2026, an essential year of art: great masters, forgotten women and voices of the world

2026 arrives loaded with cultural offerings from around the world and is shaping up to be a particularly attractive year for art and culture lovers. This is a careful selection of the best that the international art scene has to offer, a set of experiences that, in and of themselves, justify packing your bags and traveling.

From major retrospectives dedicated to undisputed masters such as Raphael or Matisse, to biennials that transform entire cities into authentic creative stages, through to exquisitely curated fashion exhibitions, we invite you to discover the essential exhibitions that will mark the global cultural agenda this year and that will define the artistic pulse of 2026.

Raphael: Sublime Poetry, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Who truly deserves the title of one of the greatest artists of all time? We often think of names like Frida Kahlo, Vincent van Gogh, or Pablo Picasso, but Raphael—Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino—, a key painter and architect of the Italian Renaissance, unquestionably holds a place of honor in this pantheon.

In the spring, the Metropolitan Museum of Art will open a major retrospective that will bring together more than 200 works including drawings, paintings, tapestries, and decorative arts. The exhibition will combine emblematic pieces such as The White Madonna, a masterful example of the classical harmony and beauty that define Raphael's work, with lesser-known works from exceptional loans from institutions around the world.

From March 29 to June 28, 2026

Matisse's Jazz: Rhythms in Color, at the Art Institute of Chicago

Cut paper may seem, at first glance, a less noble material than painting or drawing, but it was precisely this resource that Henri Matisse turned into an artistic language after a painful abdominal operation that prevented him from ever holding a brush again. From this physical limitation, the artist opened a new creative stage of surprising freedom and strength.

• Photograph: 2025 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

The Jazz project consists of twenty models made from cut-out papers, inspired by memories of Parisian music halls, trips to Tahiti, folk tales, the world of the circus and mythology. Reproduced in 1947 using the technique of stergit, they gave rise to a revolutionary book, accompanied by texts written by Matisse himself. Now, the Art Institute of Chicago presents Jazz in its entirety for the first time since the work entered the museum's collection in 1948.

From March 7 to June 1, 2026

The 90s, at the Tate Britain

After a programme strongly focused on the 1980s in 2025, the Tate galleries are moving forward a decade and putting the focus on the 1990s in 2026. In the autumn, a large-scale exhibition dedicated to British art, fashion, photography and pop culture from those years will open, curated by Edward Enninful OBE, former editor of British Vogue.

The exhibition promises a vibrant journey through an iconic decade, with striking photographs by David Sims, Corinne Day and Juergen Teller; legendary creations by Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood; and works by artists such as Yinka Shonibare, Gillian Wearing and Damien Hirst, key names for understanding the spirit and creative tensions of the nineties in the United Kingdom.

From October 1, 2026 to February 14, 2027

Stories of ecology, at the São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP)

Coinciding in time —although not as a direct consequence— with the celebration of COP30 in Brazil in 2025, this exhibition at the luminous São Paulo Museum of Art proposes a broad and ambitious reflection on the concept of ecology. It does so through the works not only of artists, but also of activists and entire social movements, thus expanding the usual limits of artistic discourse.

Beyond a narrow view associated only with nature, the term "ecology" is used here to underline the interdependence between the natural world and human societies. The 116 works brought together—mostly by creators from the global south—emphasize the urgent need for a coordinated and collective response, on a planetary scale, to the challenge of climate change.

Until February 1, 2026

Edvard Munch – Portraits, at the Kunstsilo

Far from the widespread image of a solitary and tormented genius, Edvard Munch—the Norwegian painter universally associated with the haunting The Scream—maintained a rich and diverse social network throughout his life, made up of family, friends, intellectuals, and other artists. This human environment became a constant source of inspiration that Munch intensely captured in his portrait work.

This exhibition focuses on these portraits, the people who appear in them and the influence they had on the artist's artistic evolution. Adapted from the exhibition initially presented at the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Kunstsilo's proposal is enriched with works from Munch's personal collection and with little-known paintings, with the aim of reclaiming a facet of his career that is often little communicated.

From February 5 to May 10, 2026

Terracotta Warriors in Perth: Legacy of the First Emperor, at the WA Museum Boola Bardip

The Terracotta Warriors of the Qin Dynasty are, alongside the Great Wall, one of China's greatest cultural treasures. In the largest exhibition ever held in Western Australia, the WA Museum Boola Bardip will present eight of the 8,000 original figurines - which are 2,000 years old but were not discovered until 1974 by farmers.

Eight pieces may not seem like much, but China only allows a maximum of 10 pieces to be loaned at a time. Their presence, accompanied by more than 200 other ancient artifacts—half of which have never left China—makes this exhibition an exceptional and unique experience.

Until February 22, 2026

Botero: the heart of the volume, at the IMBA Theatre

A visit to Gardens by the Bay, with its spectacular collection of over 1.5 million plants, is already an immersive experience, but the Singapore Maritime Park will soon add a new cultural space: the IMBA Theatre, which will open its doors in January 2026.

The first exhibition to be presented there will be Botero: the heart of the volume, dedicated to the illustrations of the famous Colombian artist. Known for his exuberant use of color, generous contours and his characteristic humor, Botero will see his works exhibited both inside the gallery and in the outdoor spaces, offering an experience that combines art and landscape in a unique way.

From early 2026

2026: a year to claim women artists, diversity and great masters in Spain

The 2026 exhibition season in Spain promises a fascinating journey through the history of contemporary art and culture. One of the clearest lines is the vindication of forgotten female figures, such as the artist Aurèlia Muñoz —with a double exhibition at the Reina Sofía and the MACBA— or the novelist Mercè Rodoreda at the CCCB, as well as the American sculptor Ruth Asawa at the Guggenheim Bilbao.

The commitment to voices from the global south also stands out, with exhibitions at the IVAM by Tania Candiani and Regina de Miguel, or at the Tàpies Museum by South African Penny Siopis, as well as projects at the Reina Sofía by Andrea Canepa and Alberto Greco.

• Jasper Johns: Night Driver, 29.05.2026 - 12.10.2026.

The classics are also present, with exhibitions such as Rubens at the MuBAV, the Romanesque of Sant Pere de Rodes and Mestre Cabestany at the MNAC, and exhibitions dedicated to Antonio Palomino or Isabel de Farnesio. Among the moderns, we should mention Jasper Johns at the Guggenheim Bilbao, the Valencian contemporary series of “Tiempos modernos” at the MuBAV, and female Pre-Raphaelism at the Mapfre Foundation.

The museum collections also shine: the MACBA celebrates its 30th anniversary with “Like a Dance of Starlings”, while the MNAC exhibits the funds confiscated by the Franco regime to highlight the recovered heritage.

Finally, photography has a prominent place with Helen Levitt and Richard Avedon in Madrid, and in Barcelona the KBr is programming exhibitions by Walker Evans and Minor White, revisiting the history of 20th-century American photography.