Love to explore an art gallery or two when visiting London? Here’s a guide to some exhibitions you might not want to miss if you are heading to the city in September.
Radical Harmony: Helene Kröller-Müller’s Neo-Impressionists, National Gallery : on display from the 13th September, this exhibition brings together many of the paintings collected by Helene Kröller-Müller, one of the first great women art patrons of the 20th century. This includes works such as: Georges Seurat’s painting of cancan dancers ‘Le Chahut’ (1889‒90) and Jan Toorop’s ‘Sea’ (1899). It marks the the first exhibition to return to the temporary exhibition galleries in the National Gallery’s Sainsbury Wing.
Theatre Picasso, Tate Modern: experience the artist’s work in a completely new way in this upcoming new exhibition on view to the public from the 17th September. Marking the centenary of his famous painting The Three Dancers this exhibition, staged by celebrated contemporary artist Wu Tsang and author and curator Enrique Fuenteblanca, sheds new light on Picasso’s work by transforming the exhibition space into a theatre. It will be displaying over 45 works by Picasso from Tate’s collection, alongside key European loans.
Costume Couture: Sixty Years of Cosprop, Fashion and Textile Museum: celebrating the 60th anniversary of the company, this exhibition invites visitors to explore some of the most famous costumes from film and television. On display to the public from the 26th September, this display will feature many costumes that haven’t been displayed in public before including costumes worn by Helena Bonham Carter in A Room with a View, Meryl Streep in Out of Africa, Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey, Colin Firth as Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, and Leslie Manville in Mrs Harris Goes to Paris.
Blitz: The Club that Shaped the 80’s, Design Museum: the Design Museum invites visitors to explore and celebrate the legendary Blitz club night that transformed 1980s and the cultural landscape for the decade. On display from the 19th September, the exhibition will feature over 250 objects to showcase the club’s influence on fashion, music, film, art and design.
Marie Antoinette Style, Victoria and Albert Museum: this Autumn, the Victoria and Albert Museum invites visitors to explore the origins and countless revivals of the style shaped by the most fashionable queen in history. Through 250 objects (including loans never seen before outside Versailles and France), the display will showcase how and why Marie Antoinette, the person, has provided a constant source of inspiration. Highlights of the exhibition are set to include: rare personal items owned and worn by Marie Antoinette including the Queen’s own silk slippers, jewels from her private collection and the final note she wrote in her life. It will go on display from the 20th September until the 22nd March 2026.