Our summer exhibition guide

Summer, after all, is a time when cities slow down: citizens flee the (especially now) scorching streets for a coastal weekend away, but luckily, museum gates remain wide open, pulsating with AC and even better exhibitions waiting inside. For this guide, we’ve selected a heavily female-focused line-up (okay, with two small exceptions) where the legacies of twentieth-century icons — Elsa Schiaparelli, Frida Kahlo, Hilma af Klint, and Verner Panton — are rightfully celebrated alongside the influence of contemporary forces like Marina Abramović, Yayoi Kusama, Björk, Martine Gutierrez, and Inez and Vinoodh.

Marina Abramović: Balkan Erotic Epic. The Exhibition
Gropius Bau, Berlin, until 30 August 2026
After more than 30 years without a major solo exhibition dedicated to Marina Abramović in Berlin, Gropius Bau is making up for it with an extensive show putting on display old and new works alike. Centred on Abramović’s gripping themes of ritual, eroticism, and the body as political resistance, the curation sets the scene for a reimagination of her native Balkan land, one where erotic energies serve as conduits for death and fertility. Between morbid performances, phallic forests, and a massive projection screen with faces plastered on it, Abramović certainly knows how to make her grand entrance back to the German capital.

Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Temple (1906-1915)
Grand Palais, Paris, until 30 August 2026
Paris’ Grand Palais is hosting the first-ever French retrospective of the late Swedish visionary Hilma af Klint. On one part, af Klint was conforming to the figurative art conventions of her era, but she was also secretly mapping out cosmic harmony and invisible forces through her avant-garde brushstrokes. Deeply nourished by theosophy, spiritualism, and scientific culture, her work from the early twentieth century materialises these realms in bold, colourful, organic compositions. The radical freedom in her work also underlies the erased role of women in art history, one where her practice was shockingly ahead of her male, modernist-geometric counterparts.

Björk: echolalia
National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavík, until 20 September
Remember when Björk did that surprise DJ set at the Venice Biennale, or even better, that one Christmas set in a tiny store? It’s in those serendipitous moments we realise we were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Luckily, the National Gallery of Iceland is giving us a chance to get some Björk every day (until 20 September, that is). The exhibition features three large-scale audiovisual installations, including two elegiac works in memory of her mother, alongside a new piece from her upcoming album.

Martine Gutierrez: Wunderkind
Huis Marseille, Amsterdam, until 18 October
American multidisciplinary trans artist Martine Gutierrez puts the power of creativity and expression at center stage. Known for exploring identity, gender, and representation, Gutierrez acts as her own subject, artist, and muse in self-portraits and cinematic tableaux. And it’s with her colourful, ever-changing universe stretched across photography, video, and music, she focuses on the fickleness of identity — ultimately exposing how much of a performance it is. She also raises the classic textbook debate of nature vs. nurture but in the context of what makes an artist by revisiting her own childhood wonderings. The exhibition also features her series of self-portraits reinterpreting Renaissance figures she was compared to in her childhood (yes, you read that right). 

Frida: The Making of an Icon
Tate Modern, London, until 3 January 2027
Sometimes we need a friendly reminder to truly understand the build-up of an icon. In The Making of An Icon, this very history is explored through Frida Kahlo’s most celebrated works, alongside her multiple alter-egos (after all, there is so much complexity in all of us). The thing is, it doesn’t stop at her own prolific work: her garments, jewellery, memorabilia, and inspiration from her contemporaries are all gathered under the high concrete ceilings of the Tate Modern. This exhibition is kind of a psychoanalytical dream for the fans. Ending on the explosive capitalisation of her image and the endless derived products associated with her, we’ve come to wonder what having never-ending merch of yourself must feel like…

Can Love Be a Photograph: 40 years of Inez and Vinoodh
Kunstmuseum Den Haag, The Hague, until 6 September 2026
NY-based Dutch duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin are two of the most sought-after photographers of the past few decades. Their dedicated retrospective is set to celebrate both their love for one another and the many faces they’ve captured along the way. With high-profile collaborations like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Barack Obama, and luxury fashion moguls (think Louis Vuitton and Chanel) under their belt, the creative duo have defined an era with their uncanny, glossy, digitally manipulated imagery. In this opulent exhibition, the Kunstmuseum’s rooms showcase their editorials worthy of remaining imprinted in your mind, eerie personal artworks, and a video compilation beautifully showing their cultural impact. A final note: the visual communication was done by long-term friends and collaborators M/M Paris — so don’t skip the gift shop.

Yayoi Kusama: Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, opening 11 September 2026 until 17 January 2027
Your end-of-summer plans are officially sorted: Yayoi Kusama opens on 11 September at Amsterdam’s Stedelijk. And in all good autumnal spirits of the incessant cascade of golden leaves, Kusama’s major retrospective of infinite symbolism spans across seven decades — meaning a total deep-dive into her world is now fully permissible. Centred around themes of infinity, repetition, and self-obliteration, there’s no better excuse to ponder the meaning of life through her infinite polka dots and hypnotic landscapes.

Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art
V&A South Kensington, London, until 8 November
Elsa Schiaparelli herself was celebrated for the surreal splendour she brought with her touch, and entering her world was easily one of the most fascinating experiences one could waltz through. Today, the V&A does us the service of unpacking the house’s impressionable history — from its foundation in the 1920s right up to today. Expect everything from Miss Schiaparelli’s surrealist jewels and hypnotic garments to Daniel Roseberry’s 21st century fantastical interpretation of the house codes as creative director.

Verner Panton: Form, Colour, Space
Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, until 9 May 2027
The Vitra Design Museum is celebrating what would have been Verner Panton’s 100th birthday—and what better way to honour the late Danish designer and architect than with an expansive retrospective of his groundbreaking career? With a highly recognisable design language, Panton remains one of the most influential figures of twentieth century design, from his womb-like ‘Fantasy Interior’ to the heart-cone and S-shaped chairs we all have already saved on our Pinterest. Panton sought to transform domestic life into playful spaces where warped patterns and clashing color palettes would modulate human mood, and this show is the closest we’ll get to living in his world.