This week represents the final viewing window for major 2025 exhibitions before London's calendar resets. Gilbert & George: 21st Century Pictures at the Hayward Gallery closes on 4 January, marking the end of a significant retrospective spanning 25 years of large-scale installations.

Simultaneously, Lucy Raven: Rounds at the Barbican and Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion at the Barbican Curve also conclude on 4 January. Collectors have until 11 January to view Wayne Thiebaud: American Still Life at The Courtauld, the first UK museum exhibition dedicated to his post-war American consumer still-lifes.

Jennie Baptiste's first major solo presentation, Rhythm & Roots, enters its final week at Somerset House. Celebrating three decades of Black British youth culture documentation, the show includes iconic portraits of Roots Manuva and Ms. Dynamite. The exhibition signals growing institutional appetite for cultural documentation photography and identity narratives.

The UK art market enters 2026 on strong footing following a robust year-end performance. Sotheby's projects $7 billion in consolidated sales (up 17%), while Christie's expects near-record results of $6.2 billion. The "flight to quality" remains the dominant trend, with average lot values rising 75% year-on-year.

Old Masters Resurgence: London's July sales achieved record presale commitments (80%), with the category rising 68.7% to $282.5 million globally. This resurgence suggests undervalued historical works are re-entering collector favor.

Gilbert & George dominate visibility this week as their major Hayward Gallery retrospective concludes. Covering 25 years of large-scale installations, the closure marks the final opportunity for institutional-quality viewing of their later works.

Kerry James Marshall maintains high visibility with The Histories at the Royal Academy (through 18 Jan). The survey of 70 expansive works foregrounding Black figures remains a critical touchpoint for contemporary painting collectors.

The Barbican's Encounters: Giacometti x Mona Hatoum exhibition continues to drive discussion around cross-period collecting. By pairing a modernist master with a contemporary practitioner, the show creates new interpretive frameworks that elevate both artists' markets.

The UK art calendar kicks off with the London Art Fair (21–25 Jan), featuring a VIP Preview on Tuesday, 20 January. As the premier destination for modern and contemporary art in January, the fair offers early access to primary and secondary market works.

Collector Strategy: Review exhibitor lists for galleries representing artists from the closing December/January institutional shows (e.g., Jennie Baptiste, Lucy Raven). The VIP preview is critical for securing prime works before public opening.

• Visit Closing Shows: Last chance for Gilbert & George (Hayward) and Lucy Raven (Barbican) ends Sunday, 4 Jan.
• Register for LAF: Confirm VIP access for London Art Fair preview on 20 Jan.
• Plan Mid-January: Schedule visits for Kerry James Marshall (Royal Academy) before 18 Jan closing.