Pride Month: London’s Very Best LGBTQ+ Exhibitions & Art Trails
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5 days ago
Exploring art through the Queer perspective
June is Pride Month here in the UK, meaning it’s time to brush up on your knowledge of queer rights, history and pivotal figures, and to use education and advocacy to cultivate environments where all LGBTQ+ people feel seen, supported and safe. And just enjoy the visibility, too. Whether you’ll be partying at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, flying the progress pride flag from your window or attending a talk, we’ve gathered London’s very best exhibitions exploring LGBTQ+ people and queer culture this Pride Month, spanning outlandish fashion to queer science.
London’s Best LGBTQ+ Exhibitions: Pride Month 2025
Fergus Greer, Leigh Bowery Session 1 Look 2 August 1990. (© Fergus Greer, courtesy Michael Hoppen Gallery.)
Leigh Bowery!, Tate Modern
Though Leigh Bowery only lived a short 33-year life, his extraordinary vision and exuberance has left an everlasting mark. The Aussie artist, performer, model, TV personality, club promoter, musician, fashion designer and muse of Lucien Freud emerged on the 1980s London club scene and was renowned (or perhaps infamous) for his daring and outrageous performances in galleries, theatres and on the street, using clothing, make-up and flesh to test the limits of decorum and celebrate the human body as a shape-shifting tool. His life and influence is the subject of a brand new exhibition at the Tate Modern, which kicked off in LGBTQ+ History Month and runs until the end of August.
Details: Leigh Bowery! is running until 31 August 2025 at the Tate Modern (Bankside, London SE1 9TG). Admission is £18 or free for members. Book at tate.org.uk
Edward Burra, Three Sailors at a Bar, 1930. Private collection, courtesy of Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert. (© The estate of Edward Burra, courtesy Lefevre Fine Art, London)
Edward Burra – Ithell Colquhoun, Tate Britain
From one Tate to another: this Pride month, the Tate Britain will open Edward Burra – Ithell Colquhoun, giving art lovers the chance to see the work of two influential British artists with one ticket. Burra is one of the most distinctive British artists to have emerged from the 20th century, his vibrant and satirical depictions of the urban underworld and queer culture thrumming with mood, imagination and chatter. Ithell Colquhoun, meanwhile, is an important if less-explored figure in British surrealism in the 1930s and 40s; this is the first major exhibition of her work. While you’re there, you can embark on an LGBTQIA+ tour, too…
Details: Edward Burra – Ithell Colquhoun runs 13 June to 19 October 2025 at the Tate Britain (Millbank, London SW1P 4RG). Admission is £18 or free for members. Book at tate.org.uk
LGBTQIA+ Tours, Tate Britain
The Tate’s beautiful collection will be filtered through a queer lens this month, with volunteers inviting guests to join them in touring the gallery’s gender identity and sexuality tidbits.
Details: The tours are free to join, running on 1, 14, 21 and 28 June starting from 3pm, with further dates in July and August. Meet at the top of the Rotunda Stairs at the Tate Britain (Millbank, London SW1P 4RG). Find out more at tate.org.uk
Boys! Boys! Boys!
Fancy sipping coffee surrounded by queer photography? Founded in 2018 to promote queer and gay fine art photography, Boys! Boys! Boys! finally has a permanent London home – and it doubles as a cafe/wine bar. With 84 photographers from 34 countries represented, expect plenty of exhibitions, as well as zines, books, a bi-annual magazine and even photography courses. Plus, Boys! Boys! Boys! Meets takes place every Wednesday, inviting a leading member of the LGBQT+ community to share their story.
Details: Find Boys! Boys! Boys! At 30C Warren Street (London W1T 5NF). boysboysboys.org
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Bishopsgate Institute Archive Tour
With one of the UK’s largest collections of LGBTQ+ paraphernalia and press cuttings, the Bishopsgate Institute is an important archive when it comes to queer history – and special tours of the collection are running this month. Head down into the basement and get ready to absorb a whole lot of history, from protest banners to wizard robes.
Details: Dates available on 5, 12, 14 and 17 June 2025, with further dates in July, August and September. Find the Bishopsgate Institute at 230 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 4QH. bishopsgate.org.uk
Queer Britain
The UK’s first (and only) museum of British LGBTQ+ history and culture opened in King’s Cross in 2022, quickly attracting acclaim and awards. This month, a special exhibition will celebrate 20 years of Black Pride.
Details: Queer Britain is open Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 6pm at 2 Granary Square, London N1C 4BH. Entry is pay what you can with a suggested £10 donation, and tickets should be booked ahead of time here. Find out more at queerbritain.org.uk
QUEERCIRCLE
In summer 2022, LGBTQIA+ charity QUEERCIRCLE launched its permanent exhibition, meeting and event space in North Greenwich. Artist residencies, exhibitions, panel discussions, weekly meetings and more join a dedicated library of essential texts to form a home for the queer community year-round.
Details: Find QUEERCIRCLE a stone’s throw from North Greenwich station (Building 4, Design District, 3 Barton Yard, Soames Walk, London SE10 0BN). See what’s on at queercircle.org
Seeing Things Queerly, Science Museum
This self-guided trail invites science lovers to discover objects illuminating queer communities, experiences and identities, spanning Alan Turing to a transgender pilot.
Details: The trail is at the Science Museum (Exhibition Rd, London SW7 2DD). Load up this page and start exploring.
Desire, Love & Identity, British Museum
This combined 60 to 75 minute object trail and 30 minute trail across the British Museum spotlight same-sex love, desire and gender-diversity, enriched with an audio guide. From sculptures to Maori treasure, a Maya ruler to a Mesopotamian deity, this trail illuminates the world’s long-stretching queer history.
Details: The trail is at the British Museum (Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG) and online, with more information at britishmuseum.org
