The Must-See Exhibitions of 2024 in the UK and Europe — From Michelangelo to Barbie Mania

Wondering what must-see exhibitions are happening at museums across the UK and Europe in 2024? ArtRabbit’s got you covered. Read on for art trip inspiration, with blockbuster shows of contemporary visual art, modern design, post-war painting, the Renaissance and more across London, Paris, Vienna and more.

2024 ushers in a rich tapestry of artistic explorations across Europe, showcasing a blend of historical grandeur and contemporary innovation. In London, the Design Museum revisits the cultural impact of Barbie, while the British Museum offers a profound look at Michelangelo's later works. Paris presents compelling shows by heavyweights Mark Rothko, Mike Kelley, and Brâncuși. This year also celebrates the profound influence of Käthe Kollwitz and Caspar David Friedrich, with major retrospectives across Europe highlighting their enduring legacies. Meanwhile, the Venice Biennale promises a diverse array of international contemporary art under the intriguing theme “Stranieri Ovunque - Foreigners Everywhere”.

These highlights are just a glimpse of 2024's vibrant art calendar. Here’s our team’s roundup of the best shows this year.

Mark Rothko at Louis Vuitton Foundation, Paris

Although not a new exhibition, the Mark Rothko retrospective, closing in April, is likely still unseen by many. Rothko's works, known for their moving, spiritual, and metaphysical qualities, are showcased in this exhibit featuring 115 pieces from global institutions like the National Gallery of Art, Tate London, and the Phillips Collection, as well as private collections including the artist's family. Displayed chronologically in the Fondation's Frank Gehry-designed spaces in Bois de Boulogne, this grand exhibition covers Rothko's career from early figurative to his famous abstract works. Perhaps it's the perfect palette cleanser to start the year?

Tickets: €16/Concessions from €10 / Book Tickets

Mike Kelley. Ghost and Spirit at Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection, Paris

This stunning Mike Kelley retrospective offers a fresh perspective on the significant oeuvre of one of the most important American artists of the late 20th/early 21st century. Hosted at the Tadao Ando redesigned and overwhelmingly beautiful Bourse de Commerce, it spans the Salon, Rotunda, and all second-floor galleries. It features immersive pieces like the striking Kandors series (based on comic book depictions of the mythical city on the planet Krypton, where Superman was born) and a continuous screening of "Day Is Done" (2006) in the Auditorium. The second-floor exhibition meticulously traces the thematic and chronological development of Kelley's work.

Tickets: €14/Concessions from €10 / Book Tickets

Cute at Somerset House, London

Explore the irresistible force of cuteness in contemporary culture. From emojis to internet memes, video games to plush toys, cuteness has taken over our world, but how has something so charming and seemingly harmless gained such traction? Somerset House brings together cultural ephemera, contemporary artworks and a games arcade to unravel cuteness’ emotive charge, alongside a spotlight on Hello Kitty, to coincide with her 50th anniversary.

Tickets: £18.50/Concessions from £11 / Book Tickets

Yoko Ono. Music of the Mind at Tate Modern, London

This upcoming exhibition at Tate Modern, spanning over seven decades, will highlight pivotal moments in Yoko Ono's career, including her influential period in London where she met John Lennon (1966-1971). It’s set to showcase key artworks and performances, including “Cut Piece” (1964) and the provocative “Film No.4 (Bottoms)” (1966-67), as well as early performances, works on paper, objects, and music. The exhibition will also feature Ono's activist projects like “PEACE is POWER” and “Wish Tree”, inviting visitor participation and engagement with her works.

Tickets: £20/Concessions £5/Free for Members / Book Tickets

Roy Lichtenstein at The Albertina Museum, Vienna

Celebrating what would have been Roy Lichtenstein's 100th birthday, the Albertina Museum hosts a major retrospective with over 90 paintings, sculptures, and graphics. Key works from his diverse oeuvre will arrive from global institutions like New York’s MoMA and Whitney Museum, showcasing his iconic comic book aesthetics with vibrant colors, clear lines, and Ben-Day dots, a style that significantly influenced the 1960s American art scene. A true blockbuster exhibition.

Tickets: €18.90 / Book tickets

Kollwitz at Städel Museum, Frankfurt

Käthe Kollwitz (1867–1945), the most renowned German female artist of the 20th century, is celebrated in a comprehensive exhibition at Frankfurt's Städel Museum. Showcasing her diversity, expressive power, and modernity, the exhibition highlights her choice of prints and drawings as primary media, offering an immediate visual language. Her art, addressing existential human questions, was politically influential in post-war Germany. The exhibition adds to Frankfurt's cultural appeal, a city known not just as a financial centre but also for its world-class museums and collections, making it a compelling destination.

Tickets: From €16/Free for Members/Children under 12 go free / Book Tickets

Anselm Kiefer: Fallen Angels at Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, Florence

Florence's Palazzo Strozzi will host a major exhibition dedicated to Anselm Kiefer, a master of 20th and 21st-century art. Known for his impactful exploration of memory, myth, war, and existence through painting, sculpture, and installation, Kiefer will present both historical and new works, engaging in a unique dialogue with the Renaissance architecture of Palazzo Strozzi. Palazzo Strozzi, Anselm Kiefer, and the allure of Florence – what’s not to love?

