Art is a profound reflection of the human experience. Beyond just aesthetically pleasing, it is ever so often confrontational — challenging us to to see beyond the obvious, to search for beauty in the unexpected, and to open our minds to new ways of seeing the world. It is a therapeutic force that cleanses the soul, captures emotion, and reveals truth.

As Ernst Levy once said, “man will begin to recover the moment he takes art as seriously as physics, chemistry, or money.” In a world obsessed with power and profit, consider this your invitation to recover — if only briefly — by visiting some of must-see exhibitions of 2026.

WESTWOOD, KAWAKUBO

Installation view of Westwood | Kawakubo at NGV International, Melbourne
Photography: Sean Fennessy

A year apart, shaped by different countries and cultural contexts, neither had a formal fashion education, yet both brought a shuddering radicalism to design that undermined the status quo. One is the avant-garde Japanese designer and founder of Dover Street Market; the other, the late punk icon from Northern England whose influence came to define an entire decade of British culture. It’s Rei Kawakubo and Vivienne Westwood of course! Did you know that back in 2002, the pair collaborated on a limited capsule collection? It’s true, Kawakubo selected her favourite pieces from Westwood’s archive, which were then remade in Westwood’s studio using Comme des Garçons fabrics. Across their respective careers, both designers have relentlessly reframed ideas of beauty, gender. So naturally their first meeting back in 1974 took place at none other than Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s SEX shop on King’s Road. More than fifty years later, their dialogue continues and this is your official invitation to fall in love, again and again, with their designs.

Westwood, Kawakubo runs until April 19, 2026 at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.

HELMUT LANG. SÉANCE DE TRAVAIL 1986–2005

Backstage photograph of Kirsten Owen by Juergen Teller
Helmut Lang Collection Hommes Femmes, Séance de Travail Défilé
Fall/Winter 1997–98, Paris, 1997

“The MAK archive is meant to be a ‘living archive.’ I hope it inspires others to have the courage to find their own voice. The past is never easier than the present; the present is always the opportunity,” Helmut Lang reflects. At MAK Vienna, the exhibition revisits the king of minimalism’s expansive work from 1986–2005 through immersive installations and archival material. Moving across fashion, art, architecture and media, it portrays a designer who reshaped visual culture through radical restraint. His interdisciplinary language — intellectual yet deeply human — positioned clothing as cultural narrative rather than product, anticipating today’s conversations on identity, authenticity and representation.

Helmut Lang. Séance de Travail 1986–2005 runs until May 3, 2026 at Mak in Vienna.

NAN GOLDIN: THE BALLAD OF SEXUAL DEPENDENCY

Cookie at Tin Pan Alley, New York City, 1983
from The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, 1973–86
© Nan Goldin

Entering Nan Goldin’s world feels like a nostalgic, harsh yet tender journey into the artist’s visual memories - a space that moves, unsettles, and embraces simultaneously. At Gagosian Gallery, visitors can now step into that world and experience all 126 photographs from The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, presented for the first time in London. Nan Goldin once said: “I used to think that I could never lose anyone if I photographed them enough. In fact, my pictures show me how much I’ve lost.” Created between 1973 and 1987, the collection captures intimate moments of love, desire, loss, and identity in downtown New York, redefining photography as a raw, deeply personal diary and a form of art that continues to resonate and inspire generations.

Nan Goldin: The Ballad of Sexual Dependency runs from January 13 until March 21, 2026 at Gagosian, Davies Street in London.

JORDAN HEMINGWAY: ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES

image courtesy of ACNE STUDIOS

Jordan Hemingway’s imagination ensnares. These are total worlds he builds, each governed by their own fierce internal logic, each probing at his brutal sense of beauty. Think bruised reds and blues, Japanese demons and a horse caught mid-flame. Located beneath the storied arcades of Paris’s Palais Royal, a gallery extends Acne Studios’ ongoing dialogue with art and photography by presenting Jordan Hemingway: Angels With Dirty Faces. The series moves fluidly between the beautiful and the macabre, turning its gaze toward figures and rituals embodied by Marina Abramović, Yves Tumor, Mariacarla Boscono, and Lewis G. Burton for Matières Fécales. Shot predominantly in black and white, true to Hemingway’s signature, colour appears only sparingly, intensifying the emotional charge of each image. His lens is unapologetically theatrical, applied to rituals lived through the body, revealing all deep dark tensions that live within our spirits...

