With hundreds of world-class galleries, thousands of stunning exhibitions and countless talented artists, London has a serious claim to being the art capital of the world. Sure, it’s also got sky-high rents that make surviving as an artist nigh on impossible; and yes, perilous economic conditions mean that galleries are closing at an unprecedented rate (the brilliant Tiwani Contemporary announced last week that it would soon be shutting for good). But there’s still plenty to celebrate. And that’s where London Gallery Weekend comes in.

Now entering its sixth year, the event brings together London’s biggest, brightest and best galleries for a weekend-long art party. There are talks, walk-throughs, performances, poetry readings and gigs taking place across the weekend, with galleries open late throughout – and admission to everything is free.

It may not quite be at the level of its forebear, Berlin Gallery Weekend, which is a genuine international event in which every major gallery in the city opens their best shows at the same time, and is now the pinnacle of the German art calendar. But as a statement of what London’s galleries have to offer, it’s pretty persuasive.

Spread all across the city, there are exhibitions by artists from every corner of the globe: South American photography, German conceptualism, African portraiture, American minimalism, British satire, and on and on. There are works by giants of modern art, and shows by little-known upstarts, all taking place in galleries so fancy they look like spas, or tiny experimental project spaces that feel like you’ve just walked into a very hip squat. And all of this barely scratches the surface of London’s art world.

Not sure what to see? You can follow routes conceived by cultural figures including producer Kelly Lee Owens and fashion designer Erdem Moralıoğlu. To help you navigate the dozens of exhibitions taking part, here are 10 must-see art delights.

Francis Picabia: Expanding Horizons

From early landscapes to later abstracts, this show takes viewers on a journey through the many twists and turns of this hugely important French modernist’s wild career. It’s basically a mini-Tate retrospective, but free. The gallery is also hosting a literary salon inspired by Picabia – as well as their Roni Horn show next door – on Friday evening.
At Hauser & Wirth, Mayfair, until 1 August

Anne Imhof: Citizen

Stern heavy-metal conceptualist Anne Imhof returns to Sprüth Magers for more gothic explorations of the body. This show features frenetic scratchy paintings, a morose new film and an installation made of crowd barriers. It’s all about control, manipulation, death. It’s not light or fun – but it is good.
At Sprüth Magers, Mayfair, 5 June to 1 August

Dominic Watson: Vinegar and Piss

This brilliantly weird English artist has filled a south London gallery with a massive galleon made from reclaimed children’s playhouses. Step inside and you’ll find papier-mache sculptures of vomiting heads and disembodied limbs in an acerbic, silly, surreal takedown of the UK’s descent into intolerance.
At The Sunday Painter, Vauxhall, until 11 July

Savannah Harris: Gloria’s

This neat, experimental gallery up in north-west London has been transformed into an upmarket cafe named Gloria’s – all expensive lattes, cream coloured walls and red logos (sound familiar?). Harris is using the space as a chance to show work by outsider artists, alongside her own paintings, in a sharp dig at gentrification and the erosion of opportunities for artists and community social spaces.
At Harlesden High Street, 5 June to 26 July

Keith Piper

Keith Piper was a founding member of the pioneering Blk Art Group – which Lubaina Himid and Sonia Boyce were also involved in – in the 1980s, and has been using his art to confront racism and inequality ever since. This show features works from the past 40 years, all dealing with the shocking relationship between images and power.
At Niru Ratnam, Fitzrovia, 5 June to 25 July

Elena Njoabuzia Onwochei-Garcia: Grown

Founded in 2024, William Hine is one of London’s newest galleries. The summer show by this young Glasgow-based artist features huge, theatrical paintings that dwarf and envelop the viewer, using allegory, myth and folklore to explore deeply personal ideas of memory and identity.
At William Hine, Camberwell, 5 June to 25 July

Oliver Beer: The Sky in the Cave

Oliver Beer’s work is all about resonance: the way objects and spaces have sonic, tonal qualities. His latest piece was made inside an ancient cave in France filled with paleolithic paintings. He’ll be in conversation with singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright at noon on Friday.
At Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, Mayfair, 5 June to 31 July

Gray Wielebinski: Bring Me Men

The American artist takes aim at how masculinity is constructed, reinforced and standardised in this fun, satirical show of hyper-critical collage and installation, including a big aluminium “Bring Me Men” sign nicked from a US army base. Nicoletti is also one of London’s newer galleries, and moved to fancy new digs in 2024.
At Nicoletti, Old Street, until 4 July

Delaine Le Bas: Leap

The 2024 Turner prize nominee returns with her singular, chaotic blend of found objects, textiles and new glass works, exploring themes of alchemy and witchcraft. It’s also her first show at Maureen Paley, one of the UK’s most important and well-established galleries, and one of the first spaces to open up in the East End.
At Maureen Paley, Bethnal Green, 4 June to 25 July

Helen Marten: This Weather

Speaking of important and well-established galleries, Sadie Coles HQ isn’t just still going after almost 30 years, it’s absolutely thriving, having recently opened a third space in London. This show by deeply complex conceptualist and Turner prize winner Helen Marten features five films conceived as part of the artist’s recent opera project.
At Sadie Coles HQ, Soho, until 12 September