This week’s London art calendar opens three different doors: one already open and waiting until the end of August (and free), one passing to the public this Saturday, and one opening this Monday. All three in one guide.
1. David Hockney — Serpentine North (Open Now)
12 March – 23 August 2026 | Free
Hockney’s “A Year in Normandie” frieze is on view in London for the first time: a monumental frieze of more than a hundred iPad paintings following the seasons, made 2020-21. Accompanied by five new still lifes and five new portraits. Serpentine North is inside Kensington Gardens, close to Hyde Park, free, walkable, open from early morning to evening.
- Serpentine North, Kensington Gardens, W2 3XA | Free | serpentinegalleries.org
2. Richard Dadd: “Beyond Bedlam” — Royal Academy (Opens This Saturday)
25 July – 25 October 2026 | £15
The first major Dadd retrospective in over fifty years. 100+ works running from his career beginnings in the 1840s through the production of his Bethlem and Broadmoor decades. “The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke” (V&A collection), fairy scenes, mythological works. RA Friends preview tomorrow (Wednesday 23 July) and Thursday (24 July). First public day: Saturday 25 July.
- Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1J 0BD | £15 | royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/richard-dadd
3. “Portrait of a City” — Dulwich Picture Gallery (Opens This Monday)
28 July – 4 October 2026 | £16 / 10% off online / members free
34 American photographers, more than 100 works, 1907 to 2012: Dorothea Lange, Diane Arbus, Walker Evans, Richard Avedon, Berenice Abbott, Garry Winogrand and more. “A Century of American Photography” — the evolution of urban visual storytelling. Dulwich, in south London, offers a viewing experience away from the crowds of the major museums.
- Gallery Road, London SE21 7AD | £16 | dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk
Other Major Continuing Exhibitions
- Hurvin Anderson — Tate Britain (until 23 August, £18 / members free)
- RA Summer Exhibition — Royal Academy Main Galleries (until 23 August, £23.50-25.50 / members free)
- Ana Mendieta — Tate Modern (until 17 January 2027, £18 / members free)
- Anish Kapoor — Hayward Gallery (until 18 October, £22 / members free)
FAQ: This Week in London
- If I want something free before Saturday?
Hockney at the Serpentine. Inside Hyde Park, can be visited today or tomorrow, free. The “A Year in Normandie” frieze is worth the trip on its own.
- What can I do on Friday evening?
Tate Modern or Tate Britain both open until 21:00 on Fridays. Ana Mendieta or Hurvin Anderson, both £18, members free.
- Do I need to book tickets for Saturday?
For Richard Dadd, yes — advance booking recommended. For the RA Summer Exhibition, booking ahead is possible but not required. Dulwich from Monday — book online for 10% off.
NO-26 Note
This week London offers three different scales: Hockney’s free and expansive experience in Hyde Park; the dense, historically weighted Dadd retrospective at Burlington House; Dulwich’s careful, curious American photography panorama in south London. Completing all three in one week is possible and with Hurvin Anderson and Hockney closing before August, this week is a good entry point.
