For more from London's art world, sign up for our free newsletter: Londonist: Urban Palette.
We look ahead and pick the best exhibitions to see in London's galleries and museums, opening in June.
Portraits of Japan: Kyotographie at Japan House & Japanese Women Photographers at the Photographers' Gallery
Two photographers with powerful stories come together at Kensington's Japan House. Kawada Kikuji is best known for his series examining the scars of Japan's postwar period, which is presented alongside his more recent works capturing celestial phenomena. Iwane Ai, meanwhile, has produced a series exploring the lives of Japanese immigrants in Hawaii, alongside images capturing Japan's cherry blossoms during the Covid crisis, in eerie nighttime settings, and populated with characters from Japanese folk traditions.
For second helpings of Japanese photography, the Photographers' Gallery tells the country's story through the eyes of women. 27 artists, from the 1950s to today, offer perspectives on how Japan sees itself, and how it's seen by the world, spanning identity, pop culture, fashion and everyday life.
Kyotographie: Kawada Kikuji x Iwane Ai at Japan House London. 3 June-18 October 2026, free.
Japanese Women Photographers: From 1950s to Now at The Photographers' Gallery. 24 June-27 September 2026, £12 (free on Fridays after 5pm).
Big draw: Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
After the major development of a new site in Clerkenwell and a rebrand from the House of Illustration to the Quentin Blake Centre, it's time to explore this new home for all things illustrative. The debut exhibitions are a display of 100 works by Blake himself, examining how theatrical traditions have influenced his almost 80-year career. There is also a kaleidoscopic escapade into the work of British-Sri Lankan illustrator, artist and designer MURUGIAH, bringing together his love of Hollywood, sci-fi and 2000s era pop-punk. A third exhibition celebrates queer depictions in comics. In addition, the Centre offers free public gardens, a cafe and shop, a free library and learning spaces.
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration. Opens 5 June, £15 for the exhibitions, other spaces are free.
Blonde bombshell: Marilyn Monroe at National Portrait Gallery
100 years since her birth, Marilyn Monroe remains one of the most iconic women captured on screen, through photographs and in art. For her centenary, the National Portrait Gallery brings together candid off-screen photographs, snaps taken by legendary photographers such as Cecil Beaton and Richard Avedon, and artworks she inspired, including works by Andy Warhol and Pauline Boty. The exhibition focuses on Monroe's collaborative approach and her creative agency; she not only performed but also directed sessions and vetoed any images she didn't like, curating her own legendary image.
Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait at National Portrait Gallery. 4 June-6 September 2026, £25-£27.
Cute yet disturbing: Rachel Maclean at Josh Lilley
We've always been a fan of how Rachel Maclean mixes cutesy aesthetics with savage critiques of the world today. Previous works have taken swipes at consumerism and beauty standards. Now she turns her lens towards AI and how it alters our perception of the world and the notion of authorship. The exhibition brings together painting, sculpture, film and installation in a space designed to blur the boundaries between the illusory and the real. Her feature film explores the biases, projections, desires and dangers embedded in AI — drawing parallels between the Victorian age of discovery and the microscope boom with today's AI companies.
Rachel Maclean: The Enchantment of Reason at Josh Lilley Gallery. 5 June-1 August 2026, free.
Astronomical inspiration: The Sun and The Moon at Saatchi Gallery
Humans have always looked to the heavens, at the sun and the moon, with wonder, so it's no surprise that both celestial bodies have inspired many artists. Saatchi Gallery's exhibition unfolds as a journey through a complete 24-hour cycle, moving from dawn through daylight to the depths of the night, with each gallery representing a different time of day. It includes historical works by Joan Miro and Joseph Wright of Derby, through to contemporary artists. Highlights include Luke Jerram's Helios, a glowing six-metre replica of the sun based on NASA photography, and an interactive work by TeamLab. Prepare to be sun-kissed and moon bathed.
