Exhibitions in London — December 2026
Exhibitions on in London during December 2026. This page narrows our full exhibitions programme down to what's running in December 2026, so you can plan ahead — dates, venues and booking, all in one place.
London's exhibition calendar is one of the richest in the world. We list everything from blockbuster 'culture' shows at the British Museum – such as the Bayeux Tapestry in 2026 – to interesting small exhibitions by rising East End artists.
Exhibitions · December 2026

British Wildlife Photography Awards - FREE!
17/07/2026 - 21/02/2027
Daily 10:00-17:30
Horniman Museum & Gardens
Evelyn Taocheng Wang: Being Poetic Ruins Life - FREE!
25/09/2026 - 13/12/2026
Wed-Sun 12:00-18:00
Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art
William Eggleston: All that goes unnoticed
14/10/2026 - 21/02/2027
Mon-Wed, Sat 10:30-18:00; Thu-Fri 10:30-20:00; Sun 11:00-18:00
Photographers' Gallery
Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires
07/11/2026 - 09/05/2027
Daily 10:00-17:45 (Fri 22:00)
Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A)
Anselm Kiefer: Des Malers Atelier - FREE
25/11/2026 - 24/01/2027
Wed-Sun 10 (Sun 12:00)-18:00
White Cube Bermondsey
The John Madejski Fine Rooms - FREE
16/12/2025 - 29/01/2027
Tue-Sun 11:00-16:00 (Fri 21:00). Closed 2 October, 6 November & 4 December 2026
Royal Academy of Arts
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style
10/04/2026 - 18/04/2027
Check website
The King's Gallery, Buckingham Palace
Painting the French Riviera
02/10/2026 - 31/01/2027
Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00 (Fri 21:00)
Royal Academy of Arts
Tim Walker's Fairyland: Love and Legends
08/10/2026 - 07/02/2027
Daily 10:30-18:00; Fri-Sat until 21:00
National Portrait Gallery
Hokusai: Thirty-six views of Mt. Fuji from the Iuchi Collection
20/10/2026 - 17/01/2027
Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Becoming America - How Science Shaped a Nation - FREE
23/10/2026 - 25/04/2027
Daily: 10:00-17:00 (Pre-book online)
Science Museum
Healing Spaces: Healthcare Design Past, Present and Future
18/11/2025 - 31/12/2026
Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00
Florence Nightingale Museum
The Music is Black: A British Story
18/04/2026 - 10/01/2027
10:00-18:00 (Fri & Sat 21:00)
Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A)
Urushi Now: Contemporary Japanese Lacquer - FREE
30/04/2026 - 30/04/2027
10:00-17:45
Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A)
Jean ProuvéMaison Démontable
16/05/2026 - 31/12/2026
Tue-Sat: 10:00-18:00; Sun: 11:00-17:00
Carpenters Workshop Gallery London
Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific
16/05/2026 - 10/01/2027
10:00-17:45
Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A)
Zineb Sedira: When Words Fall Silent, Cinema Speaks - FREE
26/05/2026 - 17/01/2027
10:00-18:00
Tate Britain
Bank of England Museum – What's On (parent listing) - FREE
21/06/2026 - 31/03/2027
Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00 (last entry 16:30). Museum Lates every third Thu until 20:00 (last entry 19:30, booking recommended). Closed Bank Holidays and weekends.
Bank of England Museum
Drawn on the Western Front: Paul Sarrut and the Indian Army
07/07/2026 - 21/02/2027
10:00-17:30
National Army Museum
Audrey Amiss: The Surviving Exhibitions - FREE!
10/07/2026 - 07/02/2027
Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00
Wellcome Collection
Rudy Loewe: Intimacies of Care - Spaces of Grief and Possibility - FREE!
10/07/2026 - 07/02/2027
Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00
Wellcome Collection
Richard Owen: A Natural Legacy - FREE
24/07/2026 - 04/01/2027
10:00-17:30 - free but book ahead
Natural History Museum
Wanda and Marion Wulz
16/09/2026 - 20/12/2026
Wed-Sat 11:00-18:00; Sun 12:00-17:00
Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art
Sea Life
17/09/2026 - 18/01/2027
Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00 (+ Sat 10:00-17:00 on performance days)
Half Moon Theatre
The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon - FREE
21/09/2026 - 03/01/2027
10:00-17:45 (Fri 22:00)
Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A)
Metamorphoses: Porcelain Sculpture by Rachel Kneebone
23/09/2026 - 25/04/2027
Daily 10:00-17:00
Wallace Collection
This Is Still Not a Pipe: The Afterlife of Magritte - FREE!
24/09/2026 - 12/12/2026
Tue-Sat 10:00-18:00
Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill
Visions of Nature: A mixed reality experience
05/10/2026 - 03/01/2027
10:15-16:45
Natural History Museum
Cecilia Vicuna: Living Threads
07/10/2026 - 14/02/2027
Tue-Wed, Fri-Sun 11:00-18:00; Thu 11:00-21:00
Whitechapel Gallery
Sabine Moritz
07/10/2026 - 20/12/2026
Generally daily 10:00-17:00, but check for closures
Garden Museum
Justin Caguiat: Change Ringing - FREE!
08/10/2026 - 10/01/2027
Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00
Serpentine Gallery (South)
Light and Magic The Birth of Art Photography
08/10/2026 - 14/02/2027
Daily 10:00-18:00 (Fri & Sat 22:00)
Tate Modern
Multiplied wonders: Italian Renaissance woodcuts - FREE
08/10/2026 - 21/03/2027
Daily 10:00-17:00; Fri: 10:00-20:30
British Museum
Sanlé Sory: Colour Years
14/10/2026 - 21/02/2027
Mon-Wed, Sat 10:30-18:00; Thu-Fri 10:30-20:00; Sun 11:00-18:00
Photographers' Gallery
Snap Happy! How Children Became Photographers
14/10/2026 - 21/02/2027
Mon-Wed, Sat 10:30-18:00; Thu-Fri 10:30-20:00; Sun 11:00-18:00
Photographers' Gallery
Shonibare and Gainsborough: A Conversation - FREE
15/10/2026 - 07/02/2027
Daily 10:00-18:00; Fri until 21:00
National Gallery
A Place to Call Home: Poverty and Housing in London
23/10/2026 - 05/03/2027
Mon–Fri: 09:00–19:00; Sat: 09:45–17:00
Senate House Library
Goavve-Geabbil: Hyundai Commission 2026
26/10/2026 - 27/03/2027
Daily 10:00-18:00 (Fri, Sat 22:00)
Tate Modern
Tino Stefanoni: Between Vision and Memory
28/10/2026 - 20/12/2026
Wed-Sat 11:00-18:00; Sun 12:00-17:00
Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art
Agatha Christie
30/10/2026 - 20/06/2027
Mon-Sat 09:30-20:00 (Fri 18:30, Sat 17:00); Sun 11:00-17:00
British Library
Charlie Mackesy: The Boy, the Fox, the Mole, the Horse... And You
03/11/2026 - 07/02/2027
Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00
Dulwich Picture Gallery
No Plan at All: Prints from BORCH Editions
05/11/2026 - 19/12/2026
Thu 18:00-20:00; Fri-Sat 10:00-18:00
David Zwirner
Winston Taylor Photo Portrait Prize 2026
05/11/2026 - 17/01/2027
Sun-Thu: 10:30-18:00 (Fri & Sat: 21:00)
National Portrait Gallery
Through Our Eyes: Sámi Art and Culture
06/11/2026 - 07/02/2027
Sun-Wed: 10:00-18:00; Sat: 10:00-20:00; Thu-Fri: 12:00-20:00
Somerset House
From Code to Clay: Re-imagining Materiality in a Machine-Learning World
14/11/2026 - 12/12/2026
Tue-Fri 11:00-17:00; Sat 11:00-16:00