Tickets: TBC / Book Tickets

Brâncuși at Centre Pompidou, Paris

The Centre Pompidou presents an unprecedented Constantin Brancusi exhibition, featuring nearly 200 sculptures, photographs, drawings, films, archives, tools, and furniture from his workshop. This unique showcase, coinciding with the workshop's relocation during renovation, offers a fresh perspective on the art of this immense 20th-century artist. The workshop, a jewel of the Museum's collection since 1957, forms the core of this retrospective, enriched by major loans from international museums.

Tickets: From €15/Concession from €12 / Book Tickets

Caspar David Friedrich: Infinite Landscapes at Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin

Celebrating Caspar David Friedrich's 250th birth anniversary, the Alte Nationalgalerie’s "Infinite Landscapes" will be showcasing 60 paintings and 50 drawings from home and abroad, including his world-famous works. Overlooked in the late 19th century, Friedrich was rediscovered in the early 20th century. His landscapes inspired the setting for Walt Disney's Bambi, and despite the controversial admiration by the Nazis (they loved his landscapes’ emptiness and mysticisms), his role as a pioneer of Modernity is palpable. Notably, "Monk by the Sea" and "Abbey in the Oak Forest" will be on display in Berlin, making the visit truly worthwhile.

Tickets: €12/Concessions €6 / Book Tickets

Venice Biennale

The upcoming 60th International Art Exhibition, curated by Adriano Pedrosa and titled "Stranieri Ovunque - Foreigners Everywhere," is set to run from 20 April to 24 Nov 2024. It will focus on artists who are foreigners, immigrants, expatriates, diasporic, émigrés, exiled, and refugees, particularly those moving between the Global South and North. Early bird tickets are now available.

Tickets: Early Bird 3-day ticket € 30 (instead of €40) / Book Tickets

Michelangelo: the last decades at The British Museum, London

In 1534, Michelangelo left Florence for Rome, never to return. At 59, considered old by his peers, this move marked a new, defining chapter in his life and art. This exhibition explores his final 30 years in Rome, showcasing new commissions, reunions with close friends, and his major works. It features forceful preparatory drawings for the Last Judgement fresco, the restored Epifania cartoon, and studies for St Peter's Basilica's reconstruction. Contrasting today's youth-centric culture, the exhibition highlights lifelong practice, mastery, experience, wisdom, and experimentation, embodying Michelangelo's enduring legacy.

Tickets: TBC / Book Tickets

Anne Imhof at Kunsthaus Bregenz, Bregenz

Anything Anne Imhof lands well with the ArtRabbit Team. Display her, and we'll congregate. As one of the most daring contemporary artists, her numerous prestigious awards and solo exhibitions (at Tate, Stedelijk, Palais de Tokyo, MMK, and more) attest to her exceptional oeuvre. Her signature performance art, featuring androgynous figures in impassive yet elaborate choreography, offers an immersive audio-visual experience. This interplay, enriched with elements of fashion, photography, subculture, and pop culture, evokes a post-apocalyptic aura. We eagerly anticipate what she'll bring to Kunsthaus Bregenz's austere setting this year.

Tickets: TBC / Book Tickets

NAOMI at Victoria & Albert Museum, London

At just 18, Naomi Campbell became the first Black model on Vogue Paris' cover, subsequently featuring on over 500 magazine covers. This pioneering exhibition delves into her remarkable career, celebrating her creative partnerships, activism, and cultural influence through the lens of leading designers and photographers. Showcasing around 100 outfits from her personal wardrobe, including iconic catwalk pieces, alongside photographs by Tim Walker and Steven Meisel, it offers a comprehensive look at Campbell's roles as a model, activist, and actress. A dream exhibition for fashion and cultural history enthusiasts.

Tickets: TBC / Book Tickets

Barbie at Design Museum, London

Running with 2023's Barbie Mania, and coinciding with Barbie's 65th anniversary, London’s Design Museum will tell the icon’s story through a design lens in their major new show. The exhibition will trace the legacy that began in 1959 when Ruth Handler sought a new female narrative for her daughter, Barbara. It delves into Barbie's evolution through fashion, architecture, furniture, and vehicle design.

Tickets: TBC / Book Tickets

Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael at the Royal Academy of Arts, London

In the 16th century, three titans of the Italian Renaissance - Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael – briefly crossed paths in Republican Florence, competing for the attention of the most powerful patrons. This upcoming exhibition will showcase some of the finest Italian Renaissance drawings, including Leonardo’s Burlington House Cartoon and studies by Leonardo and Michelangelo for murals commissioned by the Florentine government for the newly constructed council hall in the Palazzo Vecchio.

Tickets*: €14/Concessions from €10 / Book Tickets
*Tickets can’t be booked yet

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