Welcome to the IanVisits alternative guide to London.
Lectures, talks, heritage events, organised walks and other random geeky miscellany.
Displayed in date order by how soon they close.
Free
Fanciful Figures
anciful Figures turns visitors’ attention to ‘staffage’, the small human and animal figures in architectural drawings, which became increasingly popular during the eighteenth century. (Ends on Sun, 9th Jun)
Sir John Soane's Museum
Watch in wonder as The Mall Wood Green comes alive with a series of giant inflatable sculptures. (Ends on Sun, 9th Jun)
The Mall Wood Green
An exhibition of Middlesex University MA Interiors work that reimagines the opportunities of existing buildings for sustainable redevelopment. (Ends on Thu, 13th Jun)
Middlesex University
From 1970s activism to the current party scene, the exhibition displays five decades of Hackney life through a camera lens. (Ends on Sat, 15th Jun)
Hackney Museum
Free
Rediscovering gems
A display of gems collected in classical times -- including some recently recovered by the British Museum from an alleged theft. (Ends on Sat, 15th Jun)
British Museum
Showcasing more than 160 rare vintage prints, this exhibition spans the career of both artists – and suggests new ways to look at their work. (Ends on Sun, 16th Jun)
National Portrait Gallery
This exhibition presents the emergence of Indian modern art as a quest for cultural independence. (Ends on Sat, 22nd Jun)
Brunei Gallery, SOAS
An exhibition of costumes inspired by Englands's many folk traditions. (Ends on Sat, 22nd Jun)
UAL: London College of Fashion
Danish artist, Anders Scrmn Meisner, presents a playful new series of paintings that explore the emotional value of objects and the power of visual storytelling. (Ends on Sat, 22nd Jun)
Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery (Wandsworth)
Free
Art Now Zeinab Saleh
An exhibition of delicate and intimate paintings and drawings from Kenyan-born, London-based artist Zeinab Saleh. (Ends on Sun, 23rd Jun)
Tate Britain
The exhibition will include illustrations for stories by Richmal Crompton, J. B. Priestly & Gerald Bullett and John van Druten, an English playwright and theatre director. (Ends on Sun, 23rd Jun)
Heath Robinson Museum
This exhibition transports you across the Roman Empire through the life and service of a real Roman soldier, Claudius Terentianus, from enlistment and campaigns to enforcing occupation and then finally retirement. (Ends on Sun, 23rd Jun)
British Museum
The exhibition brings together 18 of Heath Robinson’s original illustrations in the style he developed at the time. (Ends on Sun, 23rd Jun)
Heath Robinson Museum
Robinson explores the ancient myth of Mithras through an immersive space, evocative of the initiation ceremonies thought to have been held in the Temple. (Ends on Sat, 29th Jun)
London Mithraeum
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
This exhibition highlights far-right nationalist rhetoric from the 1970 – 90s and the anti-fascist, anti-racist responses that followed. (Ends on Mon, 1st Jul)
Wiener Library
An exhibition for the fans by the fans going some way to explain not just what 2Tone is but why and how we got there. (Ends on Mon, 1st Jul)
Barbican Library
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
Step inside a traditional tailor’s workshop in the East End and immerse yourself in the glitz and glamour of a Carnaby Street boutique at the height of the Swinging Sixties – when London was the world's fashion capital. (Ends on Sun, 7th Jul)
Museum of London Docklands
Almost 60 of Sargent’s paintings will be on display, including major portraits that rarely travel (Ends on Sun, 7th Jul)
Tate Britain
This exhibition examines a collection of works on paper made by British colonialists in nineteenth-century India. (Ends on Fri, 12th Jul)
The Peltz Gallery
Thick, Stretchy, Sticky Space features digital paintings and video works that delve into speculative landscapes. (Ends on Sun, 14th Jul)
IMT Gallery
Through personal letters, photographs, sculptures, books and marginalia, Freud and Latin America will investigate the roots of psychoanalysis in the region. (Ends on Sun, 14th Jul)
Freud Museum
Mary Beale (1633-1699) was one of Britain’s first professional woman artists and is subject of this exhibition featuring 25 of her works from public and private collections, including some never seen before in public. (Ends on Fri, 19th Jul)
