Saint, Fool, and Serpent: The Must-See Art Exhibitions of January 2025

The new year brings with it a wealth of inspiration, and museums worldwide offer powerful reasons to step out into the world of art. January may seem like a quiet month, but it is full of standout exhibitions worthy of your attention. Some are in their final days, so do not wait too long to explore them.

Figures of the Fool

France: Louvre, Paris. Until February 6, 2025

This unique exhibition focuses on the figure of the fool in art from the Middle Ages through the 19th century. Paintings, sculptures, and rare artifacts reveal the jester not just as comic relief, but as a messenger of uncomfortable truths.

Cimabue

France: Louvre, Paris. January 22 – May 12, 2025

The first-ever exhibition dedicated to Cimabue, the enigmatic pre-Renaissance painter, a foundational figure in the history of Italian painting. A rare chance to see his surviving masterpieces, including altarpieces and devotional works, in a single venue.

Suzanne Valadon

France: Centre Pompidou, Paris. Opening in January

A major retrospective of the bold and independent French painter Suzanne Valadon (1865–1938), whose works defied gender norms and depicted the female experience with power and authenticity.

From Odessa to Berlin. European Painting of the 16th to 19th Century

Germany: Gemäldegalerie, Berlin.  January through March

A cultural collaboration between Berlin and the Odesa Fine Arts Museum. The exhibition features artworks evacuated from Ukraine during the war, including paintings, icons, and applied arts, framed within the broader context of European classical traditions.

Illusion: Dream, Identity, Reality

Germany: Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg. Until March 16, 2025

An exhibition for those who love art that plays with perception. Where does reality end and dreaming begin? Here, the brush tries to answer that question. An immersive exploration of illusion in art from surreal dreamscapes to experiments with perception and identity.

Gothic Modern: From Darkness to Light

Finland: Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki. Until January 26, 2025

This thought-provoking exhibition explores how medieval and early Renaissance aesthetics influenced 19th- and 20th-century artists such as Van Gogh, Munch. Dark themes, deep emotions, and Gothic aesthetics unexpectedly come to life in modern painting. After Helsinki, the show will travel to the National Museum of Norway in Oslo.

Escher

Italy: Palazzo Mazzetti, Asti. Until May 11, 2025

A dazzling show of optical illusions and visual paradoxes by Dutch artist M.C. Escher, hosted in magnificent Baroque architecture in one of Piedmont’s most elegant palaces.

Guido Reni

Italy: Museo Nazionale di Bologna. Until March 2, 2025

This important retrospective shed new light on Guido Reni, the Baroque painter known for his luminous religious compositions and idealized beauty.

Antonio Ligabue

Italy: Palazzo Albergati, Bologna. Until March 30, 2025

The most beloved Italian painter and most important Naïve artist of the 20th century, Antonio Ligabue (1899–1965), is celebrated for his emotionally charged self-portraits and wild animal scenes, painted with raw energy and instinctive force. His work blends childlike immediacy with deep psychological tension, creating a universe that is both primitive and profoundly human.

Rubens’s Workshop

Spain: Museo del Prado, Madrid. Until February 16, 2025

An in-depth look at Rubens’s studio’s inner workings reveals how masterpieces were created through collective effort and mentorship.

Hand in Hand: Sculpture and Colour in the Spanish Golden Age

Spain: Museo del Prado, Madrid. Until March 2, 2025

A beautiful showcase of polychrome sculpture, where color and volume merge into sacred art full of theatricality and lifelike presence.

Sigmar Polke: Affinities

Spain: Museo del Prado, Madrid. Until March 16, 2025

An exhibition exploring the visionary experiments of Sigmar Polke—one of postwar Germany’s most influential and unconventional artists.

Serpentine Delights: Celebrating the Year of the Snake

Japan: Kyoto National Museum. Until January 31, 2025

Celebrating the zodiac Year of the Snake, this exhibition presents historical and contemporary Japanese artworks depicting the serpent in mythical and symbolic richness.

Gertrude Abercrombie: The Whole World Is a Mystery

USA: Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh. January 18 – June 1, 2025

We will be honest – this is the exhibition our team has been looking forward to the most. Gertrude Abercrombie (1909–1977) is one of the most enigmatic and intriguing artists of the 20th century. Her surreal, introspective paintings are like mystical riddles: quiet, strange, symbolic, and unforgettable.

Very few of her works are held in public collections, most remain hidden in private hands. This exhibition has been nearly a decade in the making, as curators worked tirelessly to locate and secure loans from private owners. For fans of surrealism, mid-century women artists, or just great visual storytelling, this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

After its debut in Pittsburgh, the show will travel to:
– Colby College Museum of Art, Maine (July 12, 2025 – January 11, 2026)
– Milwaukee Art Museum, Wisconsin (March 27 – July 19, 2026)

 

The Book of Marvels: Imagining the Medieval World

USA: Morgan Library & Museum, New York. January 24 – May 25, 2025

This rare and fascinating exhibition brings together medieval “Books of Marvels” – illustrated manuscripts offering fantastical visions of the world. Highlights include the travels of Marco Polo, John Mandeville, and a stunning Ottoman “Book of Wonders” created for a sultan’s daughter.

Explore our catalog collection to stay inspired by the most exciting exhibitions happening around the world. January proves that even in the coldest months, the art world is full of warmth, curiosity, and wonder.