Art news to be on your radar this week: 13 - 20 April 2026

Harry Styles Curates Meltdown Festival for Southbank Centre’s 75th Anniversary

The Southbank Centre has announced the first wave of artists for Meltdown 2026, curated by Harry Styles as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations, taking place from 11–21 June 2026 across its multi-venue site. The festival brings together electronic, jazz, pop and experimental artists, with Styles also set to perform a headline show at the Royal Festival Hall on 16 June. The line-up includes Devonté Hynes, Kamasi Washington, Warpaint, Mulatu Astatke, Nilüfer Yanya, Jon Hopkins, bar italia and many more, with highlights such as Warpaint’s only 2026 performance opening the festival, Kamasi Washington presenting two special shows, Mulatu Astatke showcasing his pioneering Ethio-jazz sound, and Devonté Hynes leading an ensemble performance combining contemporary composition and experimental arrangements. Across the 11 days, the programme reflects Styles’ wide musical influences and brings together established and emerging artists, with additional free events, workshops and participatory activities running alongside the gigs.

Harry Styles’ Meltdown takes place 11 – 21 June 2026. Tickets go on sale to Southbank Centre Members on Thu 9 April and for general sale on Fri 10 April. southbankcentre.co.uk

Harry Styles, curator of Harry Styles. Meltdown in the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary year © Laura Coulson.

Vue London celebrates iconic film anniversaries this spring

Vue London is celebrating spring with a special anniversary film season that brings a range of iconic Hollywood favourites back to the big screen. The programme spans multiple genres, including coming-of-age drama, action, comedy and thriller, with highlights such as Stand by Me, Top Gun, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Legally Blonde, Bridesmaids and The Silence of the Lambs. Running from April through June, the season marks milestone anniversaries from 15 to 40 years since each film’s original release, offering audiences a chance to revisit these classics in cinemas at prices starting from £5.99. Discover screening locations here. Click here to discover more.

Amelia Dimoldenberg. Image credit Laura Schaeffer

ICA London film programme for May

In May, the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA London) presents a programme of retrospectives, premieres and festivals across its cinemas. A key focus is Long Takes: Nothing But Life – The Cinema of Rita Azevedo Gomes (2 May – 5 June), the first major UK retrospective of the Portuguese filmmaker’s work, exploring a practice shaped by literature, theatre, music and art history. The ICA’s Off-Circuit strand continues with new releases, including the UK premiere of Phantoms of July from 1 May and Charlotte Zhang’s debut feature Tycoon from 22 May, followed by an in-person Q&A. The month also includes the return of Queer East Festival (2–17 May), showcasing LGBTQ+ cinema and moving image work from East and Southeast Asia and their diasporas, and In Focus: Niki de Saint Phalle (8–10 May), presenting newly restored films by the French-American artist to UK audiences. Together, these screenings highlight contemporary experimentation alongside historical and artistic perspectives on cinema.

For the full programme and bookings, visit ica.art/films.

Tycoon, dir. Charlotte Zhang (Off-Circuit)

May art exhibitions in London

As May begins, a strong season of exhibitions opens across London, spanning art, design and cultural history. Delcy Morelos transforms the Barbican’s Sculpture Court, while the Design Museum surveys NIGO’s influence on global streetwear. Major retrospectives spotlight Francisco de Zurbarán at the National Gallery and James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain. Elsewhere, exhibitions at the South London Gallery, ICA and Wellcome Collection explore spirituality, inequality and the environment, with Kew Gardens and the Natural History Museum extending the programme outdoors.

Click here for our guide to the exhibitions to have on your radar in May.

Henry Moore, 'Large Two Forms' 1969 (LH 556). Photo: Jonty Wilde.

Collateral Events at the Venice Biennale

The 61st Venice Biennale runs from 9 May to 22 November 2026, with exhibitions unfolding across the city’s palazzi, museums and foundations beyond the main show. Highlights include presentations by Anish Kapoor and Marina Abramović, a major survey of Lee Ufan, new work by Amoako Boafo and Jenny Saville, a dialogue between Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince, and a project by Gabrielle Goliath.

Click here for our pick of collateral events to see during the 61st Venice Biennale.

Georg Baselitz, Die goldene Kittelschürze (detail), 2025. Oil and gold paint on canvas. 300 × 215 cm. © Georg Baselitz 2026. Photo: Stefan Altenberger

Art Week

Milan Deisgn Week

Milan Design Week 2026 returns on Sunday 19 April, continuing a format that has developed into one of the most influential moments in global design. It began with the Salone del Mobile, founded in 1961 as a furniture fair, and expanded in the late 1980s with the introduction of Fuorisalone, which moved design beyond exhibition halls into Milan’s streets, galleries, and neighbourhoods. Together, they now form a dual structure where the organised trade fair at Rho Fiera Milano runs alongside a decentralised, citywide programme of installations and events, attracting over half a million visitors each year. With more than 1,000 events taking place across districts such as Brera, Tortona, and Isola, the week turns the city into a connected network of showcases that bring together industry, culture, and experimentation. The 2026 edition reflects current design directions, with a focus on circular practices, biophilic ideas, and multifunctional interiors shaped by a more expressive minimalism, highlighting how design is increasingly concerned with sustainability, adaptability, and everyday living.

Date: April 19–26, 2026. Location: citywide Milan. salonemilano.it

Milan. Image courtesy Ouael Ben Salah

Art fair

Paris internationale Milano

Paris Internationale is opening in Milan this week, marking its first international edition during the city’s busiest cultural period alongside the start of Design Week. Founded in Paris in 2016 by the galleries Crèvecoeur, Ciaccia Levi, and Gregor Staiger, the fair has built a reputation for combining emerging artistic discovery with a strong commercial platform, a balance it now brings to its Milan debut. Hosted in the 1950s Palazzo Galbani near Milano Centrale, the inaugural edition will present around 35 international galleries within a restored modernist setting that reflects the city’s architectural heritage. Timed to coincide with the Salone del Mobile, it is set to attract an international mix of collectors, designers, and cultural figures, reinforcing Milan’s role as a meeting point for art and design. The launch also aligns with Italy’s recent reduction of VAT on art sales, further strengthening the city’s appeal as a growing marketplace, while a focused programme of talks and events will provide added context to the exhibitions.

Date: 18 - 21 April 2026. Location: Palazzo Galbani, Via Fabio Filzi, Milan, Italy. parisinternationale.com