2021 at Imperial War Museums: landmark openings, brand new exhibitions and extraordinary experiences across five branches
Imperial War Museums (IWM) reveals its upcoming programme for 2021, including a rich and varied series of exhibitions, events and landmark new openings across all five of IWM’s branches. From air shows to newly acquired artworks, the year ahead will see stories told in newly opened spaces, as well as during after-hours experiences, exploring the causes, course and consequences of war from new perspectives.
With the installation of a permanent display of poppies at IWM North prompting reflection on the First World War, and new acquisitions planned to commemorate 20 years since 9/11 at IWM London, more than 100 years of history will be the focus of a packed programme across our two free museums. 2021 will also see the opening of our much-anticipated Second World War and The Holocaust Galleries at IWM London, as well as an exciting new exhibition featuring the photography of Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge.
Across IWM’s historic sites – Churchill War Rooms, IWM Duxford and HMS Belfast – visitors will enjoy unprecedented access to areas previously closed to the public such as the Bakery, and new immersive experiences onboard HMS Belfast. This year also sees the launch of new after-hours events at Churchill War Rooms, where visitors can step into the real spaces and the shoes of those who lived and worked in top-secret government departments during the Second World War.
IWM London
Holocaust Survivors exhibition Summer 2021 Developed in partnership with the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), Jewish News and the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, a new photography exhibition at IWM London will bring together portraits of Holocaust survivors and their children and grandchildren. Scheduled to open at IWM London next summer, Holocaust Survivors will feature photography by RPS patron The Duchess of Cambridge, alongside portraits by photographers Jillian Edelstein HonFRPS and Frederic Aranda, as well as Fellows and members of the RPS. These powerful portraits will all depict the special connections between survivors and the younger generations of their families. Alongside the opening of IWM’s Second World War and The Holocaust Galleries in 2021, Holocaust Survivors aims to remind visitors of our collective responsibility to remember and share stories about those who endured conflict and persecution.
Opening of the Second World War and The Holocaust Galleries Autumn 2021 The Second World War and the Holocaust will soon pass out of living memory, leaving us without the first- hand testimony of veterans, eyewitnesses and survivors. In autumn 2021, IWM will unveil its ground- breaking new Second World War and The Holocaust Galleries. Dedicated to conserving, displaying and interpreting stories of the most devastating conflict in human history, the £30.5 million project will see IWM London become the first museum in the world to physically and intellectually present the Holocaust narrative within the context of the Second World War. Spanning two floors and occupying over 3000m2, these new galleries will bring together the stories of real people from diverse communities to create an accessible, engaging narrative which preserves memory of this era-defining moment for a new generation of museum visitors. Alongside the new galleries, IWM will also unveil a digitally-enabled learning suite which will launch with an innovative new Holocaust learning programme for school children aged 13 and up. Designed by digital studio Friday Sundae with Olivier Award-winning playwright Stef Smith, the programme will use technology, storytelling and IWM’s collections to encourage reflection, discussion and understanding of the Holocaust, both at IWM London and online.
20th Anniversary of 9/11 September 2021 Marking 20 years since the attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, IWM will commemorate the events of 9/11 in 2021, exploring the global scale of the moment and its impact on people’s lives, both in the UK and around the world, through new acquisitions and anniversary events. More information about how IWM intends to mark this anniversary will be shared in 2021.
IWM North
POPPIES permanent display November 2021 Following the success of Poppies: Wave and Weeping Window, which toured to IWM London and IWM North during the final year of the First World War centenary, 2021 will see the iconic sculptures return to IWM North and permanently displayed for the first time. Conceived by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper as part of the Tower of London installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, the tour of the poppies sculptures around the UK encouraged millions of people across the country to reflect on their own links to the First World War as a shared experience. Wave and Weeping Window now form a part of IWM’s collections and, from November 2021, a new dramatic installation of the Poppies will be displayed within the unique architecture of IWM North’s Air Shard.
