London's art scene is set to burst into life this autumn with a packed schedule of major exhibitions, from blockbuster retrospectives at the National Gallery and Tate Britain to a complete series of Hokusai prints at Dulwich Picture Gallery. With art fairs like Frieze and Frieze Masters also returning to the capital, the season offers a wealth of cultural highlights for both seasoned art lovers and casual visitors.
Major Retrospectives and Blockbuster Shows
One of the most anticipated shows is 'Renoir and Love' at the National Gallery, opening October 3. This marks the first major UK exhibition on Pierre-Auguste Renoir in nearly 20 years, since the gallery's 2007 show on his landscapes. The exhibition will feature several of Renoir's most iconic works, including the 1876 painting 'Bal au Moulin de la Galette', which will be exhibited for the first time ever in the UK. The show runs until January 31, 2027, with tickets from £20.
At Tate Britain, 'The 90s: Art and Fashion' (October 8 to February 14, 2027) examines British art, fashion, photography, and pop culture in the final decade of the millennium. Curated by former British Vogue editor Edward Enninful, the show features photography from Juergen Teller, Nick Knight, and Corinne Day, alongside iconic Westwood and McQueen looks and era-defining art by Damien Hirst, Gillian Wearing, and Yinka Shonibare. Tickets are priced at £22.
Focused Surveys and Solo Exhibitions
The Courtauld Gallery presents 'Salman Toor: Someone Like You' (October 2 to January 10, 2027), a first solo European exhibition for the Pakistan-born, New York-based artist. The collection of 19 paintings explores the struggle and desire for belonging, both culturally and emotionally, inspired by Toor's personal experiences as a South Asian queer man and his admiration for baroque and 18th-century masters. Tickets are £18.
The Barbican hosts 'Robert Ryman: The Real Thing' (October 8 to February 28, 2027), a major airing of the late American minimalist's work in the UK for the first time in over 30 years. Featuring 60 paintings spanning his six-decade career, the exhibition focuses on his signature white-on-white paintings, urging viewers to look closely at his brushstrokes. Price is yet to be confirmed.
At the National Portrait Gallery, 'Tim Walker's Fairyland: Love and Legends' (October 9 to February 7, 2027) showcases the British photographer's fantastical fashion photography. Walker has spent the past five years photographing the nation's LGBTQ+ trailblazers for this major exhibition, his first in London since the V&A's acclaimed 2019 show. Price is yet to be confirmed.
Rare and Once-in-a-Lifetime Exhibitions
Dulwich Picture Gallery presents 'Hokusai: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji' (October 20 to January 17, 2027), marking the first time the complete set of 46 prints (the original 36 plus the 10 expanded works) has been brought together in the UK. The series, including the iconic 'The Great Wave', is widely regarded as one of the greatest achievements in the history of printmaking. Tickets are from £21.50.
The National Gallery also hosts 'Van Eyck: The Portraits' (November 21 to April 11, 2027), a landmark exhibition that brings together all nine of the early renaissance painter's surviving portraits for the first time. The pieces are so fragile that they very rarely travel, making this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Price is yet to be confirmed.
Contemporary and Immersive Installations
At Somerset House, Jenkin Van Zyl's 'Enclosure' (September 24 to November 29, free) is a large-scale immersive installation where visitors move through 'facility', past fairground signage, holograms, inflatable cocoons, and decaying ephemera. Van Zyl, named one of Time Out's young London artists to watch, asks pertinent questions about the systems we create for ourselves and the human need for self-preservation.
The Hayward Gallery presents 'Nan Goldin: You Never Did Anything Wrong' (November 24 to March 14, 2027), the American photographer and activist's first institutional exhibition in the UK since 2022. The show focuses on a pair of abstract films scored by composer Mica Levi and screened in bespoke spaces designed with architect Hala Wardé. Tickets are from £19.
Finally, the Royal Academy's 'Painting the French Riviera' (October 2 to January 31, 2027) explores how the glorious natural light and sparkling azure sea of the Côte d'Azur was inextricably linked to the rise of modern art. It brings together works by Monet, Braque, Picasso, Matisse, Cézanne, Renoir, and Klein. Tickets are from £24.
