London Art Events Guide: May 2026 Highlights
The National Gallery opens its first major Zurbarán exhibition in the UK since 1994, featuring nearly 50 paintings. Photo London moves to Olympia for its 2026 edition. The V&A launches 'Rising Voices' with 40 artists from Asia, Australia, and the Pacific. Tate Britain presents a Whistler retrospective after 30 years. The Wallace Collection holds the first UK exhibition of Winston Churchill's paintings since his death. Affordable Art Fair Hampstead returns with a ceramics debut. Closing soon: Beatriz González at Barbican, Seurat at Courtauld, Nigerian Modernism at Tate Modern, and Catherine Opie at NPG.
Key facts
- Zurbarán exhibition at National Gallery runs 2 May – 23 August 2026.
- Photo London moves to Olympia, 14–17 May 2026.
- V&A 'Rising Voices' opens 16 May 2026, collaboration with QAGOMA.
- Whistler retrospective at Tate Britain, 21 May – 27 September 2026.
- Winston Churchill: The Painter at Wallace Collection, 23 May – 29 November 2026.
- Affordable Art Fair Hampstead, 6–10 May 2026, includes Ceramics Unbound.
- Beatriz González at Barbican closes 10 May 2026.
- Seurat and the Sea at Courtauld closes 17 May 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Francisco de Zurbarán
- James McNeill Whistler
- Winston Churchill
- Beatriz González
- Georges Seurat
- Sean Scully
- Catherine Opie
- Gavin Turk
- Sarah Morris
- AH XIAN
- Rembrandt
- Pablo Picasso
- Harland Miller
- Bridget Riley
- Ken Kiff
- Peter Doig
- Ad Minoliti
- Barbara Rae
- John Constable
- Nico Kos Earle
- Revd Jonathan Evens
- Miranda Carroll
- Chris Rock
Institutions
- National Gallery
- Musée du Louvre
- Art Institute of Chicago
- V&A South Kensington
- Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA)
- The Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT)
- Tate Britain
- Tate Modern
- The Wallace Collection
- Barbican Art Gallery
- Courtauld Gallery
- Lisson Gallery
- National Portrait Gallery
- Ben Brown Fine Arts
- White Cube Mason's Yard
- Photo London
- London Original Print Fair
- Somerset House
- Affordable Art Fair Hampstead
- Olympia
- Artlyst
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- National Gallery, London
- Musée du Louvre, Paris
- Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
- V&A South Kensington, London
- Brisbane
- Tate Britain, London
- Tate Modern, London
- The Wallace Collection, London
- Barbican Art Gallery, London
- Courtauld Gallery, London
- Lisson Gallery, London
- National Portrait Gallery, London
- Ben Brown Fine Arts, London
- White Cube Mason's Yard, London
- Olympia, Kensington, London
- Somerset House, London
- Hampstead Heath, London
- St. Petersburg
- New York
- Aran Islands
- Nigeria
- Colombia
- Asia
- Australia
- Pacific
Sources
- Artlyst —