For art enthusiasts living in or visiting Milan in 2026, we have prepared a carefully curated guide featuring the city’s leading museums and cultural institutions. As you plan your itinerary according to your personal interests and aesthetic preferences, these up-to-date recommendations will allow you to engage more deeply with Milan’s cultural pulse.
This year, a significant portion of the city’s programming is shaped by the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics. Highlights include the Metafisica / Metafisiche exhibition unfolding across three major museums, interactive installations at Pirelli HangarBicocca, Mona Hatoum’s retrospective at Fondazione Prada, and Anselm Kiefer’s exhibition at Palazzo Reale. With major fairs such as MiArt, MiA Photo Fair, and Fuorisalone (Design Week) taking place throughout the year, Milan once again asserts itself as a compelling destination for art and design lovers.
Pirelli HangarBicocca
Via Chiese 2, Milano
Nan Goldin – “This Will Not End Well”
11 October 2025 – 15 February 2026 (Navate)
This retrospective brings together Nan Goldin’s film-based slideshow works and experimental productions. Each installation establishes an intimate and emotional dialogue with the viewer, opening up reflections on memory, identity, and community.
Benni Bosetto – “Rebecca”
12 February – 19 July 2026 (Shed)
Bosetto’s practice merges drawing, sculpture, installation, and performance to create a spatial experience that questions the body, ritual, and states of consciousness. Visitors encounter layered perceptual dimensions through both new works and earlier pieces.
Rirkrit Tiravanija
26 March – 26 July 2026 (Navate)
Thai-born artist Rirkrit Tiravanija is known for participatory installations that place audience engagement at their core. This exhibition foregrounds themes of social connection and sharing by encouraging interaction between visitors and the works.
Aki Sasamoto
17 September 2026 – 17 January 2027 (Shed)
Sasamoto integrates performance, sculpture, and installation to offer sensory and conceptual explorations of the relationship between space and the body. Viewers engage temporally and physically with objects and performative arrangements.
Fondazione Prada
Largo Isarco 2, Milano
“Sueño Perro: Instalación Celuloide de Alejandro G. Iñárritu”
18 September 2025 – 25 February 2026
Developed to mark the 25th anniversary of Amores Perros, this multisensory project by Academy Award–winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu presents a powerful image and sound installation. Constructed from film materials and 35mm negatives, the exhibition offers an intense encounter at the intersection of cinema and contemporary art.
Mona Hatoum – “Over, Under and in Between”
29 January – 9 November 2026
Produced specifically for Fondazione Prada’s Cisterna space, Hatoum’s three large-scale installations examine themes of instability, fragility, and danger in the contemporary world. Works such as a monumental glass “spider web,” a world map formed from red glass spheres, and a kinetic metal grid invite visitors into a heightened sensory relationship with the architecture.
Cao Fei – “Dash”
9 April – 18 September 2026
Cao Fei’s multimedia project explores human–soil–machine relationships through the rise of smart agriculture and technological transformation. Combining photography, video installation, virtual reality, and documentary elements, the exhibition foregrounds ecological and technological interdependencies.
Hito Steyerl – “The Island”
4 December 2025 – 30 October 2026
(Osservatorio Fondazione Prada, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II)
This long-term project by Hito Steyerl addresses urgent sociopolitical themes such as the climate crisis, technological authoritarianism, artificial intelligence, and systems of surveillance through video and media installations.
MUDEC – Museo delle Culture
Via Tortona 56, Milano
Chiharu Shiota – “The Moment the Snow Melts”
19 November 2025 – 28 June 2026
Shiota’s site-specific installation consists of thousands of threads and paper elements, metaphorically addressing memory and the impact of past relationships on human connections. Serving as a teaser for The Sense of Snow, opening in February 2026, the work transforms MUDEC’s iconic Agora into an immersive, walk-through landscape.
“The Sense of Snow”
12 February – 28 June 2026
Curated by Sara Rizzo and Alessandro Oldani, the exhibition examines snow and winter through artistic, anthropological, and scientific perspectives. Featuring over 150 works, it offers a richly layered visual experience.
Palazzo Reale
Piazza del Duomo 12, Milano
Metafisica / Metafisiche in Milano
One of the most influential movements of the 20th century, Metaphysical Art is explored through its origins, transformations, and contemporary resonances across three major exhibitions in Milan. Curated by Vincenzo Trione, the project places Metaphysical masters in dialogue with modern and contemporary artists from different generations.
- 28 January – 21 June 2026: Palazzo Reale & Museo del Novecento
- 28 January – 6 April 2026: Gallerie d’Italia – Milan
- 6 February – 5 April 2026: Grande Brera – Palazzo Citterio
The main exhibition at Palazzo Reale brings together pioneering Metaphysical artists alongside contemporary figures who expanded this aesthetic across Europe and the United States. Works spanning painting, photography, architecture, cinema, theatre, design, fashion, and music demonstrate the movement’s interdisciplinary impact.
Robert Mapplethorpe – “Le forme del desiderio”
29 January – 17 May 2026
This selection of works by American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe explores themes of the body, aesthetics, and sexuality through high-contrast black-and-white imagery, bridging classical and contemporary photographic traditions.
I Macchiaioli
3 February – 14 June 2026
The 19th-century Italian painting movement is represented through works by masters such as Fattori, Lega, and Signorini. The exhibition highlights the movement’s pictorial freedom through its innovative use of light and color.
