Robb Report’s Summer Edit maps five unmissable art experiences to cure summer FOMO, from Spain’s Gaudí Year 2026 and its nationwide tributes to Antoni Gaudí, to the 61st Venice Biennale’s ‘In Minor Keys’ theme, Frieze London’s sculpture-focused fair, Bengaluru’s ‘Paper Gardens’ on art and botany, and Art Basel Paris’s powerhouse contemporary showcase.
It's been a good day. You have fed your pet, and you have leisurely catered to your pre-sleep skin routine. You are in your bed now; ambient light is lulling you into sleep. Unable to resist, you pick up your phone for that final scroll on Instagram before you fall off to sleep, and just then, you encounter someone’s post from an art installation by an artist you wouldn’t have missed for the world—the day is ruined. To rescue you from this FOMO, Robb Report’s Summer Edit comes as a fully equipped one-stop shop with all the events and experiences in one place for you to make the most of the summer months and more. Below is a list of the top five art events happening globally this year that you may choose to miss at your own peril.
When art, architecture, and travel commingle in a tasteful commemoration, you get what all of Spain is celebrating as Gaudí Year 2026. To mark the centenary of its national treasure, the inimitable architect Antoni Gaudí, Spain is observing a nationwide cultural program that glides through open-air installations and architecture, music, dramatisations, exhibitions, and several cultural activities. That the buildings constructed by the architect are marvels is a given, however, in addition to those celebrations at La Pedrera and across Barcelona will feature special architectural tours of Gaudí's masterpieces. Art exhibitions entailing shows on the Nabis movement and traditional Catalan cultural carnivals will adorn the streets. Scholarly conferences such as the Gaudí International Congress will also congregate as part of the celebrations. Coinciding with the celebrations are also some milestone events at the Sagrada Família, including commemorative ceremonies linked to the completion of key elements of the basilica.
Dates: June - October
While biennales in recent times have turned rather ubiquitous, the Venice Art Biennale, started in 1895, is the oldest exhibition of its kind. As the whole city turns into an art hub, established and rising artists come forth in glorious colours. Now in its 61st edition, Venice Art Biennale is set to witness a newly designed central pavilion this year with the theme titled ‘In Minor Keys’ by curator Koyo Kouoh. The exhibition will bring together 110 artists, collectives, and art organisations from around the globe. The year's thematics will run along the lines of memory, spirituality, community, healing, poetry, environmental histories and collective knowledge. Large scale installations, performances, poetry processions, immersive multimedia works, educational programmes, artist-led “schools.” Scintillating exhibitions will span Venice's Giardini, Arsenale and other historic sites.
Dates: May 9 to November 22
When the subject is the European art calendar, Frieze London holds a crucial spot. Started in London in 2003, Frieze Art Fair converges the world's most significant galleries and collectors in Regent’s Park. The art fair is a by-word in the art world for setting market trends and giving to the world major artists by way of being a celebration of contemporary genius. Curated by Fatoş Üstek in 2026, the exhibition will explore sculpture as a “hybrid ecology”, conflating large-scale installations, experimental outdoor artworks and pieces that diminish the boundaries between sculpture, design, architecture and other media. Contemporary works that engage with themes of urban and natural environments, material innovation, public space and ecological relationships will also be positioned against the historic landscape of Regent's Park.
Date: September 16 to November 1
While not particularly an event, Paper Gardens: Art, Botany and Empire is up on view at the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru. The exhibition delves into the fascinating locus of art, science and colonial history making use of more than 140 botanical illustrations, manuscripts and artworks. Exquisitely detailed paintings of Indian flora, historical botanical drawings made under colonial commission, contemporary artistic responses, immersive installations, workshops, talks and educational programmes examining how plants were documented, classified and transported across empires make for the spine of the show. At its crux, the exhibition sheds light on the role of botanical art in scientific discovery, trade, ecology and empire-building while underscoring the enduring relationship between humans and the natural world.
Date: March 7 to July 5
What started in Basel, Switzerland, during the 1970s, speedily spread across the world including Hong Kong, Paris and Miami Beach. Since its inception, Art Basel is best known for being the zenith of contemporary and modern art that foreground fresh voices. The Art Basel Paris 2026, typically, is set to bring under one banner more than 200 galleries from 41 countries, including nearly 30 first-timers, making it one of the world's most formidable gatherings for modern and contemporary art. Rumour has it that this year's edition will bring to visitors museum-quality paintings, sculptures, installations, photography, digital works and collectible design presented across three sections: ‘Galeries’ for leading international galleries, ‘Emergence’ for rising artists and younger galleries, and ‘Premise’ for distinctive curatorial projects. Beyond the fair itself, the programme includes city-wide cultural events, public art initiatives, special exhibitions, collector previews, artist talks and the return of the experimental ‘Oh La La!’ rehang project, transforming Paris into a major hub for art, design and cultural exchange.
Dates: October 23 - 25