10 Exciting Art Exhibitions in the UK in 2026

Are you looking for an artwork exhibit to visit in the new year?

Exploring art exhibitions stimulates the mind by fostering self-reflection, encouraging individuals to forge connections with new ideas, and exposing them to fresh artistic and world perspectives, Forbes highlights. This immersive setting moves beyond simple viewing, fostering the introspection needed to discover ideas they had not previously considered.

Vibrant art events, whether collective, solo, or immersive, are crucial for the art scene. New exhibitions introduce art collectors, both new and seasoned, to innovative art styles and techniques, which in turn offer fresh ideas for creative curatorial approaches that highlight emerging talent.

Art exhibits then, extends the display of artwork, by transforming it into highly immersive, multi-sensory experiences that encourages intellectual discovery.

Where then, can you find the best art exhibitions?

The UK is a long-standing centre for artistic innovation and cultural expression, a fact best embodied by its world-leading venues in London. Multiple London institutions consistently rank among the world's top 20 most-visited art museums.

Latest data from The Art Newspaper confirms this dominance: The British Museum ranked 3rd worldwide with nearly 6.5 million visitors, and Tate Modern ranked 5th with over 4.6 million visitors in 2024. These impressive figures offer irrefutable proof of the UK's position as a vital global art centre and a must-visit destination for cultural enthusiasts.

This article explores ten must-see exhibits in the UK, perfect for those captivated by cultural artefacts, iconic masterpieces, and emerging voices in the art world.

What Is an Art Exhibition?
Upcoming Art Exhibitions in the UK

Solo Art Exhibitions
Collective Exhibition
Retrospective Art Exhibitions
Immersive Art Exhibition
Thematic Exhibitions

A Year to Watch: UK Artwork Exhibit in 2026
Art and Exhibition: Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Art Exhibition?

According to the independent contemporary art gallery Byard Art, art exhibitions serve as platforms for artists to showcase their work to a wider audience. Exhibiting artworks can take place in various locations, including traditional galleries and large open spaces worldwide.

The exhibition features work by individual artists while their artworks centre around a specific topic or theme. These pieces can come from a particular era or geographic region, created in a defined medium, or a combination of these elements, as noted by a learning resource, KU Libraries.

Other pieces included in artwork exhibits are:

Artefacts and antiques
Illustrations
Interactive art
Live performances
Modern art prints
Paintings
Sculptures

In summary, an art exhibit serves as a valuable learning experience for art aficionados. It allows them to discover and explore a variety of styles and techniques across different media.

Upcoming Art Exhibitions in the UK

With UK as the vibrant hub of creativity, 2026 promises an exciting array of art exhibitions showcasing diverse artistic expressions. Below are the upcoming art exhibitions in the city:

Solo Art Exhibitions

Naturalist Gallery defines a solo art exhibition as an exhibit where an artist showcases his work through a display of a distinct collection that highlights a significant phase of his development as an artist.

1. David Hockney Exhibition

A major solo exhibition of works by David Hockney is scheduled for the Serpentine Gallery, London's prominent contemporary art space.

The show is set to unveil some of the artist’s most notable recent creations. Highlights include the acclaimed Moon Room, a piece that captures his enduring interest in light cycles and temporal passage, as well as digital paintings from his Sunrise series.

Also taking a central spot will be A Year in Normandy, an impressive ninety-meter-long frieze, inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, that meticulously charts the changing seasons observed at his former Normandy studio.

Who is David Hockney?
The featured artist, David Hockney, is an English painter who gained immense influence during the 1960s Pop Art movement, as noted by Wikipedia.

In his latest work, Hockney unites art and technology in innovative ways, all while promoting his core belief: that people should slow down, notice the beauty of the world, and celebrate simple, everyday cycles, such as a sunrise.

The following details of the David Hockney Exhibition are as follows:

Location: Serpentine North
Date: March 12 - August 23, 2026
Price: Free

2. Salman Toor: Someone Like You

The Courtauld Gallery is hosting the European debut of New York-based, Pakistani-born painter Salman Toor in 2026.

