Freud Museum London

Freud Museum London The extraordinary final home of Sigmund Freud and his daughter Anna, pioneers of psychoanalysis.
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The Freud family settled here after fleeing Nazi persecution in Austria in 1938. The centrepiece of the Museum is Freud’s extraordinary study, containing his iconic psychoanalytic couch, countless books and antiquities. The Museum opened in 1986, since when it has developed an international reputation for its collections, research, conferences and contemporary art exhibitions.

Have you picked up your copy of our exhibition catalogue for 'The Symptomatic Surreal'?Exclusively produced to accompany...
07/06/2026

Have you picked up your copy of our exhibition catalogue for 'The Symptomatic Surreal'?

Exclusively produced to accompany our latest exhibition, the catalogue features newly commissioned essays examining the artistic significance of her “down below” body of work, alongside high-quality reproductions of the Santander sketchbook drawings and related materials. Together, they offer the first dedicated reassessment of this formative moment in Carrington’s development and a unique vantage point from which to reconsider the artist’s wartime output.

Pick up your copy of the catalogue in the Museum shop or on our website: shop.freud.org.uk/collections/leonora-carrington-the-symptomatic-surreal

The Symptomatic Surreal is on show at Freud Museum London until 10 August 2026.

This embroidered wall hanging by Martha Freud, Sigmund Freud's wife, reads "En cas de doute abstiens-toi" - "if in doubt...
05/06/2026

This embroidered wall hanging by Martha Freud, Sigmund Freud's wife, reads "En cas de doute abstiens-toi" - "if in doubt abstain". This proverb, embroidered in French, may originate from Augustine of Hippo, a Christian theologian and philosopher.

Stitched by hand on brown velvet, Sigmund asked Martha to create this "votive panel", with two others, just before a trip to Paris in approx. 1885. They were hung above his desk at the Vienna General Hospital upon his return, forming part of the collection of embroidered items that Martha gifted to Sigmund during their lengthy engagement.

Sigmund Freud's time in Paris proved influential, and his studies under Jean-Martin Charcot marked a turning point in his thinking: he began to turn his attention to illnesses that could be considered psychogenic (originating in the mind rather than the body). This work set him on a path that would eventually lead him to develop psychoanalysis.

Many of the women in the Freud family, including Martha, her sister Minna, and her daughter Anna, created textiles, embroidery, and weaving, sitting in the half-landing of their home in Maresfield Gardens to hone their art forms. In later years Anna used metaphors of weaving to describe the development of the mind in her own practice.

Explore our collections in Sigmund Freud's final home - book your ticket online today.

This week we were delighted to welcome Harriet Mossop to the Museum to explore parts of a special edition of 'Psychoanal...
04/06/2026

This week we were delighted to welcome Harriet Mossop to the Museum to explore parts of a special edition of 'Psychoanalysis and History', examining q***r encounters with our psychoanalytic archive that emerged from a series of events at the Museum in 2025, alongside Agnes Meadows and Raluca Soreanu.

We'll be joined by Harriet and Agnes later this month, along with Anna-Peter Magyarlaki, Dr Cate Bailey, and Han Dee, for Ripping Up the Archive of Psychoanalysis, a session exploring the history of psychoanalysis and its relationship with q***r and trans people and identities. Using archival text from psychoanalytic history, extracts from writings from Broadmoor (the oldest high-security psychiatric hospital), and your own writing, art, and items, you're invited to create your own zine, with old becoming new.

📆 Wednesday 24 June, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
📍 In-house
🎫 Part of our Q***r Riddles programme

Book your ticket: freud.org.uk/event/ripping-up-the-archive-of-psychoanalysis-a-q***r-encounter-at-the-freud-museum-with-q***r-encounters-and-the-mental-health-and-social-justice-network
Read the special edition of 'Psychoanalysis and History': euppublishing.com/toc/pah/28/1

Are you looking for an opportunity to join the dedicated team at Freud Museum London? We're now on the search for volunt...
03/06/2026

Are you looking for an opportunity to join the dedicated team at Freud Museum London? We're now on the search for volunteers to support us across various Museum departments.

You could be:

• Engaging with visitors to enhance their journey through the Museum
• Helping to manage our Museum shop, offering visitors a selection of unique items
• Maintaining and enhancing the tranquil atmosphere of the Museum grounds and the beautiful garden

We offer a range of benefits to our volunteer team, including reimbursing travel expenses, offering free admission to the Museum, and much more. If you're interested in applying, visit our website to find more information: freud.org.uk/join-support/volunteer

Applications are accepted on a rolling deadline.

With the development of the postmodernist school of thought in the 20th century, the influence of such thinking in the f...
01/06/2026

With the development of the postmodernist school of thought in the 20th century, the influence of such thinking in the field of psychoanalysis are fundamental. June’s course with Keith Barrett PhD will explore the implications of postmodernism for psychoanalysis, and study the arguments which have been deployed – by analysts and philosophers – to counter its more extreme positions.

