IWM’s art collection takes centre stage
With subjects ranging from the iconic resilience of St Paul’s Cathedral to the devastation of the Docklands, Beauty and Destruction invites visitors to experience the breadth of wartimeLondon’s transformation. The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the vast scale of damage inflicted during the Second World War, but also reveals personal, intimate moments of Londoners’ reslience and humanity. This free exhibition harnesses the power of IWM’s extensive and world-class art collection, bringing together over 45 outstanding paintings and drawings alongside photographs, film, objects and oral histories.
Rebecca Newell, Head of Art at IWM, said: ‘IWM’s art collection offers an exceptional eye-witness testimony to the impact of the Second World War on London and its people – a story of rapid cultural and social change, and a transformed city. ‘The exhibition showcases some of IWM’s most important works of art and the unique role of artists in shaping our visual memory of war. Many of the artworks in the exhibition were made as part of the official war artist scheme, which aimed to keep artists usefully employed during the war, stop them from being killed in combat duty and provide a vivid and lasting record for generations to come.Their legacy shows a city on the edge, but also reveals an uplifting story of hope, creativity and humanity in the face of unprecedented change.
‘The exhibition will provide a rich and thought-provoking experience for visitors of all ages.’
a Shelter, St Pancras Borough, 1941
Exchange, 1943
London was a major target for German bombers in the Second World War, and war became a feature of everyday life. Londoners witnessed a transformation of the city, with bombing causing widespread damage to buildings, infrastructure and landmarks, most notably during the intense period of the Blitz. Using four themes to tell this story – Travel, Thames, Street andShelter – Beauty and Destruction will transport visitors to a London that will feel both familiar and alien.
Running through the whole exhibition, Travel explores how London kept moving during the Second World War, reassuring Londoners – and the world – that Britain was not broken.
Thames looks at how the river was both a lifeline and a vulnerable feature of a city under attack. In this section works of art include Frances MacDonald’s Sketch for ‘London Docks’ (1944).
Featuring urban landscapes, parks, suburbs, and the natural environment, Street looks at the everyday settings of Londoners’ lives, and how they were distorted and changed by war.
Shelter explores the concept of refuge – homes, temporary shelters, hospitals, deserted buildings and community spaces – and looks at how they created social cohesion and togetherness in a new subterranean world that fascinated artists. This section includes intimate paintings by women artists, such as Evelyn Gibbs’ WVS Clothing Exchange (1943).
The voices of those who experienced London during the Second World War are featured throughout the exhibition, including Dame Vera Lynn and a school child. Letters, toys and other salvaged objects bring personal stories to life, illuminating the joy and hope of wartime weddings, to the hardship of losing one’s home during the Blitz.
A Beauty and Destruction family trail has been designed to help younger visitors engage with and understand the stories being told.
Beauty and Destruction is at IWM London, Lambeth Road, London, SE1 6HZ from 20 March to 1 November 2026
Full details: https://www.iwm.org.uk/events/beauty-and-destruction-wartime-london-in-art
