February is LGBT+ History Month in the UK. Today, we’re sharing what’s going on in the art world over the next few weeks and beyond, from museums hosting dedicated tours to upcoming exhibitions not to be missed throughout the year. Discover must-visit destinations, delve into archives and learn something new.
Re/Assemble, People’s History Museum, Manchester | Until 3 January
In 1988, 20,000 people gathered in Manchester to protest against Section 28 – a clause in the Local Government Act that prohibited the “promotion of homosexuality” by schools and local authorities. It became the largest LGBTQIA+ demonstration in British history. This exhibition features newly commissioned artworks by Anna Appleby, Rachel Field Sarah-Joy Ford and Yuen Fong Ling, who respond to the legacy of Section 28, explore themes of protest and resilience, whilst celebrating queer voices and creativity. The works are displayed alongside objects from People’s History Museum’s collection.
Queer Britain, London | Now Reopened
Queer Britain is the UK’s first national LGBTQ+ museum. It closed its doors for redevelopment in November, but has reopened just in time for History Month with six themed gallery spaces. Resist! is dedicated to the power of activism and protest, whilst Body and Mind unpacks experiences of health, illness and disability. The World Around Us looks at the place of LGBTQ+ people in wider British society, and Queer Creativity looks at trailblazers in art, fashion and film. Club Kids examines the ways queer communities come together, whilst, finally, Live Laugh Love looks through the lens of family, home and domesticity.
Tours & Talks | Various Dates, Times and Locations
This month, UK museums and galleries are inviting audiences to experience their holdings from a LGBTQ+ perspective, delivering free tours led by experts. For example, The National Gallery guides audiences through its collection, one painting at a time, using a “queer lens.” Audiences can take a themed tour of Tate Modern, or hop over to the V&A to hear stories that were largely invisible or untold in museums until recently. The British Museum‘s offering spans the ancient world to the present day, whilst Manchester Art Gallery takes a fresh look its objects from the perspective of community, gender, identity and sexuality.
Prospect Cottage | From 18 March
Prospect Cottage is the former home and sanctuary of artist, filmmaker, gay rights activist and gardener Derek Jarman (1942 – 1994). Nestled in the stark yet striking landscape of Dungeness, Prospect Cottage is where Jarman, alongside his long-time companion Keith Collins, transformed a humble fisherman’s hut into a beacon of creativity and resilience. From 1986 onward, this unique space and its iconic garden inspired some of Jarman’s most celebrated work. It reopens for public visits from March 2026, allowing visitors to experience the cottage as it was during Jarman’s life – filled with flora, found objects and more.
We Others, The Photographers’ Gallery, London | 6 March – 7 June
In March, The Photographers’ Gallery opens We Others. It’s an intimate exhibition of images by Donna Gottschalk, who grew up in the tenements of New York’s Lower East Side in the 1950s, often against a backdrop of violence and homophobia. She was involved in early lesbian, trans and gay rights movements, and her photographs of friends, lovers, siblings and fellow activists are a tender portrait of life on the margins. At a time when gay relationships were still illegal in the USA, she described those she photographed as “brave and defiant warriors.” Images are paired with texts by writer Hélène Giannecchini.
Gender Stories, National Museums Liverpool | 16 May – 31 August
What is gender? How have ideas about it changed over time? How does it shape our day-to-day lives? These questions and more will be explored in a brand-new exhibition co-created by National Museums Liverpool. Through a diverse collection of fine and decorative art, personal stories and objects, Gender Stories “traces the spectrum of genders and their expression across time and place, examining how gender intersects with our sex, class, sexuality and heritage to shape who we are.” Featuring works by Catherine Opie, David Hockney, Del LaGrace Volcano, Grayson Perry, Rene Matić and Zanele Muholi.
Words: Eleanor Sutherland
Image Credits:
1. Prospect Cottage.
2. Peter J Walsh.
3. Tourmaline, Salacia 2019. Tate. © Tourmaline. Courtesy of the artist and Chapter NY, New York.
4. Donna Gottschalk, Marlene et Lynn, E. 9th Street, New York, 1970.
