Our top picks of exhibitions together with cultural spaces and places, both online and in the real world.

All, Art, Auctions, Exhibitions, Travel & Hospitality, Initiatives

Viewing V&A East Storehouse

The Wick Culture - The Weston Collections Hall at V&A East
Storehouse, including glass floor with
views down into the busy working store. Image by Hufton + Crow for V&A

Above The Weston Collections Hall at V&A East Storehouse, including glass floor with views down into the busy working store. Image by Hufton + Crow for V&A

The Wick Culture - The Weston Collections Hall at V&A East
Storehouse, including over 100 mini
curated displays ‘hacked’ into the ends
and sides of the storage racking. Image by Hufton + Crow for V&A

Above The Weston Collections Hall at V&A East Storehouse, including over 100 mini curated displays ‘hacked’ into the ends and sides of the storage racking. Image by Hufton + Crow for V&A

The Wick Culture - The Weston Collections Hall at V&A East Storehouse, Image by Hufton + Crow for V&A

Above The Weston Collections Hall at V&A East Storehouse, Image by Hufton + Crow for V&A

The Wick Culture - View of a section of Robin Hood Gardens,
a former residential estate in Poplar, east
London, at V&A East Storehouse. Image
by David Parry, PA Media Assignments

Above View of a section of Robin Hood Gardens, a former residential estate in Poplar, east London, at V&A East Storehouse. Image by David Parry, PA Media Assignments

The Wick Culture - The David and Molly Lowell Borthwick
Gallery, displaying the largest Picasso
work in the world, the 1924 front stage
cloth for the Ballets Russes’ production,
Le Train Bleu. Image by Hufton + Crow for
V&A

Above The David and Molly Lowell Borthwick Gallery, displaying the largest Picasso work in the world, the 1924 front stage cloth for the Ballets Russes’ production, Le Train Bleu. Image by Hufton + Crow for V&A

Above The Weston Collections Hall at V&A East Storehouse, including glass floor with views down into the busy working store. Image by Hufton + Crow for V&A

Above The Weston Collections Hall at V&A East Storehouse, including over 100 mini curated displays ‘hacked’ into the ends and sides of the storage racking. Image by Hufton + Crow for V&A

Above The Weston Collections Hall at V&A East Storehouse, Image by Hufton + Crow for V&A

Above View of a section of Robin Hood Gardens, a former residential estate in Poplar, east London, at V&A East Storehouse. Image by David Parry, PA Media Assignments

V&A East Storehouse

Parkes Street
From 31 May

The long-anticipated V&A East unveils the first of its brand new, purpose-built spaces in Stratford this week: V&A East Storehouse. From 31 May, visitors are welcomed into this world first (in both size and scale) with free access to over a half a million works from every creative discipline.

You’ll need a day to explore this one – V&A East Storehouse is bigger than thirty basketball courts and spans four storeys. Taking over the former Olympic media centre, the spaces, designed by Diller Scofidio+Renfro (with support from UK-based architects Austin-Smith:Lord) promise a unique, and totally different kind of museum experience, with unprecedented access to the V&A collection.

The size of the space is important as it allows visitors the chance to see huge objects and artefacts from the collection, but it’s also a chance to get up close to the tiny pieces too – imagine things as small as pins used to secure a 17th century ruff to a two-storey section of a maisonette flat from the Robin Hood Gardens housing estate, demolished in 2017. There is literally something for everyone here and we can’t wait to spend time in this spectacular and important addition to the UK’s cultural scene.

