Your weekly guide to the best art exhibitions in Montreal: featured galleries, venues, dates, and everything you need to plan your visit. Updated every Wednesday.
In partnership with Magazine Radio In Situ
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911 Rue Jean-Talon Est, Montréal
Dates: Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 5:30–7:30 PM (Opening Reception)
Step into the intimate world of Archétypes, an exhibition by Émile Brunet presented as part of the Triennale Pictura. Inspired by Flemish master painters, Brunet's oil paintings on wood panels blend everyday life, mythology, and imagination, with delicate references to the animal and botanical worlds. His meticulous attention to light, human figures, and realistic detail gives each composition a quietly captivating presence.
Why go? Discover contemporary painting rooted in classical traditions, with an opportunity to meet the artist in the welcoming, intimate setting of Studio Le Rendez-vous, near Jean-Talon metro.
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1380 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal
Dates: On view through February 14, 2027
Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota transforms ordinary objects and architectural spaces into intricate, emotionally charged environments woven from thread. This major exhibition surveys more than three decades of her artistic practice.
Why go? For the kind of immersive art that makes you stop, look up and lose track of time.
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41 Rue St-Paul Ouest, Montreal
Dates: October 21 – November 18, 2026
Step into the imaginative universe of Quebec artist Dominic Besner with Paper Skin, a solo exhibition at Galerie LeRoyer. Known for his vibrant colours, theatrical figures, and expressive compositions, Besner creates visually striking worlds where fantasy, emotion, and contemporary painting collide.
Why go? For an explosion of colour, surreal characters, and bold artistic expression that challenges the boundaries between imagination and reality.
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7826 Rue Foucher, Villeray, Montréal
Dates: Saturday, October 31, 2026, 2–5 PM (Opening Reception)
What happens when Marcel Duchamp's revolutionary ready-mades get a contemporary makeover? Artist Steeve Chiasson and curator Jean-Michel Quirion revisit these iconic conceptual objects with a playful dose of irony. Featuring carefully sourced manufactured objects and early 20th-century antiques, Ready-Mades explores nostalgia, appropriation, and the commercialization of cultural memory. Conceived as a small-scale counter-retrospective, the exhibition offers a witty perspective on Duchamp's enduring influence.
Why go? For a clever, unconventional encounter with conceptual art, where familiar objects take on unexpected meanings in the lively atmosphere of Villeray's Hangar 7826.
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372 Sainte-Catherine St. West #502
Dates: October 24 – November 28, 2026
Discover the evocative artistic universe of Quebec artist Jocelyne Alloucherie in De si loin, de si près… (So Far, So Near…). Known for her poetic exploration of photography, sculpture, and installation, Alloucherie creates atmospheric works that blur the boundaries between landscape, memory, and perception.
Why go? For a contemplative encounter with contemporary art where photography, space, and imagination challenge how we perceive the world.
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Dates: October 22 – November 7, 2026
Discover Quelque chose d’impossible à saisir (Something Impossible to Grasp), an exhibition by Montreal artist Janie Julien-Fort at Espace DÈS_. An intriguing addition to the city's contemporary art scene, the exhibition invites visitors to discover the artist's visual practice in an intimate gallery setting.
Why go? For a fresh contemporary art discovery and an opening-night encounter with Montreal's creative community.
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Dates: October 23 – November 28, 6–8 PM
Discover Where You Stand the Ground Remembers, the sixth edition of the Virginia McClure Ceramic Biennale at Montreal's McClure Gallery. This contemporary ceramics exhibition invites visitors to explore the expressive possibilities of clay and its connections to memory, materiality, and the natural world.
Why go? For an inspiring encounter with contemporary ceramics, where artistic experimentation transforms clay into compelling expressions of memory and place.
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Dates: October 23 – November 28, 2026 17-20h
Discover Where You Stand the Ground Remembers, the sixth edition of the Virginia McClure Ceramic Biennale at Montreal's McClure Gallery. This contemporary ceramics exhibition invites visitors to explore the expressive possibilities of clay and its connections to memory, materiality, and the natural world.
Why go? For an intimate photographic experience that turns everyday moments into reflections on memory, movement, and human connection. Desrosiers' poetic approach offers a refreshing perspective on Montreal's urban landscape, making this exhibition a worthwhile discovery for photography enthusiasts and curious city explorers alike.
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Dates: October 15 - November 15, 2026
ELEKTRA's 8th Biennale transforms video games into contemporary art, showcasing 35 experimental game-based artworks by an international lineup of creators. Discover interactive installations, unconventional gaming experiences, and the creative intersection of art and technology.
Why go? Play, explore, and experience video games as an exciting new form of contemporary art.
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2727 Boulevard Thimens, Saint-Laurent, Montréal
Dates: Sunday, November 1, 2026, 2–5 PM (Opening Reception)
Through solitary wanderings across ambiguous urban landscapes, photographer Masako Miyazaki uncovers the overlooked poetry of everyday life. The Other Side brings together photographs of seemingly ordinary scenes, thoughtfully arranged to create new visual relationships and challenge how we perceive our surroundings. Exploring the delicate intersection of perception and consciousness, Miyazaki invites viewers to discover something extraordinary within the familiar.
Why go? Experience a contemplative photographic journey that transforms overlooked urban details into moments of discovery, in the welcoming setting of Centre d'exposition Lethbridge.
View exhibition detailsBest Kept MTL updates its Montreal Art Exhibitions guide every Friday, highlighting gallery openings, contemporary art exhibitions, and cultural events happening throughout the weekend and beyond, complete with dates, locations, and exhibition details.
Many Montreal art exhibitions and gallery openings are free, including vernissages where visitors can meet artists and discover new works. Some exhibitions require tickets or advance reservations. Check Best Kept MTL's weekly art guide for upcoming events.
A vernissage is an exhibition opening where visitors can discover artwork, meet artists, and connect with Montreal's creative community. Most are open to the public, although some require an RSVP or invitation.
Montreal's leading art districts include the Plateau-Mont-Royal, Mile End, Old Montreal, and downtown. These neighbourhoods feature independent galleries, artist-run spaces, and contemporary art exhibitions showcasing local and international talent.
Montreal's contemporary art scene thrives in galleries across Mile End, Plateau-Mont-Royal, and Old Montreal. Best Kept MTL's weekly Montreal Art Exhibitions guide highlights emerging artists, independent galleries, and must-see contemporary art exhibitions, with updated dates, locations, and event details every Wednesday.
Past weekly Top 5 Montreal art exhibitions. Choose a month to see its weeks.
