The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Spring 2026 Exhibition Program

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has unveiled its extensive exhibition schedule through June 2026, headlined by the first comprehensive U.S. retrospective of the Renaissance master Raphael. This landmark show will feature over 200 works, including rare loans and masterpieces. Other major highlights include the spring Costume Institute exhibition, "Costume Art," which will inaugurate a new 12,000-square-foot gallery suite, and "Musical Bodies," an interdisciplinary look at the relationship between instruments and the human form.

News, April 14, 2026

The University of Colorado Boulder's Department of Art and Art History has announced a series of spring events, including the 'Art History Showcase' featuring scholarship by Tylyn King, Bella Malherbe, and Felicity Wong. The program also highlights the second group of the 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition featuring Ethan Cherry, Brionna Garcia, and Cal Young, alongside a visiting artist lecture by Rutgers professor Barbara Madsen and a symposium on Black Queer Aesthetics.

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.

Kimbell Art Museum’s free community programs this spring

The Kimbell Art Museum has announced an extensive lineup of free community programming for the Spring 2026 season. The schedule features a diverse array of events including gallery discussions, hands-on art-making workshops for children, live music performances, and scholarly lectures. A significant portion of the programming is designed to complement the special exhibition, "The Holy Sepulcher: Treasures from the Terra Sancta Museum, Jerusalem," through documentary screenings and expert-led talks.

What to See and Do at the Denver Art Museum - Spring 2026 Guide

The Denver Art Museum has unveiled its spring 2026 programming, featuring a diverse slate of new and ongoing exhibitions. Highlights include the loan of two Rembrandt portraits from the National Gallery of Art, a major survey of contemporary Australian Indigenous art, and exhibitions on fashion, design, and regional printmaking. The season also sees the reinstallation of Francisco Clapera's complete casta painting series and new collection displays ranging from Japanese bamboo art to historic flatware.

10 Chicago art exhibitions we’re most excited about in spring 2026

Chicago’s major cultural institutions have unveiled a diverse lineup of exhibitions for the spring 2026 season, ranging from historical retrospectives to pop-culture crossovers. Highlights include the U.S. debut of the Pokémon Fossil Museum at the Field Museum, a rare display of Henri Matisse’s cut-paper maquettes at the Art Institute of Chicago, and an immersive recreation of Anne Frank’s Secret Annex at the Griffin Museum of Science & Industry. Other notable shows explore the intersection of contemporary art and Caribbean music genres at the MCA Chicago and a site-specific residency by Brendan Fernandes at the Driehaus Museum.

Hyperallergic Spring 2026 New York Art Guide

The Hyperallergic Spring 2026 New York Art Guide outlines a massive seasonal program featuring nearly 70 exhibitions across the city's major institutions and alternative spaces. High-profile highlights include a Marcel Duchamp retrospective at MoMA, the first major U.S. exhibition of Raphael at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the return of the Whitney Biennial, and the reopening of the New Museum. The guide also previews diverse showcases ranging from Molly Crabapple’s activist posters at Poster House to a rare Caravaggio loan at the Morgan Library.

What’s on now at San Francisco museums, March 2026

San Francisco’s museum landscape is undergoing a significant seasonal shift with several high-profile openings and closings scheduled for Spring 2026. Major highlights include the de Young Museum’s 'Monet and Venice' exhibition, Chiharu Shiota’s debut at the Asian Art Museum, and a major rehang of the Fisher Collection at SFMOMA. However, the scene faces a somber note as the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts has suspended operations due to financial or structural difficulties, prompting calls for city intervention.

The Met Announces New Details for the 2026 Met Gala and Spring Costume Art Exhibition

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has unveiled details for its Spring 2026 Costume Institute exhibition, titled "Costume Art," and the accompanying Met Gala. Opening May 10, 2026, the exhibition will explore the relationship between the dressed body and art history by pairing garments with artworks from the museum's permanent collection. The event will also inaugurate the new 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast Galleries, designed by Peterson Rich Office, which are dedicated to fashion and cross-departmental displays.

LACMA’s new galleries have an opening date(s). Here’s when you can visit.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has announced the opening schedule for its long-awaited David Geffen Galleries, a new single-building replacement for its eastern campus. A ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 19, 2026, will kick off two weeks of previews for members and donors, with general public access beginning on May 4. The building, designed by architect Peter Zumthor, will feature a mix of returning collection highlights, recent acquisitions, and new commissions.

