Here is a month-by-month calendar of many of the major upcoming arts events in London. Follow the links to the venues where you will find more detailed information and images. While markets, auctions and fairs are held on specific dates, the major museums and galleries are usually open daily. Check the Opening Times on the respective websites.
-
Starting in February 2008
20 Feb - 31 AugMore than 50 photographs in a montage & a film tells the forgotten story of the Maroons who refused to be enslaved, survived in remote parts of the Caribbean islands and helped destabilise the plantation system.At Museum in Docklands -
Starting in March 2008
14 Mar - 28 SepThis exhibition brings together the works of four artists & a collector: Leonardo da Vinci, Cassiano dal Pozzo, Alexander Marshal, Maria Sibylla Merian & Mark Catesby. They have shaped our knowledge of the world around us.At The Queen's Gallery -
15 Mar - 13 JulExploring the recent explosion of new design in China, from the 2008 Olympic stadium to the most interesting fashion and graphics.At Victoria & Albert Museum
-
16 Mar - DecExplore the Great Fire, the most famous disaster in London's history, and find out how it shaped the city we know today through our new microsite and exhibition. See microsite.At Museum of London
-
Starting in April 2008
10 Apr - 07 SepFeaturing 147 works by 74 artists, the first exhibition in the UK of prints from this period.At The British Museum -
17 Apr - 01 MarTo celebrate the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth, Imperial War Museum London will launch the first major exhibition devoted to the life and work of the man who created the world’s most famous secret agent, James Bond.At Imperial War Museum
-
18 Apr - DecApril 2008: The Shirley Sherwood gallery of Botanical Art opens at Kew Gardens in Spring 2008. It will be the first gallery in the world dedicated to botanical art and open to the public all year round.The gallery will exhibit precious works of art from Kew's and Dr Shirley Sherwood's collections, many of which have never been on public display before.
At Kew Gardens -
18 Apr - DecMarianne North Gallery at Kew. After a successful exhibition of her paintings in a London gallery in 1879, Marianne conceived the idea of presenting them to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.At Kew Gardens
-
Starting in May 2008
13 May - 19 OctA display of performance costumes worn by The Supremes, one of the most successful American female vocal groups of the 1960s.At Victoria & Albert Museum -
17 May - 07 SepThis vibrant new exhibition will explore the fascinating representation of the Olympic Games through the intensely visual medium of the poster. Coinciding with the Beijing Olympic Games of 2008 and the build-up to London 2012, exhibits will be drawn from the V&A's rich collections of posters and ephemera, including stunning recent acquisitionsAt Museum of Childhood
-
Starting in June 2008
03 Jun - 24 AugPhotographs from China: 1903-1905. The exhibition illustrates a period in CHinese history when the British leased some of the Shandong Province. Photographs in this exhibit relate to the British Administrators in the territory.At Dulwich Picture Gallery -
07 Jun - 09 NovAre You Being Served? by Tom Hunter is a photographic project that explores the changing face of east end trade. These situational portraits of local businesses on the main road between Bethnal Green and central Hackney provide us with a fascinating record of the diverse proprietors, their premises and their wares.At Museum of Childhood
-
12 Jun - 26 JulOur Own Image: Gods and Mortals in AntiquityAt Rupert Wallace Art Ltd.
-
25 Jun - 14 SepVittorio Sella (1859-1943) was born and died in Biella, in the northern Piedmont region of the Italian Alps. He recorded his journeys to the mountains of four continents in a series of spectacular images. He was a skilled a mountaineer and photographer.At Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art
-
26 Jun - 05 OctAt The Courtauld Gallery, London
-
26 Jun - 07 SepRichard Prince is one of the most innovative and influential artists of our time and can be variously described as a painter, photographer, sculptor and collector. His work makes use of an eclectic range of approaches to explore his fascination with Americana, pop culture, art, literature and language. Following on from the Guggenheim exhibition, Spiritual America, Prince has conceived an exhibition especially for the Serpentine Gallery, featuring a selection of his most iconic works and several new sculptures.
At Serpentine Gallery -
28 Jun - 07 SepThis exhibition, the first retrospective of the Danish artist in the UK, marks a revival of interest in this near contemporary of Whistler and painter of haunting interiors reminiscent of Vermeer.At Royal Academy of Arts - Burlington Gardens
-
Starting in July 2008
01 Jul - 21 SepCurator Meriel Jeater says, ‘London has been a centre of the tobacco trade and consumption for 400 years and this topical display will look at how attitudes to smoking have altered over this time. The recent ban on smoking in public places is causing widespread changes and this display will showcase Londoners’ opinions on the ban and how it is affecting their city. For some people the new legislation is the final prompt they needed to quit smoking. For others it is ruining their businesses. What do you think?At The Museum of London -
03 Jul - 19 OctAcclaimed painter and writer, Wyndham Lewis is widely regarded as one of British Modernism's most controversial and influential figures. Founder of the groundbreaking Vorticist movement in 1914, Lewis was also a prolific portrait painter and this exhibition brings together oil paintings, drawings and works on paper, from 1910 to 1950.At National Portrait Gallery
-
06 Jul - 06 JulThe London Vintage Fashion Fairs organised by P & A Antiques Ltd are an inspiration to fashionistas and an unbeatable source of one-off bargains. Described by many as “the Rolls Royce of the Vintage Fashion Fairs”, this unique event takes place approximately every five to six weeks. Over hundred leading vintage fashion clothing Dealers, from all over the UK and abroad, gather under one roof to share their prized stash of highly sought-after wares spanning from 1800 to 1980.At Hamersmith Town Hall - 8am - 5pm
-
09 Jul - 05 OctVirtually unknown until now, the De Bray family were very important painters in Holland in the 17th century. This family was at the heart of the Dutch Golden Age. They painted historic and mythological figures, portraits, flowers, still lives & herrings.At Dulwich Picture Gallery
-
24 Jul - 26 OctThis special exhibition will explore the life, love and legacy of Rome’s most enigmatic emperor, Hadrian (reigned AD 117–138).At The British Museum
-
Starting in August 2008
05 Aug - 23 NovTaking a look at how the two industries have collaborated over recent years.At Victoria & Albert Museum -
Starting in September 2008
09 Sep - 14 DecSelf-revealing artworks by forty people in the public eye. The idea for this exhibit is taken from a Victorian game of describing yourself with images of your favourite things-like a self-portrait. Among the many contributors are: Eric Clapton, Georgina von Etzdorf, Andrew Marr & Anna Ford.
