Art isn’t restricted to that which is painted, contained within a frame, and hung on the walls of a grand museum like the MET in New York City or the Louvre in Paris. Art can be an exquisitely designed dress, for instance, and it can be found anywhere—in the desert, on a beach, in an eyeglass shop, even. Here are four new exhibitions of beyond-the-frame art that are on our radar.
Florence, Italy
A thoroughly modern interpretation. Photograph by Ela Bialkowska.
Known for his bold, pop-inflected sculptures, the artist KAWS crafted his massive new installation, “The Message,” in warmly burnished wood. The artwork—featuring two nearly 20-foot-tall figures, each of which holds a wooden smartphone—is a modern interpretation of a famous 15th-century fresco, “The Annunciation”, by Fra Angelico. Works by the Italian Renaissance painter, along with KAWS’s sculpture, are on view through January 25, 2026, at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy, which is home to Four Seasons Hotel Firenze.
Paris, France
A Christian Dior evening gown from the Fall/Winter 1951 haute couture line.
When he was a young man, in 1956, Azzedine Alaïa spent just four days as an intern at the legendary House of Dior—a fleeting experience that would leave a lasting impression. In time, he would establish his own maison, becoming known as a master of sculptural tailoring. Behind the scenes, Alaïa (who died in 2017) was also a devoted collector of vintage Dior, amassing some 600 pieces. Now his extraordinary personal collection takes center stage in not one but two exhibitions in Paris: a show, at La Galerie Dior spotlighting more than 100 of these rare pieces, and one at the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, where Dior and Alaïa designs are shown in concert, tracing threads of influence, admiration, and creative kinship. (The former exhibition runs through May 3, 2026; the latter, through May 24, 2026.) For those who won’t be in Paris, Rizzoli and Damiani are publishing catalogues of the exhibits.—Degen Pener
Seoul, South Korea
Giant sculptures inside the Gentle Monster store.
Rising above Seoul’s Seongsu-dong neighbourhood, Haus Nowhere has quickly become a cultural pilgrimage site for shoppers seeking the next chapter in retail. Opened in September in a 14-story brutalist building, the store is the fourth experimental retail project from IICombined, the parent company of the luxury eyewear brand Gentle Monster. Yes, it sells products, including sunglasses; caps and beanies from Gentle Monster sister brand Atiissu; fragrances by Tamburins; and tableware from Nuflaat. More than anything, though, it’s an unforgettable sensory experience, complete with a colour-saturated teahouse and a rotating roster of art installations, like two painted humanoid giants sitting in meditation (above) and a gargantuan dachshund napping on the floor. It’s a concept store gone supersized.—Julie Pham
Naples, Florida
Artist James Perkins at work. Photograph by Leila Brewster.
“I’m blurring the line between what is man-made and what is made by nature,” says James Perkins (pictured above). The New York–based artist’s practice involves burying silk-covered wood frames and letting the pieces absorb the effects of sun, surf, rain, and earth. Last year year, he buried some of his latest works in Naples, Florida, home of the new Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort. Perkins is also the subject of his first museum show, Burying Painting, which runs through February 15, 2026, at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.
The travel industry pros are starting to make their predictions for the year ahead, and, as expected, we’re seeing a wide range of opinions. European destinations are on the rise. So are African safaris. Interest in luxury tours by train is ticking up. Likewise for luxury yacht cruises (in 2026, the highly anticipated Four Seasons Yachts launches). Ahead-of-the-curve jet-setters will be flocking to Svalbard, Norway. Or maybe it’s New Zealand.
The one trend that the experts seem to agree on? Increasingly, travellers are yearning for experiences—trips that have visitors meeting locals, learning new skills, and soaking up new cultures. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up five classic, and increasingly popular, destinations that have a lot more to offer than just lounging by the pool (though, that’s also a welcome option, of course).
Lisbon
Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon offers a Sidecar Tour through the city’s narrow streets.
If you feel like everyone you know has been posting vacation photos from Portugal as of late, it’s not your imagination. According to USA Today, Booking.com data showed higher year-over-year flight searches for Portugal across every month in 2025. Roughly the size of Maine, the country has something for everyone: beaches, mountains, wineries, and eminently walkable cities.
