On our radar: Central London exhibitions in September 2026 and beyond
London’s art season picks up again in September, with independent gallery shows, major museum exhibitions and public art appearing across Central London. September 2026 also brings London Design Festival and the return of Frieze Sculpture, while several exhibitions continue well into October and beyond. Here are some of the exhibitions and cultural events worth building into a Central London visit this autumn.
Must-visit exhibitions in and around Fitzrovia Quarter
Fitzrovia sits at the heart of London city centre, known for independent galleries and smaller creative spaces that offer an alternative to the large museums. If you want to spend a few hours exploring art without travelling far, Riding House Street, Little Portland and Wells Street give you several places within the same part of Central London.
Albion Jeune: Understory
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- – Address: 16–17 Little Portland Street, London
- – Opening hours: Monday–Friday 10 AM–6 PM; Saturday 11 AM–5 PM
- – Dates: 16 Sep–7 Oct 2026
- – Price / tickets: Free entry
- – Why visit: Xiaochi Dong brings classical Chinese painting techniques into a contemporary exploration of natural environments
- – Highlights: Multi-panel paintings; Green Cube works inspired by the Waterlily House at Kew Gardens
- – Best for: Visitors interested in contemporary painting, nature and Chinese artistic traditions
Understory slows things down. Xiaochi Dong builds his paintings through repeated brushstrokes and layered panels, drawing on classical Chinese ink painting while looking at how people construct and experience environments such as botanical gardens, greenhouses and terrariums.
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The Cartoon Museum: Does My Head Look Big in This?
- – Address: 63 Wells Street, London W1A 3AE
- – Opening hours: Mon–Sat 10:30 AM –5:30 PM, Sun 12 PM – 4 PM
- – Dates: 23 May–1 Nov 2026
- – Price / tickets: Adults £12; concessions £8; students £5; under-18s free
- – Why visit: A look at portrait caricature from Renaissance Italy to contemporary cartooning
- – Highlights: Work by Gerald Scarfe, David Levine and André Carrilho
- – Best for: Cartoon fans, families and visitors interested in satire and visual culture.
At The Cartoon Museum, Does My Head Look Big in This? The Art of Portrait Caricature explores how artists have exaggerated faces, personalities and public figures for centuries.
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The Photographers’ Gallery: Japanese Women Photographers – From 1950s to Now
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- – Address: 16–18 Ramillies Street, London W1F 7LW
- – Opening hours: Monday–Wednesday 10:30 AM–6 PM; Thursday–Friday 10:30 AM–8 PM; Saturday 10:30 AM–6 PM; Sunday 11 AM–6 PM
- – Dates: Until 27 Sep 2026
- – Tickets: £12 online or £14 in person; free on Fridays after 5 PM
- – Why visit: More than 200 photographs, videos, installations and photobooks by 27 Japanese women photographers
- – Best for: Photography lovers and visitors interested in fashion, identity, everyday life and social change
Just south of Oxford Street, The Photographers’ Gallery makes an easy extension from Fitzrovia into Soho. Japanese Women Photographers: From 1950s to Now brings together several generations of artists and looks at Japan through perspectives that have often been left outside the traditional history of photography.
If you want to keep exploring after leaving the gallery, the nearby Soho Photography Quarter is also showing NINAGAWA Mika: Captive Blooms, a free outdoor display running into June 2027. This makes the area particularly useful if you want to combine an indoor exhibition with public art on the same walk.
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Exhibitions and art shows in the West End and Regent’s Park
National Gallery: Waldmüller – Landscapes
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- – Address: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN
- – Opening hours: Daily 10 AM–6 PM; stay open until 9 PM on Fridays
- – Dates: Until 20 Sep 2026
- – Tickets: Free
- – Why visit: The first UK exhibition devoted to Austrian painter Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller
- – Highlights: Around 13 landscape paintings, with major loans from Vienna
- – Best for: Visitors interested in 19th-century European landscape painting
Waldmüller: Landscapes gives you a compact exhibition rather than an all-day museum commitment. The paintings focus on forests, mountains and the Austrian countryside, making it a good choice if you want to see something specific before continuing through the National Gallery’s permanent collection.
If you visit earlier in the month, Monet and Renoir: Painting Side by Side also continues until 15 September and is free, so the two displays can be combined in the same visit.
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Royal Academy of Arts: Richard Dadd – Beyond Bedlam
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- – Address: Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD
- – Opening hours: Tuesday–Thursday & Sunday 10 AM–6 PM; Friday & Saturday until 9 PM; closed Monday
- – Dates: 25 Jul–25 Oct 2026
- – Tickets: From £15
- – Why visit: The first major exhibition devoted to Richard Dadd in more than 50 years
- – Highlights: More than 60 works spanning his fairy paintings, portraits and drawings
- – Best for: Victorian art enthusiasts and visitors interested in highly detailed figurative painting
Richard Dadd is often remembered through the circumstances of his life, but Beyond Bedlam puts the attention back on the art itself. The exhibition moves beyond his best-known fairy imagery to show a wider body of work produced across his career.
