Art exhibitions serve as windows into different worlds, offering glimpses into the creative minds of artists and the cultural exchanges that shape their work. These 10 must-see art exhibitions take us on a journey through culture, history, and innovation, from the bold visions of Yayoi Kusama to the intricate historical narratives in A Treasury of Life. Each exhibit provides unique insights into the interplay of history, identity, and artistic expression, from European art collections to Asian influences in Paris. Join us as we explore these captivating showcases of creativity and storytelling.

Yayoi Kusama

NGV International, Melbourne

Until 21 April 2025

Showcasing 200 works spanning her career, Australia’s largest-ever Yayoi Kusama exhibition offers a deep dive into her artistic evolution—from her early experiments in post-war Japan to recent collaborations with luxury brands like Louis Vuitton. Organised chronologically and thematically, it features paintings, sculptures, collage, fashion, and film, alongside immersive installations. Narcissus Garden (1966/2024), with 1,400 mirrored spheres, transforms the NGV’s ‘Waterwall’ into a shimmering landscape, while Dancing Pumpkin (2020), a striking five-metre bronze sculpture, adds to the spectacle.

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Ethel Carrick

National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

Until 27 April

Ethel Carrick, born in England, spent much of her life in France and Australia, where she created vibrant Post-Impressionist scenes of the leisured middle class. Her depictions of fashionable society at the beach, in parks, or at markets are known for their bold colours and keen observation of tonal values. “It’s people who attract me,” Carrick once said. “Crowds are to me what a magnet is to a needle. I love the colour, life, movement, and individuality of a crowd”. The first exhibition dedicated to Carrick’s work in nearly fifty years features 140 pieces from her career, including works from her extensive travels through Europe, India, North Africa, and Australia. Notable highlights include Luxembourg Gardens, Paris (circa 1906), and Christmas Day on Manly Beach (1913), a luminous beach scene that captures the unique heat, light, and colour of an Australian summer, distinct from the climates of England and France.

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The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles: China-France Cultural Encounters in the 17th and 18th centuries

Hong Kong Palace Museum

Until 4 May

The Hong Kong Palace Museum’s winter exhibition explores the rich cultural exchanges between 17th- and 18th-century Beijing and Versailles. Through 150 treasures—including royal portraits, porcelains, textiles, books, and scientific instruments—the exhibition reveals how China and France influenced one another in science, art, and philosophy. Highlights include an exquisite 1783 chrysanthemum pot by French enameller Joseph Coteau, likely gifted to the Qianlong Emperor, and a rare perfume fountain (1736-43) from Louis XV’s collection, blending Chinese porcelain with French bronze craftsmanship.

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José Maria Velasco: A View of Mexico

Until 17 August

National Gallery

José Maria Velasco, a 19th-century artist beloved in Mexico, remains relatively unknown in this country. A new exhibition at the National Gallery, W1, introduces his sweeping landscapes of the Valley of Mexico, where intricate details reference both the nation’s rich history and its swift industrialisation. The show draws connections to works by his European contemporaries, including Edouard Manet’s The Execution of Emperor Maximilian.

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One Must Be Seated

Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town

Until 5 October

Ghanaian-American artist Rita Mawuena Benissan, renowned for her work in tapestry, sculpture, photography, and video, honours Ghanaian traditions, particularly Asante customs. Known for reimagining the royal umbrella and stool, symbols of Akan chieftaincy, this solo exhibition delves into the ‘enstoolment’ ceremony, akin to a coronation, exploring its various stages across gallery spaces. Curated by Beata America, it showcases new works such as One Must Be Seated (2024) and The Triumphant King Rules (2023), which feature portraits of past chiefs within a velvet umbrella. In December 2024, Koyo Kouoh, executive director and chief curator of Zeitz MOCAA, was announced as the curator of the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026.

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Thomas Demand’s the Stutter of History

Taipei Fine Arts Museum

Until 11 May

German artist Thomas Demand transforms media-circulated images of historical events into life-size dioramas made entirely of coloured paper and card. He then photographs these intricate models before destroying them, leaving only ghostly printed images as evidence of their existence. Among his most famous works are Room (1995), a reconstruction of Hitler’s bombed-out bunker, and Control Room (2011), depicting Fukushima’s power plant after the 2011 disaster. This retrospective, featuring around 70 works, has toured globally since 2022, with stops in Houston, Jerusalem, Paris, and Shanghai. The Taipei Fine Arts Museum marks the tour’s final destination.

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Lubaina Himid

UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing

Until 27 April

Turner Prize-winning artist Lubaina Himid, a pioneering figure in the Black British arts movement, is presenting her first solo exhibition in China. Since the 1980s, Himid has used her art to highlight the Black experience in the UK. This exhibition includes some of her most impactful works, including A Fashionable Marriage (1986) and Six Tailors (2019). Himid is renowned for her vibrant ‘cut-outs’—life-size, painted figures that evoke the feeling of a theatrical stage. Drawing on her theatre training, her exhibitions have a lively, circus-like atmosphere, though often with a critical edge. For example, Naming the Money (2004), gifted to the International Slavery Museum, features 100 cut-out figures that amplify the forgotten voices of servants and slaves in Western history.

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City of Others: Asian Artists in Paris 1920s-1940s

National Gallery Singapore

2 April – 17 August

During the interwar years, a group of avant-garde Asian artists made a notable impact in Paris. Among them were Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita, a flamboyant Japanese figurative artist admired by Picasso; Georgette Chen, a painter who showcased at Paris’s Salon d’Automne before pioneering modernism in Singapore; and Sanyu, from China, whose renowned still lifes were influenced by Matisse’s use of line and colour. A new exhibition at the National Gallery Singapore highlights the experiences of these artists, alongside peers like Le Pho, Liu Kang, Xu Beihong, and Kanae Itakura, in the culturally dynamic Paris of the time. Featuring over 150 artworks in diverse media such as paint, ink, and lacquer, the show explores how artistic ideas and inspirations flowed between Asian and European cultures in this vibrant melting pot.

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Emulation and Admiration: Two Stories of Collecting European Art

The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo
11 March – 8 June

This exhibition presents a unique opportunity to explore the fascinating history of European art collecting. Featuring masterworks from both the San Diego Museum of Art and the National Museum of Western Art, the show delves into the stories of admiration and emulation that shaped the acquisition of iconic European paintings. Visitors will be able to view a rich selection of paintings that span centuries, reflecting both the evolution of European art and the cross-cultural exchanges between Europe and Japan.

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A Treasury of Life: Indian Company Paintings c. 1795–1830

DAG, Janpath, New Delhi

12 April

This exhibitions offers a captivating exploration of Company Paintings, a unique hybrid Indo-European art style developed in British India by Indian artists. The exhibition showcases a wide range of subjects, including natural history with botanical studies, architecture through views of historical monuments, and depictions of Indian manners and customs. To enhance the experience, DAG offers two special events: an Exhibition Walkthrough with Giles Tillotson, SVP, DAG, on April 12 from 12 noon to 1 pm, and a Conversation between William Dalrymple and Giles Tillotson on the subject of Company Paintings on April 16 from 7 pm to 8 pm.

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