A list of free exhibitions in London open now, and opening in London soon.
Displayed by how soon they close.
Exhibitions opening soon
For a few days, some original drawings by Charlie Mackesy, author of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse will be on display in central London.
Open from Sun 10th Dec to Tue 12th Dec
Ends this month
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.
Open from Thu 18th Apr 2024 to Sun 21st Jul 2024
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.
Open from Thu 6th Jun 2024 to Sun 1st Sep 2024
Exhibitions open now
‘Not Just Words: Learning languages through art and objects’ is an interactive video showcase in the UCL Art Museum, inviting visitors to engage with the many modern and ancient languages taught at UCL using works from the collection.
Open from Tue 14th Nov to Fri 15th Dec
Ends this month
An exhibition celebrating the Royal Asiatic Society’s bicentenary and its involvement in the study of science, literature, religion, and the arts of Asia since 1823.
Open from Thu 12th Oct to Fri 15th Dec
Ends this month
An exhibition about the British priest who nearly became Pope.
Open from Thu 5th Oct to Fri 15th Dec
Ends this month
A series of paintings by Derek Jarman that deal with love, sex and death and are a direct response to media coverage of the AIDS crisis in the UK.
Open from Thu 5th Oct to Sat 16th Dec
Ends this month
This exhibition celebrates three generations of women silversmiths from the Sultanate of Oman, showcasing their silver work and personal testimonies.
Open from Thu 19th Oct to Sun 17th Dec
Ends this month
An exhibition showcasing more than 400 works by 28 students who have participated in the School’s scholarship course in 2023.
Open from Thu 7th Dec to Tue 19th Dec
Ends this month
An exhibition to mark the 50th anniversary of the Chilean military coup.
Open from Fri 8th Sep to Wed 20th Dec
Ends this month
"Hidden in Plain Sight" is UCL Library Services' free public exhibition highlighting underrepresented voices in our historic and modern library collections.
Open from Thu 1st Jan 1970 to Thu 21st Dec
Ends this month
This exhibition celebrates the Tercentenary of the Constitutions of the Freemasons.
Open from Mon 9th Jan to Thu 21st Dec
Ends this month
An exhibition of works by Italian artist Sergio Lombardo (b.1939, Rome).
Open from Mon 9th Oct to Fri 22nd Dec
Ends this month
This exhibition offers a glimpse into a past of tourism posters that resonates with the present.
Open from Tue 10th Oct to Thu 28th Dec
Ends this month
Explore thread as a method and metaphor for connection, collaboration and conversation in this exhibition by ten students.
Open from Thu 1st Jan 1970 to Sun 31st Dec
Ends this month
This exhibition brings together a group of new and existing sculptures to explore Black women’s labour across histories and geographies.
Open from Tue 23rd May to Mon 1st Jan 2024
This exhibition explores the worldwide effort to develop vaccines at pandemic speed.
Open from Wed 30th Nov 2022 to Sun 7th Jan 2024
This is an exhibition of works on paper focusing on the spectacular illuminations which were popular in the Georgian period.
Open from Wed 4th Oct to Sun 7th Jan 2024
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.
Open from Fri 1st Dec to Sun 7th Jan 2024
This exhibition will invite visitors to further their understanding of the Troubles through the multiple perspectives of individuals affected by the conflict.
Open from Fri 26th May to Sun 7th Jan 2024
Over the dark winter nights, the Southbank Centre is illuminated by outdoor artworks that play with light and colour – explore to discover them all.
Open from Mon 13th Nov to Sun 7th Jan 2024
Discover over 100 previously unseen costume and production designs, scripts, behind the scenes photographs and posters, alongside the iconic red ballet shoes featured in the film.
Open from Fri 10th Nov to Sun 7th Jan 2024
Tenderly Towards the Tipping Point is a group show by artists from India that asks the question: how can an exhibition occupy time?
Open from Fri 20th Oct to Sun 7th Jan 2024
The Rooms Through Time, restyled to reveal how winter has changed London homes through the last 400 years.
