Featured Events in London in April, 2025 (May Updated)

A major exhibition featuring more than 350 objects, including precious jewels, historic gemstones, iconic watches and clocks, that chart the evolution of Cartier's legacy of art, design and craftsmanship since the turn of the 20th century.

From Garfield to Simon’s Cat, Krazy Kat to Bagpuss and everything in between, there is a long line of iconic cartoon cats. For the first time, The Cartoon Museum is collecting many of the greatest cats to grace or comics, newspapers and magazines to explore why people love cats so much and what cats tell us about life.

Explore the opulence and glamour of the Edwardian age through the lives and tastes of two of Britain’s most fashionable royal couples – King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and King George V and Queen Mary – from their family lives and personal collecting to their glittering social circles and spectacular royal events. More than 300 objects from the Royal Collection will be on display – almost half for the first time – including works by the most renowned contemporary artists of the period, including Carl Fabergé, Frederic Leighton, Edward Burne-Jones, Laurits Tuxen, John Singer Sargent and William Morris. The exhibition covers the period from Edward and Alexandra's wedding in 1863 up to the start of the First World War.

With a career spanning over five decades, Giuseppe Penone (b. 1947 Garessio, Italy) has created an expansive body of work that encompasses sculpture, drawing, painting, installation, and photography. Born in a village near Cuneo, Italy, his practice is deeply influenced by the forested landscapes of Northern Italy, shaping his lifelong exploration of the relationship between humans and nature.

Widely regarded as one of the great portraitists of the 19th and 20th centuries, Edvard Munch consistently produced intimate portraits of family, friends, lovers, writers, artists, patrons and collectors, together with an extraordinary range of self-portraits. With energetic brushstrokes, bold colour and a direct sense of engagement with the sitter, these works have had a strong influence on the portrait genre.Edvard Munch Portraits will be the first exhibition in the UK to focus on this important, but sometimes overlooked, aspect of the artist’s work. The exhibition will show how Munch painted portraits as commissions and for personal reasons, with many pictures doubling up as icons or examples of the human condition despite being based on the direct observation of named individuals.

The Master Builder is a late work by the Norwegian drama master Ibsen. It tells the story of the successful architect Solness, who falls into psychological panic and loneliness when facing a family crisis and the appearance of a young girl Hilda. This work not only reflects Ibsen's own understanding of life, but also explores the complex relationship between human nature, desire and morality through symbolism.

A Virtual Reality Art Exhibition that you can view in any location and on any device. Please see the above picture instructions for how you can view it on a tablet/mobile. You can view the exhibition with or without a virtual reality headset. Copy this link to view the Virtual Reality Art Exhibition on a computer/laptop: https://edu.cospaces.io/PMB-KAV The Virtual Private View of the Exhibition was held on Thursday 14th of May 2020 at 8:15pm on Zoom (Virtual drinks provided.)

