A winter capital brimming with culture and light
Winter in Warsaw is a time when museums and galleries hold special events, and festive fairs and fairy-tale illuminations encourage people to take a stroll and see the city from a different perspective. Here are some exhibitions that are really worth visiting this winter.
The mystery of a genius mind
Let’s start with a unique opening. Until March 29, 2026, can you see the extraordinary exhibition The Mystery of Banksy: A Genius Mind, dedicated to the work of one of the most recognisable and mysterious contemporary artists. The exhibition is a unique opportunity to get to know the phenomenon of an artist who has changed the face of contemporary art forever.
The exhibition takes visitors through successive stages of Banksy’s artistic journey, presenting over 150 works inspired by street art—from graffiti, through photographs and sculptures, to video installations and prints on a range of materials including canvas, fabric, aluminum, FOREX®, and plexiglass. Each element has been carefully chosen to create a coherent and evocative narrative about one of the most important artists of our time. The sophisticated scenography allows visitors to fully immerse themselves in Banksy’s world and better understand his creative message.
Among street artists, it is Banksy that arouses the most emotion. Although the British artist has been hiding his identity for years, he has become a legend of contemporary visual culture. His works—ironic, full of political references, and at the same time poetic in their expression—appear on the walls of large metropolises as well as at prestigious art auctions. Today, Banksy is considered one of the most respected and influential contemporary artists, and his works invariably provoke reflection on the world we live in. The first exhibition dedicated to his work was shown in Munich in March 2021 and has since been displayed in many cities around the world, attracting crowds of art lovers.
Soho Art Center (ul. Mińska 63)
www.mystery-banksy.pl
The Mystery of Banksy—A Genius Mind | Warsaw | From October 10.
The history of clothing is the history of culture
Another of the capital’s cultural gems is the ‘Let them see us! Image, Attire, Body’ exhibition at the Royal Castle, open until February 8, 2026. The exhibition features around 250 items from various eras—from the 16th century to the modern day. Among them are exceptional works borrowed from the most prominent museums in Poland and abroad, including the Louvre in Paris, Vienna’s Museum of Art History, and the Old Masters Picture Gallery in Dresden, as well as from private collections.
Visitors can admire priceless artefacts from the history of Poland—such as the coronation cloak of King Stanisław August from 1764 or the youth armour of King Zygmunt August from 1533—as well as works by renowned European artists, including Antoon van Dyck, Louis-Michel van Loo, and Alexandre-François Desportes. The juxtaposition of these works demonstrates how the perception of image and attire has changed over the centuries.
A key feature of the exhibition is the display of creations and accessories by global designers from the worlds of haute couture and prêt-à-porter, from the Adam Lej Collection. The featured designers include Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Christian Dior, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Paco Rabanne, Daniel Roseberry, Yves Saint Laurent, Vivienne Westwood, and Franck Sorbier. The exhibition at the Royal Castle is also a unique opportunity to see the works of outstanding artists such as Zofia Kulik, Natalia LL (Natalia Lach-Lachowicz), Karol Radziszewski, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Edward Dwurnik, Agata Agatowska, Ewa Juszkiewicz, Teresa Pągowska, and Agnieszka Rożnowska, all in one place.
Further details: https://www.zamek-krolewski.pl/en/niech-nas-widza
Women, art and the power of storytelling
Two exhibitions, ‘The Woman Question 1550–2025’ and ‘The City of Women’, opening in late November, will start the Museum of Modern Art’s second year in its new building. The exhibitions will be available for viewing until May 2026. It features the works of nearly 200 female artists from around the world—from Artemisia Gentileschi and Angelika Kauffmann, through Tamara Łempicka, Frida Kahlo and Eva Hesse, to contemporary artists such as Marlene Dumas, Tracey Emin, Leonor Antunes, Yoko Ono, and Tala Madani. It presents a broad panorama of more than five centuries of women’s creativity, illustrating not only the development of art, but also the power of the artists’ voices and their influence on shaping feminist narratives in culture.
The new exhibitions are also the result of extensive international collaboration. Warsaw will host works borrowed from prestigious institutions including the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Qatar, Nasjonalmuseet (National Museum) in Oslo, and Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus und Kunstbau (The Lenbachhaus) in Munich. The themes of ‘The Woman Question’ and ‘The City of Women’ form part of the museum’s ongoing activities aimed at developing the feminist perspective in art. The exhibitions reinterpret the history of art, undermining the established canon and highlighting the important role women have always played in its creation—though they have often remained in the shadows.
Further information: artmuseum.pl/en/wystawy-1
Stay up to date and check out the Calendar on the What? Where? When?—Go to Warsaw page, where you will find the most interesting cultural and entertainment events.
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