Want to know which exhibitions have got us excited for the year ahead in London? Read on, as we pick our highlights.
Down in the dirt: Soil at Somerset House
Somerset House celebrates its 25th year as a cultural hub by asking us to cast our gaze down at the humble soil we walk on, yet rarely consider. Issues such as climate change, waste, land, justice, beauty and wonder are explored through soil by artists, filmmakers and scientists. SOIL has dazzling microscopic photography, an immersive installation featuring sounds made by organisms found in the soil, and a digital projection exploring the world of fungi and mycelium networks.
SOIL: The World at Our Feet at Somerset House. 23 January - 13 April 2025, £18.50.
South American art: Brasil! Brasil! at Royal Academy of Arts
Brazilian artists in the early 20th century — such as Anita Malfatti, Tarsila do Amaral, Alfredo Volpi and Djanira da Motta e Silva — combined Western and native influences to create their own unique style. Some were even self-taught. This exhibition of 130 works by 10 notable artists, from the 1910s to the 1970s, promises a showcase that has mostly never been seen in the UK before.
Brasil! Brasil! The Birth of Modernism at Royal Academy of Arts. 28 January - 21 April, £23.50.
American history: Noah Davis at Barbican Art Gallery
Whether referencing recent elections, the American Civil War or daytime television, Noah Davis' paintings capture both the everyday and historic milestones of the US from his viewpoint — highlighting those close to him, but also the wider racist and misogynistic portrayal of Black subjects for the sake of entertainment. Davis' works were one of the highlights of The Time is Always Now at the National Portrait Gallery and an exhibition dedicated solely to his works promises to be very powerful.
Noah Davis at Barbican Art Gallery. 6 February - 11 May, £18.
Stop and smell the ... : Flowers at Saatchi Gallery
They look beautiful and smell lovely, but in the hands of artists, flowers can become so much more. Flowers: Flora in Contemporary Art and Culture stretches from symbolism in Renaissance and the hyper-real Dutch paintings, through to contemporary artists such as Rebecca Louise Law, who creates immersive hanging installations from dried flowers. Fashion and jewellery are covered too — and there's a scientific look at the medicinal and poisonous qualities of certain flowers. Altogether, this show blossoms with over 500 artworks and objects.
Flowers: Flora in Contemporary Art and Culture at Saatchi Gallery. 12 February - 5 May, £20.
Impressive Impressionism: Goya to Impressionism at the Courtauld
Van Gogh's painting of patients at a hospital in Arles, Toulouse-Lautrec's portrait of the female clown Cha-U-Kao, and Goya's still life of three salmon steaks are three of many Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces usually on display at the Oskar Reinhart Collection in Switzerland, which travel to the UK for the first time, in 2025. Their destination: the Courtauld, which boasts its own trove of Impressionist masterpieces.
The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Goya to Impressionism. Masterpieces from the Oskar Reinhart Collection at The Courtauld. 14 February - 26 May, £14.
Gods & Minecraft: Making Egypt at Young V&A
Pyramids, mummification, Egyptian Gods... ancient Egypt is a topic that adults and children can never get enough of. For aspiring Egyptologists, Young V&A has a family focused exhibition that includes ancient artefacts such as a sarcophagus and decorative funerary masks, and a look at how stories and images from the Egypt of old continue to influence art, design and popular culture — from Hollywood movie The Mummy to Minecraft.
Making Egypt at Young V&A. 15 February - 2 November, £10.
Photo-real: Alison Watt at Pitzhanger
A flower so real it feels like you could reach out and pick it up; Alison Watt's paintings of everyday items are phenomenal. Part of the creative process is capturing the light perfectly — and fittingly, light plays a major part in the architecture of Pitzhanger too, meaning Watt's latest series of paintings resonate with the collection and architecture of the venue where it's on show.
Alison Watt: From Light at Pitzhanger. 5 March - 1 June, £12.
