group of new and existing sculptures to explore Black women’s labour across histories and geographies. (Ending Soon Mon, 1st Jan)
Tate Britain
£29
Christmas at Kew
Discover glittering tunnels of light, dancing lakeside reflections and trees drenched in jewel-like colour. (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Jan)
Kew Gardens
This is an exhibition of works on paper focusing on the spectacular illuminations which were popular in the Georgian period. (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Jan)
Sir John Soane's Museum
See the first UK exhibition of work by South Korean artist and film-maker Heecheon Kim, exploring how technology affects our perceptions of the world. (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Jan)
Hayward Gallery
The largest retrospective to date of Hiroshi Sugimoto, an artist renowned for creating some of the most alluringly enigmatic photographs of our time. (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Jan)
Hayward Gallery
British contemporary artists Idris Khan and Annie Morris, a couple for more than a decade, present works together at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery. (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Jan)
Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery
This exhibition explores the worldwide effort to develop vaccines at pandemic speed. (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Jan)
Science Museum
This exhibition will invite visitors to further their understanding of the Troubles through the multiple perspectives of individuals affected by the conflict. (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Jan)
Imperial War Museum
Tenderly Towards the Tipping Point is a group show by artists from India that asks the question: how can an exhibition occupy time? (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Jan)
Watermans Arts Centre
The Art of Banksy is the world’s largest collection of original and authenticated Banksy artworks showcasing more than 110 pieces including prints, canvases, unique works and ephemera, many of which are on display for the very first time. (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Jan)
The Art of Banksy exhibition
£18.50
The Gingerbread City
Discover a whole city constructed entirely from gingerbread, candy, and frosting. (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Jan)
Westfield London
£12.50
The Missing Thread
Spanning from the 1970s to the present day, this exhibition charts the shifting landscape of Black British culture and the unique contribution it has made to Britain’s rich fashion design history. (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Jan)
Somerset House
Four times heavier than Dippy the Diplodocus, 12 metres longer than Hope the blue whale and making its European debut, prepare to meet titanosaur and learn all about life as the biggest dinosaur. (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Jan)
Natural History Museum
This exhibition investigates the unexpected journey which fulfilled a lifelong fantasy of Sigmund Freud, but which left him perplexed. (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Jan)
Freud Museum
Free
Winter Light 2023/24
Over the dark winter nights, the Southbank Centre is illuminated by outdoor artworks that play with light and colour – explore to discover them all. (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Jan)
Southbank Centre
Free
Winter Past
The Rooms Through Time, restyled to reveal how winter has changed London homes through the last 400 years. (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Jan)
The Museum of the Home
Bringing together 36 artists from different generations and geographies, this exhibition explores how photography and video have allowed artists to examine legacies of the past while imagining more hopeful futures. (Ending Soon Sun, 14th Jan)
Tate Modern
A major exhibition of work by British artist Claudette Johnson (born 1959) at The Courtauld Gallery. (Ending Soon Sun, 14th Jan)
Courtauld Institute of Art
A group exhibition exploring the relationship between gender and ecology, highlighting the systemic links between the oppression of women and the degradation of the planet (Ending Soon Sun, 14th Jan)
Barbican Arts Centre
A British artist's brash and tender exploration of what makes us human (Ending Soon Sun, 14th Jan)
Tate Britain
From across the sea, an art revolution is coming. Discover the art of the Van de Veldes at the Queen's House (Ending Soon Sun, 14th Jan)
Queen's House
This exhibition takes a deep dive into the different ways climate change impacts the United States and the world. (Ending Soon Fri, 19th Jan)
Atrium Gallery
The exhibition explores the artist’s work over the last six decades through his intimate portraits of five sitters. (Ending Soon Sun, 21st Jan)
National Portrait Gallery
£20
Frans Hals
This exhibition, the first major retrospective of Hals in more than thirty years, means a new generation can discover why he deserves his place as one of the greatest painters in Western art. (Ending Soon Sun, 21st Jan)
National Gallery
Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Boundless will take a retrospective look at the career and achievements of artistic collaborators and life partners Christo and Jeanne-Claude. (Ending Soon Mon, 22nd Jan)
Saatchi Gallery
£31.50
Disney 100 Exhibition
The exhibition includes ten themed galleries with classics from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to contemporary releases such as Encanto, including the latest members of the Disney family—Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel. (Ending Soon Mon, 22nd Jan)