The Sun and The Moon: Art Inspired by the Celestial at Saatchi Gallery. 5 June-8 September 2026, £20.
Mind-bending: M.C. Escher at Somerset House
Impossible shapes, stairs that appear to go up and down at the same time. Many of us are familiar with the mind-bending art of the Dutch artist M.C. Escher. The exhibition brings together over 150 of his original works, highlighting the techniques and research that shaped his squint-inducing output. The exhibition guides visitors through the major themes that made Escher famous: landscapes, tessellations, metamorphoses, to impossible constructions and the iconic visual paradoxes he's best known for. There are also interactive displays designed for both adults and children, allowing us to create our own illusions and learn how Escher pulled them off.
M.C. Escher. The Exhibition at Somerset House. 5 June-6 September 2026, £20.
Summer living: Serpentine Pavilion at Serpentine Galleries
Every summer, the space outside the Serpentine South Gallery is given over to an architect to design a pavilion, and this year that honour goes to Mexican architecture practice LANZA atelier. It comes with a serpentine wall of its own that uses the 'crinkle-crankle' method to build a strong wall, with coverings held up with towers of bricks, so we can sit in the shade/shelter from the rain under it — knowing the British weather, it will likely be both. As always, the pavilion is a gathering space to hang out, explore or use as a jumping-off point for exhibitions at the two nearby galleries.
Serpentine Pavilion 2026: 'a serpentine' by LANZA atelier. 6 June-25 October 2026, free.
Pan-African art: Project a Black Planet at Barbican
Pan-Africanism refers to a broad spectrum of political and philosophical movements advocating anti-colonial resistance and transnational solidarity amongst peoples of African descent, and this exhibition showcases its influence in art from the 1920s to the present. It includes over 300 works from paintings and installations to posters, journals and film — highlighting how the movement has manifested through activism, as well as the lived experiences of Black artists across the African continent and the African diaspora in the UK and around the world.
Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica at Barbican. 11 June-6 September 2026, £19.
Stringy sculpture: Hepworth in Colour at the Courtauld
Abstract sculptures inspired by nature and the rugged seaside landscapes of Cornwall — and often connected by string — the style of Barbara Hepworth is instantly recognisable. Many of her works keep the natural tones of the materials she carved, but the Courtauld shows us how colour also played a part in her practise. In Hepworth's words "The colour in the concavities plunged me into the depths of water, caves or shallows". Alongside sculptures, Hepworth in Colour features a rich selection of her more vivid drawings and paintings.
Hepworth in Colour at The Courtauld. 12 June-6 September 2026, £18.
All the art: Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts
You know the drill by now: over a thousand artworks stacked floor-to-ceiling in the grand galleries of the Royal Academy of Arts (RA), in what is the calendar's most wildly esoteric show. You won't love everything — it's about winkling out what speaks to you (as well as spotting the works by big-name artists like Tracey Emin and Grayson Perry). The annual art bonanza has been going for over 250 years, and if you're feeling particularly flush, know that most of the works are for sale, with some of the proceeds going towards the Royal Academy schools programme. Not every artist makes it into the Summer Exhibition, and Art Friend gallery puts on the annual 'Rejects' show, where only artists who got a thumbs-down from the RA are allowed to participate.
Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. 16 June-23 August 2026, £23.50-25.50.
Rejects 2026 at The Bakery (Art Friend Gallery Pop Up), Portobello Road. 18-28 June 2026, free.
Imposing sculpture: Anish Kapoor at Hayward Gallery
A blood red mountainous mass that fills the space and hangs above, making us feel small. Works made from the blackest black that mess with our depth perception. Anish Kapoor has always pushed the boundaries of what sculpture can be and make you feel. Visceral paintings and sculptures from Kapoor's past decade also feature, created using silicone, resin and pigment. Conjuring splayed-open bodies and internal organs, you will find them either fascinating or disturbing. Probably both.
Anish Kapoor at Hayward Gallery. 16 June-18 October 2026, £22.
