Complete list of Exhibitions in London this month (May 2026)

There’s so much going on in London, it can be hard to keep up. On this page, part of my London Museum Guide, you’ll find a comprehensive directory of exhibitions on in London this month (May 2026). They’re split by theme, and listed in order of the exhibition’s end date.

I keep this page current with exhibitions taking place in London right now. The list updates automatically as new exhibitions open (and when exhibitions close!). So it’s always up to date with this month’s exhibitions, and I regularly add recommendations. If I’m missing anything, let me know.

My top picks for May 2026

Further down the page you’ll find comprehensive lists of exhibitions in London by category. But first, some of the shows I’m most excited for this month.

This May is a month packed with exciting new art exhibitions in London. My pick is Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific, opening at the V&A on 16 May. A new blockbuster Zurbarán show at the National Gallery and a showcase of Henry Moore’s sculptures at Kew Gardens are the headlines. There are also smaller shows, including two new interesting exhibitions at both the Barbican Art Gallery and the South London Gallery.

David Hockney’s show at the Serpentine remains open until August – arguably the best free art exhibition in the city, bringing his celebrated 90-metre-long frieze A Year in Normandie to London for the first time, alongside new iPad paintings and the Moon Room.

The biggest story in London’s museum scene remains the brand new V&A East Museum which opened in mid April. Its first temporary exhibition ‘The Music is Black: A British Story’ is not one to miss.

For history lovers, my top pick is the Imperial War Museum London’s excellent show on wartime art in London, one of the best free exhibitions in the city.

And finally, for families, you’re spoilt for choice this month. Pick of the bunch is the Young V&A’s ‘Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends’ exhibition – honestly, what could be better? The British Library is also hosting an interactive Fairy Tales exhibition.

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Modern art exhibitions on in London this month

May is an excellent month to be a fan of modern art in London. I’m most excited for Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific at the V&A, a collaboration between the V&A and two art galleries in Queensland, Australia.

With the weather picking up it’s a great time to head to Kew Gardens – where you’ll be able to see monumental works by Henry Moore, immersed in nature. There’s also an interesting immersive exhibition opening at the Barbican Art Gallery later in the month – ‘In Other Worlds’, a speculative, hopeful look at humanity’s future.

The Whitechapel Gallery’s Spring Season opened in April 2026, with three new exhibitions – including a career spanning look at Turner-prize winning Veronica Ryan’s career, and a new commission from Argentinian Lisbon-based artist Gabriel Chaile.

Several other big modern art shows are open throughout the month, too: Tracey Emin: A Second Life at the Tate Modern, a career-spanning retrospective featuring over 100 works, including the iconic My Bed, and David Hockney’s A Year in Normandie at the Serpentine Gallery.

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Old masters, fine art and historic art exhibitions on in London this month

My top pick for fine art this month is Seurat and the Sea at the Courtauld Gallery: the first UK exhibition dedicated to Seurat in almost three decades, and a rare chance to see his gorgeous pointillist seascapes up close. It’s only open until 17 May – don’t miss it.

The Courtauld is also showing ‘A View of One’s Own‘, spotlighting landscapes by British women artists from 1760 to 1860, making it a real double bill worth the trip (open until 20 May).

Beyond that, the blockbusters opening is Zurbarán at the National Gallery

continue: Turner & Constable Rivals & Originals at Tate Britain, and Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting at the National Portrait Gallery. The Tate Britain will be hosting a retrospective of pioneering American artist James McNeill Whistler from 21 May – and later in the month the Wallace Collection is opening an interesting looking exhibition of Winston Churchill’s paintings.

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Photography exhibitions on in London this month

The excellent Photographers’ Gallery in London opened a new set of exhibitions in March – a ticket to the gallery gets you entry to all four. Pick of the bunch is the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2026, always one of the highlights of London’s photography calendar. This year’s shortlist tackles everything from the politics of encyclopedias and AI to a decade-long project documenting women in prisons.

Elsewhere, there’s an exhibition showcasing the work of renowned photographer Andy Earl, at the new Bankside Yards development near Blackfriars.

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History exhibitions in London this month

My top pick this month is ‘Beauty and Destruction: Wartime London in Art‘ at the Imperial War Museum London, a typically powerful exhibition. Hawai’i: A Kingdom Crossing Oceans at the British Museum tells the little-known story of King Kamehameha II’s visit to London in 1824 – open until 25 May. The Wallace Collection is also hosting a small, free exhibition about the Wallace Collection in Wartime.

Finally, the Charles Dickens Museum’s ‘Extra/Ordinary Women’, celebrating and exploreing the real life women who influenced, supported and inspired the great writer, is open until 6 September.

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Science and technology exhibitions in London this month

My top science pick this month is the Wellcome Collection’s new, free exhibition – Tenderness and Rage: Stories of HIV and AIDS. It opens 29 May, and will explore HIV and AIDS, from the epidemic in the 1980s and ’90s, through to today – including photography and personal stories.

If you haven’t been yet, make sure you visit the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025, running at the Natural History Museum until July – it’s always one of the highlights of London’s cultural calendar, and not one to miss. The Natural History Museum is also opening a new exhibition ‘Jurassic Oceans’, exploring the prehistoric deep ocean, on 22 May.

Also excellent is the Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition across town at the National Maritime Museum.

If you’re looking for a science exhibition to go to with kids, the Voyage to the Deep at the Horniman Museum is your best bet. And for something a bit more niche, the Garden Museum’s new ‘Seeds of Exchange’ exhibition, exploring the history of plant trading between Canton and London in the 1700s, is an interesting option. Prehistoric monsters of the deep at the Natural History Museum.

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Fashion, design and culture exhibitions in London this month

The headline this month is the new V&A East Museum, with its permanent gallery ‘Why We Make’ and its first temporary exhibition ‘The Music is Black: A British Story’.

Elsewhere, the Design Museum is opening its new exhibitions NIGO: From Japan with Love from 1 May – and at Somerset House there’s a new pay-what-you-wish show Holy Pop!, looking at the way we idolise pop stars.

Beyond this, the always excellent Fashion & Textile Museum is hosting ‘Paint! Pattern! Print!’. In April, the King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace opened a blockbuster exhibition exploring the life of Queen Elizabeth II through her style.

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Exhibitions for children and families in London this month

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Read more London guides

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