If Christmas cheer is getting too much for you, a lovely peaceful art gallery is a wonderful place to escape the chaos! 2024 has been an incredible year for UK art exhibitions, and the year is ending strong.
While our selection of the best UK art exhibitions in December are all located in London, we couldn’t ignore the incredible opportunities presented to view the work of some of the finest artists of all time, including Leonardo da Vinci, Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso.
Without further ado, here are our top choices for an arty outing this December…
Monet & London: Views of the Thames - Courtauld Gallery, London
On now until 19th January 2025
Monet’s Waterloo Bridge, Effect of Sunlight in the Fog, 1903. Photograph: The Courtauld Gallery, London
Time is running out to catch one of the best art shows in London right now - Monet & London: Views of the Thames. This incredible exhibition of 21 paintings by the French Impressionist is currently on display at London’s Courtauld Gallery.
Monet’s atmospheric landscape paintings of the River Thames were captured during three visits to London between 1899 and 1901. This show marks the fulfilment of Monet’s wish to exhibit these works in our capital (which never happened in his lifetime), and the first time these paintings have been brought together in 120 years.
The evocative exhibition captures Monet’s fascination with London’s atmospheric effects, particularly the interplay of light and fog over the Thames in such iconic locations as the Houses of Parliament and Charing Cross Bridge.
Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael – Royal Academy of Arts
On now until 16th February 2025
Leonardo da Vinci - The Virgin and Child with St Anne and the Infant St John the Baptist ('The Burlington House Cartoon') (detail), c.1506-08
Until February, the Royal Academy of Arts is bringing together the work of three of art history’s most influential figures in their exhibition, Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael.
The landmark exhibition explores the period at the turn of the 16th century, when these three titans of the Italian Renaissance briefly crossed paths, competing for the favour of the most powerful people in Florence.
Via key works, including Michelangelo’s Taddei Tondo and Leonardo’s Burlington House Cartoon, the show dives into Michelangelo and Leonardo’s fierce rivalry, and the influence the duo both had on a younger Raphael.
Lauren Halsey: Emajendat – Serpentine Gallery
On now until 2nd March 2025
Lauren Halsey, emajendat, 2024. Installation view, Serpentine South. © Lauren Halsey. Photo: © Hugo Glendinning. Courtesy Serpentine.
Now for something a little more modern! Lauren Halsey: Emajendat is a feast of an exhibition showcasing the American artist’s distinct visual language, which is deeply rooted in South Central Los Angeles where her family has lived for generations.
For her first solo show in the UK, Halsey has transformed the Serpentine South Gallery into an immersive ‘Funk Garden’, bringing together the past, present and future in artworks that explore architecture, Black and queer icons and the African diaspora. Highlights of the show include ‘funkmounds’, a live water fountain, sand dunes, and scaled-up figurines.
Picasso: Printmaker – British Museum
On now until 30th March 2025
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), The Pike II, 1959. © Succession Picasso/ DACS, London, 2024
Over the course of his career, Pablo Picasso produced over 2,400 prints, many of which are in the collection of the British Museum. Now, in Picasso: Printmaker, the museum takes us on a print journey dating from the early 1900s, during the artist’s early days in Paris, through to 1968, when Picasso created his 347 Suite in a burst of creativity at the ripe old age of 86.
Given it covers Picasso’s entire career, the show offers unique insight into the artist’s personal life, from his partnerships with printers and publishers, to his toxic relationships with women.
The show also offers a comprehensive look at the themes that captivated him over the years, from his love of circus and bullfight, to his interactions on paper with artists from the past.
Electric Dreams: Art and Technology before the Internet – Tate Modern
On now until 1st June 2025
Suzanne Treister – Fictional Video Game Stills/ Are You Dreaming? 1991-2. © Suzanne Treister
Long before the days of fancy computers and AI generated ‘art’, there were a school of pioneering artist already using machines and algorithms to create mesmerising art.
Electric Dreams: Art and Technology Before the Internet celebrates these early innovators of digital art, showcasing works created between the 1950s and early 1990s.
One of Tate Modern’s most ambitious exhibitions to date, Electric Dreams offers visitors a rare chance to experience incredible works of vintage tech art in action, and to look back at how artists once imagined the visual language of the future.
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