Jordan Hemingway: Angels With Dirty Faces runs from January 22 until March 15, 2026 at Acne Paper Palais Royal in Paris.

DAVID LYNCH: THE AIR IS ON FIRE

The Portrait of David Lynch
Photography: Josh Telles

At Pace Gallery Berlin, one year after his passing, visitors enter a haunting ‘Lynchian’ universe across paintings, sculptures, watercolours, early films and photographs shot in the city. Industrial ruins, uncanny light and cryptic text echo his cinema, revealing a tactile practice driven by material experimentation, dream logic and quiet psychological tension.

David Lynch: The Air Is On Fire runs from January 29 until March 29, 2026 at Pace Gallery in Berlin.

TRACEY EMIN: A SECOND LIFE

above:
Tracey Emin My Bed 1998, © Tracey Emin, Courtesy The Saatchi Gallery, London / Photography: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

feature image:
Tracey Emin, I never asked to Fall in Love – You made me Feel like this 2018 © Tracey Emin.

If there is one artist who has shattered taboos and forced the unspeakable into the open, it is Tracey Emin. This major survey at Tate Modern traces her raw, uncompromising practice, where painting is a physical struggle, and honesty is non-negotiable. Emin does not plan her work; she fights with it, erases it, and twists it until it teaches her something in return. Through vulnerability, pain, desire, and healing, her art invites us to confront what we usually hide and reminds us how powerful unapologetic self-expression can be.

Tracey Emin: A Second Life runs from February 27 until August 31, 2026 at Tate Modern in London.

ROTHKO IN FLORENCE

Mark Rothko in 1961
Photography: Kate Rothko

“Simple expression of complex thought.” This was Rothko’s guiding principle, stripping painting down to pure colour to create canvases that speak directly to human emotion. Curated by his son Christopher Rothko and Elena Geuna, this exhibition offers a rare chance to trace his journey from early figurative works to the abstract masterpieces that defined modern art. Presented across Palazzo Strozzi and extended to Museo di San Marco and Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, it is a unique opportunity to view Rothko from a different perspective shaped by Italy’s artistic legacy.

Rothko In Florence runs from March 14 until August 23, 2026 at Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi in Florence.

THE ANTWERP SIX

image courtesy of MOMU

If you’re a fashion addict, you often wonder what their lives looked like, what they thought, and what inspired their groundbreaking creations. Tracing the remarkable journey of The Antwerp Six — Dirk Bikkembergs, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, and Marina Yee — MoMu offers an incredible opportunity to step inside their world. From their studies at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts to global recognition, they debuted individually at London’s British Designer Show in 1986, putting Antwerp on the fashion map and launching influential careers whose visionary designs continue to shape how we consider and experience fashion today.

The Antwerp Six runs from March 28, 2026 until January 17, 2027at MoMu in Antwerp.

ALEXANDER CALDER: RÊVER EN ÉQUILIBRE

Calder with Southern Cross (1963) and Back from Rio (1959), Roxbury, c. 1963
Photography: Herb Weitman

In an art world flooded with immersive experiences that demand participation and, most of all, photography and sharing, Alexander Calder was a true original. Long before participation became a trend, he created sculptures that you simply had to experience, moving through space and light. From floating mobiles to monumental stabiles, his work slows you down and draws you into its movement and rhythm. A reminder that art need not be a spectacle; it can simply be about feeling and being present. Hosted at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, this landmark exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience Calder’s work in full scale and motion.

Alexander Calder: Rêver En Équilibre runs from April 15 until August 16, 2026 at Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris.

RON MUECK

In Bed, 2005
Mixed media
© Ron Mueck

There’s something strangely precious about meeting yourself on a different level, making yourself small for once, or larger than life. That play of perception is exactly what Ron Mueck does at the Mori Art Museum. The Australian sculptor pushes the limits of figurative work, creating pieces so full of life that if you stand close enough, you can almost expect to catch them breathing. He captures the tiniest micro-expressions, the flicker of emotion that we all share, and in doing so, you can’t help but feel an overwhelming empathy for his figures. Once the initial surprise of their scale passes “so enormous!” or “so tiny!” and you’ve admired the technical skill, you will start imagining the inner lives of these figures, noticing that Mueck’s realism is carefully chosen. Mueck's sculptures carry the same loneliness, unease, and fear of aging that we all do, perhaps holding up a funhouse mirror to our own lives?

Ron Mueck runs from April 29 until September 23, 2026 at Mori Art Museum in Tokyo.

