London Transport Museum Announces Major Art Deco Exhibition Celebrating a Century of Style

Blockbuster exhibition and season of events explore how the revolutionary design movement shaped London’s transport identity

London Transport Museum is pulling out all the stops for a spectacular celebration of Art Deco’s centennial, launching a comprehensive season of events and exhibitions that showcase how this revolutionary design movement transformed London’s transport system and visual identity over the past 100 years.

The centerpiece of the celebration is a major new exhibition, “Art Deco: The Golden Age of Poster Design,” opening November 21, 2025, in the museum’s Global Poster Gallery at Covent Garden. Running through spring 2027, the blockbuster show will display over 100 original transport posters and artworks from design legends including Edward McKnight Kauffer, Dora Batty, and Jean Dupas—many being shown publicly for the first time.

From Paris to the Piccadilly Line

The exhibition marks the centenary of the 1925 Paris exhibition that launched the Art Deco movement, tracing its profound influence on London transport’s iconic publicity posters, train design, and architectural identity. Visitors will journey through the movement’s origins before exploring how it captured the world of leisure and pleasure that London transport helped make accessible.

“Art Deco style had a big influence on transport design from its striking posters to station architecture and the look of trains,” explains Matt Brosnan, Head Curator at London Transport Museum. “The posters commissioned by the Underground and London Transport in the 1930s weren’t just about getting from A to B, they captured the excitement of a new age where speed, style, and sophistication were part of everyday life.”

Jazz Age Glamour Meets Transport History

The exhibition showcases how Art Deco’s stylized movement and bold colors provided a perfect match for promoting London’s expanding transport network. Gleaming ocean liners, stylish 1930s bathers, and fashionable jazz-age clothing feature prominently in posters that focused on destinations rather than just transportation—encouraging Londoners to venture to zoos, countryside, seaside resorts, and sporting events.

Among the treasures on display are rarely seen gems like Aldo Cosomati’s 1928 “Underground; Quickest way out of London,” Charles Pears’ 1932 “Southend-on-Sea, Surfing,” and Frederick Charles Herrick’s “Tasting the riches of London” from his 1927 commissioned series.

Beyond Posters: Architecture and Innovation

The exhibition extends beyond posters to explore Art Deco’s influence on train design and station architecture, featuring historic photography and artifacts from streamlined 1930s Tube trains and Charles Holden’s modernist station designs. Visitors can see how the movement shaped London’s first skyscraper—55 Broadway, the Underground’s former headquarters—and revolutionary Tube station architecture that still defines London today.

Loans from prestigious institutions including the Victoria and Albert Museum add international context, featuring works like a Japanese Government Railway poster by graphic design master Munetsugu Satomi.

A Season of Art Deco Events

The museum has planned an extensive program of complementary events throughout 2025 and 2026:

Heritage Train Journeys (September 5-6, 2025) will transport visitors back in time aboard the museum’s beautifully restored 1938 Art Deco Tube train, complete with period light fittings and costumed character Charles Holden.

Museum Depot Open Days (September 18-21, 2025) offer behind-the-scenes access to the museum’s collection of over 320,000 objects, with expert talks from Art Deco Society UK historian Dr. Emma Bastin and RIBA curator Fiona Orisini.

October Half Term: Roaring Twenties (October 25 – November 2, 2025) brings family-friendly activities including arts and crafts, dance workshops, and tours celebrating this iconic decade.

Museum Late: Art Deco (March 20, 2026) provides an exclusive adults-only evening experience with after-hours access to the exhibition and the restored 1938 Tube car.

A Public Art Gallery Underground

The celebration highlights how London Underground became an inadvertent public art gallery during the 1920s and 1930s, thanks largely to Frank Pick, publicity manager of the Underground Group from 1908 and later Chief Executive of London Transport from 1933.

“Frank Pick understood the power of good design, not only to enrich daily life but also to persuade passengers to make the most of what London had to offer from theatre and music to shopping,” notes Elizabeth McKay, Director and CEO of London Transport Museum.

Dr. Emma Bastin of the Art Deco Society UK adds: “London Underground was transformed into a public art gallery in the 1920s and 1930s, displaying extraordinary posters created by leading graphic designers. Though intended to encourage people to use the network and explore London and its environs, the posters also brought modern art to the public, and their influence was felt well beyond tunnels and bus stations.”

Visitor Information

The “Art Deco: The Golden Age of Poster Design” exhibition is included with standard museum admission (£25 for adults, children free). The London Transport Museum is located at Covent Garden Piazza, with the nearest stations being Covent Garden on the Piccadilly Line and Leicester Square on the Northern and Piccadilly Lines.

Tickets for the special events program can be booked through the museum’s website at ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/art-deco.

For London lovers and design enthusiasts, this comprehensive celebration offers an unparalleled opportunity to explore how Art Deco didn’t just influence London transport—it helped define the visual identity of the capital itself, creating a legacy that continues to shape the city’s aesthetic more than a century later.