Art Actually: Your Guide to Bond Street's Art Show Openings

May marks the start of an exciting new season in Bond Street’s art calendar. With a flurry of shows opening at our world-class galleries, there will be plenty to feast the eyes on and indulge the senses. Indeed, the choice of art on view in one of the city's most exceptional art enclaves is outstanding. Bond Street is home to international galleries including the Halcyon Gallery, Richard Green, Bonhams and Sotheby's. Close by, there's always a great blockbuster show to catch at the Royal Academy of Arts on Piccadilly or a fantastical art installation at Sketch. 

Meanwhile, over on historic Cork Street, you'll find the finest selection of contemporary art at pioneering galleries Alison Jacques and Stephen Friedman Gallery. And Hauser & Wirth's impressive space on Savile Row is a short stroll away. Our May round-up is designed with eclectic tastes in mind. It also allows for a well-earned coffee break at Claridge's ArtSpace Café or a crafty cocktail later in The Beaumont hotel's atmospheric Le Magritte bar. Here's to life and art! 

Sketch in Bloom at Sketch: 1 May-1 June 2025

Prepare to be spellbound at Sketch as the iconic “destination for experimentation” transforms its grand Neoclassical spaces with a floricultural tribute to Jane Austen. The homage to one of England’s best-loved authors, on what would have been her 250th birthday, features a dreamlike, wild English garden, through a series of captivating installations created by Lucy Vail Floristry, Ricky Paul Flowers and Rob Van Helden Floral Design. 

The event also provides a “living portrait” photo opportunity to pose as Austen at a Regency-style writing desk set against a countryside dreamscape created by artist Meg Boscawen. Meanwhile, the new Jane Austen-inspired afternoon tea served in an exclusive ornate silver tea set, is priced at £115 per person. 

Sketch, 9 Conduit Street, London W1S 2XG

Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo at the Royal Academy of Arts: Until 29 June 2025 

He may be better known for his books Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame but in private, Victor Hugo took refuge in drawing. His delicate ink and wash visions of imaginary castles, monsters and seascapes were rarely seen in public during his lifetime while many of the works on display here were last exhibited in the UK more than 50 years ago. 

Arranged thematically, the show starts with a section entitled Writing and Drawing, addressing the relationship between Hugo’s artistic and literary work. Featuring 70 of Hugo's artworks from influential European collections, it includes early caricatures, travel drawings and more notable works such as the intricate ink drawing Chain (1864) and the ethereal Mushroom (1850).  

Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J OBD

Bona de Mandiargues at Alison Jacques: 16 May-28 June 2025

The Italian-born artist Bona de Mandiargues was considered one of the protagonists of the feminine Surrealism movement. In recent years, her work has been the subject of renewed cultural interest and international recognition. This month, the Alison Jacques gallery on Cork Street presents a solo exhibition that reveals the artist's experimentation with oil paint, textiles and discarded materials. The exhibition spans several decades of work and demonstrates de Mandiargues’ use of painting and collage to explore ideas surrounding gender, dreams and magic. 

Alison Jacques, 22 Cork Street, London W1S 3NG

Andreas Eriksson: 19 at Stephen Friedman Gallery: Until 24 May 2025

There's still time to catch this solo exhibition by Swedish artist Andreas Eriksson at Stephen Friedman Gallery. Rooted in the rural landscape surrounding the artist’s home and studio in Medelplana, Sweden, this new series of large-scale paintings continues his ongoing exploration of landscape painting as topography and visual contemplation. For instance, the woods where Eriksson walks his dog daily provide the spark for the feathered brushwork and micro textures. A collection of photographs of the same landscape has also been created to run alongside the artist's paintings. 

Stephen Friedman Gallery, 5-6 Cork Street, London W1S 3LQ

Michaela Yearwood-Dan at Hauser & Wirth: 13 May-2 August 2025

‘Looking at Michaela’s work, you’re left with a sense of boundless possibility,’ says curator Ekow Eshun of Michaela Yearwood-Dan's mesmerising artworks. Each piece is notable for its bright hues and symbolic associations, including ceramic petals collaged onto canvas. Elsewhere, poetry, song lyrics and the artist's personal journal entries are woven into paintings, ranging from monumental to intimate in scale. Standout pieces include an 11-metre-long panelled landscape painting, displayed alongside richly adorned ceramic sculptures and benches.

Hauser & Wirth, 23 Savile Row, London W1S 2ET

The King of Sports, The Sport of Kings at Richard Green: 28 May-18 June 2025

The Green family has been dealing in paintings of the highest quality, dating from the 17th to the 21st century, for the past 70 years. This month, horse racing comes under the spotlight in its latest show, The King of Sports, The Sport of Kings. There are many highlights including an early race meeting painted by James Seymour in 1733 and an exhilarating panorama of horses being exercised on the Newmarket gallops by Sir Alfred Munnings. With the Derby and Royal Ascot just around the corner, a visit to Richard Green seems like a good bet.   

Richard Green, 147 New Bond Street, London W1S 2TS