9 must-see London exhibitions in spring and summer 2025
Unmissable art shows at Britain’s major galleries opening this spring.
London’s museums have dialled it up in the battle for your attention. From the dawn of the Renaissance to rarely-seen Impressionist paintings and jewellery fit for the Queen, here’s my rundown of the best exhibitions to see in London during the first half of 2025.
Vincent van Gogh, The Courtyard of the Hospital at Arles, 1889, Oil on canvas, 73 x 92 cm. Goya to Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Oskar Reinhart Collection
Goya to Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Oscar Reinhart Collection
The Courtauld Gallery
14 February – 26 May
How much can change in a century? This exhibition brings together periods in art that are rarely shown together. It’s based on a selection of paintings from the Oskar Reinhart Collection ‘Am Römerholz’, which spans the whole of the 19th century – from the sombre Romanticism of Goya and Géricault to the wild post-Impressionism of Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec, by way of classic Impressionists including Manet and Renoir. Many of the paintings are coming to London for the first time, so this is a special chance to enjoy rarely-seen works by some of Europe’s favourite artists.
Edvard Munch, Hans Jæger, 1889. © Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, The Fine Art Collections. Photo: Nasjonalmuseet/Børre Høstland.
Edvard Munch Portraits
The National Portrait Gallery
13 March – 15 June
Best known as the painter of The Scream, the much-quoted image of dread and desperation, Munch was also a great portraitist – a fact easily forgotten, as his portraits often depicted the human condition. From love and life, to suffering and death – he would observe a specific human being but record something in them that is present in all of us. Munch is one of my all-time favourite artists. He was a game-changer in the field of portraiture – moving it way beyond the simple recording of likeness. Shows of his works are rare in the UK, so if you see only one exhibition this spring, make it this one.
Duccio, The Temptation of Christ on the Mountain, about 1308-11, 1927.1.35, Tempera on poplar, 43.2 x 46 cm. The Frick Collection, New York, Purchase 1927 (1927.1.35), © Copyright The Frick Collection / photo Michael Bodycomb, X10751
Siena: The Rise of Painting 1300-1350
The National Gallery
8 March – 22 June
Talking about game-changers – here are some from 14th century Italy, when they were creating a whole new way to make art. The National Gallery are calling it ‘a golden moment for art’. But as well as using actual gold in their works, as has been done previously, the painters from Siena in this show made their artistic skill shine too. Emotions, movement, colour – bringing drama to familiar biblical scenes and influencing European art along the way. The exhibition will reunite parts of Duccio’s altarpiece which have been separated for centuries.
Victor Hugo, The Lighthouse at Casquets, Guernsey, 1866, Brown ink and wash, black crayon, black chalk and white gouache on paper, 89.8 x 48 cm. Photo: CCØ Paris Musées / Maison de Victor Hugo
Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo
The Royal Academy of Arts
21 March – 29 June
The author of Les Miserables is most famous for his writing skills, but Hugo had another way to express his wild imagination. His drawings have inspired poets and artists; Van Gogh compared them to ‘astonishing things’. From caricatures to monsters, from imaginary castles to dramatic landscapes, this exhibition brings to London rarely-seen works by a 19th century politician, poet, author and, in turns out, artist.
Grayson Perry © Richard Ansett, shot exclusively for the Wallace Collection, London
Grayson Perry: Delusions of Grandeur
The Wallace Collection
28 March – 26 October
What happens if you bring together one of Britain’s most esteemed contemporary artists and one of Britain’s most exquisite art collections? In a clever move, this exhibition puts Grayson Perry’s ceramics, tapestries, works on paper and digital art alongside Wallace Collection masterpieces. These include some of the finest examples of both fine and decorative arts – from oil paintings and sculpture to Renaissance objects, furniture and armour. Seeing the old and the new together – will you be able to answer definitively: what is art?
Mountbatten Bandeau in Tutti Frutti style, English Art Works for Cartier London, 1928. Emeralds, rubies, sapphires, diamonds and platinum © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Cartier
Victoria and Albert Museum
From 12 April
Sparkling jewellery, magnificent gemstones, historic design, unrivalled craftsmanship – does this all add up to the level of art? See for yourself as London’s design temple the V&A stages an exhibition dedicated to one of France’s most prestigious jewellers. Featuring more than 350 objects and covering over a 100 years of creativity and luxury, this promises to be a feast for the eyes. The highlights will include items worn by Queen Elizabeth II, Grace Kelly and Rihanna.
Seba from The 69 Stations of the Kiso Highway, late 1830s, by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797—1858), Colour-woodblock print, © The Trustees of the British Museum.
Hiroshige: artist of the open road
The British Museum
1 May – 7 September
One of Japan’s most popular artists, Hiroshige brought art to the masses – making it both available and accessible. He chronicled life in Japan and inspired artists well beyond his own country, including Van Gogh and Whistler. This exhibition will include prints, paintings, books and sketches – and most notably his extensive sets of travel series that showcase the beauty and variety of Japanese landscapes. Hiroshige’s works serve as reminders to appreciate beauty in both nature and daily life. We all need a little of Hiroshige’s sense of wonder from time to time.
Do Ho Suh, Nest/s, 2024 (detail), Polyester, stainless steel, 410.1 x 375.4 x 2148.7 cm, Courtesy the Artist and Lehmann Maupin New York, Seoul and London, Photography by Jeon Taeg Su, © Do Ho Suh.
The Genesis exhibition: Do Ho Suh: Walk the house
Tate Modern
1 May – 19 October
What is a home? What is a memory? What is it like to be homesick? The artist does not try to give answers, but he wants you to ask questions. Large scale installations, sculptures, videos, drawings – all invite you to consider what belonging means at this survey exhibition of Korean-born, London-based artist Do Ho Suh. Three decades of practice, plus site-specific works created for the show, are explorations of the relationship between architecture and monuments and the body and memories that make us who we are.
L: Alberto Giacometti, Femme debout [Standing Woman], 1957, Foundation Giacometti © Succession Alberto Giacometti / Adagp, Paris 2025. R: Huma Bhabha, Mask of Dimitrios, 2019. Image credit: Daniel Perez. Courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner Gallery.
Encounters: Giacometti
Barbican
From 8 May
Giacometti’s elongated haunting humans were made in response to the devastations of the Second World War. Now three contemporary artists’ work will be placed in conversation with his era-defining sculptures. But each artist will take a turn to form three dialogues. The first will be Huma Bhabha – known for using a variety of materials including cork, rubber and wire. Through her practice, she is questioning and widening the understanding of what sculpture is by mixing references and techniques from European and African traditions as well as popular culture and film. Bhabha will be followed by Mona Hatoum in September and Lynda Benglis in February 2026.