Some of the biggest names in modern art are heading to regional Victoria as Shepparton Art Museum prepares to host Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso, a major international exhibition featuring works never before shown in Australia.
Running from 23 May to 20 September 2026, the exhibition arrives from Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and will make Shepparton Art Museum the sole Australian venue for the touring collection.
Visitors can expect an extraordinary lineup of artists including Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Paul Cezanne, Georges Braque, Pierre Bonnard and Barbara Hepworth, with 37 paintings and sculptures tracing the dramatic evolution of modern art across nearly a century.
Spanning movements from Impressionism and Post-Impressionism through to Cubism, Surrealism and post-war abstraction, the exhibition explores how artists challenged tradition and completely reimagined the way people saw the world.
Among the highlights are works gifted to Auckland Art Gallery by renowned New York collectors Julian and Josie Robertson, whose major philanthropic donation in 2023 helped shape the exhibition. Their collection now travels to regional Victoria for the first time, offering audiences outside major capital cities the chance to encounter globally significant artworks up close.
“Shepparton Art Museum is honoured to share this extraordinary exhibition with Australian audiences. Facing Modernity offers a rare opportunity to encounter works by the defining figures of modern art; artists whose visions continue to shape how we understand creativity and human connection today,” says SAM Artistic Director Danny Lacy.
“These iconic works have become favourites at home, seen by more than 479,000 people on display in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland over the past two years,” says Auckland Art Gallery Head of Curatorial and Learning Dr Sarah Farrar.
“This tour takes them beyond our walls, creating new encounters for audiences who may not normally have the chance to experience them,” she said.
Alongside the exhibition, SAM is also rolling out a packed public program designed to bring visitors deeper into the world of modern art. Expect curator talks and guided tours unpacking the movements that transformed painting and sculpture across the 20th century, while the SAM Deep Dives lecture series will introduce audiences to the ideas behind Modernism itself.
Families can get creative at the free Petit Picasso Studio for Kids drop-in workshops, while adults can settle in for Bar SAM Soirée evenings featuring late-night gallery access, live jazz, food and drinks.
With the exhibition set to draw visitors from across Victoria and beyond, SAM is also encouraging travellers to turn the trip into a full Goulburn Valley getaway, pairing world-class art with the region’s wineries, local produce, scenic landscapes and growing food and cultural scene.
Tickets are available here.
