May 2026 Exhibitions

Several galleries and a museum in Columbus's Short North arts district are opening new exhibitions for May 2026. Highlights include a women's group show at Sean Christopher Gallery Ohio, environmental abstract paintings by Annette Poitau at Marcia Evans Gallery, a spring-themed solo exhibition by Amy Adams at Sharon Weiss Gallery, and a salon exhibition at 24 Lincoln St. Gallery & Art Studios. The Columbus Museum of Art at the Pizzuti is presenting the first U.S. museum survey of Bahamian conceptual artist Tavares Strachan, featuring his 'Encyclopedia of Invisibility'.

Louisiana reunites Basquiat's 'Heads' for the first time

The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark is hosting "Headstrong," the first museum exhibition in Scandinavia dedicated to Jean-Michel Basquiat. The show reunites 49 works on paper created between 1981 and 1984 that focus on the artist's depiction of the head—works Basquiat originally kept for himself and which were only discovered after his death. The exhibition includes the record-breaking 1982 "Untitled" painting, which previously sold for $110.5 million.

'All the Lands from Sunrise to Sunset' at Green Art Gallery, Dubai, United Arab Emirates on 18 Apr–1 Jun 2026

Green Art Gallery in Dubai is hosting 'All the Lands from Sunrise to Sunset,' a group exhibition featuring Alla Abdunabi, Fatma Al Ali, Alessandro Balteo-Yazbeck, and Michael Rakowitz. The show explores the persistence of imperial logics and extractive economies through diverse media, including text-based collages, reconstructed artifacts made from food packaging, and archival interventions. By examining acts of naming, erasure, and symbolic circulation, the artists treat empire not as a historical relic but as a mutating contemporary condition.

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.

Louis Vuitton Opens Jean-Michel Othoniel Exhibition in Beijing

Art Exhibition Installations

Louis Vuitton has inaugurated 'Dazzling Trilogy,' a solo exhibition by French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel at the Espace Louis Vuitton Beijing. Running from April 15 through September 6, 2026, the show celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Espaces Louis Vuitton program and features four significant works from the Fondation Louis Vuitton collection. Highlights include an early 2002 water-filled glass installation and 'Rivière Rose,' a new site-specific floor piece composed of pink glass bricks.

Alserkal Art Month 2026: The ultimate opening weekend guide

Alserkal Avenue in Dubai has launched its 2026 Art Month, expanding its traditional week-long celebration into a five-week program. The opening weekend features 18 participating galleries debuting flagship exhibitions, including a solo show by Anthony Akinbola at Carbon 12 and a 20th-anniversary group exhibition at Gallery Isabelle. Key highlights include interactive screen-printing workshops with Shilpa Gupta and the unveiling of her public art installation, "Still A Sky We Hold," alongside curated tours and artist talks.

CK Reed Illustrates Chicago's Neighbors Boutique Art Fair

Artist and illustrator CK Reed provides a visual and narrative account of the inaugural Neighbors Boutique Art Fair in Chicago. Founded by Mirka Serrato and curated by Jonny Tana, the fair transformed a historic residence on Astor Street in the Gold Coast into an intimate, domestic exhibition space. The event focused on a "non-conforming cultural proposal," deliberately platforming underrepresented communities and galleries within a setting that prioritized human connection over the typical commercial whirlwind of larger fairs.

The top 10 art exhibitions in London right now

London's 2026 exhibition season is anchored by major retrospectives and career-spanning surveys across the city's premier institutions. Highlights include a 40-year retrospective of Tracey Emin's provocative career at the Royal Academy, a significant solo exhibition of Hurvin Anderson’s vibrant paintings at Tate Britain, and a celebratory nine-room exhibition marking the 40th anniversary of the Saatchi Gallery.

