The Top Exhibitions To See In London: June 2026

London's June 2026 art scene features a diverse lineup of exhibitions, including Japanese photography at Japan House and the Photographers' Gallery, the opening of the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration with debut shows, a Marilyn Monroe centenary at the National Portrait Gallery, Rachel Maclean's AI-themed exhibition at Josh Lilley Gallery, and a celestial-themed show at Saatchi Gallery. These exhibitions span photography, illustration, pop culture, and contemporary art, offering free and ticketed options across the city.

Hayward Gallery announces major Nan Goldin exhibition.

The Hayward Gallery in London has announced a major solo exhibition of American artist and activist Nan Goldin, titled "You Never Did Anything Wrong." Running from 24 November 2026 to 7 March 2027, the show will mark Goldin's first institutional exhibition in the UK since 2002, featuring her intimate photographs and slideshows that document personal relationships, addiction, and queer communities over five decades. The exhibition rounds off the Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary year and includes works such as "Flowers with cup and Gaja" (2024) and "Diana in the bath" (2024).

Art Movements: Sam Gilliam Foundation Names Its First Director

The Sam Gilliam Foundation has appointed Dr. Steven Nelson as its inaugural executive director. Nelson, formerly of the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art, will oversee the foundation's mission to preserve Gilliam's legacy while supporting emerging artists and civic activism. Separately, Aperture will open its new permanent headquarters on New York's Upper West Side on September 18 with an inaugural exhibition titled "Aperture Loves New York." The article also reports that five artists—Diana Al-Hadid, Jordan Ann Craig, Lavar Munroe, Ronald Rael, and Kiyan Williams—received VIA Art Fund's spring 2026 Artistic Production Grants, and that the New Museum has partnered with Penske Media Corporation to launch an event called "Art Week NYC."

È morto Duane Michals, il fotografo che ha trasformato l’immagine in racconto

Duane Michals, the influential American photographer known for transforming photography into a narrative and poetic medium, died on June 9, 2026, at age 94 in New York. Born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, in 1932, Michals began his career as a freelance photographer for magazines like Esquire, Mademoiselle, and Vogue after a trip to the Soviet Union in 1958. He rejected the dominant photojournalistic tradition of the "decisive moment," instead developing sequenced images, double exposures, and handwritten texts that turned photographs into hybrid works of storytelling, philosophy, and autobiography. His work entered major collections including the Museum of Modern Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and he participated in Documenta 6 in 1977. His archive is housed at the Carnegie Museum of Art.

A Basel without Art Basel?

"Ein Basel ohne Art Basel?"

The article reports on several art-world developments. The board of trustees of the KHM Museum Association in Vienna has reaffirmed its confidence in directors Jonathan Fine and Paul Frey after an independent investigation by labor law expert Sieglinde Gahleitner found that allegations of mobbing and bossing by Veronika Sandbichler were not substantiated, though communication deficiencies were noted. Separately, Luisa Taliento explores unusual Italian 'Casa-Musei' (house museums) as an alternative to overcrowded major museums, highlighting the Museo Casa Mollino in Turin, Casa Museo Lodovico Pogliaghi in Varese, and Casa Museo Remo Brindisi as total works of art. In architecture news, Hanno Rauterberg reflects on the renovation of Schloss Bellevue and the move of the German president to a new building by Sauerbruch Hutton, while critics Gesine Borcherdt and Tobias Timm offer opposing views on the exhibition 'Freiraum Kunst' at the palace. Finally, Claude Bühler investigates whether Basel is losing relevance as Art Basel expands into Paris, citing concerns from Basel gallerist Stefan von Bartha.

Beer With a Painter: Samia Halaby

Hyperallergic's "Beer With a Painter" series features Palestinian-American abstract painter Samia Halaby in her longtime Tribeca studio. Over sage tea, Halaby discusses her seven-decade career, her experimentation with color, and how she "accidentally stepped into abstraction." The article covers her early life—born in Jerusalem in 1936, displaced during the Nakba, and moving to the U.S. in 1951—as well as her Marxist philosophy, her activism for Palestinian rights, and the evolution of her work from geometric still lifes to kinetic digital paintings. It also notes that her first museum survey was held in 2024 at the Broad Art Museum, but Indiana University canceled its half of the show, which many view as suppression of Palestinian voices.

