Barbican to close its doors for a year for multimillion-pound renovation London site’s theatre, music venue and galleries to close in June 2028, in first stage of upgrades before 50th anniversary The Guardian - UK · Dec 11, 2025
This guerrilla network sharing art gallery memberships is my new favourite thing A scrappy WhatsApp group is helping artists to see actual art. Creative Bloq · Nov 1, 2025
Meet the ultra-rich Indians shaking up London's art scene It’s boom time for Indian art: the market is at an all-time high, while London has had a slew of exhibitions focused on South Asian artists, supported by a new class of megadonors Evening Standard · Oct 30, 2025
‘We don’t celebrate Black creativity enough’: why the Black British book festival is bigger than ever Ahead of the BBBF this weekend, authors who’ll be in attendance explain the crisis in publishing of Black writing, and why coming together is the solution The Guardian - UK · Oct 18, 2025
Gesualdo Passione at the Barbican review: struggling towards salvation 3/5 Les Arts Florissants singers and dancers from Amala Dianor Company perform Gesualdo’s sorrowful Tenebrae Responsoria Evening Standard · Oct 17, 2025
Les Misérables: a musical full of heart and hope that continues to defy its critics When it opened in 1985, the mighty Les Mis got some rotten reviews. Forty years on, our writer sees it afresh and producer Cameron Mackintosh reflects on the show’s spectacular success The Guardian - UK · Oct 7, 2025
Les Miserables at 40: from flop to phenomenon, why the West End’s longest-running musical endures Once dismissed as ‘Victor Hugo on the garbage dump,’ Les Mis is now the world’s longest-running musical. As it marks 40 years with a sold-out gala, Alfie Boe and the cast reflect on its appeal beyond the barricades Evening Standard · Oct 5, 2025
Go fake yourself! The creators of trippy, four-hour art forgery epic Rohtko on their quest for truth Based on a New York gallery scandal that was traced back to a Chinese maths teacher, Łukasz Twarkowsk’s play makes audiences question absolutely everything The Guardian - UK · Sep 29, 2025
Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion at the Barbican review — bury me here 5/5 Couture is ripped, stained, buried, exploded and dragged through the mud in an intelligent blockbuster fashion exhibition for the ages Evening Standard · Sep 28, 2025
Kenneth Branagh returns to the RSC for The Tempest and The Cherry Orchard Next summer, the star will appear in Stratford-upon-Avon first as Prospero and then alongside Helen Hunt in Chekhov’s classic The Guardian - UK · Sep 11, 2025
Walk, don't run, to see Mona Hatoum's fascinating new art exhibition at the Barbican Encounters: Giacometti x Mona Hatoum at the Barbican will be a masterclass in examining the notions of home, family and war Evening Standard · Aug 29, 2025
Herbie Hancock at the Barbican review: unpredictable, entertaining and ageless 4/5 The jazz legend is still throwing his famous curve balls at 85 years old Evening Standard · Jul 25, 2025
Actor Jack Lowden goes old school at The Wolseley, loves a Smithfield stroll and escapes to... the M1 The Slow Horses actor has nights out with Martin Freeman and is a fan of strolling around the old City of London Evening Standard · Jul 25, 2025
Endangered languages and a fragile Earth: Barbican unveils its Autumn 2025 programme The Barbican has unveiled its Autumn 2025 programme featuring events on endangered languages, environmental discussions, and a new festival on Fragile Earth Evening Standard · Jun 23, 2025
Evening Standard · Jun 5, 2025 Lara Pulver on Fiddler on the Roof: 'This show is always heartbreakingly relevant' Lara Pulver is back on stage in the stupendous Fiddler on the Roof and back on our screens in the utterly bonkers Mobland, and back living in London... she tells us life’s getting better since she learned to stop seeking acclaim and started enjoying the ride
The Guardian - UK · May 31, 2025 Can South by Southwest’s London debut recreate Austin’s star-making power? Organisers say SXSW London will be launchpad for global superstars, but event faces competition from capital’s crowded creative scene
The Guardian - UK · May 21, 2025 Anyone fancy a subwoofer massage? The show that shakes you senseless From vibrating stages and a car park dance floor to metal pipes tuned to the frequency of ‘love’, the artists behind a new exhibition say their work may even change your body on a cellular level
Evening Standard · May 19, 2025 New images revealed of £240 million plans for Barbican makeover The vision is said to have been well received with 90% approval from respondents
Evening Standard · May 10, 2025 Hidden London: the Barbican Launderette This is more than a place to wash clothes, writes David Ellis
The Guardian - UK · May 7, 2025 ‘You might find it scary’: artist Huma Bhabha squares up to Giacometti with wellies, skulls and teeth The Pakistan-born sculptor was nervous to show her irreverent work – made using plastic bags, pincers and cork – beside the Swiss existential hero’s but tells us ‘they’re enjoying each other’s company’
The Guardian - UK · May 1, 2025 Holy Krapp! Gary Oldman and Stephen Rea unspool Beckett’s masterpiece about memory Krapp’s Last Tape, in which an old man rummages through recordings of his younger self, is back for two star-powered revivals. This haunting play invites actors and audiences to reconnect with their past
Evening Standard · Apr 3, 2025 Arts education is a right, not a privilege: this is a national emergency Arts education in London is lagging way behind regions like Ontario, and represents a dangerous blind spot that hampers the development of young people, says Devyani Saltzman, Barbican’s Director for Arts
The Independent UK · Mar 7, 2025 Cate Blanchett soars in the Barbican’s utterly engrossing update of Chekov’s The Seagull 4/5 Tom Burke and Emma Corrin also star in this three-hour production of the classic play that’s languid, thoughtful, and often hilarious
Evening Standard · Feb 5, 2025 Brutalist Barbican unveils plans for biggest renewal since it opened in 1982 The centre was constructed on London’s biggest post-war bombsite and hailed by Queen Elizabeth II at its 1982 opening, as “one of the wonders of the modern world.”
The Guardian - UK · Feb 3, 2025 After The Brutalist: our readers name their favourite brutalist buildings From London’s Barbican to Berlin’s Corbusierhaus, urban concrete edifices continue to inspire us – whether they be art spaces, apartment blocks or even car parks