GLOBAL CULTURAL BULLETIN | HAPPENINGS | WORLD OF CABANA
A monthly guide to the events and exhibitions on Cabana's Radar: a global cultural bulletin and a must-read for anyone looking to keep their finger on the pulse of art and design. Read on to discover our April highlights, including Cabana's Happenings at Salone del Mobile 2025.
CURATED BY TEAM CABANA | HAPPENINGS | 1 APRIL 2025
EXHIBITIONS
MILAN, ITALY
Speak, Memory Exhibition: Cabana at Salone del Mobile 2025
Casa Cabana, Martina Mondadori's home in Milan, will be open to the public for the first time, during a special exhibition at Salone del Mobile © Ashley Hicks.
To celebrate global craftsmanship and officially mark the launch of Cabana's Atlas of Craftsmanship, Martina Mondadori asked tastemaking basket weaver and former New York Times magazine editor Deborah Needleman to curate a very special exhibition at Casa Cabana. Deborah rose to the challenge and invited seven creative minds to craft inspiring works using materials from LVMH's Métiers d'Art (the cover partner for N23).
With Casa Cabana's Renzo Mongiardino-designed interiors as their stage set, these new pieces - including ceramics, leatherwork, sculpture and woodwork - will converse with the Italian master and offer new perspectives on the iconic space.
*Exhibition is open to the public, but space is limited and reservations are required.*
April 9 - 11, 2025, Casa Cabana Via Bigli, MILAN, ITALY
CHICAGO, USA
Japan’s Great Female Poets
Suzuki Harunobu 鈴木 春信. The Poetess Ono no Komachi, 1767/68. © The Art Institute of Chicago, Clarence Buckingham Collection.
The Art Institute of Chicago celebrates Japan’s Great Female Poets — women whose novels and waka (Japanese poetry) have shaped literature and inspired legends from the golden age of the Imperial Court to the present day.
This exhibition showcases Edo- and Meiji-period illustrations, revealing how artists, including the renowned Katsushika Hokusai, reimagined the legacies of Heian-era writers such as Murasaki Shikibu and Ono no Komachi.
April 15, 2025 - July 16, 2025, The Art Institute of Chicago, CHICAGO, USA
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
Suit Yourself | 100 years of menswear, 1750-1850
Installation shots. © Suit Yourself. Photo: Rijksmuseum.
Through March 15, 2026, The Rijksmuseum, AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
LONDON, UK
Cartier at the V&A
Cartier Scroll tiara, Cartier Paris, commissioned for the Countess of Essex in 1902. Diamonds, silver and gold. Nils Herrmann, Collection Cartier © Cartier.
This major exhibition highlights Cartier's legacy: timeless elegance and dedication to craftsmanship. Featuring over 350 pieces from its extensive jewelry and watch collection, including previously unseen sketches from the Cartier and V&A archives, the show - Cartier's first UK exhibition in 30 years - will trace the maison's rise from a family business to an international symbol of royalty-worthy haute joaillerie.
April 12, 2025 - November 16, 2025, The Victoria and Albert Museum, LONDON, UK
CHAMBORD, FRANCE
Kim En Joong at Chambord: Colors of the Invisible
Kim En Joong at Chambord, exposition view. © Sophie Lloyd
Since 2011, the Domaine national de Chambord has welcomed artists and writers in residence to create exceptional exhibitions. This year, stained glass artist Father Kim En Joong has joined the château for a six-week residency, producing three large-scale canvases inspired by the space’s extraordinary architecture and the ever-changing light – one of which will be featured in the upcoming exhibition.
These monumental oil and acrylic works (2.16m x 7m) will be dedicated to Saint Louis, honouring the patronage under which Chambord's church stands.
Through August 31, 2025, Domaine National de Chambord, CHAMBORD, FRANCE
LONDON, UK
Alessandro Twombly: Works on Paper
Untitled (INNER WATERS series), 2025 © the Artist and Tristan Hoare Gallery, London
Alessandro Twombly will show his third solo exhibition at London's Tristan Hoare Gallery, featuring colorful, large-scale works on paper that reveal "expansive, energetic brushstrokes" and nature’s deep influence on Twombly's creative process.
His two new series, 'Inner Waters' and 'Bay Series', both explore how the artist's medium informs his creative process, even becoming an active participant in his work. Paper allows water and pigment to interact in a uniquely abstract, fluid way, which harder surfaces do not allow.
