Why will London become the epicenter of the global art world in 2026? The calendar reveals an extraordinary lineup of exhibitions across the city’s most prestigious venues, offering visitors unprecedented access to artistic masterpieces from various periods and movements.
The Hayward Gallery will host a large-scale survey of Anish Kapoor from June 16 to October 18, featuring his colossal installations, polished steel sculptures, and signature blacker-than-black surfaces. This all-encompassing overview, directed by Ralph Rugoff in his final months at the gallery, forms part of the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary celebrations.
At Tate Modern, visitors can experience the largest-ever exhibition of Tracey Emin‘s work, titled “A Second Life,” running from February 27 to August 31. The retrospective includes over 90 works spanning various media, from her Young British Artists days to recent creations like The End of Love (2024), offering an intimate journey through Emin’s explorations of love and trauma. Following the success of similar exhibitions in Scandinavia, this showcase celebrates Emin as one of the most significant female trailblazers in art of our time.
Emin’s retrospective offers an unprecedented glimpse into her raw, intimate journey through love and trauma across multiple decades.
The Royal Academy of Arts will reassess the influential Guggenheim Jeune gallery, which operated briefly on Cork Street in 1938, bringing together approximately 80 works by artists like Kandinsky and Sophie Taeuber-Arp, many rarely seen since their original showing. Pontone Gallery will present an exciting exhibition featuring visual artist Chris Rivers, whose work comes to London directly from its international debut at the LA Art Show.
For classical art enthusiasts, the National Gallery presents the first major UK monographic exhibition of Spanish Baroque master Francisco de Zurbarán, running from May 2 to August 23, focusing on his religious and still-life subjects. The exhibition will display over 40 works that emphasize the artist’s humanity, including his renowned masterpiece Agnus Dei.
The British Museum contributes to this artistic feast with an extensive Samurai exhibition, exploring armor, honor, and cultural traditions from March 26 to August 23.
Meanwhile, the National Portrait Gallery examines Lucian Freud‘s techniques in “Drawing Into Painting,” running from February 12 to May 4, showcasing the portrait master’s significant works.
Early 2026 also offers exhibitions carrying over from January, including shows at The Photographers’ Gallery, Whitechapel Gallery, Victoria Miro, Richard Saltoun, and Tate Modern’s exploration of Nigerian Modernism continuing until May 10.