This major solo exhibition, Someone Like You, will feature approximately 20 of the artist’s most emblematic canvases, including standouts like The Bar on East 13th (2019), which reimagines Édouard Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (1882) from The Courtauld’s collection, establishing a dialogue across centuries.

Who is Salman Toor?
Born in Lahore, Pakistan, and trained in the United States, Salman Toor is an artist whose profile has rapidly ascended.

His art market success skyrocketed over the past five years, highlighted by his 2019 work Three Boys selling for HK$5.62 million (£541,900), more than seven times the high estimate, according to Ocula.

In this exhibition, visitors can expect Toor’s depiction of queer and immigrant lives, which inhabit the tension between 'intimacy and exposure, belonging and estrangement.' These powerful sentiments, exploring "what it means to find a community, but also the daily costs associated with visibility," have become increasingly urgent in the current cultural climate.

See details of Salman Toor: Someone Like You’s solo exhibit to discover more:

Location: The Courtauld Gallery (Denise Coates Exhibition Galleries)
Date: October 2, 2026 - January 10, 2027
Price: TBC

Collective Exhibition

Collective or group exhibitions focus on presenting works by multiple artists, both contemporary and historical. These artists share a common theme, artistic movement, or specific historical and cultural context.

3. British Art Show

As the largest and most significant recurring contemporary art exhibition in the UK, the British Art Show (BAS10) marks its 10th edition in 2026, touring five cities as part of the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary celebration.

What to expect in the British Art Show?
Since its launch in 1979, the exhibition, held every five years, has reached over 2.3 million people, documenting cultural change in Britain and highlighting new artistic trends. It explores diverse themes, including British identity, geopolitical issues, popular culture, and the impact of technology on human existence.

Moreover, the art show has brought many of the UK’s most important artists to the public, including figures such as David Hockney, Bridget Riley, Paula Rego, Anish Kapoor, and Sarah Lucas, as noted by Southbank Centre.

The specific tour cities and dates of the British Art Show are listed below:

Tour Cities and Dates

Coventry: September 2026
Swansea: February 2027
Bristol: June 2027
Sheffield: October 2027
Newcastle Gateshead: March 2028

Price: TBC

4. New Contemporaries 2026

New Contemporaries, the UK’s foremost supporter of early-career artists, unveils its annual group exhibition of 26 artists selected via open call by Pio Abad, Louise Giovanelli, and Grace Ndiritu.

What to expect in New Contemporaries 2026?
According to New Contemporaries, the exhibition showcases works that address urgent themes including dystopia, the climate emergency, and systems of power, as well as gentrification and displacement.

Additional themes include digital interdependence, perceptions beyond the human, mourning, and loss, alongside explorations of identity and selfhood through combined figurative and abstract methods.

Among the young artists joining the art event are: Alia Gargum, Benjamin Waters, Christopher Steenson, Deborah Lerner, Isobel Shore, and more.

Find the details of the New Contemporaries 2026 exhibit below:

Location: South London Gallery
Date: January 30 - April 12, 2026
Price: Free

Retrospective Art Exhibitions

A retrospective art exhibit features an artist’s entire career, allowing audiences to understand the artist’s evolution over time, as defined by The Marshall Gallery.

5. Tracey Emin

A landmark exhibition dedicated to the work of Tracey Emin is scheduled to open at Tate Modern in early 2026, joining the roster of significant Tate Modern exhibitions.

Marking Tracey Emin's largest-ever exhibition, this comprehensive 40-year survey delves into her career-defining sensations and showcases works never before exhibited. Crucially, the show will feature her iconic, Turner Prize-nominated installation, My Bed, a work that sparked critical debate and challenged traditional notions of what art could be.

Who is Tracey Emin?
Tracey Emin is a prominent contemporary artist who came to public attention in the 1990s. Her work sparked controversy, raw individuality, and a striking indifference to artistic expectations, cementing her role as a leading figure in the British art world, as Dazed magazine highlighted.

Through a wide-ranging practice that includes painting, video, textiles, neon, writing, sculpture, and installation, Emin consistently challenges artistic boundaries, using the female body as a powerful and unfiltered tool to explore universal themes of passion, pain, and healing, says the digital art platform ArtRabbit.