‘Vandalised, disembowelled and dismembered’: Artist Jack Milroy gives books a brutal treatment with beautiful results

The artist Jack Milroy has launched a new solo exhibition titled 'Bibliophilia' at Shapero Modern in London, featuring his signature 3D cut-out artworks. The 87-year-old artist transforms books and everyday objects, such as sardine tins, into intricate sculptures where illustrated figures like birds and fish appear to escape their physical confines. The show marks Milroy's first collaboration with the gallery, which is uniquely situated beneath an antiquarian bookshop, providing a thematic contrast between preserved rare volumes and Milroy’s "vandalised" artistic interpretations.

New works by gallery artists

Gow Langsford Gallery is presenting a group exhibition of new works by its roster of represented artists at its Auckland City gallery. The show features a diverse range of mediums including painting, sculpture, and installation, highlighting the current directions of contemporary practice in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Martin Wong “Popeye” at P·P·O·W, New York

P·P·O·W gallery in New York is presenting "Martin Wong: Popeye," the gallery's sixth solo exhibition of the artist's work and his first solo show in New York in over a decade. Co-curated by Mark Dean Johnson and Anneliis Beadnell, the exhibition explores Wong's lifelong fascination with artistic subcultures, particularly comic book illustration and early tattoo imagery.

Lily Stockman “A Grass Roof” at MASSIMODECARLO, Hong Kong

MASSIMODECARLO gallery in Hong Kong is presenting "A Grass Roof," the first solo exhibition of American artist Lily Stockman in the city. The show features new oil paintings inspired by the eighth-century Zen poem "Song of the Grass Roof Hermitage" by Shitou Xiqian, exploring themes of interior refuge and infinite expanse through collapsed perspective and dissolved boundaries.

Merlin Carpenter “Warning Signs” at Karma International, Zurich

Merlin Carpenter presents "Warning Signs" at Karma International in Zurich, featuring his latest paintings that evolve from his earlier "anti-painting" style. The artist reflects on how his early 2000s work, characterized by a semi-finished, indifferent aesthetic, had become decorative by the time of his 2013 POLICE show, prompting him to update his approach.

Boulder County’s latest art exhibits

The Boulder County arts community is hosting a diverse array of exhibitions across its galleries and museums this spring. Key highlights include Jorge Vinent’s environmentally focused works at Ana’s Art Gallery, the group exhibition "Yes &…" at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, and a historical exploration of segregation at the Collective Community Arts Center. The region is also showcasing student work from the Boulder Valley School District and various solo presentations by local artists like Rodney Carswell and Jessica Rohrer.

MMCA exhibition explores 80 years of artistic exchanges between Korea, Japan

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) in Korea, in collaboration with the Yokohama Museum of Art, has organized "Art between Korea and Japan since 1945," an exhibition opening at MMCA's Gwacheon branch. Featuring about 200 works by 43 artists and teams, including Paik Nam-june, Lee Ufan, Lee Bul, Jiro Takamatsu, Takashi Murakami, and Koki Tanaka, the show traces 80 years of artistic exchanges between the two countries. It is structured in five sections, beginning with a tribute to Zainichi Koreans, and highlights key works such as Paik's 1986 satellite project "Bye Bye Kipling." The exhibition runs through September 27.

Met Gala guests from Beyoncé to Nicole Kidman set to flaunt fashion as art

The article previews the 2025 Met Gala, where celebrities including Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams will ascend the Metropolitan Museum of Art's steps dressed according to the dress code "Fashion is art." The event, which raises funds for the museum's Costume Institute, encourages guests to treat fashion as an embodied art form, drawing on historical collaborations between designers and artists—such as Elsa Schiaparelli with Salvador Dalí, Yves Saint Laurent with Piet Mondrian, and Marc Jacobs with Takashi Murakami. The red carpet will be livestreamed by Vogue and the Associated Press.

Inside the New Madison Avenue Flagship of the Powerhouse Gagosian Gallery

Larry Gagosian has opened a new flagship gallery at 974 Madison Avenue (preferring the address 980 Madison at 76th Street) after Bloomberg Philanthropies took over the building's upper floors, which had housed Gagosian's New York flagship since the late 1980s. The megadealer relocated to the street level, creating a 12,000-square-foot complex with exhibition spaces, offices, meeting rooms, and private viewing areas designed by Jonathan Caplan of Caplan Colaku Architects. The gallery launched with a double-header presentation of works by Marcel Duchamp and Robert Rauschenberg, and features ceilings just over 12 feet high, adaptable walls, and a vestibule display of art books.