Fairfield University Explores 250 Years of the American Experiment

Fairfield University has launched America250: The Promise and Paradox, a suite of programming marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The spring 2026 lineup includes the exhibition "For Which It Stands…" at the Fairfield University Art Museum, featuring over 70 works that trace depictions of the American flag from World War I to the present. Additional events include a conversation with filmmaker Ken Burns, lectures by CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Whitney Museum Director Scott Rothkopf, performances such as "Big River" and "Jazz at Lincoln Center's Great American Crooners," and a screening of the short film "Reclaim the Flag."

Denver Art Museum showcases timeless elegance and trailblazing style with Conversation Pieces: Stories from the Fashion Archives in Spring 2026

The Denver Art Museum (DAM) will present "Conversation Pieces: Stories from the Fashion Archives" in spring 2026, an exhibition drawn from its permanent fashion collection. Curated by Jill D’Alessandro, the show pairs historic and contemporary garments—such as an 1896 House of Worth ballgown with a Rick Owens piece from Spring/Summer 2020—to highlight fashion as an artistic discipline. It also features a section on the little black dress, including a 1926 Chanel shift dress, and an interactive installation by Denver-based KaraKara Blooms. The exhibition precedes a blockbuster show, "DIVA," organized with the V&A Museum in London, which will have its exclusive U.S. venue at DAM in fall 2026.

Spring 2026 Exhibitions Opening Celebration

The Wexner Center for the Arts at Ohio State University has announced its Spring 2026 exhibitions lineup, featuring works by Vitória Cribb, Ximena Garrido-Lecca, Eric N. Mack, Hew Locke, and Naeem Mohaiemen. Highlights include Cribb's 'echoes of a wet finger,' commissioned by Sharjah Art Biennial 16 and Mercosul Biennial 14, and solo presentations by Garrido-Lecca, Mack, and Locke, as well as Mohaiemen's film and video works. The season is supported by a range of funders including the American Electric Power Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

December 2025 Opportunities: Open Calls, Residencies, and Grants for Artists

This article compiles a list of open calls, residencies, and grants for artists and photographers with deadlines in late 2025 and early 2026. Opportunities include the Rotterdam Photo 2026 open call themed 'Echoes of Silence—War in the Artist’s Soul,' offering exhibition space in multiple European cities; the Innovate Grant awarding $1,800 each to one visual artist and one photographer; the Ah Haa School for the Arts' HAHA 2026 immersive installation opportunity; Decagon Gallery's Sanctuary open call with cash prizes; the Biafarin Awards providing $4,000 CAD in grants plus global exposure; PeepSpace's exhibition proposal call; and All About Photo's Nature Photography Contest.

59th Carnegie International's inaugural artist commissions revealed

Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh has announced the first 14 artists for its 59th Carnegie International, running from May 2026 to January 2027. Participants include Torkwase Dyson, Alia Farid, Sanchayan Ghosh, Jonathan González, Abraham González Pacheco, Eric Gyamfi, G. Peter Jemison, Liz Johnson Artur, Arturo Kameya, Claudia Martínez Garay, Cinthia Marcelle, Shala Miller, Brooke O’Harra, Sofu Teshigahara, and Ginger Brooks Takahashi. The exhibition, curated by Ryan Inouye, Liz Park, and Danielle A. Jackson, will feature commissions across multiple disciplines, including a planetarium animation, sound installations, photography, performance, and public outdoor works. Venues include the Carnegie Museum of Art, Children’s Museum, Kamin Science Center, Mattress Factory, and Thelma Lovette YMCA.

A brush with… Jane and Louise Wilson—podcast

Jane and Louise Wilson, identical twin artists born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1967, are featured in a podcast interview where they discuss their collaborative practice since the late 1980s. Working primarily in video installation, photography, and sound, they explore duality and selfhood through loaded sites like abandoned military bases and borderlands. The podcast covers their early inspirations, including John Martin and Cindy Sherman, and the influence of filmmakers such as Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Jean Cocteau, and Stanley Kubrick. Their current exhibitions include 'Performance of Entrapment' at London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE (until 10 January 2026) and 'Dendrophiles' at Leadenhall Building as part of Sculpture in the City, London (until spring 2026).

