{"id":721708,"date":"2026-06-07T21:18:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T21:18:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/721708\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T21:18:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T21:18:36","slug":"cave-paintings-a-galleon-and-a-wild-frenchman-london-gallery-weekends-10-must-see-shows-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/721708\/","title":{"rendered":"Cave paintings, a galleon and a wild Frenchman: London Gallery Weekend\u2019s 10 must-see shows | Art"},"content":{"rendered":"

With hundreds of world-class galleries, thousands of stunning exhibitions and countless talented artists, London has a serious claim to being the art capital of the world. Sure, it\u2019s also got sky-high rents that make surviving as an artist nigh on impossible; and yes, perilous economic conditions mean that galleries are closing at an unprecedented rate (the brilliant Tiwani Contemporary announced last week<\/a> that it would soon be shutting for good). But there\u2019s still plenty to celebrate. And that\u2019s where London Gallery Weekend<\/a> comes in.<\/p>\n

Now entering its sixth year, the event brings together London\u2019s biggest, brightest and best galleries for a weekend-long art party. There are talks, walk-throughs, performances, poetry readings and gigs taking place across the weekend, with galleries open late throughout \u2013 and admission to everything is free.<\/p>\n

It may not quite be at the level of its forebear, Berlin Gallery Weekend<\/a>, which is a genuine international event in which every major gallery in the city opens their best shows at the same time, and is now the pinnacle of the German art calendar. But as a statement of what London\u2019s galleries have to offer, it\u2019s pretty persuasive.<\/p>\n

Spread all across the city, there are exhibitions by artists from every corner of the globe: South American photography, German conceptualism, African portraiture, American minimalism, British satire, and on and on. There are works by giants of modern art, and shows by little-known upstarts, all taking place in galleries so fancy they look like spas, or tiny experimental project spaces that feel like you\u2019ve just walked into a very hip squat. And all of this barely scratches the surface of London\u2019s art world.<\/p>\n

Not sure what to see? You can follow routes conceived by cultural figures including producer Kelly Lee Owens<\/a> and fashion designer Erdem Moral\u0131o\u011flu<\/a>. To help you navigate the dozens of exhibitions taking part, here are 10 must-see art delights.<\/p>\n

Francis Picabia: Expanding HorizonsFrancis Picabia, Untitled, 1932. Photograph: Francis Picabia\/courtesy Hauser & Wirth<\/p>\n

From early landscapes to later abstracts, this show takes viewers on a journey through the many twists and turns of this hugely important French modernist\u2019s wild career. It\u2019s basically a mini-Tate retrospective, but free. The gallery is also hosting a literary salon<\/a> inspired by Picabia \u2013 as well as their Roni Horn show<\/a> next door \u2013 on Friday evening.
At Hauser & Wirth, Mayfair<\/a>, until 1 August<\/p>\n

Anne Imhof: CitizenAnne Imhof, Grey Wave, 2025 (detail) Photograph: Joao Morgado\/\u00a9 Anne Imhof\/courtesy the artist and Spr\u00fcth Magers<\/p>\n

Stern heavy-metal conceptualist Anne Imhof returns to Spr\u00fcth Magers for more gothic explorations of the body. This show features frenetic scratchy paintings, a morose new film and an installation made of crowd barriers. It\u2019s all about control, manipulation, death. It\u2019s not light or fun \u2013 but it is good.
At Spr\u00fcth Magers, Mayfair<\/a>, 5 June to 1 August<\/p>\n

Dominic Watson: Vinegar and PissDominic Watson, Ecstasy of Want 2, 2026 (representative past work: Cucumber Season, 2025). Photograph: courtesy the artist and The Sunday Painter<\/p>\n

This brilliantly weird English artist has filled a south London gallery with a massive galleon made from reclaimed children\u2019s playhouses. Step inside and you\u2019ll find papier-mache sculptures of vomiting heads and disembodied limbs in an acerbic, silly, surreal takedown of the UK\u2019s descent into intolerance.
At The Sunday Painter, Vauxhall<\/a>, until 11 July<\/p>\n