Philip Mould & Company
Free
The Last Caravaggio
The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula, 1610, lent by the Intesa Sanpaolo Collection, will be displayed alongside another late work by the Italian artist from the National Gallery Collection, Salome receives the Head of John the Baptist, about 1609–10. (Ends on Sun, 21st Jul)
National Gallery
This exhibition by Judit Ferencz comprises hand-made books and booklets which trace the lifecycle of the East London council estate Robin Hood Gardens (1972). (Ends on Thu, 25th Jul)
Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives
Free
METAMORPHOSIS
This exhibition showcases four award-winning photographers and filmmakers undertaking ground-breaking work in their practices of eco-conscious photography and film. (Ends on Sun, 28th Jul)
Saatchi Gallery
This exhibition looks at the last 30 years of Michelangelo's remarkable life. (Ends on Sun, 28th Jul)
British Museum
An exhibition of modern ceramics and glass, curated by Joanna Bird. (Ends on Sun, 4th Aug)
Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery
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
Carey's monumental installations, including works from the series 'Stand' and 'Found', have been reimagined to resonate with the architectural features of 100 Bishopsgate. (Ends on Tue, 20th Aug)
100 Bishopsgate
This exhibition follows the lives of British soldiers in Germany over the past 75 years. (Ends on Wed, 21st Aug)
National Army Museum
For centuries, Black communities have created music in the UK, melding global influences into a Black British sound that has echoed through generations. (Ends on Mon, 26th Aug)
British Library
An exhibition of photos and artwork inspired by the brutalist appearance of the National Theatre. (Ends on Sat, 31st Aug)
The National Theatre
Degas’s Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando takes centre stage in this exhibition that sheds light on this work with newly discovered information about the painting and its sitter. (Ends on Sun, 1st Sep)
National Gallery
Degas’s 'Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando' takes centre stage in this exhibition that sheds light on this work with newly discovered information about the painting and its sitter. (Ends on Sun, 1st Sep)
National Gallery
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
The first solo presentation in a London institution for the trailblazing artist, author, educator, and feminist icon Judy Chicago (Ends on Sun, 1st Sep)
Serpentine North Gallery
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
Explore how music shapes our lives in this landmark interactive exhibition. (Ends on Sun, 1st Sep)
Science Museum
Delve into the powerful, participatory work of artist and activist Yoko Ono (Ends on Sun, 1st Sep)
Tate Modern
The first-ever, walk-through photography exhibition that tells the untold story of how Princess Diana changed the world – through the lens of her official photographer. (Ends on Mon, 2nd Sep)
Dockside Vaults
£12.65
The Biba Story, 1964-1975
Exploring how fashion phenomenon Biba blossomed to become the world’s first lifestyle label. (Ends on Sat, 7th Sep)
Fashion and Textile Museum
Offering art lovers a fresh perspective on London, its architecture, and geography, Guildhall Art Gallery celebrates the work of artist and specialist wood engraver, Anne Desmet RA. (Ends on Sun, 8th Sep)
Guildhall Art Gallery and Roman Amphitheater
£12
Beyond Fashion
Beyond Fashion showcases the work of acclaimed fashion photographers from around the world. (Ends on Sun, 8th Sep)
Saatchi Gallery
Japan’s leading creators share inspirational design that spans disciplines, regions and eras. (Ends on Sun, 8th Sep)
Japan House London
£20
Enzo Mari
This exhibition celebrates the life and work of one of the greatest Italian designers of the 20th century, Enzo Mari, whose designs have inspired generations of creatives around the world. (Ends on Sun, 8th Sep)
Design Museum
Sergio Strizzi (1931 – 2004) is considered one of cinematic still photography’s greatest talents. (Ends on Sun, 8th Sep)
Estorick Collection
This exhibition explores networks of solidarity between groups campaigning on peace, nuclear weapons and national self-determination. (Ends on Sun, 15th Sep)
LSE Library
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
Free
Raise the Roof
