Tim Walker’s Fairyland at the National Portrait Gallery

Tim Walker spent five years photographing LGBTQ+ activists, performers, artists and writers in his fairytale style, and this is the result: new portraits and fantastical landscapes on Floor 0 of the National Portrait Gallery. Walker made his name in the 1990s with whimsical fashion pictures and has since photographed Chappell Roan, Lady Gaga and Frank Ocean.

Worth knowing

It opens to the public at 1.30pm on Friday 9 October, after a members’ morning, and runs to 7 February 2027. Adults pay 23 pounds Monday to Thursday and 25 pounds Friday to Sunday, a little more with the donation. The gallery says it contains nudity and some sexual images, with a signposted final room it does not recommend for under 18s, and under 14s must be with an adult. The gallery is open until nine on Friday and Saturday, with last entry to exhibitions an hour before closing. Checked against the organiser’s own page on 7 October 2026.

Nearby

Covent Garden has the nearest stations and everything else on in the same part of town. The National Portrait Gallery page collects every listing we hold for that address. Filed under Exhibitions.