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 August highlights. A preview is available for all, while the full global cultural bulletin is exclusively available on our Substack. Join us there for our newest and most intimate chapter.
BY TEAM CABANA | HAPPENINGS | 1 AUGUST 2026

Marilyn Monroe: A Silent Life at the Peter Fetterman Gallery, Santa Monica, USA, on view through September 5, 2026.
As summer begins to settle, August invites a more gentle rhythm of discovery before September’s bustling-to-the-brim cultural season. Seek respite from the heat in the Nordic capitals, or venture onwards to Italy, the USA and Indonesia, where exhibitions, festivals and extraordinary craftsmanship offer fresh perspectives on art, design and the enduring beauty of the handmade.
EXHIBITIONS
CHICAGO, USA
Lee Miller: Fearless

Lee Miller in Leisure Wear, photographed by George Hoyningen-Huene
Bringing together some 150 photographs, Lee Miller: Fearless traces the extraordinary career of one of the 20th century’s most compelling and versatile photographers. From Surrealist experiments in Paris to haunting wartime reportage for Vogue, the exhibition also unveils rarely seen photographs from Miller’s years in Egypt.
August 29, 2026 - December 7, 2026, The Art Institute Chicago, CHICAGO, USA
ROME, ITALY
METAMORPHOSES - OVID AND THE ARTS

After Michelangelo (1475–1564) Leda and the Swan, after 1530 © The National Gallery, London
Following its success at the Rijksmuseum, the partnership exhibition now moves to Rome, where tales of jealousy, lust and deceitful anthropomorphic gods take centre stage. At the Galleria Borghese, Metamorphoses explores Ovid’s inexhaustible wellspring of passion, power and transformation.
From Titian and Caravaggio to Louise Bourgeois and contemporary video, the exhibition traces 2,000 years of artistic reinvention, revealing why the ancient poem remains a true “Bible for artists.”
Through September 20, 2026, Galleria Borghese, ROME, ITALY
LONDON, ENGLAND, LOS ANGELES & SANTA MONICA, USA
Marilyn Monroe: The Centenary

Marilyn Monroe, by Cecil Beaton, bromide print, 1956, Collection National Portrait Gallery, NPG #40269
A century after her birth, Marilyn Monroe continues to captivate. As major exhibitions in London, Santa Monica and Los Angeles revisit her life through extraordinary photographs, costumes and personal stories, read Anthea Gerrie’s deep dive for Cabana into the woman behind the icon: an artist of remarkable intelligence, vulnerability and ambition.
Through September 6, 2026. "Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait", National Portrait Gallery, LONDON, ENGLAND
Through September 5, 2026, "Marilyn Monroe: A Silent Life", Peter Fetterman Gallery, SANTA MONICA, USA
Through September 5, 2026, "Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon" , The Academy Museum, LOS ANGELES, USA
ATHENS, GREECE
Inspirations. Ancient Greek Art living in Italy

© The Acropolis Museum
Bringing together 38 masterpieces that rarely leave Italy, this show examines the enduring influence of ancient Greek art on Roman civilisation and beyond. Ceramics, bronzes and marble sculptures trace a cultural dialogue that continued to shape artistic expression well into the 20th century.
Through August 30, 2026, The Acropolis Museum, ATHENS, GREECE
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