The most popular destination in Portugal is arguably Lisbon, a city steeped in history (it’s older than Rome!) and bathed in sunlight (it’s one of the sunniest places in southern Europe). There’s no shortage of cultural sightseeing to be had here, but the capital city is not just for history buffs and architecture enthusiasts.
Those who enjoy staying active on vacations, take note: the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon is slated for March 8, 2026, and the EDP Lisbon Marathon, billed as “probably the most beautiful in the world,” will be held in October. Another event to bookmark for next year: the Lisbon Tango Festival in June, which offers five days of tango dancing, including performances, classes, and dance parties.
The Varanda Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon.
STAY AT: Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon. Centrally located and packed with amenities (including a rooftop outdoor running track), the hotel is a plush home base for exploring both the city and the surrounding vineyards and villages.
SIGN UP FOR: a Sidecar Tour and see Lisbon up close and personal from a vintage motorcycle driven by a private tour guide. Or consider the Sintra and Cascais Tour, a daylong excursion that hits the historical palaces at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Sintra, as well as the seaside resort town of Cascais.
Hoi An
Hoi An’s Ancient Town.
Another country enjoying a steep rise in tourism: Vietnam. According to Bloomberg, it’s now the third most popular tourist destination in Southeast Asia (behind Thailand and Malaysia). Long, narrow, and S-shaped, the country is bordered by China to the north, Cambodia and Laos to the west, and the South China Sea to the east; driving the length of it takes at least a week. Our recommendation: Head to Hoi An, the “city of lanterns” on the central coast, where you’ll be able to sample a little of everything—quiet countryside, the meandering Thu Bon River, and a picturesque beach, to boot.
Hoi An is famous for its Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where visitors will encounter a unique blend of centuries-old Chinese, Japanese, and French architecture set along the Thu Bon River. On the 14th of every month (when the moon is full), the neighbourhood turns off its electric streetlights in favour of colourful lanterns, creating a jaw-droppingly beautiful nightscape. For a dose of good luck, send a floating candlelit lantern down the river.
A recently renovated villa at Four Seasons The Nam Hai.
STAY AT:Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, Hoi An, Vietnam. The quiet beachfront property is an ideal location from which to explore nearby landmarks (including three UNESCO World Heritage sites).
SIGN UP FOR: one (or all) of the many cool cultural immersion options offered by the resort. Our pick: The Wet Rice Farm Culture experience, in which guests bike to nearby rice paddies, enjoy tea with a farmer, learn rice cultivation, and end with a meal with the farmer’s family. (And don’t forget to take advantage of the complimentary Vietnamese Coffee Tasting on Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m.)
Tokyo
The neon lightscape in Tokyo is unparalleled.
Japan shares the top spot with Vietnam for the highest tourism growth rate in the first half of 2025 (a whopping 21 percent increase in international travellers compared to the previous year, according to the World Tourism Barometer, published by UN Tourism). And the most visited destination in Japan? Tokyo, of course.
Often cited as the most populous city in the world, Tokyo is nothing if not bustling. Visitors won’t lack for things to do in this metropolis that exquisitely mixes the futuristic with the ancient. Whatever you’re interested in, there’s probably a market, festival, or celebration devoted to it. A few particularly unique events to bookmark for your trip to Tokyo in 2026: the January, May, and September Grand Sumo Tournaments; various cherry blossom festivals in late March to early April; and the Sanno Matsuri, a days-long, mid-June festival, held only on even-numbered years, that showcases traditional Japanese music, dance, and drum performances, prayer ceremonies, and a Shinto ritual parade.
All guest rooms at Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi enjoy incredible city views.
STAY AT: Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi. Perched on the top floors of a 39-story high-rise in the financial district, the hotel is located right next to the Imperial Palace. (Reservations at Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi are currently unavailable, as it is undergoing renovations; it’s set to reopen in the spring of 2026.)
SIGN UP FOR: the Suibokuga class to try the art of Japanese ink wash painting or the Kodo workshop to learn the art of incense appreciation. First time in Tokyo? Consider joining the hotel’s Tokyo Essentials guided tour of the city’s landmarks and neighbourhoods.
Milan
The Piazza del Duomo in Milan.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will be held at multiple locations in Northern Italy in February, including Milan—which means that all eyes will soon be trained on the unofficial design and fashion capital of the world. This is good news for anyone hoping to visit Milan next year, as it will be dressed to the nines and more than ready to play host.