Open from Wed 22nd Nov to Sun 7th Jan 2024
From across the sea, an art revolution is coming. Discover the art of the Van de Veldes at the Queen's House
Open from Thu 2nd Mar to Sun 14th Jan 2024
This exhibition takes a deep dive into the different ways climate change impacts the United States and the world.
Open from Mon 6th Nov to Fri 19th Jan 2024
An exhibition that takes a questioning, surprising and playful look at the ways Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already shaping so many areas of our lives
Open from Wed 21st Jun to Sat 20th Jan 2024
A display celebrating the 400th anniversary of the publication of William Shakespeare’s First Folio.
Open from Sat 7th Oct to Thu 25th Jan 2024
This exhibition explores the history of transatlantic slavery through its connections with the Bank of England and the wider City of London.
Open from Wed 11th May 2022 to Fri 26th Jan 2024
The first major retrospective of R.B. Kitaj in the UK for a decade features over 40 paintings, pastels and drawings, covering all major periods of his work.
Open from Wed 25th Oct to Fri 26th Jan 2024
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.
Open from Tue 19th Sep to Sun 28th Jan 2024
This display of prints by American artist Ed Ruscha focuses on his prevailing interest in the physical world around him.
Open from Tue 19th Sep to Sun 28th Jan 2024
Poet, artist and filmmaker Julianknxx explores themes of inheritance, loss and belonging as he crosses the boundaries between written word, music and visual art.
Open from Sat 14th Oct to Sun 11th Feb 2024
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.
Open from Thu 8th Jun to Sun 11th Feb 2024
An immersive exploration of AI Gods, spirituality, and Silicon Valley’s techno-religion.
Open from Thu 12th Oct to Sat 17th Feb 2024
Explore the design and history of the Royal Festival Hall foyers, and discover the people behind them, in this free Archive Studio exhibition.
Open from Wed 11th Oct to Sat 17th Feb 2024
Whether subverting, inverting, celebrating or exploding – this intriguing new show explores the history of artists taking on the medium of books.
Open from Fri 27th Oct to Sun 18th Feb 2024
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.
Open from Wed 2nd Aug to Thu 29th Feb 2024
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.
Open from Tue 21st Nov to Thu 29th Feb 2024
A special exhibition about a little-known local scientific invention with a huge global impact: the development of artificial silk.
Open from Tue 11th Jul to Thu 29th Feb 2024
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.
Open from Thu 16th Nov to Sun 3rd Mar 2024
Discover an overlooked Renaissance great in the first-ever exhibition dedicated to Francesco Pesellino (c.1422–1457).
Open from Thu 7th Dec to Sun 10th Mar 2024
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.
Open from Fri 6th Oct to Sun 31st Mar 2024
Showcasing prints and drawings from Genoa's golden age, this display spotlights an artistic powerhouse that rivalled Venice, Florence and Rome.
Open from Thu 5th Oct to Mon 1st Apr 2024
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.
Open from Thu 6th Apr to Fri 5th Apr 2024
Discover over 100 years of intrigue, deceit and real-life secret agents.
Open from Fri 29th Sep to Sun 14th Apr 2024
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.
Open from Wed 20th Sep to Sun 21st Apr 2024
This exhibition explores notions of beauty across time and cultures.
Open from Thu 26th Oct to Sun 28th Apr 2024
Through photographs, possessions, interviews, maps and more, this exhibition explores the lives and stories of generations of UCL students.
Open from Fri 10th Nov to Mon 20th May 2024
A display exploring the body of literature about London by European writers from across the centuries.
Open from Fri 10th Nov to Mon 20th May 2024
The museum exhibition features first-hand accounts of the horrors and moments of hope faced by doctors tackling the impact of the virus.
Open from Mon 25th Sep to Fri 24th May 2024
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.
Open from Fri 20th Oct to Sun 2nd Jun 2024
The exhibition explores tea’s complex history and myriad of meanings – from its popularisation and globalisation connected to stories of imperialism and colonial violence.
Open from Sat 7th Oct to Sun 7th Jul 2024
This exhibition follows the lives of British soldiers in Germany over the past 75 years.
Open from Sun 22nd May 2022 to Wed 21st Aug 2024
