Some exhibitions are worth planning an entire trip around. Across Europe, the United States and Japan, major museums are presenting shows that go beyond traditional displays, offering immersive encounters with artists, designers and cultural icons who shaped the visual language of the past century. From contemporary photography and fashion to architecture, cinema and design, these exhibitions invite visitors to experience art not just as spectators, but as travellers moving through ideas, aesthetics and cultural history.
France
Martin Parr: Global Warming
Jeu de Paume, Paris – until 24 May 2026
Martin Parr returns to familiar territory: tourism, consumption and the contradictions of modern life. Through vivid colours and characteristic humour, the exhibition presents a reflection on climate change and the paradoxes of contemporary lifestyles. The project at Jeu de Paume highlights the uneasy balance between environmental awareness and everyday behaviour.
Nan Goldin: This Will Not End Well
Grand Palais, Paris – 18 March to 21 June 2026
The Grand Palais hosts the first major retrospective of Nan Goldin in France, bringing together more than four decades of work. Known for her intensely personal and political photography, Goldin’s work explores themes of intimacy, vulnerability and identity through images that remain emotionally direct and uncompromising.
Patrick Demarchelier: Works 1970–2020
A.Galerie, Paris – 5 March to 25 April 2026
The Paris exhibition accompanies the publication of the book Works 1970–2020 and traces the career of fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier. The show highlights decades of influential imagery that shaped the aesthetics of fashion photography and defined the visual language of international magazines.
United Kingdom
Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art
V&A South Kensington, London – until 8 November 2026
The Victoria and Albert Museum dedicates a major exhibition to Elsa Schiaparelli, presenting her work not only as fashion design but as artistic expression. The exhibition traces the history of the house from the 1920s and 1930s to its contemporary revival under Daniel Roseberry, focusing on the relationship between fashion, surrealism and visual experimentation.
Tracey Emin: A Second Life
Tate Modern, London – until 31 August 2026
The Tate presents the largest survey exhibition of Tracey Emin to date, featuring more than 100 works across painting, neon installations, sculpture, textiles and video. The exhibition maps Emin’s distinctive artistic language, shaped by autobiography, emotion and personal reflection.
Frida Kahlo
Tate Modern, London – 25 June 2026 to January 2027
Tate Modern presents a major exhibition dedicated to Frida Kahlo, exploring the life and artistic legacy of one of the most recognisable figures in twentieth-century art. The exhibition examines Kahlo’s paintings alongside personal objects and archival material, offering insight into how her work combined personal experience, political conviction and Mexican cultural identity.
Marilyn Monroe: The Exhibition
Arches London Bridge, London – from May 2026
This exhibition examines the life and cultural legacy of Marilyn Monroe through personal objects, photographs and film material. Beyond the iconography of Hollywood glamour, the show explores Monroe’s influence on cinema, fashion and popular culture, presenting a more complex portrait of one of the most recognisable figures of the twentieth century.
Italy
Anselm Kiefer: The Women Alchemist
Palazzo Reale, Milan – 7 February to 27 September 2026
Hosted in the historic Sala delle Cariatidi of Palazzo Reale, this exhibition presents more than forty large-scale works by Anselm Kiefer. The artist turns to overlooked historical figures described as “women alchemists”, creating monumental canvases that explore memory, mythology and transformation.
Robert Mapplethorpe: The Forms of Desire
Palazzo Reale, Milan – 29 January to 17 May 2026
The Milan exhibition presents some of Mapplethorpe’s most iconic photographs alongside rare and previously unpublished material. The show highlights the photographer’s refined aesthetic and his exploration of form, identity and sexuality, which continues to provoke discussion decades after the works were created.
Japan
Martin Margiela at Kudan House
Kudan House, Tokyo – 11 to 29 April 2026
Martin Margiela’s first major solo exhibition in Japan unfolds inside a historic residence dating from 1927. The exhibition extends throughout the house, presenting works created after 2017 and focusing on the relationship between space, fragility and the ephemeral qualities that characterise Margiela’s artistic practice.
Belgium
The Antwerp Six
MoMu, Antwerp – 28 March 2026 to 17 January 2027
The MoMu Fashion Museum marks the 40th anniversary of the international breakthrough of the Antwerp Six with the first major exhibition dedicated collectively to the group. The exhibition examines how six designers who studied at the Antwerp Academy transformed global fashion design and established Belgium as a creative centre in the industry.
Germany
Verner Panton: Form, Colour, Space
Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein – 23 May 2026 to 9 May 2027
The Vitra Design Museum celebrates the centenary of Danish designer Verner Panton with a comprehensive exhibition exploring his impact on post-war design. Through furniture, architectural concepts and immersive installations, the exhibition reflects how Panton reshaped modern visual culture with bold colour, experimental materials and spatial design.
United States
Stories and Set Designs for The Sopranos
Museum of the Moving Image, New York – 14 February to 31 May 2026
Drawing on material from the personal archive of series creator David Chase, this exhibition examines the visual construction of the world of The Sopranos. Visitors can explore scripts, notes and production designs that shaped iconic locations such as the Soprano family home, Dr. Melfi’s office, Bada Bing and Satriale’s.
Noguchi’s New York
The Noguchi Museum, New York – 4 February to 13 September 2026
The exhibition focuses on Isamu Noguchi’s relationship with New York City and its influence on his artistic development. Rather than presenting a traditional biography, the show explores how the sculptor’s work intersected with the urban landscape, public space and the evolving cultural identity of the city.
Art of Noise
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York – 13 February to 16 August 2026
The Cooper Hewitt exhibition explores how design has shaped the way music is experienced and consumed. The display includes record covers, posters, radios, turntables and digital music devices, illustrating how technological innovation and visual design transformed listening culture across decades.