Seven unmissable exhibitions to add to your 2026 cultural calendar

With its short days and sense of post-holiday letdown, January might not be your favourite month – but it’s the perfect time to plan your cultural itinerary for the rest of the year. From Alexander Calder’s mesmerising mobiles to a nostalgic celebration of the 1990s, we round up seven of the most essential museum shows to catch over the next 12 months.

1.
Rose Wylie: The Picture Comes First
The Royal Academy, London 
At the age of 91, UK painter Rose Wylie is at the height of her career. Her biggest exhibition to date will show some of her older work alongside her latest canvases. For a behind-the-scenes look at her working methods, see our profile of the artist here.
‘Rose Wylie: The Picture Comes First’ runs from 28 February to 19 April 2026

2.
The Antwerp Six 
Momu Fashion Museum, Antwerp
The Antwerp Six were an influential group of Belgian designers who burst onto the international fashion scene in 1986, firmly putting their country on the industry’s map. Though the group counted luminaries such as Dries van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester among its members, this is the first major show dedicated to it and brings together original garments, sketches and photographs. 
‘The Antwerp Six’ runs from 28 March 2026 to 17 January 2027

3.
Raphael: Sublime Poetry
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
More than 500 years after the death of Raffaello di Giovanni Santi (aged 37), the largest exhibition of his work to be staged in the US is due to arrive at the Met’s Fifth Avenue location. Carmen Bambach, who curated the institution’s landmark Michelangelo show in 2017, has secured more than 200 pieces, from tapestries and sketches to the Louvre’s captivating “Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione”.
‘Raphael: Sublime Poetry’ runs from 29 March to 28 June 2026

4.
Calder. Rêver en Equilibre
Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris 
The work of US sculptor Alexander Calder, who died in 1976, is having something of a renaissance. In September, Calder Gardens opened in his birthplace, Philadelphia, while an exhibition dedicated to one of his most iconic pieces is currently running at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Meanwhile, in April, almost 300 of his works will arrive at Paris’s Fondation Louis Vuitton for Rêver en Equilibre, a retrospective that explores all facets of his oeuvre. 
‘Calder. Rêver en Equilibre’ runs from 15 April to 16 August 2026 

5.
Marina Abramović: Transforming Energy 
Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice 
At the age of 79, Marina Abramović shows no sign of dulling her work’s transgressive edge. Her showcase this spring will coincide with the art crowd’s arrival in the floating city for the 61st Venice Biennale. It will create a dialogue between Abramović’s performance art and the Renaissance masterpieces that are so intrinsic to the city. 
‘Marina Abramović: Transforming Energy’ runs from 6 May to 19 October 2026 

6.
The 90s
Tate Britain, London
Stylist and magazine editor Edward Enninful curates this nostalgic examination of a decade that feels both increasingly distant and relevant. A sense of optimism and a wilful disregard of hierarchies defined 1990s music, fashion, photography and art – changing the course of British culture.
‘The 90s’ runs from 8 October 2026 to 14 February 2027

7.
Mariko Mori
Mori Art Museum, Tokyo
A homecoming of sorts: Tokyo-born Mariko Mori presents her first Japanese exhibition in 24 years at Mori Art Museum, the Roppongi Hills institution founded by her uncle. Family ties aside, it will be fascinating to see her increasingly spiritual sculptures and installations in the context of the 53rd-floor gallery space. 
‘Mariko Mori’ runs from 31 October 2026 to 28 March 2027