See details of Tracey Emin’s retrospective exhibit to discover more:

Location: Tate Modern
Date: February 26 - August 31, 2026
Price: £20

6. Frida: The Making of an Icon

In June 2026, the Tate Gallery will host the highly anticipated exhibition, Frida: The Making of an Icon. Showcasing over 30 original works, this large-scale exhibition pays tribute to the life and enduring influence of Frida Kahlo, as interpreted by the iconic Mexican painter.

Alongside some of her most well-known paintings, the show features an expansive array of archival documents, photographs, and personal memorabilia that illuminate Kahlo’s legacy.

To demonstrate the widespread influence of her "naïve Surrealism" and magic realism, the exhibition will display the work of approximately 80 subsequent artists whose practice was directly informed by Kahlo’s visionary style.

Who is Frida Kahlo?
Frida Kahlo, the world-renowned Mexican painter, is celebrated as a feminist icon and cultural symbol for her intensely personal art. According to Wikipedia, her fame rests on vibrant self-portraits that use a unique blend of realism, fantasy, and folk art influences to explore complex themes of identity, pain, and Mexican culture.

Frida Kahlo & Contemporary Thoughts emphasises the exhibition’s core themes. It explores her carefully crafted persona, ties to Surrealism, and adoption by Chicano/a, feminist, and activist artists. It also highlights Neo-Mexicanismo, contemporary reinterpretations, and the global phenomenon of “Fridamania.”

Together, these themes show how Kahlo’s art and image continue to inspire creativity, activism, and cultural dialogue.

The exhibit details for Frida: The Making of an Icon are as follows:

Location: Tate Modern
Date: June 25, 2026 - January 3, 2027
Price: TBC

7. Renoir and Love

The National Gallery will unveil Renoir and Love in autumn 2026, marking the UK’s most significant presentation of Pierre-Auguste Renoir's work in two decades. This major exhibition will feature a collection of over 50 paintings by the celebrated artist.

As the Gallery’s first exhibition of Renoir’s work since 2007, it will showcase a selection of his most innovative and ambitious canvases, highlighting the height of his artistic career. Among the masterpieces presented are the celebrated Bal au Moulin de la Galette, alongside major works created between the 1860s and 1880s.

Who is Pierre-Auguste Renoir?
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a leading French Impressionist celebrated for his light-filled canvases and depictions of joy and sensual beauty, as noted by Britannica. Initially known for capturing vibrant Parisian life, his style evolved from early Impressionism toward a more classical approach influenced by the Old Masters.

Tracing the evolution of imagery during the artist's crucial years, the exhibition focuses on key themes in Renoir's art. These include public sociability (café and theatre scenes, conversation, and male camaraderie) and private intimacy (affection, seduction, flirtation, courtship, and child-rearing), the National Gallery states.

Find the details regarding Renoir and Love’s exhibit below:

Location: The National Gallery
Date: October 3, 2026 - January 31, 2027
Price: TBC

Immersive Art Exhibition

As stated by an online marketplace, Avant Arte, immersive art is a form of creative expression that provides viewers with a thoughtfully designed, multi-sensory environment. It engages viewers on a sensory level, frequently incorporating technology to achieve a more interactive exhibit.

8. In Other Worlds

From May 21 to September 6, 2026, the Barbican Centre will host Liam Young’s first solo show titled In Other Worlds, an immersive art exhibit promising a cinematic journey into speculative futures. The show is entirely focused on exploring realities shaped by two major forces: emerging technologies and complex climate realities.

The exhibition’s centrepiece, World Machine (2026), is a Barbican commission that merges live-action and CGI to envision a planetary AI system, as noted by Creative Boom. Here, Earth itself acts as a computational network, exploring the idea of creating technology in harmony with rewilded landscapes, rather than in conflict with them.

Who is Liam Young?
Liam Young is an artist, director, and BAFTA-nominated producer working at the intersection of design, fiction, and speculative futures. Dubbed by the BBC as “the man designing our futures,” his visionary films create striking imaginings of tomorrow while probing pressing environmental challenges.

Combining films, costumes, miniature models, comics, and sound-driven installations, In Other Worlds transports visitors into fantastical yet plausible futures shaped by climate change and emerging technologies.

