Once Upon a Time in London: Art, Style, and the City’s Cultural Swagger

Saatchi Yates’ summer show, Once Upon a Time in London, has opened in St James’s with the sort of cultural gravity and after-dark elegance you’d expect from a gallery redefining the commercial space. This isn’t just a group exhibition—it’s a moment. And for the menswear crowd, it’s a reminder that the pulse of London style doesn’t just come from Savile Row or Soho—it’s alive in its art, in its provocateurs, and in those who stand just close enough to the canvas to catch the afterglow.

The show charts London’s creative lineage through over 40 works spanning post-war titans and today’s contemporary disruptors. Think Bacon and Freud’s unflinching intimacy, Tracey Emin’s emotional rawness, Hockney’s sun-drenched defiance, and the layered gestures of Cecily Brown and Jade Fadojutimi. There’s a certain kind of masculine sensitivity threaded throughout—a tension between vulnerability and presence that resonates far beyond gallery walls.

For the style-conscious man, this isn’t just visual culture—it’s fuel. Freud’s undone interiors and Saville’s fleshy monumentality carry the same quiet confidence you’d find in a perfectly worn-in leather jacket. Gilbert & George’s photographic formalism? Tailoring, reimagined. Yinka Shonibare’s fabric narratives? A call to embrace colour, history, and a broader worldview.

The opening night drew a crowd that felt part runway, part salon—designers, gallerists, stylists, and collectors, shoulder to shoulder in considered layers and soft suiting. There’s always been a dialogue between fashion and art, and Once Upon a Time in London makes that conversation feel especially current. It’s a space where heritage meets disruption, where an appreciation for craftsmanship sits alongside a hunger for newness.

Saatchi Yates’ introduction of a public-facing membership is also worth noting. For a commercial gallery to lean into access—rather than exclusivity—is a move that should have anyone in fashion and lifestyle circles paying attention. It’s about participation, not just observation.

And with design icon Nicky Haslam contributing a tea towel, St. JOHN wine pairings incoming, and even Norman Foster in the mix, the exhibition expands beyond paintings into something more lifestyle-adjacent—interiors, hospitality, collectability. It’s the kind of cultural moment that makes London feel impossibly rich, even on a grey day.

Once Upon a Time in London runs until 17 August 2025. For those who dress with intent and live for stories told in brushstrokes and tailoring, it’s essential viewing.