Art exhibitions opening in London in September 2024

September will see the opening of several highly anticipated exhibitions in London. Highlights include a major Van Gogh exhibition at the National Gallery, showcasing iconic works such as Sunflowers and Starry Night Over the Rhône, a retrospective of Michael Craig-Martin at the Royal Academy of Arts, and an exploration of the Silk Roads at the British Museum. Here are our top picks for art exhibitions to watch for in London.

Yayoi Kusama

Yayoi Kusama Photo by Yusuke Miyazaki © YAYOI KUSAMA Courtesy Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner.

#FLODown: Yayoi Kusama's fourteenth solo exhibition at Victoria Miro gallery features a new Infinity Mirror Room and a series of detailed, vibrant paintings titled Every Day I Pray for Love. These works further her exploration of line and form, reflecting both microscopic and expansive themes. The exhibition also includes new sculptures displayed in the gallery and on the canalside terrace, commemorating 26 years since Kusama's debut solo show with Victoria Miro in 1998.

Date: 25 September -2 November 2024. Date: Victoria Miro, 16 Wharf Rd, London, N1 7RW. Price: Tickets will be released on Monday 2 September 2024. Entry is free and booking is essential. Book now.

Click here to discover where you can find Yayoi Kusama's free public art in London.

Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers

: The National Gallery, London; Starry Night, 1888; © Musée d’Orsay.

#FLODown: The National Gallery is hosting its first-ever exhibition dedicated to Vincent Van Gogh, titled Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers, to mark its 200th anniversary. The exhibition will showcase over 50 works from various collections, highlighting Van Gogh's imaginative transformations and his poetic and romantic themes. The display focuses on his time in Arles and Saint-Rémy, exploring how he turned places into idealised spaces in his art. It will also delve into his series painting approach and use of contrasts. The exhibition will include major paintings from the National Gallery's collection, including Sunflowers.

Date: 14 September 2024 - 19 January 2025. Location: The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN. Price: from £24. Book now.

Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum: It Will End in Tears

Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum: It Will End in Tears Works in progress in Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum's studio, The Hague, Netherlands, 2024 Courtesy the artist and Goodman Gallery Photo: Lotte van Uitterst.

#FLODown: Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum's upcoming commission at The Curve will feature a diverse array of drawings, paintings, and installations, exploring themes of home, hybrid identities, and unity. Inspired by her experiences across Africa, South Asia, and North America, Sunstrum collaborates with Remco Osório Lobato to create an installation that transports visitors to an imagined rural life of a twentieth-century colonial outpost, loosely based on her grandmother's hometown in Botswana.

Date: 18 September 2024 – 5 January 2025. Location: The Curve, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London,EC2Y 8DS. Price: Free. barbican.org.uk.

Silk Roads

‘The Franks Casket' ©The Trustees of the British Museum.

#FLODown: The Silk Roads exhibition will redefine the traditional view of the Silk Road as merely a trade route between East and West. Instead, it presents the Silk Roads as a complex web of interconnected networks linking diverse regions from Japan to Britain and Scandinavia to Madagascar. Spanning five geographical zones, the exhibition features over 300 artefacts, including items like Indian garnets in Suffolk and Iranian glass in Japan, highlighting the extensive cultural and historical impacts of these routes.

Date: 26 September 2024–23 February 2025. Location: The Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery, The British Museum, Great Russell St, London WC1B 3DG. Price: Adults from £22, Members and under-16s free. britishmuseum.org.

Geumhyung Jeong: Under Construction

Geumhyung Jeong: Under Construction [work in procress]. Photo by Kanghyuk Lee.

#FLODown: The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) will present Geumhyung Jeong's exhibition Under Construction, highlighting her distinctive blend of choreography and technology. Featuring new installations of sculpture and video, the exhibition explores the dynamic between humans and machines through animatronic figures and Jeong's own body. It includes autonomous sculptures and videos capturing interactions between Jeong and her creations, with live performances scheduled for October 8th, 9th, and November 13th, along with a performative lecture on November 15th.

