Find out what’s on including the British Museum's special exhibitions in 2025.
Join Japanese artist Hiroshige on a journey through Edo Japan, explore the early sacred art of India, examine the British Museum collection with Guyanese-British artist Hew Locke, travel the Silk Roads and check out Picasso's printmaking. There are also free displays including drawings by old masters (Raphael and Rembrandt), rugs from Afghanistan and works on paper by a major 20th-century German artist.
Special exhibitions
Hiroshige: artist of the open road: 1 May – 7 September 2025
Join Hiroshige on a lyrical journey through Edo Japan, exploring the natural beauty of the landscapes and the bustle of urban life. The exhibition also considers his lasting influence on modern and contemporary artists.
Ancient India: living traditions (title TBC) : 22 May – 12 October 2025
A major new exhibition exploring the origins and global spread of the sacred art of three of the world's major religions in the nature spirits of ancient India.
Silk Roads: 26 September 2024 – 23 February 2025
A ground-breaking exhibition looking at how the epic journeys of people, objects and ideas along the Silk Roads shaped cultures and histories.
Hew Locke: what have we here?: 17 October 2024 – 9 February 2025
This major exhibition sees renowned Guyanese-British artist Hew Locke turn his lens on the British Museum collection in a collaborative exhibition exploring histories of British imperial power.
Picasso: printmaker: 7 November 2024 – 30 March 2025
An insight into Picasso's life through his art, including his complex relationships with women and his partnerships with printers, publishers and other artists.
Free displays
War rugs: Afghanistan's knotted history: 4 October 2024 – 29 June 2025
Discover how weavers in Afghanistan have recorded the country's turbulent history in traditional rugs in this new display.
City life and salon culture in Kyoto and Osaka, 1770–1900: 11 October 2024 – 30 March 2025
The paintings, prints, books and craftworks in this display reflect the artistic trends at the time and showcase people's enjoyment of culture.
Watteau and circle: 15 May – 14 September 2025
This display features the Museum's outstanding collection of more than 50 drawings by the French 17th-century painter, Antoine Watteau (1684–1721).
Raphael to Cozens: the 1824 Richard Payne Knight bequest of drawings: 15 May – 14 September 2025
The display will explore these twin aspects of Payne Knight's collecting, with half of the space dedicated to his old master drawings, and half to his drawings by late 18th-century British artist.
Admonitions of the instructress to the court ladies: 14 July – 25 August 2025
The Admonitions Scroll depicts a poetic text composed by an official Zhang Hua (about AD 232–300) aimed at correcting the behaviour of an empress. It is only displayed for six weeks each year to ensure its preservation.
The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG
Opening Hours Daily: 10.00–17.00 (Fridays: 20.30)
Further Information: What's on at the British Museum in 2024/25? | British Museum