Mapping the Exhibitions to See in Rome During the Easter Period 2026

Mappatura delle mostre da vedere a Roma durante il periodo di Pasqua 2026

Rome's cultural institutions are presenting a diverse lineup of exhibitions for the Easter 2026 holiday period. Major shows include 'Treasures of the Pharaohs' at the Scuderie del Quirinale, a Hokusai retrospective at Palazzo Bonaparte, 'Flowers. From the Renaissance to Artificial Intelligence' at the Chiostro del Bramante, 'Bernini and the Barberini' at the Gallerie Nazionali Barberini Corsini, a show on Roman villas and gardens at Palazzo Braschi, and 'Impressionism and Beyond' at the Museo dell'Ara Pacis.

‘Barbara Windsor smacked our bottoms!’ Pet Shop Boys on showstopping visuals, horrified bosses – and snubbing the queen

The Pet Shop Boys have released a comprehensive 600-page visual monograph titled 'Pet Shop Boys: Volume,' documenting over 40 years of their aesthetic evolution. The book explores the duo's collaboration with high-profile artists, photographers, and directors including Wolfgang Tillmans, Alasdair McLellan, Derek Jarman, and long-time designer Mark Farrow. It highlights how Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe utilized the music industry's 1980s boom to treat pop music as a 'Gesamtkunstwerk' (total work of art), merging avant-garde fashion, minimalist graphic design, and cinematic music videos.

MoMA Plans a Retrospective for Marcel Duchamp, the Dada Artist Who Was Unimpressed With His Own Masterpieces

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York will open a major retrospective of Marcel Duchamp in April 2026, marking the first U.S. retrospective for the artist in over 50 years. The exhibition will feature more than 200 works, including a 1968 replica of his infamous 'Fountain,' spanning his experiments in Cubism, Futurism, film, photography, and his pioneering readymades.

7 Iconic Works From Alexander Calder’s Major Paris Retrospective

The Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris is presenting a major retrospective of Alexander Calder's work, titled "Calder. Rêver en Équilibre" ("Calder. Dreaming in Balance"). The exhibition, marking the 50th anniversary of the artist's death and the centenary of his first arrival in France, features nearly 300 works, including his iconic mobiles and stabiles.

The Martin Parr Revolution

La révolution Martin Parr

The Jeu de Paume museum in Paris is presenting a major exhibition of the late British photographer Martin Parr, on view until May 24. The show coincides with the release of a documentary film, "I am Martin Parr, le photographe so British," which follows the artist and features interviews with his wife, gallerists, and fellow Magnum Photos members.

Guernica will remain in Madrid

Guernica restera à Madrid

The Spanish government has officially confirmed that Pablo Picasso’s anti-war masterpiece, Guernica, will remain at the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid. This decision puts an end to long-standing requests from the Basque Country to have the mural moved to Bilbao, specifically to the Guggenheim Museum, or to Guernica itself, the town whose 1937 bombing inspired the work.

Near Paris, this mythical restaurant transports us into a Renoir masterpiece

Près de Paris, ce mythique restaurant nous transporte dans un chef-d’œuvre de Renoir

The historic Maison Fournaise in Chatou, a legendary riverside restaurant and inn near Paris, has been meticulously restored to its 19th-century glory. Once a central hub for the Impressionist movement, the site served as the specific setting for Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s 1881 masterpiece, "Luncheon of the Boating Party." The restoration, led by the Ludéric group and featuring a menu by Michelin-starred chef Christian Le Squer, coincides with major Renoir exhibitions at the Musée d’Orsay.

Series, documentaries, films… All the art to see on streaming platforms right now

Séries, documentaires, films… Tout l’art à voir sur les plateformes en ce moment

Beaux Arts Magazine has curated a comprehensive selection of art-focused films, documentaries, and series currently available on major streaming platforms like Netflix, Arte.tv, and France.tv. The selection highlights diverse narratives, including the investigative documentary regarding a rediscovered Gustav Klimt portrait of a Ghanaian prince, an AI-assisted exploration of Andy Warhol’s diaries, and the cinematic dramatization of Varian Fry’s efforts to rescue artists like Chagall and Duchamp from Nazi-occupied France.

The Beautiful Renaissance of the [mac] in Marseille

La belle renaissance du [mac] à Marseille

The [mac] (Musée d’Art Contemporain) in Marseille is undergoing a significant revival following years of stagnation and underfunding. Under the new leadership of Stéphanie Airaud, who was appointed in 2023, the museum has completed major renovations including updated storage facilities, a new rooftop terrace, and a reorganized gallery layout. The institution is leveraging its impressive but previously underutilized collection of over 1,000 works—featuring masters like Basquiat, Klein, and Saint Phalle—while actively working to correct historical gender imbalances and strengthen ties to Mediterranean contemporary art.

Kerstin Brätsch at Kunstmuseum Bonn

German artist Kerstin Brätsch has opened a comprehensive solo exhibition titled "MƎTAATEM" at Kunstmuseum Bonn. The presentation features a vast array of works that document her experimental approach to painting, including her signature use of glass, marbling, and collaborative processes that challenge the traditional boundaries of the medium.

