9 Must-See Art Exhibitions in the South of France

This summer’s most compelling art shows in Southern France are inseparable from their locations, whether a Provençal vineyard, an olive grove above Antibes, an island off Hyères, a restored medieval church in Arles, or the rugged quarries of Les Baux-de-Provence. Here are nine of the season’s highlights, from major museum exhibitions to lesser-known foundations and artists’ estates.

1. “Ellsworth Kelly: At the Edge of the Water” | Fondation Maeght, St. Paul de Vence

Rather than revisiting Ellsworth Kelly’s familiar language of bold color and pared-back forms, the Fondation Maeght—a landmark museum perched on a slope in the pine forest—showcases one element that runs through much of his work. “At the Edge of Water” follows the artist from Belle-Île and the Côte d’Azur to New York and the Caribbean, showing how reflections, shifting light and the movement of water found their way into drawings, collages, paintings, and sculpture. The exhibition also feels particularly at home in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, where Kelly forged a lifelong friendship with the Maeght family after arriving in France in the late 1940s.

Through November 15, 2026

2. “Bonnard Intime: Les Toilettes de Marthe” | Musée Bonnard, Le Cannet

At Le Cannet’s Musée Bonnard, “Bonnard Intime: Les Toilettes de Marthe” explores the painter’s intimate portraits of his wife and lifelong muse, bathed in light and color. A twist, however, arrives in the form of scent. Working with Maison Godet and the International Perfume Museum in Grasse, the exhibition recreates six fragrances inspired by Bonnard’s domestic world, from warm bath towels and Mediterranean gardens to mimosa in bloom. The centerpiece is Fleurs de Reine, the heady tuberose fragrance created for Marthe Bonnard in 1908 by perfumer Julien-Joseph Godet and recently revived by his great-granddaughter, Sonia Godet.

Through October 31, 2026

3. “The Voices of Their Works” | Hartung-Bergman Foundation, Antibes

Hidden in the hills above Antibes, the Hartung-Bergman Foundation is set in a century-old olive grove where Hans Hartung and Anna-Eva Bergman lived and worked from the 1960s until the end of their lives. Visitors can view the modernist white villa and gardens and the couple’s light-filled studios, preserved exactly as they left them, before discovering the current exhibition, “The Voices of Their Works.” Drawing on the Foundation’s archives, the show explores how critics and curators helped shape the reception of two of Europe’s leading abstract painters over six decades.

Through Sept 6, 2026

4. “Sea, Pop & Sun” | Villa Carmignac, Porquerolles Island

After the ferry crossing to Porquerolles, take the dusty trail through umbrella pines to the Villa Carmignac, then leave your shoes at the entrance (to better feel the island vibes) before descending into “Sea, Pop & Sun,” which reimagines Pop Art through a distinctly Mediterranean lens. Instead of billboards and supermarket shelves, Warhol, Lichtenstein, Martial Raysse, and Niki de Saint Phalle explore the blue sea and the beach, joined by contemporary artists including Derrick Adams, Sylvie Fleury, Tracey Emin, and Théo Mercier, whose monumental new sculpture occupies the villa’s central space beneath the water ceiling. Allow time for the sculpture-filled gardens, a wine tasting, or lunch and a swim, before returning to le continent.

Through Nov 1, 2026

5. “Abstraction is a Color” | Musée du Niel, Hyères

Overlooking the miniature port of the Giens peninsula, the recently opened Musée du Niel remains one of the Riviera’s lesser-known art destinations, focusing on works from the second half of the 20th century. The summer exhibition, “L’Abstraction est une Couleur,” draws on the museum’s collection to explore how color gradually reasserted itself in postwar abstraction. Works that include paintings by Nicolas de Staël, Hans Hartung, Simon Hantaï, Sam Francis, Shirley Jaffe, and Fabienne Verdier trace a path from the darker palette of the immediate postwar years toward a more expansive, lyrical use of color. Stay for lunch at their seafront terrace restaurant, le Mérou de Niel, with a front-row view of the Golden Islands of Port Cros and Porquerolles.

Through November 1, 2026

6. “Dan Flavin: Simples Fluorescent Tubes” | Venet Foundation, Le Muy

On a quiet country road overlooking a river above Le Muy, the Venet Foundation combines Bernar Venet’s monumental sculptures, a remarkable collection of minimal and conceptual art, and a sculpture park spread across seven hectares. This summer, the spotlight turns to Dan Flavin, a friend of Venet, whose fluorescent works were curated by Erik Verhagen. The exhibition opens with the seminal The Diagonal of May 25, 1963 (to Constantin Brancusi) before tracing Flavin’s radically new approach to light over the following three decades. Afterwards, wander the grassy grounds, where Venet’s impressive Cor-Ten arcs, along with works by James Turrell and Frank Stella, make the visit feel less like a museum than an artist’s private universe.

Until October 3, 2026.

7. “Rashid Johnson, Sheree Hovsepian, and Friends” | Château La Coste, Le-Puy Sainte-Réparade

The Provencal art and wine estate Château La Coste adds another reason to spend the day exploring its sculpture trail and pavilions with a trio of interconnected exhibitions led by Rashid Johnson and Sheree Hovsepian. Johnson, fresh from his acclaimed Guggenheim retrospective, fills Oscar Niemeyer’s curving auditorium with paintings, sculpture and film, while Hovsepian debuts monumental new bronzes in Renzo Piano’s luminous pavilion. Together, they curate “Rashid, Sheree and Friends,” bringing together works by more than 20 artists including George Condo, Sarah Sze, Nicolas Party, and Lorna Simpson. At the Galerie des Anciens Chais, a compact Julian Schnabel exhibition provides an added highlight, from his celebrated plate paintings to more recent works.

Through September 6, 2026

8. “En Miroirs” | Fonds Bustamonte, Arles

Arles’ ever-growing art scene gains a new address—the opening of Fonds Bustamante inside the restored 12th-century Église Sainte-Croix, where Paris architect and designer Charles Zana transformed the former church into a contemporary exhibition space while preserving its historic architecture. The inaugural exhibition, “En Miroirs,” curated by Jean-Marc Bustamante, brings together works by artists including Cristina Iglesias, Thomas Schütte, Franz West, and Tatiana Trouvé—in a reflection of the friendships and affinities that have shaped his career. Look up before you leave: the enameled yellow lava tiles running along the façade, made in nearby Salernes, are Zana’s understated tribute to Van Gogh.

Through October 30, 2026

9. “Audrey Guimard: La Pierre en Résonance” | Les Baux-de-Provence

High in the Alpilles, the village of Les Baux-de-Provence—with its narrow alleyways, stone houses and ruined château—seems carved from the same pale limestone as the surrounding cliffs. Sculptor Audrey Guimard takes that relationship a step further with “La Pierre en Résonance,” an open-air trail of monumental works installed from the village entrance to the castle. Working with stone from nearby quarries in Les Baux and Fontvieille, she echoes the marks left by quarrymen and stonemasons, creating sculptures that feel as if they’d always been there.

Through October 31, 2026.