Here’s a guide to some of the exhibitions to look out for next year…
Hawaiʻi: A Kingdom Crossing Oceans, British Museum: on display from the 15th January, the British Museum will explore the history of Hawaiʻi’ and its ties with the UK. The show will commemorates 200 years since a series of events including the visit of Hawaiian King Liholiho (Kamehameha II) and Queen Kamāmalu to London with a royal delegation to seek alliance and protection from the Crown.
Painting the French Riviera, Royal Academy of Arts: next year, the Royal Academy will turn its attention onto the story of Impressionists, Post-Impressionists and Modernists in the French Riviera. From Matisse and Klein in Nice to Monet and Picasso in Antibes, this exhibition will look at how the French Riviera became a catalyst for creativity and supporting the rise of modern art. On display from the 2nd October 2026 to the 31st January 2027, this show will feature more than 120 works, including paintings, sculpture, travel posters, and film, from the 1870s to the 1960s.
Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends, Young V&A: this newly announced exhibition on display from the 12th February next year will mark the studio’s 50th anniversary. It will offer a fascinating insight into the background of the studio as well as the beloved characters that audiences still love to this day. The display will focus on the storytelling and craft that brings their familiar and fantastical worlds from the sketchbook to the screen.
Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting, National Portrait Gallery: from the 12th February, the National Portrait Gallery will be the UK’s first museum exhibition to focus on the artist’s works on paper, including some works seen on display for the first time. The focus of the show will be on how the artist was preoccupied with with the human face and figure from the 1930s to the early 21st century, focusing on Freud’s mastery of drawing in all its forms – from pencil, pen, and ink to charcoal and etching.
Es Devlin, Design Museum: on display from the 18th September next year, this exhibition will celebrate the work of the artist and designer’s 30-year practice in sculpture, performance, language and light. It is the first UK display focusing on her work and will be developed in close collaboration with the artist herself.
The Music is Black: A British Story, V&A East: this major exhibition at the V&A’s new site in East London will celebrate 125 years of Black music-making in Britain. It is set to uncover how Black British music has shaped British culture, spanning across four continents and twelve decades.
Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait, National Portrait Gallery: in celebration of what would have been the her 100th birthday, this exhibition (4th June until the 6th September) will explore her life and legacy as seen through portraits created by some of the greatest photographers and artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. It will bring together works by artists such as Andy Warhol, Pauline Boty, Marlene Dumas, James Gill, Rosalyn Drexler and Audrey Flack.
Frida: The Making of a Legend, Tate Modern: the gallery is set to tell the story of how Frida Kahlo became one of the most influential artists of all time, a cultural phenomenon, and an internationally recognised commercial icon. On display from the 25th June, the exhibition will bring together over 130 works, including some of her most well-known paintings to pay tribute to the artist.
© Musée d’Orsay, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Patrice Schmidt
Renoir and Love, National Gallery: on display to the public from the 3rd October 2026, this major exhibition is the first to bring together the artist’s work in the UK for 20 years. It will feature pieces such as the iconic ‘Bal au Moulin de la Galette’ (1876, the Musée d’Orsay, Paris), which will be exhibited in the UK for the first time. The aim of the exhibition is to look at the evolution the imagery of affection, seduction, conversation, male camaraderie and the sociability of the café and theatre, as well as merry-making, flirtation, courtship and child-rearing in Renoir’s art.
Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, Victoria and Albert Museum: the V&A in South Kensington will present the UK’s first display devoted to Elsa Schiaparelli, which will span the designer’s career and celebrate the innovative designer’s influence. It will trace he fashion house’s groundbreaking origins and its evolution under current creative director Daniel Roseberry. It will open to the public on the 28th March.