In this month of April, art unfolds with the same energy as the arrival of spring. We take a look at seven exhibitions that challenge our view, exhibitions that make us reflect on the limits of art.
Seven highlights of art emerge in this month of rebirth, inviting us to travel through spaces where imagination and beauty are reborn and reinvented.
Sean Scully’s geometry at La Pedrera
We begin our art highlights with La Pedrera, which opens its doors to the largest retrospective of Sean Scully, one of the great names in contemporary abstraction. With more than sixty works, the exhibition traces a journey from his figurative beginnings to his language of stripes and blocks of colour, where feelings meet geometry. Paintings, sculptures, watercolours and photographs make up a vibrant universe that reinterprets abstraction through sensitivity and visual rhythm.
Sean Scully next to the sculpture in the patio. Editorial credit: Alejandro García.
The exhibition is organised chronologically and traces Scully’s evolution and his quest to bring humanity to abstract painting. Inspired by Rothko, Mondrian and Klee, his work defies cold and distant minimalism to bring intensity and spirituality back to the canvas. In addition, a monumental sculpture in the courtyard of Passeig de Gràcia, the first stop that marks the sensory journey where colour is transformed into pure emotion, stands out as the centrepiece.
When? From 14 March to 6 July.
Where? Passeig de Gràcia, 92, Barcelona.
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 9.00h to 18.30h and from 19.00h to 23.00h.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
The regenerative power of design
In a world where primary materials are running out and design is facing challenges, Matter Matters bursts forth as a call to action. This exhibition, curated by Olga Subirós, at the Barcelona Design-DHub Museum, examines the relationship between humans and materials, juxtaposing historical pieces with contemporary innovations. Through more than 700 works by designers, architects and artisans, the exhibition challenges the extractivist model and proposes a regenerative approach, where design creates and repairs.
The vegetable matter section, with some pieces such as the Esparto grass dress. Editorial credit: Núria Farré.
The route is divided into eight thematic spaces where design, ecology and geopolitics are linked. Installations such as Calculating Empires, by Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler, or Slow Violence, by Studio Lemercier, reflect the effects of extractivism and the struggles that resist its impact. Connecting history and future, it invites us to think about design as a useful force for transforming our future on the planet.
When? From 21 February 2025
Where? Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, 38, Barcelona.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday from 9.00h to 21.00h. Saturday and Sunday from 10.00h to 20.00h.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
The view of an eternal landscape
The National Gallery in London pays tribute to José María Velasco with A View of Mexico, the first exhibition dedicated to a historic Latin American artist. Coinciding with the bicentenary of diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United Kingdom, the exhibition brings together around 30 paintings and drawings, mostly from Mexican collections. Velasco, in addition to being a leading figure in landscape painting, was also a scholar of botany, geology and Mesoamerican history, integrating art with scientific knowledge.
The work El valle de México desde el cerro de Santa Isabel (1877). Editorial credit: Museo Nacional de Arte, INBAL, Mexico City.
Throughout six sections, the exhibition breaks down his artistic legacy. Landscape and Industry reflects how modernisation transformed the natural environment through works such as The Valley of Mexico from the Molino del Rey (1895). Flora reveals his fascination with vegetation with botanical studies and pieces such as A Rustic Bridge in San Ángel (1862). On the other hand, the central section is devoted to his most emblematic work, El Valle de México desde el cerro de Santa Isabel (1877), in which he captures the immensity of the territory. Beyond his virtuosity, the exhibition invites us to reflect on the relationship between man and his environment, a debate that continues to this day.
When? Until 17 August 2025.
Where? Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN, London, UK.
Opening hours: Saturday to Thursday 10.00h to 18.00h. Friday 10:00h to 18:00h.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
Art flourishes in the heart of France
The 27th edition of Art Paris returns with a bang to the iconic Grand Palais. Highlights include Immortal: A Focus on Figurative Painting in France, with an expanded exploration of figurative painting in France, where 30 artists from different generations connect past and present. Out of Bounds, on the other hand, immerses us in a journey that challenges the frontiers of art, addressing identity, migration and the intersection of disciplines.
