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We look ahead and pick the best exhibitions to see in London's galleries and museums, opening this September.
It's coming home: The Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum
Arguably the most anticipated exhibition of the year is the return of the Bayeux Tapestry, more than 1,000 years after it was most likely woven in what's now the UK. Here is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the 70-metre-long tapestry — setting out the story of how William the Conqueror defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings — before it returns to France. We're hyped for this one, although be warned: getting tickets will be a battle in its own right.
The Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum. 10 September 2026-11 July 2027, £33.
On a mission: Tschabalala Self - Lady in Blue at the Fourth Plinth
A woman in a blue dress strides purposefully; no time for chuggers or slow walkers. This is the latest fourth plinth commission by Tschabalala Self, and while it's designed to symbolise the busy 'everywoman', the big, 'can't stop' gait will resonate with any Londoner who has places to be. So all of us, then.
Tschabalala Self: Lady in Blue at the Fourth Plinth. 10 September 2026-summer 2028.
Humanity's history: Nature & Us Gallery at the Natural History Museum
The Nature & Us gallery isn't technically new, though it's unlikely you've visited; it's been closed to the public since 1943. But no more: we're now invited to touch a replica of one of Britain's first domesticated dogs, and gaze at a 400,000-year-old hand-axe. There's a miniature model of a Crystal Palace dinosaur — showing how early scientists imagined prehistoric life — and a bryozoan-encrusted Star Wars toy from the 1980s, illustrating the changeful impact of nature and time.
Nature & Us Gallery at the Natural History Museum. Opens 16 September 2026, free.
Art in the park: Frieze Sculpture at Regents’ Park
London's biggest art fair, Frieze London, rolls into town in October, but the invariably enjoyable warm-up is Frieze Sculpture, where contemporary sculptures pop up in the south-east corner of Regent's Park. This year features 11 international artists who've created works on the theme of hybridity: we get a doorway descending beneath the grass, intricate stainless-steel screens depicting utopian scenes, a nod to brutalism, and a dual-faced vibrant idol. Just as enjoyable is watching the public interact with/puzzle over these al fresco artworks.
Frieze Sculpture at Regent's Park. 16 September-1 November 2026, free.
Double the art: Modern Painting from the Courtauld and Reuben Collections at the Courtauld
Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, Paul Cezanne and René Magritte star, as two collections combine to highlight some of the most radical artists of the first half of the 20th century. This period was a turning point for art, as artists moved away from representation towards movements such as Cubism and Surrealism, testing the limits of what painting could be. It's the age that much of today's art can trace its roots back to — including Magritte's floating baguette, Picasso's angles and Modigliani's shocking nudes.
Modern Painting from the Courtauld and Reuben Collections at The Courtauld. Opens 18 September 2026, £14.
Otherworldly: Astronomy Photographer of the Year at National Maritime Museum
Nothing makes us feel so small and insignificant as this annual exhibition. Standing in front of images of nebulae, galaxies and planets — as captured in extraordinary ways by photographers — makes us realise how insignificant our concerns are. Whether it's a deep-space image, the moon over a cityscape, or star trails captured with long-exposure, it's always a treat to visit, if utterly humbling.
ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year at National Maritime Museum. 18 September 2026-31 July 2027, £12.
An iconic coat: The Burberry Trench at V&A
With its trademark beige outer and tartan lining, the Burberry trench is an unmistakable fashion item. But how did it come to be so? That's what this free display uncovers, from the invention of the coat's water-resistant gabardine fabric in 1879, through its many iterations, to its continuing popularity. We learn how the Burberry trench initially served as functional military attire, how the lining came to be — and how it grew into a global celebration of the British aesthetic.
The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon at V&A, Prince Consort Gallery. 21 September 2026-3 January 2027, free.
Korean art: The Unclassified at Korean Cultural Centre
Four artists are brought together to examine how museums shape the presentation of culture. Meekyoung Shin has created museum-style busts made of soap, which will travel the country, be handled and displayed, so they will show the same wear we may see on marble sculptures exposed to the elements. Siren Eun Young Jung takes an archival look back at yeoseong gukgeuk, an all-female theatre genre that flourished in South Korea in the 1950s. Ayoung Kim's work focuses on how the imperial powers divided up the Korean peninsula. Gala Porras-Kim's installation imagines the view from inside a grave, asking us to reflect on gaps that remain in the history of cultural heritage.
