Photography reaches a major milestone in 2026 as the medium celebrates its 200th anniversary, and museums worldwide are commemorating this occasion with extraordinary exhibitions. From New York to Shanghai, curators have assembled shows that span the entire history of photographic practice while highlighting contemporary innovations. These ten must-see exhibitions feature legendary masters, emerging talents, and groundbreaking archival projects that demonstrate photography's enduring power to capture and shape our understanding of the world. The selections offer something for every interest, from fashion and portraiture to documentary and conceptual work.
The year kicks off with two radically different approaches to photographic tradition. At the International Center of Photography in New York, Aaron Stern's "Hard Copy" explores the tactile magic of Xerox printing through an expanded iteration co-curated by David Campany. The exhibition features Thomas Ruff's reappropriated nudes, Stephen Shore's Andy Warhol portraits, and a 50-foot mural by Gray Sorrenti, emphasizing the bodily, immersive quality of analog duplication. Meanwhile, Paris's Jeu de Paume presents the first posthumous survey of Martin Parr, titled "Global Warning," which examines consumerism and mass tourism through Parr's signature garish colors. The show serves as a powerful reminder of the photographer's sharp critique of contemporary capitalism and his lasting legacy.
Spring brings major retrospectives of three influential artists who have fundamentally shaped photographic practice. Louisiana Museum in Denmark hosts French conceptual artist Sophie Calle with a crowd-pleasing survey featuring her newly acquired work "The Blind," where she asked people blind from birth to describe beauty. Across the channel, London's National Portrait Gallery presents Catherine Opie's first major UK exhibition, "To Be Seen," gathering three decades of portraits that have made queer culture visible and challenged artistic canons. In Paris, the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation showcases Daido Moriyama's "Declarations to Photography," a love letter to the medium that traces his fascination with Nicéphore Niépce's first photograph through his own gritty, expressive work.
Summer exhibitions turn toward archives and fashion photography. The Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris presents Camille Vivier's first major museum show, revealing the fashion photographer's distinctive visual language where romance, fantasy, and underground culture collide. In Shanghai, Fotografiska hosts Thomas Sauvin's "Beijing Silvermine: Archive Anthology," the largest presentation yet of his unique collection of negatives salvaged from a Beijing recycling plant. The installation features 1,000 images representing just 0.1% of the archive, documenting China's transformation from the mid-1980s to 2000s through everyday moments.
The year's final quarter offers historical perspective and nostalgic reflection. Beijing's UCCA presents the first institutional survey of John Baldessari in China, five years after the conceptual master's death, tracing his journey from text-image experiments to pop culture engagements. Tate Britain's "The 90s," curated by Edward Enninful, transports viewers back to Cool Britannia with work by Juergen Teller, Corrine Day, and designers Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. Finally, Photo Élysée in Lausanne becomes a photographic zoo with "Animal Model," a 200-year survey of animals in photography ranging from scientific documentation to artistic iconography.
These ten exhibitions collectively demonstrate photography's remarkable evolution over two centuries while pointing toward its future possibilities. They show how the medium has grown from Niépce's first heliograph to encompass everything from Xerox art to digital archives. More importantly, they reveal photography's unique ability to document social change, challenge cultural norms, and preserve personal and collective memories. As visitors experience these diverse shows throughout 2026, they will gain a deeper appreciation for how photography continues to shape our visual culture and understanding of the world.
