7 unmissable exhibitions for late summer and autumn
22nd August 2026
‘Sitting Couple on Bench’ 1990 by Lynn Chadwick, install image of ‘Lynn Chadwick at Houghton Hall’. Courtesy of the artist's estate/Pangolin London. Photo: Steve Russell Studios
From contemporary art shows in striking surrounds to a Tudor tapestry returned to its historic home, there’s much to enjoy on the local art scene. Harriet Cooper and Amanda Loose report
HOLKHAM HALL
In 1951, Lady Elizabeth, the 5th Countess of Leicester, turned Holkham Hall’s old laundry and bowling alley into a pottery studio, where visitors could watch the potters at work and buy hand-made souvenirs. It was a resounding hit, employing around 90 people at its peak and they began to craft tableware and commemorative ceramics, which were sold around the country and, indeed, the world. Learn more about this success story at ‘A Potted History: 75 Years of Holkham Studio Pottery’, a fascinating exhibition in the hall’s Kitchen Wing, which runs until 29 October.
And if you see something shimmering in the distance, it’s not a mirage! ‘The Golden Shed’ is an interactive installation at Longlands, the result of a collaboration between Norfolk artist Harry Cory Wright and jeweller Monica Vinader. Inside the gleaming shed, in situ until 31 August, visitors can make their own artwork from 600 small painted and inscribed wooden pieces, inspired by the local landscape, which are arranged on shelves lining the shed’s walls. Bookings are for one hour, either just for you or bring up to six people.
OXBURGH HALL
A rare Tudor tapestry has been returned to its historic home of Oxburgh Hall, after being lost for over a century. The mid-16th century tapestry depicting the Old Testament’s Queen Esther, which once hung in The King’s Room at Oxburgh, is on display at the hall again after being spotted for sale at a fine art fair last year by National Trust research curator and collector Jeremy Warren.
Thought to have been acquired by the Bedingfeld family of Oxburgh Estate around the middle of the 16th century, the tapestry was originally one of a set of seven which would have hung together. They were sold at auction in 1924, travelling to New York aboard the SS Paris in 1925. The current location of the other six tapestries is unknown. The Queen Esther tapestry will be on public display at Oxburgh until December 2026.
HOUGHTON HALL
As Lord Cholmondeley says, sculpture has long been central to the story of Houghton Hall; since 2015, it has hosted major contemporary art exhibitions including Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor and Damien Hirst. This year, the spotlight is on post-war British sculptor Lynn Chadwick. Until 4 October, more than 30 of his semi-abstract works – some well-known, others rarely exhibited – are arrayed in the Palladian hall, spilling out into the gardens and grounds. Think Chadwick’s epic-scale stainless steel beasts, light-reflecting paired figures (‘couples’), kinetic masterpieces like the ‘Ace of Diamonds III’, and more.
Keep your eyes open for Houghton’s permanent sculpture collection, too, from Jeppe Hein’s extraordinary ‘Waterflame’ and Richard Long’s ‘Full Moon Circle’ to ‘Skyspace: Seldom Seen’, one of American artist James Turrell’s finest creations.
NORWICH CASTLE MUSEUM & ART GALLERY
This July, the first major retrospective exhibition of the work of pioneering Norfolk-based artist David Shenton opened at Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery. Curated by artist Ian Giles, ‘Kindly Ease The Tension’ features more than 150 works by Shenton, from cartoons, illustrations and paintings, to clothing, knitted artworks and large-scale textiles. Exhibits include the ‘Duvet of Love’, a memorial to friends list during the AIDS epidemic and ‘The Gansey of Inclusivity’, a 1.72m high fisherman’s jumper made in collaboration with Sheringham Museum celebrating the LGBTQ+ community in East Anglia.
To bring the cartoons off the page, Giles has designed an expansive installation featuring printed wallpapers based on Shenton’s drawings and life-sized cartoon cut outs. Shenton has also created new works for the exhibition including a monumental, illustrated timeline and a quilt in honour of the landladies of Norwich gay bars. The exhibition continues until 10 January 2027.
www.norwichcastle.norfolk.gov.uk
WOLTERTON
When Wolterton launched its Arts & Culture programme last year, including an exhibition by Maggi Hambling, the culture vultures swooped. 2026 is equally exciting, with two contemporary shows running concurrently, both finishing on 31 October. The first, ‘Phyllida Barlow: disruptor’, brings together more than 70 of the late artist’s idiosyncratic works, from her soaring sculptural installations, made from plywood, scrim, plaster, cement, fabric and tape to a body of rarely seen drawings, particularly impactful juxtaposed against the 18th century mansion’s interiors.
In Wolterton’s recently opened ground-floor gallery, you can admire a new body of work by Daisy Parris in their solo show ‘Fist Full of Dreams’. Alongside a series of paintings created in response to the house and landscape, marvel at ‘Kiss the Storm’, a five-metre textile installation, marking the first time Parris has worked in this medium.
BLICKLING ESTATE
The National Trust has teamed up with textiles collector, author and curator Karun Thakar to invite visitors to see a trio of its properties in a new light this summer with its ‘Journeys’ exhibitions. Lucky us, because one of these sites is Blickling Estate. ‘Journeys: Global Textiles from the Karun Thakar Collection’ – running until 1 November – showcases highlights from Thakar’s collection, including Japanese kimonos, Turkoman coats and Punjabi kanthas, French toiles and Kente cloths from Ghana. All weave together a tale of the mansion’s commercial history and how textiles are so often threaded through with stories of identity, trade and transformation, as well as celebrating their makers.
TIME and TIDE MUSEUM
Artistic roller skating has long been popular around Great Yarmouth. Running from 26 September 2026 to 18 April 2027, ‘The Art of Roller Skating’ at the Time and Tide Museum in Great Yarmouth will celebrate the world of competitive roller skating with more than 40 works by award-winning artist and documentary photographer Debby Besford.
Debby grew up in the town, where she trained as an artistic roller skater in her teens and later became a national skating judge. For the past decade, she has been creatively documenting the journeys of young roller skaters based in East Anglia as they train and develop their skills towards British and World Championship level, presenting the sport through a unique and personal visual lens. Her subjects are portrayed in their performance costumes in domestic spaces, echoing her own experiences growing up.
The photographs will be displayed alongside a series capturing the determination behind the pursuit of ‘the perfect jump’ plus memorabilia from the 1960s to the 2020s, including vintage posters, roller skates, costumes and medals.
Check individual websites for opening times, ticket prices and booking requirements