Nayland Blake Doesn’t Believe in Fixed Selves

Nayland Blake, a nonbinary and pansexual artist known for their cerebral, kinky, and humorous work, is featured in Hyperallergic’s 2026 Pride Month series. The interview covers their coming out, their artistic process of making work to understand identity, and their belief that identity is unfixed and continually remade. Blake discusses their early inspirations from theater and literature, and how they interrogate their own creations to explore who they are. They are a co-director of the Studio Art program at Bard College and have exhibited at major institutions including SFMOMA and the Whitney Museum.

Danielle Mckinney's Portraits of Black Women at Rest

Danielle Mckinney's exhibition "Forest for the Trees" at Marianne Boesky Gallery in Chelsea presents portraits of solitary Black women in states of leisure and repose, rendered in both watercolor and oil. The works feature recurring motifs like red nails, metallic eye accents, and cigarette smoke, creating intimate scenes of private domestic space. The exhibition coincides with a survey of Mckinney's work at the Norton Museum of Art, running through October 4.

Inside Chicago’s Obama Center

The article reports on the upcoming opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago's Jackson Park, a new $850 million campus designed to embody the legacy of Barack and Michelle Obama. It features artworks by Idris Khan, Maya Lin, and others, and is set to open to the public later this month. The piece also covers a planned nationwide strike by Italian cultural workers on June 12, demanding better working conditions and solidarity with Palestine, and notes controversial renderings of a Penn Station redesign that prominently display Trump's name.

The World That Held Peter Hujar and Paul Thek

Andrew Durbin's new dual biography, *The Wonderful World That Almost Was: A Life of Peter Hujar and Paul Thek* (2026), explores the intertwined lives of photographer Peter Hujar and visual artist Paul Thek. The book traces their relationship from their first meeting in Florida in their early 20s through their artistic development, shifting from lovers and confidantes to a more complex bond marked by longing and resentment, ending with both dying of AIDS in the late 1980s. The review highlights a renewed interest in the artists, citing recent exhibitions and a film.

Sanford Wurmfeld’s Unstable Geometry

Hyperallergic reviews Sanford Wurmfeld's exhibition "Squares 1971–74" at Ceysson & Bénétière in New York, featuring six paintings and one study from 1971 to 1974. The show highlights Wurmfeld's methodical exploration of color through gridded compositions of one-inch squares, using a limited palette of four hues to create optical interactions that shift as the viewer looks. Wurmfeld, who was the youngest artist in MoMA's 1968 "Art of the Real" exhibition, has long operated under the radar of the New York art world.

"Man biegt die Röhren wie Makkaroni"

This roundup of art news covers several stories: Sotheby's failed private auction of Jackson Pollock's "Number 19, 1951" from Arne Glimcher's collection; a restitution lawsuit filed in New York for Gustav Klimt's "Fräulein Lieser" against the Austrian owner and auction house im Kinsky; a critical reflection on the purpose of Gallery Weekends amid market pressure; a tribute to the late Hilde Lynn Helphenstein, creator of the Instagram account "Jerry Gogosian"; and a feature on the 100-year anniversary of Marcel Breuer's Wassily Chair and the Bauhaus tubular steel furniture revolution.

Artist Julio Le Parc, Maestro of Light, Movement, and Defiance, Dies at 97

Julio Le Parc, the Franco-Argentine artist known for his kinetic and Op art works that transformed spectators into active participants, died in Paris on May 30 at age 97. His passing came just days before a major career retrospective at the Tate Modern in London, scheduled to open June 11, which will now serve as a posthumous tribute. Le Parc was the last surviving founding member of the artist collective Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel (GRAV) and was celebrated for his use of mirrors, motorized light boxes, and interactive devices that required viewer movement to complete the artwork.

"Ohne die Künstler sind wir als Galeristen alle nichts"

A recent art news roundup from Monopol covers several stories: a debate in 'Frieze' criticizes contemporary art for ignoring digital misogyny and the 'manosphere'; the AfD's cultural policy in German states promotes a 'patriotic turn' and rejects modern art like Bauhaus; a possible lead in the Louvre jewel heist points to Belgium, with photos of the Galerie d'Apollon found on suspects' phones; and Marion Ackermann discusses cultural polarization and defending artistic freedom.