Other much-anticipated events include Design Week in April (composed of the renowned furniture fair Salon Internazionale del Mobile and Fuorisalone, a series of design-focused exhibitions and happenings throughout the city) and the thrilling Italian Grand Prix in Monza, in September. But you don’t need a tentpole event to visit—with its alluring triumvirate of fashion, food, and frescoes, Milan is truly wonderful any time of the year.
A Premium Room at Four Seasons Hotel Milano.
STAY AT: Four Seasons Hotel Milano. The 15th–century convent turned luxury hotel is located in the heart of the Fashion District, just steps from the Duomo di Milano, the iconic and intricately designed Gothic cathedral that took nearly 600 years to build.
SIGN UP FOR:day trips to Lake Como, Courmayeur Mont Blanc, and the Franciacorta vineyards for some Northern Italian fresh air. And if it’s more of Milan you want, you’re in luck—the hotel offers walking tours, after-hour museum visits, private shopping excursions, and more.
Sydney
Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
Condé Nast Traveller UK’s Readers’ Choice Awards named Sydney “Best City in the World” last year, citing the “indoor-outdoor way of life the Aussies embrace so well” as the reason it’s so beloved by visitors. (Where were Paris, Tokyo, and New York, you ask? In the No. 6, No. 12, and No. 20 spots, respectively.)
The best way to have an authentic Aussie experience: get outside. In Sydney, that means heading to the beach (there are more than 100 to choose from, including famous Bondi Beach, where you can learn to surf), cruising Sydney Harbour (home to two world-renowned feats of engineering, the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge), strolling the 74-acre Royal Botanic Gardens of Sydney, or bushwalking nearby Blue Mountains.
The Sydney Harbour Studio Club Suite at Four Seasons.
STAY AT:Four Seasons Hotel Sydney. The property not only has epic views of Sydney Harbour, but also is just steps from the Rocks, Sydney’s must-visit oldest neighbourhood.
SIGN UP FOR: the Outback Opal Mine Adventure and tour the region’s oldest opal mines with the stars of the hit reality TV show Outback Opal Hunters. Who knows? You may get lucky and strike opal.
Alvin Tjitrowirjo creates poetic beauty out of the underappreciated. Since opening his studio AlvinT in 2006, the Jakarta-based designer has distinguished himself by his sculptural, refined furniture made of rattan. Derived from various species of quickly growing climbing palms, rattan has long been deeply associated with Indonesian culture. Tjitrowirjo’s mission is to elevate and prize this sustainable material amid the daily onslaught of cheap, modern consumerism. “It’s not just about making beautiful products; it’s about developing a new type of awareness of rattan as a valuable heritage material,” says Tjitrowirjo, who works with several communities of rattan weavers and farmers across Indonesia. We asked him to share his insider guide to his hometown.
Indonesia Design District: “We recently opened a gallery [here]. There are about 100 tenants—furniture, lighting, everything for the home centralized in one curated complex.”
In addition to a great selection of men’s shoes, Archie offers custom tailoring.
Archie: “[The menswear store] is cool for their collection of Alden [shoes]. I’m a big fan.”
Sejauh Mata Memandang: “I like this [lifestyle brand] for their level of creativity in exploring batik, as well as their activism toward protecting the planet. They also now make denim out of recycled used denim.”
Do
Common Grounds, Terra Menteng Tennis Club
Terra Menteng Tennis Club: Common Grounds, “one of the pioneers of specialty coffee in Jakarta since 2015,” recently opened up a cafe-cum-tennis-club. “My favourite beans are Aceh Gayo, which balance between burnt chocolate and nutty with a slight bright citrus.”
Kota Tua: “Built by the Dutch, Old Town is filled with canals and squares and surrounded by charming colonial buildings. The northern part is filled with old mom-and-pop shops.”
Eat
Marinated Yamanaka scallops at August.
August: “One of the forerunners of bringing Indonesian cuisine to the next level—with a little bit of a French twist. They have [the dish] Foie PB&J, and their lamb loin is delicious.”
Pierre: “Located in Jakarta’s central business district, this French restaurant by the Union Group has an excellent quality of food and a classical European interior that won’t go out of style. The lounge bar is a nice place to get a good dose of socializing.”