ExCeL London
The exhibition will feature 29 remarkable female sculptors, celebrating their contributions to the world of art from the 1960s to now. (Ending Soon Mon, 22nd Jan)
Saatchi Gallery
A photographic perspective on young adults living 'through' the time of Corona. (Ending Soon Mon, 22nd Jan)
Leica Gallery
A display celebrating the 400th anniversary of the publication of William Shakespeare’s First Folio. (Ending Soon Thu, 25th Jan)
Guildhall Art Gallery and Roman Amphitheater
Free
Slavery & the Bank
This exhibition explores the history of transatlantic slavery through its connections with the Bank of England and the wider City of London. (Ending Soon Fri, 26th Jan)
Bank of England Museum
This exhibition explores the dynamic relationship between contemporary painting and photography. (Ending Soon Sun, 28th Jan)
Tate Modern
This display of prints by American artist Ed Ruscha focuses on his prevailing interest in the physical world around him. (Ending Soon Sun, 28th Jan)
British Museum
Revel in the beauty of nature at this display of works by Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues – one of the most gifted botanical artists of his age. (Ending Soon Sun, 28th Jan)
British Museum
£15
Coalescence
The six-metre diameter artwork is made from over 2,500 pieces of coal with a combined weight of over half a tonne – the amount of coal consumed by a single 200W light bulb in a year. (Ending Soon Sun, 4th Feb)
Old Royal Naval College
£12
Burma to Myanmar
From influential superpower to repressive regime, Myanmar – also known as Burma – has seen dramatic fluctuations in fortune over the past 1,500 years. (Ending Soon Sun, 11th Feb)
British Museum
Free
Genetic Automata
This is an ongoing body of video works by artists Larry Achiampong and David Blandy, exploring race and identity in an age of avatars, videogames and DNA ancestry. (Ending Soon Sun, 11th Feb)
Wellcome Collection
Poet, artist and filmmaker Julianknxx explores themes of inheritance, loss and belonging as he crosses the boundaries between written word, music and visual art. (Ending Soon Sun, 11th Feb)
Barbican Arts Centre
This display presents an outstanding group of around twenty Venetian drawings from The Courtauld’s collection. (Ending Soon Sun, 11th Feb)
Courtauld Institute of Art
This exhibition will be one of the most wide-ranging surveys of contemporary fashion culture ever staged in the UK. (Ending Soon Sun, 11th Feb)
The Design Museum
A journey through more than 200 of the most beautiful, idiosyncratic, and interesting places on Earth – all seemingly plucked from the whimsical world of Wes Anderson. (Ending Soon Sat, 17th Feb)
81-85 Old Brompton Road
Explore the design and history of the Royal Festival Hall foyers, and discover the people behind them, in this free Archive Studio exhibition. (Ending Soon Sat, 17th Feb)
Royal Festival Hall
Free
Zach Blas: CULTUS
An immersive exploration of AI Gods, spirituality, and Silicon Valley’s techno-religion. (Ending Soon Sat, 17th Feb)
arebyte Gallery
Whether subverting, inverting, celebrating or exploding – this intriguing new show explores the history of artists taking on the medium of books. (Ending Soon Sun, 18th Feb)
British Museum
£10
Reworking Manet
An exhibition showcasing the creativity and imagination of young people responding to Édouard Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (1882). (Ending Soon Sun, 18th Feb)
Courtauld Institute of Art
Journey through the enchanting, mysterious and sometimes monstrous makings of fantasy. (Ending Soon Sun, 25th Feb)
British Library
This exhibition will present the landscape and nature paintings and sculptures of Frank Walter. (Ending Soon Sun, 25th Feb)
Garden Museum
From trials to triumphs, explore Malorie Blackman's impact on the world of children's literature. (Ending Soon Sun, 25th Feb)
British Library
£20
Philip Guston
One of the 20th century’s most captivating painters responds to a world in turmoil (Ending Soon Sun, 25th Feb)
Tate Modern
£16.50
Sara Shamma
Dulwich Picture Gallery presents a new body of work by the renowned artist Sara Shamma. (Ending Soon Sun, 25th Feb)
Dulwich Picture Gallery
This Prize is one of the most important and anticipated photography competitions in the world and a showcase for both celebrated professionals and talented amateurs. (Ending Soon Sun, 25th Feb)
National Portrait Gallery
How can we design our homes to respond to the climate emergency? Discover how architects are reimagining wood, stone and straw to design homes fit for the future. (Ending Soon Thu, 29th Feb)
The Design Museum
This exhibition explores the history of this iconic book through its reproductions as facsimiles, how the text was repackaged and republished and how the book became prized by collectors. (Ending Soon Thu, 29th Feb)
Senate House Library
For the first time in 250 years, this exhibition reunites the pastel masterpiece by Swiss artist Jean-Etienne Liotard, painted in Lyon in 1754, with the painted version in oil he completed in London almost 20 years later. (Ending Soon Sun, 3rd Mar)
National Gallery
The forgotten story of the Indian Army camps at Hampton Court Palace (Ending Soon Sun, 3rd Mar)
Hampton Court Palace
The first UK exhibition dedicated to the work of French couturière, Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel, charting the establishment of the House of CHANEL and the evolution of her iconic design style. (Ending Soon Sun, 10th Mar)
Victoria and Albert Museum
An exhibition of 70 works on paper by leading Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists. (Ending Soon Sun, 10th Mar)
