Dulwich Picture Gallery’s 2025 Exhibition Line-Up: A Preview of an Unmissable Year
With a first-ever solo show, a landmark UK retrospective, and a bold contemporary interpretation, each exhibition invites visitors to explore themes of identity, history, and creative vision. Here’s what’s in store!
Rachel Jones
10 June – 19 October 2025
Kicking off in summer 2025, Rachel Jones makes history as the first contemporary artist ever commissioned for a solo exhibition in our main exhibition space. Renowned for her exploration of identity and self, Jones crafts large-scale works that blend abstraction with figurative elements, evoking unspoken emotions through vivid colours and striking forms. Her works use oil sticks and pastels to build up textured, layered compositions, often centred on motifs such as mouths - symbols Jones sees as portals to our inner selves.
This new exhibition will continue the work from her acclaimed show !!!!! at San Francisco’s Museum of African Diaspora, while drawing on our own collection. Curated by Jane Findlay, Head of Programme and Engagement, this is a unique chance to experience Jones’s practice up close. An illustrated catalogue with specially commissioned essays will accompany the exhibition, providing insight into her creative journey.
Anna Ancher
4 November 2025 – 8 March 2026
In an exciting UK debut, we presents the first-ever major retrospective of Danish artist Anna Ancher. A pioneering figure in Scandinavian art, Ancher’s depictions of everyday life in the coastal town of Skagen capture the warmth and clarity of light unique to Northern Europe. Ancher’s bold use of colour and her dedication to real-life subject matter have cemented her place as a celebrated figure in Danish art, though she remains lesser-known to British audiences.
The exhibition, curated by Helen Hillyard, Head of Collection, in partnership with Lisette Vind Ebbesen of the Art Museums of Skagen, will feature over 40 works, including celebrated masterpieces on loan from Denmark. This is a rare opportunity to encounter Ancher’s tender and evocative interpretations of 19th-century Danish life. A richly illustrated catalogue will be available, featuring essays that delve into Ancher’s life and legacy.
Somaya Critchlow: The Chamber
4 February – 20 July 2025
London-based painter Somaya Critchlow returns to Dulwich Picture Gallery, a space she frequented as a young visitor, to present The Chamber, her first solo show in a UK public institution. Inspired by the Gallery’s Old Masters, Critchlow’s works explore the power dynamics, mythological narratives, and symbolism within these traditional paintings, reinterpreting them for modern audiences.
Curated by Dr Lucy West, The Chamber is part of Dulwich’s Unlocking Paintings series, which invites contemporary artists to bring new perspectives to the Gallery’s historic collection. Critchlow’s works ask us to consider how familiar stories - often of gods and legends - carry hidden meanings that resonate deeply with present-day themes.
Find out more about Somaya Critchlow: The Chamber
Eager to Visit?
Our 2025 exhibitions offer something for everyone, whether you’re drawn to Jones’s striking abstractions, Ancher’s atmospheric scenes, or Critchlow’s fresh interpretations of historical art. Each exhibition presents a chance to engage with art that is at once profoundly personal, quietly revolutionary, and deeply connected to cultural history.
Stay tuned for ticket information to be among the first to experience this extraordinary season of art at Dulwich!
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