Art exhibitions to watch out for in London in 2024
The art scene in London for 2024 is shaping up nicely, offering a diverse range of exhibitions to look forward to. From a Barbie-themed exhibition and a tribute to Van Gogh's masterpieces to showcases dedicated to the remarkable careers of Naomi Campbell and Yoko Ono, there's much to anticipate. Here's a preview of what you can expect in London's art scene next year.
This list will be updated as new exhibitions are revealed.
The Imaginary Institution of India: Art 1975-1998
Gieve Patel, Off Lamington Road, 1982-86. Collection: Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi © Gieve Patel. Courtesy Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke and Kiran Nadar Museum of Art.
#FLODown: The Imaginary Institution of India: Art 1975-1998, a groundbreaking exhibition set to go on display at the Barbican Art Gallery, will showcas over 150 works from more than 25 Indian artists. exploring India's cultural and political evolution during a pivotal era. Alongside the exhibition, the Barbican will host a curated film programme, offering audiences a transformative journey through India's artistic heritage.
Date: 5 October 2024 – 5 January 2025. Location: Barbican Art Gallery. Website: barbican.org.uk.
Michael Craig-Martin
Michael Craig-Martin RA Self-Portrait (Aqua), 2007 Acrylic on aluminium. 122 x 92 cm. © Michael Craig-Martin, RA. Photo credit: © Royal Academy of Arts, London.
#FLODown: In Autumn 2024, the Royal Academy of Arts will host the UK's largest exhibition dedicated to British artist Michael Craig-Martin. Known for his significant contributions to conceptual art, Craig-Martin's diverse body of work spans sculpture, installation, drawing, painting, and prints. His pieces blend elements of pop, minimalism, and conceptualism, transforming everyday objects with bold colours and simple lines. The exhibition will explore his influence on contemporary art and education, addressing the crisis in art education in the UK.
Date: 21 September - 10 December 2024. Location: Royal Academy of Arts. Price: £22- £24.50. Website: royalacademy.org.uk.
Yinka Shonibare CBE RA: Suspended States
Courtesy of the artist and Goodman Gallery, Cape Town, Johannesburg, London and New York, James Cohan Gallery, New York and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York. Photographer: Stephen White & Co. © Yinka Shonibare CBE.
#FLODown: Serpentine will showcase Suspended States, a solo exhibition featuring new and recent works by British Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare. Set at Serpentine South, the exhibition coincides with Shonibare's showcase at the 60th International Art Exhibition — La Biennale di Venezia. This marks his first solo exhibition in a London public institution in over 20 years, returning to Serpentine where he first exhibited in 1992. "Suspended States" will feature installations, sculptures, pictorial quilts, and woodcut prints, exploring themes of colonial legacies, migration, public sculptures, and ecological impacts of colonization.
Date: 12 April - 1 September 2024. Location: Serpentine South Gallery. Price: Free. Website: serpentinegalleries.org.
Marc Quinn:Light into Life
Held by Desire Cloud Garden 2023. © Marc Quinn Studio. Photo Hayden Phipps.
#FLODown: This summer, Marc Quinn brings Light into Life to Kew Gardens, featuring outdoor sculptures and works in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art. Through collaboration with Kew's experts, Quinn explores the human-plant relationship, debuting new pieces including monumental sculptures inspired by medicinal plants and a bronze bonsai challenging human control over nature. Inside, visitors will find reinterpretations of Kew's herbarium collection and existing artworks reflecting on nature's role in humanity. Light into Life offers a profound reflection on our connection to the natural world, merging art, science, and environment.
Date: 4 May – 29 September 2024. Location: Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Kew Gardens. Price: Entry to the festival is free with a ticket to Kew Gardens. From adult £20, child: £4.50. Book now.
Expressionists: Kandinsky, Münter and the Blue Rider
Erma Bossi, Circus 1909 Lenbachhaus Munich, on permanent loan from the Gabriele Münter and Johannes Eichner Foundation, Munich.
