Trying to squeeze in a few final gallery visits before the end of the month? London’s museums are currently home to several strong exhibitions that feel particularly worth catching in person.
Catherine Opie: To Be Seen
At the National Portrait Gallery, Catherine Opie: To Be Seen marks the first major UK museum survey dedicated to Catherine Opie. Spanning more than three decades, the exhibition traces Opie’s photographic engagement with community and visibility through portraits of LGBTQ+ sitters, self-portraits and images of domestic life. Early works from Being and Having (1991) sit alongside portraits of queer friends influenced by the formal compositions of Hans Holbein. The show beautifully captures the emotional and political dimensions of portraiture while celebrating chosen family. Catherine Opie: To Be Seen runs until the end of the month.
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Stubbs: Portrait of a Horse
Meanwhile, the National Gallery is presenting Stubbs: Portrait of a Horse, a free display dedicated to artist George Stubbs and his groundbreaking approach to equine painting. Centred around the rarely exhibited Scrub, a bay horse belonging to the Marquess of Rockingham (c.1762), the exhibition explores how Stubbs transformed depictions of horses through close anatomical observation and extensive dissection studies carried out in the 1750s. Drawings and studies reveal the artist’s striking use of scientific precision and psychological sensitivity. The exhibition is on view free of charge through 31 May 2026.
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Water, Pantanal, Fire
Also closing at the end of the month is Water, Pantanal, Fire at The Science Museum, a photographic exhibition spotlighting the environmental destruction of Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands. Showcasing more than 60 works by documentary photographers Lalo de Almeida and Luciano Candisani, the exhibition documents the impact of drought, wildfires and deforestation across one of the world’s largest tropical wetland ecosystems. The images trace the accelerating effects of climate collapse on both land and local communities with documentary-level precision. Water, Pantanal, Fire remains on view until 31 May 2026.
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