The Unclassified at Korean Cultural Centre. 25 September-31 December 2026, free.
Short run exhibitions and events
There are plenty of smaller exhibitions this month where you can see and buy art. The 13th edition of Flux is hosted at the Bomb Factory in Marylebone (4-6 September 2026, free), bringing together 70 emerging and established artists from the UK and internationally. It spans painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, installation and digital art — and most of the works are up for sale. The Art Car Boot Fair (5 September 2026, £5-10) returns to Lewis Cubitt Square in King's Cross, with artists selling works out of car boots. There are great bargains to be had, including those by established artists.
Most graduate shows happened over the summer, but one of the best comes this month: the post-graduate artists of City & Guilds London Art School* showcasing the works they've made for their MA show (8-12 September 2026, free). It's always top drawer. More emerging talent can be found at the ACS Prize at Gurr Johns (20-22 September 2026, free), where the shortlisted artists are included in an exhibition and one winner receives £6,000 towards their studio costs. If you'd rather see where the creative process happens, head to the Cumberland Road Open Studios in Wood Green (19-20 September 2026, free). It's an insider's view of the creative process, where you get to meet the artists.
If you prefer the art fair environment, plump for the British Art Fair at Saatchi Gallery (24-27 September 2026, £23), where the best of modern and contemporary art is on show. For shinier purchases, the Goldsmiths' Fair is at Goldsmiths’ Hall (22 September-4 October 2026, £35), with no shortage of bling, including designs and jewellery made from precious metals.
Sticking with design, it's also the month of the London Design Festival (12-20 September 2026), which includes major projects at the V&A and a projection onto St. Paul's, alongside workshops, talks and a programme set across multiple districts of London, from South Kensington to Shoreditch. If you want to explore one area, then Manufactory (11-12 September 2026) will focus on Park Royal in north-west London, with exhibitions, installations, site-specific interventions, performances, food, open studios, talks, workshops and participatory events within this industrial area.
Creative Intelligence at the Southbank Centre (11-13 September 2026) is a three-day takeover packed with art, performance, music, demos, debate and experimentation, exploring how artists, digital innovation, and AI are reshaping the world we live in. Over at Barbican, another takeover is under way by Turner Prize-winning artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan, titled Repercussions (23-26 September 2026). It's on the theme of sonic justice, and how crimes and human rights abuses can be captured through sound. Over four days, Repercussions brings together an installation, performances, screenings, panel discussions and live music.
Exhibitions outside London
In Southend-on-Sea, three artists with very different styles are showing in Between:Us at Beecroft Art Gallery (5 September-29 November 2026, free), including Victoria Sills, whose powerful portraits capture both the person's emotions and also explore the idea of masks and whether they conceal or reveal elements of our personalities. Alongside her works are ghostly interiors by Peter Haugh and the digital works of Jonathan Rust.
The Fitzwilliam Museum, in Cambridge hosts 'A Mughal Songbook: Art, Music and Empire' (8 September 2026-7 March 2027, free), centring on the story of Sophia Elizabeth Plowden and her illustrated book of lyrics and musical notation, created in Lucknow in the late 18th century. Plowden documented the music she encountered in North Indian courtly gatherings during a period of transition between the Mughal and British Empires. It contains 77 songs written in Persian, Urdu, Classical Hindi and Punjabi, and is at the centre of a display that also includes objects, paintings, and music.
We've always been fans of Raqib Shaw's highly detailed paintings, inspired by Indian miniature-style paintings. They are works you can stare at for hours and still not spot all their elements. His latest paintings and tapestries — all focusing on night-time scenes — are on show in his exhibition Night Sonnets at Compton Verney (19 September 2026-21 February 2027, £22.50), a stately home just south of Birmingham. Fire, damaged cities, smoke, melting ice and threatened knowledge recur across the exhibition, while behind them lies Shaw’s interest in the confidence with which every civilisation imagines its own permanence, against all the evidence of history.
* The author of this piece is a trustee of City & Guilds London Art School.
