As visual arts organisations start to roll out their 2026 program announcements, we are collating them into this one-stop calendar for you, our readers. We will continue to update this story as more exhibitions are announced, so you can get ahead of the trends in the year ahead.
Visual arts in 2026 – quick links
Melbourne Sculpture Biennale to return in 2026 with an exciting new venue
After the success of its inaugural edition in October 2024, the Melbourne Sculpture Biennale is set to return in 2026. The second edition will be a larger and more ambitious exhibition than the first, taking over the magnificent Billilla Mansion in Brighton from 8 to 25 October 2026. Learn more about what’s planned.
The Roman Empire is coming to Melbourne in 2026
In a Melbourne exclusive, the exhibition ROME: Empire, Power, People will draw on the collections of two of Italy’s most prestigious museums – Museo Nazionale Romano and Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Firenze – to allow Australians to dive into Rome’s political, cultural and social life across one of the greatest eras in history. You can expect to see original statues, mosaics, frescoes, jewellery and everyday objects that were used in Julius Caesar’s time, among other emblems of the Empire and its power and politics, showcasing sophistication and luxury of Imperial Rome. Great for schools and Italofiles alike – learn why. Opens April 2026.
(1 December)
Massive year for Art Gallery of SA, as it announces its 2026 program
South Australian artists are at the heart of the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) 2026 program, with a focus on Kaurna artist James Tylor (31 July – 1 November) and Guildhouse Fellowship recipient Michelle Nikou (5 December 2026 – 21 March 2027). This is balanced with the Gallery’s first international winter blockbuster exhibition Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition (11 July – 8 November), the 2026 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Yield Strength – the country’s longest-running survey of contemporary Australian art curated for this edition by Ellie Buttrose (27 February – 8 June). Rounding out the program for 2026 is a major new exhibition showcasing treasures from AGSA’s Indonesian textiles collection (15 May – 11 October); continuing the Gallery’s interest in textiles, you can also catch Dressed Up: Fashion & Photography 1850–1920 (5 December – March 2027). Jump into the details and learn more.
(28 November)
MOTHER: NGV to premiere exhibition on motherhood in 2026
Featuring more than 200 historical and contemporary works from the National Gallery of Victoria Collection, MOTHER was announced by the NGV as ‘the most comprehensive thematic exhibition exploring motherhood ever mounted in an Australian art institution’. Opening 27 March 2026 at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, the free exhibition will continue through to 12 July 2026. Learn more about the artists included.
(20 November).
MUMA announces 2026 program, reinstating the human spirit in a changing world
Monash University Museum of Art’s (MUMA) 2026 program is a cracker, with thought-provoking exhibitions that focus on spiritualism and ancestral traditions as an antidote to a spiraling world. Among the highlights is the major group exhibition Knowing Otherwise (7 February – 2 April), the first Australian survey of the London-based, Indonesian and Aotearoan/New Zealander artist Sriwhana Spong (24 April – 28 June), a two-person exhibition of Filipino-Australian artist Justin Talplacido Shoulder and Minahasan artist Natasha Tontey (17 July – 19 September), and a look at the First Nations collective Pitcha Makin Fellas (9 October – 5 December). Learn more.
(15 November)
Who will be showing in the 2026 Biennale of Sydney?
Curator Hoor Al Qasimi has now announced 53 artists for her 25th Biennale of Sydney, opening next March. Of Arabic heritage, Al Qasimi has chosen the White Bay Power Station, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney, Campbelltown Arts Centre, and Penrith Regional Gallery to deliver her exhibition. Learn who the artists are, and the 31 countries they represent. The exhibition runs 14 March – 14 June 2026 and is free to visit.
(27 October)
National Gallery of Australia leads with 2026 program release, but doesn’t raise the pulse
Kicking off the year with a continuation of artist Tony Albert’s much anticipated 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After the Rain (which opens in December), the National Gallery of Australia’s (NGA) 2026 program continues with First Nations programming, showing Ngura Pulka – Epic Country (11 April – 23 August 2026, free), the exhibition that got caught up in the ‘white hands on black art’ claims in 2023. Highlights across the NGA’s program include a retrospective of Rosalie Gascoigne’s work (31 October 2026 – 7 February 2027, free) and a first look at Arthur Boyd: tapestries (20 June – 18 October 2026, free), featuring 20 monumental tapestries from Boyd’s large-scale ‘Life of St Francis’ series, created at the Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre, Portugal and purchased by the National Gallery in 1975. Among the Gallery’s audience-facing pleasers is Full Throttle (5 December 2026 – 29 March 2027, ticketed) interrogating cars, identity and power. View their full program.
(20 October)
Synergy between Ohio and Adelaide as ‘Monet to Matisse’ blockbuster heads south in 2026
Adelaide joins the ‘big’ galleries launching its own Winter Art Series in 2026, kicking off with the exhibition Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition, travel from America’s Toledo Museum of Art (Ohio). This exhibition isn’t just a roll call of European 19th and 20th century masters – despite yes, including all the greats (Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Pablo Picasso). It also offers a counterpoint to that moment with a suite of incredible works by American abstractionists who equally had a seismic impact on art history: Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Rauschenberg and Ad Reinhardt, for example. Curious? Learn why this one should hit your diary.
(1 October)
Cartier’s largest Australian display to land at the NGV for 2026 Melbourne Winter Masterpieces
While priceless jewels hit the headlines in 2025, NGV International will have Cartier’s collection under ‘lock and key’ in 2026, showcasing the iconic design house’s largest ever display in Australia, including never-before-seen pieces, for its latest Winter Masterpieces blockbuster exhibition. Cartier premiered at London’s V&A earlier this year, and will open at NGV International from 12 June to 4 October 2026. It will be a ticketed exhibition. Learn more about some of the gems to hit Melbourne.
(30 September)
