October 2026 Art Diary: Spiritual and Visionary Exhibitions Across the UK, Europe, and Beyond
A diverse series of exhibitions centered on spirituality will take place in October 2026, featuring works from various artists. Anthony Lawrence will present significant pieces in ‘A Practical Guide to Aesthetics’ at St John’s Waterloo from October 15 to 23. Peter Howson's new oil paintings will be on view at Flowers Gallery from September 10 to October 10. Richard Kenton Webb’s exhibition, inspired by 'Paradise Lost,' is scheduled at Whitworth University from September 15 to October 29. Rob Floyd's 'Still Activity' will explore mystical themes at Manchester Cathedral, running from September 28 to October 31, among other notable showcases.
Key facts
- Anthony Lawrence's 'A Practical Guide to Aesthetics' at St John's Waterloo runs 15–23 October 2026, coinciding with Frieze week.
- Peter Howson's 'Salvation' at Flowers Gallery is on view 10 September – 10 October 2026, featuring new oil paintings on gesso panels.
- Hilma af Klint's first major exhibition in Ireland, 'Artist and Visionary', opens at National Gallery of Ireland from 15 October 2026 to 7 February 2027, with 79 works.
- Antony Gormley's 'Where' at Cristea Roberts Gallery (14 October – 23 December 2026) includes his largest work on paper to date, 'Lux I, 2026', measuring 4.5 metres.
- Michaela Yearwood-Dan's 'The Practice of Liberation' at The Whitworth (7 April – 18 October 2026) features 14 paintings and six ceramic vessels, with a bespoke score by Alex Gruz.
- Rachel Feinstein's debut Greek exhibition 'Fates' at Gagosian Athens runs 24 September 2026 – 9 January 2027, featuring caryatid sculptures and mirror paintings.
- 'Arcana Borealis – Northern Women and Esotericism' at Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki (23 October 2026 – 28 February 2027) includes over 200 works by 50 artists.
- 'Pre-Raphaelites: Art and Poetry' at Laing Art Gallery (17 October 2026 – 13 February 2027) showcases over 100 works, exploring connections between art and poetry.
Entities
Artists
- Anthony Lawrence
- Peter Howson
- Richard Kenton Webb
- Rob Floyd
- Mimmo Paladino
- Antony Gormley
- Hilma af Klint
- Michaela Yearwood-Dan
- Rachel Feinstein
- Liz Larner
- Rita Ackermann
- Nathanaëlle Herbelin
- Kemi Onabulé
- Megan Rooney
- Adam Belt
- Paul Heber-Percy
- Raquib Shaw
- Tristan Burfield
- Hannah Ayres
- Liza Read
- Michael Ridge
- John Wayne
- Yehudi Menuhin
- Ian McKellen
- Hassan Dehqani-Tafti
- Francis Bacon
- Seamus Heaney
- Sister Wendy Beckett
- Peter Fuller
- Richard Davey
- John Milton
- Dante Alighieri
- Geoffrey Chaucer
- John Keats
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson
- William Holman Hunt
- John Everett Millais
- Edward Burne-Jones
- Arthur Hughes
- Dante Gabriel Rossetti
- William Morris
- Elizabeth Siddall
- Kate Bunce
- Julia Margaret Cameron
- Christina Rossetti
- William Shakespeare
- Walter Crane
- Robert Burns
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning
- Robert Browning
- Fanny Bunn
- Phoebe Anna Traquair
- Anna Cassel
- Anna-Eva Bergman
- Maja Fjaestad
- Ilona Harima
- Iria Leino
- Sonja Ferlov Mancoba
- Outi Pieski
- Ellen Thesleff
- Tyra Kleen
- Else Alfelt
- Helene Schjerfbeck
- Henry Corbin
- James Baldwin
- bell hooks
- Alex Gruz
- Auguste Rodin
- Agnes Varda
- Thomas Merton
- Nina Kokkinen
- Marja Lahelma
- Edith Devaney
- Cécile Degos
- Julie Milne
- Simon Moretti
- Aaron Rosen
- Pope Francis
- Nick de Rothschild
- Caroline de Rothschild
Institutions
- St John's Waterloo
- Flowers Gallery
- Whitworth University
- Brian Oliver Gallery
- Manchester Cathedral
- Liverpool Anglican Cathedral
- Parsonage Gallery
- Raclin Murphy Museum of Art
- University of Notre Dame
- Cristea Roberts Gallery
- Compton Verney
- National Gallery of Ireland
- The Whitworth
- Towner Eastbourne
- Arnolfini
- Gagosian
- Camden Art Centre
- Hauser & Wirth New York
- MICAS
- Ateneum Art Museum
- Finnish National Gallery
- University of Turku
- Laing Art Gallery
- Museum of the Environment
- England & Co
- Royal Society of British Artists
- Slade School of Fine Art
- Milton Society of America
- Joseph and Annie Albers Foundation
- Forbes
- The Church Times
- Artlyst
- Palais des Vaches Gallery
- St Andrew's Cathedral
- Frieze
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- New Forest
- Glasgow
- Manchester
- Liverpool
- Spokane
- Washington
- Notre Dame
- Indiana
- United States
- Dublin
- Ireland
- Athens
- Greece
- New York
- Malta
- Helsinki
- Finland
- Sápmi
- Sweden
- Denmark
- Norway
- Iceland
- Ipswich
- Soho
- Great Pulteney Street
- Newcastle
- Whitworth University
- Compton Verney
- Camden
- Bristol
- Eastbourne
Sources
- Artlyst —