THIS IS LONDON OCTOBER EDITION 2025 - Flipbook - Page 20
historic works, as unquestionably
impactful and relevant today. Since its
inception, Saatchi Gallery has stood at
the forefront of contemporary art,
sparking cultural conversations, and
inspiring millions.
Richard Wilson’s 20:50 takes on
renewed significance in the context of
today’s climate crisis. A defining work in
Saatchi Gallery’s history, this installation
has been shown at each of the Gallery’s
three locations – Boundary Road (1991),
County Hall (2003), and most recently in
the basement of the Duke of York’s HQ
(2015). Now, for the first time, it will be
presented on the top floor of the building,
creating a disorienting and stimulating
experience for returning visitors.
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Zhivago Duncan, The Sender, 2025.
Courtesy of the artist.
THE LONG NOW: 40 YEARS OF
CONTEMPORARY ART AT SAATCHI
Celebrating four decades of groundbreaking contemporary art, Saatchi
Gallery will open landmark exhibition,
The Long Now on 5 November. This
expansive group show will showcase
new works by iconic artists closely
associated with the Gallery’s dynamic
history, alongside fresh voices from a
new generation. Spanning two floors and
nine major exhibition spaces, the
exhibition will feature special
commissions, installations, painting and
sculpture. It will also include Richard
Wilson’s seminal installation, 20:50, a
defining piece of British contemporary
art originally presented in 1987.
Curated by Philippa Adams (Senior
Director, Saatchi Gallery 1999- 2020),
the exhibition will reflect on key themes
that have underpinned exhibitions
throughout Saatchi Gallery’s 40-year
journey, an ongoing commitment to
championing new talent.
The Long Now takes its title from a
concept focused on fostering long-term
thinking. It challenges today’s throwaway
culture. The exhibition arches back to
past exhibitions consistent with Saatchi
Gallery’s focus on the present, to give
artists the opportunity to showcase their
most ambitious ideas. Showcasing newly
created works alongside a selection of
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SCIENCE MUSEUM DONATION TO
TRANSFORM PUBLIC SPACES
The Science Museum is to receive an
unprecedented eight-figure donation from
the Serum Institute of India, led by CEO
Adar Poonawalla. Serum Institute of India
is the world’s largest vaccine
manufacturer and part of the Cyrus
Poonawalla Group. This generous gift,
the largest international donation in the
museum’s history, will support the
ambitious transformation of one of the
museum’s most iconic spaces – the
Making the Modern World gallery –
which is set to re-open in 2028 as Ages
of Invention: The Serum Institute Gallery.
Beloved by millions of people who
visit each year, the Making the Modern
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World gallery is now over 20 years old.
This donation will enable the
transformation of this vast space,
ensuring the objects and displays in the
new gallery reflect current global
concerns and scientific thinking. This
popular gallery at the heart of the
museum will be reimagined by Lawson
Ward Studio, the architecture and design
studio led by Hannah Lawson and
Georgina Ward who were recently
appointed as the gallery’s architect.
100 YEARS OF LEIGHTON HOUSE
Leighton House, the former home and
studio of Victorian artist and President
of the Royal Academy Frederic, Lord
Leighton, is marking 100 years since its
opening as a public museum with a
special programme of exhibitions, new
art commissions, and public events
The exhibition Leighton House: A
Journey Through 100 Years charts the
museum’s transformation over the
course of the last century, using neverbefore-seen archival material and
original photographs.
Safeguarded first by Lord Leighton’s
neighbour and biographer, Emilie
Barrington, the Royal Borough of
Kensington and Chelsea acquired the
house in 1926 and opened it as a public
museum. It served a variety of additional
purposes throughout the 20th century –
from a children’s library to a theatre
museum before careful restoration of its
famed interiors began in the 1980s.
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