These are the not-to-be-missed art events in Europe for summer 2025
Snap your tickets up ASAP!
Summer has officially arrived and with it, most of us are dreaming of an idyllic summer holiday. If your travel plans happen to take you to Europe – and you happen to be something of a culture vulture – you’ll want to check out these blockbuster exhibitions (and a brand new museum experience) that are taking over the region this season. From designer jewellery in London and masterpieces in Rome and Aix-en-Provence to a plethora of can’t-miss haute couture exhibitions in Paris, here are the best art events in Europe for summer 2025. Just make sure you book tickets stat.
All the best art events in Europe for summer 2025
1. Caravaggio 2025 | Rome, Italy
As Rome marks the 2025 Jubilee with a series of city-wide celebrations, the Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica at Palazzo Barberini invites visitors to explore the enduring legacy of one of the city’s most notorious painters.
Michaelangelo Merisi, better known as Caravaggio, spent most of his working life in Rome, though he was better known as a brawler, rebel, and all-round troublemaker. This new, chronological retrospective brings together 24 of Caravaggio’s most compelling paintings – from his celebrated masterpieces to little-known collector’s items – to chart his meteoric career from his destitute arrival in Rome to his lucrative moment as the darling of bankers and cardinals.
The paintings are curated from all over the world to explore the power of his work and his depiction of the artistic, religious, and social context of Caravaggio’s time, and also include two that have been held in private collections until now. The centrepiece is on loan from the Gallerie d’Italian Napoli – The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula was painted shortly before Caravaggio’s death.
Find out more about Caravaggio 2025 at Palazzo Barberini, Rome, Italy
Through July 6, 2025
2. Cartier | London, England
In London, the V&A is hosting Cartier’s first UK exhibition in 30 years. Through 350 objects – ranging from precious jewels, iconic watches and beyond – it traces Cartier’s legacy of design and craftsmanship. It also explores its global growth through the contributions of the three grandsons of the maison’s founder, Louis-François, who travelled far and wide from India and China, Egypt and Russia, and how stars from cinema, music, and fashion also helped establish its appeal.
A truly dazzling array of objets d’art and jewellery are on display, including pieces from the Royal Collection, the Manchester Tiara (made for the Dowager Duchess of Manchester), Queen Elizabeth II’s 23.6-carat pink diamonds, Grace Kelly’s engagement ring, the Duchess of Windsor’s flamingo brooches, and the jaw-dropping gemstone necklace commissioned by the Maharaja of Patiala, Bhupinder Singh, in 1928.
Learn more about Cartier at V&A South Kensington, London, UK
Through November 16, 2025
3. Worth. Inventing haute couture | Paris, France
This summer, Paris’ Petit Palais pays tribute to the grandfather of haute couture in an exceptional exhibition exploring an indelible part of fashion history. Born in England in 1825, Charles Frederick Worth would go on to establish a Parisian fashion house that would define luxury fashion in the 19th century and whose creations would be in demand throughout the world.
The retrospective uses 400 objects – including nearly 80 of Worth’s rarely-seen, fragile ensembles, alongside accessories and paintings – to contextualise Worth’s story and impact, despite the business shuttering in 1956. The result is not just a dramatic visualisation of fashion history, but a nuanced study in branding and marketing that’s still seen in today’s fashion industry.
Discover more about Worth. Inventing haute couture at Petit Palais, Paris, France
Through September 7, 2025
4. Orizzonti | Rosso | Rome, Italy
This vivid exhibition is the first to be held in Rome’s newest art space, PM23. Set within a late 19th-century school and printing house that’s been lovingly reimagined as a contemporary setting for the Fondazione Valentino Garavani e Giancarlo Giammetti (both personalities are known for the eponymous Italian fashion house).
Through carefully selected works, the exhibition invites viewers to contemporary the multifaceted nature and emotional scope of the colour red by juxtaposing 70 of Valentino’s iconic red couture creations against 40 works of contemporary art by the likes of Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Mark Rothko.
Find out more about Orizzonti | Rosso at PM23, Piazza Mignanelli, Rome, Italy
Until 31 August, 2025
5. Cezanne au Jas de Bouffan | Aix-en-Provence, France
The southern French town of Aix-en-Provence celebrates one of its most famous sons this summer amid the charming landscapes that inspired his works. Paul Cézanne was born and died in Aix, and as the town opens his family home – the Jas de Bouffan maison – and his studio at Les Lauves, the city’s Musée Granet will present a new international exhibition that explores Cézanne’s home of nearly 40 years.
The showcase brings together more than 130 paintings, drawings, and watercolours drawn from museums around the world, including Chicago, London, New York, and Tokyo, to offer a deeply intimate look at the artist’s connection with the town and his family home.
Learn more about Cezanne au Jas de Bouffan at Musée Granet, Aix-en-Provence, France
Through October 12, 2025
6. V&A East Storehouse | London, England
Undoubtedly one of the biggest happenings in the European art scene this summer is the opening of the V&A East Storehouse. Located within London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, this is a world-first interactive museum where visitors can get up close to over 500,000 pieces of art, across various creative disciplines – from the V&A’s collection. The purpose-built building, designed by architects Diller Scofidio+Renfro, is worth visiting in itself, spanning four levels and a space the size of 30 basketball courts.
The warehouse-style building offers a behind-the-scenes museum experience where visitors can explore curated, rotating displays of rarely-seen pieces. Expect to see everything from a section of a housing estate maisonette that was demolished in 2017 and the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Kaufmann Office to the 15th-century gilded wooden ceiling from the Torrijos Palace that once stood in Toledo, Spain, and couture from Schiaparelli and Vivienne Westwood. Of course, there are also plenty of paintings, ceramics, sculptures, and books on show, too.
Dive into V&A East Storehouse, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Hackney Wick, London, UK
Now open
7. Louvre Couture. Art and Fashion: Statement Pieces | Paris, France
Paris’ most famous museum is currently hosting the first-ever fashion exhibition in its 231-year history. Showcasing clothing and accessories that span the 1960s to today, this dynamic exhibition aims to highlight how pieces from the Louvre’s collection – which doesn’t feature any fashion – may have influenced designers and the world of haute couture.
65 pieces from 45 well-known fashion brands – including Chanel, Schiaparelli, Dior, and Balenciaga – are referenced against decorative styles, textiles, and ornamentation through history, such as objects from Byzantium and the Second Empire. Case in point? A piece from Karl Lagerfeld’s last collection shows striking visual similarities to an 18th-century blue and white lacquered commode.
Find out more about Louvre Couture. Art and Fashion: Statement Pieces at Louvre Museum, Paris, France
Through August 24, 2025
But wait, there’s more…
- These are our favourite hotels in heritage buildings in Paris
- Discover these great London restaurants that we keep going back to
- And here are our picks for the very best boutique hotels in Europe
