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We look ahead and pick the best exhibitions to see in London’s galleries and museums opening in May.
Baroque brilliance: Zurbarán at The National Gallery
Stunning life-size depictions of saints, soaring altarpieces and contemplative still-lifes form this exhibition of works by leading 17th century Spanish painter, Francisco de Zurbarán — featuring over 50 of his works. Zurbarán spent most of his life in Seville, then one of the richest cities in Europe, whose maritime links to the Americas made it a hub of global trade. He painted primarily for the city’s religious orders and, for a time in Madrid, even for the King of Spain. Here, faces, figures, fruits and fabrics all enjoy his masterful attention to detail.
Zurbarán at The National Gallery. 2 May-23 August 2026, £20-£22.
A new house of illustration: Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Another new museum for 2026, the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, opens in Clerkenwell early summer — a phoenix risen from the House of Illustration, which stood in King’s Cross for a time. Set in the grounds of an 18th century waterworks that’s never been open to the public before, the Centre’s first exhibition features works by Murugiah, showcasing the Sri Lankan artist and designer’s kaleidoscopic — and sometimes macabre — pieces, inspired by a combination of Hollywood film, sci-fi, Japanese anime and 2000s-era pop-punk. Two further exhibitions are on queerness in comics, and the theatrical side of Quentin Blake himself. The venue offers free public gardens, a cafe and shop, and a library and learning spaces. Read our full preview.
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration. Opens May 2026, £tbc
Reclining sculptures: Henry Moore at Kew Gardens
While Henry Moore’s sculptures often appear as single pieces, Kew Gardens has assembled a collection of 30 monumental bronzes to be scattered across its grounds. There will also be 90 smaller works in its gallery space, including bronzes, carvings, prints and drawings, exploring Moore’s innovative process of ‘thinking through nature’. The concept is to examine Moore’s creative responses to the fragility of the natural world and the interplay between humans and the complex ecosystems that connect all life on earth. It’s sure to be Moore-ish.
Henry Moore: Monumental Nature at Kew Gardens. 9 May-27 September 2026, ticketed — includes entry to the gardens.
Art from the Global South: Rising Voices at V&A East
Home to 60% of the global population, Australia, Asia and the Pacific comprise one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse swathes of the globe. Hot on the heels of the opening of the V&A East, Rising Voices celebrates these voices by showcasing work from the region’s makers. Themes include how artists respond to political conditions, from histories of migration to domestic conflicts and social upheaval; artistic heritage and ways of making with local materials; and considering how spirituality and systems of faith are expressed through art.
Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific at V&A East. 16 May 2026-10 January 2027, £17.
Progressive Portraits: Whistler at Tate Britain
American artist James McNeill Whistler arrived in Britain, then threw out the rulebook of portrait painting by focusing on the individual rather than the narrative conveyed through the background. He did so most famously in the painting better known as ‘Whistler’s Mother’ — sure to be a highlight of this Tate Britain exhibition. Whistler’s nocturnes of London at night are also spectacular, capturing the city in its smoggy, light-flecked glory. This exhibition — the first major European one in 30 years — brings together the artist’s world-famous paintings alongside portraits, drawings, prints and designs from his teens in St. Petersburg to his late self-portraits.
James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain. 21 May-27 September 2026, £24.
A Brighter Future: In Other Worlds at Barbican
Imagine what the future of humanity could look like, and the challenges and adventures to come. That’s what Liam Young wants us to consider through his immersive exhibition, which includes films, audio stories, tapestries, soundscapes and costumes. He is a filmmaker and speculative architect, and like all good future thinkers, the work here may look fantastical, but it’s all rooted in real technology and climate-based possibilities. This is about stepping away from dystopia, asking: what if the future could actually be… hopeful?
In Other Worlds: Liam Young with Collaborators at the Barbican Centre. 21 May-6 September 2026, £19.
Fan service: Holy Pop! at Somerset House
Shrines in the past were often associated with religion, but what do contemporary shrines look like? From Princess Diana to Andy Warhol, and from Prince to Harry Potter’s Dobby the Elf, Holy Pop! highlights how fan devotion shapes our identities and brings people together. In a fast-moving digital age, it’s a celebration of human connection, community and the physical objects that anchor our fascination with pop culture.
Holy Pop! at Somerset House. 21 May-9 August 2026, pay what you can.
