Major Art Exhibitions Opening Worldwide in Early May 2026
- May 5
- 1 min read
A series of major art exhibitions opens across the United States and Europe in early May 2026, with institutions highlighting historic masters, government art programs and contemporary practice.
On May 2, the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas, debuts the exhibition Art in Every Corner: The Works Progress Administration (1935–1943), which surveys artworks produced under the New Deal–era federal arts program.
Also opening on May 2, the National Gallery in London presents a focused show on Francisco de Zurbarán, featuring works such as “Agnus Dei,” while the Legion of Honor in San Francisco launches The Etruscans: From the Heart of Ancient Italy, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. unveils Falls: Mist and Majesty, a thematic exhibition centered on waterfalls in art.
In Pittsburgh, the 59th Carnegie International, titled “the day is a circle and the word we,” opens at the Carnegie Museum of Art on May 2, followed by a series of European and American openings including a Hilma af Klint survey at the Grand Palais in Paris on May 5, “Marina Abramović: Transforming Energy” at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice and “Chris Huen Sin Kan Wong: Interiors” at Palazzo Tiepolo Passi on May 6, and a Lee Ufan exhibition at Dia Beacon in New York on May 8.