Justine Simons has been quietly revolutionising London’s cultural scene for the past two decades.
As the Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, she’s shaped the capital’s culture landscape. Since joining City Hall in the early 00s, Simons has been instrumental in some of London’s most influential events, from London Fashion Week and The London Games Festival to the rotating commissions of contemporary art on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth. She is also behind the city’s newest cultural district, East Bank, which this week sees the unveiling of the V&A’s latest museum, the V&A East.
It’s not just the headline acts and big names that make London the cultural destination it is. New creative talent is essential in driving new ideas and subcultures that become wider culture – and Simons is determined to ensure they are able to thrive in the city. The Mayor’s office is currently on course to deliver 80,000-square-metres of new and affordable permanent creative workspace – the equivalent of 10 football stadiums.
“The London Museum has a great phrase, ‘London is the grit and the glitter,’” she says. “The creative story in London is a fight. You have to build a lot of resilience, but, it is the most diverse scene in the world. If you look at other capital cities, they’re known for one cultural sector; they’re defined by the film industry or by fashion. In London, we’re all of those things, and it’s the interplay that makes us really special and dynamic. We make the rules and we break them. We’re not afraid to kind of push against things to create better ideas.”
There are few people who understand and appreciate London’s gallery and museum offering quite like Simons. Here, she presents her definitive guide to the best, from the internationally-known juggernauts to lesser-explored gems.
Tate Modern, Blackfriars
“The Tate Modern can’t be missed; it feels like it’s your museum. If you look at the audience profile, there are a lot of parents with prams sitting on the floor in the Turbine Hall. It’s used by such a breadth of people, not just art buffs. Galleries and museums are public spaces, but often we struggle to kind of get that across. People still feel intimidated by them, but they don’t with the Tate Modern. Also, it crystallised and accelerated the regeneration of the whole of the south of the river. Today, there is a whole ribbon of creative institutions there. It’s also so important for London to have a really significant space for contemporary work.”
V&A East Storehouse, Stratford
“The V&A East Storehouse, housing 250,000 objects, set a new benchmark for how to do an archive. It’s a great example of where London broke the culture rules. Most of the objects on display were boxed away for decades and now visitors have the chance to see and appreciate them in a way that feels informal and inviting. In classic museums, objects are kept behind a case, which means that the relationship between us and what we see is reverent, whereas at the V&A Storehouse, the objects are displayed in open, accessible storage such as wooden crates and specially designed palettes. Let’s not forget that this is a public collection; it’s our stuff, which is why it’s really nice that we can see it up close and personal that way.”
Art On The Underground, everywhere
“Not strictly a gallery, but Art On The Underground brings world-class art to the travelling public every day. A mix of painting, installation, sculpture, digital and performance, the initiative is now part of London Underground’s DNA. When a new station is designed, they’re often thinking about where and how an artist might work with that space. The really great thing about Art On The Underground is that it didn’t land out of nowhere – London Underground has incredible history in working with designers, architects and artists from the year dot. The iconic roundel has become London’s unofficial logo and the design of the tube map has now been copied around the world.”
London Museum, Smithfield Market
“The London Museum (previously known as the Museum of London), is moving from its old site to Smithfield Market later this year. The official date is yet to be confirmed, but it’s going to be amazing. Visitors will go downstairs to an underground gallery space where they’ll be able to see through a huge window to watch trains carrying passengers below street level. That detail alone really reflects what the museum is about – telling the stories of regular Londoners. It’s not just about the great and the good – those who’ve had portraits and statues commissioned – it’s about all of us.”
Serpentine, Kensington Gardens
“I love the curator, Hans Ulrich Obrist and his approach. In recent years, he’s been a champion for older artists – people who haven’t had their spotlight earlier in their career, but really deserve it. The galleries, both within a few minutes’ walk of each other in Kensington Park, are also free, which is important. The Pavilion is fantastic; every summer, the Serpentine commissions an architect to design a pavilion, and it really kickstarts the season. The architect chosen is always someone who’s never had a big architectural project in England. Lots of brilliant people like Zaha Hadid kickstarted their career doing the pavilion.”