Where it all started: Siena - The Rise of Painting at The National Gallery
The Italian Renaissance was a pivotal moment in Western art, and the National Gallery takes us back to that time — specifically, Siena at the beginning of the 14th century. Expect gilded glass, illuminated manuscripts, ivory Madonnas, rugs, silks and a whole lot of gold — demonstrating the town's creative energy as it oozed out across Europe.
Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300 ‒1350 at The National Gallery. 8 March - 22 June, £20.
Beyond the Scream: Edvard Munch Portraits at National Portrait Gallery
Edvard Munch was more than just his iconic painting The Scream, and here's a chance to look back at the breadth of his portraits. This National Portrait Gallery show demonstrates how Munch painted both for commissions, and for personal reasons — and the differences between the two, ranging from the realistic to the expressive.
Edvard Munch Portraits at National Portrait Gallery. 13 March - 15 June, £21.
Inspired by grandeur: Grayson Perry at The Wallace Collection
Grayson Perry marks his 65th birthday with a deeply personal exhibition at the Wallace Collection, exploring lifelong inspirations from its treasures — with these acting as inspirations for his new works in ceramics, textiles and sculpture. This playful exhibition — exploring themes like gender, authenticity and masculinity — charts Perry's personal evolution from outsider to one of Britain's best known artists.
Grayson Perry: Delusions of Grandeur at The Wallace Collection. 28 March - 26 October, £tbc.
Swim-a-thon: Splash at Design Museum
From swimwear so streamlined that it was banned from competitive swimming ,to Pamela Anderson's famous one-piece from Baywatch, Design Museum dives into the evolution of swimwear, swimming pool design, and the history of how recreational swimming took off in the 1920s and 1930s.
Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style at Design Museum. 28 March - 17 August, £16.
Bling-tastic: Cartier at V&A
Sunglasses at the ready for this blindingly bling show. Glimmering with more than 350 objects — including precious jewels, historic gemstones, iconic watches and clocks — this V&A exhibition charts the evolution of Cartier's legacy of art, design and craftsmanship since the turn of the 20th century. Dread to think what the prices in the gift shop will be like...
Cartier at V&A. 12 April - 16 September, £tbc.
Door to door: Do Ho Suh at Tate Modern
Navigate a maze of corridors made from different coloured fabrics, all based on buildings that Do Ho Suh has lived in — he's replicated the spaces right down to the light switches and plug sockets. This survey covering 30 years of the South Korean's career includes reconstructions of older buildings, mosaics made from thousands of photographs and drawings created with thread.
The Genesis Exhibition: Do Ho Suh: Walk the House at Tate Modern. 1 May - 19 October, £tbc.
Religious history: Ancient India at The British Museum
Where does the image of the beloved and playful god Ganesha, with his elephant head and rounded belly, originate? What inspired the depictions of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain deities and enlightened teachers in the forms we're still familiar with today? How did these religions and their devotional art spread across the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia and along the Silk Roads to East Asia? This major new exhibition explores the origins and global spread of the sacred art of three of the world's major religions in ancient India.
Ancient India: Living Traditions at The British Museum. 22 May - 12 October, £tbc.
Hidden histories: Secret Maps at The British Library
The British Library is, ahem, mapping the link between maps and secrecy in a global context between the 9th and 21st centuries. Secret Maps explore how and why maps have been used by governments, armies, businesses, organisations, communities and individuals to withhold all kinds of spatial knowledge. Maps from the D-Day landings and a secret Ordnance Survey map designed to counter a general strike feature.
Secret Maps at The British Library. 10 October - 18 January, £tbc.
Landscape duel: Turner and Constable at Tate Britain
Two of Britain's greatest landscape painters were also intense rivals. One raised in poverty, the other in wealth. One painter traditional, the other more experimental. It was one of the great rivalries, and Tate Britain explores Turner and Constable's intertwined lives and legacies. Discover unexpected sides to both artists alongside intimate insights seen through sketchbooks and personal items.
Turner and Constable at Tate Britain. 27 November - 12 April 2026, £tbc.
