Top 5 Montreal Art Galleries to Kick Off Winter 2026

Winter in Montreal doesn’t slow the art scene down, it sharpens it. January 2026 marks a powerful cultural restart, with major openings, collective exhibitions, and citywide vernissage nights that remind us why Art Galleries Montreal remain among the most dynamic in North America. From the historic Belgo Building to the Pôle de Gaspé and beyond, this winter’s rentrée culturelle is dense, festive, and deeply relevant.

Here is our Top 5 mustsee vernissages to start the year strong, curated for art lovers, collectors, and curious minds alike.

1. Belgo Winter Cultural Opening – 10 Vernissages Under One Roof

📅 Thursday, January 15, 2026
📍 Belgo Building
⏰ 5 PM – 8 PM

The Belgo Building remains a cornerstone of Art Galleries Montreal, and its Winter Cultural Opening is one of the most anticipated events of the season. In one evening, visitors gain access to ten simultaneous vernissages, all within the same iconic building.

This year’s lineup is particularly strong, with exhibitions ranging from contemporary painting and photography to installation and multidisciplinary practices. Highlights include shows at Chiguer Art Contemporain, McBride Contemporain, Galerie Hugues Charbonneau, Circa, and Galerie Wishbone, all presenting established and critically recognized artists.

The atmosphere is lively and communal — a true celebration of the winter art season, where conversations flow as easily as the wine and ideas collide across gallery walls. If you want to feel the pulse of Art Galleries Montreal in a single night, this is where it starts.

2. Galerie Nicolas Robert – A Strong Visual Arts Statement for 2026

📅 Thursday, January 15, 2026
📍 Mile End
⏰ 6 PM – 8 PM

Galerie Nicolas Robert has long played a key role in shaping Montreal’s contemporary art discourse. Its first vernissages of 2026 promise depth, ambition, and intellectual rigor.

The evening features new paintings by Montreal based artist James Gardner, continuing his exploration of religious imagery through the lens of Western esotericism. Also on view is a major exhibition by Yan Wen Chang, developed in collaboration with Toronto’s Susan Hobbs Gallery, centered on migration, memory, and a continuously evolving selfportrait practice.

Adding to the richness of the event is a collaborative exhibition by multidisciplinary artists Alexis GrosLouis and Michael Eddy, whose work bridges writing, video, performance, installation, and curatorial practice. This vernissage is a perfect example of why Art Galleries Montreal attract such a devoted and engaged visual arts community.

3. LIVART – Collective Exhibition with Critical Depth and Festive Energy

📅 Thursday, January 15, 2026
📍 LIVART
⏰ 6 PM – 9 PM

LIVART launches the year with a collective exhibition presented as part of FAVE 2026 (Forum des arts visuels émergents). Inspired by philosopher ByungChul Han’s NonThings and Yōko Ogawa’s The Memory Police, the exhibition reflects on memory, disappearance, and the fragile relationship between humans and objects in an overinformational world.

While the conceptual framework is ambitious, the atmosphere remains welcoming and celebratory — a balance LIVART consistently achieves. Visitors are invited to engage deeply with the works while enjoying the gallery’s signature convivial energy.

This exhibition demonstrates how Art Galleries Montreal successfully combine critical reflection with accessibility, making contemporary art both challenging and inviting.

4. L’Hivernale de Gaspé – A MultiGallery Art Marathon

📅 Friday, January 16, 2026
📍 Pôle de Gaspé
⏰ 5 PM – Late

Few events capture the collective spirit of Montreal’s art ecosystem like L’Hivernale de Gaspé. Taking over the entire Pôle de Gaspé, this largescale vernissage brings together more than eight new exhibitions, live performances, art book tables, food stands, and music.

With participating spaces such as Diagonale, OPTICA, Galerie Elektra, TOPO, Centre Clark, Atelier Circulaire, and Occurrence, the evening offers a panoramic view of current practices shaping Art Galleries Montreal today.

It’s equal parts exhibition tour, networking hub, and winter celebration — a reminder that Montreal’s art scene thrives on collaboration and shared energy.

5. Art Mûr – Guillaume Lachapelle’s Retrospective Exhibition

📅 Saturday, January 17, 2026
📍 Art Mûr
⏰ 3 PM – 5 PM

Closing the week on a reflective yet powerful note, Art Mûr presents a major retrospective marking 20 years of artistic practice by Guillaume Lachapelle. The exhibition coincides with the gallery’s 30th anniversary, reinforcing its status as one of the most influential spaces within Art Galleries Montreal.

Visitors will discover Lachapelle’s evolution from wood sculpture to advanced 3D printing and photogrammetry. His immersive, often unsettling environments explore themes of solitude, fear, and the erosion of human presence in hyperreal urban spaces.

The daytime vernissage offers a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere that attracts both dedicated art enthusiasts and a broader public — a fitting conclusion to an intense and inspiring week.

Why This Week Matters for Art Galleries Montreal

Together, these five events illustrate the diversity, ambition, and resilience of Art Galleries Montreal. From largescale collective openings to intimate retrospectives, the Winter 2026 cultural rentrée offers a rare opportunity to experience the city’s visual arts scene at its most vibrant.

Whether you’re a seasoned collector or simply curious, this week is an open invitation to explore, connect, and reflect through art.

Art Galleries Montreal don’t just survive winter they define it.

Stay Connected to Montreal’s Art Scene

This curated selection is brought to you by the Best Kept MTL team, dedicated to spotlighting the people, places, and moments shaping Montreal’s cultural landscape.

For more Montreal vernissages, radio features, and in depth coverage of visual arts and related disciplines, explore Magazine Radio In Situ, one of the city’s few programs fully dedicated to visual arts since 2010.

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