Design Shows in Europe, Best of SPRING-SUMMER 2026

Whispering things: the material language of Hella Jongerius

Hella Jongerius: Whispering Things at the Vitra Design Museum traces over three decades of a practice situated between craft and industry. Bringing together more than 400 works, the exhibition foregrounds process, material sensitivity, and the expressive potential of imperfection. From early experiments with Droog to recent sculptural pieces, Jongerius’ work questions how objects are made, perceived, and valued, proposing a shift from consumption toward attention, care, and the quiet narratives embedded in everyday things.

At the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, from 14 March to 6 September 2026, a major Jongerius retrospective unfolds, curated from the museum’s archive.

Moominvalley: The World of Tove Jansson at the AD Museum

At the Design Museum in Helsinki, the exhibition Escape to Moominvalley celebrates the eightieth anniversary of Tove Jansson’s Moomins. Through drawings, objects, and reconstructions of the artist’s spaces, the show explores the relationship between architecture, refuge, and community in Moominvalley. From the Finnish landscapes that inspired Jansson to contemporary projects on the theme of dwelling, the exhibition invites visitors to consider how imagination can become a concrete way of thinking about space and coexistence.

The exhibition Escape to Moominvalley: Reflecting Reality Through Tove Jansson’s Imaginary World is held at the Architecture & Design Museum in Helsinki, Finland, from 10 October 2025 to 27 September 2026. The show is organised in collaboration with Moomin Characters, the organisation that oversees Tove Jansson’s artistic legacy.

1925–2025: A Century of Art Deco at MAD in Paris

A century after the 1925 Exposition, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris presents a major exhibition dedicated to Art Deco, tracing its evolution and continuing vitality. More than a thousand works illustrate a movement that reshaped the applied arts, fashion, jewelry, and design. Bringing together historical icons and contemporary reinterpretations, the exhibition highlights the richness of form, the use of refined materials, and the dialogue between craft and industry that continue to define Art Deco’s enduring influence.

The exhibition 1925–2025: One Hundred Years of Art Deco is on view at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris from October 21, 2025, to April 26, 2026. It is curated by Sylvie Lécallier, curator of the Fashion and Textiles department, and Emmanuel Berard, curator of the Art Deco department.

Design and Science Fiction in Dialogue at Vitra Design Museum

The Vitra Design Museum presents an exhibition that explores the intersection of design and science fiction through more than one hundred objects tracing visions of the future from the early twentieth century to the metaverse. From the organic forms of the Space Age to the digital furniture of Andrés Reisinger, the show examines how film, literature, and emerging technologies have shaped the design of objects for both real and imagined worlds. It offers a journey through speculative aesthetics, visual utopias, and reflections on our relationship with the unknown.

The exhibition is on view at the Vitra Schaudepot in Weil am Rhein, Germany, from May 18, 2024, to May 10, 2026. Curated by Susanne Graner and Nina Steinmüller, it was designed by Argentine artist and designer Andrés Reisinger.

Manu-Facture: Fontana’s Ceramics at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection

La Collezione Peggy Guggenheim presenta “Mani-Fattura: le ceramiche di Lucio Fontana”, la prima mostra museale dedicata alla produzione ceramica dell’artista. Curata da Sharon Hecker, l’esposizione esplora oltre settanta opere realizzate tra gli anni Venti e Sessanta, rivelando una pratica intensa e sperimentale spesso oscurata dai celebri Concetti spaziali. La ceramica diventa qui strumento di espressione, gesto e riflessione, offrendo una nuova prospettiva sull’opera di Fontana e sul suo rapporto con materia, forma e spiritualità.

La mostra Mani-Fattura: le ceramiche di Lucio Fontana si tiene alla Collezione Peggy Guggenheim di Venezia dall’11 ottobre 2025 al 2 marzo 2026, a cura di Sharon Hecker.

FUNGI: Anarchist Designers at Nieuwe Instituut Rotterdam

At the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, the exhibition FUNGI: Anarchist Designers offers a radical perspective on fungi, viewing them not as resources to be exploited but as active agents in design. Curated by anthropologist Anna Tsing and designer Feifei Zhou, the exhibition brings together works developed through collaborations between artists and scientists, alongside manifestos, poetry, and immersive installations. It aims to rethink the human role in the designed world, embracing ecological models based on interdependence, transformation, and collaboration with non-human life forms.

The exhibition FUNGI: Anarchist Designers, curated by Anna Tsing and Feifei Zhou in collaboration with the Nieuwe Instituut, will be held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, from 21 November 2025 to 9 August 2026.

DANISH MODERN and the story of Danish design from 1920 to 1970

The permanent exhibition DANISH MODERN at Designmuseum Danmark in Copenhagen traces the history of Danish design from 1920 to 1970, showcasing works by Mogensen, Wegner, Panton and others, along with lesser-known pieces. A theatrical display leads visitors through furniture, sketches, personal objects and a tunnel lined with 125 chairs, illustrating how Danish Modern emerged and evolved from functional rigor to a taste for experimentation, becoming an international phenomenon valued for its style and quality.

DANISH MODERN is the new permanent exhibition at Designmuseum Danmark (Bredgade 68, Copenhagen), opened in 2025 and dedicated to Danish design from 1920 to 1970. It features more than 125 chairs and iconic pieces by designers such as Wegner, Panton, Juhl, Mogensen and others.

Dutch, More or Less: Contemporary Architecture, Design and Digital Culture

At the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, Dutch, More or Less traces Dutch Design from the 1990s to today through 60 projects spanning architecture, design and digital culture. On view until 31 May 2026, the exhibition explores how disciplines blend to address global challenges. From icons like Droog and OMA to contemporary works such as Contrabande by Sander Wassink, the show investigates identity, international collaborations and the future of design, with periodic focus on emerging young designers.

The exhibition is titled Dutch, More or Less: Contemporary Architecture, Design and Digital Culture. It runs from 1 June 2024 to 31 May 2026 at the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, one of the leading research centers for design and digital culture in the Netherlands.

The most interesting design shows in Europe, IN THE SPRING-SUMMER 2026

In the spring and summer of 2026, Europe once again becomes a stage for design in its many forms. Interesting exhibitions are everywhere, keep your eyes open for the Biennale Arte in Venice, the programmes at Rotterdam’s Nieuwe Instituut and the research-driven design displays at the Vitra Design Museum.

These exhibitions approach design through both a historical lens and a forward-looking perspective, positioning it as a discipline closely tied to broader cultural, social, and environmental questions. The coming months provide opportunities to engage with the work of key designers, revisit developments in furniture and object design, and observe how the field continues to evolve.

Rather than presenting design as a fixed category, many institutions focus on processes, systems, and material experimentation. Alongside exhibitions dedicated to established figures, newer formats explore contemporary living, production, and circulation of objects, often addressing questions of sustainability and resource use.