📆 Friday 19 June, 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm
📍 Online - recordings will be circulated to attendees
🎫 Limited number of half-price bursary tickets available

Sign up for this course: freud.org.uk/event/psychoanalysis-and-postmodernism

🎓 Join us this Summer for the final sessions in our Freudian Research Seminar Series for the 2025/26 year!Swipe to see o...
30/05/2026

🎓 Join us this Summer for the final sessions in our Freudian Research Seminar Series for the 2025/26 year!

Swipe to see our schedule for June and July 2026 ➡️

The Freudian Research Seminar Series convenes virtually once every month and seeks to establish a forum which both cultivates and circulates new psychoanalytically informed research. We welcome both PhD students and Researchers across disciplines (inc. psychoanalysis, psychology, literature, art, film, history), to participate and form a community in which new ideas can be openly discussed and developed.

Our Summer instalments are:

Homes, closets and wombs: Psychoanalytic reflections on home-making and homelessness for q***r, trans and gender nonconforming people (also part of our 'Q***r Riddles: Enjoying Pride at the Freud Museum' series)
🗓️ 25 June | 6:00pm - 7:30pm

The Ego Is Not Master in Its Own House: Levinas, Freud, and the Ethical Unhousing of Oedipus
🗓️ 30 July | 6:00pm - 7:30pm

Book your tickets (scroll to find tickets for each individual seminar): freud.org.uk/event/frss-homes-closets-and-wombs-psychoanalytic-reflections-on-home-making-and-homelessness-for-q***r-trans-and-gender-nonconforming-people

28/05/2026

We are delighted to announce that a painting created by Leonora Carrington during her stay in Sanatorium Morales - known as 'Villa Pilar' - will be going on display for the very first time as part of 'The Symptomatic Surreal'. To mark the occasion, the exhibition has been extended until 10 August 2026.

As 'Villa Pilar' joins the exhibition, 'Down Below' will be temporarily removed from display in preparation for 'The Symptomatic Surreal' to tour to the arts centre of Faro Santander in Spain, the city where the works were created. Both 'Villa Pilar' and 'Down Below' will be on display, together for the first time at Faro Santander.

Book your ticket to visit 'The Symptomatic Surreal' until 10 August 2026: freud.org.uk/exhibitions/leonora-carrington-the-symptomatic-surreal

Artwork: Leonora Carrington, 'Villa Pilar', 1940. Image courtesy of Faro Santander © 2026 Estate of Leonora Carrington / ARS, NY and DACS, London.

27/05/2026

"Where better to see this wild surrealist's work?" – The Guardian

The Symptomatic Surreal, our latest critically acclaimed exhibition chronicling the wartime output of Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington, is on show now at the Freud Museum.

We've been thrilled to read positive reviews from Ailsa Peate at The Conversation, , and Jonathan Jones at The Guardian. Book your visit to see The Symptomatic Surreal until 28 June 2026 on our website.

As Summer arrives in London, what's on at the Freud Museum this June? 👇Our Pride Month series, Q***r Riddles, continues ...
26/05/2026

As Summer arrives in London, what's on at the Freud Museum this June? 👇

Our Pride Month series, Q***r Riddles, continues this month, along with screenings, tours, and more.

📆 Upcoming events
Fridays in June: Dorothy Burlingham: scegliere una vita di significato - guided tours in Italian
03 June: Projections: Le***an Cinema - online talk with Mary Wild
04 June: The Q***rness of Psychoanalysis - online symposium
10 June: ‘Female Human Animal’ Screening + Discussion - in-house event with Josh Appignanesi & Chloe Aridjis
14 June: Fragments From the Horse Who Knows History - in-house performance with Rose English, music by Ian Hill
17 June: No Consultório de Freud: Divã, Livros e Antiguidades - guided tour in Portuguese
24 June: Ripping up the archive of psychoanalysis - in-house zine-making workshop
25 June: Homes, closets and wombs - online Freudian Research Seminar

Explore the London home of psychoanalysis this June - book your tickets: freud.org.uk/whats-on

Join us next month with Q***r Encounters and Mental Health and Social Justice Network for a zine-making session at the M...
24/05/2026

Join us next month with Q***r Encounters and Mental Health and Social Justice Network for a zine-making session at the Museum.

Our Pride Month programme, 'Q***r Riddles: Enjoying Pride at the Freud Museum' continues with Ripping Up the Archive of Psychoanalysis, a session exploring the history of psychoanalysis and its relationship with q***r and trans people and identities. Using archival text from psychoanalytic history, extracts from writings from Broadmoor (the oldest high-security psychiatric hospital), and your own writing, art, and items, you're invited to create your own zine, with old becoming new.

📆 Wednesday 24 June, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
📍 In-house
🎫 Part of our Q***r Riddles programme

Book your ticket and explore our full Q***r Riddles season: freud.org.uk/event/ripping-up-the-archive-of-psychoanalysis-a-q***r-encounter-at-the-freud-museum-with-q***r-encounters-and-the-mental-health-and-social-justice-network

Address

20 Maresfield Gardens
London
NW35SX

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10:30am - 5pm
Thursday 10:30am - 5pm
Friday 10:30am - 5pm
Saturday 10:30am - 5pm
Sunday 10:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+442074352002

Website

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