Museum exhibitions across the globe are in artful bloom this spring. These are 5 to experience.

See treasures from ancient Japan, Versailles and the Forbidden City

Porcelain on display during 'The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles' in Beijing in 2024
Priceless objects from 17th century China and France are part of 'The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles'
(Image credit: Guo Haipeng / VCG / Getty Images)

Spring is a time for renewal, and not only in nature. Fresh new exhibitions are opening at museums around the world, with an emphasis on collaborations, cross-cultural exchanges and family bonds.

'The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles: China-France Cultural Encounters in the 17th and 19th centuries,' Hong Kong Palace Museum, Hong Kong

A replica of Kangxi Emperor in court robes during media preview of 'The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles'

A replica of the Kangxi Emperor in court robes on display

(Image credit: Jade Gao / Pool / AFP / Getty Images)

The "courts of Beijing and Versailles were fascinated by one another" during this era, Christie's said, and their "enlightened rulers" facilitated "extensive exchanges in science, art, culture and philosophy." This exhibition continues the cultural diplomacy, with around 150 artifacts from the Hong Kong Palace Museum and Palace of Versailles. One item in the collection, a perfume fountain from the 1700s owned by Louis XV, is made of porcelain produced in China and bronze mounts likely from France, a "testament to the exchange of craftsmanship between the two countries." (through May 4)

'Kotobuki: Auspicious Celebrations of Japanese Art from New York Private Collections,' Japan Society, New York City

Gilded screens from ancient Japan showing "Two Scenes from The Tale of Genji"

Unknown Kano School artist (active first quarter of 17th century), 'Two Scenes from The Tale of Genji,' Edo period (1615−1868), first quarter of 17th century. Six-panel folding screen; ink, colors, and gold leaf on paper. Private collection, New York 

(Image credit: Steven Tucker / The Japan Society)

The Japan Society is ahead of the curve with "Kotobuki," a showcase of treasures rarely seen by the public. Many of the objects on view, like a set of six panels from the 16th century, will one day be displayed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and other institutions, but you can see them now at this exhibition thoughtfully curated by the late Dr. Miyeko Murase, a scholar of Japanese art who recently died at age 100. Additional "Kotobuki" items include paintings, calligraphy, baskets and ceramics from the 12th through 21st centuries. (through May 11)

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

'Matisse and Marguerite. Through her Father's Eyes,' Musée d'Art Modern, Paris

"Portrait de Marguerite" by Matisse in a gold frame

"Portrait de Marguerite" is one of Henri Matisse's many portraits of his eldest daughter

(Image credit: musée d'Art Moderne de Paris)

Henri Matisse's eldest daughter, Marguerite, was his "favorite model," The Guardian said, the person he would "return repeatedly to paint" throughout his career. Her visage appears in many of the more than 110 works on display in "Matisse and Marguerite. Through her Father's Eyes," which includes paintings by both Matisses, engravings, sculptures, drawings and ceramics.

Marguerite's "face is familiar," but most people do not know much about her, like how she joined the French Resistance during World War II and was tortured by the Gestapo. This exhibit aims to change how the world knows her. (April 4 through Aug. 24)

'The Visionary Art of Minnie Evans,' Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The 1968 painting "Untitled (three faces divided by two sunrises over water)" by Minnie Evans

Minnie Evans, 'Untitled (three faces divided by two sunrises over water)' (detail), 1968. Oil, ink, and graphite. Collection of the Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington, North Carolina. Purchased with funds from the Claude Howell Endowment for the Purchase of North Carolina Art, 2000.7. © Estate of Minnie Jones Evans.

(Image credit: Estate of Minnie Jones Evans)

One of the most important creatives to come out of North Carolina, Minnie Evans felt called to a life of art, once stating that a voice told her, "Why don't you draw or die?" Taking inspiration from her native Wilmington, Evans' work is "characterized by bold colors, symmetrical mandala-like patterns and such recurring images as eyes, angels and otherworldly animals," the Wilmington StarNews said. Sixteen of her multimedia pieces will be shown during "The Visionary Art of Minnie Evans," alongside letters and postcards that explain how nature and spirituality guided her work. (May 10 through Oct. 26)

'We Felt a Star Dying,' Kraftwerk, Berlin

A view of the installation 'We Felt a Star Dying' at Kraftwerk in Berlin

Laure Prouvost, 'We Felt a Star Dying,' 2025. Installation view at Kraftwerk Berlin. Commissioned by LAS Art Foundation and co-commissioned by OGR Torino. © 2025 Laure Prouvost

(Image credit: Andrea Rossetti)

In celebration of 100 years of quantum mechanics, French artist Laure Prouvost collaborated with philosopher Tobias Rees and scientist Hartmut Neven to create "We Felt a Star Dying," an exploration of how this science shapes humanity's understanding of reality. Using cutting-edge quantum research and a quantum computer, Prouvost transformed "abstract ideas, theories and frameworks into tangible images and sensory experiences," Dazed said, which is "no easy task." The installation features sound, sculpture, scent and video. (through May 4)

Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.