Exhibition Picks in Bath
American Museum, Bath. Claverton. American stories, heritage, art and design, from Indigenous peoples to Shakers and beyond, with textiles, furniture and much more presented in period rooms, as well as special exhibitions. Closed until 14th Feb. Then: until 21 June Kith & Kin: the Quilts of Gee’s Bend Exhibition. Celebrating the extraordinary work of a group of African American women from a remote river island community in Alabama which embodies a 200-year tradition of making quilts. Also: America 250 – the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It’s going to be a year packed with exciting exhibitions and events showcasing American arts, music, history and culture.
Herschel Museum of Astronomy. It is located in a town house at 19 New King Street that was formerly the home of William Herschel and his sister Caroline and features a permanent display of prints, objects and everyday items from the Georgian era when the Herschels lived there including telescopes. From April 2025: Capturing the Cosmos: Astrophotography by the Bath Astronomers.
Museum of Bath at Work. Julian Rd, Bath BA1 2RH. Enter the world of working Bath through a series of authentically reconstructed workplaces, workshops and display galleries. Exhibition: All Day Long: The Workers of Bath in Fifty Portrait Photographs.
Holburne Museum. At the heart of the Holburne Museum is the collection of Sir William Holburne (1793-1874), fifth baronet of Menstrie. Exhibitions: Zandra Rhodes: A Life in Print,on show daily, 10am-5pm. From 24 January – to 10 May. A Life in Print, a vibrant celebration of one of Britain’s most influential fashion designers. This dazzling exhibition brings together a spectacular selection of Dame Zandra Rhodes’ screen-printed garments from the 1960s, 70s and 80s, shown as complete ensembles on vintage Adel Rootstein mannequins. Don McCullin: Broken Beauty. On show daily, 10am-5pm. From 30 January – 3 May. As legendary photographer Sir Don McCullin turns 90, the Holburne is proud to present Broken Beauty the first UK exhibition of his most recent body of work, striking, intimate studies of Roman sculpture captured in museums across the world. The Shape of Care: Making Care Visible. On show daily, 10am-5pm. From 24 January – 4 May. The Shape of Care presents a remarkable body of work created through Pathways to Wellbeing, our community engagement programme that places art and creativity at its core. This exhibition marks the third Holburne showcase of work from our creative community and highlights our belief in the powerful relationship between art, creativity, and personal and social wellbeing. The work is the result of collaborations between members of the Gardener’s Lodge Art Group, IMAGE Group, Happy Mondays, artists and creative facilitators, museum volunteers and staff involved in our Pathways to Wellbeing Programme. The New Schroder Gallery open daily, 10am-5pm.
Museum of East Asian Art. MEAA’s collections consist of some 2,000 objects. The majority of these are of Chinese origin, spanning from 5,000 BC to the present. The tea ceremonies run on Thursdays every month. The museum is closed from 22 Dec to 7 Feb for preparations for a new exhibition in the spring. Then: Crafts of Fukuoka – Tea, Tradition, and Making to 27 June 2026. Fukuoka, located in the south of Japan, is home to a variety of nationally recognised crafts and agricultural traditions – from ceramics and textiles to tea and incense. Plus: Reimaginings, a new exhibition co-curated by sculptural artist Hannah Lim, opening in February 2026. This exhibition marks her first solo museum show and brings together objects from the Museum’s collection alongside Lim’s contemporary sculptural works, some of which have been created in direct response to items within the collection. Shaped by her upbringing in London and her mixed Singaporean and British heritage, Lim works with materials including polymer clay, wood, and metal to create playful sculptures that explore mythology, history, and personal reflections on identity.
Victoria Art Gallery. The public art museum opened in 1900 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. It is a Grade II listed building and houses over 1,500 objects of art including a collection of oil paintings from British artists dating from 1700 onwards as well as many paintings and illustrations depicting Bath over the centuries. Exhibition: Thea Dupays: A Life of Painting to 29 March 2026. This exhibition celebrates a lifetime of work in the artist’s 92nd year with still lives, landscapes and portraits. Her painting is characterised by rich colours and bold compositions. Plus: Poster Power! to 10 May 2026. This colourful exhibition showcases an exceptional range of British posters from the 19th and 20th centuries, drawn from the collections of the Victoria Art Gallery and Bath Record Office.
Reflecting the spirit of the times, the wide-ranging display encompasses theatre, events and entertainment, travel and transport, political campaigns and even World War One recruiting.
Many of the posters have links to the Bath area, advertising events such as Theatre Royal shows, the Bath & West Show, community events on Walcot Street, and Bath Festivals through the ages. The display includes a selection of posters by Bath-based artists Clifford and Rosemary Ellis, who worked as partners designing iconic posters for London Transport and Shell during the 1930s.
There’s also a stunning array of vintage railway posters designed to entice tourists to Bath with images of Georgian architecture and The Roman Baths.
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