documenta 16
Kassel, Germany, 12 June to 19 September 2027. One hundred days, once every five years
documenta 16 in numbers
One hundred days in Kassel in 2027, as published by the organiser.
documenta 16Appointed in December 2024, with curators Carla Acevedo-Yates, Romi Crawford, Mayra A. Rodríguez Castro and Xiaoyu Weng.
documenta 16documenta fifteen, 18 June to 25 September 2022, across 32 venues in Kassel.
documenta: documenta fifteen retrospectivePrices for documenta 16 had not been published when this entry was checked.
documenta 16What is documenta 16?
documenta is the exhibition of contemporary art held in Kassel, Germany, every five years since the painter and professor Arnold Bode founded it in 1955. documenta 16 runs for one hundred days, from 12 June to 19 September 2027, under artistic director Naomi Beckwith. It is in this directory because it is not a fair and nothing is for sale: it is an exhibition spread across a city, and one of the most consequential events in the contemporary art calendar.
Who goes to documenta 16?
Artists, curators, museum directors, critics and collectors from around the world, concentrated in the opening days, followed by a large general public over the hundred days. The last edition, documenta fifteen in 2022, recorded more than 738,000 visitors across 32 venues.
documenta 16 tickets and prices
documenta is a ticketed exhibition open to the public for its full run. Ticket prices for documenta 16 had not been published when this entry was checked; documenta fifteen sold both day tickets and season tickets. The exhibition is spread across many venues in Kassel, with the Museum Fridericianum at its centre, so allow more than a single day.
What to know before booking documenta 16
documenta carries institutional weight and, at times, controversy. documenta fifteen in 2022 was overshadowed by antisemitic imagery in a work on display, which the organiser's own retrospective records led to the general director's resignation and a review of documenta's structures. documenta 16 is the first edition since, and it will be read closely against that history.
documenta 16 parties and side events
The opening days bring a concentrated programme of receptions, talks and dinners for the international art world, alongside openings at galleries and institutions in Kassel and beyond. Grand Circle organises none of it and sells no tickets or hospitality for documenta.
How to get to Kassel
Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe station is on Germany's ICE high-speed network, with direct services to major German cities, and Frankfurt is the usual international airport. Within Kassel, the exhibition venues are reached on foot and by tram.
Where to stay for documenta 16
Kassel's hotel stock is limited for an event of this scale, and it fills first during the opening week. Staying near the centre keeps most venues walkable; Göttingen and the surrounding region are alternatives with fast rail links into the city.
documenta 16: frequently asked questions
When is documenta 16?
documenta 16 runs from 12 June to 19 September 2027 in Kassel, Germany, one hundred days in all. It is the sixteenth edition of the exhibition founded in 1955, led by artistic director Naomi Beckwith with a curatorial team of four, Carla Acevedo-Yates, Romi Crawford, Mayra A. Rodríguez Castro and Xiaoyu Weng.
documenta 16Who is curating documenta 16?
Artistic director Naomi Beckwith, appointed in December 2024, leads documenta 16 with curators Carla Acevedo-Yates, Romi Crawford, Mayra A. Rodríguez Castro and Xiaoyu Weng. The organiser, documenta und Museum Fridericianum gGmbH, has announced the team ahead of the June 2027 opening.
documenta 16How often is documenta held?
Every five years. Arnold Bode, a painter and art professor in Kassel, founded documenta in 1955 and first intended it to take place every four years, before the five-year rhythm was settled. Each edition is a new exhibition with a new artistic direction, which is why each one is numbered.
documenta: the history of documentaHow much are documenta 16 tickets?
No prices are quoted here because documenta had not published ticket prices for documenta 16 when this entry was checked. documenta fifteen sold both day tickets and season tickets. Check the official documenta site for 2027 pricing before planning a visit around a particular day.
documenta: documenta fifteen at the halfway pointHow many people visit documenta?
documenta fifteen, the most recent edition, ran from 18 June to 25 September 2022 and recorded more than 738,000 visitors across 32 venues in Kassel, according to the organiser's own retrospective. Numbers for documenta 16 will only be known once the 2027 exhibition has run.
documenta: documenta fifteen retrospectiveWhat happened at documenta fifteen?
documenta fifteen, curated by the Indonesian collective ruangrupa, was overshadowed by the discovery of antisemitic imagery in a work by Taring Padi. The organiser's retrospective records that this led to the general director's resignation and an expert committee to review documenta's structures.
documenta: documenta fifteen retrospectiveGet documenta 16 updates
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Grand Circle does not organise documenta 16 and sells no tickets or hospitality for it. It is run by documenta und Museum Fridericianum gGmbH. Dates and prices are set by the organiser and change without notice. This entry was last checked against its sources on 2026-10-06. If something here is wrong, tell us and it gets fixed rather than aged.