Churchill War Rooms
Wartime London: Art of the Blitz exhibition Until Spring 2021 Highlighting gems from IWM’s art collection, a new art exhibition at Churchill War Rooms will explore the impact of the Second World War on London and its citizens. Focusing particularly on the threat, experience and leadership which forced activity – and people – underground, Wartime London: Art of the Blitz is a carefully curated selection of works from key artists of the era. At the heart of the exhibition will be three newly acquired Henry Moore drawings from his Shelter series, considered to be some of the most moving and enduring depictions of life during the Blitz. Moore, who was recruited as an official War Artist, frequently visited London Underground stations during the Second World War, observing people sheltering from the heavy bombardment above ground. The drawings were his own personal response to the “human tragic situation” as he described the scenes he witnessed. Further collection works include those by Eric Ravilious and Leila Faithful. Each of these artworks will be displayed on an easel and placed within one of the historic war rooms for the first time, offering visitors an additional perspective on life during the war as they visit Churchill War Rooms.
Operation Black Door 11, 12, 13 March 2021 Gain afterhours access to the subterranean world of Churchill War Rooms at the inaugural Operation Black Door on 11, 12 and 13 March 2021. This immersive evening event will task guests with solving covert missions as they take on the role of operatives as part of a top-secret government department. These challenges will take visitors through the labyrinth corridors of the wartime bunker, encountering historic characters in the very rooms where crucial decisions were made during the Second World War. Visitors are encouraged to gather their code-cracking companions and come dressed to impress in 1940s fashion in order to really feel part of this top-secret wartime mission and tickets are available to book from today for allocated time slots across all three dates.
IWM Duxford
Air Shows July and September 2021 2021 will see the reinstatement of IWM Duxford’s Air Shows, following cancellations this year due to coronavirus. Two Air Shows will take place at IWM Duxford, the Duxford Air Festival, 24-25 July and the Duxford Battle of Britain Air Show, 18-19 September. These will include entertaining ground content and of course, our signature air displays. To ensure our programme is agile and adaptable to the changing situation, IWM Duxford will be developing these as ‘scalable events’. More information, including the dates of these Air Shows, will be shared in the coming months.
Flying Days April – October 2021 Next year will see the introduction of ten Flying Days at IWM Duxford, which will run on various dates from April to October. From D-Day to commemorating the valiant efforts of RAF Duxford’s Squadron 19, each of these Flying Days will be themed and will allow visitors the chance to explore our museum and pop up displays and experiences, before enjoying hours of flying action in the skies.
HMS Belfast
A landmark reopening of HMS Belfast Summer 2021 2021 marks fifty years since HMS Belfast settled at her Thameside home in the heart of London. To celebrate this landmark anniversary, IWM will welcome visitors back on board for the first time since March 2020, offering unprecedented access to new interactive experiences, and a major refresh of existing exhibitions. From D-Day to the Korean War, refurbished content and brand-new experiences will tell key stories from HMS Belfast’s 25-year service history, revealing the places the ship visited and the lives of the crew on board.
Ends
For further press information and interview requests please contact: Hannah Carr, Communications Officer (Exhibitions and Programming), [email protected], 020 7416 5365 Poppy Andrews, Communications Manager (Exhibitions and Programming), [email protected], 020 7091 3069
Notes to editors
IWM IWM (Imperial War Museums) tells the story of people who have lived, fought and died in conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth since the First World War. Our unique collections, made up of the everyday and the exceptional, reveal stories of people, places, ideas and events. Using these, we tell vivid personal stories and create powerful physical experiences across our five museums that reflect the realities of war as both a destructive and creative force. We challenge people to look at conflict from different perspectives, enriching their understanding of the causes, course and consequences of war and its impact on people’s lives.
IWM’s five branches which attract over 2.5 million visitors each year are IWM London which will open extensive new Second World War and The Holocaust Galleries in autumn 2021, ; IWM North, housed in an iconic award-winning building designed by Daniel Libeskind; IWM Duxford, a world renowned aviation museum and Britain's best preserved wartime airfield; Churchill War Rooms, housed in Churchill’s secret headquarters below Whitehall; and the Second World War cruiser HMS Belfast.