Royal Academy of Arts
Discover an overlooked Renaissance great in the first-ever exhibition dedicated to Francesco Pesellino (c.1422–1457). (Ending Soon Sun, 10th Mar)
National Gallery
Showcasing prints and drawings from Genoa's golden age, this display spotlights an artistic powerhouse that rivalled Venice, Florence and Rome. (Ending Soon Mon, 1st Apr)
British Museum
This free installation invites visitors to orient themselves in the buildings and their complex, fascinating histories in an exciting new display at the heart of the Barbican’s Foyers. (Ending Soon Fri, 5th Apr)
Barbican Centre
The first of its kind, this exhibition is a wide-ranging exploration of feminist art by over 100 women artists working in the UK. (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Apr)
Tate Britain
£20
DIVA
Expect an explosion of over the top fashions at the V&A Museum this summer, as it brings together a collection of outfits worn by celebrities under the title of "divas". (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Apr)
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Devil is in the Detail will display one of the most important series of woodcuts in Albrecht Dürer’s career, the Great Passion, which is rarely seen in its complete set, as well as several other key works from the era. (Ending Soon Wed, 10th Apr)
Strawberry Hill
An exhibition to mark the film's 30th anniversary. (Ending Soon Sun, 14th Apr)
Cartoon Museum
£27.40
Delight
A multimedia exhibition that combines visuals, sound, and augmented reality to animate the cultural heritage and spirit of South Korea's Seoul. (Ending Soon Sun, 14th Apr)
Borough Yards
A monumental sculptural installation made of thousands of metal bottle tops and fragments. (Ending Soon Sun, 14th Apr)
Tate Modern
Discover over 100 years of intrigue, deceit and real-life secret agents. (Ending Soon Sun, 14th Apr)
Imperial War Museum
The exhibitions explore one of the great - and most entertaining - literary friendships, tracing the shared work, travels, confidences and, above all, the bond of friendship between two men whose books remain loved the world over. (Ending Soon Sun, 21st Apr)
Charles Dickens Museum
This free display brings together ten works by the two artists: with four views of Yorkshire by Turner and five scenes of Normandy and Venice by Bonington. (Ending Soon Sun, 21st Apr)
Wallace Collection
Free
The Cult of Beauty
This exhibition explores notions of beauty across time and cultures. (Ending Soon Sun, 28th Apr)
Wellcome Collection
Explore how music shapes our lives in this interactive exhibition. (Ends on Mon, 6th May)
Science Museum
How do you develop a vaccine quickly and effectively to combat a global pandemic? (Ends on Sun, 12th May)
Science Museum
This exhibition showcases the difference between refillable, returnable (prefill) and repurposed product packaging of the past, present, and future. (Ends on Wed, 15th May)
Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising
Through photographs, possessions, interviews, maps and more, this exhibition explores the lives and stories of generations of UCL students. (Ends on Mon, 20th May)
UCL Octagon Gallery
A display exploring the body of literature about London by European writers from across the centuries. (Ends on Mon, 20th May)
Bloomsbury Campus
Celebrate the centenary of the publication of Freud’s famous work The Ego and the Id with an interactive mini-exhibition exploring visual metaphors behind the id, ego and superego. (Ends on Fri, 31st May)
Freud Museum
An exhibition about the west London hive of workshops and design studios that fed into some of the country’s most iconic Sci-Fi films and TV shows. (Ends on Sun, 2nd Jun)
Gunnersbury Park and Museum
£18
Skateboard
The first major UK exhibition to map the design evolution of the skateboard from the 1950s to today – a story of design, daring and disobedience. (Ends on Sun, 2nd Jun)
The Design Museum
A forest rodeo, a hidden stargazer and a mason bee at work are just a few of the awe-inspiring images featured in the 59th Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. (Ends on Sun, 30th Jun)
Natural History Museum
The exhibition explores tea’s complex history and myriad of meanings – from its popularisation and globalisation connected to stories of imperialism and colonial violence. (Ends on Sun, 7th Jul)
Horniman Museum
For the first time, this exhibition will uncover the major contribution of Jewish designers in making London an iconic fashion city. (Ends on Sun, 7th Jul)
Museum of London Docklands
From Hokusai to Pokémon, Studio Ghibli, robots and beyond, the exhibition takes young visitors on an atmospheric and playful journey revealing the influence of folklore on Japan’s art and design. (Ends on Sun, 11th Aug)
Young V&A
This exhibition follows the lives of British soldiers in Germany over the past 75 years. (Ends on Wed, 21st Aug)
National Army Museum
You can spot your postie by their brightly coloured get-up, but what’s the history of their uniform and how has it changed? (Ends on Sun, 1st Sep)
The Postal Museum
Free
Shakespeare and War
This exhibition explores some of the ways in which Shakespeare has shaped how we think about soldiers and the Army, and how we imagine war and its consequences today. (Ends on Sun, 1st Sep)
National Army Museum
The 14 works on display provide a snapshot of digital art practices from the 1960s to early 2000s. (Ends on Sun, 15th Sep)
Victoria and Albert Museum
Loaned from Brighton Museum, this display showcases more than 300 years of popular British history. (Ends on Sun, 29th Sep)
Victoria and Albert Museum
