A large part of traveling in Europe is seeing the many museums the region has to offer. This year, the Nordic countries will each host special exhibits in various galleries. The coordinated goal of these exhibits is to experience art as a bridge between past and present and challenge the ways in which we engage with the world.
Finland
Rock, Paper, Scissors highlights material art that uses mediums such as fabric and explores how they have been used in art since the 1970s. Focused on sustainability and conservation, the exhibit allows visitors to interact with the materials directly to reflect on value and durability.
'Aage Gaup' at Moderna Museet. Photo Credit: Thomas Hämén, https://www.voguescandinavia.com/articles/2026-must-see-art-exhibitions-scandinavia
Sweden
The two exhibits happening in Sweden delve into deep and long-standing topics in the art world. Aage Gaup, a well-known Nordic sculptor, highlights his Sámi roots in his exhibit of the same name. In Body. Ideal, Gaze, Freedom, Gothenburg Art Museum brings together over 100 works that cover the one topic that has perhaps most influenced art history: the human body.
Iceland
Iceland's extreme natural environment has always inspired the imagination of artists. Drawing from that, Lavaforming is an exhibit that imagines using lava as both a power source and building material. The exhibit is set in 2150 and paints a picture of what life could be like using a natural threat as a natural resource. It wrapped up in April at the Reykjavik Museum.
Denmark
Multiple venues across Denmark are hosting exhibits throughout the year. They each represent different art forms which will be conducted in the Copenhagen area. Skyspace invites visitors to pause and experience nature through a central oculus, similar to Rome's Pantheon. Shapeshifters explores how garments carry identity and memory. Marina Abramović performs her Seven Deaths exhibit in a cinematic opera enactment. Café Society highlights Scandinavian perspective in classical art and painting. Lastly, A Second Life will be put on toward the end of the year, highlighting artist Tracey Emin's 40 years of work.
Norway
The country will host three exhibits, including Lap-See-Lam which highlights the Chines diaspora in Europe. No Master Territories explores feminism though film from the 1970s through the 90s; while Mastering the Copy unpacks the debate around reproductions and replications as a tool for learning and innovation.
Sources:
The 12 must-see art exhibitions in Scandinavia in 2026 – Vogue Scandinavia