April 3, 2025 - May 9, 2025, Tristan Hoare, LONDON, UK
NEW YORK, USA
The New Art: American Photography, 1839–1910
Actor Playing Hamlet, Holding a Skull 1860s, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Drawing from the William L. Schaeffer Collection – over 700 Extraordinary Photographs from the 1840s to the 1910s – The New Art: American Photography, 1839–1910, is a striking new exhibition at the Met exploring the remarkable early history of American photography through 275 rarely seen pieces. From daguerreotypes to platinum prints, as well as 19th-century American cameras, visitors will discover the ingenuity and ambition behind these striking images, offering an intimate glimpse into 19th-century life at a pivotal time in a young nation's evolving identity.
April 11, 2025 - July 20, 2025, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NEW YORK, USA
LONDON, UK
Ian Hamilton Finlay: Fragments
Portrait of Ian Hamilton Finlay © Norman McBeath RSA.
To mark the centenary of one of Scotland's greatest multi-disciplinary artists – philiosopher, sculptore and poet, Ian Hamilton Finlay – Fragments unfolds across eight international exhibitions alongside a major new book curated by Pia Maria Simig.
At Victoria Miro, London, works from the 1990s trace Finlay’s enduring fascination with maritime and revolution – where guillotines stand as stark emblems of both rupture and renewal, and language itself becomes a vessel for political and poetic force.
April 30, 2025 - May 24, 2025, Victoria Miro, LONDON, UK
PARIS, FRANCE
Petit Palais: Jewelry Designs
Theatre binoculars, Charles Jacqueau for Cartier 1910s. Graphite pencil, black ink and gouache © Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris.
Curated from a selection of its extensive 5’500 piece collection, the Petit Palais is bringing jewelry design illustrations into the spotlight, revealing – for the first time – over a century of creativity from the 19th to mid-20th centuries.
Offering a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, the show features works by designers like Pierre-Georges Deraisme and Charles Jacqueau, as well as major houses such as Cartier, Boucheron and Vever. From quick sketches to detailed 1:1 gouache paintings, the exhibition celebrates the early stages of the artisanal jewelry process.
April 1, 2025 - July 20, 2025, Petit Palais, PARIS, FRANCE
PHILADELPHIA, USA
Boom: Art and Design in the 1940s!
Left: Grass-Seated Chair, 1946, George Nakashima, Walnut, grass. Right: Elsa Schiaparelli, Woman's Dinner Jacket, Spring 1940, Embroidered by Lesage, Paris. Gift of Mme Elsa Schiaparelli, 1969. © Philadelphia Museum of Art
While the 1940s was a decade of war and rationing, creativity was anything but scarce. Boom: Art and Design in the 1940s at the Philadelphia Museum of Art uncovers a world of ingenuity, from Pollock’s paint-splattered rebellion to Mainbocher’s military-chic uniforms. Expect over 250 works of sculpture, furniture, fashion, photography – parachute-strapped chairs, couture with gasmask-ready pockets, and a glimpses into the Atomic Age’s anxieties and aspirations - all drawn from the museum’s collection.
April 12, 2025 - September 1, 2025, Philadelphia Museum of Art, PHILADELPHIA, USA
LONDON, UK
Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo, Mirror with Birds, 1870. Hand-painted and inscribed wooden frame, oil paint, varnish © CCØ Paris Musées / Maisons de Victor Hugo, Paris / Guernsey.
Victor Hugo’s genius wasn’t confined to words alone. Best known for Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the celebrated writer also found solace in drawing – an intensely personal practice that remained largely unseen in his lifetime.
Van Gogh once compared Hugo’s drawings to “astonishing things”, and, echoing this, the Royal Academy of Arts has unveiled Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo, the first major UK exhibition of Hugo’s works on paper in over 50 years. From haunting castles to swirling seascapes, these evocative ink and wash compositions transport viewers into Hugo’s richly imaginative world.
Through June 29, 2025, Royal Academy of Arts, LONDON, UK
New York, USA
'Sargent and Paris' at The Met
Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau), John Singer Sargent, American 1883–84. © The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Arthur Hoppock Hearn Fund.
In collaboration with the Musée d’Orsay, the Met’s Sargent and Paris exhibition traces John Singer Sargent’s transformative years in the City of Lights, where he honed his craft and created some of his most daring works.