At Dulwich Picture Gallery -
24 Sep - 21 DecAt Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art
-
27 Sep - 11 JanAn examination of key themes of the period including the task of reconstruction in Europe after the war and the rise of consumerism.At Victoria & Albert Museum
-
Starting in October 2008
04 Oct - 19 AprDrawn from the Museum's outstanding collection, this exhibition explores the fascinating world of children's clothing - separating the myths from the realities. Were children in the past really dressed as miniature adults?At Museum of Childhood -
09 Oct - 12 DecA major loan exhibition of early works by Lucian Freud (born 1922) will be held at Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert Gallery at
38 Bury Street, St James’s, London SW1.
The earliest paintings, from 1939, were completed when the artist was only 16. Many of the paintings in the exhibition are from private collections and not normally available to be seen by the public.At Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert Gallery -
15 Oct - 18 JanThis landmark exhibition will explore the dramatic rise of portraiture in the Renaissance. It will feauture works by the great masters of Northern and Southern EuropeAt National Gallery
-
16 Oct - 25 JanThis exhibition presents over 150 photographs by the celebrated photographer, encompassing well-known work made on editorial assignment, as well as personal photographs of her family and close friends.At National Portrait Gallery
-
Starting in November 2008
12 Nov - 15 FebAlfred Sisley (1839–99) was born in Paris to English parents. He remained a British subject throughout his life. However, he only took on two painting campaigns in the UK – once in 1874, and again in 1897. This exhibition will bring together these two groups of paintings for the first time.At National Gallery -
13 Nov - 15 MarThe city of Babylon, situated in modern-day Iraq, has engendered the richest legacy in art and thought from great paintings to contemporary film and music. The exhibition will bring together such works of imagination with archaeological treasures from ancient Babylon, to reveal the reality behind the legends. The exhibition will focus on the period of Nebuchadnezzar (reigned 604 – 562 BC).
Admission charge. Room 35At The British Museum -
25 Nov - 24 DecExhibition - Highlights of the Ben Uri Collection 1988-2008 -25 Nov-24 Dec 2008
Crazy but true, a world class collection in store. 2008 is the year of the new building.
At Ben Uri Gallery -
26 Nov - FebSaul Steinberg (1914-1999) was an American artist whose magic lit up the pages & covers of the New Yorker Magazine for six decades. This comprehensive retrospective of more than 100 drawings, collages & sculptural assemblages is the first full scale review of his career.At Dulwich Picture Gallery
-
Starting in December 2008
10 Dec - 29 MarRussian Imperial grandeur will be captured in a display of the dress and uniforms worn by Emperors and officials of the Russian court.At Victoria & Albert Museum -
Starting in March 2009
21 Mar - 31 MarBADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair - at the Duke of York Square, off Sloane Square, London SW3
At Duke of York Square - off Sloane Square, London SW3 -
Starting in April 2009
04 Apr - 19 JulBaroque style is exuberant, ornate and theatrical. Born in Italy in the 1620s, it is synonymous with richness, luxury & extravagance.At Victoria & Albert Museum -
Starting in May 2009
02 May - 06 SepThis exhibition invites visitors to step into the quirky and humorous world of Quentin Blake and Roald Dahl. It is a celebration of the coming together of these amazing creative forces. Dahl's extraordinary stories, such as The Twits, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and George's Marvellous Medicine have become modern classics and a must-read for childrenAt Museum of Childhood -
Starting in March 2010
06 Mar - 04 JulThis exhibition will recreate Walpole's pioneering collection in the context of the rooms at Strawberry Hill. This will be a journey through ancient and modern British history and European art.At Victoria & Albert Museum -
20 Mar - 18 JulThe heyday of the maharajas began in earnest after the collapse of the Mughal empire in the early 18th century. 'Maharaja' (literally means 'great king').At Victoria & Albert Museum
-
Starting in September 2010
18 Sep - 16 JanA unique opportunity to showcase the V&A's historic quilt collection.At Victoria & Albert Museum -
18 Sep - 16 JanThis major retrospective will examine the origins, development and long term influence of the Ballets Russes, to celebrate the centenary of their first appearance in 1909.At Victoria & Albert Museum
-
Starting in April 2011
Apr - JulThe first international exhibition to explore the unconventional creativity of the British Aesthetic Movement (1860-1895).At Victoria & Albert Museum -
Starting in September 2011
10 Sep - 08 JanA remarkable exhibition examining the human fascination with jewellery, tracing its importance & symbolism from ancient times to the present day.At Victoria & Albert Museum