Its Piccadilly location also makes the Royal Academy easy to combine with the National Gallery, Mayfair or Soho during the same Central London day.
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Frieze Sculpture 2026
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- – Address: The English Gardens, The Regent’s Park, London
- – Dates: 16 Sep–1 Nov 2026
- – Tickets: Free
- – Why visit: A large-scale outdoor sculpture exhibition featuring 11 international artists
- – Highlights: Works by Angel Otero, Conrad Shawcross, Tarini Sethi, Ivana Bašić and others
- – Best for: Contemporary art lovers and anyone who prefers seeing art outdoors
Frieze Sculpture is one of the easiest major art events to fit into a Central London day because you do not need to enter a fair tent or buy an admission ticket. The full public exhibition encompasses a large, multi-artist presentation across the English Gardens in Regent’s Park.
It also gives you a different experience from the galleries around Fitzrovia. You can start with smaller indoor exhibitions, walk north towards Regent’s Park, then explore sculpture in a more open setting.
To make the most of Central London exhibitions, add a stop at one of the museums in Central London.
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London Design Festival 2026 around Soho and Central London
London Design Festival 2026
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- – Locations: Centered in the heart of Soho, Central London, activating local galleries, design studios, and shopfronts
- – Dates: 12–20 Sep 2026
- – Tickets: Many installations and events are free; though select talks or trade fairs may require prior registration or a small fee
- – Nearby district: Soho Design District
- – Best for: Design lovers, creative professionals and visitors who enjoy seeing work outside traditional galleries
London Design Festival 2026 spreads exhibitions, installations, talks and design-led events across the city. For a visit based around Fitzrovia, the addition of the Soho Design District makes the festival much easier to explore without travelling across London.
The Soho programme brings together architects, designers, hospitality specialists, developers and other creative businesses across the neighbourhood. This means you can move from Fitzrovia’s galleries into Soho and see how art and design extend into shops, studios, hospitality spaces and the streets themselves.
Alongside the Central London exhibitions, you’ll also find plenty of gems at art galleries in Central London.
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Exhibitions and cultural events on the South Bank
Tate Modern: Ana Mendieta
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- – Address: Bankside, London SE1 9TG
- – Opening hours: Sunday–Thursday 10 AM–6 PM; Friday–Saturday 10 AM–9 PM
- – Dates: Until 17 Jan 2027
- – Tickets: £18; free for members
- – Why visit: A major exhibition exploring Ana Mendieta’s relationship with the body, landscape and nature
- – Best for: Contemporary art visitors interested in performance, film, photography and land art
Ana Mendieta’s work moves between the body and the natural world, using photography, film and temporary interventions in the landscape. The Tate exhibition brings together work that shows why her practice continues to influence contemporary artists.
September also gives you a good reason to visit later in the day. Tate Modern Lates on 25 September 2026 is centred around Mendieta’s work, with music, workshops, talks and performances running from 6 PM to 10 PM.
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Collections and galleries in Bloomsbury and Euston
British Museum: The Bayeux Tapestry
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- – Address: Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG
- – Opening hours: Sunday–Wednesday 10 AM–6 PM; Thursday–Saturday 10 AM–9 PM
- – Dates: 10 Sep 2026–11 Jul 2027
- – Standard adult ticket: £25–£33
- – Why visit: The 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry comes to the British Museum for a major long-term exhibition
- – Best for: History lovers, medieval art enthusiasts and visitors interested in the Norman Conquest
At around 70 metres long, the Bayeux Tapestry tells the story surrounding the Norman invasion of England and the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Its arrival in London makes this one of the biggest historical exhibitions of the autumn season.
Demand has been exceptionally high, and tickets covering 10 September to 31 December 2026 are currently sold out. The exhibition continues until July 2027, however, making it one to keep in mind if your London visit falls later in its run.
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Wellcome Collection: The Coming of Age
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- – Address: 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE
- – Opening hours: Tuesday–Sunday 10 AM–6 PM; Thursday until 8 PM
- – Dates: 26 Mar–29 Nov 2026
- – Tickets: Free
- – Why visit: Art, science and popular culture come together to explore how people experience ageing
- – Highlights: Around 150 artworks and objects spanning adolescence, later life, health and changing ideas about age
- – Best for: Visitors who enjoy exhibitions connecting art with everyday social questions
The Coming of Age looks at ageing as something that begins long before old age. Historical objects sit alongside contemporary work to explore adolescence, family, care, longevity and how culture shapes the way different stages of life are understood.
If you have more time, Wellcome Collection also has Audrey Amiss: The Surviving Exhibitions, running until February 2027. The free exhibition brings together paintings, drawings and archival material to look at Amiss both as an artist and as someone who used her work to challenge harmful experiences within the mental health system.
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Where to explore the best art in Central London?
If you’re searching for more artistic inspiration, Fitzrovia Quarter is the perfect next step. Alongside new exhibitions and intimate gallery experiences, you’ll find historic landmarks, creative spaces, and plenty of cosy cafés to pause and reflect.