Summer exhibitions in London

• 1/12 RA Summer Exhibition 2017

  Want an insight into what is making the contemporary art world tick? You can’t go wrong with the Royal Academy’s annual summer exhibition, which features the world’s most internationally renowned artists, including Mark Wallinger, Gilbert and George and Yinka Shonibare. Most of the artworks are for sale too, so if something takes your fancy you could end up taking it home.
  
  13 June - 20 August, Royal Academy; royalacademy.org.uk

• 2/12 Fahrelnissa Zeid

  Fahrelnissa Zeid’s paintings are a vibrant burst of colour and abstraction, and Tate Modern is offering a chance to see these dazzling works up close. This major retrospective shows the synthesis of Islamic, Byzantine, Arab and Persian influences fused with European ideas - don’t miss your chance to experience them.
  
  June 13 - October 8, Tate Modern; tate.org.uk

• 3/12 Perfume: A Sensory Journey Through Contemporary Scent

  Perfume is a kind of art that you wear on your skin - or so this exhibition argues. This multi-sensory exhibition will features ten iconic perfumes and their creators, and how they have changed our perceptions of fragrance over the last 20 years.
  
  June 21 - September 21, Somerset House; somersethouse.org.uk

• 4/12 Into the Unknown: A Journey Through Science Fiction

  Science fiction isn’t just aliens bursting out of stomachs and Darth Vader’s heavy breathing, you know. This vast festival-style show explores the phenomenon through art, design, film and literature. It kicks off by placing visitors inside an episode of Black Mirror, and journeys through dystopian worlds, in what our critic Ben Luke described as “a tribute to human imagination”.
  
  Until September 1, Barbican Centre; barbican.org.uk

• 5/12 Franklin: Death in the Ice

  If it all gets a bit too hot (unlikely), head to Greenwich for an arctic journey as the National Maritime Museum explores the mysterious fate of Sir John Franklin and his crew on their final expedition. What happened - scurvy, starvation or cannibalism? This exhibition tries to get one step closer to finding the answer.
  
  July 14 - January 7, National Maritime Museum; rmg.co.uk

• 6/12 Matisse in the Studio

  Here’s a perspective on Matisse that you won’t have seen before: the Royal Academy offers an exclusive glimpse at objects from his private collection, showing the ways that they influenced his work. The diverse collection includes African masks and Chinese calligraphy, precious items that weren’t high in material value but allowed him to go beyond the limits of Western art.
  
  5 August - 12 November, Royal Academy; royalacademy.org.uk

• 7/12 Dreamers Awake

  This major exhibition on the enduring influence of surrealism spans work from the 1930s to the present day. Featuring over 100 works by women artists, it will include a vast spread of art from greats including Leonora Carrington, Louise Bourgeois, Tracey Emin, Mona Hatoum and Gillian Wearing.
  
  June 28 - September 17, White Cube; whitecube.com

• 8/12 A Museum of Modern Nature

  Londoners don’t often feel at one with nature, but we all are - and this summer show from the Wellcome Collection will tell us how. It will tell the individual stories of how people connect with nature by displaying items borrowed from the public, offering a big snapshot of how we tihnk about nature and our planet in the 21st century.
  
  June 22 - October 8, Wellcome Collection; wellcomecollection.org

• 9/12 Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power

  The Tate Modern will celebrate the work of Black artists in a vital time in America’s history, beginning in 1963 at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Many of the works are on display in the UK for the very first time, and visitors will be introduced to the work of more than 50 influential American artist.
  
  July 12 - October 22, Tate Modern; tate.org.uk

• 10/12 BP Portrait Award 2017

  It’s a classic, but a goodie. The National Portrait Gallery once again hosts the prize for the very best in contemporary portrait painting, which is now in its 38th year. Three artists have been shortlisted, and the winner will be commissioned to paint a portrait that will enter the gallery’s permanent collection. The winner will be announced June 20.
  
  June 22 - September 24, National Portrait Gallery; npg.org.uk

• 11/12 Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains

  This audio-visual spectacular exploring the rise and times of the legendary Pink Floyd is bound to gather crowds all summer. Exploring their music, design and staging, it leaves no stone unturned and is a treat for superfans as well as the uninitiated.
  
  Until October 1, Victoria and Albert Museum; vam.ac.uk

• 12/12 Sargent: The Watercolours

  This rare opportunity to see John Singer Sargent’s watercolours offer the chance to reassess works that have often been dismissed as travel souvenirs. 80 paintings from private and public collections will show his impeccable technique and distinctive way of seeing the world. And you can pop to the lovely Dulwich Pavilion while you’re there!
  
  June 21 - October 8, Dulwich Picture Gallery; dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk