4th Festival du dessin d'Arles highlights Italian drawing and rare collections
The Festival du dessin d'Arles will take place for its 4th edition in April 2026, located in Arles, France, and will honor the art of drawing throughout history. A significant emphasis will be on Italian artists, featuring Piranesi's 'Prisons imaginaires' at the Museon Arlaten, alongside 20th-century works from the Collezione Ramo, including pieces by Medardo Rosso, Giorgio de Chirico, and others. Notable Italian figures such as Dino Buzzati and Federico Fellini will also be highlighted. A first-time exhibition at the église Saint-Anne will showcase Marin Karmitz's private collection of 160 drawings. Despite the festival's typical focus on originals, Louise Michel's deportation notebook will be on display. Other participating venues include Palais de l'Archevêché and Musée Réattu. Éric Cantonna will preside over this edition, following a successful event last year that welcomed 159,000 attendees, a 25% increase from 2024. Co-founder Frédéric Pajak credits the festival's popularity to a deep-rooted appreciation for drawing as a fundamental form of creativity.
Key facts
- 4th Festival du dessin d'Arles takes place in Arles, France, in April 2026.
- Italian drawing is the thematic highlight, with Piranesi's 'Prisons imaginaires' at Museon Arlaten.
- Collezione Ramo exhibits 60 works by Medardo Rosso, Giorgio de Chirico, Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni, Alighiero Boetti, and Carol Rama.
- Marin Karmitz's private collection of 160 drawings is shown for the first time at église Saint-Anne.
- Louise Michel's deportation notebook (reproductions) is displayed, an exception to the festival's originals-only rule.
- Éric Cantonna presides over the 2026 edition.
- 2025 attendance was 159,000, a 25% increase from 2024.
- Co-founder Frédéric Pajak notes the festival reflects growing interest in drawing.
Entities
Artists
- Piranesi
- Medardo Rosso
- Giorgio de Chirico
- Lucio Fontana
- Piero Manzoni
- Alighiero Boetti
- Carol Rama
- Dino Buzzati
- Guido Crepax
- Lorenzo Mattotti
- Federico Fellini
- Pier Paolo Pasolini
- Théodore Géricault
- Francisco de Goya
- Félix Vallotton
- Otto Dix
- Paula Rego
- Annette Messager
- Stéphane Mandelbaum
- Louise Michel
- Sam Ringer
- Catherine Ringer
- Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes
- Gérard Traquandi
- Philippe Katerine
- Jean-Jacques Lequeu
- Germaine Richier
- Ève Gramatzki
- Jean Tinguely
- Louis Soutter
- Christian Lhopital
- Gilles Aillaud
- Jean-Michel Alberola
- Éric Cantonna
- Frédéric Pajak
- Vera Michalski
- Marin Karmitz
- Georges Clemenceau
- Tadeusz Kantor
- Leon Golub
- Francisco Goya
- George Grosz
- André Masson
- Christian Boltanski
- Louise Bourgeois
- Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
- Auguste Rodin
- Jean Fautrier
- Alberto Giacometti
- Umberto Boccioni
- Pino Rabolini
- Irina Zucca Alessandrelli
- Alberto Savinio
- Mario Merz
- Dadamaino
- Rosa Maria Unda Souki
- Léon Bongrain
- Ceija Stojka
- Nicolas Lagneau
- Théophile Alexandre Steinlen
Institutions
- Festival du dessin d'Arles
- Les Cahiers dessinés
- Museon Arlaten
- Collezione Ramo
- église Saint-Anne
- Palais de l'Archevêché
- Musée Réattu
- Fondation Lee Ufan
- chapelle du Méjan
- Espace Van Gogh
- BNF (Bibliothèque nationale de France)
- Rencontres de la photographie d'Arles
- Beaux Arts Magazine
- ADAGP
- Dilecta
- Pomellato
- Croisière
- Fondation Manuel Rivera-Ortiz
- Loeve&Co
Locations
- Arles
- France
- Milan
- Italy
- New Caledonia
- Paris
- Marseille
- Lyon
- Venezuela