UK Art Exhibitions: Your Guide to Upcoming Shows, Autumn 2025

From blockbuster museum shows to thoughtful contemporary surveys, autumn brings a packed UK art calendar aligned with Frieze Week and major openings across London and beyond. Use this guide to plan gallery days from September to November 2025.

Major Museum Exhibitions (London)

Nigerian Modernism

8 October 2025 to 10 May 2026
A landmark survey tracing modern art in Nigeria across painting, sculpture, textiles, and more, from early pioneers to the Zaria Art Society and the Nsukka group.
Tate Modern
https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/nigerian-modernism

Lee Miller

2 October 2025 to 15 February 2026
A major retrospective of the Surrealist photographer, model, and war correspondent, spanning fashion images, wartime reportage, and later work.
Tate Britain
https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/lee-miller

Theatre Picasso, featuring The Three Dancers

17 September 2025 to 12 April 2026
A focused presentation built around Picasso’s 1925 masterpiece, set in context with related works and exhibition tours through the season.
Tate Modern
https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/theatre-picasso

Frieze London, Frieze Masters, and Frieze Sculpture

Frieze London and Frieze Masters: 15 to 19 October 2025
Frieze Sculpture in Regent’s Park: 17 September to 2 November 2025
The capital’s headline fairs return to Regent’s Park, with a free outdoor sculpture trail across the English Gardens.
Regent’s Park
https://www.frieze.com/fairs/frieze-london-frieze-masters/visitor-information
https://www.frieze.com/fairs/frieze-sculpture
https://www.royalparks.org.uk/whats-on/frieze-sculpture-2025

Encounters: Giacometti x Mona Hatoum

3 September 2025 to 11 January 2026
Immersive installations by Mona Hatoum in dialogue with Alberto Giacometti, exploring space, memory, and displacement.
Barbican
https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2025/event/encounters-giacometti-x-mona-hatoum

Contemporary Art (London)

Edward Burra and Ithell Colquhoun

13 June 2025 to 19 October 2025
A conversation between two British visionaries across surrealism, satire, and mysticism, extended into the autumn months.
Tate Britain
https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain

Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion

25 September 2025 to 25 January 2026
A fashion centred exhibition on material transformation, patina, and allure, bringing a raw edge to the Barbican’s autumn programme.
Barbican
https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2025/event/dirty-looks

Wayne McGregor: Infinite Bodies

30 October 2025 to 22 February 2026
Dance, technology, and design intersect in a multisensory presentation on the choreographer’s three decade practice.
Somerset House
https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/wayne-mcgregor-infinite-bodies

Jennie Baptiste: Rhythm and Roots

17 October 2025 to 4 January 2026
Photography celebrating Black British youth culture across music, style, and identity, from the 1990s to today.
Somerset House
https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/jennie-baptiste-rhythm-and-roots

Historical Art (London)

Marie Antoinette Style

Now open, autumn 2025 season
An exploration of fashion, taste, and image around the French queen and her era, with rare loans and atmospheric staging.
V and A South Kensington
https://www.vogue.com/article/inside-marie-antoinette-style-exhibition-v-and-a
https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025/sep/21/marie-antoinette-style-victoria-albert-london-exhibition-fashion

Giacometti context displays at the Barbican

September to November 2025
Supporting displays that frame Giacometti’s practice within the Encounters series and its contemporary dialogue.
Barbican
https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2025/series/encounters-giacometti

Regional Exhibitions (Outside London)

Extended autumn at Tate sites

September to November 2025
Programme highlights continue at Tate Britain and Tate Modern, including Lee Miller and Nigerian Modernism, alongside displays at Tate St Ives and other sites.
Tate
https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on

New exhibitions calendar

September to November 2025
Independent listings across London and the regions for late breaking autumn shows and project spaces.
New Exhibitions
https://www.newexhibitions.com/calendar

How to use this guide

• Always confirm dates, ticket availability, and timed entry on official pages before you travel, since late season shows may extend or adjust capacity.
• Cluster London museum visits around Tate Modern, Tate Britain, the Barbican, and Regent’s Park during Frieze Week. Frieze Sculpture is free to visit in the English Gardens from 17 September to 2 November.
• For major blockbusters such as Nigerian Modernism and Lee Miller, consider weekday mornings or late openings to avoid peak crowds and secure earlier ticket slots.
• If you are visiting for Frieze London or Frieze Masters, the fair dates are 15 to 19 October 2025. Plan your route through the park to combine the tents with the outdoor sculpture trail.

Brighton and South Coast day trip roundup

Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, Brighton

Central Gallery relaunch with Passion, Power and Protest. New displays in the Central Gallery from late October offer an engaging, people centred hang with interactive elements. Check the What’s On page for dates, family workshops, and late openings.
https://brightonmuseums.org.uk/brighton-museum-art-gallery/whats-on/

Towner Eastbourne, Eastbourne

Impressions in Watercolour: J. M. W. Turner and his Contemporaries runs through autumn into spring, timed to Turner’s 250th anniversary year. Expect luminous works on paper and focused displays that reward slow looking.
https://townereastbourne.org.uk/

De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill

Autumn season opens in early October with a members preview and talks. Programming includes the exhibition Betty Parsons: Sheer Energy and a full public schedule following the opening weekend. Check listings before you travel.
https://www.dlwp.com/exhibitions-programme-2025-at-de-la-warr-pavilion/
https://www.dlwp.com/event/autumn-exhibition-opening-private-view-and-brunch/

Hastings Contemporary, Hastings

Autumn and winter season launches late September with three exhibitions, including Michael Landy: LOOK, Isabel Rock: Things Fall Apart, The Centre Cannot Hold, and Sophie Barber. The gallery is also running talks, life drawing, and family sessions through October and November.
https://www.hastingscontemporary.org/event-category/exhibitions/
https://www.hastingscontemporary.org/events/exhibition-preview/
https://www.newexhibitions.com/e/67118

Pallant House Gallery, Chichester

Seeing Each Other: Portraits of Artists runs until 2 November, alongside Rana Begum Curates: Opposing Forms and collection displays. Ideal for a compact half day visit paired with the cathedral.
https://pallant.org.uk/exhibitions/

Southampton City Art Gallery, Southampton

Free entry collection with a strong twentieth century holding. Autumn weekends feature clubs and tours, useful for family day trips. Check the events calendar for dates before heading out.
https://southamptoncityartgallery.com/
https://southamptoncityartgallery.com/events/

Practical tips for the coast

• Trains from Brighton reach Eastbourne in about 40 minutes and Bexhill or Hastings in around one hour.
• Combine Towner Eastbourne with De La Warr Pavilion for an easy two stop day.
• Many coastal venues run evening talks and previews. Check listings a week ahead for late openings and ticketed events.