14 artists having major museum moments in 2026

The article previews 14 artists who will have major museum exhibitions in 2026, highlighting key shows such as a long-awaited US retrospective of Marcel Duchamp, a Calder exhibition in Paris, and a Rothko show in Florence. It also details concurrent auction highlights at Christie's New York, including works from the S.I. Newhouse collection by Brancusi, Lichtenstein, Matisse, and Pollock. Specific exhibitions covered include "Krasner and Pollock: Past Continuous" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a Roy Lichtenstein retrospective at the Whitney Museum, and multiple European shows for Constantin Brancusi's 150th anniversary.

‘Ugly’ but ‘beautiful’: LACMA finally unveils controversial new Geffen Galleries — was it worth the wait?

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has finally unveiled its new David Geffen Galleries, a $724 million concrete and glass structure designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. Spanning Wilshire Boulevard, the 110,000-square-foot elevated gallery space will house 1,700 works from the museum’s permanent collection, including masterpieces by Francis Bacon, Henri Matisse, and Katsushika Hokusai. The building is scheduled to open to the public on April 19, marking the completion of a massive campus expansion that has been nearly two decades in the making.

LACMA Geffen Galleries Opening Gala Brings Out Artists, Supermodels, Oscar Winners & Studio Chiefs – Photo Gallery

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) hosted a high-profile opening gala for its new David Geffen Galleries, drawing a massive crowd of celebrities, industry titans, and art world figures. The guest list spanned various sectors of influence, including Disney CEO Bob Iger, artist Jeff Koons, and director Alejandro González Iñárritu, all gathered to celebrate the completion of the museum's new centerpiece.

For their 30th anniversary, Pokémon enter the museum: Gotta catch 'em all!

Pour leurs 30 ans, les Pokémon entrent au musée : attrapez-les tous !

The Musée en Herbe in Paris is hosting a major exhibition titled 'Admirez-les tous ! Une exposition hommage à Pokémon' to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise. The show features original Game Boy consoles, early trading cards, preparatory drawings for the animated series, and insights from the French translator who named the creatures. It also highlights how Pokémon have entered the global visual heritage.

Artist Debuts and Inspired Duos Define the Can’t-Miss Booths at Independent

The article highlights standout booths at the Independent Art Fair, newly relocated to Pier 36 in Manhattan's Lower East Side. With 76 exhibitors, 26 of whom are presenting an artist's New York debut, the fair features notable presentations including Sprüth Magers' restaging of Gretchen Bender's 'TV Text & Image (PEOPLE WITH AIDS)', Omar Mismar's debut with abstract paintings on salvaged PVC banners referencing Lebanese protests, Carrie Schneider's large-format photographs from the Venice Biennale, and works by Kim Stolz and Raphael Egil at YveYANG. The fair runs through Sunday and aims for greater attendance and institutional influence.

The Best Booths at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, From Surrealist Fantasias to Afro-Brazilian Imaginings

The 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair has returned to the Starrett-Lehigh Building in Chelsea, New York, featuring over 20 galleries from Africa and the diaspora, with a special focus on Brazil and Afro-Brazilian perspectives. The fair, running through Sunday, includes first-time participants from Lagos, São Paulo, Nassau, and New York, and highlights five standout booths: Sulette van der Merwe's surrealist paintings at Blond Contemporary, Modou Dieng Yacine's Senegalese wrestler-inspired works at 193 Gallery, Ekene Ijeoma's Black Forest Library community project, Rommulo Vieira Conceição's aluminum works at Aura, and the curated section "Brazil Beyond Brazil" featuring 10 artists selected by Igor Simões.

