From Rothko in Florence to photography in Arles, these exhibitions offer compelling reasons to plan a European art journey in summer 2026.
Summer is one of the best seasons for experiencing art in Europe. Museums extend their programmes, historic buildings become exhibition spaces, and major cities are joined by festivals in places such as Arles, Bilbao, Basel and Venice.
For this selection, we have focused on exhibitions that remain open in August and September 2026, as well as events that are worth planning an entire trip around. Dates should be checked before travelling, as programmes and opening hours can change.
1. Rothko in Florence — Palazzo Strozzi, Florence
14 March–23 August 2026
Mark Rothko’s large-scale colour-field paintings are being shown at Palazzo Strozzi in dialogue with Florence’s Renaissance architecture and history. The contrast between Rothko’s reduced visual language and the palazzo’s historic setting makes this one of the summer’s most distinctive exhibitions.
The exhibition is particularly significant for anyone interested in abstraction, atmosphere and the emotional power of colour. Rothko’s work demonstrates how a limited palette and simple composition can create an immersive experience rather than merely decorate a wall.wallpaper+1
Why travel: For an encounter between American abstraction and the architectural language of Florence.
2. Calder: Rêver en équilibre — Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris
Until 16 August 2026
Alexander Calder transformed sculpture through movement. His mobiles, suspended forms and playful constructions bring together balance, engineering, line and space in a way that still feels remarkably contemporary.
At the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Calder’s work can be experienced within one of Paris’s most striking modern buildings. The exhibition is an excellent choice for visitors interested in geometric abstraction, minimalism and the relationship between art and architecture.elle+1
Why travel: For sculpture that appears weightless, constantly changing and full of movement.
3. Tracey Emin: A Second Life — Tate Modern, London
Until 31 August 2026
Tracey Emin’s major survey at Tate Modern spans four decades of an intensely personal practice. Her work brings together drawing, painting, sculpture, installation and text, often addressing memory, vulnerability, love, loss and the body.
This is not a quiet or purely decorative exhibition, but it offers a powerful exploration of how private experience can become public art. It is especially relevant for visitors interested in confessional, autobiographical and emotionally direct contemporary practices.anno+1
Why travel: To see how personal experience can become a visual language with international resonance.
4. Anish Kapoor — Hayward Gallery, London
16 June–18 October 2026
Anish Kapoor’s exhibition at the Hayward Gallery is one of the major contemporary-art events of the season. Known for monumental sculpture, intense colour and seemingly bottomless forms, Kapoor creates works that challenge the viewer’s sense of scale, space and perception.
The exhibition is a natural choice for anyone drawn to sculptural minimalism and the physical qualities of art. Kapoor’s work often turns simple shapes, voids and surfaces into profound spatial experiences.wallpaper+1
Why travel: For an immersive encounter with colour, voids, scale and material.
5. The Venice Biennale — Venice
9 May–22 November 2026
The 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia is one of the essential events in the international contemporary-art calendar. Spread across the Giardini, the Arsenale and venues throughout Venice, the Biennale brings together artists and national presentations from across the world.
Its 2026 title, In Minor Keys, suggests an interest in quieter, more nuanced and less spectacular forms of artistic expression. Venice itself is part of the experience: the exhibitions are encountered through a city shaped by water, history, decay and constant movement.blog.artsper+1
Why travel: For the scale, diversity and international perspective of contemporary art in one extraordinary city.
6. Les Rencontres de la Photographie — Arles
6 July–4 October 2026
The 57th edition of Les Rencontres d’Arles turns the city into an expansive photography exhibition. Works are presented in museums, churches, former industrial buildings and other historic locations, creating a dialogue between photography and the architecture of Arles.
The 2026 theme, Des mondes à relire, invites visitors to reconsider the way images shape memory, history and our understanding of the world. With more than 40 exhibitions and events, Arles is one of the strongest destinations for photography this summer.frequence-sud+2
Why travel: For the combination of international photography, historic spaces and the atmosphere of Provence.
7. Ruth Asawa — Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Until 13 September 2026
Ruth Asawa’s delicate wire sculptures occupy an intriguing space between drawing, sculpture and architecture. Her repeated forms appear light and fragile, yet their structures are carefully constructed and visually complex.
The Guggenheim Bilbao provides an ideal setting for a presentation focused on space, line and suspended form. Asawa’s work will appeal to visitors interested in abstract sculpture, organic geometry and the relationship between art and the surrounding environment.christies
Why travel: To experience sculpture that transforms line into volume and space into atmosphere.
8. Pierre Huyghe — Fondation Beyeler, Riehen
Until 13 September 2026
Pierre Huyghe’s work often moves beyond the traditional exhibition format. His installations can involve living systems, technology, images, environments and unpredictable forms of change.
Presented at the Fondation Beyeler near Basel, the exhibition offers an opportunity to think about art as an evolving ecosystem rather than a fixed collection of objects. It is a particularly interesting destination for visitors seeking ambitious, experimental contemporary art.christies+1
Why travel: For an exhibition that questions where an artwork begins and ends.
9. Anna Maria Maiolino: Poetic Earth — MAAT, Lisbon
Until 31 August 2026
Anna Maria Maiolino’s practice brings together sculpture, installation, drawing, poetry and performance. Earth, clay, the body and transformation are recurring elements in her work.
At Lisbon’s MAAT, this exhibition offers a tactile and poetic experience that contrasts with the polished surfaces often associated with contemporary museums. It is especially relevant to visitors interested in material-led art and the expressive possibilities of clay and organic forms.mostradante
Why travel: For a sensory exhibition centred on earth, gesture and transformation.
10. Helen Frankenthaler — Kunstmuseum Basel
Until 23 August 2026
Helen Frankenthaler played an important role in the development of post-war abstraction. Her paintings are known for their fluid forms, transparent colour and the way paint appears to soak into the surface rather than sit heavily on top of it.
The exhibition provides an opportunity to look closely at how colour, chance and gesture can structure an abstract image. For admirers of expressive yet spacious compositions, Frankenthaler offers a compelling alternative to more rigid forms of geometric minimalism.
