{"id":549541,"date":"2026-04-25T05:49:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:49:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/549541\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T05:49:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:49:34","slug":"top-5-museum-exhibitions-to-see-this-spring-in-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/549541\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Museum Exhibitions to see this Spring in London"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tabish Khan, the @LondonArtCritic<\/a>, picks his top 5 museum exhibitions to see in London. If you are looking for more exhibitions, check out his previous top 5<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Both of these exhibitions look spectacular, but they also convey powerful ideas. Shiota\u2019s beds and suspended keys immerse you in a dream world and ask us to contemplate the histories behind these objects. What doors do they unlock? While Xiuzhen\u2019s work, made from repurposed clothing, asks us about the nature of migration, travel, and how interconnected we\u2019ve become. Until 3rd May, ticketed.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Beatriz Gonz\u00e1lez\u2019 at The Barbican Art Gallery.Photo: \u00a9 David Parry\/ Barbican<\/p>\n

I knew very little about Beatriz Gonzalez, and I was blown away by her creativity and inventiveness. Recreating famous artworks on tiles, textiles, and even furniture, she used anything and everything she could get her hands on to create art, often working from postcards and books rather than first-hand experience of the works. There are playful elements as well as deeply political works, including artworks that reference victims of femicide and displaced persons. She died just before the exhibition opened, and it\u2019s a chance to see work by an artist who deserves to be better known in the UK. Until 10th May, ticketed.<\/p>\n

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This exhibition features plenty of fearsome armour, but it also explores the famed code of honour and the rise and fall of the Samurai class. However, it also discusses the Samurai\u2019s roles in peacetime as administrators and artists. The big surprise is how many female Samurai there were, something many visitors won\u2019t be aware of. Plus, there\u2019s plenty of pop culture references, from Shogun to Star Wars. Until 4th May, ticketed.<\/p>\n

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This important exhibition is filled with artists who\u2019ve struggled with mental health, including paintings of difficult times and the awkward postures of those at group therapy sessions. Tracie Hodge\u2019s work asks, \u2018Talk to me, don\u2019t just medicate me,\u2019 placed atop a roll call of medicines, while Annabel Merrett examines the well-meaning language from loved ones that is often of little help. It\u2019s another strong exhibition from a museum that deserves a lot more visitors. Until 20th June.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve always been a fan of his dramatic \u2018An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump\u2019, but this exhibition places his work in the broader context of the scientific discoveries of his time and his wider body of work.\u00a0 We see his prints and objects featured in his work, including an orrery and a gladiator sculpture. We also see his playful side in a painting of two boys fighting over a pig\u2019s bladder, as well as his inspirations from Caravaggio and Rembrandt. Until 10th May, ticketed.<\/p>\n

Shiota image: Photo by Masanobu Nishino and courtesy of the artist, \u00a9 DACS, London, 2025 and Chiharu Shiota. Barbican image: Photo: David Parry \u00a9 Beatriz Gonz\u00e1lez. Samurai image: \u00a9 The Trustees of the British Museum. Bethlem Museum image, courtesy of the museum. Wright of Derby image: \u00a9 Derby Museums.<\/p>\n

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Tabish Khan<\/a><\/p>\n

Art Critic for both FAD and Londonist. See as many exhibitions as possible and write reviews, opinion pieces and a weekly top 5 for FAD.<\/p>\n