Art lovers, mark your calendars: the Frist Art Museum has just revealed a spectacular lineup of exhibitions for 2027, and it is one of the most ambitious seasons in the museum’s history.
The year opens in February with two treasures at once: The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture, and Opulence, a dazzling showcase from the V&A celebrating the golden age of the Mughal court, and French Impressionism and the Nabis, featuring works by Degas, Matisse, Morisot and more from Nashville’s own legendary Marlene and Spencer Hays collection — on public view anywhere in the United States for the first time.
Spring brings the mind-bending prints of M.C. Escher: Infinite Variations, with more than 150 original drawings and woodcuts, alongside Through These Hands: Crafting Material Visions, celebrating four Tennessee artists rooted in Black craft traditions.
Summer turns up the star power with Pop to Present — Pollock, Warhol, Kehinde Wiley and the Gee’s Bend quilters from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts — plus a rare look at Basquiat’s printmaking practice. In the fall, Beauford Delaney: So Much Love and Beauty honors the Knoxville-born modernist, and Soul, Sound & Voice celebrates the beloved children’s book illustrator Jerry Pinkney. The season closes with Splendor and Luxury: French Art Nouveau and Art Deco.
Located at 919 Broadway in downtown Nashville, the Frist is open Thursday through Monday, and admission is free for everyone 18 and younger. A year like this doesn’t come around often — plan your visits early.
Photo: Frist Art Museum