Café Batavia is one of the oldest restaurants in Indonesia.
Café Batavia: “It used to be an office of the Dutch East India Company. I love how they have kept the original teak bar and floors. I always go for a window table to witness the chaotic and dynamic movement of people in [Old Town’s] Fatahillah Square.”
Bakmi Pulau Laki: “One of my favourite noodle [shops] is located in a neighbourhood where all the street names are names of islands in Indonesia. It’s a place to go for lovely, fresh handmade noodles with minced pork and chicken and fresh pork wontons.”
“When I think of beauty, I also think of beautiful landscapes that I know,” said the Irish poet John O’Donohue. I feel this in my bones. The most meaningful moments of my life have taken place outside—in wilderness, in the presence of something so large it made me feel small. Boating down the Ganges in Varanasi. Walking a suspension bridge high above the jungle in Costa Rica. Staring into a midnight bay in the San Juan Islands and watching creatures bloom bioluminescent beneath the black water. Sitting on a heap of rag rugs on a rooftop beneath the blazing sun in Chefchaouen, Morocco, with a cup of hot mint tea in hand.
The word awe has roots in Old English: ege—fear, dread, terror. Go deeper and you land in Old Norse: agi. Same meaning, only more intense. The kind of fright that makes your stomach drop and your skin hum. Awe once meant trembling before something vast and unknowable. Awe had nothing to do with fumbling in your pocket for your phone to snap a selfie, to prove to other people you’d been to a place and been moved by it. It was about standing still, overcome by the magnificence of the world, your brain sizzling with majesty. It was about being afraid—in a good way—of how big the universe is. It was about bowing down. The experience of awe was an embodied one. Reverence and surrender, a mystery inside your bones.
By the time of Middle English, the idea of awe had evolved into something more attainable—the tender recognition of quiet beauty everywhere. A perfect rainbow after a storm. A temple where your breath echoes. At the edge of a birth, a death, or a galaxy too big to name. One could even find awe in the tiny, mundane moments or minutiae of the natural world—a rose petal, a frozen pond. Vastness veined with grace. As Walt Whitman wrote in Song of Myself, “I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journeywork of the stars.”
Dreamy blues in Chefchaouen, Morocco. Photograph by Taisha Ellison / Unsplash.
Now neuroscience is catching up to what mystics, poets, and travellers have always known: Awe rewires us. According to Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology at University of California, Berkeley, awe is not a luxury—it’s a biological necessity. Defined by Keltner as “the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world,” awe has measurable effects on the body and brain. A 2015 study co-authored by Keltner revealed that participants who felt positive emotions, such as awe, wonder, and amazement, had lower levels of the cytokine interleukin-6, a marker for inflammation. And Keltner’s research also has found that experiencing awe can trigger the release of oxytocin, the bonding hormone, which has been shown to decrease anxiety levels.
In his book Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, Keltner identified “eight wonders of life”: nature, the moral beauty of others, collective movement (shared joy in groups), music, visual design, spirituality, big ideas, and, as he puts it, “encountering the beginning and end of life.” These are the stimuli that pull us into the present, that return us to the why.
And it gets more interesting. In Soft-Wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life, neuroscientist Dr. Michael Merzenich says that to stay sharp and healthy as we age, we need the unfamiliar. We need to jolt the system.
Travel does that, scrambling the senses in the best way. A new language in your ear. Smoke and spice in your nose. A cerulean sky, deep and rich as the ocean. When exposed to new stimuli, the brain forms new neural pathways. According to Merzenich, novelty keeps the brain lit up. People who stay curious don’t just age; they grow. “This lifelong capacity for plasticity, for brain change, is powerfully expressed. It is the basis of our real differentiation, one individual from another,” he said.
For me, simply navigating a foreign grocery store—figuring out which fruit is which or translating a label—is a way of triggering brain activity. And curiosity itself is neurologically rewarding. When you explore something new, your brain’s reward system is activated, releasing dopamine, its built-in pleasure chemical. The stronger the dopamine response, the stronger the reinforcement signal, making us more likely to repeat the behaviour. The more you explore, the more you want to explore. Wonder can become a feedback loop. And we need that loop now more than ever.
Ice cave exploration in Zinal glacier in Switzerland. Photograph by Frédéric Sabalette / Wirestock / Adobe Stock.