The ICA, The Mall
“The ICA has been around since 1946 as an outside the mainstream, subversive space, but in the heart of the mainstream establishment, minutes from Buckingham Palace. It’s a small space, but they’re still doing the same thing today. You could walk past it on The Mall and not necessarily know there’s a cinema or so much great art just moments away. So many big culture moments have been staged there, from the first solo show of Damien Hirst to one of the Clash’s most famous gigs. It offers a great programme of interesting cutting-edge exhibitions, events and talks. I interned there back in the 90s.”
The Horniman Museum, Forest Hill
“Sat on the top of Forest Hill, the (free) Horniman Museum is a treasure trove. Every little thing is a door into a whole other story. The history is fascinating; it was founded by Victorian social reformer Frederick Horniman, who wanted to “bring the world to Forest Hill” and teach the local community about global craftsmanship and creativity. Today, it’s home to an incredible array of objects, including an impressive anthropology collection. I also love its Victorian Conservatory that overlooks the gardens.”
The National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square
“Portraiture is so important, and where the curators take it in 2026 is really interesting. It’s an art form that used to be very cerebral, but the National Portrait Gallery explores in a way that feels contemporary – it challenges the way we think about it. It’s another space that honours and celebrates lots of different people across all aspects of society.”
The Whitechapel Gallery and South London Gallery
The last two destinations I want to talk about, The Whitechapel Gallery and the South London Gallery, have a similar mission – to bring art to the local communities. They opened at similar times; TWG in the 1900s and SLG in 1891 and both of them show fantastic contemporary work. They don’t go for obvious choices; you’ll find incredible shows by artists you’ve probably never heard of. They platform people outside the mainstream, but are both very rooted in their respective communities. They both have big education projects, and they both have good cafes – we love a good cup of tea after an exhibition.”
JUSTINE SIMONS’ GUIDE TO LONDON
Best bar…
The 100 Club on Oxford Street. A great venue in the heart of town but that still moves the dial. The history is great and I’m so glad they’re still going.
Best hotel…
This hasn’t opened yet, but I’m excited by it – the St. Clement Hotel, which is at the back of 180 The Strand overlooking the river.
Best restaurant…
I love Toklas near The Strand. I’ve been going since it opened five years ago, and it’s still a favourite.
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Favourite park…
St James’ Park, it’s an oasis in the middle of everything. Soon it’ll be home to the Queen Elizabeth II memorial statue, and the area around it will be redesigned by architect firm Foster & Partners.
Favourite coffee shop…
Little Louie in Elephant and Castle, a great independent that does a great toasted cheese sandwich to have with your coffee.
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Favourite independent shop…
Hunky Dory, a fantastic vintage shop on Brick Lane that has a really varied selection at fair prices. I really like the people who run it.
Best pub…
The George Tavern on Commercial Road. It’s a great pub and also a lovely live music venue.
Favourite film set in London…
It has to be Paddington.
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A tourist attraction that’s really worth doing…
The London Eye is always amazing. In any city, it’s always good to do something up high that gives you a sense of perspective.
Best time to visit London…
There’s always something on… summer is great, but the creative season in autumn is really strong. You’ve got London Fashion Week, London Design Festival, Frieze Art Fair and London Film Festival. Every other year, at this time of year, we unveil the new Fourth Plinth installation.
And one hidden gem visitors need to know about…
Chiswick House and Gardens. As well as it being a beautiful place, it’s a community and creative campus, with artist studios that have transformed its historic outbuildings to provide much-needed space for local creatives. It’s part of the Mayor’s Creative Enterprise Zone in Hounslow – a programme dedicated to ensuring artists and creatives can put down roots in their local area.
In three words, how would you describe a Londoner?
Curious, creative and resilient.
Lead image credit: The Mayor’s Office
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