The 9 Exhibitions to See in April 2026

ArtReview's editors have selected nine notable exhibitions opening globally in April 2026, highlighting shows that explore materiality, memory, and political history. Featured exhibitions include "Several Eternities in a Day: Form in the Age of Living Materials" at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, showcasing artists using organic materials rooted in Brown and Indigenous thinking; a major Veronica Ryan retrospective at London's Whitechapel Gallery; and a historical exhibition in Prague revisiting Jiří Kolář's contested participation in the 1969 São Paulo Bienal under Brazil's military dictatorship.

The Business of KAWS: What Data and a Museum Show Reveal About His Market

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is currently hosting a major survey of KAWS, marking the final stop of a three-city tour that highlights the artist's unique blend of commercial savvy and institutional ambition. The exhibition features a range of works from diamond-encrusted sculptures for Kid Cudi to a 'genius' membership drive that sold 1,000 KAWS-branded museum memberships at $300 each. Despite a significant cooling in his auction results—dropping from a 2019 peak of $112.9 million to just $7.72 million last year—the artist continues to draw massive crowds, particularly among younger demographics.

Art Movements: Look Who’s Headed to Perrotin Gallery

The French mega-gallery Perrotin has added sculptor Alma Allen to its roster. Allen previously caused controversy by accepting a nomination to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale under the Trump administration's State Department, a decision that led his former galleries to drop him. The article also notes other industry news, including Keisha Scarville winning the Brooklyn Museum's UOVO Prize and Marina Abramović creating an inflatable installation for New York's Balloon Museum.

The IFPDA Print Fair Returns to the Park Avenue Armory, Illuminating the Relationship Between Prints and Drawings

The IFPDA Print Fair is returning to the Park Avenue Armory from April 9–12, featuring 80 international exhibitors presenting 500 years of prints and drawings. The fair highlights the historical and conceptual relationship between the two mediums, with notable works including an Edward Hopper charcoal study and unique or hybrid pieces by artists like Françoise Gilot and Edgar Degas.

Isaac Julien Leads Us Into the Looking Glass

The article previews a major new video installation by artist and filmmaker Isaac Julien, titled "Once Again... (Statues Never Die)," which will be presented at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. The work engages in a complex dialogue with the museum's founder, Albert C. Barnes, and his historic collection of African sculptures, exploring themes of colonialism, modernism, and representation.

François-Xavier Gbré Uses His Photography to Fill in History’s Gaps

Artist François-Xavier Gbré's photographic series "Radio Ballast" made its US debut in a duo exhibition at the International Center of Photography in late January. The work documents the century-old railroad system in Côte d'Ivoire, built by French colonizers, exploring the country's colonial history, independence, and modernization through landscapes, train stations, and the communities shaped by the railway.

The Art Market Returns to Growth

Confidence in the art market is rising, with a significant increase in dealers expecting sales growth in 2026 according to the latest Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report. The report, authored by economist Clare McAndrew, notes that 43% of dealers anticipate improvement, a 10-point jump from the previous year, though recovery remains uneven due to high costs and trade barriers.

Toleen Touq to curate next MOMENTA Biennale

MOMENTA Biennale d’art contemporain in Montreal has appointed curator and educator Toleen Touq to organize its 20th edition, scheduled for 2027. The biennial will be titled 'The Long Now' and will focus on interrogating concepts of time and duration.

An Insider’s Guide to Dallas Art Fair Week

The Dallas Art Fair returns for its 18th edition from April 16–19, 2026, featuring over 90 international galleries at the Fashion Industry Gallery. Director Kelly Cornell highlights key participants including blue-chip mainstays like Perrotin and OMR alongside newcomers like James Fuentes, who will present works by Dallas Art Prize winner John McAllister. The week also features the Dallas Invitational, a boutique fair at the Rosewood Mansion, and major institutional shows at the Nasher Sculpture Center and The Warehouse.

Duchamp and the Museum

The Museum of Modern Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art have co-organized a major exhibition and catalogue exploring Marcel Duchamp’s complex relationship with art institutions. Despite his reputation as a skeptical iconoclast who famously claimed to avoid the Louvre, Duchamp spent decades actively reshaping how museums function through his "portable museum" projects, curatorial collaborations, and the strategic placement of his legacy within permanent collections.

‘The Secret Agent’ Finds Desire in the Archive

The article reviews the exhibition 'The Secret Agent' at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London, curated by artist and writer Hannah Gregory. The show features works by artists including Louise Lawler, Susan Hiller, and John Stezaker, exploring themes of desire, secrecy, and the archival impulse through photography, film, and installation.

