2026 belongs to women in art. From fashion and film to sculpture and painting, these 12 exhibitions across the globe celebrate vision, audacity, and creativity, the kind of cultural moments that shape a year.

Zandra Rhodes

Here is a curated list of the must-see exhibitions of the year, spanning fashion and film, sculpture and painting, intimacy and spectacle. From boundary-pushing couture to immersive installations and deeply personal retrospectives, these shows map the many ways women continue to shape visual culture. Among them are celebrated figures such as Frida Kahlo, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Ruth Asawa… Artists whose legacies feel as vital now as ever. Consider this your cultural itinerary for the year ahead.

Iris Van Herpen

Pushing the boundaries of couture and imagination, Iris Van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses arrives at the Brooklyn Museum, New York, from May 16 to December 6, 2026. Featuring more than 140 haute couture creations alongside contemporary artworks and collaborative designs, the exhibition foregrounds Van Herpen’s command of traditional craftsmanship and pioneering technique. Inspired by biomimicry, fractal geometry, mathematics, and neuroscience, her sculptural gowns, worn by Björk, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga, transform the body into a site of wonder and innovation.

Katharina Grosse

As Katharina Grosse herself says, “Imagination doesn’t have a scale”, a fitting mantra for her work, where vibrant colours are spray-painted across interiors, architecture, and landscapes. On view at White Cube, London, from April 22 to May 31, 2026, her installations dissolve boundaries between surface and space, inviting viewers to experience colour as a living, physical presence.

Elsa Schiaparelli

Blurring the line between fashion and fine art, Elsa Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art makes its UK debut at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, from March 28 to November 1, 2026. Spanning designs from the 1920s to today, the exhibition traces the house’s origins through to the visionary work of current creative director Daniel Roseberry. Celebrated for its daring, surrealist-infused creations, Schiaparelli’s legacy continues to challenge conventions, reminding us that fashion can be as provocative and transformative as any artwork.

Marie Antoinette

Step into the opulent world of Marie Antoinette Style at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, closing March 22, 2026. Spanning over 250 years of design, fashion film, and art, the exhibition explores the enduring influence of the French queen’s aesthetic; from her extravagant court wardrobes to her lasting impact on contemporary creativity. A sumptuous journey through history revealing how Marie Antoinette’s style continues to inspire imagination, spectacle, and a touch of rebellion.

Zandra Rhodes

The Holburne Museum in Bath presents a vibrant retrospective of Zandra Rhodes, celebrating one of Britain’s most influential designers and her fearless use of colour and graphic print. Screen printed garments from the 60s, 70s, and 80s are displayed on vintage Adel Rootstein mannequins, animating Rhodes’ unmistakable silhouettes. Running until May 10, the show captures the spirit of a designer who never diluted her vision and never needed to.

Marilyn Monroe

In celebration of the star’s 100th birthday, the National Portrait Gallery in London, presents Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait from June 4 to September 6, 2026. Bringing together works by Andy Warhol, Pauline Boty, Cecil Beaton, and Philippe Halsman alongside Monroe’s books, scripts, and clothing, the exhibition moves beyond image making. It offers a closer look at the woman behind the myth and at the machinery that built it.

Tracey Emin

At Tate Modern, Tracey Emin’s A Second Life unfolds from February 26 to August 31, 2026. This expansive, multi media presentation spans painting, video, textiles, neon, sculpture, and installation, confronting love, trauma, and autobiography with unflinching candour. Raw and deeply personal, Emin’s work resists detachment. It demands feeling.

Ana Mendieta

Ana Mendieta returns to the spotlight with a major retrospective from July 9, 2026, to January 10, 2027 at Tate Modern. The first in-depth show of her work in over a decade. Featuring remastered films, early paintings, and late sculptural pieces, many of which have never been seen in the UK, the exhibition highlights Mendieta’s profound connection to the natural world. Best known for her iconic Silueta series, her work navigates questions of displacement, identity, and belonging, offering a hauntingly beautiful meditation on body, earth, and memory.

Frida Kahlo

Flowers in her hair and fire in her spirit, Frida Kahlo comes vividly to life in The Making of an Icon. The exhibition traces the life of the extraordinary artist and activist, showcasing over 30 of her works alongside garments, jewellery, photographs, and personal memorabilia. Offering an intimate look at Kahlo’s creativity and resilience, it reveals how her art and persona became enduring symbols of courage, identity, and self expression. Another standout presentation in Tate Modern’s 2026 programme, the show runs from June 25, 2026, to January 3, 2027.

Yin Xiuzhen

From February 17 to May 3, the Hayward Gallery at London’s Southbank Centre features Heart to Heart, a major presentation of Chinese artist Yin Xiuzhen. Known for transforming second hand clothing and textiles into immersive installations and sculpture, Yin examines memory and materiality through objects that have lived previous lives. The result is quietly powerful, proof that intimacy can be monumental.

Ruth Asawa

Bilbao’s Guggenheim presents Ruth Asawa: A Retrospective from March 20 to September 13, 2026. The first major exhibition to explore the full breadth of her practice, showcasing her iconic looped wire sculptures, electroplated and cast bronze works, paintings, prints, and drawings. Transforming industrial wire into organic, almost breathing forms, Asawa elevates everyday material into something transcendent.

Ana Locking

Spanning more than two decades and over 160 garments, Ana Locking’s Nostalgia/Utopia highlights her emotionally and politically attuned approach to fashion. Moving between memory and projection, her work reframes the past as possibility, a reminder that clothing can carry both history and hope. The retrospective runs from March 4 to July 12, 2026, at Sala Canal de Isabel II in Madrid.

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