Surreal visions: Frida at Tate Modern
The surreal paintings. The fantastic outfits. That famous monobrow. It's obvious why Frida Kahlo has become a feminist icon, so much so that Tate doesn't even need to include her surname in the exhibition title. 30 of her famous works that introduce her 'many selves' — the dedicated wife, the intellectual, the modern artist, the political activist — appear here, alongside clothing, jewellery, photographs and memorabilia, plus the commercial products Kahlo continues to inspire. Showing just how tenacious her legacy is, there are also over 200 works by Kahlo's contemporaries, and the artists she inspired from later generations. This is the middle exhibition of a year of strong female artists for Tate Modern, following the excellent Tracey Emin show, and Ana Mendieta yet to come.
Frida: The Making of an Icon at Tate Modern. 25 June 2026-3 January 2027, £25.
Indian mental health: Manasa Chitra at Bethlem Museum
Mental health is handled and treated differently across cultures, utilising different methods to support patients. Bethlem Museum of the Mind's new exhibition contains works by artists from India who have a lived experience of mental distress. A number were drawn by patients at what was known in the 1950s as the Bangalore Mental Hospital, as part of occupational therapy. Others are the creations of people living with mental health challenges in and around Bengaluru today. The pictures are full of movement, colour, humour and joy. They tell stories of people and places, homes and religions, and celebrate identity and resilience in the face of distress and despair.
Manasa Chitra: The art of mental health from Bengaluru to Bethlem at Bethlem Museum of the Mind. 26 June-14 November 2026, free.
Short-run events and exhibitions
June marks the return of London Gallery Weekend (5-7 June, free), where over 120 galleries open their doors across London all weekend, with dozens of talks, performances, and, of course, exhibitions. The Mount Street Neighbourhood Summer Festival (4-20 June, free) features live painting from Kathryn Maple, as well as By Walid's array of objects and clothing crafted from salvaged and antique materials.
This is also the month when students graduate from London's many excellent art schools, and we get to see what they've produced. There are undergraduate (BA) shows at City & Guilds London Art School* (20-26 June, free), Goldsmiths (19-21 June, free), Wimbledon (13-20 June, free), Chelsea (12-19 June, free), Camberwell (13-17 June, free), Central Saint Martins (18-21 June, free), and The Art Academy (26-28 June, free). Those looking specifically for post-graduate artists (MA) can head to the Royal College of Art (18-21 June, free), Slade School of Fine Art (13-21 June, free), and the Royal Academy of Art Schools (12-28 June, free).
Meanwhile, the work of many a skilled portrait painter can be enjoyed at the Contemporary British Portrait Painters exhibition in Brixton (6-14 June, free), while The Society of Women Artists hosts its 165th Annual Open at the Mall Galleries (23-27 June, £5)
If you're looking to meet the artists you buy from, the Artists' Fair at Somerset House Studios (6 June, pay what you can) is for you, while the Treasure House Fair at Royal Hospital Chelsea (24-30 June, £25) offers a curated blend of art, antiques and design — most of it high end.
Exhibitions outside London
Kew Gardens has just opened its Henry Moore exhibition, but there are more Moores to be found at its wilder sister site, Wakehurst (until 23 May 2027; included in the admission price, £18.50). Here, four Moore sculptures have been scattered among the landscape alongside works by three contemporary artists, including Rana Begum, the creator of the colourful mesh clouds.
Head north over the next 10 months or so? Yorkshire Sculpture Park is showing 67 works by 38 North American Indigenous artists in its exhibition 'Holding the Earth' (13 June–18 Apr 2027, £10, including entry to the park). It's the perfect setting, given these artists explore humanity's relationship to the land, now located within a landscape shaped by centuries of human and non-human activity. Across the works, land becomes witness, collaborator and material, carrying histories of memory, resistance and continuity.
* The author of this piece is a trustee of City & Guilds London Art School.