Savannah Harris: Gloria\u2019s<\/p>\n

This neat, experimental gallery up in north-west London has been transformed into an upmarket cafe named Gloria\u2019s \u2013 all expensive lattes, cream coloured walls and red logos (sound familiar?). Harris is using the space as a chance to show work by outsider artists, alongside her own paintings, in a sharp dig at gentrification and the erosion of opportunities for artists and community social spaces.
At Harlesden High Street<\/a>, 5 June to 26 July<\/p>\n

Keith PiperKeith Piper, As Arm in Arm They Enter the Gallery, 1982. Photograph: courtesy the artist and Niru Ratnam, London<\/p>\n

Keith Piper was a founding member of the pioneering Blk Art Group<\/a> \u2013 which Lubaina Himid and Sonia Boyce were also involved in \u2013 in the 1980s, and has been using his art to confront racism and inequality ever since. This show features works from the past 40 years, all dealing with the shocking relationship between images and power.
At Niru Ratnam, Fitzrovia<\/a>, 5 June to 25 July<\/p>\n

Elena Njoabuzia Onwochei-Garcia: GrownElena Njoabuzia Onwochei-Garcia, P\u2019s Curiosity, 2026. Photograph: courtesy William Hine<\/p>\n

Founded in 2024, William Hine is one of London\u2019s newest galleries. The summer show by this young Glasgow-based artist features huge, theatrical paintings that dwarf and envelop the viewer, using allegory, myth and folklore to explore deeply personal ideas of memory and identity.
At William Hine, Camberwell<\/a>, 5 June to 25 July<\/p>\n

Oliver Beer: The Sky in the CaveOliver Beer, Resonance Painting (On and Ever Onward), 2026. Photograph: Prudence Cuming Associates\/\u00a9 Oliver Beer\/courtesy Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, London<\/p>\n

Oliver Beer\u2019s work is all about resonance: the way objects and spaces have sonic, tonal qualities. His latest piece was made inside an ancient cave in France filled with paleolithic paintings. He\u2019ll be in conversation with singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright at noon on Friday.
At Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, Mayfair<\/a>, 5 June to 31 July<\/p>\n

Gray Wielebinski: Bring Me MenGray Wielebinski, Menswear, 2026 (top). Photograph: Gray Wielebinski<\/p>\n

The American artist takes aim at how masculinity is constructed, reinforced and standardised in this fun, satirical show of hyper-critical collage and installation, including a big aluminium \u201cBring Me Men\u201d sign nicked from a US army base. Nicoletti is also one of London\u2019s newer galleries, and moved to fancy new digs in 2024.
At Nicoletti, Old Street<\/a>, until 4 July<\/p>\n

Delaine Le Bas: LeapDelaine Le Bas, Blue House, 2025. Photograph: \u00a9 Delaine Le Bas\/courtesy Berengo Studio, Murano, Italy and Maureen Paley, London<\/p>\n

The 2024 Turner prize nominee returns with her singular, chaotic blend of found objects, textiles and new glass works, exploring themes of alchemy and witchcraft. It\u2019s also her first show at Maureen Paley, one of the UK\u2019s most important and well-established galleries, and one of the first spaces to open up in the East End.
At Maureen Paley, Bethnal Green<\/a>, 4 June to 25 July<\/p>\n

Helen Marten: This WeatherHelen Marten, This Weather, 2025\/26 Photograph: \u00a9 Helen Marten\/courtesy the artist and Miu Miu<\/p>\n

Speaking of important and well-established galleries, Sadie Coles HQ isn\u2019t just still going after almost 30 years, it\u2019s absolutely thriving, having recently opened a third space in London. This show by deeply complex conceptualist and Turner prize winner Helen Marten features five films conceived as part of the artist\u2019s recent opera project<\/a>.
At Sadie Coles HQ, Soho<\/a>, until 12 September<\/p>\n

London Gallery Weekend<\/a> runs from 5-7 June<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With hundreds of world-class galleries, thousands of stunning exhibitions and countless talented artists, London has a serious claim…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":721709,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[76,354,355,49,48,356,75],"class_list":["post-721708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/721708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=721708"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/721708\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/721709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=721708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=721708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=721708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}