Monsters of the Deep: Jurassic Oceans at Natural History Museum
It’s time to meet the creatures that lurked in Earth’s prehistoric oceans, from the pliosaur — a gigantic, gnarly, toothed creature — to the ichthyosaur, a majestic and speedy, dolphin-like predator. Not to mention the fiercest hunter to ever rule the waves, the mighty mosasaur (you may remember that one from Jurassic World). There’s a chance to touch a mosasaur tooth and fossilised poo, feel a shark’s skin and come face-to-face with fearsome marine crocodiles.
Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep at the Natural History Museum. 22 May 2026-3 January 2027, £15+
War and Paint: Winston Churchill at The Wallace Collection
Better known as a cigar-chomping prime minister, Winston Churchill was also an avid painter. His work was both a reflection of the times he lived through, and also a source of escapism. The Wallace Collection has pulled together a selection of sombre wartime scenes and radiant Mediterranean views, carefully composed still-lifes and portraits, and luminous Moroccan cityscapes. There are also deeply personal paintings of Chartwell, Churchill’s home and garden.
Winston Churchill: The Painter at The Wallace Collection. 23 May-29 November 2026, £18.
An Epidemic Exhibition: Tenderness and Rage at Wellcome Collection
The AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s was a terrible and terrifying time; this exhibition looks at its impacts in the UK and on those living with HIV today. Through photography, film and archival materials, Tenderness and Rage connects everyday acts of care with activists’ struggles for dignity, rights and equitable access to treatment. Voices that aren’t always heard, such as those of women living with HIV, are also spotlighted.
Tenderness and Rage at Wellcome Collection. 29 May 2026-3 January 2027, free.
Short-run exhibitions and events
There are plenty of art fairs to choose from in May. The Affordable Art Fair returns to Hampstead (6-10 May 2026, ticketed) with galleries from around the world selling works ideal for homes, priced for almost any budget. Photo London has everything a photography fan could ask for, and it’s now been relocated to Olympia (14-17 May 2026, ticketed).
Earlier in the month, Olympia is playing host to Ceramic Art London (8-10 May 2026, ticketed), filled with sculptural ceramic pieces; and over at Saatchi Gallery, Firsts London (14-17 May 2026, ticketed) bristles with rare books and prints ranging from the hundreds of pounds to the many thousands. Speaking of prints, the London Original Print Fair returns to Somerset House (14-17 May 2026, ticketed).
May is the month for London Craft Week (11-17 May 2026, free and ticketed events), bringing together over 1,000 established and emerging makers, designers, brands and galleries from around the world, for exhibitions, talks and workshops.
If you want to peek inside the studios of artists and see where the magic happens, you can do so during Crouch End Open Studios (8-17 May 2026, free), and you should also have Art House Open Studios in Richmond on your radar (23-25 & 30-31 May 2026, free).
The Illusion encourages audiences to look beyond the surface (7-31 May, free). It’s at the Two-Plus-Two space in Stockwell and features the photography of both Miranda Lopatkin and Ed Rollitt (both artists who’ve impressed us with their layered, dramatic compositions), plus five more artists.
Drone art is all the rage at the moment, and it’s hitting London with DroneArt Show: Four Seasons (22-23 May 2026, ticketed). Pairing classical music by Vivaldi and Tchaikovsky played by a string quartet, with drones, is a case of classical meets contemporary, historic music meets the latest technology. Swans and trees will light up the night sky.
Exhibitions outside London
The grounds of Houghton Hall in Norfolk are filled with sculpture, so it’s the perfect setting for the works of the late Lynn Chadwick, he of the angular meter figures and animals (2 May-4 October 2026, £22). There are over 30 works, both inside and outside the house, including a group of dynamic beasts, kinetic sculptures and a selection of Chadwick’s best-known paired figures, similar to those on the exterior of Fortnum and Mason.
Nancy Holt was best known for her Sun Tunnels, giant concrete tunnels in the Utah desert that align with the rising and setting sun on the summer and winter solstices — right up there on every art pilgrim’s bucket list. This is a rare chance to see her work on this side of the pond, and in the stunning setting of the Goodwood Art Foundation (2 May-1 November 2026, £15). There’s a selection of photographic works, drawings, installations and films, and in keeping with Holt’s vision, there will be interventions in the land around the gallery. Six pools of water positioned according to the pattern of the Hydra constellation will be presented within the Foundation’s chalk quarry, reflecting the changing skies above them.
Spanning the years of the Great Depression to the Second World War saw the creation of the anti-fascist Artists International Association. Comrades in Art: Artists against Fascism at The Towner in Eastbourne (7 May-18 October 2026, £11) tells the story of the British artists who create political art to fight the rising tide of fascism. Including paintings, sculpture, drawings and posters, these artists united behind the cause of democracy and cultural freedom, at a major turning point in global history.