Find the details of In Other Worlds below:

Location: Barbican Centre
Date: May 21- September 6, 2026
Price: TBC

Thematic Exhibitions

Centred around a specific concept or idea, thematic exhibitions are curated displays that create a unified, coherent narrative. To achieve this, they encompass a wide variety of art forms, objects, and interpretations, all presented within the defined context.

9. The 90s

Thematic in scope, The 90s will be one of the major Tate gallery exhibitions of 2026, highlighting the dynamic interplay between art, fashion, and music and their collective power to redefine British culture.

What to expect in The 90s?
The exhibition presents an iconic roster of '90s contributors. It showcases the era’s bold and unruly spirit through photographs by Juergen Teller, Nick Knight, and Corinne Day. Reflecting the decade’s witty and unconventional atmosphere are works by contemporary artists like Damien Hirst, Gillian Wearing, and Yinka Shonibare.

The show also spotlights groundbreaking fashion collections from designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, and Hussein Chalayan, whose work defined the visual language of the time.

Ultimately, the exhibition looks at how traditional hierarchies were challenged, how high art and pop culture intersected, and the lasting legacy of the period’s influential figures.

Listed below are details of The 90s exhibit:

Location: Tate Britain
Date: October 1, 2026 - February 14, 2027
Price: TBC

10. Fairyland: Love and Legends

Tim Walker's Fairyland: Love and Legends is a major upcoming exhibition at London's National Portrait Gallery that blends the photographer's signature fantastical style with a focus on queer themes. The show uses fairytale-inspired photographs to explore identity, love, and community, featuring new portraits of LGBTQ+ trailblazers.

What to expect in Fairyland: Love and Legends?
Tim Walker rose to prominence in the 1990s, defining his style with whimsical, fairytale-inspired photography featured across major international magazines, such as Vogue and Vanity Fair.

Known for photographing figures such as Lady Gaga, Hunter Schafer, and Frank Ocean, Walker devoted the five years leading up to this exhibition to an intensive quest: connecting with and photographing dozens of queer trailblazers—activists, performers, artists, and writers.

As noted by the National Portrait Gallery, Fairyland: Love and Legends invites visitors into Walker's vivid inner world, a tapestry of his inspirations. The exhibition combines exuberant portraits and fantastical landscapes to create an unforgettable celebration, showcasing a place where his creativity runs free and everyone has the freedom to be themselves.

Find the details of Fairyland: Love and Legends photography exhibition below:

Location: National Portrait Gallery
Date: October 8, 2026 - January 2027
Price: TBC

A Year to Watch: UK Artwork Exhibit in 2026

2026 promises an exciting and diverse year for art lovers across the UK, with artwork exhibits spanning a variety of formats and themes.

Solo shows like David Hockney and Salman Toor: Someone Like You offer an intimate look at individual artistic visions, while collective exhibitions such as the British Art Show and New Contemporaries 2026 showcase the dynamism of contemporary practice.

Major retrospectives, including Tracey Emin, Frida: The Making of an Icon, and Renoir and Love, celebrate influential careers and enduring legacies.

Immersive experiences like In Other Worlds push the boundaries of how art is encountered, and thematic exhibitions such as The 90s and Fairyland: Love and Legends provide playful and thought-provoking explorations of culture and history.

Together, these ten exhibitions make 2026 a landmark year for engaging with the UK’s vibrant art scene.

Art and Exhibition: Frequently Asked Questions

1. What exhibitions are on in London in 2026?

Among the leading London art exhibitions this season are major solo presentations by David Hockney and Salman Toor's Someone Like You. The lineup also features a retrospective art exhibition with Tracey Emin and Frida: The Making of an Icon, as well as a new immersive exhibit titled In Other Worlds.

2. What famous British museum exhibit is in 2026?

The Bayeux Tapestry is set to be the British Museum’s most anticipated exhibition in 2026, making its long-awaited return to the UK nearly 1,000 years after its creation.

3. What are the top 5 art museums in the world?

The world’s most acclaimed art museums, often judged by collection size and visitor numbers, typically include the Louvre and The Met, alongside the Vatican Museums, the Hermitage, and either the National Gallery or the Uffizi.

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