Six major art exhibitions are opening in London public galleries in February 2026, running through at least May. Highlights include Lucian Freud: Drawing Into Painting at the National Portrait Gallery (12 Feb–4 May), Seurat and the Sea at The Courtauld Gallery (13 Feb–17 May), Chiharu Shiota: Threads of Life at the Hayward Gallery (17 Feb–3 May), Beatriz González at the Barbican Art Gallery (25 Feb–10 May), and Tracey Emin at Tate Modern (26 Feb–31 Aug). These shows span modern masters, contemporary installation, and international voices.
This cluster of openings signals a strong spring season for London’s public galleries, drawing attention to both canonical figures (Freud, Seurat) and living artists (Shiota, González, Emin). The exhibitions offer rare opportunities—Seurat’s seascapes have never been the focus of a dedicated show, and González’s UK survey is a first—underscoring London’s role as a global hub for diverse, high-profile visual art programming.