WITH Frieze week officially under way and art lovers arriving in London from all over the world, 45 Park Lane is celebrating the work of women who have shaped photography.
Nan Goldin. Valerie in taxi, Paris
The show, on until 15 November 2026, is timed to the publication of Phaidon’s Great Women Photographers, the fourth volume in its series on women in the arts. Curated by Ackerman Studios in collaboration with Phaidon, the exhibition spreads across the lobby and BAR 45, bringing some of the medium’s most iconic images into the hotel’s public spaces.
Reno. Marilyn Monroe on the set of ‘The Misfits’
Rather than separating women behind the lens as separate from their male counterparts, the exhibition shows how their way of seeing and their innovative thinking have pushed the medium forward over the last 200 years. Highlights? Nan Goldin’s raw, candid Valerie in the Taxi, Paris and Guido Floating, Sicily, Tacita Dean’s quietly poignant 66 DEAD 4/5 leafed clovers, and Cig Harvey’s saturated yet mysterious Wisteria.
Cig Harvey. Wisteria
Art has long held a central place at 45 Park Lane: the hotel has run a year-round exhibition programme with Lily Ackerman, founder and director of Ackerman Studios, since 2017. General manager Lee Kelly describes the show as a chance to engage with “a breadth of creative voices and perspectives” that have shaped contemporary culture.
And crucially, you don’t need a room key to see it. Between Frieze frenzy, it’s the perfect excuse to grab a drink at BAR 45 and slow down in the hotel’s calm surroundings.
by Olga Petrusewicz
Great Women Photographers is on display at 45 Park Lane until November 15, 2026.
45 Park Lane, London W1K 1PN