Exhibitions

Information about themed exhibitions in the Main Library which include material from UCL Special Collections, as well as temporary and permanent exhibitions held at other UCL Libraries and elsewhere.

UCL Library Services has extensive archives, rare books, manuscripts, personal papers, historical records and artefacts across a range of subjects. Each year there are themed exhibitions in the Main Library that draw particularly on highlights from UCL Special Collections. There are also both temporary and permanent exhibitions at other UCL libraries. On occasion, the libraries arrange exhibitions at alternative UCL and external locations too.

Current exhibition

Word as Art: Beauty in the Margins

Writing is an essential part of everyday communication yet every time we put words down on a page, or type them on a screen, we are creating a piece of art unique to us. Inspired by the Slade 150 anniversary this year, and curated in partnership with students of the Slade School of Fine Art at UCL, this exhibition explores the permeable borders between art and writing in a rich variety of formats that celebrate the way in which we have embellished the word. The online exhibition, opening in October 2021, includes three pieces of student art alongside items from UCL Special Collections. A physical presence for the exhibition will be located in the Main Library from December 2021-July 2022.