ArtReview's Future Greats 2026 highlights artists working across disciplines

ArtReview has launched its 2026 Future Greats feature, an annual selection spotlighting emerging artists poised to shape new directions. Now in its 19th year, the 2026 edition arrives as artists increasingly operate laterally, engaging with infrastructure, social practices, and multiple media. The selection process involves external nominators—artists and critics—who choose the featured talents, with ArtReview expressing gratitude for their research. This year's introduction reflects on broader questions about artistic greatness, the future of art, and art's role in an unpredictable world. The cover quotes novelist and critic John Berger from his 1987 book 'Once in Europa,' part of a trilogy set in Alpine communities, using his defense of storytelling to argue for art's necessity when life exceeds vocabulary. ArtReview humorously references its feng shui master's advice for the lunar new year, emphasizing avoiding inauspicious elements and focusing on the good, while also noting the feature's alignment with contemporary art's consumer culture. The publication maintains a tone of plausible deniability regarding predictions, acknowledging that some forecasts may prove incorrect. No specific artists are named in the introduction, but the feature aims to provide reasons for excitement about upcoming art.