Art in Monaco: Museums, Fairs and the Year's Calendar

Monaco has more art than its size suggests, but it is spread thinly across the year and across a dozen addresses. This guide is about where and when to see it: the national museum, the large exhibitions and the art weeks. For the galleries themselves, with addresses and opening hours, see the directory of Monaco's galleries and auction houses. For how to visit them, buy, or follow the Art Week trail, see visiting galleries and auction houses.

The national museum: NMNM

The Nouveau Musée National de Monaco is the Principality's museum of modern and contemporary art. It has two Belle Époque villas, but only one of them is open in 2026:

• Villa Paloma, 56 boulevard du Jardin Exotique, next to the Jardin Exotique. It has 520 m² of galleries on three floors and a formal garden overlooking the city. The current exhibition is Victor Brauner, L'Aventure magique, until 7 January 2027.
• Villa Sauber, 17 avenue Princesse Grace, by the Larvotto. It is closed for renovation and extension work, so any page that sends you there for an exhibition is out of date.

To get there, take bus 2 or 3 to the "Villa Paloma" stop. For visit details see the NMNM visitor guide. The museum's history and its two villas are covered in the NMNM's story.

The year in art

Spring: the art week (late April)

The densest week of the year is late April, when two events overlap:

• Art Monte-Carlo is a modern and contemporary art fair at the Grimaldi Forum, run by the Geneva exhibition company Palexpo. Its 10th edition ran from 29 April to 1 May 2026, with afternoon public opening hours and tickets at €35 (reduced €20). See the event page.
• Monaco Art Week is a free trail through about fifteen galleries and auction houses in the Condamine, Monte-Carlo and Larvotto. Each one puts on a special exhibition, often with a late opening on the Monday. The 2026 edition ran from 27 April to 1 May. See Monaco Art Week.

The Printemps des Arts music festival runs in the weeks before, so a spring visit can combine both.

Summer: big shows and sculpture in the gardens

• The Grimaldi Forum puts on one large themed exhibition each summer. Unlike everything else on this page, it charges full museum-style admission, so book on grimaldiforum.com.
• Monaco Sculptures is run by the auction house Artcurial with the Société des Bains de Mer. From April to September, 20th- and 21st-century sculpture is placed in the Jardins de la Petite Afrique, the Square Beaumarchais and in front of the Hôtel de Paris and the Hôtel Hermitage. Works by César, Arnaldo Pomodoro and Bernar Venet were shown in 2026. You can see it for free from the street. The pieces are for sale, and the series ends with a summer auction; in 2025 this sale was held at the Hermitage in July.
• In July, Villa Paloma stays open until 19:00.

All year: art in the streets

Monaco keeps a large collection of public sculpture outdoors, from the Fontvieille sculpture trail to the works around the Casino gardens. See public art in Monaco.

The galleries in one paragraph

Monaco's commercial galleries are close together and free to enter. In Monte-Carlo, avenue de la Costa has Almine Rech, Moretti, and Sotheby's (by appointment). The Palais de la Scala, at 1 avenue Henry Dunant, has four galleries, including Opera Gallery. Hauser & Wirth (by appointment) is in One Monte-Carlo on the Place du Casino. The Larvotto has Kamil Art Gallery. The Condamine has NM Contemporary and the Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo, an auction house on the port. Most close on Sundays, and several close on Saturdays too. Check the full directory before setting out.

Practical tips

• Sunday is museum day. NMNM entry is free, but most galleries are shut, so do the galleries on a weekday and Villa Paloma at the weekend.
• Grand Prix week shuts the NMNM for four days. It is also a bad week for galleries in the Carré d'Or, which sit next to the circuit.
• Auction viewings are free exhibitions. The Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo and Artcurial show every lot for a few days before each sale. For collectors' practicalities, see art auctions in Monaco.
• For the other museums — the Oceanographic, the Prince's car collection, the stamp and coin museum — see the complete list of Monaco's museums.