If you’re a photography enthusiast, it’s time to mark your calendars for the year ahead as 2025 promises an exciting line-up of world-class photography exhibitions that are sure to inspire. From ground-breaking retrospectives of legendary photographers to progressive contemporary showcases, and displays that capture significant eras of the past, the upcoming year’s exhibitions are set to captivate, inspire, and challenge your perception of visual storytelling.
Highlighting the power of photography as both art and social commentary, whether you’re a seasoned photographer seeking inspiration or a casual admirer of the craft, we have put together a list of ten must-see exhibitions in 2025 that you won’t want to miss. Offering a chance to explore diverse perspectives, photography techniques, and cultural themes from around the globe, discover the transformative power of the lens with our curated exhibition list below.
1. The Face Magazine: Culture Shift
When? 20 February – 18 May 2025
Where? National Portrait Gallery - London
This exhibition celebrates some of the most iconic fashion images and portraits from The Face, a pioneering culture and style magazine that has played a vital role in shaping Britain’s contemporary creative and cultural landscape. Curated by Sabina Jaskot-Gill, with Lee Swillingham, former Art Director of The Face, and Norbert Schoerner, whose work was featured in the magazine throughout the nineties and noughties, this exhibition features a collection of legendary images of the world’s most recognisable faces.
Featuring work from leading photographers of global icons including Kate Moss, Kurt Cobain, Annie Lennox, David Bowie and many more, this exhibition demonstrates the creative freedom of these artists at the time to reimagine the visual language of fashion photography. Bringing together the work of photographers such as Davies and Starr, Sheila Rock, Stéphane Sednaoui, Corinne Day and Sølve Sundsbø, this display holds over 200 images and offers a unique opportunity to see these away from the pages of the magazine for the first time.
2. The 80s: Photographing Britain
When? 21st November - 5th May 2025
Where? Tate Britain - London
For those interested in photography that provides an engaging and unique cultural perspective, this exhibition travels back to 1980s Britain, highlighting some iconic images from the tumultuous Thatcher era. Capturing images of race uprisings, miners’ strikes, the AIDS pandemic and many more culturally significant events, this display showcases the power of photography in acting as a catalyst for social change and artistic experimentation.
Featuring a varied collection of powerful images that capture the essence of societal shifts in this era, these photographs act as a way to amplify the marginalised communities at the time. Delving into influential photography journals like the Ten 8 and Cameraworks, this display explores the impact of collectives like Autograph ABP, Half Moon Photography Workshop, and Hackney Flashers in revealing a transformative era in British photography.
3. Peter Mitchell: Nothing Lasts Forever
When? 7th March 2025 - 15th June 2025
Where? The Photographer’s Gallery - London
A beautiful storytelling experience, this exhibition features the retrospective work of Peter Mitchell, one of the leading early colour photographers of the 20th century. Known as a powerful storyteller and social historian, Mitchell’s unique photography focuses on the lives and changing fortunes of those living in Leeds, his beloved hometown. This exhibition offers visitors the chance to observe and interpret the unique images of buildings, people and landmarks of Leeds in a poetic way. This display of photographs also includes some of Mitchell’s rare pieces from his own personal collection.
4. Lee Miller
When? 2nd October 2025 - 15th February 2026
Where? Tate Britain - London
An exploration of images from trailblazing surrealist photographer Lee Miller, this exhibition celebrates some of her most legendary works as one of the 20th century's most iconic artistic voices. Hailed as a leading figure in the avant-garde scenes around the globe including New York, Paris and London, this exhibition showcases the varying highlights of Miller’s extraordinary career. From her French surrealism photography to her unique perspective in fashion and war photography, this display also sheds light on some of her lesser-known images such as those of the Egyptian landscape in the 1930s.
Showcasing over 200 vintage and modern prints from throughout her extraordinary career, including some images that have never been previously displayed, this exhibition reveals Lee Miller's poetic vision and fearless spirit.
