London Art Guide – quick links
Marie-Antoinette: An Eye for Beauty
See a collection of exquisite objects connected with Marie-Antoinette (1755–1793), the ill-starred queen of France. More than 230 years after her execution during the French Revolution, Marie-Antoinette remains an intriguing and beguiling figure. Renowned for her style, she possessed a discerning eye and used her vast wealth and influence to commission interiors and artworks of unparalleled refinement. These furnishings and artworks reveal Marie-Antoinette as much more than the doomed figure of myth and stereotype. The new Marie-Antoinette Trail at the Wallace Collection is accompanied by a series of free lunch-time talks. This museum is a real gem, tucked away just off Oxford Street; it’s also free, which is wonderful in the heart of London. And if you haven’t already seen it, be sure to catch the V&A’s sumptuous Marie Antoinette Style exhibition on until 22 March.
Marie-Antoinette: An Eye for Beauty is at The Wallace Collection, Manchester Square, London, 2 February – 31 March 2026.
All the fun of the fair with ENO’s Così fan tutte
Written at the height of Mozart’s musical prowess and premiering just a year before his death, Così fan tutte is a delight. It’s a wonderful tale of love, lust, and loyalty all tied up with the usual operatic confusions. The English National Orchestra’s witty and whimsical production returns to the London Coliseum this month with an exciting new cast. Relocated to Coney Island in the 1950s, colourful fairground rides frame the opera’s rollercoaster of romantic twists and turns, along with 12 performers showcasing sword-swallowing, acrobatics, contortion and fire-eating. Starring the renowned soprano Lucy Crowe OBE and American mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven, here in her ENO debut performance, this is one to book now. And out of town, there will be a semi-staged Così fan tutte concert with the same London cast at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester for two performances only.
Così fan tutte at the London Coliseum, 6-21 February for seven performances only; Così fan tutte in concert at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on 27 & 28 February.
Ryoji Ikeda Weekend at the Barbican
Discover the stellar acoustic compositions of Ryoji Ikeda, Japan’s leading electronic composer and visual artist, in this special weekend celebration at the Barbican Centre. An internationally acclaimed artist, Ikeda focuses on the essential characteristics of sound and light, valuing mathematical precision and aesthetics across both visual and sonic media. He elaborately orchestrates sound, visuals, materials, physical phenomena and mathematical notions into immersive live performances and installations. These performances feature a range of accompanying musicians including Alexandre Babel, Stéphane Garin, Julien Garin, Amélie Grould, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Ensemble Modern, and Solem Quartet.
Ryoji Ikeda appears in four different performances on 20 & 21 February at the Barbican Centre.
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The Gambler at The Coronet
Kyoto’s Chiten Theatre returns to London this month with a dazzling new interpretation of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s classic novel, The Gambler. This biting satire of chance, class, ambition, and desire is reimagined here through Chiten’s distinctive theatrical language and underscored by the pulsing soundscapes of experimental rock trio kukangendai. Dostoevsky wrote The Gambler in 1866 under a strict deadline to pay off his roulette debts, wagering that he would complete the novel within 30 days. Led by director Motoi Miura, Chiten Theatre uses a unique linguistic style where the cadence and rhythm of language are delayed to expose the raw sound of the words liberated from their meanings. The production is performed in Japanese with English surtitles.
The Gambler, Chiten Theatre, 5 – 15 February at The Coronet Theatre, Notting Hill Gate.
Blitz at The Design Museum
Step into the electric energy of the 1980s and revisit the scene that defined a generation, with this unique exhibition at the Design Museum devoted to iconic London club, Blitz. This exhibition shows how a club in the heart of Covent Garden ignited a creative movement that reshaped popular culture and had a continuing influence for years to come. Inspired by everything from David Bowie and the popular punk and soul scenes to continental cinema and cabaret culture, the brightest young talents of the generation came together to revolutionise fashion, music and design. In its heyday, Blitz was a launch-pad for global fame. Forty years after its closure, you can now revisit the club’s history and atmosphere with an extravaganza of music, flamboyant fashions and pioneering art, film, and graphic design.
Blitz is at The Design Museum, Kensington High Street, to 29 March.
Alessandro Mendini at Estorick
The Estorick Collection opens its 2026 season with the UK’s first solo exhibition of Alessandro Mendini (1931–2019), one of Italy’s most creative and influential post-war designers and architects. Bringing together around 50 key works, from furniture and drawings to paintings, rugs and design objects, the show celebrates Mendini’s playful and poetic approach to design across his extraordinary career. It also highlights his iconic collaborations with brands such as Alessi and Swatch. Inspired by the Italian Futurist movement of the early 20th century, Mendini shared its utopian ambition to ‘reconstruct the universe’ by fusing art and everyday life. Estorick is a beautiful gallery based in a stunningly converted Grade II listed Georgian town house, complete with courtyard café and pretty garden. It brings together some of the finest and most important works by Italian artists from the first half of the twentieth century, and is Britain’s only museum devoted to modern Italian art.
Alessandro Mendini is at the Estorick Collection, 39a Canonbury Square, London, to 10 May 2026
Classical Mixtape at Southbank
Experience 500 years of classical music in one big night with this immersive ‘walk-through’ performance at Southbank, featuring 200 musicians from their six resident orchestras. A classical mixtape brought to life, this multi-venue take-over of the Southbank Centre includes many of classical music’s greatest hits along with much-loved film themes, and features a grand finale in the Royal Festival Hall with the Philharmonia Orchestra. The music continues with a classical music after-party, and there are special discounts for the under-30s. A free drink is included in the ticket.
Classical Mixtape is at Southbank on February 5 2026.
Faces
There’s always an opportunity to see a famous face from film and television live on stage in London. This month, Olivier Award winner Sheridan Smith stars in Alan Ayckbourn’s darkly comic psychological drama Woman In Mind alongside comedian Romesh Ranganathan at the Duke of York’s Theatre to 28 February; Emmy and Tony Award-winner Billy Crudup stars with Olivier Award-winner Denise Gough in High Noon at Harold Pinter Theatre; Griff Rhys Jones plays Jim Hacker in I’m Sorry Prime Minister by Jonathan Lynn at the Apollo; Hugh Bonneville stars in Shadowlandsat Aldwych Theatre alongside Maggie Siff from 5 February; and three-time Oscar nominee and Tony, Emmy and Grammy winner Cynthia Erivo is Dracula, playing 23 roles, at the Noel Coward Theatre from 7 February.
