LONDON.- London Gallery Weekend (LGW), now an established convening moment in the international art calendar, returns for its sixth edition. This city-wide celebration of London’s contemporary art sector sees galleries and art spaces open their doors to the public, showcasing the breadth and diversity of the city’s arts ecosystem. Across the distinct communities of galleries spanning central, south and east London, LGW spotlights London’s continually evolving art scene that remains Europe’s largest art market and a leading global art centre, home to internationally renowned artists, many of the world’s most widely visited institutions and esteemed art schools.

Jeremy Epstein & Sarah Rustin, Co-Directors of London Gallery Weekend: “London Gallery Weekend’s sixth edition is a convening moment that is both local and global in its scope and audience, reflecting the year-on-year revitalisation and evolution of the capital’s contemporary art scene. The range of ambitious exhibitions opening for LGW signals the increasing importance of this seasonal moment, equally demonstrated by the broad programming of free events that maximise public access and engagement.

A principal goal for LGW is galvanising new audiences to explore the evolving spectrum of participating spaces that make London's gallery landscape singular - an array of gallery models, generations and approaches to supporting and showcasing artistic practice. Central to this is cultivating a new generation of collectors and patrons. We are therefore particularly excited to announce the launch of the Arts Council Collection x LGW Acquisition Fund, supported exclusively by a group of collectors under 40, in addition to the continuation of our initiatives that facilitate collaboration between the gallery and institutional sectors.”

New and Expanded Gallery Spaces across the City

Since last year’s edition, the gallery sector demonstrates its commitment to London as an arts hub with the opening of a number of new spaces. These include Sadie Coles HQ, which recently opened a new space on Mayfair’s Savile Row; Maureen Paley, which has opened a fourth space on 4 Herald Street; Modern Art, which has opened a new gallery in St James’s; Lehmann Maupin, which recently introduced a 2026 programme at Frieze’s No.9 Cork Street; Annely Juda Fine Art, which has taken over a larger space in Hanover Square; and GRIMM, which has expanded to a new gallery space in St James’s.

Celebrating New Participating Galleries

Galleries joining LGW for the first time that have opened new spaces in recent years include Matt Carey-Williams on Porchester Place, NORITO and TINA both in Soho, DES BAINS who relocated to Fitzrovia, General Assembly in Mayfair, and Pale Horse who joins the programme as London Gallery Weekend’s newest gallery, having opened a space in Fitzrovia last year. New joiners also include Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery in Fitzrovia and piloto pardo in Farringdon.

Targeted Initiatives to Support the City’s Gallery Sector

Since its inception, London Gallery Weekend has welcomed more than 250,000 visitors across five editions. Over that time, it has also introduced a series of targeted initiatives designed to strengthen the city’s gallery sector.

● Debuting this year is the LGW x ACC Under 40 Acquisition Fund, a new initiative launched by the Arts Council Collection in partnership with LGW. Supported by a group of collectors aged under 40, the fund will acquire works by some of the most exciting contemporary artists working in the UK today. The inaugural acquisition will enter the Arts Council Collection and circulate nationally through loans and exhibitions, expanding public access to contemporary art while supporting artists at pivotal moments in their careers.

● In 2026, both the LGW x Art Fund Bursary for UK Curators and the LGW x Paul Mellon Centre Grant Scheme for International Curators return, bringing the number of curators welcomed to London Gallery Weekend through these partnerships to over 100 to date.

● LGW x Government Art Collection partnership returns for its third year, following the acquisition of two works from Maximillian William’s show by Ro Robertson in 2025. This partnership saw the curatorial team engage with 42 galleries presenting work by British artists during LGW 2025.

● The LGW x Henry Moore Foundation x Tia Collection Commissioning Fund also returns following its successful launch in 2025, when £20,000 was awarded to The Holburne Museum to realise a project with artist Francis Upritchard, following her presentation by Kate MacGarry.

Alona Pardo, Director, Arts Council Collection: “This new acquisition fund marks an exciting moment of collaboration, reflecting a shared commitment to supporting contemporary artists working in the UK today. The LGW x ACC Under 40 Fund continues our founding mission to nurture artistic practice across all mediums, while also bringing a new generation of collectors into the conversation. We are thrilled to launch this initiative with LGW and a dynamic group of supporters who are committed to making a meaningful contribution to the UK’s artistic ecology. We look forward to seeing the works acquired through this fund travel widely, reaching audiences across the country in the years ahead.”