Featuring around 100 paintings, watercolours, and sketches – including early sketches made upon the 18-year-old Sargent’s arrival in 1874 Paris, to the scandalous Madame X – this dazzling show explores the artist’s meteoric rise, his bold artistic vision, and the Parisian society of artistes and elite patrons that shaped him.
April 27, 2025 - August 3, 2025, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NEW YORK, USA
LONDON, UK
The Carracci Cartoons: Myths in the Making
Agostino Carracci, Cephalus carried off by Aurora in her Chariot. Charcoal and white chalk on paper, ca. 1599. © The National Gallery.
The National Gallery presents a rare opportunity to see the Carracci cartoons – monumental drawings created around 1599 for the frescoes in the Palazzo Farnese in Rome. These immense, delicate charcoal and chalk works offer a unique glimpse into the creative process of the Carracci brothers, who revolutionized Baroque art.
Inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the cartoons served as templates for one of the most ambitious fresco projects of the era. The exhibition, The Carracci Cartoons: Myths in the Making, invites visitors to explore these captivating, rarely displayed works and their remarkable role in the creation of a Renaissance masterpiece.
April 10 - July 6, 2025, The National Gallery, LONDON, UK
SANTANDER, SPAIN
Maruja Mallo: Máscara y Compás
Maruja Mallo, Autorretrato con manto de algas. B/w photograph intervened by the artist, 23,8 x 16,4 cm. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid. Collection José Mª Lafuente, 2022 © Maruja Mallo, VEGAP, Santander, 2024
A pioneering force of the Spanish avant-garde and Surrealism – and one of the few women in the Generation of ’27 – Maruja Mallo (1902–1995) infused her art with bold modernity, bridging the popular and the radical. A life of art, politics, and performance, marked by the upheaval of the Spanish Civil War, her ultimate exile and ostracisation upon her return, Máscara y Compás is an ambitious retrospective at the Centro Botín, co-organised with the Museo Reina Sofía where it will run from October 2025.
April 11, 2025 - September 14, 2025, Centro Botin, SANTANDER, SPAIN
MODENA, ITALY
"Ferine Creature - Centauri, Fauni, Miti" by Jules Van Biesbroeck
Jules Van Biesbroeck, "Centaur Killing the Deer" © The BPER Banca Gallery.
Ferine Creature explores the enduring allure of centaurs, fauns, and mythical hybrids in the work of Jules Van Biesbroeck and beyond. Curated by Luciano Rivi, the show delves into Van Biesbroeck’s rich Symbolist vision, tracing the centaur’s evolution as a symbol of human duality, bridging instinct and reason, nature and culture.
April 18, 2025 - June 29, 2025, The BPER Banca Gallery, MODENA, ITALY
Last Chance...
CHICHESTER, UK
Dora Carrington: Beyond Bloomsbury
Dora Carrington (1893-1932), Farm at Watendlath, 1921, Presented by Noel Carrington, the artist's brother 1987. Photograph: Tate
Beyond Bloomsbury offers a fresh perspective on Modern British Art, with the first major exhibition in 30 years dedicated to the unconventional life and work of Dora Carrington (1893–1932). Through film, photographs, and personal letters to lovers and friends, the show brings to life Carrington’s bohemian nature and defiant spirit.
Often eclipsed by her Bloomsbury Group peers, Carrington’s works stand testament to her rightful place among Britain’s most groundbreaking artists of the early 20th century.
Through April 27, 2025, Pallant House Gallery, CHICHESTER, UK
EVENTS
MILAN, ITALY
Salone del Mobile
“Universo Satellite. 25 anni di / years of Salone Satellite” Book published by Corraini Cover Book design studio òbelo © Salone del Mobile.Milano.
April is the month of Salone! Over the last decade, Milan’s marquee design fair has established itself as one of the most significant events in the design calendar, with design titans flying into the city from all corners of the globe. The 2025 63rd edition promises to be a hub of experimentation and innovation in all things domestic design.
View Cabana's Milan Design Week agenda here.
April 8 - 13, 2025, Rho Fiera spaces and across MILAN, ITALY
NEW YORK, USA
Reopening of The Frick Collection
© The Frick Collection
After an assiduous, multi-year renovation, The Frick Collection reopens its historic Fifth Avenue address, unveiling a masterful balance of preservation and renewal.
