Tate Britain: James McNeill Whistler

London art lovers can enter the world of a restless, globe-trotting painter this May at Tate Britain’s James McNeill Whistler exhibition, Europe’s biggest in 30 years.

We’re talking 150 works, from the instantly recognisable Whistler’s Mother to never before seen portraits and sketchbooks. Expect to be transported between foggy Thames nights, Parisian Bohemia and Chilean mountains all in a day’s work.

Whistler blurred the lines between painting and performance, seriously winding up Victorian society in the process. Tate offers a fresh perspective on how Whistler made his paintings, which provoked scathing arguments and even a court case resulting in his bankruptcy and exile from London.

Welcome Whistler back to London at Tate Britain, Millbank, London, SW1P 4RG from 21 May – 27 September 2026.

Book your tickets now at www.tate.org.uk

Words by Georgina Garness