See new creative works that unpack narratives of gender, race and imperialism at 66 Portland Place. (Ends on Sat, 21st Sep)
Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
The most wide-ranging exhibition in the UK dedicated to Japanese folk-craft. (Ends on Sun, 22nd Sep)
William Morris Gallery
An exhibition about an architectural style developed in the 1940s and adopted after independence by India and Ghana as a symbol of modernity and progressiveness, distinct from colonial culture. (Ends on Sun, 22nd Sep)
Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum
An exhibition of diaries collected by the artist Dylan Jonas Stone. (Ends on Sun, 29th Sep)
Maughan Library
Loaned from Brighton Museum, this display showcases more than 300 years of popular British history. (Ends on Sun, 29th Sep)
Victoria and Albert Museum
Take a deeper look into the human experience of conflict with Storyteller: Photography by Tim Hetherington at IWM London. (Ends on Sun, 29th Sep)
Imperial War Museum
This exhibition charts the evolution of royal portrait photography from the 1920s to the present day, bringing together more than 150 photographic prints, proofs and documents from the Royal Collection and the Royal Archives. (Ends on Sun, 6th Oct)
The King's Gallery, Buckingham Palace
Spanning 400 years, this exhibition follows women on their journeys to becoming professional artists. (Ends on Sun, 13th Oct)
Tate Britain
Discover how British artists and writers invaded America and made their mark on iconic superheroes and more. (Ends on Sat, 19th Oct)
Cartoon Museum
Discover the story of the friendships that made modern art (Ends on Sun, 20th Oct)
Tate Modern
A display of rare, nationally significant outfits which shines a spotlight on the intimate story of a middle-class mother and her affluent daughter at a moment in history that shaped the way fashion is consumed today. (Ends on Sun, 20th Oct)
Leighton House Museum
The Wallace Collection explore the remarkable life and legacy of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), the founder of the Sikh Empire (1799-1849). (Ends on Sun, 20th Oct)
Wallace Collection
This exhibition shows the decade-to-decade evolution of today’s most iconic brands, including Cadbury’s Milk Tray, Bisto, HP Sauce, Ovaltine and many more. (Ends on Thu, 31st Oct)
Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising
This exhibition invites you to discover the key role chocolate played in the revival of Greenwich. (Ends on Sun, 3rd Nov)
Old Royal Naval College
This exhibition tells the stories of the ordinary women, trained in the nursing style of Florence Nightingale, who were thrust into the arena of war during D-Day. (Ends on Sat, 30th Nov)
Florence Nightingale Museum
Free
Women of the RNLI
Women of the RNLI at the National Maritime Museum celebrates the work of women in the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. (Ends on Sun, 1st Dec)
National Maritime Museum
Free
Hello Brain!
An exhibition about the brain – the most complex and least understood part of the body – and the journey to map its intricate connections. (Ends on Sat, 7th Dec)
The Francis Crick Institute
£16.50
Birds: Brilliant and Bizarre
Unravel the epic story of birds, discover the secrets to their success and learn some of their surprising and often shocking tactics for survival. (Ends on Sun, 5th Jan 2025)
Natural History Museum
Showcasing over 300 rare prints from 140 photographers, this exhibition is a major presentation of twentieth and twenty-first century photography on loan from the private collection of Sir Elton John and David Furnish. (Ends on Sun, 5th Jan 2025)
Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum
This is the first exhibition to celebrate the animals that found their way into the books and homes of Charles Dickens. (Ends on Sun, 12th Jan 2025)
Charles Dickens Museum
The exhibition is a joyful exploration of the body, drawing on the artist’s experience of becoming disabled as a child. (Ends on Sun, 12th Jan 2025)
Wellcome Collection
£18
Zanele Muholi
Over 300 photographs will be brought together to present the breadth of Muholi’s career to date, from their very first body of work to their latest and on-going series. (Ends on Sun, 26th Jan 2025)
Tate Modern
Free
The Future of Money
Money and the way we use it has changed. This free exhibition responds directly to questions asked by the public about the future of money. (Ends on Fri, 29th Aug 2025)
Bank of England Museum