Date: 25 September  – 8 December 2024. Location: Institute of Contemporary Arts, The Mall, St. James's, London SW1Y 5AH. Price: from £6. Free on Tuesdays. Book now.

Michael Craig-Martin

Mike Kelley, Ahh...Youth! 1991. © Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. All Rights Reserved / VAGA at ARS, NY.

#FLODown: The Royal Academy of Arts will host the UK's largest exhibition dedicated to British artist Michael Craig-Martin. Known for his significant contributions to conceptual art, Craig-Martin's body of work spans sculpture, installation, drawing, painting, and prints. His pieces blend elements of pop, minimalism, and conceptualism, transforming everyday objects with bold colours and simple lines. The exhibition will explore his influence on contemporary art and education, addressing the crisis in art education in the UK.

Date: 21 September - 10 December 2024. Location: Royal Academy of Arts,Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD. Price: £22- £24.50. Book. now.

Monet and London: Views of the Thames

Claude Monet (1840 - 1926), London, Parliament. Sunlight in the fog, 1904, oil on canvas, Musee d'Orsay. Photo © Grand Palais RMN ( musee d'orsauy) Herve Lewandowski.

#FLODown: Monet and London: Views of the Thames will feature Claude Monet's lesser-known 'Thames series,' painted during his London stays from 1899 to 1901. These Impressionist masterpieces depict iconic London landmarks like Charing Cross Bridge and the Houses of Parliament with evocative atmosphere and vibrant colour. Originally planned for a 1905 London exhibition, this collection will finally be shown in the UK for the first time, offering a unique glimpse into Monet's artistic vision from this period.

Date: 27 September 2024 – 19 January 2025. Location: The Courtauld Gallery, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN. Price: from £16. Book now.

Lap-See Lam

Lap-See Lam, The Altersea Opera, 2024. Film still: Lisabi Fridell:Egerstrand&Blund. Textile work © Kholod Hawash. © Lap-See Lam. Courtesy the artist, Galerie Nordenhake and Moderna Museet.

#FLODown: Marking Lap-See Lam's UK debut, this exhibition at Studio Voltaire follows her presentation at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024. Inspired by the 'Sea Palace', a haunted funhouse once a floating Chinese restaurant, Lam delves into cultural heritage and diasporic identity. The showcase includes a new film intertwining the restaurant's history with Cantonese Opera themes, alongside a large-scale bamboo scaffolding installation.

Date: 18 September –15 December 2024. Location: Studio Voltaire,1A Nelsons Row, London SW4 7JR. Price: Free. studiovoltaire.org. 

Tracey Emin: I followed you to the end

Tracey Emin. Insomnia Room Installation2019. © White Cube/Tracey Emin.

#FLODown: Coinciding with Frieze London, White Cube will host a significant solo exhibition by Tracey Emin at their Bermondsey gallery. The expansive showcase encompasses new paintings, works on paper, and a monumental bronze sculpture.

Date: 19 September – 10 November 2024. Location: White Cube Bermondsey, 144 – 152 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3TQ. Price: Free. whitecube.com.

Nairy Baghramian: Jumbled Alphabet

Misfits, 2021, Nairy Baghramian.

#FLODown: The South London Gallery will host a new exhibition by Nairy Baghramian, marking her first major solo show in London in fourteen years amidst growing international acclaim. Baghramian’s conceptually rigorous sculptures challenge perceptions of self, space, and objects, using diverse techniques and materials to explore the spatial, architectural, social, and political contexts of contemporary art. Her works, which blend geometric shapes, organic matter, and industrial processes, subtly examine the intersections between art and fields like interior design, dance, and theatre. The exhibition will feature sculptures from her Misfits series and collaborative works with other artists in the Fire Station galleries.

Date: 27 September 2024 - 12 January 2025. Location: South London Gallery, 65 Peckham Rd, London SE5 8UH. Price: Free. southlondongallery.org.

National Art Pass

From 22 - 29 August, the National Art Pass offers a limited-time opportunity to embrace an autumn of creativity at a special discounted rate. Enjoy 50% off major exhibitions, free access to over 250 venues, and exclusive discounts at museum shops and cafés. Get three months now for just £15. artfund.org