Artist Lee Bae's solo exhibit questions his understanding of art and interrogates his farming roots

South Korean artist Lee Bae has opened a major solo exhibition titled "En attendant: Waiting" at Museum SAN in Wonju. The show features 39 works, including his signature "Issu du feu" charcoal sculptures and massive 10-meter-tall bronze "Brushstroke" installations placed within the museum's Stone Garden. The exhibition is designed to harmonize with the unique architecture of Tadao Ando, utilizing natural light and the surrounding mountain landscape to create a meditative experience for visitors.

Gardar Eide Einarsson Leaves You in the Dark

Gardar Eide Einarsson’s latest exhibition at Maureen Paley’s East London space presents a haunting exploration of dissociation and coded information. The show features two distinct series: 'Closed Caption,' a collection of monochrome black gouache paintings featuring isolated subtitles from films, and 'Incendiary Test Area,' a set of hyperrealistic woodblock prints created in collaboration with master Shoichi Kitamura. These prints depict the interiors of mock 'Japanese' houses built by the US Army for fire-bombing tests during World War II.

Thomas Zipp, artist with a sideways sense of history, 1966–2026

German artist Thomas Zipp, known for his dark, punk-infused explorations of history and science, has died at age 60. Throughout a career spanning painting, sculpture, and immersive scenographic installations, Zipp blended a Dadaist sensibility with a deep interest in politics, neuroscience, and the nuclear age. His work often challenged viewers with complex, opaque environments, such as his notable 2013 Venice Biennale installation that transformed a palazzo into a psychological sanatorium.

Beacons in a Grim World

Two concurrent solo exhibitions at Alexander Berggruen Gallery feature the work of artists Kevin McNamee-Tweed and Tajh Rust. McNamee-Tweed presents enigmatic, tenderly absurd ceramic scenes, while Rust debuts in New York with figurative paintings that explore perception and Black identity through portraits of leisure and experimental silvered glass works.

Frieze Taps Art Basel Veteran Frank Lasry as Chief Operating Officer

Frieze has appointed Frank Lasry as its new Chief Operating Officer, effective this June. Lasry joins the organization with an extensive pedigree in the art market, having previously served as COO at Perrotin and managing director at Art Basel, where he was instrumental in launching Art Basel Paris. His career also includes senior leadership roles at major auction houses Christie’s and Phillips, positioning him as a veteran executive with deep operational expertise across multiple sectors of the industry.

IN LYON, CONTEMPORARY ART HAS A HISTORY : THREE STAGES TO EXPLORE IT

The Lyon Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC Lyon) has launched a major seasonal program featuring three distinct exhibitions that explore memory, archives, and the evolution of contemporary media. Central to the program is Giulia Andreani’s solo exhibition, "Cold Painting," which presents sixty canvases created between 2011 and 2025 that interrogate historical power structures and the erasure of women from art history. Complementing this is a significant showcase of video art drawn from a massive donation by collectors Isabelle and Jean-Conrad Lemaître, alongside a retrospective dedicated to Jean-Claude Guillaumon.

LETTER | Wires crossed on art museum crisis

A local resident has criticized the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality and local media for their delayed response to the deteriorating state of the historic NMB Metropolitan Art Museum. The critique highlights significant factual errors in recent reporting regarding the museum's history, specifically correcting the timeline of its construction phases which date back to 1927, rather than the 70-year history recently cited by officials.

Artist LR Vandy on Sculpting the ‘Knotted Histories’ of Power

London-based artist LR Vandy has opened her first solo museum exhibition, titled "Rise," at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The show, produced in partnership with London's October Gallery, features a new body of site-specific work installed both indoors and on the park's grounds, including a monumental outdoor sculpture. The exhibition creates an immersive environment where Vandy uses materials like rope and found objects to investigate themes of power, trade, and colonialism.

Emmanuel Perrotin, the Parisian gallery owner who conquered the world

Emmanuel Perrotin, the founder of the global Perrotin gallery network, reflects on a career defined by disruption and the democratization of contemporary art. From his early days as an outsider without industry connections to managing 160 employees across four continents, Perrotin has utilized high-profile stunts—such as Maurizio Cattelan’s $120,000 taped banana—and celebrity collaborations with figures like Pharrell Williams to build a powerhouse brand. His current focus involves institutionalizing his internal operations through digital tools and employee tutorials to maintain the gallery's momentum.