It's Art-World Summer in NYC

Hyperallergic's New York newsletter celebrates the unofficial start of summer in the art world, highlighting key exhibitions and events. These include Betye Saar's personal collection of Black dolls on view at the New York Historical, a promised gift for her 100th birthday; Roberto Lugo's hand-painted portraits in Madison Square Park; and Pioneer Works's annual 3D-printed boat regatta. The newsletter also features performance artist Linda Mary Montano's home-shrine tour, an MFA show confronting Columbia University over Gaza, and critical reviews of Ceija Stojka at the Drawing Center and Karla Knight at Andrew Edlin Gallery.

How Betye Saar Set Black Dolls Free

An exhibition at the New York Historical celebrates Betye Saar’s promised gift of her collection of over 100 Black dolls to the institution, coinciding with her upcoming 100th birthday. The show, on view through October 4, features dolls alongside Saar’s paintings, prints, and sculptures, including works like “The Liberation of Aunt Jemima” (1972) and “Indigo Mercy” (1975). Saar began collecting Black dolls in 1949 and has incorporated them into her art since the 1970s, using watercolors during the COVID-19 pandemic to reimagine them in mystical scenes.

Remembering F. John Sierra, Valie Export, and Mary Lovelace O’Neal

This week's In Memoriam column honors seven figures from the art world who recently passed away, including muralist and Chicano art champion F. John Sierra (1942–2026), Austrian feminist performance and film artist Valie Export (1940–2026), and painter and Civil Rights activist Mary Lovelace O'Neal (1942–2026). Also remembered are Maltese coin and monument designer Noel Galea Bason (1955–2026), Iranian-Irish gallerist and polymath Jamshid MirFenderesky (1947–2026), Philadelphia painter and educator Peter Paone (1936–2026), and Italian sculptor and installation artist Remo Salvadori (1947–2026). Each entry highlights their key contributions, from founding institutions and participating in major biennials to shaping cultural identity and challenging societal norms through art.

Jonathas de Andrade - En galerie

Jonathas de Andrade's solo exhibition, titled "Ivresse d’une vie de bain de mer," is on view at Galleria Continua in Paris. The show brings together recent and never-before-seen works inspired by Brazilian Neo-Concretism and geometric abstraction. Andrade transforms vernacular forms into chromatic compositions, drawing from a project initiated after a 2025 commission from the Victoria and Albert Museum. The works engage with the materials and practices of maritime communities in northeastern Brazil, particularly canoeiros and jangadeiros (fishermen and raft sailors). The exhibition includes the film "Jangadeiros e Canoeiros" (2025), along with silkscreens, recycled sails, and paintings on wood, blending photography, abstraction, and readymade elements.

Julio Le Parc, master of kinetic art with hypnotic colors, dies at 97

Julio Le Parc, maître de l’art cinétique aux couleurs hypnotiques, est mort à 97 ans

Julio Le Parc, the Franco-Argentine master of kinetic and Op Art, died on May 30 in Paris at age 97. A founding member of the Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel (GRAV) in 1960, he spent six decades exploring light, movement, and perception, creating immersive environments, suspended plexiglass spheres, and optical devices that made the viewer an active participant. His death comes just before the opening of a major retrospective, "Julio Le Parc - Light, Colour, Action," at Tate Modern in London on June 11, 2026, which will feature 60 of his works through May 3, 2027.

Celebrated in the 1970s, American artist Nancy Graves returns to the spotlight at Ceysson & Bénétière

Célébrée dans les années 1970, l’artiste américaine Nancy Graves retrouve la lumière chez Ceysson & Bénétière

Beaux Arts Magazine reports on a resurgence of interest in American artist Nancy Graves (1939–1995), highlighted by a new exhibition at Ceysson & Bénétière. Graves, who worked across painting, sculpture, film, and stage design, was a rising star in the 1970s—exhibiting at MoMA and the National Gallery of Art, and becoming the youngest artist to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art at age 29. The article traces her career from studying literature at Vassar and art at Yale, to her brief marriage to sculptor Richard Serra, and her pioneering use of NASA satellite imagery and natural history themes in works like her life-size camel sculptures.

Argentinian artist Pablo Bronstein joins Olney Gleason.

New York gallery Olney Gleason has announced representation of London-based Argentinian artist Pablo Bronstein, in collaboration with London gallery Herald St and Galleria Franco Noero. Bronstein’s first exhibition with Olney Gleason is scheduled to open in September 2026.

