From Avignon to the Luberon, and from L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue to Carpentras, here are the exhibitions not to be missed in Vaucluse in 2026!
“Méditerranée, Odyssées Contemporaines”
at Villa Datris
Based for over 15 years in a stately home in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, on the banks of the river, Villa Datris explores a different theme each year through a contemporary sculpture exhibition that takes over the entire house, from the cellar to the attic and from the lift to the garden.
In 2026, ‘Mediterranean, Contemporary Odysseys’ invites visitors to delve into the soul of this legendary sea in the company of some sixty artists from all the countries around the Mediterranean. Their works, by turns poetic, socially conscious or full of humour, pay tribute to the Mediterranean as a space for trade and movement; they evoke the fragility of migration, forced exile, wandering and, ultimately, the impossibility of return. Memory takes shape here in fabric, ceramics or spices.
The high quality of the exhibitions is complemented by a wide range of educational activities, including guided tours, talks and discussions, workshops open to all (children, adults and teenagers) and the creation of a collaborative artwork…
Practical information
Fondation Villa Datris
7 avenue des 4 otages,
84800 l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
fondationvilladatris.fr
From 15 May to 1st November 2026
Free entrance
“Présence”
at Campredon art & image
Since 2023, Campredon art & image has been rolling out a new cultural project in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, focusing on multidisciplinarity and a diverse range of artistic expressions. The aim is to offer an innovative experience, tailored to the public’s evolving expectations, through a major annual themed exhibition.
The 2026 exhibition invites you on an artistic journey centred around the concept of “Presence”, which brings together artists with different backgrounds to create a collection of polymorphous creations, mixing textile art, photography, painting, video, drawing and immersive displays. The exhibition will take audiences on a journey in four parts: Le Moi, le Toi (Me, You), which explores the relationship between artist, model and the beholder; Trace, le corps absent (Trace, the absent body), where memory and imprinted ideas reveal the invisible; Camouflage, which examines mimicry and concealment; and Archi vide (Empty architecture), dedicated to the poetry of abandoned spaces.
Designed to be a sensitive and participative experience, Présence’s time at Campredon art & image will be broken up by numerous cultural events and artistic gatherings throughout the season.
Practical information
Campredon art & image, at l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
www.campredonartetimage.com
From 4th April to 4th October 2026
Ernest Pignon-Ernest
at l’Inguimbertine
Since its full opening in 2024 following its relocation to the site of the former Carpentras general hospital, L’Inguimbertine has established itself as a major cultural venue. The only library-museum in France, located in a historic monument, it houses an incredible collection of antique books, manuscripts, works of art and heritage objects, as well as XVIIIth century cabinet studies presented in an immersive scenography.
The Inguimbertine also hosts an annual exhibition, which is dedicated in 2026 to Ernest Pignon-Ernest. A major presence in the contemporary art scene and a pioneer of street art, he was the first to paint walls with visual poetry inspired by Greek, Roman, and Christian mythology, as well as major literary figures. As part of his exhibition “Ombres de Naples” (Shadows of Naples), he will unveil more than 200 works – drawings, photographs and screen prints including some unpublished works – from the collection he created in Naples between 1988 and 2015. These creations resonate with the historical ties between the Comtat Venaissin and Italy, a place that is very dear to the artist.
Practical information
L’Inguimbertine, in Carpentras
https://inguimbertine.carpentras.fr/
From 23rd May to 1st November 2026
AfroBlue
at Fondation Blachère
At the Blachère Foundation, which has been based in the former Bonnieux railway station in the Luberon since 2023, visitors can immerse themselves in a new facet of African art, which the institution has been tirelessly promoting since the early 2000s. A new facet – or rather, a new hue – is showcased in the exhibition ‘AfroBlue’.
Behind this title, beautifully inspired by a John Coltrane track, visitors will discover the works of some thirty artists from Africa and its diaspora, united by the colour blue—a colour of transition and memory that flows through Africa like an ancient breath. Through a variety of paintings, textiles, sculptures and installations, the exhibition highlights the dialogues between ancestral traditions — notably indigo — and contemporary practices.
Practical information
Fondation Blachère
Centre d’Art – Gare de Bonnieux
121 Chemin de Coucourdon, Bonnieux
www.fondationblachere.org/
« AfroBlue » from 8 April to 19 September 2026
Public rate: €5
An artistic companionship
at the Angladon Museum
In the heart of Avignon, the Angladon Museum pays tribute to its founders, the artists and collectors Jean and Paulette Angladon, by exhibiting 170 of their works in a display that evokes the atmosphere of their studio.
The exhibition, spread across four rooms, highlights a creative partnership spanning 50 years, from the 1930s to the 1970s, always on equal terms and drawing inspiration from the same still lifes and southern landscapes. Yet one can easily recognise each artist’s distinctive touch: for Paulette, a sensitive and subtle touch, attentive to light; for Jean, a more modern and elliptical style, at times marked by surrealist and cubist influences.
In the rooms, there are a few items that remind us of what their studio used to be like in this house-museum: sketchbooks, travel journals, and the objects that served as models and which can be seen in one or other of the paintings.
Make the most of your visit and wander through the museum’s permanent exhibitions, featuring works by Picasso, Modigliani, Sisley, Van Gogh, Degas, Cézanne…
Practical information
Musée Angladon, in Avignon
angladon.com
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, from 1 pm to 6 pm, until 30 August
Lee Ufan
at the Palace of the Popes
To mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and Korea, and with the Avignon Festival having chosen Korean as its guest language for its 80th edition, Avignon will welcome the Korean artist Lee Ufan to the vast halls of the Palais des Papes. The monument will become the setting for a masterful encounter (‘relatum’, the name of the exhibition) between sacred architecture and a work of great spiritual intensity.
A striking installation comprising over 60 tonnes of slate slabs will be displayed in the Grande Chapelle, whilst three works created especially for the occasion will be installed in the Cloître Benoit XII, the Cuisine Haute and the Chapelle Saint-Martial. Several of his large-scale canvases will also be displayed in the Grand Tinel.
Practical information
Palais des Papes, in Avignon
palais-des-papes.com/event/relatum-lee-ufan-au-palais-des-papes/
From 3 July to 15 November 2026