Anselm Kiefer – “Le Alchimiste”
7 February – 27 September 2026
Kiefer’s exhibition examines myth, memory, and transformation through historical figures and symbolic imagery. Monumental paintings and installations invite viewers into a powerful visual dialogue between past and present.
Museo del Novecento
Piazza Duomo 8, Milano
Urrà la neve! Armando Testa e lo sport
22 January – 27 April 2026
Presented in the context of the Milan–Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Games, this exhibition of Armando Testa’s sport-themed graphic designs explores modern visual communication and the perception of movement.
Metafisica / Metafisiche – Metafisica a Milano
28 January – 21 June 2026
This section focuses on the relationship between Metaphysical Art and Milan through the Ettore and Claudia Gian Ferrari Archives, revealing unexpected connections between de Chirico’s circle and the city’s artistic and intellectual fabric.
Pinacoteca di Brera
Via Brera 28, Milano
“Beauty and the Ideal”
16 May 2025 – 17 May 2026
This collection-based exhibition examines the reflection of classical aesthetic ideals in painting and sculpture, offering visitors a visual journey through Renaissance and Baroque aesthetic codes.
“Giorgio Armani. Milano, per amore”
Until 3 May 2026
The project presents the designer’s deep connection with Milan and his creative legacy through iconic works, creating a dialogue between fashion and the museum’s permanent collection.
Palazzo Citterio
Via Brera 12–14, Milano
Debora Hirsch – “Vanishing Trees”
15 January – 15 April 2026
Curated by Clelia Patella, this exhibition features Hirsch’s site-specific video and visual installations addressing endangered tree species through a digital language.
Metafisica / Metafisiche
6 February – 5 April 2026
At Palazzo Citterio, the Grande Brera chapter continues with a new work by William Kentridge dedicated to Giorgio Morandi, reinterpreting Morandi’s formal and conceptual legacy through themes of time, memory, and rhythm.
Gallerie d’Italia – Milano
Piazza della Scala 6, Milano
Metafisica / Metafische
28 January – 6 April 2026
This section pays tribute to Morandi through photographs by Gianni Berengo Gardin documenting the artist’s Bologna studio, establishing a dialogue between the exhibition works and the museum’s collection.
Galleria d’Arte Moderna (GAM)
Via Palestro 16, Milano
Paul Troubetzkoy – “Lo Scultore della Belle Époque”
27 February – 28 June 2026
Troubetzkoy’s sculptures and paintings reflect the aesthetic and social context of the Belle Époque. Featuring 80 works, the exhibition offers an in-depth overview of the period’s artistic production.
Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea (PAC)
Via Palestro 14, Milano
“INDIA. Di bagliori e fughe”
25 November 2025 – 8 February 2026
Works by over 25 contemporary Indian artists explore social and cultural transformations through photography, painting, and installation.
Marco Fusinato – “The Only True Anarchy Is That of Power”
31 March – 7 June 2026
Curated by Diego Sileo, this solo exhibition brings together Australian artist and musician Marco Fusinato’s radical audiovisual practice, pushing the boundaries between sound, image, and performance.
Armani/Silos
Via Bergognone 40, Milano
Giorgio Armani Privé 2005–2025: Vent’anni di Haute Couture
21 May 2025 – 3 May 2026
This exhibition brings together two decades of Armani’s haute couture designs, highlighting craftsmanship and the evolution of the brand’s creative vision.
Triennale Milano
Viale Emilio Alemagna 6, Milano
Triennale × Milano Cortina 2026
28 October 2025 – 15 March 2026
Organized in the context of the Winter Olympics, the exhibition explores the relationship between sport and art through diverse visual expressions.
White Out – The Future of Winter Sports
28 January – 15 March 2026
This project examines the future of winter sports, bringing together design, new media, and athletic culture.
Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro
Via Vigevano 3, Milano
Open Studio #4 | Arnaldo Pomodoro. Luoghi, memorie e visioni
4 October 2025 – 31 May 2026
The fourth chapter of the Open Studio series presents Pomodoro’s practice through themes of place, memory, and vision, interweaving works and archival materials from the 1970s to the 2010s.
Milan 2026 — Special Events & Art Fairs
Milano Art Week 2026
13–19 April 2026 | Citywide
By participating in this week with new exhibitions, talks, performances, and special projects, the city’s public and private cultural institutions, galleries, and independent venues transform Milan into a true hub for art lovers during this period.
MiA Photo Fair BNP Paribas 2026
19–22 March 2026 | Superstudio Più
Relocating to a new venue on Via Tortona, MiA Photo Fair presents an international platform dedicated to both established and emerging voices in contemporary photography.
miart 2026
17–19 April 2026 | Fiera Milano
Held at Allianz MiCo, MiArt celebrates its 30th anniversary under the theme New Directions. Bringing together 160 galleries from 24 countries, the fair highlights contemporary projects, historical sections, and current artistic dialogues.
Fuorisalone / Milano Design Week 2026
16–21 April 2026 | Citywide
Running parallel to Salone del Mobile, Fuorisalone transforms Milan into a dynamic landscape where design intersects with fashion, technology, and art across showrooms, public spaces, and historic venues.
Cover Image: Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle, Milano. Photo: Güliz Özbek Collini