The goal is to put down your phone and feel what it’s like to be in the presence of great beauty—to metabolize your own relationship to the divine in real time.
More and more of us are seeking “mental wellness.” We’re booking getaways not to check out but to check back in. We’re exhausted, depleted from hyper-productivity and hyper-connectivity. We want the reset. Yet nearly 72 percent of global travellers use social media while on vacation, according to a study out this year. Many now use AI to plan, curate, and narrate the experience before it’s even begun. We consult influencers before we consult the wind.
We’ve turned awe into content—and risked missing it altogether. The goal is to put down your phone and feel what it’s like to be in the presence of great beauty—to metabolize your own relationship to the divine in real time. To be humbled by it all and do nothing but breathe. No stories. No likes. No selfies.
In my travels, I’ve learned that awe must be experienced firsthand. It reveals itself in the most beautiful places on Earth, such as the Sea of Stars on Vaadhoo Island in the Maldives, where the waves glow turquoise and footsteps spark light across the beach. The Banyumala Twin Waterfalls, in Bali, cascading through thick jungle. The glacial caves of Aletsch and Zinal in Switzerland—frozen, echoing, otherworldly. The Byodo-In Temple near Kyoto, still and ancient. These places carry a sacred frequency.
Awe doesn’t always announce itself. This past winter, standing barefoot on Playa Majahua, a secluded beach on the Pacific Coast of Jalisco, near Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo, Mexico, I felt something inside of me shift. It was sunrise. The moon was sliding down the sky as the sun rose. The air was balmy and fragrant with cypress and gardenia. There was a puma print pressed into the cool, smooth sand. For a moment, it felt like the whole world was holding its breath.
Usually things go awry when the wheels come off—but on the water, that’s a good thing. Whether it’s an old-school wooden boat for two or a state-of-the-art yacht with plush accommodations, Four Seasons offers on-the-water experiences that you won’t soon forget. Here’s a small sampling.
A Floating Resort
Four Seasons Explorer, Palau: There is simply no better way to experience the Micronesian island nation of Palau: Explore UNESCO World Heritage islands and stunning lagoons while spending nights aboard this intimate ship, home to 10 elegant staterooms and the luxurious Explorer Suite.
Ideal for: Those who love the outdoors and water sports as much as they love AC and high thread count.
Romance on the River
Four Seasons Hotel Prague: The Vltava River flows through the heart of the Czech Republic’s capital, making a private boat ride—especially on a charming wooden vessel captained by a guide carrying Prosseco or mulled wine and hot chocolate, depending on the weather—an ideal way to experience the city’s most romantic landmarks in unforgettable style.
Ideal for: Couples looking for a guided experience without the tour group.
From Air to Water
Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora: All arriving guests are escorted from the local airport directly to an awaiting 1920s-inspired Andreyale for a breathtaking 15-minute transfer to the resort. The 39-foot yacht can also be booked for sunset cruises.
Ideal for: Guests who are eager to be up close with Tahiti’s legendary turquoise waters after a long day of travel.
Multigenerational Adventures
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai: Guests visiting the Big Island and seeking fun for the whole family will want to consider chartering Alaka’i Nui, the resort’s 46-foot luxury catamaran. Customizable experiences include beach-hopping voyages and whale-watching tours.
Ideal for: Groups with a range of interests and abilities. Guests can participate in water activities, like snorkeling or deep-sea fishing, or simply relax on the boat.
A Retro Rental
Four Seasons Hotel Austin: A trip to Texas Hill Country wouldn’t be complete without a visit to one of the many lakes in the region. In Austin, guests can rent a vintage-style electric boat, in retro colours like mint green and bubblegum pink, to cruise Lady Bird Lake. Cooler and Bluetooth speaker included.
Ideal for: Fun seekers and vibe chasers. (To captain, guests must be at least 21 years old.)
Catch of the Day
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Los Cabos at Costa Palmas: Top skiers know to head to Whistler for epic slopes; deep-sea fishing enthusiasts know to make a pilgrimage to Los Cabos for some of the world’s best salt-water angling. Hop onboard a 17-metre yacht for an unforgettable guided day of fishing; all equipment is included.
Ideal for: Anglers who love the adrenaline rush of big-game fishing.
