6 London Art Exhibitions to See in September 2026

September is shaping up to be a strong month for art in London.

From impossible worlds created by M.C. Escher to Jack White's unexpected visual art practice, Frida Kahlo's personal archive, Schiaparelli's surrealist fashion and a two day celebration of food as art, the city's exhibition calendar offers plenty of reasons to explore beyond the usual galleries.

There are also two exhibitions worth planning around early. M.C. Escher at Somerset House closes on September 6, while Jack White's exhibition at Newport Street Gallery closes on September 13. The Food Art Fair also takes place for just two days at Ladbroke Hall.

If you're planning your September cultural calendar, here are six exhibitions and art experiences worth knowing about.

M.C. Escher: The Exhibition at Somerset House

If you enjoy optical illusions, mathematics or art that makes you question what you're looking at, start with M.C. Escher.

The major retrospective at Somerset House brings more than 150 original works by the Dutch graphic artist together for the first time in London. The exhibition explores the impossible architecture, repeating patterns and visual puzzles that made Escher one of the most recognisable artists of the twentieth century.

You will encounter works built around impossible staircases, shifting perspectives, tessellating animals and spaces that appear to contradict the laws of physics.

Escher's work is particularly interesting because mathematics and geometry became central to his artistic practice even though he did not receive formal mathematical training. His prints have subsequently attracted the attention of mathematicians, scientists, architects and artists because of the precision with which he explored symmetry, infinity and perception.

Among his best known works are 'Day and Night', 'Drawing Hands', 'Relativity' and 'Ascending and Descending'.

The exhibition also looks at how Escher developed his techniques over time, allowing you to see the progression from his earlier work to the impossible worlds that eventually defined his career.

This is the exhibition on this list that requires the most urgency. It closes on September 6, 2026, and Somerset House warns that weekends can be particularly busy, with queues of up to 30 minutes possible. Timed entry is required.

Quick information

• Venue: Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA
• Exhibition: M.C. Escher: The Exhibition
• Closing date: September 6, 2026
• Works: More than 150 original works
• Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 10am to 9pm. Sunday, 10am to 8pm
• Price: From £16.50 including booking fee
• Tickets: Click here to book
• Nearest Tube: Temple and Covent Garden

Jack White: THESE THOUGHTS MAY DISAPPEAR at Newport Street Gallery

You probably know Jack White as the musician behind 'The White Stripes'. You may not know him as a visual artist. That is exactly what makes 'THESE THOUGHTS MAY DISAPPEAR' such an interesting exhibition.

Presented at Newport Street Gallery in Vauxhall, the exhibition brings together White's sculptures, installations and furniture designs. The work reflects the same interest in experimentation and unconventional materials that has appeared throughout his music career.

White often works with reclaimed materials, hardware store objects and industrial remnants, giving the pieces a deliberately raw quality.

The exhibition also makes sense within the context of Newport Street Gallery itself. The gallery was founded by Damien Hirst and presents exhibitions drawn from his art collection. For Jack White's work to occupy this space creates an unusual meeting point between music, contemporary art and design.

If you have followed 'The White Stripes', 'Third Man Records' or White's wider creative work, this exhibition gives you a different perspective on an artist who has always treated music, recording and design as interconnected creative practices.

You do not need to know anything about contemporary sculpture to enjoy it. The materials and objects themselves provide plenty to explore.

Quick information

• Venue: Newport Street Gallery, 1 Newport Street, London SE11 6AJ
• Exhibition: Jack White: THESE THOUGHTS MAY DISAPPEAR
• Closing date: September 13, 2026
• Entry: Free
• Nearest Tube: Vauxhall and Lambeth North

Frida: The Making of an Icon at Tate Modern

Frida Kahlo remains one of the most recognisable artists in the world, but the story behind her public image is almost as fascinating as the paintings themselves. 'Frida: The Making of an Icon' at Tate Modern looks at both.

The exhibition brings together more than 130 works, including paintings, photographs, personal documents and memorabilia. It also places Kahlo's work alongside material connected to her contemporaries and artists influenced by her.

The exhibition explores how Kahlo constructed her identity and how that identity developed into the cultural phenomenon associated with her today.

Kahlo was born in Mexico in 1907 and died in 1954. Her paintings frequently drew on her personal experiences, Mexican culture, politics, identity and physical suffering. Her self portraits became particularly important because they allowed her to control how she presented herself. Clothing, animals, plants, objects and symbols became recurring elements through which she explored identity and belonging.

The Tate exhibition therefore offers more than a collection of famous paintings. It examines how an artist's personal image can become inseparable from the way their work is understood.

A free Frida experience nearby: If you want to extend the experience beyond Tate Modern, there is also a large scale Frida Kahlo mural on the Thames Path near Blackfriars Station. The mural is free to see and remains on display until 2028, giving you a public art alternative to the ticketed exhibition.

Quick information

• Venue: Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG
• Exhibition: Frida: The Making of an Icon
• Dates: June 2026 to January 2027
• Works: More than 130 works plus documents, photographs and memorabilia
• Price: From £16.50
• Tickets: Click here to book
• Nearest Tube: Southwark and Blackfriars

Fleurs de Villes DIANA at Somerset House

If you enjoy fashion, flowers and design, Fleurs de Villes DIANA offers a completely different kind of exhibition.

For three weeks, Somerset House will become home to 15 one of a kind floral mannequins inspired by the wardrobe and life of Diana, Princess of Wales. Leading British floral designers have created the looks using fresh flowers, transforming iconic fashion moments into temporary botanical sculptures.

The exhibition goes beyond recreating famous outfits. Each floral design is connected to a different aspect of Diana's public life, including her humanitarian work, advocacy and the causes she supported. That makes the exhibition part fashion history, part floral art and part biography.

