As we make our way out of winter doldrums, the spring season arrives, bringing much to look forward to—and not just in terms of warmer weather. Spring 2022 is shaping up to be a stacked schedule in terms of special exhibit openings across Europe. Featuring a few long-awaited openings of COVID-postponed exhibitions, here are some of the top exhibits to keep an eye on. Remember: Given our current times, be sure to double-check current COVID regulations and requirements when planning your trip to any of these cultural highlights.
After being postponed for a year, the 59th Venice Biennale is due to open on April 23 and run until November 27. This edition of the prestigious international art exhibition is curated by Cecilia Alemani, the first Italian woman to hold the position. Titled “The Milk of Dreams,” the Biennale Arte 2022 will feature over 200 artists from nearly 60 countries, and visitors have the chance to see 1,433 works and objects on display at the Giardini della Biennale and Venetian Arsenal.
While in Venice, carve out some time to visit the Gallerie dell’Accademia to see an exhibition from Anish Kapoor, the sculptor famous for works such as Cloud Gate in Chicago’s Millennium Park and ArcelorMittal Orbit in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Marking the first time a British artist has been celebrated at the museum with a major show, the exhibit takes a look into the artist’s career and includes new works created using carbon nanotechnology. The show opens on April 20 and ends on October 9.
Hop over to Florence for another highly anticipated special exhibit: “Donatello: The Renaissance” presented by the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi and the Musei del Bargello. Running from March 19 to July 31, this historic exhibition chronicles and celebrates the masterful Florentine artist’s entire career, making it the first of its kind in nearly four decades. Expect to find around 130 works on display, from bas reliefs to devotional statuettes to paintings, with various items on loan from top art museums around the world.
To appreciate the legacy of another great of the Italian Renaissance, head to London to see “Raphael” at the National Gallery in London. Opening on April 9 (after being originally scheduled for October 2020), this exhibit explores the artist’s brief but influential career through an assortment of paintings, drawings, works in architecture, tapestry, and more, including loans from museums around Italy and the rest of the world. This exhibit ends on July 31.
There’s even more to see in London at the Tate Britain. First is the Walter Sickert exhibition, running from April 28 to September 18. Sickert is considered one of the most important British artists of the 20th century, and this major retrospective (the first of its kind at Tate in over 60 years) examines his unique approach and complex body of work.
Shortly after that opening, there’s the chance to visit the Cornelia Parker exhibition at Tate as well. At this exhibit, visitors can see a diverse array of creations from the acclaimed visual artist with the showstoppers being Parker’s large-scale and immersive suspended works, including Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View. This exhibit is open from May 18 to October 16.
We’re not finished with London just yet. At The Wallace Collection, Disney fans will be delighted to catch “Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts.” Here, you can view American hand-drawn animations from the 20th century next to French art from the 18th century, illuminating their connections. The special exhibit will take place from April 6 to October 16.
Looking at Paris, plan a trip to the Musée d’Orsay to see the Gaudí exhibition. Taking place from April 12 to July 17, the exhibit examines Antoni Gaudí’s work and creative process as a singular artist operating in Catalonia during a time of great upheaval, paying attention to his characteristic use of space and color. Notably, this exhibition is the first of its scale in France to be dedicated to the artist in 50 years.
Elsewhere in Paris at the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine, “Machu Picchu and the Treasures of Peru” is scheduled to run from April 16 until September 4. This exhibit showcases pre-Columbian Peruvian culture and history through over 190 pieces from Peru, including some pieces which have never before left their home country. Visitors can also participate in an immersive, virtual reality experience.
In Berlin, consider seeing the Barbara Kruger exhibit at the Neue Nationalgalerie, which just reopened last year. Scheduled for April 29 to August 28, this special exhibit features a new installation from the American conceptual artist famous for her bold, declarative text works addressing social and political issues. The installation will take up the whole floor of the space.
Also in Berlin, the Samurai Museum will open their doors on May 8. This new museum will welcome visitors to immerse themselves in 1,000 years of samurai history and culture. It stands to be one of the biggest samurai collections in the world, featuring armor, swords, sculptures, and more.
If you have more time in Germany, make your way over to the Württembergischer Kunstverein in Stuttgart for “Carrie Mae Weems: The Evidence of Things Not Seen.” Running from April 2 to July 10, the exhibit is the first comprehensive solo exhibition of the American contemporary artist in Germany. Here, you can peruse around 40 pieces of work, including photographic and video projects, that interrogate and deconstruct dominant historical narratives.
In Amsterdam, “Colour as Language” at the Van Gogh Museum runs from May 20 to September 4. The first retrospective of Etel Adnan in the Netherlands, this exhibit puts the abstract, vividly colored works of the Lebanese-American visual artist, who passed away last November, in conversation with those of Vincent van Gogh.
Another special exhibit opening in the Netherlands this spring to put on your radar is “Mondrian Moves” at the Kunstmuseum Den Haag, which holds the largest Mondrian collection in the world. Scheduled to run from April 2 to September 25, this exhibit commemorates 150 years since Piet Mondrian’s birth and explores the great 20th-century painter’s friendships and influence on other artists.
Special Mentions: At the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid, “Hyperreal. The Art of Trompe l’Oeil” runs from March 16 to May 22. The exhibit looks closer at the “trompe l’oeil” technique; the technique makes paintings seem more realistic by playing with imagery, optics and perspective. From April 9 to September 4, the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin is showing “Giacometti: From Life,” which features over 50 works from Swiss sculptor and painter Alberto Giacometti. The Christian Dotremont exhibition is running from April 28 to August 7 at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. This special event showcases more than 120 works from the Belgian painter and poet who co-founded the COBRA art movement. Visit the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture in Athens from April 13 to September 11 to see “John Craxton: A Greek Soul.” This exhibit features 90 works, including paintings and tapestry—many of which speak to the artist’s love of the Greek world.
Cover photo by MCA Archive
Written February 2022
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