The Chicest Fashion And Art Exhibitions To See This Summer

While fashion weeks will always hold dominion over the industry’s social calendar, this year’s circuit has a new influence. The most stylish crowds aren’t simply gathering outside the staple runway events, they’re also convening in galleries, palazzos and museums, for a different kind of show season.

They might not involve a front row full of A-list talent, but the most exciting openings are still difficult to secure tickets for, which is why travelers are planning long weekends around access, months in advance. From Florence to Paris, Antwerp to New York, this year’s defining exhibitions soften the boundaries between fashion, art, photography and design, drawing visitors across continents into these immersive worlds.

The largest exhibition ever dedicated to the artist Mark Rothko in Italy may well be the most fashionable cultural event of the summer. Spread across Palazzo Strozzi, the Museo di San Marco and Michelangelo’s Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, the exhibition explores Rothko’s relationship with Renaissance art and the city itself.

It is easy to see why creative directors, designers and collectors remain captivated by Rothko’s work. Long before quiet luxury became a cultural phenomenon, Rothko harnessed the power of restraint. His vast color fields communicate emotion subtly, even in their grandiosity. Combined with Florence’s enduring allure – the palazzi, the ateliers, the impossibly elegant hotel terraces – the exhibition is a perfect excuse for a cultural pilgrimage.

Rothko in Florence at Palazzo Strozzi, Museo di San Marco and Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana is on now until August 23, 2026

The Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art exhibition, which opened this year at the Victoria and Albert Museum, revisits the legacy of Elsa Schiaparelli, the Italian designer who transformed surrealism into couture and forever blurred the line between fashion and art. Schiaparelli was notorious for visual provocation. Lobster dresses, shoe hats and collaborations with artists such as Salvador Dalí helped establish a blueprint that continues to influence contemporary fashion.

Timing is everything for this opening. Under current creative director Daniel Roseberry, Schiaparelli has become one of the most culturally influential luxury houses in the world, dressing everyone from Hollywood royalty to contemporary art-world provocateurs. The exhibition serves as a fantastic reminder that some of fashion’s most modern ideas are, in fact, decades old.

Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at the V&A, London is on now until November 8, 2026

Fashion photography has always been one of the industry’s most powerful forms of storytelling, and few contemporary photographers have shaped visual culture more than Rafael Pavarotti. His vivid use of color, movement and light has touched modern luxury campaigns everywhere, including for Dior, Balmain, Maison Margiela and Ferragamo. His signature saturated hues, sculptural posing, luminous skin and stunning treatment of Black beauty have canonized his work. This major exhibition dedicated to his work offers a rare opportunity to see more than 200 images, charting his rise to fame, through to legendary portraits of Beyoncé, Harry Styles and Rihanna.

Rafael Pavarotti. Photographer at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris is on from October 2, 2026 until May 2, 2027

The relationship between fashion and art is central to one of New York’s most anticipated exhibitions of the year. The Costume Institute’s latest blockbuster, Costume Art, explores the dialogue between fashion and artistic expression, examining how clothing functions as cultural artefacts rather than mere objects of consumption. It pairs approximately 200 garments and accessories, with 200 artworks drawn from across the museum’s collection. Among the hero pieces are Madame Grès gowns, Vivienne Westwood designs, Alexander McQueen creations and Issey Miyake’s incredible A-POC garments. The Met Gala might dominate headlines, but the exhibition itself remains the real attraction.

Costume Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York is on now until January 10, 2027

A major retrospective is being staged in Venice this year, during its unrivaled Biennale season, which runs until November 22. Delving into the life and work of Serbian artist Marina Abramović, it looks at five decades of her career, from her early endurance performances, through to her affecting, immersive installations. Venice is already one of the world’s great cultural destinations and this latest highlight offers you a fashionable invitation that is impossible to ignore.

Marina Abramović: Transforming Energy at Gallerie dell’Academia, Venice is on now until October 19, 2026

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