Lee Ufan donates eight paintings to Dia Art Foundation

Korean artist Lee Ufan, a key figure in the Mono-ha movement, has donated eight paintings from the 1970s to the 1990s to the Dia Art Foundation in New York. The works, from his From Point, From Line, and With Winds series, will be featured in a spring 2026 exhibition at Dia Beacon alongside sculptural installations already in the foundation's collection. Lee is also collaborating with Avant Arte on a limited-edition print release to support Dia's programming.

Thiago de Paula Souza Appointed Curator of Eighth Athens Biennale

Thiago de Paula Souza, a Brazilian-born curator and educator, has been appointed curator of the Eighth Athens Biennale, scheduled for spring 2026. De Paula Souza, based in São Paulo and a member of the artistic committee of NESR Art Foundation in Angola, is recognized for focusing on artistic practices involving transmutation through eroticism, gender nonconformity, and intimacy. He previously cocurated the 2025 Bienal de São Paulo, the 2024 Panorama da Arte Brasileira at MAM São Paulo, and the survey “Some May Work as Symbols: Art Made in Brazil, 1950s–70s” at Raven Row, London, and served on the curatorial team of the 2018 Berlin Biennale.

Not Just the Biennale: What to See in Venice in Spring 2026 Among Galleries, Independent Spaces, and Special Projects

Non solo Biennale: cosa vedere a Venezia nella primavera 2026 tra gallerie, spazi indipendenti e progetti speciali

The article highlights a curated selection of exhibitions to see in Venice during spring 2026, beyond the main shows of the 61st Venice Biennale. It features projects in galleries, independent spaces, and historic venues, including a group show titled "Waves" at Casa Sanlorenzo with works by Alexander Calder and Lucio Fontana, a video installation by Ieva Lygnugarytė at Oratorio dei Crociferi, a Judy Chicago survey at Galleria Alberta Pane, a solo show by Hanna Rochereau at Mare Karina, and a Barry X Ball retrospective at the Abbey of San Giorgio Maggiore.

affordable art fair new york city

The Affordable Art Fair New York returns for its spring 2026 edition at the Starrett-Lehigh Building in Chelsea, featuring a diverse array of local and international exhibitors. A central highlight of this year's fair is the curated exhibition "Sight Unseen: How Photography Shapes Perception," which showcases artists pushing the boundaries of photography through new technologies, sculptural elements, and alternative processes. All works at the fair are priced between $100 and $12,000, maintaining the event's commitment to price transparency and accessibility.

Sasaoka Yuriko’s Violent Puppeteering

The Shiga Museum of Art is hosting "Paradise Dungeon," a comprehensive exhibition of Sasaoka Yuriko’s video and sculptural works. The show traces the artist's career from her 2011 response to the Tōhoku earthquake to her latest large-scale installations, characterized by a "grotesque" aesthetic involving marionettes with digitally superimposed human faces. Her work utilizes mediated artifice—including fairground-style soundtracks, repurposed toys, and violent puppetry—to explore themes of consumption, sacrifice, and the dehumanizing nature of digital observation.

The Most Unique and Research-Focused Exhibitions to See in Brussels in Spring 2026

Le mostre più particolari e ricercate da vedere a Bruxelles nella primavera 2026

Brussels is hosting a series of niche and research-focused contemporary art exhibitions in spring 2026, coinciding with the 42nd edition of Art Brussels. Highlights include Jean-Michel Othoniel's "Diary of Happiness" at the Boghossian Foundation, Caroline Achaintre's "Extrazimmer" at La Verrière, a six-decade survey of the Art & Language collective at Fondation CAB, and a dialogue between Nassos Daphnis and Rita McBride titled "Abstract Constructions."

Met Inaugurates ‘Costume Art’ for the Spring 2026 Exhibition

The Metropolitan Museum of Art will open 'Costume Art' in spring 2026, a major exhibition that positions fashion as a lens for examining the human body across cultures and history. Housed in a new 12,000-square-foot gallery adjacent to the Great Hall, the show pairs garments from The Costume Institute with ancient statues, artworks, and paintings, organized around thematic body types such as idealized, distorted, exposed, and reclaimed. The exhibition design by Peterson Rich Office uses sheer scrims and varied ceiling heights to create an immersive, interconnected experience.

