What art exhibitions are you looking forward to in 2026

[MmeWorthington]

I currently have my eye on
Tracey Emin
Whistler
Frida Kahlo
Vanessa Bell
Julio le Parc (All Tate in London)

Ai Weiwei - Manchester

Bridget Riley - Margate (maybe - saw the big BR exhibition at the Haywood a few years ago - will it be different works?)

Hockney - Serpentine - maybe (have seen the Normandy work at the National Gallery and in Saltaire - will it be different?)

Thanks from me too. I went yesterday and thought it was very powerful.

I'm booked for Frida Kahlo and awning to go to Tracey Emin too.
Excited!

I (finally) booked my Gwen John exhibit tickets, which I’m really looking forward to.

Cardiff Museum will be having Luke Jerram’s Helios exhibit from the 21st of July - 31st of August, which is free to see. (If anyone’s interested!) - I’ve booked my tickets to see that too.

I saw his moon exhibit there recently, which was lovely, so I couldn’t miss out on Helios.

@AllaMova I’ve been today! Lovely.

I saw the Matisse exhibition in Paris today, focusing on the last decade or so of his work and transitioning from paintings to the cut outs. Absolutely fantastic. I’ve always preferred his paintings - and still do - but seeing them side by side and how you can trace his paintings through to his later work was fabulous. They have a couple of my favourite paintings too and it was amazing to see them in person. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in Paris.

Konrad Mägi at Dulwich Picture Gallery was good. Also made me realise I know bog all about Estonia's history.

I'm going to have to wait until GJ moves to Edinburgh, but I'm excited about it.

I saw Tracy Emin, Hurvin Anderson, the Whistler show and the exhibition of contemporary Asian art at the VA over a very packed 36 hours in London. I was unexpected touched and moved by the Emin, and left thinking far more highly of her as a painter than I had before, and the Hurvin Anderson was predictably excellent (and almost empty -- I had entire galleries to myself. to gloat happily over his foliage and abandoned Caribbean holiday camps being reclaimed by vegetation.) On the other hand, I didn't think much of the Whistler. Perhaps hitting it immediately after Emin was a bad idea. I'm almost certainly being terribly unfair. I'm in London so seldom I have to cram in art, and I think with so many sketches and physically small pieces of work, it would have needed more leisurely attention than I had (and less people...)

Bayeux Tapestry in September.
It'll be my 80th and my DD's 50th birthdays
50 years of Two Tone in my home city

The Gwen John will be worth the wait. It was marvellous. 🥰

Can you say what range of work was in it? I’ve seen what they hold in Cardiff, her two self-portraits at the Tate and NPG, and I saw the Tate joint exhibition of Gwen and Augustus’ work back whenever that was, but she fascinates me.

I’m not sure what you mean by the range. As in the stages of her career, or range of technique?

(Apologies, if I’ve misunderstood.)

Her self-portrait is my favourite piece at the NPG, alongside the portrait of Christabel Pankhurst (painted by Ethel Wright.)

I’ve yet to visit the Tate.

Tickets on sale from 1st July, I think.

The Gwen John, there was a lot of her early work including the self portrait in the red dress and her paintings from when she was at the Slade. There were about 20 oils, several versions of nuns, several versions of young girl in a blue dress including a couple of lovely ones with cats which I’d never seen, a few interiors (corner of a room in Paris). Drawings and watercolours of cats and church congregations. They had her original sketchbooks which they’ve taken apart very carefully and included lots of drawings from those too.

It covered the whole of her career from an early painting or two from Tenby to the later muted impressionistic style and religious paintings.

It was well worth £8.

Perfect, thanks.

Yes, that’s what I meant, @AllaMova — what media, what stages of her career etc. I’m trying to figure out whether there will be much I haven’t seen elsewhere. A lot of her sketches seem to be in private hands, so difficult to assemble them, I imagine.

What are people planning for the summer? Since Tracey Emin I’ve seen 2 fashion exhibitions - one the Schiaparelli at the V&A and in stark contrast the Nigo exhibition at the Design Museum. I was looking for a venue for my birthday and noticed Viktor Wynd museum ( which is a museum of curios) has a Dorothea Tanning print exhibition in June ( They have an absinthe bar I’m curious about although I’m not much of a drinker.). I’ve booked tickets for Two Temple place after recommendations here so Im interested in what else is looking good. I have Tate membership and imagine I will be up to the Frida Kahlo more than once with different friends.

I need to book for the Zurbaran at the National Gallery. It’s had such outstanding reviews and a couple of friends have been and loved it so I’m really looking forward to it.

Only 6 days left, in Plymouth, for the tour of the mesmerising Mai by local artist, Joshua Reynolds:

NPG 7153; Mai (Omai) - Portrait - National Portrait Gallery

I went to Rugby last weekend - well worth visit if you're in the area,their whole collection.
https://www.ragm.co.uk/unveiled-the-rugby-collection

Viktor Wynd is a great experience! And the Corpse Reviver #2 cocktail is fab! Dont go if youre easily offended

What a shame Gwen John didn't come to London - would gladly have seen that instead of the dreadful Tracey Emin show.

Have booked for the Zurbarán at the NG, everyone I know who has seen it has been raving about it. V. Excited.

RIP David Hockney.

I have had so much pleasure over the years from Hockney's work.

The Normandy frieze at the Serpentine is wonderful

IMO

I can’t wait to see the Bayeux Tapestry in September.

I went to the Emin and loved it.

Ditto the Whistler.

Looking forward to Anish Kapoor at Heyward (DS asked me: does he even make his own art anymore?) But I did love his early work so dying to see what he and his studio assistants have done recently.

I have been meaning to go to Viktor Wynd for ages. On the list.

Totally agree about Emin. I've always liked her work - and her. But that show was even more powerful than I expected. I want to go back.