#FLODown: Tate Modern's upcoming exhibition, Expressionists: Kandinsky, Münter and the Blue Rider, delves into the influential circle of artists in the early 20th century. Led by figures like Wassily Kandinsky and Gabriele Münter, the Blue Rider collective aimed to transcend borders through art. The exhibition will showcase their diverse perspectives, innovative approaches to form, and lasting legacy, offering a glimpse into their transformative impact on modernist art.
Date: 25 April – 20 October 2024. Location: Tate Modern Bankside London SE1 9TG. Price: £22. Website: tate.org.uk.
Explore the exciting lineup of upcoming art exhibitions in 2024 at both Tate Modern and Tate Britain.
The World of Tim Burton
Surrounded, 1996, © Tim Burton.
#FLODown: Renowned for his uniquely whimsical and eccentric style, Tim Burton has crafted celebrated films over the past four decades. The upcoming exhibition at the Design Museum offers a deep dive into his diverse creative universe, spanning beyond cinema to showcase his talents as an illustrator, painter, photographer, and author. This retrospective, curated by Jenny He in collaboration with Tim Burton and adapted by Maria McLintock for the Design Museum, delves into Burton's personal archive. It features a myriad of mediums—drawings, paintings, photographs, sketchbooks, props, installations, storyboards, and set designs—highlighting recurring themes and characters present in his art and films. Closing its global tour, this exclusive showcase at London's Design Museum marks its sole presentation in Britain.
Date: 25 October 2024 — 21 April 2025. Location: Design Museum. Website: designmuseum.org.
Modernism in Ukraine, 1900-1930s
Oleksandr Bohomazov, Sharpening the Saws, 1927, oil on canvas, 138 x 155 cm, National Art Museum of Ukraine.
#FLODown: In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, 1900–1930s, opening at the Royal Academy of Arts in June 2024, promises to offer a comprehensive exploration of Ukrainian modern art, featuring approximately 70 artworks from esteemed artists like Alexander Archipenko and Kazymyr Malevych, as well as lesser-known figures such as Mykhailo Boichuk and Oleksandr Bohomazov. Against a backdrop of geopolitical complexity, Ukraine's historical trajectory of division and nascent national identity fostered a vibrant cultural amalgamation, reflected in the exhibition's thematic sections spanning Cubo-Futurism, theatre design, the Kultur Lige's avant-garde synthesis, and the impact of Soviet imposition. This showcase seeks to highlight the quest for a distinct Ukrainian artistic identity amidst broader European modernism, highlighting an essential yet often overlooked chapter in art history.
Date: 29 June – 13 October 2024. Location: Royal Academy of Arts. Price: from £15. Concessions available. Under 16s go free. Website: royalacademy.org.uk.
Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere
Tavares Strachan, You Belong Here, Prospect.3 New Orleans, 2014. (Installation view from Prospect 3 Biennale, New Orleans, LA). Blocked out neon travelling installation on the Mississippi River. 30 ft x 80 ft on 100-ft barge.
#FLODown: The Hayward Gallery will host Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere, the first mid-career survey of the New York-based Bahamian artist. Strachan, known for his bold and imaginative art, challenges boundaries with exhibitions like the 2019 Venice Biennale. The exhibition will showcase monumental sculptures, large-scale collages, and installations focusing on themes of cultural visibility and remembrance. Strachan celebrates unsung explorers and cultural trailblazers while questioning historical biases. Through his art, he sheds light on colonial legacies, racism, and the universal quest for belonging.
Date: 11 June — 1 September 2024. Location: Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre. Price: £18. Concessions available & Southbank Centre Members go free. Website: southbankcentre.co.uk.
Rheim Alkadhi: Templates for Liberation
Rheim Alkadhi. Harvest of Flames. 2019. Courtesy of the artist.
#FLODown: The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) will host the UK's inaugural exhibition of artist Rheim Alkadhi's work this summer. Alkadhi's exhibition explores the enduring impacts of war and colonialism, particularly in contemporary Iraq and the wider region. Through a combination of sculptures, historical records, and narratives of liberation, the exhibition offers a series of counterpoints to the prevailing narratives.
Date: 11 June - 8 September 2024. Location: Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA). Website: ica.art.
BURTYNSKY: Extraction/Abstraction
Ed Burtynsky © Edward Burtynsky.