N.Y.'s Met museum to add Japanese designer Tamae Hirokawa to collection

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will add garments by Japanese designer Tamae Hirokawa to its permanent collection. Seven bodysuits from her signature "Skin Series" line, which explores the concept of seamless knitwear as a "second skin," will be displayed in the spring 2026 Costume Art exhibition. Hirokawa joins fellow Japanese designers Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo, and Hanae Mori in the museum's Costume Institute collection. The exhibition, held in new galleries adjacent to the Great Hall, pairs garments with artworks to highlight the relationship between clothing and the body.

Margot Robbie Returns to Met Gala 2026 in Stunning Gold Chanel Couture After 3-Year Break

Margot Robbie made a return to the Met Gala 2026 after a three-year absence, wearing a custom gold Chanel couture gown designed by new creative director Matthieu Blazy. The dress featured nearly 1,100 pieces of embroidery, required 761 hours of craftsmanship, and aligned with the evening's theme 'Fashion Is Art.' The event, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, also previewed the museum's spring 2026 exhibition 'Costume Art,' curated by Andrew Bolton.

Met Gala 2026: Everything to Know About the Theme, Co-Chairs, Dress Code and More

The 2026 Met Gala will take place on May 4 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, with the theme "Costume Art" and a dress code of "Fashion Is Art." The event honors the spring 2026 exhibition of the same name, which inaugurates the Costume Institute's first permanent galleries, the nearly 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast Galleries. Co-chairs include Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour. The red carpet livestream will be hosted by Ashley Graham, La La Anthony, Cara Delevingne, and Emma Chamberlain on Vogue's digital platforms.

UK Art Museum announces Spring ’26 exhibitions and photography lecture

The University of Kentucky Art Museum has announced its Spring 2026 exhibition lineup, running from February 3 to June 27, alongside the first Robert C. May Endowed Photography Lecture of the semester. The season features two main exhibitions: "Ecstatic Personas," a group show exploring joy as a radical force with works by Carlos Rosales-Silva and Shannon Alonzo, and "Harry Gamboa Jr.: The Early, The Late, The Lost," a career-spanning survey of the artist's photography, performance, and writing. Gamboa, a co-founder of the influential collective Asco, will also deliver a lecture on March 27 as part of the photography lecture series.

November 2025 Opportunities: Open Calls, Residencies, and Grants for Artists

This article compiles a list of open calls, residencies, and grants for artists in November 2025, featuring opportunities such as the Hopper Prize offering $4,500 and $1,000 artist grants, the Biafarin Awards with $4,000 CAD in cash grants and global exposure, and the GLEAM public art exhibition at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Other calls include the Contemporary Reflection exhibition in London, an open call for exhibitions at Municipal Gallery dlr LexIcon in Ireland, the INteriors show at Glen Arbor Arts Center, Sight/Geist film and performance series in New York, and a main gallery commission at Locust Projects in Miami, among others.

London’s Art Market Rebound: Sotheby’s Spring 2026 Recap

Sotheby’s London kicked off its Spring 2026 marquee season with a series of high-energy auctions, totaling £154 million across its Modern & Contemporary sales. The week was highlighted by a "white-glove" evening auction that achieved a 100% sell-through rate, led by Francis Bacon’s 1972 Self-Portrait which sold for £16 million. Significant records were set for British masters, most notably Leon Kossoff, whose painting "Children’s Swimming Pool" shattered estimates to reach £5.2 million.

In Venice, a new project aims to transform museums into living, participatory spaces

A Venezia un nuovo progetto punta a trasformare i musei in spazi vivi e partecipati

The Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE) has launched "Performing MUVE," a new program set to begin in spring 2026 that reimagines museums as dynamic, participatory spaces. The initiative, developed by MUVE Academy and MUVE Education, will unfold across three venues: Museo Fortuny, Casa di Carlo Goldoni, and the new MUVEC – Casa delle Contemporaneità in Mestre. The program includes four distinct projects—led by Mattia Berto, choreographer Elena Ajani, actress Sara Urban, and dancer Giulia Gemma Manfrotto—that use dance, theater, and embodied practices to transform visitors from passive observers into active participants.