LEE UFAN

Lee Ufan
From Line, 1978
Oil and mineral pigment on canvas

Lee Ufan, one of the defining figures of the Mono-ha movement, is strengthening his ties with the Dia Art Foundation, gifting the institution eight key paintings from the 1970s to the early ’90s. Shown alongside sculptural works, the exhibition will offer a rare chance to experience the full scope of his meditative approach to material, space, and time. Beyond the gift, Lee will also partner with London-based Avant Arte to release three new limited-edition screenprints, with proceeds supporting Dia’s ongoing programme and mission.

Lee Ufan runs from May 8, 2026 at Dia: Beacon in New York

BJÖRK: ECHOLALIA

Björk's Vogue Scandinavia cover shoot for the April-May 2024 issue.
Photography: Vidar Logi

One of the most uncompromising, visionary artists out there, Björk, is set to open a major exhibition at the National Gallery of Iceland as part of the Reykjavík Arts Festival. Titled echolalia, the show explores Björk as the creative force behind her boundary-pushing multimedia universe, shaped through decades of collaboration with musicians, filmmakers, designers, and artists. Across three immersive installations, visitors are invited into works of striking visual and emotional depth, including a new piece drawn from Björk’s forthcoming album. Two large-scale works, Ancestress and Sorrowful Soil have been created as elegiac tributes to her late mother, environmental activist Hildur Rúna Hauksdóttir.

Björk: echolalia runs from May 30 until September 20, 2026 at National Gallery of Iceland in Reykjavík.

ANISH KAPOOR

Anish Kapoor is an inventor of material and perception, constantly pushing the boundaries between sculpture, painting, and engineering. From mirror-like steel surfaces that warp reality to voids coated in the blackest black, and monumental works in deep, visceral red, his art plays with contradiction and sensation. Returning to the Hayward Gallery nearly 30 years after his first major UK showcase, this immersive exhibition fills the entire building. His work draws you in, leaving you disoriented and wanting to stay longer, hypnotised by the urge to understand what is unfolding before you.

Anish Kapoor runs from June 16 until October 18, 2026 at Southbank Centre in London.

YAYOI KUSAMA

Yayoi Kusama with Yellow Tree / Living Room at the Aichi Triennale, 2010
© YAYOI KUSAMA
Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, David Zwirner

Aged 96, we can rightfully call Yayoi Kusama a reigning icon and one of the most radical voices in contemporary art. She continues to shape her own legacy, and together with the Fondation Beyeler and Museum Ludwig, the Stedelijk presents a landmark retrospective bringing her visionary world to Amsterdam. Spanning more than seven decades of groundbreaking work, the exhibition immerses you in environments where infinity, repetition, and the self collide. With landmark installations, rarely shown historical works, and new creations made especially for this moment, this is a rare, momentous opportunity to experience her vision and feel her presence.

Yayoi Kusama runs from September 11, 2026 until January 17, 2027 at Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.

TIM WALKER’S FAIRYLAND: LOVE AND LEGENDS

Experiencing Tim Walker’s photography feels like stepping into an extraordinary universe where forms dissolve into emotion and everything seems possible. Tim Walker’s Fairyland explores queer identity, community, and love through the lens of one of Britain’s most iconic photographers. Rising to prominence in the 1990s with his whimsical, fairytale-inspired style, Walker has captured iconic figures and, over the past five years, documented activists, artists, and writers in vivid, fantastical portraits. Curated by Susanna Brown, the exhibition celebrates creativity, self-expression, and the freedom to imagine, accompanied by a new book with contributions from leading queer voices.

Tim Walker’s Fairyland: Love And Legends runs from October 8, 2026 until January 31, 2027 at National Portrait Gallery in London.

THE 90S

There is a reason why, still today, we are so obsessed with the 90’s. Lured in by the image of Kate Moss in bed with her hair dyed strawberry-pink, you already know exactly what to expect. Curated by Edward Enninful OBE, The 90s will dive into a decade where British culture felt like it was being remade in real time — messy, fearless, and unapologetically creative. As fashion, art, design, and music collapsed into one another, old hierarchies began to crack, making space for new voices and new icons. Featuring photographers from Juergen Teller to Corinne Day, alongside works by Damien Hirst and Gillian Wearing, the exhibition captures the energy of a generation that refused to play by the rules — and one we still can’t seem to get enough of.

The 90s runs from October 8, 2026 until February 14, 2027 at Tate Modern in London.

MUST-SEE EXHIBITIONS IN 2026