#FLODown: Saatchi Gallery's upcoming exhibition, BURTYNSKY: Extraction/Abstraction, opens 14 February 2024, displaying Edward Burtynsky's largest collection yet. Curated by Marc Mayer, it features 94 large-format photos, 13 murals, and augmented reality, exploring humanity's impact on Earth. The showcase includes ‘In the Wake of Progress’, a multimedia experience encouraging reflection on sustainability. Divided into five sections, it prompts contemplation of our environmental relationship and highlights organisations dedicated to sustainability. Visitors can contribute messages for a sustainable future.
Date: 14 February – 6 May 2024. Location: Saatchi Gallery. Website: saatchigallery.com.
Frank Auerbach: The Charcoal Heads
Frank Auerbach (b.1931), Self-Portrait, 1958, Charcoal and chalk on paper. Private Collection © the artist, courtesy of Frankie Rossi Art Projects, London.
#FLODown: The Courtauld Gallery will host an exhibition by Frank Auerbach titled The Charcoal Heads, opening on 9 February 2024. This showcase features his early, hauntingly beautiful charcoal portrait heads created during the 1950s and 1960s in post-war London. Displaying seventeen major charcoal drawings and six paintings, the exhibition explores the interplay between Auerbach's painted and charcoal portraits. This collection, drawn from public and private collections, illuminates Auerbach's enduring fascination with capturing the essence of the human form.
Date: 9 February – 27 May 2024. Location: The Courtauld Gallery. Website: courtauld.ac.uk.
Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection
Simply Fragile, 2022 by Tyler Mitchell © Tyler Mitchell. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
#FLODown: The V&A will showcase over 300 rare prints from more than 140 photographers, borrowed from the private collection of Sir Elton John and David Furnish. This exhibition explores modern and contemporary photography from the 1950s to the present, featuring works by renowned artists like Robert Mapplethorpe, Cindy Sherman, William Eggleston, and Diane Arbus. The exhibition covers various themes, including fashion, reportage, celebrity, the male body, and American photography. Commemorating 30 years of collecting, it highlights portraits of stage and screen icons, pivotal historical moments, and significant social movements, such as the Civil Rights movement, AIDS activism, and 9/11.
Date: 18 May 2024 – 5 January 2025. Location: V&A Museum. Website: vam.ac.uk.
Enzo Mari
Due, La Pera screen print for Danese Milano, 1963, by Enzo Mari.
#FLODown: Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist with Francesca Giacomelli, this major exhibition pays tribute to Enzo Mari, one of the 20th century's greatest Italian designers. Mari's influential designs have left an indelible mark, inspiring creatives worldwide. Expect a comprehensive retrospective showcasing Mari's 60-year career, encompassing furniture, children's books, games, product and graphic design, and conceptual installations. The exhibition, debuted at Triennale Milano in 2020, offers insight into Mari's research process and his unwavering belief in design's social responsibility. Additionally, a complementary display will feature commissioned works by contemporary artists and designers, celebrating Mari's extraordinary life and legacy.
Date: 29 March — 8 September 2024. Location: Design Museum. Website: designmuseum.org.
Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers
Image: The National Gallery, London; Starry Night, 1888; © Musée d’Orsay.
#FLODown: The National Gallery is hosting its first-ever exhibition dedicated to Vincent Van Gogh, titled Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers, to mark its 200th anniversary. The exhibition will showcase over 50 works from various collections, highlighting Van Gogh's imaginative transformations and his poetic and romantic themes. The display focuses on his time in Arles and Saint-Rémy, exploring how he turned places into idealised spaces in his art. It will also delve into his series painting approach and use of contrasts. The exhibition will include major paintings from the National Gallery's collection, including Sunflowers and Van Gogh’s Chair.
Date: 14 September 2024 - 19 January 2025. Location: The National Gallery. Website: nationalgallery.co.uk
Barbie Exhibition
Image: 1985 Day to Night Barbie. Photo Mattel Inc.
