Within the first episode of 2026 we glance forward on the subsequent 12 months with a information to massive museum openings, biennials and exhibitions. Ben Luke is joined by Jane Morris, editor-at-large at The Artwork Newspaper and Cultureshock, and Gareth Harris, chief contributing editor at The Artwork Newspaper, to debate the important thing artwork festivals, main museum constructing initiatives and the highest biennials of the yr. Ben, Jane and Gareth additionally choose their exhibition highlights for the yr.
The entire occasions mentioned and lots of extra are featured in The Artwork Newspaper’s guidebook The 12 months Forward 2026, an authoritative have a look at the yr’s unmissable artwork exhibitions, museum openings and vital artwork occasions £14.99 or the equal in your forex.
Occasions mentioned
Artwork festivals
Qatar, Doha, Qatar, 5-7 Feb; Frieze Abu Dhabi, 17-22 Nov.
Museum openings
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, date tbc; V&A East, opens 18 Apr; Los Angeles County Museum of Artwork (Lacma), opens Apr; Lucas Museum of Narrative Artwork, opens 22 Sep; Dataland, Los Angeles, opens spring; New Museum, New York, date tbc.
Biennials
Venice Biennale, In Minor Keys, 9 Might-22 Nov; Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince: Helter Skelter, Fondazione Prada, Venice, 9 Might-22 Nov; Marina Abramović: Reworking Power, Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice, 6 Might-19 Oct; Whitney Biennial, opens 8 Mar; Better New York 2026, MoMA PS1, 16 Apr-17 Aug.
Exhibitions
Gainsborough: The Trend of Portraiture, Frick Assortment, 12 Feb-11 Might; Raphael: Chic Poetry, Metropolitan Museum of Artwork, New York, 29 Mar-28 Jun; Zurbarán, Nationwide Gallery, London, 2 Might-23 Aug; Michaelina Wautier, Royal Academy of Arts, 27 Mar-21 Jun; James McNeill Whistler, Tate Britain, 21 Might-27 Sep, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 16 Oct-10 Jan 2027; Seurat and the Sea, Courtauld Gallery, 13 Feb-17 Might; Peggy Guggenheim in London: The Making of a Collector, Peggy Guggenheim Assortment, Venice, 25 Apr-19 Oct; Royal Academy, London, 21 Nov-14 Mar 2027, Cezanne, Fondation Beyeler, Basel, 25 Jan-25 Might; Leonor Fini, Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, 22 Oct-28 Feb 2027; Hilma af Klint, Grand Palais, 6 Might-30 Aug, Matisse 1941-1954, Grand Palais, Paris, 24 Mar-26 Jul; Chez Matisse: The Legacy of a New Portray, Caixa Discussion board, Barcelona, 27 Mar-16 Aug; Fratino and Matisse: To See This Gentle Once more, Baltimore Museum of Artwork, 11 Mar-6 Sep; Matisse’s Femme au Chapeau: A Trendy Scandal, SFMOMA, San Francisco, 16 Might-7 Sep; Marcel Duchamp, MoMA, New York, 12 Apr-22 Aug; Mary Cassatt: An American in Paris, Nationwide Gallery of Artwork, Washington, DC, 14 Feb-30 Aug; Mary Cassatt: After Impressionism, Artwork Institute of Chicago, 6 Sep-3 Jan 2027; Trendy Iran and the Avant-Gardes, 1948-78, Vancouver Artwork Gallery, 11 Dec-2 Might 2027; Spectrosynthesis Seoul, Artwork Sonje Heart, Seoul, 20 Mar-28 Jun; Carol Bove, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 5 Mar-2 Aug; New People: Reminiscences of the Future, New Museum, New York, opens early 2026; Hurvin Anderson, Tate Britain, 26 Mar-23 Aug; Tracey Emin: A Second Life, 26 Feb-31 Aug; Ana Mendieta, Tate Trendy, London, 9 Jul-10 Jan 2027.
