Welcome to the IanVisits alternative guide to London.
Lectures, talks, heritage events, organised walks and other random geeky miscellany.


Displayed in date order by how soon they close.

This exhibition highlights far-right nationalist rhetoric from the 1970 – 90s and the anti-fascist, anti-racist responses that followed. (Ends on Mon, 1st Jul)

Wiener Library
WC1B 5DP
2024-07-01
Crisis of Britishness? Immigration, Race and Nation in Modern Britain
An exhibition for the fans by the fans going some way to explain not just what 2Tone is but why and how we got there. (Ends on Mon, 1st Jul)

Barbican Library
EC2Y 8DS
2024-07-01
From the Caribbean to Coventry - Plotting the Rise of Two Tone
Coming to the market for the first time in more than 145 years, Titian’s early masterpiece "Rest on the Flight into Egypt" will be on display at Christie's auction house prior to being sold. (Ends on Tue, 2nd Jul)

Christie's
SW1Y 6QT
2024-07-01
Rare chance to see a Titan painting prior to sale
For this exhibition each artist has generated work on the theme of the sky and its symbolic significance within the Nordic and Estonian cultural context. (Ends on Sat, 6th Jul)

Pontone Gallery
W1T 3DB
2024-07-01
Lost Summer Skies | Kristi Kongi & Tõnis Saadoja
The exhibition explores tea’s complex history and myriad of meanings – from its popularisation and globalisation connected to stories of imperialism and colonial violence. (Ends on Sun, 7th Jul)

Horniman Museum
SE23 3PQ
2024-07-01
 茶, चाय, Tea (Chá, Chai, Tea)
Step inside a traditional tailor’s workshop in the East End and immerse yourself in the glitz and glamour of a Carnaby Street boutique at the height of the Swinging Sixties – when London was the world's fashion capital. (Ends on Sun, 7th Jul)

Museum of London Docklands
E14 4AL
2024-07-01
Fashion City: How Jewish Londoners shaped global style
Almost 60 of Sargent’s paintings will be on display, including major portraits that rarely travel (Ends on Sun, 7th Jul)

Tate Britain
SW1P 4RG
2024-07-01
Sargent and Fashion
This exhibition examines a collection of works on paper made by British colonialists in nineteenth-century India. (Ends on Fri, 12th Jul)

The Peltz Gallery
WC1H 0PD
2024-07-01
Mary Beale (1633-1699) was one of Britain’s first professional woman artists and is subject of this exhibition featuring 25 of her works from public and private collections, including some never seen before in public. (Ends on Fri, 19th Jul)

Philip Mould & Company
SW1Y 5LU
2024-07-01
Fruit of Friendship: Portraits by Mary Beale
Featuring works created between 1956 and 1981, this exhibition traces the evolution of Schneider’s formal vocabulary through the post-war years. (Ends on Sat, 20th Jul)

Cardi Gallery
W1S 4EX
2024-07-01
Gérard Schneider
The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula, 1610, lent by the Intesa Sanpaolo Collection, will be displayed alongside another late work by the Italian artist from the National Gallery Collection, Salome receives the Head of John the Baptist, about 1609–10. (Ends on Sun, 21st Jul)

National Gallery
WC2N 5DN
2024-07-01
The Last Caravaggio
This exhibition showcases four award-winning photographers and filmmakers undertaking ground-breaking work in their practices of eco-conscious photography and film. (Ends on Sun, 28th Jul)

Saatchi Gallery
SW3 4RY
2024-07-01
METAMORPHOSIS
This exhibition looks at the last 30 years of Michelangelo's remarkable life. (Ends on Sun, 28th Jul)

British Museum
WC1B 3DG
2024-07-01
Michelangelo: the last decades
From Hokusai to Pokémon, Studio Ghibli, robots and beyond, the exhibition takes young visitors on an atmospheric and playful journey revealing the influence of folklore on Japan’s art and design. (Ends on Sun, 11th Aug)