#FLODown: The Design Museum in London is set to host a significant exhibition on the history of Barbie™, coinciding with the doll's 65th anniversary in 2024. In collaboration with Mattel Inc., the museum has gained special access to the extensive Barbie archives in California. Curated by Danielle Thom, the exhibition will explore Barbie's design evolution and legacy since its creation in 1959 by Ruth Handler. It will delve into various design aspects like fashion, architecture, furniture, and vehicle design. The exhibition is scheduled to open in summer 2024, and will feature rare and unique items, offering an exciting glimpse into the iconic brand's journey over the past six-and-a-half decades.
Date: 5 July 2024 - 23 February 2025. Location: The Design Museum. Website: designmuseum.co.uk.
NAOMI
Image: NAOMI is at the V&A, 22 June 2024 – 6 April 2025. Photographer - Marco Bahler.
#FLODown: The V&A museum is set to host NAOMI, a unique exhibition showcasing Naomi Campbell's 40-year career as a trailblazing British fashion model and icon. Taking place in Summer 2024, the exhibition will feature around 100 looks from top global designers, as well as fashion photography curated by Edward Enninful. It will also highlight Campbell's advocacy for social change and her support for emerging creatives.
Date: 22 June 2024 - 6 April 2025. Location: V&A Museum. Website: vam.ac.uk.
When Forms Come Alive
Image: Tara Donovan, Untitled (Mylar), 2011_2018. Mylar and hot glue. Dimensions Variable. Installation view, MCA Denver. Photo_ Christopher Burke. Courtesy the artist and Pace Gallery.
#FLODown: When Forms Come Alive: Sixty Years of Restless Sculpture at the Hayward Gallery explores artists' fascination with movement and organic growth. Spanning 50 years of contemporary art, the exhibition showcases dynamic sculptural forms that evoke fluid experiences and challenge digitalisation. Nineteen international artists present works that emphasise spontaneity, gravity, and evolving sensations. The sculptures reject rigidity, encouraging interaction with ambiguous forms. The exhibition opens with post minimalist works and progresses to contemporary artists drawing inspiration from organic life.
Date: 7 February - 6 May 2024. Location: Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre. Website: southbankcentre.co.uk.
Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art
Image: Teressa Margolles, American Juju for the Tapestry of Truth, 2025. © Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Peter Kilchman, Zurich/Paris.
#FLODown: Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art is a compelling exhibition set to run at the Barbican Art Gallery from February 2024. It aims to shed light on textiles, an often overlooked medium in art history, by showcasing the works of contemporary artists who harness the transformative and subversive potential of textiles. With over 100 artworks, this exhibition will explore how artists use textiles to challenge power structures, transcend boundaries, and reimagine the world. The diverse range of works, from hand-crafted pieces to large-scale installations, will address themes such as gender, sexuality, colonialism, displacement, and ancient knowledge, illustrating how textiles serve as agents of resistance and repair. The lineup of participating artists features prominent names like Faith Ringgold, Louise Bourgeois and Tracey Emin, among many others.
Date: 14 February – 26 May 2024. Location: Barbican Art Gallery. Website: barbican.co.uk.
Yoko Ono Exhibition
Image: Yoko Ono with Glass Hammer 1967 from HALF-A-WIND SHOW, Lisson Gallery, London, 1967. Photograph: Clay Perry © Yoko Ono.
#FLODown: Tate Modern is preparing to host a significant exhibition dedicated to Yoko Ono, a renowned artist and activist celebrated for her contributions to conceptual and performance art, experimental film, and music. Ono's extensive artistic journey across America, Japan, and the UK underscores her dedication to activism, world peace, and environmental causes. The exhibition will showcase her diverse body of work, spanning more than six decades, encompassing early performances, works on paper, objects, and music. Additionally, visitors will have the opportunity to engage with some of Ono's notable activist projects, including PEACE IS POWER and Wish Tree.
Date: 15 February – 1 September 2024. Location: Tate Modern. Website: tate.co.uk.
Soulscapes
Mónica de Miranda, Sun rise (detail), 2023, inkjet print on cotton paper. Courtesy of the artist and Sabrina Amrani Gallery, Madrid.