Interior views of the event. Editorial credit: Lara Sedbon.
The fair continues to foster emerging talent with the expansion of Promises, now with 25 young galleries, and 26 solo exhibitions highlighting individual careers. In addition, an exclusive VIP programme connects collectors and art lovers with 31 events across the city. And, with a vision for the future, Art Paris advances its commitment to sustainability, integrating life-cycle analysis to reduce its environmental impact.
When? 3 to 6 April 2025.
Where? 7 Avenue Winston Churchill, Paris, France.
Opening hours: Thursday and Saturday from 12.00h to 20.00h. Friday from 12.00h to 21.00h. Sunday from 12.00h to 19.00h.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
The landscape soul of Caspar David Friedrich
The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents Caspar David Friedrich: The Soul of Nature, the first major retrospective in the US devoted to the master of Romanticism. Featuring more than 75 works, the exhibition traces his artistic career, from sketches and drawings to iconic paintings such as Walker on the Sea of Fog. Through enveloping landscapes and an atmosphere of contemplation, Friedrich redefined the relationship between man and nature, giving it an existential and spiritual meaning.
Two Men Contemplating the Moon, ca. 1825-30. Editorial credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
The exhibition contextualises the artist’s work in 19th-century Germany and highlights his impact on the modern perception of landscape. Together with his contemporaries, Friedrich created a symbolic language that influenced later generations. In addition, a special section explores his romantic fascination with the moon, showing its representation in various artistic disciplines.
When? Until 11 May 2025.
Where? 1000 5th Ave, New York, United States.
Opening hours: Sunday to Tuesday and Thursday from 10.00h to 17.00h. Friday and Saturday from 10.00h to 21.00h. Wednesday closed.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
The MoMu explores gender roles through fashion and interior design
The Fashion Museum Antwerp (MoMu) presents Fashion & Interiors. A Gendered Affair, an exhibition that explores how fashion and interior design have reinforced gender roles over time. Through a journey from the 19th century to the present day, the exhibition reveals how textiles, colours and decorative objects embellished homes, and also defined female roles in domestic life. The exhibition reveals how this symbiosis evolved over time, and how traditional ideas have been broken down as modernist movements rejected excessive decoration in defence of functionality.
From left to right: The Visit, by Alfred Stevens. Print from the album Les Choses de Paul Poiret, by Georges Lepape. Editorial credit: Dallas Museum of Art / Diktats Bookstore.
The exhibition brings together pieces by historical and contemporary designers, from Henry van de Velde and Lilly Reich to creators such as Raf Simons and Maison Martin Margiela. Through clothing, furniture and decorative objects, the evolution of the relationship between fashion and interior design is analysed. It challenges the idea that space and clothing are merely reflections of personal taste.
When? Until 3 August 2025.
Where? Nationalestraat, 28, Antwerp, Belgium.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00h. to 18.00h. Closed on Mondays.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
The friendship portraits of Van Gogh and the Roulin family
Between 1888 and 1889, Van Gogh found in the Roulin family a haven of affection and warmth. His friendship with the postman Joseph Roulin, his wife Augustine and their children inspired a series of lively portraits. This exhibition, at the Museum of Fine Arts de Boston, is the first dedicated to these works, and reveals how the connection with the Roulins influenced the painter’s artistic and emotional evolution.
From left to right: Portraits Joseph Roulin and Camille Roulin. Editorial credit: Museum of Modern Art. Vincent Van Gogh Foundation.
Featuring nearly 20 iconic pieces, such as The Postman Joseph Roulin and La Berceuse, along with loans from major museums, the exhibition explores Van Gogh’s sensibility for portraiture. Letters and references to his fascination with Japanese and Dutch art offer a fresh look at his creative process. Meanwhile, his paintings capture the essence of a family that, though alien, became his own chosen home.
When? Until 7 September 2025.
Where? 456 Huntington Ave, Boston, United States.
Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00h to 17:00h. Thursday and Friday from 10.00h to 22.00h. Tuesday closed.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
