New Art at Kettle’s Yard
We are delighted to announce details of our exhibitions in 2026. In March we open a very special fundraising exhibition, Artists for Kettle’s Yard, in the lead up to our 70th anniversary in 2027. Works of art on display have been generously donated for sale. This will be followed by Handpicked: Painting Flowers opening in April 2026, showcasing some of the best flower paintings from the 20th and 21st centuries. Finally we close the year with renowned photographs by Sunil Gupta in Life With a Camera, 1970 – Now, which will explore the artist’s pioneering contribution to photography over the last five decades. Read on to find out more about these exceptional exhibitions.
Kettle’s Yard Director Andrew Nairne says:
We are thrilled to be presenting another year of exciting exhibitions at Kettle’s Yard – starting with a unique opportunity to not only see, but also purchase, art from some of the best artists working today. This is followed by two further exhibitions showcasing a brilliant range of artists. We hope to see you at Kettle’s Yard: join us for these remarkable exhibitions in 2026. And don’t forget to visit our café and shop!
Artists for Kettle’s Yard
14 March – 12 April 2026
Artists for Kettle’s Yard will feature artworks generously gifted by donors to support The Jim and Helen Ede Fund ahead of Kettle’s Yard’s 70th anniversary in 2027.
Encompassing painting, sculpture, photography, and ceramics this special exhibition will include work by celebrated contemporary artists Rana Begum, Antony Gormley, Jennifer Lee, Veronica Ryan, Megan Rooney and Caroline Walker and many others; as well as renowned 20th Century artists such as Ben Nicholson and Lucie Rie.
Artists for Kettle’s Yard celebrates our relationships with artists working at the forefront of their practice, and will look ahead to an exciting future for Kettle’s Yard.
Handpicked: Painting Flowers
25 April – 6 September 2026
Inspired by the presence of freshly cut flower displays and paintings such as Cyclamen and Primula (c. 1923) by Winifred Nicholson in the Kettle’s Yard house, Handpicked: Painting Flowers will present works featuring flowers by artists spanning across the 20th and 21stcenturies.
Alongside works by significant figures of the 20th century, including Vanessa Bell, Henri Rousseau, Winifred Nicholson and Christopher Wood, contemporary artists such as Lubaina Himid, Jennifer Packer, Chris Ofili, Caroline Walker and Alison Watt, will breathe new life into a much-loved subject.
This exhibition has been organised with the help of The Kettle’s Yard Community Panel: Bryan Johnson, Abi Moore, Jade Pollard-Crowe, Alan Soer, and Jenny Wood.
Sunil Gupta: Life With A Camera, 1970 – Now
19 September 2026 – 31 January 2027
This major survey exhibition will reveal Sunil Gupta’s (b.1953, New Delhi) pioneering contribution to photography over five decades.
Intimate, subversive and often beautiful, Gupta’s work has been instrumental in raising awareness around the fight for queer rights internationally, particularly in India and the UK, laying bare the tensions between tradition and modernity, and public and private spheres. Life With a Camera will feature more than 130 works, spanning street photography, portraits, and commissioned and personal projects, reflecting a life of migrations between Delhi, Montreal, New York and his longstanding home in London.
Display
Kemji Umeda
25 April – 6 September 2026
This display in the Edlis Neeson Research Space at Kettle’s Yard will exhibit never-before-seen drawings by Kenji Umeda (1948-2019), alongside sculpture, prints and letters between the artist and Jim Ede. In letters, Umeda describes Jim Ede as his sensei, or teacher, and from his studio in Arizona he sent the Edes his marble sculpture Spirality (c. 1975-6), which is displayed in the Kettle’s Yard house to this day, adjacent to works by Lucie Rie and William Scott. This display showcases new research, combining artworks and archival correspondence to follow Kenji Umeda’s life and career through his lasting friendship with Jim Ede.
A preview of this exhibition will be staged in the Margaret Howell flagship store in Marylebone, London, from 19 March – 12 April 2026.