Thinking small and dreaming big in Isabel Nolan’s imaginary world

Dublin-born artist Isabel Nolan discusses her Ireland pavilion exhibition "Dreamshook" at the Venice Biennale, developed with curator Georgina Jackson. The show explores the liminal state between dreaming and waking, weaving a fictional narrative around Renaissance humanist Aldo Manuzio, who popularized portable books. Nolan draws on late Medieval and early Renaissance visual language, using intimate forms like textiles to tackle big ideas about cosmology, religion, and humanism. She describes her ambivalent relationship with European cultural inheritance and the need to recover occluded voices.

The US pavilion's curator on the controversial choice of Alma Allen for the Venice Biennale

The US pavilion at the Venice Biennale has selected Alma Allen, a Utah-born, Mexico-based sculptor, as its representative artist—a controversial and surprising choice given his relative obscurity compared to past pavilion artists. The selection process was unusually fraught: the first artist chosen was dropped before official announcement, and the announcement was delayed by the US government shutdown. The pavilion's curator, Jeffrey Uslip, discusses the exhibition titled "Call Me the Breeze," which will feature Allen's sculptures in stone, bronze, and wood that appear to defy their own weight, emphasizing artistic autonomy despite the State Department's framing of the choice as showcasing "American excellence."

With New Tribeca Outpost, Gratin Gallery Doubles Down on Young Artists

Gratin Gallery, founded by Talal Abillama, is opening a new outpost in Tribeca at 15 White Street, leased for ten years. The space will debut on May 15 with “Blinds and Shutters,” the first U.S. solo exhibition of Spanish sculptor Mónica Mays. The gallery, which started on Avenue B in 2022 and later moved to Grand Street, is expanding despite a challenging art market. Abillama cites the need to be closer to collectors who avoid the 15-minute walk from Tribeca to Chinatown. The new location sits near Luhring Augustine and Ortuzar Projects, and will officially open in November after renovations.

NADA’s Heather Hubbs on Building the Fair Into an Art-World Mainstay

Heather Hubbs, executive director of the New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA), reflects on the organization's evolution from a grassroots initiative into an international coalition with over 250 gallery members and fairs in New York and Miami. The 12th edition of NADA New York returns to the Starrett-Lehigh Building from May 13–17, featuring more than 100 galleries and the return of the Curated Spotlight, organized by curator Anthony Elms in partnership with TD Bank. Hubbs discusses the fair's growth, its commitment to supporting galleries and artists year-round, and highlights 51 first-time exhibitors and experimental works by artists like Chang Sujung and Douglas Rieger.

Matt Dillon’s New Paintings Trace a Journey Across West Africa

Actor Matt Dillon presents his first solo exhibition at The Journal Gallery in New York, titled "Porto Novo to Abomey," opening April 24. The series of paintings was inspired by Dillon's travels through Senegal and Benin after filming Claire Denis's movie *The Fence* (2025). Dillon, who began painting about a decade ago with little formal training, creates spontaneous, textured works featuring bold figures, symbols, and words. The show's title traces a 100-mile journey from Benin's capital to the historic Kingdom of Dahomey, reflecting the artist's impressions of local textiles, architecture, and landscapes.

Art Dealers Try Their Hand as Artists in This Unusual Exhibition

White Columns, New York’s oldest alternative nonprofit art space, has launched a unique fundraising exhibition titled “Art (by) Dealers.” The show features works created by over 90 art dealers and gallery professionals rather than the artists they represent. Organized by Kathy Huang and Will Leung, the exhibition presents uniform 12-by-9-inch works priced at $500 each, sold anonymously to benefit the nonprofit's programming.

What Makes a Photograph a Photograph? The Photography Show 2026 Offers New Perspectives

The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD) has announced the 45th edition of The Photography Show, scheduled to take place at New York’s Park Avenue Armory from April 22–26, 2026. The fair will feature 77 galleries, ranging from long-standing participants like Edwynn Houk Gallery to first-time exhibitors such as Galerie Sophie Scheidecker and Central Server Works. A significant addition to this year's programming is the debut of "Focal Point," a new sector dedicated exclusively to solo presentations that explore the experimental and evolving nature of lens-based media.