Tate has announced its programme for 2026, and it's going to be a blockbuster year for art in London and beyond, with a particular focus on women artists. Arguably the highlight of the 2026 exhibition calendar will be a Frida Kahlo exhibition at Tate Modern, titled ‘Frida: The Making of an Icon’, which will open on 25 June 2026 and run until early January 2027.
The exhibition will explore Kahlo’s life and legacy through more than 130 works, including her iconic self-portraits, showcasing the Mexican artist's signature vibrant style.
Frida Biting Her Necklace, 1933, by Lucienne Bloch (not in exhibition), from a 2018 photography show at Michael Hoppen Gallery, featuring portraits of Kahlo by other artists
‘Frida: The Making of an Icon’ will also exhibit rarely seen documents, photographs and memorabilia from Kahlo's archives, shedding light on the different shades of her life and character: Kahlo the political activist, the intellectual, the wife. (A 2018 exhibition
Through artworks and objects, audiences will dive deep into the life and career of Kahlo, whose folk-style art explored themes of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class and race, often incorporating autobiographical and fantastical elements. Although she died in 1954, her work wasn’t adopted by the mainstream until the 1970s; Kahlo is now a recognised and celebrated figure in art history as well as the feminist and LGBTQ+ movements. The exhibition will also touch upon the diversity of communities who claim Kahlo as their own.
Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940, Frida Kahlo
‘Frida: The Making of an Icon’ will also bring together art from more than 80 of the artist’s contemporaries, as well as work by artists from later generations who were inspired by Kahlo, broadening the scope of the exhibition to consider the role of women artists in the 20th century.
Tate’s 2026 programme will also include a landmark Tracey Emin retrospective, which will include the Turner Prize-nominated installation, My Bed. There will also be stagings of Argentine artist Julio Le Parc and Cuban-American artist Ana Mendieta, as well as a photography exhibition, ‘Light and Magic: The Birth of Art Photography’.
-
How Reflex Angelo transformed Venetian glass into a modern design ideaItalian furniture company Reflex Angelo has drawn from its local glassmaking heritage to create a sophisticated, contemporary design portfolio
-
Jan Staller’s Manhattan Project is an abstracted chronicle of a city under constructionThe photographer Jan Staller shows another side of New York’s relentless change with this portfolio of dynamic, sculptural images
-
Take an exclusive look at the Royal Albert Hall’s new Artists’ BarLocal architecture studio BDP converts the Royal Albert Hall’s steam boiler house into a sophisticated bar for performers (and their guests – see if you can get yourself invited)
-
What do creatives pin to their walls? Artists from Tracey Emin to Michael Stipe reveal allAn exhibition at Incubator gallery, London, asks 45 creatives what is tacked to their studio walls – here are some of their pin-ups
-
Wallpaper* Design Awards: meet Klára Hosnedlová, art’s Best DreamscaperThe immersive worlds that the Czech artist creates make her a worthy Wallpaper* Design Award 2026 winner; she speaks to us ahead of her first show at White Cube, London
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the week'Tis the season for eating and drinking, and the Wallpaper* team embraced it wholeheartedly this week. Elsewhere: the best spot in Milan for clothing repairs and outdoor swimming in December
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekFar from slowing down for the festive season, the Wallpaper* team is in full swing, hopping from events to openings this week. Sometimes work can feel like play – and we also had time for some festive cocktails and cinematic releases
-
The Barbican is undergoing a huge revamp. Here’s what we knowThe Barbican Centre is set to close in June 2028 for a year as part of a huge restoration plan to future-proof the brutalist Grade II-listed site
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekIt’s wet, windy and wintry and, this week, the Wallpaper* team craved moments of escape. We found it in memories of the Mediterranean, flavours of Mexico, and immersions in the worlds of music and art
-
Each mundane object tells a story at Pace’s tribute to the everydayIn a group exhibition, ‘Monument to the Unimportant’, artists give the seemingly insignificant – from discarded clothes to weeds in cracks – a longer look
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekThis week, the Wallpaper* team had its finger on the pulse of architecture, interiors and fashion – while also scooping the latest on the Radiohead reunion and London’s buzziest pizza
