The year 2026 promises an extraordinary calendar of art exhibitions that will place women artists at the forefront of cultural conversation, with major institutions across the United Kingdom mounting ambitious retrospectives and thematic showcases that span four centuries of creative achievement. From contemporary icons to historical masters, these presentations reflect a deliberate shift toward recognizing underrepresented voices while offering audiences unprecedented access to pivotal bodies of work. The concentration of female artists in top-billed positions signals a meaningful correction in how museums construct art historical narratives.
Tate Modern leads this charge with a particularly stellar lineup, featuring three landmark exhibitions that define the year's programming. Tracey Emin: A Second Life will survey four decades of the artist's blisteringly candid practice, from her shocking Turner Prize-winning installation My Bed to recent paintings created after her cancer diagnosis. The museum will also present Frida: The Making of an Icon, comprising 130 paintings plus personal photographs and memorabilia that explore Kahlo's evolution into a global cultural phenomenon. Additionally, Ana Mendieta's first comprehensive UK exhibition in over a decade will extend beyond gallery walls, incorporating her nature-based Silueta Series and remastered films that examine the relationship between body and landscape.
Other London institutions contribute equally compelling offerings that expand the scope of 2026's cultural offerings. The Royal Academy will host the largest exhibition ever staged of Rose Wylie's paintings, whose playful, color-saturated canvases teem with cultural references drawn from literature, celebrity gossip, and medieval history. At the Victoria and Albert Museum, Schiaparelli will present 100 years of the Italian designer's surreal innovations, featuring her collaborations with Salvador Dalí and Man Ray alongside current creative director Daniel Roseberry's contemporary interpretations that honor the house's legacy.
Nostalgia receives sophisticated treatment in The 90s at Tate Britain, where former British Vogue editor Edward Enninful curates a definitive portrait of the decade's creative rebellion. The exhibition will juxtapose photographs by Juergen Teller and Corinne Day with paintings by Yinka Shonibare and fashion by Vivienne Westwood, capturing the era when Britpop battled on the charts and Young British Artists disrupted the establishment. This show examines how the period's optimism and hedonism manifested across visual culture.
The National Gallery presents a scholarly examination of Francisco de Zurbarán's Baroque mastery, featuring his dramatic religious altarpieces and still lifes that demonstrate stellar treatment of light and shade. Meanwhile, the National Portrait Gallery commemorates what would have been Marilyn Monroe's 100th birthday with a sweeping survey of portraits by Andy Warhol, Cecil Beaton, and her confidante Sam Shaw. Beyond London, the Hepworth Wakefield offers a comprehensive retrospective of Indian sculptor Mrinalini Mukherjee's intricate textile works, and the Courtauld Gallery introduces Pakistani-born painter Salman Toor to European audiences with his intimate scenes of belonging and alienation that echo Manet's bar scenes.
Together, these exhibitions demonstrate how museums are actively reshaping art historical narratives, balancing canonical figures with overlooked masters and contemporary voices. The emphasis on women artists across multiple shows signals institutional commitment to correctional storytelling, while the diversity of mediums—from painting and sculpture to fashion and photography—ensures that 2026 offers meaningful encounters for every type of museum visitor. This programming suggests a future where art history becomes more inclusive without sacrificing scholarly depth or visual spectacle, making the coming year particularly exciting for both seasoned collectors and casual art enthusiasts.
