Autumn in London's museums: what closes, what opens and how not to overpay

Two dozen major exhibitions are running in London this autumn, and half of them close within weeks. Below: what to catch before the end of October, what opens next, and what it all costs. Plus how to do the museums for free, because in London that is still possible.

What closes in the next few weeks?

James McNeill Whistler, Tate Britain — until 27 September, £24. The first major European retrospective of the artist in thirty years.

NIGO: From Japan with Love, Design Museum — until 4 October.

Anish Kapoor, Hayward Gallery — until 18 October.

Musquiqui Chihying: A Life of Navigation, Southbank — until 18 October, free entry. The artist's first major UK exhibition.

Richard Dadd: Beyond Bedlam, Royal Academy of Arts — until 25 October. More than a hundred works and the first big retrospective in over fifty years.

Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, V&A — until 8 November.

Monika Sosnowska: Weight of Matter, South London Gallery — until 22 November.

What opens this autumn?

Es Devlin: Other Worlds, Design Museum, 2 October 2026 to 4 April 2027. The first European retrospective of the stage designer's thirty-year career. Adult tickets from £17.09, student and concession from £12.82, child from £8.55, members free.

The 90s: Art and Fashion, Tate Britain, 8 October 2026 to 14 February 2027.

Light and Magic: The Birth of Art Photography, Tate Modern, 14 October 2026 to 21 February 2027.

Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery, British Library, 30 October 2026 to 20 June 2027. Exhibits include her 1937 Remington typewriter and personal correspondence. Adults £25 peak and £20–23 off-peak, with concessions for under-16s, 16–25s, students, disabled visitors and carers and National Art Pass holders; 10% off for groups of ten or more; members free.

The Bayeux Tapestry, British Museum, 10 September 2026 to 11 July 2027. The event of the season: the 70-metre 11th-century embroidery is in Britain for the first time in almost 900 years. Tickets £33, but September to December is sold out — our full guide to the booking rules is here.

What runs long and will still be there in winter?

Frida: The Making of an Icon, Tate Modern — until 3 January 2027. Ana Mendieta, Tate Modern — until 17 January 2027. Julio Le Parc: Light. Colour. Action., Tate Modern — until 3 May 2027. And from 25 February 2027 the same building opens Monet: Painting Time.

Where can you go for free in London?

The permanent collections of the national museums are free for everyone, no ticket and no booking: the British Museum, the National Gallery, Tate Modern and Tate Britain, the V&A, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, the Imperial War Museum.

You only pay for temporary exhibitions. You can walk into the British Museum today and spend half a day there without paying a penny — the only question is whether you are going for the tapestry.

Southbank and the Barbican are a separate case: some of their projects are open-entry, like the Chihying show until 18 October.

How to avoid overpaying?

First, off-peak slots. The difference runs to a third — £20–23 instead of £25 for Agatha Christie, £25–27 instead of £33 for the tapestry. Off-peak almost always means weekdays and the afternoon.

Second, the Art Fund National Art Pass. The annual card gives free entry to hundreds of museums and 50% off major temporary exhibitions — £16.50 saved on a single tapestry visit.

Third, membership of a specific museum. At Tate, the Design Museum and the British Library all temporary exhibitions are free to members. Two or three shows a year at one museum and membership already pays.

Fourth, children. Under-16s are free or close to it almost everywhere — up to four children per adult at the British Museum, child tickets from £8.55 at the Design Museum.

And fifth, the simplest: watch the dates. Half the shows in the first section close before the end of October, and the last weeks sell out first.

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