What is Art After Dark?

The free, seasonal cultural programme Art After Dark returns to the West End this June with two evenings of extended gallery opening hours, large-scale public installations and a host of cultural activities not to be missed.

There are two key strands to Art After Dark, with events split over two evenings. Thursday 29 June is all about stepping inside the independent galleries of the West End. On Friday 30 June, three mega arts institutions will take their turn – including the newly reopened National Portrait Gallery.

With so much to see and do, there’s something for everybody and every schedule. Whether you want to dip into an independent gallery as a meeting point with friends, or have time to take in an epic exhibition, making time for Art After Dark is easier than you think as the galleries will be open until 9pm.

Read on for the galleries taking part on each evening, and where to experience immersive art in the open air.

Following on from the success of the spring edition of Art After Dark, the event has been extended to include even more of the independent galleries of the West End, many of which can be found in St James’s, enabling visitors to ‘hop’ between events.

Small in size but with mighty stature, these galleries often provide a chance to explore lesser-known works by household names and discover up-and-coming talents.

The ART on PAPER 1920 to 2020 exhibition includes works by Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, Calder, Kusama, Moore and Kapoor. By showcasing the ‘raw and organic approach’ of works on paper, this show provides insight into the creative process of the talents behind some of the most famous art works of the last century.

The private view of new exhibition Portraiture in Print will take place during Art After Dark, meaning the public gets to experience a usually closed-door affair. Uniting five innovative graphic artists of the 20th and early-21st centuries, the exhibition is centred around eight groundbreaking Picasso prints that depict his muse, painter Françoise Gilot.

The newest addition to the neighbourhood, Saatchi Yates has recently opened its doors in St James’s after a two-year stint in Mayfair. Bathers is a group exhibition that spans antiquities to contemporary works including works by Turner, Hockney and Hirst, ‘in ode to the ultimate summer muse’.

In 2015, Martin Beisly parlayed a career as an art specialist, most notably as international director of Victorian and 19th-century pictures at Christie’s, into his own gallery space with a focus on Victorian and Pre-Raphaelite painting and sculpture.

Mattia Bonetti has built a decades-long career at the intersection of fine art and furniture design – a position in which he has long been supported by celebrated gallerist David Gill. Florida is a new exhibition of the boundary-pushing designer’s work.

Art After Dark will provide one of the last chances to view Radical Abstraction before the exhibition closes on 1 July. The group show exhibits the work of 12 artists whose work, spanning the late-1980s to today, went against the trend at a time when abstract painting had fallen out of favour.

Black and Blue is the first solo exhibition in London by Qian Wu, an artist who was born in China but studied painting in America. His work is a meeting of East and West, and integrates ‘traditional Chinese brush painting with the bold strokes of Western abstraction’.

White Cube, Mason’s Yard

Isamu Noguchi: This Earth, This Passage is set to close on 1 July, so fans of the acclaimed sculptor should make the most of this chance to view work from his seven-decade career. Some of his most celebrated sculptures are showcased alongside set designs from his long-standing creative partnership with mother of modern dance Martha Graham.

Of course London is also world-renowned for its large museums and galleries, and visitors to the West End will find three in close proximity to each other.

On Friday 30 June, Art After Dark will see The National Gallery, Royal Academy of Arts and National Portrait Gallery staying open until 9pm.

There are two major exhibitions to explore at The National Gallery. Saint Francis of Assisi is free to view and brings together over 40 works of art, from medieval relics to modern day comics, which explore how this celebrated Catholic figure still resonates today, thanks to his commitment to the poor, love of nature and powerful appeals for peace.

Alternatively, take advantage of the extended opening hours and get to grips with the origins of modern art at your own pace with a visit to After Impressionism: Inventing Modern Art – pictured main image, above – also at The National Gallery. Plan to dedicate at least an hour to surveying nearly 100 works of art that chart the breaking of convention and creation of a new, modern art taking in Expressionism, Cubism and Abstraction.

Over at the Royal Academy of Arts, the Summer Exhibition 2023 is the headline act. After all, this ticketed event is the world’s largest and oldest open submission exhibition, and there will be over 1,000 new and recent works including painting, photography and sculpture on display from professional and amateur artists alike.

The summer show is an opportunity to discover lesser-known talents, but there are always some celebrated names too and this year is no exception with works by Sheila Hicks, Kara Walker and Edmund de Waal.

National Portrait Gallery

Finally, marking the culmination of a three-year renovation project, the National Portrait Gallery is back with a bang with two stellar photography exhibitions: Yevonde: Life and Colour, and Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm.

To celebrate the reopening and coinciding with Art After Dark, there will be special events at the National Portrait Gallery, including DJ Lady Kamikaze playing a set from the 1930s-1970s curated in response to the vintage colour photographs of Yevonde, and a drop-in drawing class led by artist Gayna Pelham.

Art After Dark promises to break out of the galleries too, so all visitors to the West End will be able to experience a moment of inspiration.

The usual hustle and bustle of Piccadilly Circus will be replaced with a green oasis, complete with floral installations by Phillip Corps and calming video content by artist Amelia Kosminsky playing on the Piccadilly Lights. Colourful lighting will decorate the Anteros statue at night, creating an incredible scene to share with your followers on Instagram or TikTok.

Over on Piccadilly, there’ll be art in the sky to discover, as a series of colourful hanging flags by Rana Begum have been installed as a teaser for the Summer Season 2023: The Art of Entertainment, from Art After Dark organiser Art of London.

Whether you’ve got a whole evening to dedicate, a snatched 20 minutes or are simply commuting home through one of the city’s busiest spots, Art After Dark promises inspiring art that’s accessible to all.

Art of London champions art and culture in the West End. To discover more about Art of London’s new quarterly arts and culture programme Art After Dark, and for exclusive dining offers on the night, visit artoflondon.co.uk