The artwork is displayed on powder-coated steel gates, designed by Whittle and made at Glasgow Sculpture Studios. It was unveiled on 5 October 2023 at the Queen’s House in Greenwich. Feeling Blue has been developed in response to RMG’s large and varied collections, as well as the history and cultural significance of Greenwich. The 160 x 155 cm tapestry is filled with richly evocative textures, symbolic shapes, and tropical colours. It was woven by hand over a period of six months by Naomi Robertson and Elaine Wilson at Dovecot Studios. They used a variety of techniques, yarns, and over 150 colour mixes to add variety and depth to the surface of the tapestry. Dominating the tapestry is the phrase ‘feeling blue’ which stands out from a background of blues and greens, the combination of different shades resembling water in motion. Blue is immediately associated with oceans and seas but there are also more emotive connotations which Whittle chose to explore. The colour blue, and in particular the term ‘feeling blue’, is used to describe sadness or depression. While the exact origin of the term is uncertain it has been suggested that it comes from the tradition of ships flying blue flags and officers bearing a painted blue band when a captain or officer died. For others, blue symbolises tranquillity. In the Queen’s House the colour blue is used throughout for decoration, notably the balustrade of the Tulip Stairs. Drawing on her research of the British naval uniform, Whittle also reflects on the legacies of British colonialism. From the mid-eighteenth-century, the Royal Navy introduced a uniform for officers made from a deep blue fabric. The colour was achieved using a dye from the indigo plant that was native to India. Until the end of the eighteenth century the indigo plant was grown, harvested and processed by enslaved people on North American plantations. Indentured labourers in India and modern-day Bangladesh also produced indigo for the East India Company. Today, Navy blue endures as a colour of authority from police to military officers, though the history of the colour and connection to colonialism is little known. Whittle continues her exploration of maritime worlds by the inclusion of coloured ropes – reminiscent of those used on ships. For Whittle, rope is a symbol of both hope and oppression. Ropes are associated with bondage, imprisonment and even execution but are equally symbolic of lifelines for people in distress. Whittle’s ongoing engagement with the climate crisis is found in the decorative coral that frames the tapestry. The delicate pastel pinks and vibrant yellows evoke the beauty of tropical oceans and are a reminder of the importance of reefs. Decorative cultured freshwater pearl beads have also been stitched onto the tapestry. As well as representing an oceanic realm, Whittle connects Feeling Blue with two sixteenth-century paintings the Armada Portrait and Sir Francis Drake which will be displayed alongside the tapestry. In both portraits, pearls are used as a symbol of wealth, some of which was derived from colonial trade and exploitation. The tapestry is hung on a set of blue ‘gates’, which are an important component of Whittle’s work. Whittle sees the ‘gates’ as reminiscent of fencing, suggesting containment and control. Placed within the gallery space the gates no longer act as a barrier. Instead, Whittle uses the gates to expand rather than restrict as visitors are free to walk around them and view the tapestry from both sides. The decorative fretwork on the panels evokes the architecture of the Queen’s House, in particular the Tulip Stairs. Alberta Whittle, said: “The commission has been a wonderful opportunity to think deeply about maritime histories and consider the powers in place that decide how these histories are portrayed. This new tapestry is a chance to explore these ideas of power alongside the rhythms of the ocean and its vulnerability under climate colonialism. The commission has also provided me with the opportunity to continue to work with Naomi Robertson and Elaine Wilson at Dovecot Studios and the rest of the fantastic weaving team.” Celia Joicey, Director of Dovecot Studios, said: "This commission represents the contemporary significance of tapestry as a collective medium. Started in the midst of the 2021 lockdown, it is testimony to a group of people responding creatively and collaboratively to the Museum collections. Feeling Blue embodies the passion, focus and skill of Dovecot’s weavers, Alberta Whittle’s endlessly interesting ideas and the care and enterprise of the commissioning team." Katherine Gazzard, Curator of Art, Royal Museums Greenwich, said: “At Royal Museums Greenwich, we are committed to working with contemporary artists whose practice engages with our historic sites and collections, as well as with the present challenges facing our communities and our planet. The opportunity to commission a contemporary tapestry from Alberta Whittle and Dovecot Studios spoke powerfully to this ethos. The finished tapestry will go on public display in the Queen’s House, our flagship art gallery. When the Queen’s House was built in the early 17th century, it was at the cutting edge of art and design. Commissions like Feeling Blue help us to honour that legacy, ensuring that, four centuries after the building’s completion, the Queen’s House continues to showcase artistic innovations and new perspectives.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Feeling Blue Alberta Whittle Tapestry by Dovecot Studios 2023, cotton, linen, synthetic yarn, cultured freshwater pearl beads Tapestry woven for Dovecot by Naomi Robertson, Master Weaver, and Elaine Wilson Displayed on powder coated steel gates made by Glasgow Sculpture Studios Purchased with assistance from the Contemporary Art Society

Discover how weavers in Afghanistan have recorded the country's turbulent history in traditional rugs in this new display. On 24 December 1979 Soviet troops crossed the border into Afghanistan, beginning a protracted 10-year war. As the country was transformed by conflict, Afghan weavers started to include imagery of modern warfare in their carpets and rugs. Birds were replaced by military helicopters. Guns took the place of flowers. Demons fought alongside tanks. This fusion of traditional crafts with the recording of contemporary history created a new artform: Afghan war rugs. This display presents some of the remarkable rugs from the British Museum collection, alongside a selection of objects that explore Afghanistan's complex past and turbulent present. Located between Asia and the Middle East, Afghanistan has always been a point of connection for different cultures. Yet it was also a strategically important territory that dynasties and empires fought over to control.