Urban Vibes: A Photography Exhibition
14/11/2026 - 12/12/2026
Building hours only (not published) – confirm; launch event Sat 14 Nov 15:00-17:00

The Film London Jarman Award 2026 - FREE!
17/11/2026 - 13/12/2026
Tue-Wed, Fri-Sun 11:00-18:00; Thu 11:00-21:00
Whitechapel Gallery
Where We Grow: nature, nurture & childhood
17/11/2026 - 18/04/2027
Tue-Sun: 10:00 (Sun 11:00)-17:00
Foundling Museum
Cosimo I de' Medici: Art and Dynasty - FREE!
18/11/2026 - 21/03/2027
Daily 10:00-17:00
Wallace Collection
Louise Giovanelli: In the Light of False Suns - FREE
20/11/2026 - 16/01/2027
Tue-Sat 10:00-18:00
White Cube Mason's Yard
Sky Glabush: If the Wild Bird Could Speak
20/11/2026 - 09/01/2027
Tue-Sat 11:00-18:00 (Mon by appointment)
Alison Jacques
Peggy Guggenheim in London
21/11/2026 - 14/03/2027
Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00 (Fri 21:00)
Royal Academy of Arts
Tove Jansson and her Families
21/11/2026 - 09/05/2027
Wed-Sun: 10:00-17:00
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Andrius Arutiunian: They Tried to Count Us
24/11/2026 - 07/03/2027
Tue-Sun: 10:00-18:00 (Sat: 20:00)
Hayward Gallery (at Southbank Centre)
Nan Goldin: You Never Did Anything Wrong
24/11/2026 - 14/03/2027
Tue-Sun: 10:00-18:00 (Sat: 20:00)
Hayward Gallery (at Southbank Centre)
Peter Blake: In the Studio
25/11/2026 - 18/04/2027
Wed-Sun: 10:00-17:00; first Thu of month: 10:00-20:00
Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery
Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition 2026
26/11/2026 - 12/12/2026
Daily 10:00-17:00
Mall Galleries
Minty Sainsbury: Surfaces of Time - FREE
01/12/2026 - 05/12/2026
Tue-Sat: 11:00-18:00 (19:00 Wed)
Coningsby GalleryFrequently asked questions
What exhibitions are on in London in December 2026?
The list above shows exhibitions running in London during December 2026, updated day by day with our picks first. Each entry links to dates, venue and booking.
How much, if anything, will a visit cost?
London is unusual among major cites, in that the starting point for most museums and art galleries is 'free entry'. For the exhibitions we list here, however, there is most often a charge. How much that charge will be often depends on personal circumstances, so It's always safest to check by following the 'More info and Booking' link for the most complete and up-to-date information.
A show I want to go to is sold out. What can I do?
Most major museums and galleries offer a perfectly proper 'jump the queue' option. You simply have to become a 'friend, and then, in most cases, you can still get in to 'sold out' exhibitions! The catch of course is that you'll have to pay an annual subscription, which is typically around three times the cost of a single visit. Especially if you live locally, however, it's an option always worth considering.
Should I book ahead?
For most shows most of the time, you don't need to book, but, it's always safest to check out the 'More info and Booking' link as soon as you consider a visit. Sometimes, even free entry (where available) requires you to have booked a time slot first.