#FLODown: Soulscapes is an ambitious exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery that aims to redefine landscape art through contemporary artists' perspectives. The showcase features over 30 works, including painting, photography, film, and collage, exploring themes of belonging, memory, joy, and transformation. Artists from the African Diaspora provide insights into their relationship with the natural world, addressing identity, history, and personal experiences. The exhibition invites visitors to ponder the profound impact of landscapes on our lives and emotions, celebrating the joy they evoke and their transformative potential for healing and renewal.
Date: 14 February – 2 June 2024. Location: Dulwich Picture Gallery. Website: dulwichpicturegallery.co.uk.
Barbara Kruger: Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You
Barbara Kruger; BARBARA KRUGER: THINKING OF YOU, I MEAN ME, I MEAN YOU Installation view, The Art Institute of Chicago - AIC, Chicago, September 19, 2021–January 24, 2022 Courtesy the artist and Sprüth Magers Photo: The Art Institute of Chicago.
#FLODown: Barbara Kruger, the American artist known for her powerful exploration of visual culture and societal themes, will host her solo exhibition,Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You, at Serpentine South and Outernet Arts in London after more than 20 years. This showcase marks Kruger's return to Serpentine, presenting installations, moving images, and soundscapes that deeply engage with contemporary issues of power, gender, and capitalism. Her iconic works like ‘I shop therefore I am’ and ‘Your body is a battleground’ will be featured alongside reinterpretations and transformations. Curated by Kruger herself in collaboration with Serpentine, this exhibition aims to provoke thoughtful reflection on societal constructs, individual identity, and the evolving digital landscape.
Date: 1 February – 17 March 2024. Location: Serpentine South Gallery, London W2 3XA. Price: Free. Website: serpentinegalleries.org.
Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence
Unity Hall, KNUST, Kumasi by John Owuso Addo and Miro Marasović - film still from Tropical Modernism_ Architecture and Independence, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.jpegUnity Hall, KNUST, Kumasi by John Owuso Addo and Miro Marasović.
#FLODown: Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence focuses on the architectural style developed in post-World War II West Africa and India by architects Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew. This style, known as Tropical Modernism, embraced minimalism while innovatively addressing the challenges of hot, humid climates. Initially introduced by the British Empire in post-war projects to counter calls for independence and promote trade, Tropical Modernism later symbolised the modernity and progress of newly independent countries. After gaining independence, this architectural style became a representation of these nations' break from colonial culture, adapted and further developed by local architects. The exhibition explores this transformative period, examining how art and architecture played a role in expressing newfound freedoms and shaping a distinct identity separate from the colonial past.
Date: 2 March 2024 – 22 September 2024. Location: V & A Museum. Website: vam.ac.uk.
2025
Siena: The Rise of Painting 1300‒1350
Duccio Maestà - Panels, 1307/8-11 - The Annunciation © The National Gallery, London.
#FLODown: The National Gallery is set to host a milestone exhibition in spring 2025, marking its 200th anniversary with a rare reunion of 14th-century Italian paintings. Siena: The Rise of Painting 1300‒1350 will feature approximately a hundred works, showcasing the pivotal role of Sienese artists in Europe's artistic landscape. Highlights include Duccio di Buoninsegna's Maestà panels and Simone Martini's Orsini Polyptych, alongside works by Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti. This comprehensive exhibition, curated by experts including Dr. Laura Llewellyn and Dr. Caroline Campbell, will showcase the radical experimentation and international influence of Sienese art, offering a unique journey through history and culture.
Date: 8 March ‒ 22 June 2025. Location: The National Gallery. Website: nationalgallery.org.uk.
Mickalene Thomas: All About Love
Mickalene Thomas, 2023. Photo by Malike Sidibe.
#FLODown: In 2025, Mickalene Thomas’s All About Love exhibition is scheduled to tour major institutions in the US and UK. The tour begins at The Broad in Los Angeles, continues to the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, and culminates at the Hayward Gallery at the Southbank Centre. Her art redefines beauty, sexuality, and identity, drawing inspiration from 19th-century painting and pop culture. Thomas challenges conventions of portraiture, delving into Black and female identity within art history. Inspired by Black feminist theory, her work embodies themes of love, empowerment, and joy.
Date: 10 February - 5 May 2025. Location: Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX.