Exhibitions to see this summer

Explore exhibitions that highlight drawing in its many forms. From ink drawings to silk thread portraits, here are seven exhibitions to see this summer that demonstrate drawing is as vital as ever.
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Susannah Fiennes Two Yachtsmen on HMY Britannia, 1997
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Zoë Buckman Cush Jumbo ('why don't you just tell me how you want to be, baby & i'll live like water around you'), embroidery on vintage textiles, 2022

The King's Tour Artists

Buckingham Palace, open until 28 September 2025

This exhibition offers a rare glimpse into the artistic side of royal diplomacy. The King’s Tour Artists brings together more than 70 works commissioned and collected by His Majesty over the past four decades, created by artists invited to accompany royal overseas visits.

Among the 42 artists represented are the School’s founding artist, Catherine Goodman CBE LVO and tutor Fraser Scarfe. Their work—alongside that of peers who’ve travelled to 95 countries across 70 tours—reveals a unique perspective on modern history through observational drawing and painting.

An accompanying publication, The Art of Royal Travel: Journeys with The King, shares over 100 illustrations and personal recollections from the artists, offering a behind-the-scenes look at this remarkable tradition. The book is available from the Royal Collection Trust shop.

Lines of Feeling: Portrait Drawing Now

National Portrait Gallery, open until 4 January 2026

Drawing is immediate, intimate—and very much alive. This exhibition features the Gallery’s recent acquisitions by leading contemporary artists exploring the emotional depth of portraiture. Pencil, charcoal, gouache, oil stick and even silk thread challenge what we think of as ‘drawing’ in a quietly powerful show.

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John Robert Cozens Mount Etna from the Grotta del Capro, watercolour over graphite, 1777
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Emily Kam Kngwarray Ntang Dreaming, acrylic on canvas, 1989 © Estate of Emily Kam Kngwarray
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Yoshitomo Nara Installation view of Fire, acrylic on wood, 2009. Photo: Mark Blower, Courtesy the artist and the Hayward Gallery.

Raphael to Cozens: Drawings from the Richard Payne Knight Bequest

The British Museum, open until 14 September 2025

Antiquarian and art collector Richard Payne Knight bequeathed over a thousand drawings to the British Museum, a gift that transformed its graphic holdings. Since the collection’s arrival in 1824, this exhibition marks the first time a representative selection has been publicly displayed.

Featuring works by artists such as Raphael, Michelangelo, Thomas Gainsborough and John Robert Cozens, the exhibition reflects Knight’s taste for landscapes, classical ideals, and the spontaneity of master draftsmanship.

 

Emily Kam Kngwarray

Tate Modern, open until 11 January 2026

Experience the power and scale of Emily Kam Kngwarray’s work, one of Australia’s greatest artists. This major survey charts her life and legacy as an Anmatyerr artist born in Alhalker in the Sandover region of the Northern Territory of Australia. Using sweeping, layered motifs, her paintings map deep connections to Country and culture, telling stories of land, flora, fauna, and ancestral knowledge.

 

Yoshitomo Nara

Hayward Gallery, open until 31 August 2025  

This long-awaited retrospective of Japan’s beloved contemporary artist reveals a different kind of rebellion. Blending punk spirit with disarming cuteness, Nara’s wide-eyed cartoon figures confront war, isolation and youth culture in a body of work that’s both playful and potent.

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Chantal Joffe Pictures of What I Did Not See, pastel, oil stick and pastel on paper, 2019
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Arpita Singh My Lollipop City: Gemini Rising, Vadehra Art Gallery, 2005 © Arpita Singh.

The Power of Drawing

Royal Drawing School, open until 26 July 2025

We had to feature our anniversary exhibition! Celebrating 25 years of the School, The Power of Drawing brings together work by alumni and celebrated contemporary artists—from Tracey Emin to Tim Burton, Thomas Heatherwick to Es Devlin. This landmark exhibition reveals the impact of drawing, underscoring how it continues to shape creative practices across disciplines.

 

Arpita Singh: Remembering

Serpentine North Gallery, open until 27 July 2025

This landmark exhibition is the first institutional solo show of Arpita Singh outside India, and highlights her lifelong commitment to drawing as both a personal and political act. Alongside large-scale oil paintings, Remembering features a significant selection of Singh’s watercolours and ink drawings—intimate works that trace the emotional and psychological threads running through her six-decade practice. Drawing from Bengali folk traditions and lived experience, Singh uses line and mark-making to explore themes of memory, conflict, motherhood, and the complexities of female experience.