Viewing Holly Stevenson: Tracing The Irretraceable at Freud Museum

The Wick Culture - Holly Stevenson, Eye Dream Home

Above Holly Stevenson, Eye Dream Home

The Wick Culture - Holly Stevenson, Family Matters

Above Holly Stevenson, Family Matters

The Wick Culture - Holly Stevenson, Labyrinth

Above Holly Stevenson, Labyrinth

The Wick Culture - Holly Stevenson, Příbor Steps

Above Holly Stevenson, Příbor Steps

The Wick Culture - Jane McAdam Freud, White Noise

Above Jane McAdam Freud, White Noise

The Wick Culture - Holly Stevenson, Sibling Displacement

Above Holly Stevenson, Sibling Displacement

Above Holly Stevenson, Eye Dream Home

Above Holly Stevenson, Family Matters

Above Holly Stevenson, Labyrinth

Above Holly Stevenson, Příbor Steps

Above Jane McAdam Freud, White Noise

Above Holly Stevenson, Sibling Displacement

Holly Stevenson: Tracing The Irretraceable

Freud Museum
14 May 2025 – 29 June 2025

The Freud Museum’s latest thought-provoking and intimate exhibition comes via two sculptors:
Holly Stevenson, the first Freud Artist in Residence, a new programme established by the Jane McAdam Freud Estate, and the late Jane McAdam Freud, the British sculptor, daughter of Lucien Freud and great-granddaughter of Sigmund Freud.

During the 18-month residency, Stevenson has spent time in Příbor, Czechia, the birth place of Sigmund and the resting home of Jane McAdam Freud, who ran a gallery there. The resulting exhibition explores facets of the work of McAdam Freud, who died in 2022. Stevenson has created humorous and playful glazed stoneware ceramic sculptures that respond to and converse with McAdam Freud’s.

Stevenson said: “Through this exploration of Jane’s art making, I will observe how the language of psychoanalysis is not simply a form of interpretation but that art making, what’s going on inside, is a form of psychoanalysis: I will match my works with one of Jane’s as if in-conversation.”

Viewing Ancient India: living traditions at the British Museum

The Wick Culture - Ardhanarishvara, lord who is half woman, Shiva and Parvati combined in one deity © The Trustees of the British Museum

Above Ardhanarishvara, lord who is half woman, Shiva and Parvati combined in one deity © The Trustees of the British Museum

The Wick Culture - Ganesha made in Java from volcanic stone, about AD 1000–1200 © The Trustees of the British Museum

Above Ganesha made in Java from volcanic stone, about AD 1000–1200 © The Trustees of the British Museum

The Wick Culture - Gaja-Lakshmi ('Elephant Lakshmi') goddess of good fortune, about 1780 © The Trustees of the British Museum

Above Gaja-Lakshmi (‘Elephant Lakshmi’) goddess of good fortune, about 1780 © The Trustees of the British Museum

The Wick Culture - Seated Jain enlightened teacher meditating, about 1150-1200 © The Trustees of the British Museum

Above Seated Jain enlightened teacher meditating, about 1150-1200 © The Trustees of the British Museum

The Wick Culture - Sandstone figure of Ganesha, Uttar Pradesh, India, about 750 © The Trustees of the British Museum

Above Sandstone figure of Ganesha, Uttar Pradesh, India, about 750 © The Trustees of the British Museum

Above Ardhanarishvara, lord who is half woman, Shiva and Parvati combined in one deity © The Trustees of the British Museum

Ancient India: living traditions

British Museum
Now – 19 October 2025

The British Museum’s newly unveiled exhibition, Ancient India: living traditions, offers a riveting journey through the spiritual and artistic evolution of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism – major world religions, all with roots in India. The exhibition delves into the origins of these religions, beginning with nature spirits revered in ancient India, and explores how their worship evolved into the iconic imagery of gods and enlightened teachers.

Running until October 19, 2025, this immersive display brings together over 180 objects – including 2,000-year-old sculptures, vibrant paintings, and sacred manuscripts – to trace the transformation from symbolic representations to the human forms of deities we recognise today. Highlights include a striking statue of Ganesha, bearing traces of pink pigment that signify continuous worship over a millennium. The exhibition also examines the shared artistic heritage of these faiths, produced in cosmopolitan hubs like Mathura, and their spread across Asia and the Mediterranean.

Curated with input from practicing Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains, the exhibition emphasises the enduring relevance of these traditions. It’s a reminder of how ancient ideas and practices continue to thrive in contemporary communities, offering a profound connection between past and present.