Auguste Renoir in 2 Minutes

Auguste Renoir en 2 minutes

Pierre-Auguste Renoir remains a cornerstone of Impressionism, celebrated for his transition from porcelain painting to becoming a master of figure and light. While he initially pioneered plein air techniques alongside Claude Monet, Renoir eventually pivoted toward a more classical study of 18th-century masters, focusing on portraits, domestic scenes, and nudes. His career was marked by iconic works like 'Bal du moulin de la Galette' and a persistent drive to paint even as severe rheumatism physically debilitated him in his final years at Cagnes-sur-Mer.

Giverny Before the Water Lilies: An Unknown and Intimate Monet Revealed at the Museum of Impressionisms

Giverny avant les nymphéas : un Monet méconnu et intime se dévoile au musée des Impressionnismes

The Musée des Impressionnismes in Giverny is presenting an exhibition focused on Claude Monet's first seven years in the village, a period before he created his famous water lily pond. The show, assembled for the centenary of his death, features lesser-known works from private collections and small museums, revealing a Monet grappling with financial instability, family scandal, and artistic doubt as he transitioned to stability and fame.

“Marina Abramović: Balkan Erotic Epic. The Exhibition” at Gropius Bau, Berlin

Marina Abramović presents her first major exhibition in Berlin since the 1990s at Gropius Bau, titled "Balkan Erotic Epic. The Exhibition." The show juxtaposes historic works from the 1970s with new video installations, exploring how the artist uses the body as a vital force to confront political systems, histories, and mythologies of the Balkan countries.

Queer Horizon: “Spectrosynthesis Seoul” at Art Sonje Center

The fourth edition of "Spectrosynthesis," Sunpride Foundation's exhibition series dedicated to LGBTQ+ art in Asia, opens at Art Sonje Center in Seoul. Curated by Sunjung Kim and Youngwoo Lee, the show unfolds in two parts: "The Two-Sided Seashell" and "Tender: Invisibly Visible, Unlocatably Everywhere," featuring works by artists including Sin Wai Kin and Young-Jun Tak. The exhibition engages with queer theory, particularly José Esteban Muñoz's concept of queerness as a horizon of potentiality, and responds to South Korea's recent political turbulence, including the 2024 martial law declaration and presidential impeachment.

What Is the Venice Biennale? Everything You Need to Know

The Venice Biennale returns for its 61st edition, running from May 9 to November 22, 2026. The event, often called the Olympics of the art world, comprises a central exhibition curated by an artistic director, national pavilions from dozens of countries, and officially approved Collateral Events. This year's edition was to be curated by Koyo Kouoh, a celebrated Cameroonian-born curator, but she died at 57 in May 2025 before announcing the title and theme, “In Minor Keys.” The Biennale organization has moved forward with a team of five curatorial advisers executing her vision. The event is overseen by president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco and is expected to draw over 800,000 visitors.

Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s Art Speaks in a Language Left for Us to Translate

The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) is concluding "Multiple Offerings," the most comprehensive retrospective of Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s work in 25 years. The exhibition traces the multidisciplinary career of the Korean American artist, who explored themes of exile, diaspora, and the fluidity of language through poetry, film, and performance before her tragic death in 1982. Curated by Victoria Sung, the show features over 100 works paired with pieces by mentors and contemporary artists influenced by her legacy.

Edmonia Lewis Was the Earliest Known Black Artist to Depict Emancipation. This Is Her First Retrospective.

The Peabody Essex Museum is hosting "Said in Stone," the first-ever comprehensive retrospective dedicated to Edmonia Lewis, a pioneering 19th-century sculptor of Black and Ojibwe heritage. The exhibition assembles a significant body of her marble works, including the landmark sculpture "Forever Free" (1867), which is recognized as the first formal visual representation of emancipation by a Black American artist. The show traces her journey from her upbringing with her Ojibwe family and her traumatic years at Oberlin College to her eventual success as an expatriate artist in Rome.

Rare Medieval Seal Rediscovered After 40-Year Disappearance

A rare 11th-century wax seal belonging to the Anglo-Saxon king Edward the Confessor has been rediscovered in France’s National Archives after being missing for over 40 years. The artifact, known as the Saint-Denis seal, was not stolen but rather misplaced due to a clerical error during a conservation transfer decades ago. It was identified by doctoral student Guilhem Dorandeu, who noticed the misfiled item while conducting research.

bavaria will investigate claims looted art returned nazis 558638

The Bavarian Parliament has unanimously ordered a comprehensive investigation into revelations that the state returned Nazi-looted artworks to the families of high-ranking Nazi officials instead of their rightful Jewish owners. A report by the Commission for Looted Art in Europe (CLAE) exposed that state-owned museums in Munich profited from these stolen works for decades, in some cases selling them back to Nazi descendants at nominal prices or keeping them in public collections.

