Looking for the perfect museum date this Valentine’s Day, or just seeking to shake off the winter blues with some art? Our Culture recommends four London exhibitions to check out this February:
Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting at The National Potrait Gallery (12 Feb – 4 May)
This landmark exhibition reveals how drawing stayed central to the figurative painter’s practice throughout his entire career. Come see rarely-exhibited drawings and preparatory studies displayed alongside Freud’s iconic paintings. Perfect for anyone curious about what happens behind the finished masterpiece.
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Chiharu Shiota: Threads of Life at the Southbank Centre (17 Feb – 3 May)
Step into Chiharu Shiota’s mesmerising web-like installations exploring memory, consciousness and the fragility of life. The artist is best known for her large-scale works where everyday objects like shoes, beds, chairs and dresses become entangled in massive structures of woollen thread. This exhibition features new versions of Shiota’s monumental installations, including During Sleep (2026), which is activated with performances throughout the exhibition’s run.
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Beatriz González at the Barbican (25 Feb – 10 May)
The first UK retrospective of groundbreaking Colombian artist Beatriz González brings together over 150 works spanning from the 1960s to today. Working across monumental paintings, repurposed furniture, wallpaper and installations, González transforms found images into bold, graphic works that question taste and critique power. Her vivid palette and distinctive style tackle everything from violence and displacement to community.
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Tracey Emin: A Second Life at the Tate Modern (27 Feb – 31 Aug)
This landmark exhibition spans four decades of Tracey Emin’s deeply personal work, from her controversial Turner Prize-nominated My Bed to pieces never shown publicly before. Moving through painting, neon, textiles, video and installation, Emin’s practice turns autobiography into art, exploring passion and healing through an unflinching lens.
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