Peter Halley Continues to Probe the ‘Crisis in Geometry’

American artist Peter Halley is presenting his first solo show in Austria in two decades at Galerie Nikolus Ruzicska in Salzburg. The exhibition, titled 'Peter Halley: Six Paintings for Salzburg,' features six new works created specifically for the occasion, showcasing his mature exploration of geometric abstraction using his signature 'Cells,' 'Prisons,' and 'Conduits.'

Textiles weave tales of Palestine’s rich but troubled history

The article examines the exhibition 'Narrative Threads' and related artistic projects that explore the profound significance of Palestinian textile traditions, particularly the cross-stitch embroidery known as tatreez. It highlights how 24 contemporary Palestinian artists, including Joanna Barakat and Sliman Mansour, are using this heritage to create new artistic meanings and address themes of displacement, identity, and cultural preservation.

Unbound Narratives: Embodied Language at Atlanta Contemporary, Atlanta

The Atlanta Contemporary is presenting the group exhibition 'Unbound Narratives: Embodied Language,' curated by Karen Comer Lowe. It features works by artists February James, Bethany Collins, Gabi Madrid, and a’driane nieves across film, painting, and mixed media, focusing on how each translates personal and embodied experience into visual and linguistic forms. Key pieces include nieves's monumental painting on grief and rage, Collins's text-based interrogation of racial identity, James's debut stop-motion film exploring stillness, and Madrid's inscribed headboards addressing healing and cultural memory.

Louise Bourgeois’s Body Clock

A new exhibition titled 'Louise Bourgeois: Echoes of the Morning' has opened at the PoMo museum in Trondheim. The show centers on a series of vibrant, visceral gouaches created by Bourgeois in the last four years of her life, presented in dialogue with major sculptural installations like 'Peaux de lapins, chiffons ferrailles à vendre' (2006) and 'Spider Couple' (2003). The exhibition offers an intimate, focused exploration of the artist's late work.

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.

Diego Perrone “There’s a certain Slant of light” at Umberto Di Marino Gallery, Naples

Diego Perrone presents his first solo exhibition at Umberto Di Marino Gallery in Naples, titled "There’s a certain Slant of light." Taking its name from an Emily Dickinson poem, the show explores the concept of lateral, non-frontal light through a series of experimental works. The exhibition features Perrone’s signature technical mastery, including intricate glass sculptures and works on paper that manipulate transparency and shadow.

Mari Katayama: tree of life @ Yutaka Kikutake Gallery (Roppongi)

片山真理：tree of life @ Yutaka Kikutake Gallery（六本木）

Mari Katayama presents her latest solo exhibition, "tree of life," at Yutaka Kikutake Gallery in Roppongi, Tokyo. The exhibition, running from March 19 to May 16, 2026, features a new series of photographic works created in 2025 that continue her exploration of the body, prosthesis, and self-representation through meticulously staged compositions.

Exhibition | Anna Park, 'Hot Honey' at Lehmann Maupin, London, United Kingdom

Anna Park makes her United Kingdom solo debut at Lehmann Maupin London with 'Hot Honey,' an exhibition of large-scale charcoal works running from April 30 to May 30. The show features Park’s signature fractured, cinematic compositions that explore female archetypes like the 'vixen' and the 'bombshell.' For the first time, the artist introduces shaped supports that turn her drawings into sculptural reliefs, alongside restrained passages of color that heighten the psychological intensity of her social critiques.

Top Five Booths Not to Miss at Expo Chicago 2026

Expo Chicago 2026 marks a strategic shift under the new leadership of director Kate Sierzputowski and curator Essence Harden, moving away from purely commercial dealer interests toward a more artist-centric and curatorial approach. This year's iteration features a streamlined selection of galleries, allowing for greater depth and focus on individual practices. Notable highlights include Pablo Delano’s poignant installations at Embajada exploring Puerto Rican history, a diverse group showing at Marc Straus Gallery featuring artists like Marie Watt and Lucia Hierro, and a collaborative presentation by São Paulo galleries Bianca Boeckel and Verve.

At Perrotin Paris, Bernard Frize Pushes Against His Own Self-Imposed Constraints

Bernard Frize’s latest exhibition, "Les 26," at Perrotin Paris marks his 21st show with the gallery and a continued exploration of his rigorous, process-driven abstraction. The exhibition features his signature interlocking grids and geometric latticework, created using wet-on-wet brushstrokes locked in resin, alongside tempera paintings on glass that follow strict linear rules. By utilizing utilitarian titles and avoiding representational forms, Frize seeks to decenter his own subjectivity, allowing the physical act of painting and the resulting optical tension to lead the viewer’s experience.