World Art Day 2026: 7 art events around the world worth travelling for 

From the grandest mural to the smallest sculpture, installations to architecture, one of the most powerful aspects of art is its diversity of form and its ability to move us in so many different ways. It is also a rich gateway for travellers to experience a destination through the eyes of another. Galleries, art museums and public monuments around the world offer incredible insights into local cultures and histories.

Each year on 15 April (the birthday of the artist, designer and visionary Leonardo da Vinci), World Art Day celebrates the unifying power of art, encourages artistic expression and aims to inspire the next generation of international artists.

For travellers, it is a good excuse to visit some of the world’s greatest cultural institutions as well as those new to the scene. In honour of World Art Day 2026, here are seven upcoming events, openings and exhibitions around the world that are worth travelling for.

Japan’s Edo-Tokyo Museum has reopened after four years of renovations. The museum, also known as Edo-Haku, tells the story of 400 years of Tokyo history, from the dawn of the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo to the present day. Located in the Sumida Ward, it is known for its large-scale recreations of historical city landmarks, from the Nihonbashi Bridge (once the starting point for five major roads across the country) to the Nakamura-Za Theatre, one of the three main kabuki theatre venues in the city during the Edo period (1603–1868).

The museum had been closed to the public since 2022, following the first major overhaul of its facilities since opening in 1993. Modernisations include audio guides in 13 languages that visitors can access on their smartphones, as well as explanatory videos and pictograms throughout the galleries that explain how to use the new interactive exhibits.

Visitors will now also be able to see a traditional torii gate-inspired installation, of the kind typically found at Shinto shrines, as well as a large-scale model of the Hattori Clock Shop. Famous for its Neo-Renaissance clock tower, this building was a key landmark in Tokyo’s Ginza district during the Meiji era (1868–1912) that followed Japan’s period of international isolation.

More information: Edo-Tokyo Museum

The V&A East Museum, a new branch of the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum, opens on 18 April 2026 in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford. It follows on the heels of the neighbouring V&A East Storehouse, an archive of more than 250,000 objects and 350,000 books, which opened in September 2025 and provides a glimpse into the inner workings of a museum. Together, they make an incredible new cultural attraction in East London.

The new V&A East Museum will feature two permanent free galleries, entitled Why We Make, showcasing modern global culture. These will display more than 500 pieces from the V&A’s collection, spanning art, architecture, design, performance and fashion. Highlights include Molly Goddard’s iconic 2020 Daria dress (as worn by Beyoncé) and Maud Sulter’s 1988 photographic portrait of the British artist and curator Lubaina Himid, created to challenge exclusions and colonial representations of Black women in European art histories.

The first exhibition at the V&A East Museum, The Music Is Black: A British Story, will explore the influence of Black British music, from reggae to jungle, dancehall to grime, on British culture from 1900 to the modern era. Visitors will be able to enjoy never-before-seen objects on display, such as Joan Armatrading’s childhood guitar, alongside fashion worn by rapper Little Simz and newly acquired photographs by artists including Jennie Baptiste, Beezer, Dennis Morris and others. This exhibition, in partnership with BBC Music, will be a foretaste of the Music is Black Festival, a series of performances held in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park across the summer of 2026.

More information: V&A East

Set to confirm its launch date soon, Central Asia’s first permanent institution for contemporary art, research and community engagement is due to open in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in 2026. Located in a former tram depot and diesel power station built in 1912, the Centre for Contemporary Arts Tashkent (CCAT) will showcase international exhibitions covering visual art, architecture, design, performance, music and film. The centre will also feature a curatorial library in a former nursery, and artist residencies in nearby neighbourhoods.

The CCAT will open with the Hikmah exhibition (Uzbek for wisdom), showcasing works that complement the building and its architecture. Exploring ‘wisdom’ across cultures and artistic disciplines, highlights include Nadia Kaabi-Linke’s Flying Carpets, a new commission by Muhannad Shono and a site-specific work by Nari Ward inspired by local craft traditions, to name but a few.

Planting its flag on the artistic world map, the CCAT is also announcing two new annual events in 2026: the multidisciplinary Navruz Gala & Festival and the citywide Tashkent Public Art Festival.

More information: Centre for Contemporary Arts Tashkent

Large-scale, technology-infused kinetic installations will be the stock-in-trade of the new Drift Museum when it opens in Amsterdam in 2026. Dedicated to the Dutch art collective Studio Drift (artists Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta), famous for larger-than-life, technologically advanced pieces, the duo’s work pushes the boundaries of traditional exhibition spaces. If you recall their drone-based artwork Franchise Freedom in 2023, which took place over the lake in New York City’s Central Park and mimicked the murmuration of starlings, you’ll have some idea of what to expect.

The museum will be accessible by electric boat through an indoor harbour, as visitors pass through the halls of Amsterdam’s historic Van Gendt Hallen industrial complex and witness installations designed to create an immersive, experiential environment. Five industrial factory halls are currently being renovated for the Van Gendt Hallen project, and the future Drift Museum will occupy two of them, with the remaining halls housing sports activities, restaurants, offices and sustainability-focused start-ups.

More information: Drift Museum

Art is more than paintings and exhibitions. Buildings themselves can be works of art, too. The high-ceilinged arches of Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall certainly fall into this category. This silver-walled example of Nordic classicism allows visitors to swim amid striking architecture, with a second-floor balcony wrapping around the entire pool.

Finland’s oldest indoor swimming pool has reopened after extensive renovations and modernisations, which preserve the heart and soul of the original building. Dating back to 1928 and designed by Väinö Vähäkallio, one of Finland’s most renowned 20th-century architects, the swimming hall gives visitors a chance to immerse themselves in Finnish architectural and cultural history, as well as its waters. After finishing your swim, cabins on the pool’s upper levels offer patrons a chance to dry off and relax with a glass of gin and lingonberries.

A note on swimsuits: they are optional! Thus, swimming sessions are separated between men and women, so plan accordingly.

More information: City of Helsinki

This new museum building within the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) campus has been designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor to hold LACMA’s vast permanent collection. The result is a magnificent single-structure concrete-and-glass confection that bridges Wilshire Boulevard.

Set to open to LACMA members on 19 April 2026, the general public can set foot inside the David Geffen Galleries on 4 May. What they’ll find is around 10,000 sqm of gallery space and a mission to disassemble cultural and regional hierarchies in the artistic world by displaying art from different eras and origins on a single, continuous level on the second floor. The plaza level will house a cinema where events and film screenings can be held.

Inaugural exhibitions include a multisensory installation by Tavares Strachan alongside photography and videos by Egyptian artist Youssef Nabil. Key works set to be moved from LACMA’s collection to the new building include sculptures by Tony Smith and Alexander Calder, in addition to the recently acquired Split-Rocker, an 11m-tall hedge sculpture by Jeff Koons.

More information: LACMA

The fifth anniversary of Arte Pequeño Formato takes place in Buenos Aires in June. This accessible art fair is a handy outlet for those taking their first steps in art collecting to make a purchase. This edition focuses on ‘small format’ art, with an exhibition that aims to highlight that the small size of a work is not a limitation, but rather showcases the precision and skill required to create such a piece.

Featuring art from multiple origins and disciplines, from painting to collage, photography to installation, the fair offers a feast for the senses. From 10 to 14 June, visitors can enjoy exhibitions, talks, cooking displays and diverse cultural experiences all under one roof, with visual artist Marcos López the guest of honour at this year’s edition.

More information: Arte Pequeño Formato

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