Basquiat: Headstrong — Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark
Dates: 30 January – 17 May 2026
This major Scandinavian exhibition centers on Jean-Michel Basquiat’s powerful works on paper, focusing particularly on his depictions of heads created in the early 1980s. These dynamic oilstick drawings foreground Basquiat’s raw, expressive line and his engagement with identity, memory, and urban culture. The show emphasizes the psychological intensity of Basquiat’s imagery and situates these works within his broader neo-expressionist practice. Set in the tranquil landscape of the Louisiana Museum, the exhibition presents a rare opportunity to see a focused, in-depth selection of Basquiat’s graphic oeuvre.
Courtesy of Louisiana Museum
Brâncuși — Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany
Dates: 20 March – 9 August 2026
This extensive retrospective explores the career of Constantin Brâncuși, one of the 20th century’s most influential sculptors, whose abstracted forms reshaped modern sculpture. Drawing on loans from the Centre Pompidou and other major collections, the exhibition presents over 150 works, including sculptures, drawings, photographs, and archival material. It traces Brâncuși’s evolution from academic training and his brief period with Rodin to the development of his signature language of simplified, organic shapes. The Berlin presentation marks the sculptor’s first substantial solo show in Germany in decades.
Courtesy of Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Philippe Migeat/Dist. GrandPalaisRmn, Bruno Lopes, Service de la documentation photographique du MNAM - Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI
Hammershøi: The Eye that Listens — Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Spain
Dates: 17 February – 31 May 2026
The first major Spanish retrospective of Vilhelm Hammershøi focuses on the Danish painter’s introspective interiors and subdued palette. Known especially for his depictions of quiet domestic spaces — often featuring his wife Ida with her back turned — Hammershøi’s work embodies a hushed psychological realism. The exhibition situates these works in dialogue with other Nordic and European traditions, highlighting Hammershøi’s unique contribution to early 20th-century painting. In summer 2026, it transfers to Kunsthaus Zürich.
Vilhelm Hammershøi, Interior with Woman at Piano, Strandgade 30, Private collection, Photo: ©Bruno Lopes
Cézanne — Fondation Beyeler, Riehen, Switzerland
Dates: 25 January – 25 May 2026
This landmark retrospective at Fondation Beyeler focuses on Paul Cézanne’s late period, illustrating how the artist’s radical approach to form, color and structure paved the way for modernism. With roughly 80 works — including landscapes of Mont Sainte-Victoire, intimate portraits, and studies of bathers — the show traces his break from Impressionism toward a conceptual exploration of painting itself. Cézanne’s emphasis on pictorial architecture profoundly influenced artists from Picasso to Matisse. The exhibition is one of the most comprehensive European presentations of Cézanne’s mature output in years and highlights the intellectual intensity behind his studio practice.
Courtesy of Fondation Beyeler
Matisse. 1941–1954 — Grand Palais, Paris, France
Dates: 24 March – 26 July 2026
This sweeping retrospective at the Grand Palais showcases Henri Matisse’s late creative period, when the French master developed his pioneering cut-out technique. Featuring more than 230 works — from paintings and drawings to books, textiles, and stained glass — the show reveals how Matisse’s artistic innovation deepened in his final decade. Far from a retrospective of familiar hits alone, it places emphasis on his process of simplification, spatial invention, and color exploration. The exhibition affords a rare overview of how Matisse redefined his practice in the face of physical challenges, turning constraint into fresh expressive freedom.
Henri Matisse, Nu bleu II, 1952/ Service de la documentation photographique du MNAM - Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI
Brassaï: The Secret Signs of Paris — Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden
Dates: 28 March – 4 October 2026
The first major Swedish exhibition dedicated to Brassaï highlights the photographer’s iconic images of Paris in the 1930s and beyond. Brassaï’s nocturnal photographs capture both the poetic atmosphere of the city’s streets and the intimate details of everyday life. With around 100 works on display, this presentation traces how his lens revealed hidden facets of urban existence and laid the groundwork for modern documentary photography. Through portraits of cafés, alleys, and graffiti, Brassaï’s work evokes the enigmatic rhythms of the city at night.
Brassaï, Couple d'amoureux dans un petit café parisien, Place d’Italie, Paris/Lovers in a Small French Café, Place d’Italie, Paris, ca 1932/ca 1970 © Estate Brassaï Succession/Philippe Ribeyrolles. Reprophoto: Albin Dahlström/Moderna Museet
Calder: Rêver en équilibre — Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, France
Dates: 15 April 2025 – 16 August 2026
This major monographic exhibition celebrates the dynamic and poetic sculptures of Alexander Calder, highlighting his mastery of mobiles, stabiles, and kinetic art. The show explores Calder’s innovative approach to balance, movement, and color, tracing his career from early experiments in wire sculptures to monumental public works. Through a selection of key works, archival material, and immersive installations, the exhibition demonstrates Calder’s playful yet rigorous engagement with physics, engineering, and visual poetry. It offers a rare opportunity to experience the harmonious interaction of form and motion that defined Calder’s oeuvre.