Enter a world of splendour, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur and glory! A world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment, Moulin Rouge! The Musical blends revelry and romance onstage like never before. Pop the champagne and prepare for the spectacular spectacular. Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza. A theatrical celebration of truth, beauty, freedom and - above all - love, Moulin Rouge! is more than a musical; it is a state of mind.

MEAN GIRLS is the hilarious smash-hit musical comedy from an award-winning creative team including writer Tina Fey (“30 Rock”), composer Jeff Richmond (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde) and director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon), is now playing at London’s Savoy Theatre and it’s ‘the most fun you can have in the West End’ (Metro). Meet The Plastics – Regina, Gretchen and Karen. They rule North Shore High and will burn anyone who gets in their way. Home-schooled Cady Heron may think she knows a thing or two about survival of the fittest thanks to her zoologist parents, but high school is a whole new level of savage. When Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a queen bee without getting stung. Expect iconic characters, razor-sharp wit, and killer songs. Grab your friends and your cool mom, this is fetch – and YES London, we’re making it happen! Don’t just take our word for it – Time Out says we’re ‘very, very funny and a lot of fun’, and Digital Spy calls Mean Girls ‘a hilariously entertaining night out. A party from beginning to end’ – we can’t help it that we’re popular.

Opera Gallery presents ‘Inner Child,’ a two-artist exhibition with paintings and sculptures by Niki de Saint Phalle (1930–2002) and Yayoi Kusama (b. 1929). Featuring 41 artworks comprised of 7 paintings and 34 sculptures, the exhibition’s eclectic grouping of subject matter ranges from Saint Phalle’s playful, yet often subversive, depictions of animals and the female form, to Kusama’s recurring engagement with the dot motif in both abstract and figurative works. On the surface, both Kusama and Saint Phalle’s work is often typified by vibrant colours and imaginative figures that tend to strike a playful and jubilant tone.

Maureen Paley presents Real love is a love that sets you free at Studio M. This is Chioma Ebinama’s third exhibition with the gallery. The show explores contemporary femininity and how it has been shaped through narratives spanning myth and manga. These works also champion the potential for love to be a space for liberation.

The exhibition I will have at Pipeline comes after two transformative years following my Slade MA degree show. I have treated this introductory space as a chance to test installation ideas and casting techniques as well as key conceptual thinking behind the exhibition. Carefully considering how my works relate to the architecture of the gallery space through their placement and positioning on the wall.

Serpentine unveils a new site-specific mural by artist Esther Mahlangu. On view in the garden at Serpentine North, the monumental painting celebrates concepts of community and unity. Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, which translates directly from Ndebele as ‘I am because you are’, marks her first public artwork in the UK.

See the world through a new lens. Experience the miracle of life on Earth through the world's best wildlife photography. Now in its 60th year, our photography exhibition aims to reveal more of nature's stories. It will take you on a visual adventure through different environments and give you a window into the wild animals that call them home. Witness firsthand how our activities, for good or bad, shape the natural worldExplore stunning imagery, from majestic predators on the hunt to breathtaking compositionsWitness powerful stories of survival, fragility, and life's delicate balanceEach photograph is a reminder of the wonder of the natural world. As well as stunning photography, you'll discover through soundscapes, films and expert insights the diversity and beauty of life on Earth, and what we can do together to protect it.

Discover how artists used machines and algorithms to create mesmerising and mind-bending art between the 1950s and the early 1990s. From the birth of op art to the dawn of the internet age, artists found new ways to engage the senses and play with our perception. Electric Dreams celebrates the early innovators of optical, kinetic, programmed and digital art, who pioneered a new era of immersive sensory installations and automatically-generated works. This major exhibition brings together groundbreaking works by a wide range of international artists who engaged with science, technology and material innovation. Experience the psychedelic environments they created in the 1950s and 60s, built using mathematical principles, motorised components and new industrial processes. See how radical artists embraced the birth of digital technology in the 1970s and 1980s, experimenting with machine-made art and early home computing systems. One of Tate Modern’s most ambitious exhibitions to date, Electric Dreams offers visitors a rare chance to experience incredible works of vintage tech art in action – a look back at how artists imagined the visual language of the future.

