Museums, Art and Cultural Events

Find out what's on in London's best Museums, and experience the exciting Arts and Cultural events on now.

Permanent exhibition
Victoria Revealed
Kensington Palace 
Victoria Revealed, a new permanent exhibition, will explore the life and reign of one of the palace’s most famous residents - Queen Victoria - in her own words.  Inspired by extracts from the Queen’s own journals and correspondence, and featuring displays of personal objects and artworks in the very rooms where she once lived, the exhibition will present a truly intimate account of Victoria’s extraordinary life.  Kensington Palace is located within Kensington Gardens and is a 15-20 minute walk away from base2stay Kensington, or can be accessed via the District or Piccadilly Lines from Earl's Court station to South Kensington Station. It is then a short walk down Exhibition Road. Please ask our reception staff if you would like a map before you go. 

February - May 2012
Mondrian || Nicholson: In Parallel
The Courtauld Gallery
The story of the creative relationship between the artists Piet Mondrian and Ben Nicholson is largely untold. Yet during the 1930s they were leading forces of avant-garde art in Europe.
This exhibition will be the first to offer a comprehensive account of the parallel artistic paths charted by Mondrian and Nicholson during this remarkable decade. It will bring together an extraordinary group of paintings and reliefs to show how each artist was driven by a profound belief in the potential of abstract art to attain the highest aesthetic and spiritual power.

7 March 2012 - 1 May 2012
Suzanne Treister – Hexen 2.0
Science Museum
An exhibition entitled Hexen 2.0 at Science Museum takes place this spring as artist Suzanne Treister takes over the Bridge Gallery with her examination of the various scientific avenues for communication, the develpoment of different technologies, the rise of the social internet and histories of various countercultures.  The Science Museum is a 20-25 minute walk away from base2stay Kensington, or can be accessed via the District or Piccadilly Lines from Earl's Court station to South Kensington Station. Please ask our reception staff if you would like a map before you go.

26 March - 30 July
Diana: glimpses of a modern princess
Kensington Palace
Few people have had an impact on fashion in the same way as Princess Diana. As a public figure, the Princess's dress style was closely scrutinised by the press and the public. As a young princess, her clothes were romantic and demure but as her confidence grew, her style developed into that of an international celebrity: glamorous, elegant, and completely her own. The display will showcase the dresses at their best. An elegant and theatrical set by interior designer Finola Inger will create a stylish atmosphere, while bespoke wallpaper by renowned artist Julie Verhoeven will highlight some of the Princess's key fashion moments.

31 March - 12 August 2012
British Design 1948-2012
Victoria and Albert Museum
Celebrate the best of British post-war art and design from the 1948 ‘austerity' games to the summer of 2012. The exhibition highlights significant moments in the history of British design and how the country continues to nurture artistic talent and be a world leader in creativity and design.
Drawing on the V&A's unrivalled collections and complemented by works drawn from across Britain, the exhibition brings together over 300 objects including product design, fashion and textiles, furniture, ceramics and glass, graphics, photography, architecture, fine art and sculpture telling the story of British design in all its forms.

31 March 2012 - ongoing
The Making of Harry Potter
Warner Bros. Studio
Opening 31st March 2012 Warner Bros. Studio Tour London is a behind-the-scenes walking tour which immerses guests into the world of film-making. The tour features authentic sets, costumes and props from the Harry Potter film series and showcases the British artistry, technology and talent that go into producing world famous and successful movies, created at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden. The Studio Tour will initially focus on the Harry Potter film series which has made the studios its home for over 10 years.

Saturday 6th May 2012 12-6pm
Vaisakhi – The Sikh New Year Festival
Trafalgar Square
Each year, London celebrates Vaisakhi, the Sikh New Year festival, in Trafalgar Square. Vaisakhi, the Sikh New Year, is the holiest day of the calendar for over 20m Sikhs worldwide. It is celebrated on 13 April each year. On this day in 1699, Sikhism was born as a collective faith. Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the 10th Master of the Sikhs, initiated the Sikhs as the Khalsa or the pure and sincere. He bound the Sikhs to a strict code of conduct and, with uncut hair, beard and turban, gave the Sikhs a distinct identity. The celebration of Vaisakhi takes the form of continuous reading of the Sikh Scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, over a period of three days. That is followed by the recitation of sacred hymns. The service ends with a final prayer for the good and well-being of the whole of humanity, and the serving of sacramental food.

8th May - 9 September 2012
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
Kensington Gardens
‘Journey into Narnia this summer with a spectacular new production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in London's Kensington Gardens’
Following the hit production of Peter Pan, threesixty returns to Kensington Gardens to create another enchanting theatrical
experience. Open the door to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and enter a spectacular world with Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy as they journey through the magical land of Narnia.

22 May - 26 May 2012
The Chelsea Flower Show
Royal Hospital, Chelsea
‘Come and experience the greatest flower show in the world at London's Royal Hospital Chelsea’
Every year the grounds of the Royal Hospital are transformed into show gardens, inspirational small gardens and vibrant horticultural displays that make up the world's most famous flower show.

17 May - 21 October 2012
The Queen: Art and Image
National Portrait Gallery
To mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, the National Portrait Gallery is staging an innovative touring exhibition bringing together sixty of the most remarkable and resonant images of Elizabeth II. The exhibition includes formal painted portraits, official photographs, press images and works by contemporary artists and explores the evolution of the way The Queen has been portrayed during the sixty years of her reign.  Artists and photographers include Pietro Annigoni, Cecil Beaton, Lord Lichfield, Andy Warhol, Lucian Freud and Gerhard Richter and their works are accompanied by archival material – from film footage to postage stamps.