Art Destinations of Rome: 9 Reasons to Explore the City in 2026

Rome is the capital not only of ancient ruins but also of a living and constantly transforming art scene. In 2026, the “Eternal City” offers a dizzying program stretching from Italian Pop Art to Japanese printmaking, from the paintings of avant-garde musicians to monumental contemporary art installations. Here are 9 must-see exhibitions in Rome.

1. The Rebel of Italian Pop Art: Mario Schifano (Palazzo Esposizioni)

• Dates: Until July 12, 2026 A massive retrospective dedicated to Mario Schifano, the most controversial and charismatic name in Italian Pop Art, awaits you in the heart of Rome. While transferring television screens, billboards, and cinema frames onto canvas, Schifano blended the coldness of American Pop with the warmth and chaos of Italian folk culture. Anticipating early on how media culture would envelop our lives, Schifano’s colorist genius comes back to life within the magnificent halls of Palazzo Esposizioni.

2. Master of the Waves: Katsushika Hokusai (Palazzo Bonaparte)

• Dates: Until June 29, 2026 One of the most comprehensive Hokusai exhibitions outside of Japan opens its doors at Palazzo Bonaparte in Piazza Venezia. While tracking the most pristine states of that famous “Great Wave,” Mount Fuji, and Japanese nature, you will witness how profoundly Hokusai’s understanding of perspective influenced Western art, particularly the Impressionists. Prepared with over 200 works, this exhibition is a complete visual feast for anyone wishing to explore the ancestor of graphic design and dynamic composition.

3. The Mega Intersection of Irony and Art: “Tragicomica” (MAXXI)

• Dates: Until September 20, 2026 MAXXI plays host to the most ambitious and perhaps most entertaining exhibition of the year: “Tragicomica.” Investigating the tragic-comic dimension of Italian contemporary art history with more than 300 works by over 130 artists, this mega-exhibition brings together titanic names ranging from Lucio Fontana to Maurizio Cattelan. Attempting to read the Italian soul through irony, dark humor, and cultural pop, this exhibition proves just how much of a “serious joke” art can sometimes be.

4. A Humane Warmth: Robert Doisneau (Museo del Genio di Roma)

• Dates: Until July 19, 2026 A comprehensive retrospective of Robert Doisneau, one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century, transports us to those poetic and humane moments on the streets of Paris. Documenting the world of the working class, children, and ordinary people on the street with the precision of an observer—not just with his famous shot “The Kiss by the Hôtel de Ville”—Doisneau demonstrates how photography can become a language of love. Losing oneself among these black-and-white frames in the historical atmosphere of Rome is priceless.

5. The Father of Art History: Giorgio Vasari (Musei Capitolini)

• Dates: Until July 19, 2026 On the 450th anniversary of his passing, this is a comprehensive homage to Giorgio Vasari, considered both a painter, an architect, and the world’s first art historian. Offering a dual look at both the theoretical legacy and artistic practice of Vasari, who wrote the story of the Renaissance with his book “The Lives of the Artists,” this exhibition serves as a foundational resource for understanding how art history was constructed.

6. The Materiality of Time: Rosa Barba (MAXXI)

• Dates: Throughout 2026 German-Italian artist Rosa Barba investigates the physical materiality of time at MAXXI using 35mm film cameras and analog shooting techniques. Utilizing projection as both a tool and a subject, Barba transforms the lost images of cinema archives into spatial experiences. Questioning how memory and heritage “collapse,” these installations take the viewer on a physical journey through time.

7. Rome’s 100-Year Memory: “GAM 100” (Galleria d’Arte Moderna)

• Dates: Until October 2026 Prepared in honor of the centenary of the Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Roma Capitale (GAM), this exhibition sheds light on the history of the city’s art collecting with more than 120 works. Presenting a century of the gallery’s evolution from Futurism to the Scuola Romana through documents and the rarest pieces, “GAM 100” functions as a “memory exhibition” for those wishing to understand how Rome’s modern art identity was built.