As we know the British Museum is all encompassing and exhausting. So how do you navigate it? I always plan a visit around the special (temporary) exhibitions and then allow myself to get lost and wander in a different section – just enough to digest in one visit.
The British Museum’s Spring Program kicks into play on 1 May. Here are some of the new exhibitions on offer:
Hiroshige: artist of the open road
It seems we can’t get enough of Japan. Condé Nast Traveller‘s readers have named it the world’s favourite travel destination for the second year in a row, with Japan welcoming a record-breaking 36.87 million tourists in 2024. So this exhibition is sure to be popular.
It explores the natural beauty of the landscapes and the bustle of urban life during the Edo period, through the eyes of the great master Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) – one of Japan’s most popular artists, even in contemporary times.
His calm artistic vision of Japan connected with – and sustained – people at every level of society through uncertain times. His subject matter ranged from fashionable figures and energetic city views to glimpses of the natural world. The exhibition is the first survey of Hiroshige to be held at the British Museum and the first London exhibition of the artist’s worth in more than a quarter of a century. 1 May – 7 September 2025; ticketed.
Ancient India: living traditions
Around 7.5% (656,272) of the Greater London population is made up of British Indians. The arrival of South Asian diaspora communities in the UK has meant that these religions and devotional art are also part of British culture. This major new exhibition explores the origins and global spread of the sacred art of three of the world’s major religions in the nature spirits of ancient India. It will be one of the first major exhibitions in the world to look at the early sacred art of India from a multi-faith, contemporary and global perspective.
The exhibition will be a colourful, multisensory and atmospheric journey in which to encounter devotional art in a contemporary context. it will show how these living religious traditions and their sacred art are now part of the daily lives of almost two billion people around the world. The exhibition will showcase more than 180 objects – including sculptures, paintings, drawings and manuscripts. 22 May – 12 October 2025; ticketed.
Watteau and circle
This display features the Museum’s outstanding collection of more than 50 drawings by the French 17th century painter, Antoine Watteau (1684-1721). Only the Louvre has more in its holdings, so this is an unexpected dive into the work of the artist and his circle.
The light-hearted and playful nature of much art of the period, shaped by its largely aristocratic patronage, found a cooler reception in the UK. Watteau may have escaped this censure owing to his birthplace in the Flemish city of Valenciennes. He was inspired by Flemish artist Rubens’ use of red, black and white chalks to create his own characteristic ‘trois crayons’ style, which allowed for a sumptuous suggestion of texture and pattern.
Watteau died young – in his mid-30s. This is the first exhibition of the Museum’s Watteau holdings since 1980. 15 May – 14 September 2025; free.
