The third edition of London Gallery Weekend, now established as the biggest gallery weekend event in the world, drew to a successful close on Sunday 4 June, with more than 50,000 visits to participating galleries and events over the course of the three days.

The number of international collectors in London for the weekend was beyond expectations with visitors from countries including South Korea, US, Italy, Belgium and France attracted by the gallery exhibitions as well as the wide-ranging VIP programme that included artist studio visits, private collection visits, curator-led museum tours and parties. There was also increased engagement in the public programme on a local level with the Curated Routes from notable figures including Katy Hessel and Gilbert & George - offered for the first time as guided in-person tours as well as online - and an expanded performance programme both proving a big draw.

“London Gallery Weekend was delightful for London visitors to access its great art community! From terrific gallery shows, to wonderful collector visits, to special museum treats, it totally delivered on its goals. Can’t wait for next year’s edition.” Michael Rubel and Kristin Rey, Collectors, Los Angeles

“LGW presents a great opportunity to really concentrate on each of the art districts and see as many galleries as humanly possible! At this time of year, there’s a good energy and good weather, so it’s the perfect time to enjoy the art. This year I’ve found some great additions to my collection and it’s a totally different feeling to collecting at a fair.” Yan Du, Founder, Asymmetry Art Foundation

“This year’s LGW exceeded last year’s attendance in both my gallery and Studio M every day we were open. It was exciting to see so many visitors old and new. With each year LGW goes from strength to strength.” Maureen Paley, Founder Director, Maureen Paley

“To have succeeded in drawing more visitors this year and such positive feedback on the buzz and excitement around the expanded London Gallery Weekend offering is exactly what we’d hoped for. Deepening engagement between collectors, curators and the public with our outstanding London gallery scene is what drives the initiative.” Founder & Director Jeremy Epstein, and Co-Director Sarah Rustin

Drawing collectors and curators from around the UK and internationally, as well as the art-loving public for a city-wide celebration of London’s vibrant gallery scene, the packed programme of events included performances, talks, tours and children’s activities, as well as exhibitions. Major international names and emerging talents were on display at galleries spanning the capital, including several new participants and a record number of new exhibitions opening especially for the weekend.Curator Bursaries

The London Gallery Weekend curator bursary scheme was increased in 2023 to support visits from four international institutions, in addition to the existing partnership with Art Fund to bring 22 UK regional museums and galleries representatives to London. Designed to strengthen relationships between London’s galleries and colleagues at institutions from further afield, the new scheme saw international curators from CAPC Musée d'art contemporain de Bordeaux (France), Kunsthalle Mannheim (Germany), MAMbo - Museo d'Arte Moderna di Bologna (Italy) and Wiels (Belgium) join curators from institutions around the UK, including Aberdeen Archives, The Hepworth Wakefield, Spike Island and Brighton CCA.

“What a fantastic London Gallery Weekend. I’m so pleased Art Fund was once again able to support the curators’ bursaries through our successful partnership. It was brilliant to see the bursary programme expand for 2023 to bring curators from not only UK regional institutions, but also from across the EU, to London, boosting the development of networks and relationships with the international art community.” Jenny Waldman, Director, Art Fund

“LGW was very inspiring. You could really feel the energy and creativity as you walked around the city. Bringing so many galleries together under one event gave it a festival feel while allowing me to discover lots of galleries I otherwise wouldn’t have visited. The support and focus on clustered areas and introductions by the LGW team meant that I could plan my route and make meaningful connections with the galleries and in some cases artists. The funding and support to visit LGW via Art Fund and LGW was essential, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to go. Just as important as getting down to see and speak to the galleries was also making connections with colleagues from around the country.” Martin Craig, Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow

"London Gallery Weekend provided a very generative platform for me to connect with artists, galleries and curatorial colleagues in the UK. I’m looking forward to strengthening ties with some of the curatorial colleagues I was able to meet in person for the first time and I was very impressed in particular by the strong presentations of a younger generation of artists. LGW’s decision to focus on a particular area each day proved to be instrumental in helping me to not feel completely overwhelmed by the London geography and I was glad to follow their recommendations." Helena Kritis, Curator, Wiels BrusselsPerformance Programme

The annual performance programme, developed in collaboration with public art organisation UP Projects, was expanded to offer site-specific performance artworks by three artists – Nicole Bachmann, Li Hei Di, and Minh Lan Tran – resulting in new and innovative work that captivated audiences in Central, South and East London across the three days.

“I loved seeing people – bypassers, children, neighbours – looking in from the outside and feeling part of it. Their curiosity is testament to the decision to do these performances in public spaces, which is what makes them so special. It was great to see people stay often for the whole programme and even the Q&A that followed – it clearly left them wanting to learn more.” Bengi Ünsal, Director, Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) and member of the Performance Programme Selection Committee

“UP Projects were delighted to expand on our collaboration with London Gallery Weekend this year to offer more artists the chance to present new and experimental work to public audiences who may not normally cross the threshold of a gallery to experience contemporary art. Building on our audience figures from last year, over 800 people joined us from Peckham to Piccadilly across the weekend. It was a priority for both UP Projects and London Gallery Weekend to connect directly with communities through the performance programme and our collaboration with Peckham Platform enabled us to do this with Lesley Asare’s performance being informed by a collaboration with the Southwark Refugee Association.” Moira Lascelles, Executive Director & Head of Partnerships, UP Projects

“I very much enjoyed being part of the performance programme this year. It enabled me to experiment with new work and take to the stage myself which is something that is new to my practice. Working across three different sites allowed me to engage with different audiences and each site evoked a different response and atmosphere that I really enjoyed. I would absolutely recommend being part of the programme to any artist who may be looking to find new contexts in which to show their work.” Nicole Bachmann, artist

“Being part of the performance programme gave me the opportunity to take my work outside the gallery walls and into public spaces across London. This was one of the first times I had developed a performance work and I felt very supported to explore this new way of working.” Li Hei Di, artist

“Seeing public audiences engage with my work and its associated themes of violence and grace was a powerful experience for me. The performance programme enabled me to be bold and collaborate with some amazing people including my choreographer Lena Hetzel as well as the fighters and performers who were part of the work. Travelling across three very different sites in London was also fascinating as the work took on new meaning depending on the context. Thank you to London Gallery Weekend and UP Projects for making such an exciting programme happen and for trying to reach new and different audiences to experience contemporary performance art.” Minh Lan Tran, artistMore from the participating galleries

“London Gallery Weekend was very special this year. It gave us a new perspective on how we wish to operate as a space and how to better serve the artists we work with. Last year was mainly press focused for us but this year the LGW team went out of their way to introduce us to curators and institutions also from marginalised areas within the UK. We also felt very fortunate to be at the forefront with Minh Lan Tran given a platform through the UP Projects Performance Programme” Jonny Tanna, Founder, Harlesden High Street

“There was a wonderful collaborative spirit between the participating galleries. The gallery was introduced to great new collectors and we were happy that so many people enjoyed our show.” Jona Lueddeckens, Gagosian

“London Gallery Weekend has created a special moment for artists and galleries across the city. We welcomed a cross-section of curators representing the incredible breadth and depth of museums and galleries across the UK, international collectors and many, many enthusiastic visitors.” Hannah Barry, Founder Director, Hannah Barry Gallery

“London Gallery Weekend is clearly gathering pace. Galleries opening all weekend was excellent for bringing collectors to London.” Alison Jacques, Founder Director, Alison Jacques