5. Rotimi Fani-Kayode: The Studio – Staging Desire
When? Now - 22nd March 2025
Where? Autograph - London
Exploring a radical vision of culture, intimacy, desire and pain, this collection of photographs explores ideas of difference and identity, with Fani-Kayode using the camera as a tool to capture both reality and fantasy. Featuring images that reflect the reality of his experience as a queer, African man being perceived as an outsider in Western society and how this awkwardly juxtaposes the typical 1980s English life.
Bringing together Yoruba culture, eroticism and dissatisfaction with society’s injustices, Fani-Kayode’s camera captured images which allowed him to live out his fantasies of a more accepting world. Featuring images of African masks, contorted naked bodies and an unhomely South London flat, this exhibition evokes emotion and sympathy for the frustration and inner fantasies of Fani-Kayode.
6. Proximity
When? 7th November 2024 - 19th Jan 2025
Where? Open Eye Gallery - Liverpool
Featuring selected works by Stephen McCoy, this landscape photography display explores his deep connection with the people and places of Liverpool over the course of his 45 years of living in, working in and photographing Merseyside. From housing estates and local communities to demolition sites and the coastline, these images feature a varying range of subjects and experimental photography practices that celebrate the relationships we create throughout our lives.
With his aim being to show deep personal connection, McCoy’s documentary photography aims to evoke feelings of nostalgia and the passage of time. This display is ideal for those looking to explore photography that captures varying cultural experiences and personal examinations.
7. Vogue: Inventing the Runway
When 13th November 2024 - 23rd April 2025
Where? Lightroom - London
If you’re looking for an immersive photography experience, this exhibition is ideal. Combining both fashion photography and video to explore the history of the fashion runway show, this exhibition features a unique exploration of fashion events from the couture salons of the early 20th century to pop-culture events of the present.
Narrated by Cate Blanchett, this exhibition creates an experience that brings together some of the fashion industry’s leading voices to display decades of incredible runway shows, offering visitors the opportunity to experience the atmosphere of a fashion show in front of them. With projections of iconic runway moments covering all four walls and floors, this exhibition is sure to be of interest for lovers of both fashion and photography.
8. Energy: Sparks from the Collection
When? Now - 18th May 2025
Where? V&A - London
Shining a light on the many different kinds of energy in the art of photography, from the hidden, intrinsic processes behind creating an image to the spirit radiating from the subjects in front of the camera, this display features a wide variety of pictures. Based on the idea that all photographs need a form of energy to come into existence, this display plays with this idea in diverse ways to create a collection of images spanning decades, cultures and subjects.
Featuring images of the indigenous population of the Sápmi region and inserting them into contemporary landscapes, highlighting both the mysterious and redemptive acknowledgement of decades of cultural marginalisation. Visitors should expect unusual images that are both engaging and informative, offering a unique cultural perspective.
9. Wildlife Photographer of the Year
When? 11th October 2024 - 29th June 2025
Where? Natural History Museum - London
For photography enthusiasts who are interested in informative and captivating images of the wonders of nature, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit is the perfect chance to see the world through a new lens. Back for its 16th year, this exhibit takes you on a visual adventure through varying landscapes, giving you a window into the homes of different animals across the globe.
From breath-taking images of majestic predators to close-ups of some of the smallest animals, this display offers stunning compositions of the balance of life and survival. Serving as a reminder of the wonders of the world around us, each photograph submitted to this exhibit is truly unique.
10. Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World
When? 9th October 2025 - 11th January 2026
Where? National Portrait Gallery - London
Renowned as a fashion illustrator, this exhibit features the works of Oscar-winning costume designer and social caricaturist, Cecil Beaton,‘The King of Vogue’. Known as an extraordinary force in the 20th-century British and American creative scenes, this collection of images captured the beauty and glamour in the interwar and early post-war eras. Turning fashion and portrait photography into an art form, these era-defining pieces put a spotlight on Beaton’s most triumphant fashion work which was pivotal in laying the foundations for his years of success.
Featuring images of the high-fashion fifties and the success of Oscar-winning My Fair Lady, to the hardships he endured as a photographer during the war and iconic pictures he captured during his time as a royal photographer. This exhibit is ideal for those looking to immerse themselves in various elements of history.
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