Jenny Waldman, Director, Art Fund: “London Gallery Weekend offers a brilliant opportunity for museum curators to connect with galleries, their artists and programmes. Through our partnership, we’re delighted to support curators from across the UK with travel and accommodation bursaries, ensuring those based outside London can participate. The partnership helps strengthen relationships between public museums and the commercial gallery sector, creating new opportunities for collaboration. Supporting curators’ professional development has long been a key part of Art Fund’s work, helping ensure public collections continue to inspire and engage audiences now and in the future.”

Chris Stephens, Director, The Holburne Museum: “London Gallery Weekend provided our Museum with a raft of opportunities and initiatives. Through the LGW x Art Fund Bursary for UK Curators, our Exhibitions Manager was able to attend and gain an unparalleled overview of the capital’s gallery sector. These three days led to valuable conversations and a potential collaboration with one of the participating galleries, and we are delighted and grateful to be the first recipient of the LGW x Henry Moore Foundation x Tia Collection Commissioning Fund, enabling us to collaborate with Francis Upritchard on a site-specific installation for the Holburne in autumn 2027.”

Early Exhibition Highlights include Solo Shows by Leading Contemporary Visionaries and Art History’s Most Influential Figures:

● Sprüth Magers presenting a solo presentation by Anne Imhof, whose interdisciplinary practice spans performance, sculpture, painting, and film, often exploring presence, absence, and the rhythms of human interaction

● Emalin presenting a solo show by Alvaro Barrington whose paintings mobilise the material references of geography, pop-culture, socioeconomic conditions, and the formalist references of art history

● Alison Jacques showing a solo exhibition by Eileen Agar, a pioneer of surrealism both in Britain and internationally

● Thaddaeus Ropac presents a solo exhibition by Mandy El-Sayegh, including a new performance for London Gallery Weekend. The presentation marks her return to the programme following her performance for the inaugural edition in 2022.

● MASSIMODECARLO displaying a solo show by Paola Pivi, whose practice transforms familiar objects into unexpected encounters, dissolving the boundaries between the ordinary and the extraordinary

● Hannah Barry Gallery presenting the first part of a solo show of new works by George Rouy, the second part will take place at Hauser & Wirth New York in September

● Pilar Corrias presenting two concurrent solo exhibitions: a new body of work by Kurdish-Iraqi artist Hayv Kahraman at the gallery’s Conduit Street space, and a presentation of new paintings by American artist Kat Lyons at the Savile Row space

● Josh Lilley presenting a solo by Rachel Maclean whose recent work explores authenticity and imitation, critiquing the fantasies and fears we project onto technology

● Waddington Custot presenting a solo show of late paintings by Jean Dubuffet, pioneer of Art Brut

● Maximillian William presenting a solo show by Reginald Sylvester II featuring new work from his Warfare series, that traces the generative threshold between painting and sculpture, drawing on the artist’s reflections on spiritual warfare

● White Cube Mason’s Yard presenting a solo exhibition by Shao Fan, whose meticulous ink-on-rice-paper paintings are informed by traditional Chinese culture and elements of Western art history

● Hauser & Wirth showing historical master Francis Picabia alongside new works by American visual artist Roni Horn

Group and Thematic Shows Reflecting London’s Global Artistic Exchange:

● Ab-Anbar presenting an exhibition exploring interconnected modernisms forged through cultural exchanges between Italy and Iran prior to the 1979 revolution, featuring renowned Iranian and Italian artists in dialogue, such as Mohsen Vaziri-Moghaddam, Behjat Sadr, Bahman Mohassess, Carla Accardi, Afro, Mirko and Alberto Burri, in collaboration with Artvisor.

● Lisson Gallery presenting the artistic partnership of Lubaina Himid and Magda Stawarska with a new iteration of 'Zanzibar' (1999-2023)

● Vadehra Art Gallery at Frieze No. 9 Cork Street presenting a solo exhibition by Indian modernist A. Ramachandran, bringing together works spanning his career - illuminating the significance of Rajasthan in his life and artistic imagination through bronze sculptures, monumental paintings and intimate drawings.

VIP Programme and Citywide Audience Engagement

London Gallery Weekend’s VIP programme attracts leading collectors from around the world through a carefully curated series of tours and engagement events, offering in-depth insight into the breadth and diversity of the capital’s gallery landscape. The programme builds on the capital’s rich cultural offering, with major blockbuster institutional shows on view during the Weekend, such as Tracey Emin at Tate Modern, Henry Moore at Kew

Gardens, Whistler at Tate Britain, Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait at National Portrait Gallery, and Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at V&A, adding to the global draw of the city.

An expansive programme of live tours and public events runs alongside this international focus, welcoming audiences into galleries across the city and encouraging wider participation throughout the weekend. More than 1,200 people took part in these initiatives across 2024–2025.