Kansas City, Mo. — The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art will feature rare works and new discoveries into world-renowned artists in three exhibitions during its 2027 and 2028 seasons. In May 2027, Photography & Abolition, a groundbreaking exhibition organized by the Nelson-Atkins, will showcase the museum’s extensive 19th century photography collection in conversation with major contemporary works to explore how abolitionists used photography to gain support for the antislavery cause, and how that history resonates today.
Later that year, the Nelson-Atkins will be the first stop of a traveling exhibition of masterpieces from Centre Pompidou. Featuring nearly 100 works, the exhibition will mark the first time that many have ever been on view abroad. And in 2028, an innovative exhibition conceived by the Nelson-Atkins will uncover how Vincent van Gogh and his friends drew inspiration from Medieval and early Renaissance art to create revolutionary new work.
“We’re not only bringing incredible works of art together, but we’re also adding new dimensions to our understanding of them,” said Julián Zugazagoitia, Director and CEO of the Nelson-Atkins. “By questioning commonly held misconceptions of modern art, revealing insights into the fight to end slavery, and uncovering the inspiration for some of the most famous artists in history, our upcoming exhibitions challenge what we thought we knew and invite us all to explore new possibilities.”
As the Nelson-Atkins prepares for these compelling 2027 and 2028 seasons, it has also begun a transformation journey itself. A multimillion-dollar renovation of the museum’s Bloch Building — expected to be completed this spring — is the first step in its connected campus project, led by New York architect WEISS/MANFREDI. Ultimately, the museum’s expanded footprint will add a new wing with reimagined classrooms, expanded amenities, additional galleries, and improved accessibility to welcome all people to experience and enjoy art.
Explore the Impacts of Photography on Abolition | May 8-Sept. 5, 2027
Photography & Abolition examines how the revolutionary technology of photography fueled the abolitionist movement in the decades leading up to and continuing through the Civil War.
Featuring more than 200 works from nearly 40 major collections across the country, the exhibition offers an opportunity to explore works that have never before been brought together, including important 19th–century portraits of Frederick Douglass, John Brown, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Sojourner Truth, and many other men and women who fought to end slavery. The exhibition will also mark the first time a rare daguerreotype believed to be the earliest known image of enslaved African Americans with cotton will be on display.
Contemporary pieces by acclaimed artists will explore how these historical images have shaped our understanding of the past and its resonance in the present. Included are photographs by Hank Willis Thomas, Carrie Mae Weems, Dawoud Bey, and Nona Faustine, and Sir Isaac Julien’s monumental five-screen video installation Lessons of the Hour, which makes its Midwest debut.
Masterpieces from Centre Pompidou Make First Stop in KC | Nov. 13, 2027 – Feb. 27, 2028
Contrary to the frequently made claim that New York became the center of the art world after World War II, French Connections: Masterpieces from Centre Pompidou underscores the ongoing vitality of France as an epicenter for modern art, with Paris at its creative core.
Featuring nearly 100 works in a variety of media from Centre Pompidou’s exceptional collection, the Nelson-Atkins exhibition will be the first time many of the works have been seen in the United States. This standout exhibition casts art during the post-war period in a new light, examining the era through multiple histories to offer a wider, more interconnected perspective on these decades shaped by transatlantic artistic exchange, innovation, and experimentation.
Exhibition Offers New Look at Van Gogh and His Influences | May 20- Sept. 4, 2028
In a breakthrough original exhibition, the Nelson-Atkins will present masterpieces by Vincent van Gogh and his friends and offer surprising new insights into their creative process.
The exhibition investigates how and why late Medieval and early Renaissance art — and the widespread fascination with it in 1880s Paris — presented them with an opportunity to forge new paths in their work.
“Van Gogh continues to capture the imagination of both the public and scholars. And while his work is well-known, there are still extraordinary new insights to be gained: this exhibition does just that,” said Dr. Cornelia Homburg, internationally renowned Van Gogh scholar and curatorial advisor to the project.
Featuring loans from major public and private collections worldwide, this exhibition will offer guests a rare opportunity to see major works by Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat, and Émile Bernard, among others, some of which have not been in the United States in more than twenty years.
Image captions: Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853–1890). Wheatfield with Cypresses, 1889. Oil on canvas, 28 3/8 × 35 13/16 in. (72.1 × 90.9 cm). National Gallery, London, Bought, Courtauld Fund, 1923, NG3861. ©The National Gallery, London. All rights reserved.
Unknown maker, American. Enslaved people on a cotton plantation, ca. 1850. Daguerreotype, quarter plate, 3 3/4 × 4 1/4 inches (9.53 × 10.8 cm). The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. Gift of the Hall Family Foundation, 2019.56.9. Image courtesy of Nelson-Atkins Digital Production.
Unknown maker, American. Portrait of a Woman, New Orleans, ca. 1855. Daguerreotype, quarter plate, 4 1/4 × 3 1/4 inches (10.8 × 8.3 cm). The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. Gift of the Hall Family Foundation, 2020.7.94. Image courtesy of Nelson-Atkins Digital Production.
Auguste Herbin (French, 1882-1960). Friday 1, 1951. Oil on canvas. 37.8 x 50.8 inches. AM1976-6. Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Philippe Migeatu/Dist. GrandPalaismRmn. © Adagp, Paris.
Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853–1890). Madame Roulin Rocking the Cradle (La Berceuse), January 1889. Oil on canvas, 36 1/2 x 29 1/2 in. (92.7 x 73.8 cm). Art Institute of Chicago, Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection, 1926.2. CC0 Public Domain
Paul Gauguin (French, 1848–1903). Vision of the Sermon (Jacob Wrestling with the Angel), 1888. Oil on canvas, 28 7/16 × 35 13/16 inches (72.2 × 91 cm); National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh. Purchased 1925, NG 1643. Photo: National Galleries of Scotland. Photograph by Antonia Reeve.