Young V&A
E2 9PA
2024-07-01
Japan: Myths to Manga
Carey's monumental installations, including works from the series 'Stand' and 'Found', have been reimagined to resonate with the architectural features of 100 Bishopsgate. (Ends on Tue, 20th Aug)

100 Bishopsgate
EC2M 1GT
2024-07-01
Jodie Carey: Beyond the Matrix
For centuries, Black communities have created music in the UK, melding global influences into a Black British sound that has echoed through generations. (Ends on Mon, 26th Aug)

British Library
NW1 2DB
2024-07-01
Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music
An exhibition of photos and artwork inspired by the brutalist appearance of the National Theatre. (Ends on Sat, 31st Aug)

The National Theatre
SE1 9PX
2024-07-01
Abstractions: Studies from the National Theatre
Degas’s 'Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando' takes centre stage in this exhibition that sheds light on this work with newly discovered information about the painting and its sitter. (Ends on Sun, 1st Sep)

National Gallery
WC2N 5DN
2024-07-01
Discover Degas & Miss La La
Somerset House presents the first exhibition on international fashion powerhouse Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY, which celebrates 10 years of club to catwalk in 2024.  (Ends on Sun, 1st Sep)

Somerset House
WC2R 1LA
2024-07-01
The Lore of LOVERBOY
Explore how music shapes our lives in this landmark interactive exhibition. (Ends on Sun, 1st Sep)

Science Museum
SW7 2DD
2024-07-01
Turn It Up: The power of music
Delve into the powerful, participatory work of artist and activist Yoko Ono (Ends on Sun, 1st Sep)

Tate Modern
SE1 9TG
2024-07-01
The first-ever, walk-through photography exhibition that tells the untold story of how Princess Diana changed the world – through the lens of her official photographer. (Ends on Mon, 2nd Sep)

Dockside Vaults
E1W 1AT
2024-07-01
Princess Diana: Accredited Access Photography Exhibition
Offering art lovers a fresh perspective on London, its architecture, and geography, Guildhall Art Gallery celebrates the work of artist and specialist wood engraver, Anne Desmet RA. (Ends on Sun, 8th Sep)

Guildhall Art Gallery and Roman Amphitheater
EC2V 5AE
2024-07-01
Anne Desmet: Kaleidoscope
Beyond Fashion showcases the work of acclaimed fashion photographers from around the world. (Ends on Sun, 8th Sep)

Saatchi Gallery
SW3 4RY
2024-07-01
Beyond Fashion
Japan’s leading creators share inspirational design that spans disciplines, regions and eras. (Ends on Sun, 8th Sep)

Japan House London
W8 5SA
2024-07-01
Design Discoveries: Towards a DESIGN MUSEUM JAPAN
£20  
This exhibition celebrates the life and work of one of the greatest Italian designers of the 20th century, Enzo Mari, whose designs have inspired generations of creatives around the world. (Ends on Sun, 8th Sep)

Design Museum
W8 6AG
2024-07-01
Enzo Mari
Tudor paintings by Hans Holbein the Younger and contemporary photography by Hiroshi Sugimoto meet in the National Portrait Gallery’s first exhibition of historic portraiture since reopening. (Ends on Sun, 8th Sep)

National Portrait Gallery
WC2H 0HE
2024-07-01
This exhibition explores networks of solidarity between groups campaigning on peace, nuclear weapons and national self-determination. (Ends on Sun, 15th Sep)

LSE Library
WC2A 2HD
2024-07-01
A Say in the End of the World: Solidarity and Nuclear Defence in the Cold War
The 14 works on display provide a snapshot of digital art practices from the 1960s to early 2000s. (Ends on Sun, 15th Sep)

Victoria and Albert Museum
SW7 2RL
2024-07-01
Patric Prince: Digital Art Visionary
See new creative works that unpack narratives of gender, race and imperialism at 66 Portland Place. (Ends on Sat, 21st Sep)

Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
W1B 1AD
2024-07-01
Raise the Roof
An exhibition about an architectural style developed in the 1940s and adopted after independence by India and Ghana as a symbol of modernity and progressiveness, distinct from colonial culture. (Ends on Sun, 22nd Sep)

Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum
SW7 2RL
2024-07-01
Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence
An exhibition of diaries collected by the artist Dylan Jonas Stone. (Ends on Sun, 29th Sep)

Maughan Library
WC2A 1LR
2024-07-01
Loaned from Brighton Museum, this display showcases more than 300 years of popular British history. (Ends on Sun, 29th Sep)

Victoria and Albert Museum
SW7 2RL
2024-07-01
Henry Willett's Collection of Popular Pottery
Take a deeper look into the human experience of conflict with Storyteller: Photography by Tim Hetherington at IWM London. (Ends on Sun, 29th Sep)

Imperial War Museum
SE1 6HZ
2024-07-01
Storyteller: Photography by Tim Hetherington
This exhibition charts the evolution of royal portrait photography from the 1920s to the present day, bringing together more than 150 photographic prints, proofs and documents from the Royal Collection and the Royal Archives.  (Ends on Sun, 6th Oct)

The King's Gallery, Buckingham Palace
SW1A 1AA
2024-07-01
Spanning 400 years, this exhibition follows women on their journeys to becoming professional artists.  (Ends on Sun, 13th Oct)

Tate Britain
SW1P 4RG
2024-07-01
Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain 1520 - 1920
Discover the story of the friendships that made modern art (Ends on Sun, 20th Oct)

Tate Modern
SE1 9TG
2024-07-01
 Expressionists Kandinsky, Münter and The Blue Rider
A display of rare, nationally significant outfits which shines a spotlight on the intimate story of a middle-class mother and her affluent daughter at a moment in history that shaped the way fashion is consumed today. (Ends on Sun, 20th Oct)

Leighton House Museum
W14 8LZ
2024-07-01
 Out Shopping: The Dresses of Marion and Maud Sambourne (1880-1910)
The Wallace Collection explore the remarkable life and legacy of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), the founder of the Sikh Empire (1799-1849).  (Ends on Sun, 20th Oct)

Wallace Collection
W1U 3BN
2024-07-01
Ranjit Singh: Sikh, Warrior, King
This exhibition shows the decade-to-decade evolution of today’s most iconic brands, including Cadbury’s Milk Tray, Bisto, HP Sauce, Ovaltine and many more. (Ends on Thu, 31st Oct)

Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising
W11 1QT
2024-07-01
Chronologies: A Visual History of Brand Evolution
This exhibition invites you to discover the key role chocolate played in the revival of Greenwich. (Ends on Sun, 3rd Nov)

Old Royal Naval College
SE10 9LW
2024-07-01
Chocolate House Greenwich
Women of the RNLI at the National Maritime Museum celebrates the work of women in the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. (Ends on Sun, 1st Dec)

National Maritime Museum
SE10 9NF
2024-07-01
Women of the RNLI
Unravel the epic story of birds, discover the secrets to their success and learn some of their surprising and often shocking tactics for survival. (Ends on Sun, 5th Jan 2025)

Natural History Museum
SW7 5BD
2024-07-01
Birds: Brilliant and Bizarre
Showcasing over 300 rare prints from 140 photographers, this exhibition is a major presentation of twentieth and twenty-first century photography on loan from the private collection of Sir Elton John and David Furnish. (Ends on Sun, 5th Jan 2025)

Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum
SW7 2RL
2024-07-01
Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection
Over 300 photographs will be brought together to present the breadth of Muholi’s career to date, from their very first body of work to their latest and on-going series. (Ends on Sun, 26th Jan 2025)

Tate Modern
SE1 9TG
2024-07-01
Zanele Muholi
Money and the way we use it has changed. This free exhibition responds directly to questions asked by the public about the future of money. (Ends on Fri, 29th Aug 2025)

Bank of England Museum
EC2R 8AH
2024-07-01
The Future of Money