Here is a selection of ten excellent exhibitions to visit in a month that has two bank holidays to spend in the museums.
Set to Stun: Designing & Filming Sci-Fi in West London
Gunnersbury Park Museum, Ealing
Free
From laser beams to paranoid androids, exploring faraway planets to alien invasions – visitors will get to enjoy an engaging and interactive showcase of the sets, costumes, prosthetics, props, and artistic visualisations that went into British Sci-Fi classics, including Doctor Who, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Red Dwarf.
Legion life in the Roman army
British Museum, Bloomsbury
Prices are… complicated.
From family life on the fort to the brutality of the battlefield, experience Rome’s war machine through the people who knew it best – the soldiers who served in it.
Ranjit Singh: Sikh, Warrior, King
Wallace Collection, Marylebone
Adults: £14 | Students: £10 | Young person / Art Fund: £7 | Under 12s: Free
The Wallace Collection explore the remarkable life and legacy of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), the founder of the Sikh Empire (1799-1849).
Foe to Friend: The British Army in Germany since 1945
National Army Museum, Chelsea
Free
This exhibition follows the lives of soldiers in Germany over the past 75 years. It looks at the changing relationship between Britain and Germany and charts the gradual transition from foe to friend. Discover everyday tales of beer, bratwurst and family life set against intriguing accounts of espionage and military training on a massive scale.
From the Caribbean to Coventry – Plotting the Rise of Two Tone
Barbican Library, City of London
Free
This exhibition features a range of band memorabilia, items of clothing, literature, art, photographs, and contributions from the bands’ many fans, and explore how Caribbean immigration influenced UK youth culture in a positive way.
Making More Mischief: Folk Costume in Britain
UAL: London College of Fashion, Stratford
Free
Making More Mischief: Folk Costume in Britain is the sequel to Compton Verney’s 2023 exhibition, Making Mischief: Folk Costume in Britain, which was the first of its kind to explore the pivotal role of costume in folk customs thriving across Britain today and the rich tapestry of people bringing them to life.
Skateboard
Design Museum, Kensington
Adults: £18 | Children (6-15): £9 | Concessions/Students: £13.50
Around 90 rare and unique boards are on display, alongside over 100 other objects, including hardware such as wheels and tucks, safety equipment, VHS tapes, DVDs, magazines and ephemera. Together they will show skateboard’s technical developments and its evolving social acceptance.
Zimingzhong: Clockwork Treasures from China’s Forbidden City
Science Museum, South Kensington
Pay what you want from £1
In the 1700s, China’s Emperors collected ornate clockwork automata known as zimingzhong and cherished them for their intricate design and technical innovation. Now, our new exhibition Zimingzhong 凝时聚珍: Clockwork Treasures from China’s Forbidden City showcases a unique collection of 23 stunning pieces, on display in the UK together for the first time.
The Last Caravaggio
National Gallery, Trafalgar Square
Free
In this exhibition, 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.
Henry Willett’s Collection of Popular Pottery
V&A Museum, South Kensington
Free
From animal menageries to souvenirs of early balloon flight, the 19th-century philanthropist Henry Willett collected an eccentric array of pottery. Loaned from Brighton Museum, this display showcases more than 300 years of popular British history.
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