National Museum of Korea Seoul sees a surge in visitor numbers

The National Museum of Korea in Seoul reported a dramatic increase in annual visitors, rising from 3.8 million in 2024 to 6.5 million in 2025. This surge included a record 230,000 international visitors, marking the first time the museum has surpassed 200,000 foreign attendees in a single year.

National Gallery picks Tokyo Olympic stadium architect to design new wing

The National Gallery in London has selected Japanese architect Kengo Kuma to design a major new wing as part of its ambitious £750m "Project Domani." Kuma, known for the Tokyo Olympic stadium and V&A Dundee, beat out high-profile competitors including Norman Foster and Renzo Piano. The expansion will occupy a site near Trafalgar Square currently housing a hotel and office complex, and is supported by record-breaking £150m donations from both the Julia Rausing Trust and the Crankstart foundation.

How Claude Monet’s reluctant sojourn reignited his career

A new exhibition, "Monet and Venice," has opened at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. It centers on the pivotal 1908 trip to Venice that the 68-year-old Claude Monet was initially reluctant to take, showcasing over 20 of the luminous, atmospheric paintings of the city he produced there. The show also includes over 100 related items, featuring works by Canaletto, Turner, Sargent, and Whistler, as well as photographs and books, to contextualize Monet's Venetian achievement.

A Senegalese Artist Who Crossed Boundaries Others Didn’t Dare

A major exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is dedicated to the work of Senegalese modernist painter Iba Ndiaye. The show, "Iba Ndiaye: The Studio of the World," presents a comprehensive look at his career, tracing his journey from Senegal to Paris and his unique synthesis of global artistic traditions.

Negative Impressions and Positive Traces of ’20th Century Debris’.

Marc Brandenburg's solo exhibition '20th Century Debris' is on view at the Berlinische Galerie in Berlin until September 14, 2026. The show features approximately 150 works, including early drawings from the 1990s, recent pieces, video, photography, and tattoo editions, all exploring spectral cityscapes and the debris of contemporary life through a process of tonal reversal and inversion.

​Lina Osama’s “Eyes Full of Dreams” exhibition at Picasso Zamalek is a must see

The article is a comprehensive listing of current and upcoming art exhibitions in Cairo, Egypt. It details numerous shows across various venues, including the "Disruption" senior exhibition at the Sharjah Art Gallery, the "Beyond Van Gogh" immersive experience in New Cairo, and group and solo shows at galleries like Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art and Picasso Zamalek.

Ukrainian Dreamers from Kharkiv: photography exhibition of the Radvila Palace Museum of Art – on courage to dream and create

The Radvila Palace Museum of Art in Vilnius, Lithuania, has opened a major exhibition titled 'Ukrainian Dreamers: The Kharkiv School of Photography.' The show, created in collaboration with the Museum of Kharkiv School of Photography, presents the work of 33 artists and groups across four generations, featuring hundreds of photographs, videos, and archival objects. It traces the school's evolution from its rebellious origins in the 1970s under Soviet censorship through Ukraine's independence and up to the present day of ongoing Russian military aggression.

Gary E. Harris Exhibition To Open At Pittsford Fine Art

Pittsford Fine Art will host a solo exhibition of oil paintings by Western New York artist Gary E. Harris from May 1 through May 31, 2026. The showcase features landscapes inspired by Cape Cod and Western New York, alongside still life works that emphasize light, atmosphere, and open composition. Harris, a former creative director who transitioned to full-time painting, draws significant influence from 19th-century French Impressionism.

Elizabeth Blackadder exhibition to showcase 'meaningful' 50 year collaboration with Scottish studio

Edinburgh’s Dovecot Studios is launching a major exhibition titled "Elizabeth Blackadder: Her Life in Colour" to celebrate the late artist’s 50-year collaboration with the tapestry studio. The show features over 30 tapestries and hand-tufted rugs, headlined by the debut of a newly created rug based on Blackadder’s 1975 painting, "The Red Bouquet." The exhibition also incorporates works from the Royal Scottish Academy’s collection to provide a comprehensive look at her legacy.

Getty Features Timeless Artifacts with ‘Photography and the Black Arts Movement 1955-1985’

The Getty Museum is hosting a comprehensive exhibition titled “Photography and the Black Arts Movement 1955-1985,” featuring over 150 works including paintings, photographs, video art, and archival memorabilia. Developed in partnership with Cal State Northridge, the show highlights the pivotal role of Black photographers and artists in documenting and shaping the Civil Rights era and the subsequent Black Arts Movement. The collection includes iconic imagery from figures like Barkley L. Hendricks and Gordon Parks, as well as local Los Angeles legends such as Betye Saar and Harry Adams.

The best fashion exhibitions to see for spring 2026

Major museums across Europe are launching a series of high-profile fashion retrospectives for the Spring 2026 season. Highlights include the first official exhibition dedicated to Helmut Lang at MAK Vienna, a comparative study of Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Dior in Paris, and a comprehensive Vivienne Westwood retrospective at The Bowes Museum. Additionally, the V&A in London is hosting the UK’s first-ever Schiaparelli exhibition, while Charleston explores the literary influence of the Hogarth Press through a collaboration with designer Kim Jones.