Artist Kara Walker stars in Loewe anniversary campaign.

Artist Kara Walker has appeared in Loewe's 180th anniversary campaign, photographed by Talia Chetrit. She joins a cast that includes actresses Sissy Spacek, Julia Garner, Kara Wai, and Salma Abu Deif, as well as K-pop star Giselle from aespa. The campaign celebrates the Spanish fashion house's founding in 1846.

Tina Kim Gallery announces representation of the estate of Kim Lim.

Tina Kim Gallery has announced U.S. representation of the estate of Kim Lim, the British Singaporean sculptor and printmaker. The gallery will debut Lim's work at Art Basel in June, followed by a solo exhibition in New York in spring 2027—the first solo presentation of her work in the United States. Axel Vervoordt Gallery will continue to represent the artist's estate.

Arghavan Khosravi’s Intricate Paintings Find Hope amid Oppression

Arghavan Khosravi creates intricate, surreal three-dimensional paintings that blend sculptural elements with painted canvases, featuring hidden details such as creased book spines, concealed female figures, and glowing bullets. In an interview at her Connecticut studio, she explains her preference for works that reveal themselves gradually over time, rather than shouting for attention.

‘Hold to This Earth’ Surveys the Abundance of American Indigenous Contemporary Art

A new exhibition titled 'Hold to This Earth' at Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield, U.K., will open on June 13 and run through April 18, 2027. It features nearly 70 works by 38 artists representing 35 Tribal Nations, making it the largest presentation of American Indigenous contemporary art in the U.K. to date. The works are drawn from the Tia Collection and include pieces by Jeffrey Gibson, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Raven Halfmoon, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Dyani White Hawk, Nicholas Galanin, and others, spanning media from beads and clay to digital photography and mixed media.

The Photographs that Shaped the Black Arts Movement in the Mid-20th Century

The Mississippi Museum of Art will present "Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955-1985," an exhibition featuring over 100 photographers whose work shaped the Black Arts Movement. The show includes iconic images such as Ernest Withers's 1968 photograph of Memphis sanitation workers striking with "I Am A Man" signs, Ming Smith's portrait of Sun Ra, and Ralph Arnold's collage critiquing war and violence. Running from July 25 to November 8 in Jackson, the exhibition spans editorial and commercial photography, self-portraits, and mixed-media works that document protest, cultural identity, and resistance during the Jim Crow era.

Julius von Bismarck “This is not the storm” at Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne

Julius von Bismarck's first Australian solo exhibition, "This is not the storm," opens at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) in Melbourne on Friday, 17 April. The Berlin-based artist blends art, science, and environmental themes to challenge conventional perceptions of nature as a social construct.

Cats, flowers and Harry Hill’s car on fire – RA Summer Exhibition review

The 2024 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, coordinated by conceptual artist Ryan Gander, is reviewed as being less awful than usual. Gander introduces strangeness to the historic open-submission show, including a video of Bowie karaoke and a disembodied corpse in a living-room installation. The exhibition features thousands of works, from amateur flower drawings to pieces by Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley, and Sean Scully, alongside standout contributions from Harry Hill (paintings of cars on fire), Harriet Porter, and Glen Pudvine. The review notes the show's overwhelming density and its function as a buying opportunity for the public.

Mexico City museum with world's richest collection of Kahlo and Rivera works reopens after years of controversy

The Museo Dolores Olmedo in Xochimilco, Mexico City, reopened on May 30 after six years of closure and controversy over a planned relocation. The museum, housed in a former 16th-century hacienda, showcases the world's richest collection of works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, along with founder Dolores Olmedo's pre-Hispanic and popular arts. New galleries highlight Olmedo's private spaces and her decades-long bond with Rivera, including 98 of his works arranged chronologically and Kahlo's iconic painting *The Broken Column* (1944).

5 Books on Steffani Jemison’s Shelf

Artist Steffani Jemison, whose work appears in the New Museum's "New Humans" exhibition, shares five books from her shelf in an interview with ARTnews. She discusses John Keene's "Counternarratives" and Kevin Quashie's "Black Aliveness," among others, explaining how these texts inform her practice, which moves between writing and visual art and explores alternative literacies, historical gaps, and Black world-making.