From Victorian fairy tales to century-spanning American cityscapes, there’s a delightful mix of art exhibitions at your fingertips in London this month. Here are four standouts opening in the later half of July that are worth a visit:
Ana Mendieta at Tate Modern (15 July – 17 January 2027)
The Tate Modern show presents the pioneering work of the Cuban-American artist Ana Mendieta alongside remastered films and late sculptural pieces previously unfamiliar to the UK audience. Intriguingly, the exhibition will continue outside of the gallery walls in reflection of the artist’s engagement with the natural world. The show marks the first in-depth UK show of Mendieta’s art in over ten years.
Richard Dadd: Beyond Bedlam at Royal Academy of Arts London (25 July – 25 October 2026)
The Royal Academy of Arts presents original works of Richard Dadd, the Victorian artist celebrated for his fairy paintings that blend legend and memory in their unique worlds. Dadd trained at the Royal Academy and was a promising talent when a trip across the Eastern Mediterranean changed the course of his life; soon after returning, he began experiencing delusions and killed his father. He spent the rest of his life in Bethlem and Broadmoor psychiatric hospitals, where he continued to paint striking, richly detailed works. Dadd’s art continued to inspire artists in wide-reaching ways: Queen even named a song after one of his paintings, The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke. This exhibition brings together over 100 of his works.
Portrait of a City: A Century of American Photography at Dulwich Picture Gallery (28 July – 4 October 2026)
Dulwich Picture Gallery presents Portrait of a City: A Century of American Photography, tracing one hundred years of American urban life through the people who built and shaped it. Featuring 34 influential photographers – including Alfred Stieglitz, Dorothea Lange, Diane Arbus and Walker Evans – the exhibition spans New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco, capturing mass immigration, counterculture and protest. Tickets are £16.
Clare Woods: Garden Without Season at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery (29 July – 8 November 2026)
Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery hosts Clare Woods’ latest body of work, spanning paintings, prints, and collage. The show centres on flowers and everyday objects — subjects Woods turned to during lockdown, when ordinary things took on new meanings. Her paint sits thick and wet on the surface, placing her still lifes in the blur between recognisable and abstract.