Designed by Selldorf Architects with Beyer Blinder Belle, the revitalisation introduces new galleries, a 218-seat auditorium, and dedicated spaces for education and conservation. With its renowned collection reinstalled in newly-restored settings and a forthcoming season rich with exhibitions, installations, and musical performances, the Frick reaffirms its place as one of New York’s cultural jewels.
April 17, 2025, The Frick Collection, NEW YORK, USA
CHICAGO, USA
EXPO CHICAGO
© EXPO CHICAGO, photograph by Evan Jenkins.
The EXPO CHICAGO Contemporary Art Fair, acquired by Frieze in 2023, returns to Navy Pier with a lineup of over 170 established and emerging galleries from 36 countries. The 2025 edition introduces CONTRAST, a curated section by Lauren Haynes exploring the interplay of identity, culture, and experience, alongside a new collaboration with the Galleries Association of Korea. Expect a diverse program of talks, on-site installations, and public art initiatives – a major USA highlight for art enthusiasts.
April 24 - 27, 2025, Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, CHICAGO, USA
LONDON, UK
Derek Jarman: Modern Nature
Derek Jarman's House © Gilbert McCarragher
Following his HIV diagnosis and the death of his father, the artist, author and activist Derek Jarman (1942 - 1994) acquired Prospect Cottage in Kent. Alongside his partner, Keith Collins, he transformed the Victorian fisherman’s hut, set against the stark backdrop of Dunganess, into a flourishing home and garden.
Modern Nature brings Jarman’s Prospect Cottage Diaries to life in a moving tribute, blending evocative readings, music, and archival Super-8 footage to explore the artist's reflections on beauty, mortality, and resilience. Directed by James Dacre, this one-night performance at Barbican Hall is both an elegy and a celebration of Jarman’s legacy.
Use the code 'CABANA' at checkout for a 15% discount across all seating.
April 8, 2025, The Barbican, LONDON, UK
PARIS, FRANCE
PAD Paris Art + Design Fair
Meubles et Lumieres Lit a baldaquin de Maria Pergay Acier brosser © PAD
Paris welcomes PAD Paris in April, the championing destination for international design collectors today. Celebrating 27 years of excellence, PAD gathers the finest galleries, showcasing both Historical and Contemporary Design, and creating a dialogue between the past and present with a curated selection of remarkable pieces.
This year's edition promises an inspiring blend of French and international galleries, with works from renowned names like Jean-François Cazeau, Carpenters Workshop, and Maison Parisienne, ensuring a vibrant celebration of design in all its forms.
April 4 - 6, 2025, Jardin des Tuileries, PARIS, FRANCE
NEW YORK, USA
ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair
© ABAA and Peter Harrington Rare Books.
The ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair returns to the Park Avenue Armory this April with its usual mix of literary treasures and scholarly curiosities.
This year's edition, featuring an international lineup of booksellers from 14 countries, promises rare delights for all bibliophiles and antiquarians in for the thrill of the chase. Among the exhibitors will be Daniel Crouch Rare Books, offering their unparalleled selection of rare maps, atlases, and historical wonders.
April 3 - 6, 2025, Park Avenue Armory, NEW YORK, USA
PARIS, FRANCE
Art Paris
Art Paris © Marc Domage
The iconic Grand Palais will host this year's edition of Art Paris, where guest curators Amélie Adamo and Numa Hambursin will continue their exploration of French figurative painting with Immortal, offering a fresh perspective on the lasting influence of figurative art in a world increasingly dominated by abstraction.
April 3 - 6, 2025, Grand Palais, PARIS, FRANCE
NEW PRESTON, USA
The Ticking Tent
© The Ticking Tent, illustration by Guillaume Sardin.
The beloved artisan and antiques shopping event, founded by Benjamin Reynaert and Christina Juarez, returns for a weekend of design treasures at Spring Hill Vineyards in New Preston, CT. Set against the picturesque backdrop of an 18th-century farm, this gathering of interior design aficionados and passionate collectors will offer a curated selection of homewares, fashion, and artisanal goods under one elegant tent, and promises to be a celebration of craftsmanship in its most stylish form.
Tickets on sale throughout April.
May 3, 2025, Spring Hill Vineyards, NEW PRESTON, USA
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