There is also an important charitable element. The London edition supports The Diana Award, with a portion of ticket proceeds going towards its work empowering young people to create positive change.

Diana's clothing has been photographed and analysed for decades. Recreating those looks with fresh flowers introduces an entirely different quality because the materials themselves are temporary.

The flowers change and fade, meaning the exhibition is designed around a form of art that cannot remain exactly the same forever.

Quick information

• Venue: Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA
• Exhibition: Fleurs de Villes DIANA
• Dates: September 16 to October 6, 2026
• Floral mannequins: 15
• Charity partner: The Diana Award
• Nearest Tube: Temple, Charing Cross and Covent Garden
• Price: From £15 for adults; concessions and children’s tickets are also available
• Tickets: Click here to book

Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at the V&A

The V&A's Schiaparelli exhibition is one of the most significant fashion exhibitions in London this year.

It is the UK's first exhibition dedicated to Elsa Schiaparelli and traces the history of the fashion house from its beginnings in the 1920s through to its modern revival under creative director Daniel Roseberry.

More than 200 objects are included, covering clothing, accessories, jewellery, paintings, sculpture, furniture and perfume.

Schiaparelli was never interested in treating fashion as simply clothing. She worked closely with artists and surrealists, creating designs that deliberately blurred the boundaries between fashion and art. Her collaborations included Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau, while photographer Man Ray was also part of her creative circle.

One of the most recognisable examples is the 'Tears' evening dress and veil, created by Schiaparelli with fabric designed by Salvador Dali in 1938. The exhibition also explores the continuing influence of Schiaparelli on contemporary fashion, connecting the original house with the brand's current creative direction.

The exhibition is particularly useful if you want to understand why Schiaparelli continues to influence fashion today. You can see how ideas that seemed radical in the 1930s, including trompe l'oeil, surrealist imagery and unusual materials, continue to appear in contemporary couture.

Quick information

• Venue: V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL
• Exhibition: Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art
• Closing date: November 8, 2026
• Works: More than 200 objects
• Price: From £28 on weekdays and £30 at weekends
• Tickets: Click here to book
• Nearest Tube: South Kensington

Food Art Fair at Ladbroke Hall

Food is usually something you experience through taste. Food Art Fair asks you to look at it differently.

Taking place at Ladbroke Hall on September 5 and 6, the event explores food as a medium for creativity, communication and cultural exchange.

More than 50 artists, designers, chefs, publishers and makers are involved across exhibitions, edible works, workshops, performances, screenings, talks and a curated market. This means you can move between gallery style installations, food related objects, edible artworks and practical workshops throughout the weekend.

The programme includes a fermentation workshop, evening performances, readings, screenings and a market featuring independent publications and objects.

The fair also explores the relationship between food and other creative practices. One example is poetry and bread making, bringing together the physical process of making bread with creative writing.

This is not simply a food festival. Food becomes the subject and material of an arts programme that combines visual art, design, performance and gastronomy.

If you enjoy exhibitions that sit between different creative disciplines, this is one of the more unusual events on London's September calendar.

Quick information

• Venue: Ladbroke Hall, Ladbroke Grove, London
• Dates: September 5 and 6, 2026
• Main exhibition and market: Saturday, 2pm to 10pm
• Sunday programme: 10am to 6pm
• Participants: More than 50 artists, designers, chefs, publishers and makers
• Nearest Tube: Ladbroke Grove and Notting Hill Gate
• Price: From £15
• Tickets: Click here to book

Which London art exhibition should you see first?

• Mathematics, optical illusions and graphic art: Choose M.C. Escher: The Exhibition at Somerset House. It is the most urgent option, closing on September 6, 2026.
• Music and alternative culture: See Jack White: THESE THOUGHTS MAY DISAPPEAR at Newport Street Gallery. Entry is free, and the exhibition closes on September 13, 2026.
• Modern art and cultural history: Visit Frida: The Making of an Icon at Tate Modern for a broader look at Frida Kahlo's work, life and carefully constructed public identity.
• Fashion history and artistic collaboration: Choose Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at the V&A, which connects historic couture with contemporary design and Schiaparelli's influential collaborations with artists.
• Floral design and temporary installations: See Fleurs de Villes DIANA at Somerset House from September 16. The exhibition transforms Diana, Princess of Wales's fashion history into fresh floral sculpture.
• Food, art and design: Add Food Art Fair at Ladbroke Hall to your calendar for the first weekend of September. It brings together exhibitions, edible installations, workshops, performances and design.

London art exhibitions in September 2026 at a glance

• M.C. Escher: Somerset House, until September 6. Ticketed.
• Jack White: THESE THOUGHTS MAY DISAPPEAR: Newport Street Gallery, until September 13. Free.
• Food Art Fair: Ladbroke Hall, September 5 and 6. Ticketed.
• Frida: The Making of an Icon: Tate Modern, until January 3, 2027. Ticketed.
• Fleurs de Villes DIANA: Somerset House, September 16 to October 6. Ticketed.
• Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art: V&A South Kensington, until November 8. Ticketed.

If you only have time for a few exhibitions, prioritise the ones with the shortest runs first. Escher and Jack White both close in September, while the Food Art Fair takes place for just one weekend. The longer running Frida and Schiaparelli exhibitions give you more flexibility.

You can also plan each exhibition as part of a wider day out. Somerset House is close to Covent Garden and the Strand, Tate Modern is within easy reach of Borough Market and the South Bank, Newport Street Gallery works well with a walk around Vauxhall or along the Thames, and the V&A sits among the museums and cultural attractions of South Kensington.

You do not need to be a serious art collector to enjoy any of these. The range is broad enough to give you something whether you are interested in mathematics, music, fashion, food, flowers or simply discovering something new in London.