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Great exhibitions in South Kensington

South Kensington has some great exhibitions to enjoy. Marvel at stunning wildlife photography, be inspired by fashion and contemporary art, or visit the imaginative world of Tim Burton.

Image credit: Caiman Crunch © Ian Ford, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

11th Oct - 19th June 2025
10am - 5.50pm
Natural History Museum
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Experience the wonder of life on Earth through the world’s best wildlife photography. The exhibition is back for its sixtieth year to reveal more of nature’s stories.

Image credit: Surrounded, 1996 © Tim Burton

The World of Tim Burton

25th Oct- 21st April 2025
10am - 6:00pm
Design Museum
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Delve into the fantastical world of Tim Burton in this major exhibition exploring his remarkable creations and key collaborations with designers.

Versailles: Science and Splendour

12th Dec- 21st April 2025
10am-6pm
Science Museum
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Discover how the Palace of Versailles used science as a tool of power in this illuminating new exhibition.

Image credit: 1959 Barbie No. 1 © Mattel, Inc.

Barbie®: The Exhibition

5th July - 23rd Feb 2025
10am - 5pm
Design Museum
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Last chance to see this exhibition exploring the design evolution of one of the world’s most famous dolls: Barbie®. Journey into the Barbie universe and discover over 250 remarkable objects.

Naomi in Fashion

22nd June 2024 - 6th April 2025
10.00am - 5.45pm
V&A South Kensington
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An exhibition exploring the extraordinary career of fashion model Naomi Campbell. Through the work of leading global designers and photographers we celebrate her creative collaborations, activism and far-reaching cultural impact.

The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence

on til 4 May 2025
10am - 5.45pm
V&A South Kensington
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This major exhibition celebrates the extraordinary creative output and internationalist culture of the Golden Age of the Mughal Court (about 1560 – 1660) during the reigns of its most famous emperors: Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan.

Power Up

10am - 5.30pm
Science Museum
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Immerse yourself in this hands-on gaming zone, featuring the very best video games and consoles from the past 50 years. From Pong to Pacman and Minecraft to Mario, there’s something for everyone, whether you’re a retro games fan, a serious gamer or just want to beat your family at Mario Kart.

Dress Codes

Opens 13th March
10am-4pm
Kensington Palace
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Just announced! Discover never-before-seen royal and court fashion treasures in Dress Codes, a new exhibition at Kensington Palace.

Jameel Prize: Moving Images

Opens 30th Nov
10am - 5.45pm
V&A South Kensington
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In a series of intimate, immersive encounters spanning film, photography, animation, installation, sound, sculpture, and virtual reality, this exhibition will reflect the ways artists address questions of identity, community, and personal history.

Visions of Nature: A Mixed Reality Experience

From 24th Oct
10am-5pm
Natural History Museum
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Equipped with a mixed reality headset, be transported a century into the future to explore what could lie ahead for the planet.

Image credit: Antoinetta, 2005 by Manolo Blahnik

Marie Antoinette Style

20th Sept 2025 - 22nd March 2026
10am - 5:45pm
V&A South Kensington
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A complex fashion icon, Marie Antoinette's timeless appeal is defined by her style, youth and notoriety. Explore the lasting influence of the most fashionable (and ill-fated) queen in history.

Science City 1550-1800: the Linbury gallery

Daily
Science Museum
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Discover the world’s oldest collection of timepieces at the Science Museum. See over 600 watches and clocks charting the history of clock making in London.

Leighton and Landscape: Impressions from Nature

16th Nov - 27th April 2025
10am - 5.30pm
Leighton House and Sambourne House Museum
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An exhibition devoted to Frederic Leighton's plein air paintings and an opportunity to see the Victorian artist in a new light exploring his lifelong passion for travel which influenced his practice and vision for the house.

Lauren Halsey: emajendat

11th Oct- 23rd Feb 2025
10am-6pm
Serpentine
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Last chance to see! In her work Halsey merges past, present and future via her interest in iconography connected to the African diaspora, Black and queer icons and architecture.

Image credit: Blooms_B6 — Criss Cross collection by Bethan Laura Wood, Italy, 2013

PLATFORM: Bethan Laura Wood

14th Feb- Jan 2026
10am-6pm
Design Museum
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Wood is a multi-disciplinary designer whose work is characterised by material investigation, artisan collaboration and a passion for colour, detail and decoration.

Image credit: Blooms_B6 — Criss Cross collection by Bethan Laura Wood, Italy, 2013

More Than Human

6 June – 5 October 2025
10am-6pm
Design Museum
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A major exhibition bringing together art, science and radical thinking to ask how design can help our planet thrive by shifting its focus beyond human needs.

Image credit: Blooms_B6 — Criss Cross collection by Bethan Laura Wood, Italy, 2013

Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style

28 March – 17 August 2025
10am-6pm
Design Museum
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Tickets are now on sale! A major exhibition celebrating our enduring love of the water over the last 100 years. Explore the full spectrum of the design of swimming - from sports performance and fashion, to architecture.

Blitz: the club that shaped the 80s

19 Sept 2025 — 29 March 2026
10am-6pm
Design Museum
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Delve into the music, fashion, and design stories that shaped Blitz – the club, the people, and the movement that transformed 1980s London style.

Wes Anderson: The Exhibition

21 Nov 2025 – 4 May 2026
10am-6pm
Design Museum
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The first retrospective exhibition of the work of film director Wes Anderson will follow the evolution of his films from his first experiments in the 90s, up to his recent, Oscar-winning frescoes.

Nature Study: Ecology and the Contemporary Photobook

Until 18th May 2025
10am-6pm
V&A South Kensington
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Landscape, flora and fauna have inspired photographers since the camera’s earliest days. Contemporary artists continue to experiment with the format of the book to adapt to the pressing challenges of our environment today.

Engineers

Daily
10am-6pm
Science Museum
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Engineers shape the world that we live in, creating bold, ground-breaking innovations that respond to global challenges and improve billions of lives. But how much do we know about the people behind these innovations?

Speculations on Capture

4th Sept-23rd Feb 2025
10am -5:30pm
V&A South Kensington
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Allahyari’s poetic film explores the stories of astronomical instruments made in Iran and Pakistan and now held at the V&A.

Fables for our Time

Open now
10am-6pm
Design Museum
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Fables for our Time is a triptych of stories about environmental urgencies, that uses folktales and a new collection of emoji to examine humanity’s relationship with the natural environment.

Image credit: ‘Rebirth’ Garments. Sandra Oviedo (a.k.a.) Colectivo Multipolar

Design and Disability

7th June 2025- 15th Feb 2026
10am - 5:45pm
V&A South Kensington
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Both a celebration and a call to action, this exhibition showcases the radical contributors of disabled, Deaf, and neurodiverse people and communities to design history and contemporary culture.