With the opening of Frieze 2024, London is once again set to become the center of the contemporary art world. But it’s not just the fair setting the pace: the city’s museums and galleries are unveiling the most anticipated exhibitions of the season, which will run through the end of autumn. It’s the perfect time to dive into art and discover fresh trends, from established masters to rising stars.
And after all, in a city known for its rain, there’s no better refuge than a museum or gallery.

“Hockney and Piero: A Longer Look”, National Gallery, Room 46, until October 27, 2024
David Hockney is not only a great artist but also a keen observer. This is clearly demonstrated in two of his most personal works: a portrait of his parents and one of his friend and curator Henry Geldzahler. The link between them in the exhibition is Piero della Francesca's Baptism of Christ. An unprecedented dialogue between past and present, this exhibition highlights how just a few—albeit incredible—masterpieces can create a powerful experience with faces.
Left: Looking at Pictures on a Screen, David Hockney (1977). Centre: The Baptism of Christ, Piero della Francesca (c. 1437–45). Right: My Parents, David Hockney (1977)

“Francis Bacon: Human Presence,” National Portrait Gallery, from October 10, 2024 to January 29, 2025
What does it mean to make a portrait? This exhibition attempts to answer the question with over 55 works by Francis Bacon, created from the 1950s onward. The paintings explore the boundaries between representation and psychological inquiry, revealing palpable emotional tension. The best way to understand the work of the master who translated the complexities of the human soul into imagery.

Tracey Emin "I followed you to the end", White Cube Bermondsey, until November 10, 2024
Tracey Emin has returned with works that address deep, intimate, and universal themes, born from her recent transformative experience. Her new body of paintings tells a story of love, conflict, loss, acceptance, and rebirth, with a renewed intensity that hits you in the gut. A visceral immersion into human fragility, once again proving Emin’s extraordinary ability to turn the personal into the universal.
© Tracey Emin. All rights reserved, DACS 2024. Photo © White Cube

George Rouy, “The Bleed, Part I,” Hauser & Wirth, until December 21, 2024
George Rouy's work—his first solo show with Hauser & Wirth—explores the human figure with a raw, physical style. His subjects, trapped in dense compositions, seem to struggle to free themselves from a tangle of limbs and flesh, creating an emotional representation that well encapsulates the conflict between desire, alienation, and personal identity crisis.
© George Rouy. Courtesy the artist, HannahBarry Gallery and Hauser & Wirth. Photo Damian Griffiths

Jem Perucchini, "Strange Fruit," Corvi-Mora, until November 16, 2024
If you've passed through Brixton’s underground station, you couldn't have missed the monumental mural representing one of his works. This autumn, Jem Perucchini returns to London with a solo show offering an opportunity to delve deeper into his research: graceful characters of African descent, with clear references to the styles and compositions of Italian Renaissance art, pose illuminated by a warm, enveloping light that emerges from behind them. His works, filled with peace and sanctity, invite the viewer to pause and engage in slow, reflective observation.

Anna Weyant, "Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolves?", Gagosian, Davies Street, until December 20, 2024
Anna Weyant builds suspended worlds, inhabited by fragile female figures, almost as if they were made of porcelain, living in surreal scenes. Her paintings, characterized by dreamlike and unsettling atmospheres, suggest that something dramatic is about to unfold. "Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf?" asks the artist, preparing us for a journey into the female subconscious, where silence is laden with tension.
Courtesy the artist and Gagosian London. Photo Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Jonas Wood, Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill, until November 23, 2024
Jonas Wood returns with his iconic compositions of landscapes and interiors. Through a collage and photographic manipulation process, Wood transforms everyday subjects into vibrant works, rich in color where the repetition of schematic forms becomes patterns.
Courtesy the artist and Gagosian London. Photo Maris Hutchinson

"Mire Lee: Open Wound," Hyundai Commission, Tate Modern Turbine Hall, until March 16, 2025
This year’s Hyundai Commission for the Turbine Hall is entrusted to Mire Lee, a young Korean artist who transforms the space with suspended sculptures and mechanical installations. Her work evokes the idea of a living factory, an organic machine in constant flux, turning the space into a place of tension and movement while paying homage to Tate Modern’s industrial history.
Photo: © Tate (Oliver Cowling with Lucy Green)

“Turner Prize 2024,” Tate Britain, until February 16, 2025
While waiting for the announcement of the winner on December 3, the exhibition dedicated to the four artists competing for the Turner Prize 2024 is open to the public. Featuring Pio Abad, Claudette Johnson, Jasleen Kaur, and Delaine Le Bas, this is a must-see opportunity to discover some of the most interesting emerging talents and make predictions about the next winner.
Installation view of Delaine Le Bas, "Incipit Vita Nova. Here Begins The New Life/A New Life Is Beginning" at Secession, Vienna 2023. Courtesy of Secession, Vienna. Photo © IrisRanzinger

"The World of Tim Burton," Design Museum, from October 25, 2024, to April 21, 2025
Tim Burton arrives in London with an exhibition exploring his imaginative universe. Drawings, paintings, photographs, and costumes from the artist's personal archive allow visitors to explore the creative process behind some of his most iconic characters and worlds. A must-see for fans of this visionary filmmaker.
Untitled (Dogs in space), 1998. © Tim Burton