Artlyst has produced a helpful Museum guide covering the closing times of the major London museums and galleries during the 2019 Christmas holiday period. The majority of commercial galleries will be closed for the whole holiday period so check first if you intend to visit. However, the museums and public galleries stay open with only Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day closures. Here’s a list with a helpful reminder of what exhibitions are showing. Always check with the venues first as times are subject to change.
Barbican Centre
Barbican Art Gallery
Into the Night: Cabarets & Clubs in Modern Art until 19 January 2020
The Curve
Trevor Paglen: From ‘Apple’ to ‘Anomaly’ until 16 February 2020
Closed: 24–26 Dec
27–28 Dec: 9am–11pm
29 Dec: 11am–11pm
30–31 Dec: 9am–11pm
1 Jan: 12pm–11pm
British Library
Exhibition: Buddhism until 23 February 2020
Closed: 24-27 December
Closed: 1 January 2020
British Museum
Troy: myth and reality until 8 March 2020
Inspired by the east: how the Islamic world influenced western art until 26 January 2020
Closed: 24-26 December
Closed: 1 January 2020
https://www.britishmuseum.org/
Camden Arts Centre
Christodoulos Panayiotou: Act II: The Island until 5 January 2020
Closed: Monday 23 to Friday 27 December
Closed: Monday 30 December to Wednesday 1 January
https://www.camdenartscentre.org
Design Museum
Closed: 24-26 December
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Rembrandt’s Light Until 2 February 2020
23-26 December Closed
1 January 2020 Closed
https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk
Fashion and Textile Museum
Zandra Rhodes: 50 Years of Fabulous until 26 January 2020
Closed: 23 – 26 December inclusive
Open: 27 – 29 December inclusive
Closed: 30 December
Open: 31 December, 11am–4pm
Closed: 1 January 2020
Open: 2 January 2020, 11am–6pm
Freud Museum
The Uncanny: A Centenary until 9 February 2020
Closed: 24-27 December
Closed: 31 December
Closed: 1 January 2020
Guildhall Art Gallery
Closed: 25-26 December
Closed: 1 Januar
Hayward Gallery
Bridget Riley until 26 January 2020
Closed: Tue 24, Wed 25 & Thu 26 Dec
Fri 27 – Mon 30 Dec: 11am – 7pm
Closed: Tue 31 Dec
Wed 1 Jan: 11am – 7pm
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/venues/hayward-gallery
Jewish Museum
Charlotte Salomon: Life? or Theatre? Until 1 March 2020
Jew. Photographs by John Offenbach until 19 April 2020
Closed: 25-26 December 2019
Closed: 1 January 2020
Imperial War Museum
Culture Under Attack until 5 January 2020
Closed 24, 25 & 26 December
National Gallery
Gauguin Portraits until 26 January 2020
Leonardo: Experience a Masterpiece until 26 January 2020
Young Bomberg and the Old Masters until 1 March 2020
Closed 24–26 December
Closed 1 January 2020
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/
National Portrait Gallery
Pre-Raphaelite Sisters until 5 January 2020
Elizabeth Payton: Aire and Angels Until 5 January 2020
Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2019 until 16 February 2020
Closed: 24-26 December
Royal Academy of Arts
Lucian Freud: The Self-portraits until 26 January 2020
Eco-Visionaries: Confronting a planet in a state of emergency until 23 February 2020
Closed: 24-26 December
https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/
Saatchi Gallery
Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh until 3 May 2020
Closed: 25 December
https://www.saatchigallery.com
Serpentine Gallery
Albert Oehlen until 2 February 2020
Serpentine Sackler Gallery
Patrick Staff: on Venus until 9 February 2020
see website for details
https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/
Sir John Soane’s Museum
Hogarth: Place and Progress until 5 January 2020
Closed 23–26 and 30–31 December
Closed 6–14 January
Somerset House
24/7 until 23 February 2020
Mary Sibande: I Came Apart at the Seams until 5 January 2020
Gallery 31: Bonds until 12 January 2020
Museum of Architecture’s gingerbread city until 5 January 2020
Closed 25 December
https://www.somersethouse.org.uk
South London Gallery
Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2019 until 23 February 2020
see website for details
https://www.southlondongallery.org/your-visit/
Tate Britain
William Blake until 2 February 2020
Mark Leckey until 5 January 2020
Steve McQueen Year 3 until 3 May 2020
Closed 24-26 December
https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain
Tate Modern
Olafur Eliasson: In real life until 5 January 2020
Nam June Paik until 9 February 2020
Dora Maar until 15 March 2020
Kara Walker Hyundai Commission until 5 April 2020
Closed 24-26 December
https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern
V&A
Cars: Accelerating the Modern World until 19 April 2020
Tim Walker: Wonderful Things until 8 March 2020
Mary Quant until 16 February 2020
Closed 24, 25 & 26 December
Wallace Collection
24-26 December Closed
https://www.wallacecollection.org/
Wellcome Collection
Misbehaving Bodies: Jo Spence and Oreet Ashery until 26 January 2020
Closed: 23-26 December
Closed: 1 January
https://wellcomecollection.org
Whitechapel Gallery
Anna Maria Maiolino: Making Love Revolutionary until 12 January 2020
Closed 24-26 December
https://www.whitechapelgallery.org
Christmas comes but once a year and what better way to polish off a week of festive fun than an outing to a London museum or gallery. Artlyst is known for its curated guides and gallery listings. Follow us on Instagram; Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with our recommendations. Now in our tenth year, we aim is to create an international network of artists, writers, and art enthusiasts. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter here. (Scroll to the bottom of the page and submit email)