With access to hundreds of museums and galleries a tube ride away, we Londoners are spoilt for choice when it comes to a fun day out. But sometimes the capital’s embarrassment of riches means it’s tricky to pick where to go.
Do you disappear into the National Gallery for an afternoon, pop by some of the independent galleries in Marylebone, explore East London’s exciting offerings, or wander around the Tate?
Look no further every week: here’s our pick of five extraordinary exhibitions to see in London right now.
Material States: Yves Klein and Günther Uecker
Yves Klein and Günther Uecker, both influential figures in Europe’s postwar avant-garde, developed radically different visual languages: French artist Klein, explored monochromes and colour, creating his iconic shade of ultramarine, as well as pioneering performance art.
German painter and sculptor Uecker asked questions about purity and simplicity in his kinetic works. But the two artists, who exhibited work together numerous times, literally became family: Klein married Uecker’s sister Rotraut in 1962, though he died of a heart attack the same year aged just 34. Here some of their remarkable works are being displayed together again.
Lévy Gorvy Dayan, to August 2; levygorvydayan.com
Lottie Cole: A Commonplace Collection of Paintings
Lottie Cole, an associate member of the Royal Watercolour Society, paints unknown figures and gentle interior scenes full of promise – in one, a bowl of cherries rests on a chair; in another, a balcony door is left slightly ajar, letting in the moon. In this show of 30 works in watercolour and oil, she continues her explorations of motherhood, sisterhood, potential and the passing of time.
Long and Ryle, to August 9; longandryle.com
Embraced: A Lived Experience
This group exhibition of 13 contemporary artists aims to re-examine the way that identity is depicted in portraiture. Featuring exciting new names including Pace Taylor, Adelisa Selimbašić, Caroline Walls, the works reflect on bodily experiences, vulnerability and self-expression.
Rhodes, July 4 to August 31; rhodescontemporaryart.com
Dominique White: Deadweight
In this new body of work, award-winning British-based artist Dominique White presents a series of sculptures that look like shipwrecks and sea monsters in a dimly-lit gallery space. The effect is haunting and transportive as reviewers are made to feel submerged in a dark sea.
In doing so, White continues to weave together her long-time themes of rebellion, transformation, destruction and nautical myths, with an exploration of African diaspora culture, science and technology. White reminds us of a terrible truth: our vast sea is inextricably culpable in the history of enslaved people.
Whitechapel Gallery, to September 15; whitechapelgallery.org
Anthony McCall: Solid Light
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British-born New York-based artist Anthony McCall creates innovative installations of light which challenge our assumptions about sculptural work. Here, see one of his spell-binding three-dimensional forms, where light is beamed through thin mist, and shapes appear and fade in the darkness.
Tate Modern, to April 27, 2025; tate.org.uk
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