This is a list of some of the ongoing exhibitions in the UK.
| Exhibition | Where | Dates | Type | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M.C. Escher. The Exhibition | Somerset House, London | 5 Jun to 6 Sept 2026 | Art | Strongest art pick. Pattern, perception, impossible spaces, optical weirdness. Open Tue to Sun, closed Monday. |
| Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait | National Portrait Gallery, London | 4 Jun to 6 Sept 2026 | Art / visual culture | Portraiture, celebrity image, identity, Warhol, Avedon, Pauline Boty. Good for persona/image-making research. |
| Sufi life and art | British Museum, London | 27 Oct 2025 to 26 Jul 2026 | History / art | Free display. Islamic art, spiritual culture, material history. Open during your dates. |
| Queen Elizabeth II memorial display | British Museum, London | 22 Apr to 21 Jun 2026 | History / heritage | Contemporary royal/memorial culture. Free, open that week. |
| Science Museum galleries | Science Museum, London | Open daily, but closes 17:00 from 8 to 19 Jun | History / science heritage | Useful if you want objects, technology, space/science history. Note early closing that whole week. |
| Birmingham Media Archive Project: The First Decade 1982–1992 | Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery | 18 Apr to 28 Jun 2026 | History / media culture | Better geography from Herefordshire than London. Media, archive, city culture. |
| Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero | Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery | until 27 Sept 2026 | Music / social history | Free, working-class Birmingham music heritage. More interesting than it sounds if framed as identity, labour, celebrity, place. |
| Gwen John: Strange Beauties | National Museum Cardiff | 7 Feb to 28 Jun 2026 | Art | Quiet, painterly, intimate, psychologically useful. A good west-side option. |
| Ffasiwn | National Museum Cardiff | 23 May 2026 to 4 Apr 2027 | Fashion / culture / history | Fashion as identity and Welsh cultural presentation. Open that week. |
| 50 years of Aardman | Bristol Museum & Art Gallery | from 7 Jun to 13 Sept 2026 | Animation / visual culture | Very usable for visual storytelling, character design, accessible exhibition energy. |
| Ocean Photographer of the Year | Brunel’s SS Great Britain, Bristol | 7 Jun to 28 Jun 2026 | Photography / maritime culture | Photography plus heritage-site bonus. Open during your dates. |
| Art in June Exhibition | Riverhill Himalayan Gardens, Kent | 3 Jun to 14 Jun 2026 | Local art | Ends on the 14th exactly. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, so avoid 8 and 9 June. |
| 200th RSA Annual Exhibition | Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh | 9 May to 14 Jun 2026 | Contemporary art / architecture | Ends on the 14th. Good if Scotland is in range, otherwise it’s a long goblin pilgrimage. |
Sources list:
M.C. Escher. The Exhibition, Somerset House
https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/mc-escher-the-exhibition
Confirmed: 5 June to 6 September 2026.
Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait, National Portrait Gallery
https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2026/marilyn-monroe-a-portrait
Confirmed: 4 June to 6 September 2026.
Sufi life and art, British Museum
https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/sufi-life-and-art
Confirmed by the British Museum exhibitions listing as 27 October 2025 to 26 July 2026.
Queen Elizabeth II memorial, British Museum
https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions-events
Confirmed on British Museum listings as 22 April to 21 June 2026.
Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/exhibitions/working-class-hero
Confirmed: open until 27 September 2026.
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, What’s On
https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/birmingham-museum-and-art-gallery/whats-on
Useful general listing page, includes Ozzy exhibition and current exhibitions.
Gwen John: Strange Beauties, National Museum Cardiff
https://museum.wales/cardiff/whatson/12640/Gwen-John-Strange-Beauties/
Confirmed: 7 February to 28 June 2026.
Ffasiwn, National Museum Cardiff
https://museum.wales/cardiff/whatson/12923/Ffasiwn/
Confirmed via Museum Wales listings as 23 May 2026 to 4 April 2027.
Ocean Photographer of the Year, Brunel’s SS Great Britain
https://www.ssgreatbritain.org/things-to-do/superhero-engineers/
Confirmed: 1 April to 28 June 2026.
Remove from the board
Cracking Exhibition, Gromit! 50 Years of Aardman in Bristol
https://www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/m-shed/
This starts on 20th June 2026, so it is not open during 8–14 June.
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