Latest news
Discover the latest news and exciting developments from our museums.
2023-24 exhibition programme announced
Leighton House announces a new exhibition programme for this autumn, celebrating Victorian masters and discovering miniature worlds.
Opening on 21 October, Leighton House presents Victorian Treasures from the Cecil French Bequest, showcasing his amazing collection, on loan from the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, with pieces by Burne-Jones, Alma-Tadema and Leighton himself. Alongside, contemporary artist Maha Ahmed showcases delicate miniature paintings, including a special commission inspired by Leighton’s collections.
For the first time at Leighton House, an AR (augmented reality) gallery experience will encourage visitors to interact with Maha’s animated artworks - don't miss it!
Both exhibitions at Leighton House are accompanied by a diverse programme of public events catered to adults, teens and families, including an artist-led miniature workshop, clay modelling sessions and a curator talk, amongst others.
Leighton House shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2023
We are thrilled to announce that Leighton House has been selected as one of five finalists for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2023, the world’s largest museum prize!
Leighton House has been recognised for the transformational Hidden Gem to National Treasure redevelopment, including ongoing research to recover Leighton's lost collections, and inspiring collaborations with international artists, makers and creatives celebrating cultural interaction.
We are in amazing company with four other shortlisted museums; The Burrell Collection (Glasgow); The MAC (Belfast); Natural History Museum (London); Scapa Flow Museum (Orkney).
The winner will be announced at a ceremony at the British Museum on 12 July, with the winning museum awarded £120,000 and £15,000 for each of the four other finalists.
Unique study for Flaming June returns to Leighton House
At the end of his career, Leighton painted Flaming June, the picture that would become his most well-known work and one of the most celebrated images of nineteenth-century art. The return to Leighton House of Leighton’s only colour sketch in oils for the Victorian masterpiece constitutes a significant milestone in the museum’s ongoing efforts to recover particularly relevant works of art.
Leighton's colour sketch can now be found on display within the free-to-visit area of the redeveloped wing, enabling all visitors access to an exceptional icon of nineteenth-century British art.
Colour Sketch for Flaming June (c.1895) has been returned on permanent loan to Leighton House thanks to Sir David Verey CBE, Chairman of The Friends.
Alma-Tadema's In My Studio returns to Leighton House
As part of the museum's ongoing efforts to recover Leighton's original collection, a unique opportunity arose to re-acquire this exquisite painting and return it permanently to Leighton House. Art Fund provided invaluable support with a grant of £350,000, alongside a public fundraising campaign led by The Friends with the aim of raising a further £50,000 towards the cost of the acquisition.
We are delighted to confirm that we reached our target! In My Studio has now returned to the museum on permanent display and can now be found in the exact location Leighton chose for it in his Silk Room. Thank you to all our donors, Art Fund and the assistance of Christie’s for making this possible.
His Majesty King Charles III visits Leighton House
His Majesty King Charles III visited Leighton House on Thursday 9 February to celebrate our wonderful collaboration with Turquoise Mountain, the charity founded by the then Prince of Wales to preserve and develop traditional craft practices first in Afghanistan and now also in Myanmar, and the Middle East, to support economic development in these regions.
Leighton House has worked with Turquoise Mountain to produce a unique suite of furniture for the museum's new wing, on display across the reception space, shop and café. The commission grows out of Leighton’s own deep appreciation of the art, architecture and craft he found as he travelled through the Middle East and North Africa. This appreciation resulted in the construction of the Arab Hall, realised through a series of collaborations with artists and makers.
It is an honour to welcome His Majesty back to Leighton House, 13 years on from his previous visit, and celebrate this special collaboration with Turquoise Mountain. Rooted in the history of the museum and our collections, the artisanal pieces add a contemporary twist, bringing identity, individuality and impact to the museum’s new spaces.