Priscilla The Party! is an immersive reimagining of the iconic and award-winning musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Delivered in three acts with breaks between for fine dining in the Mezzanine or bar snacks on the Dance Floor. Featuring the dance-floor classics like I Will Survive, It's Raining Men and Finally, doors open one hour before show time where two cocktails cost just £15 and a pre-show entertains you before the main event. The performance ends with a dazzling finale show-casing the award-winning costumes and head-dresses which the show is famous for. The evening ends with a disco from our resident DJ. The audience can expect an extravagant display of eye-popping costumes, an exhilarating soundtrack that encourages everyone to sing along and a show which unfolds all around them. There will be immersive dance floor tickets as happens at Guys and Dolls at the Bridge Theatre, with DJ and pre-show entertainment similar to Here Lies Love at the National Theatre, a party sing-a-long atmosphere like ABBA Voyage at the ABBA Arena, cabaret tables with dining options similar to Cabaret at the Playhouse Theatre and dining options and post-show party as happens at Mamma Mia! The Party – in other words, something for everyone! From its dazzling debut in Sydney in 2006, the musical created by Allan Scott and Stephan Elliott has taken the world by storm. It initially graced the London stage in 2009, before conquering Broadway in 2011. The enduring message of acceptance and inclusivity that Priscilla carries remains as significant today as it was when the curtains first rose.

On the first Saturday of each month Abbas Zahedi hosts a support group for the collective processing of ecological grief. In collaboration with thinkers, artists and musicians, participants are invited to consider ‘How can we make sense of a world increasingly shaped by loss and disconnection?’. The discussions take place in a new commission entitled Begin Again. As part of the installation, instruments and playback devices have been plugged into Tate Modern’s utility pipes and deeper architecture. The sound composition shifts between moments of harmony and disintegration. Each sonic collapse prompts the piece to rebuild, emphasising the power of renewal and beginning again. The commission creates a space for collective listening where participants can reflect on how to protect and restore ecological connectivity.

In a time when the world is changing forever, there is one place where everyone can be free. This is Berlin. Relax. Loosen up. Be yourself. One of the most successful musicals of all time, Cabaret features the songs Willkommen, Don’t Tell Mama, Mein Herr, Maybe This Time, Money and the title number. It has music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, book by Joe Masteroff, based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood. Before the show, guests are invited to enjoy the Kit Kat Club with drinks, dining and pre-show entertainment all on offer. When booking, guests will receive a ‘club entry time’ so they’re able to immerse themselves in the club. We encourage people to arrive early, leaving plenty of time to explore every nook and cranny of the Kit Kat Club before the show begins. Please note that once the main show begins, we cannot guarantee readmission to the auditorium. This is for both your safety and the safety of the cast. It may be up to a 30-minute wait before being allowed back to your seat. If you have any requirements which mean you are likely to need to leave the auditorium for whatever reason, please speak to a member of staff before the show begins.

A celebration of the boundary-pushing career of artist Leigh Bowery Leigh Bowery’s short but extraordinary life left a distinct, undeniable mark on the art world and beyond. An artist, performer, model, TV personality, club promoter, fashion designer and musician, Bowery took on many different roles, all the while refusing to be limited by convention. From his emergence in the nightlife of 1980s London through to his later daring and outrageous performances in galleries, theatres, and the street, Bowery fearlessly forged his own vibrant path. He reimagined clothing and makeup as forms of painting and sculpture, tested the limits of decorum, and celebrated the body as a shape-shifting tool with the power to challenge norms of aesthetics, sexuality and gender. Embracing performance, club culture and fashion design, Bowery created some of the most iconic images of the 1980s and 90s that continue to resonate, with his influence seen in the work of figures such as Alexander McQueen, Jeffrey Gibson, Anohni, and Lady Gaga. This eclectic and immersive exhibition is a rare chance to experience many of Bowery’s ‘Looks’ alongside his collaborations with artists including Michael Clark, Charles Atlas, Nick Knight, Fergus Greer, Stephen Willats, Nicola Rainbird, Mr Pearl, and Lucian Freud. It will provide a fresh insight into the creative scenes in London, New York and beyond featuring Sue Tilley, Princess Julia, Jeffrey Hinton, RuPaul, Les Child, Andrew Logan, Cerith Wyn Evans, Lady Bunny, Trojan, Rachel Auburn, Scarlett Cannon, Lanah P, MINTY and Boy George. Moving from the club to the stage, to the gallery and beyond, step inside Bowery’s dynamic creative world that blurred the lines between art and life.

