The top exhibitions to see in London is sponsored by Art of London.
Our pick of the best exhibitions to see in London's galleries and museums opening in March 2025, plus one cheeky addition from outside the M25
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.
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A cosmic playground from the "Willy Wonka of design and science"
Something cosmic is touching down in Piccadilly Circus, as part of seasonal event Art After Dark.
Iridescent asteroid-sized rocks, audio signals received from the Moon and giant feline sculptures inspired by Schrödinger’s quantum physics paradox experiments come courtesy of Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian, aka the "Willy Wonka of design and science", at the latest Art After Dark. Taking place Thursday 6-Saturday 8 March, this is the event's third year, and it remains totally free.
As well as giving you the chance to unplug from Earthly life and gaze into the vast cosmos beyond, there's plenty more Art After Dark fun, including the Art of London Gallery HOP! (visit 20+ indie galleries inc. Skarstedt Gallery and White Cube), and a Fridays Lates session where you get to walk around some of the biggest galleries after normal opening hours, including the RA and the National Gallery.
You needn't travel for out-of-this-world refreshments, either. Look out for special Art After Dark offers at restaurants and bars around Piccadilly, including mochi from the Japan Centre, The Londoner's five-star cuisine, and complimentary champagne with dinner at Bistrot at Wild Honey
Art After Dark takes place 6-8 March 2025 and is free to visit.
Powerful photography: Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2025 at The Photographers' Gallery
This annual photography prize always features thought-provoking artists and this year's shortlisted artists explore migration, identity, memory, and cultural heritage. Cristina De Middel reimagines Central American migration as an epic journey, Rahim Fortune celebrates Black American traditions, Tarrah Krajnak reclaims photographic history through performance, and Lindokuhle Sobekwa investigates his sister’s disappearance.
Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2025 at The Photographers' Gallery. 7 March - 15 June, £8.50.
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.
Map-inspired: Kristina Chan x Sunderland Collection at Canada House Gallery
Inspired by rare antique maps, Chan’s work explores shifting landscapes, how we interpret maps, and the intersection of fact and imagination in navigating the world. Featuring large-scale photographic composites, etchings of historical instruments, and vivid prints reflecting ancient climate theories, this exhibition challenges our perception of exploration.
Kristina Chan: Habitable Climes presented by The Sunderland Collection at Canada House Gallery. 12 March - 30 April, free.
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.
Memories of India: Arpita Singh at Serpentine Galleries
Serpentine Galleries is hosting Arpita Singh's first solo exhibition outside of India, with a look across her six-decade career. It features luminous oil paintings, delicate watercolours, and intricate ink drawings, inspired by Indian miniature painting and Bengali folk art. Her work combines personal memories with broader social and historical narratives, including themes of motherhood, ageing, sensuality, and violence in her dreamlike compositions.
Arpita Singh: Remembering at Serpentine North. 20 March - 27 July, free.
Les Incroyables: The Drawings of Victor Hugo at Royal Academy of Arts
The writer of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Miserables was also an active draughtsman. Last exhibited in the UK over 50 years ago, these 70 works cover Hugo’s travel sketches, surreal landscapes and abstract ink experiments. Castles, seascapes, and spectral forms all emerge from his imagination and it's clear to see the links between his artistic and literary outputs.
Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo at Royal Academy of Arts. 21 March - 29 June, £17.
SPIKE MCLARRITY: Heard of the Barnes White Rabbit? Once a month, a man dons a Lewis Carroll-esque leporine costume and goes about his business. That man is conceptual performance artist Spike Mclarrity, and this March he’s hosting a fascinating free exhibition. Head to the Penny School Gallery in Kingston to discover Spike’s evolving collective of hybrid animal characters that explore themes like sexuality, spirituality, cultural identity and gender.
Monday-Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday 10am-1pm. FREE. 24 March-3 April (sponsor)
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, £15.
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. Read our full preview of the exhibition.
Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style at Design Museum. 28 March - 17 August, £16.
United by fabric: Textiles - The Art of Mankind at Fashion & Textile Museum
Textiles are a part of our culture and can bring people and communities together. Showcasing rare garments, fabrics, and accessories from around the world, this exhibition reveals how textiles express identity, belief, and artistry. From Egyptian wedding dresses to Thai funeral shawls, intricate mythological tapestries to striking animal motifs, it's a chance to discover the symbolic power of textiles.
Textiles: The Art of Mankind at Fashion & Textile Museum. 28 March – 7 September, £12.65.
Immersive Egypt: Tutankhamun at Excel London
The legend of Tutankhamun lives on for millennia after his early demise. Now there's a chance to immerse yourself in his world: Be greeted by Anubis, the Egyptian god of death, enter Ancient Egypt through virtual reality and discover details of mummification and the Egyptian afterlife in a 90-minute experience. It's not all projections though, as there will also be ancient artefacts dating back to 4000BC as well as modern replicas of ancient relics.
Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition at Excel London Waterfront. 28 March - 27 June, £23.50-26.50
Ahoy there: Pirates at National Maritime Museum
Raise the Jolly Roger and enter the world of piracy on the high seas. This exhibition traces how piracy has evolved and the brutal reality behind the fiction. Featuring 200 objects, including rare books, costumes, and artefacts, the exhibition charts piracy across the Caribbean, South China Sea, and Barbary Coast, the lives of pirates like Blackbeard and Anne Bonny, and its global impact, from shipboard shrines to the Bombardment of Algiers. It also explores the perception of piracy in popular culture — from comical characters like Captain Pugwash and Captain Hook to anti-heroes like Long John Silver and Captain Jack Sparrow — and examines why the idea of a pirate’s life still fascinates us today. Read our full preview of the exhibition.
Pirates at National Maritime Museum. 29 March – 4 January 2026, £15.
Exhibition outside London
From purpose-built buildings with resplendent domes and minarets to terraced housing conversions, British artist Mahtab Hussain has photographed all of Birmingham's Mosques as part of his exhibition at Ikon Gallery in Birmingham (20 March - 1 June, free). He's also produced black and white portraits highlighting the vibrant diversity of Birmingham’s Muslim community. His work also highlights how the Muslim community has often faced scrutiny and surveillance by the state and the media in Britain.
Short run exhibitions and art fairs
Sorry about the mess is a group exhibition of artists and writers who are also mothers. They've taken over the old office building at 125 Shaftesbury Avenue and explored the evolving relationship between motherhood and making art — from the struggles to the playful elements (7-30 March, free).
One of our favourite art spaces in London, the blinging Fitzrovia Chapel, has paired up with the fantastic arts charity Hospital Rooms for an exhibition called Shape Shift, about what it's like to create art in mental health settings (13-25 March, free).
There is a strong Chilean diaspora in the UK and the The Chilean Visual Arts Group (CVAG), with the support of the Chilean Embassy, is showcasing works by Chilean artists at Somers Gallery, near King's Cross (28 March - 7 April, free)*.
The Affordable Art Fair is back in Battersea (12-16 March, £14) for another edition of works starting at £100, whether you're looking for something small, or a larger art centrepiece. Limited edition prints more your style? The London Original Print Fair returns to Somerset House (20-23 March, £17-20) with big names from centuries ago like Rembrandt and Durer through to contemporary artists such as Grayson Perry and Cornelia Parker.
If you prefer to buy directly from the artist, The Other Art Fair returns to Truman Brewery (6-9 March, £16.50+) with thousands of artworks by over 170 artists. It's a fair we've made dozens of purchases from over the years, and one we recommend visiting to discover new artists.
* The author of this piece is the curator of this exhibition