The four international artists shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2025 are: Cristina De Middel, Rahim Fortune, Tarrah Krajnak and Lindokuhle Sobekwa.The 2025 shortlisted projects feature documentary photography, constructed images, self-portraiture, performance and family archives. Themes of migration, community and belonging, intergenerational traditions and rituals, family memories and histories are brought together in a powerful shortlist which highlights some of the best work shown or published in Europe in the past year.The annual exhibition of works from the shortlisted projects by the four artists will be on show at The Photographers’ Gallery, London from 7 March to 15 June 2025.

Step into Siena. It’s the beginning of the 14th century in central Italy. A golden moment for art, a catalyst of change. Artists Duccio, Simone Martini and the brothers Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti are forging a new way of painting. They paint with a drama that no one has seen before. Faces show emotion. Bodies move in space. Stories flow across panels in colourful scenes. We bring to life a vibrant city of artists collaborating, learning and looking. After centuries of separation, we reunite scenes that once formed part of Duccio’s monumental 'Maestà' altarpiece. Panels from Simone Martini’s glittering Orsini polyptych come together for the first time in living memory. This local artistic phenomenon made waves internationally. Gilded glass, illuminated manuscripts, ivory Madonnas, rugs and silks show Siena’s creative energy spilling over between painters, metalworkers, weavers and carvers across Europe. With over a hundred exhibits made by artisans working in Siena, Naples, Avignon and beyond, see some of Europe's earliest, most exquisite and most significant artworks.

“Echoes Within” captures the hidden mind, stirred by intangible emotions. The artist attempts to ground inner turmoil by creating still, contemplative images – tangible landscapes where the mind can rest, contrasting with the elusive, fleeting nature of subconscious thoughts and feelings. Yet encountering these images is not a silent experience. The viewer is confronted with their own emotional responses, sparking an inner dialogue and sending them on a personal journey to discover their own interpretation.

A major exhibition celebrating our enduring love of the water over the last 100 years. Explore the full spectrum of the design of swimming — from sports performance and fashion, to architecture.

The first solo exhibition in the UK by Amsterdam-based artist Nora Turato (b. 1991, Zagreb). Taking place across the ICA’s Lower Galleries and Concourse, pool7 features a site-specific exhibition of newly commissioned work spanning performance, writing, graphic design, video and sound. With this exhibition, Turato introduces new experimental work in an ambitious project that is the artist’s most personal to date.

Two artist brothers from Bologna in northern Italy, Annibale and Agostino Carracci, visit Rome in 1594. They are about to take on a huge commission – to decorate rooms in the great Farnese Palace. A private family residence, its owner, Odoardo Farnese newly elected cardinal aged just 20, had inherited great wealth. Having finished the cardinal’s study, in 1597 they start work on the palace’s vast gallery. How to prepare? Two huge charcoal drawings on paper tell us this story. They are preparatory drawings for the hall’s monumental fresco. The word cartoon comes from the Italian ‘cartone’ meaning a large sheet of paper. As well as being a vital part of the creative process, they are works of art in their own right. Alive with mythical sea creatures, gods and goddesses, putti and crashing waves, the drawings reflect the inspiration the Carracci brothers found in Rome’s antique sculptures and recent works by their predecessors, Michelangelo and Raphael. Remarkable survivors of art in the making, the cartoons offer a window into the brothers’ ideas, creative process and technique.

Galerie Max Hetzler, London, presents California Landscapes, a solo exhibition of new paintings and works on paper by Jake Longstreth. This is the artist’s second solo exhibition with the gallery, and his first in the London space.

The latest Fourth Plinth commission 'Mil Veces un Instante (A Thousand Times in an Instant)’ by Mexican artist Teresa Margolles was unveiled on Wednesday 18.09.2024. The monolithic sculpture was made with plaster cast molds of the faces of 726 transgender people from Mexico and the UK. The molds were made by applying plaster directly onto each individual’s face. The resulting object is both a visual record of their respective features and, imbued with hair and skin cells, a material infusion of their physicality.

With the hottest headliners and music legends both past and present, this is the ultimate festival experience that you do not want to miss!