Forty-four artists and more than one hundred and ten recent works: the Salon du CAL 2026 offers a meeting point for a range of different practices, rather than an exhibition devoted to a single name. The exhibition opens from 7 to 22 November at the Tramsschapp, in the Limpertsberg district. Its opening reception is scheduled for Friday 6 November, from 18:00 to 20:00.
The City of Luxembourg’s presentation specifies that Roger Dornseiffer and Marianne Steichen, two of its longest-standing members, will also be welcomed in the entrance hall. The prizes announced for this edition are the Prix Pierre Werner and the City of Luxembourg Public Prize. This information describes the programme; it does not anticipate who the winners will be.
A selected salon, not a summary of all the country’s art
The Cercle Artistique de Luxembourg states that the works are selected by an external jury made up of national and international experts. The event is open to several fields of visual art and a range of techniques. It presents the current work of artists living in Luxembourg and, depending on the selection, invited artists.
This collective format has a particular appeal for visitors: it allows them to bring different approaches into dialogue without assuming that they all share the same project. A difference in material, scale or treatment can become the start of a question, rather than an obstacle to the visit.
It is also worth keeping the announced panorama in perspective. A salon selection does not automatically represent all the creative work produced in a territory. It is the result of a framework, submissions and a jury’s choice. Viewing it as such makes the experience more open, without asking it to be a definitive ranking.
Choosing when to visit
The CAL’s detailed opening hours are as follows:
- Monday to Friday: 14:00 to 19:00;
- Saturdays and Sundays: 10:00 to 19:00;
- Sunday 22 November: closing time brought forward to 17:00.
The venue given by the organiser is the Tramsschapp, 49, rue Ermesinde, in Luxembourg-Limpertsberg. The programme lists these opening hours separately from those of the opening reception.
Guided tours in French are offered on 7 November at 14:00, 15 November at 11:00 and 21 November at 17:00. Tours in Luxembourgish are scheduled for 8 November at 17:00, 14 November at 15:00 and 22 November at 11:00. Registration is available on the CAL website.
A guided tour may suit anyone who would like to ask questions or have some help finding their bearings. Exploring independently, meanwhile, allows visitors to spend longer with whatever catches their eye. The two approaches can complement one another; neither imposes the same interpretation on everyone.
Extending your exploration through the artists’ journeys
The programme also announces a talk about the Lëtzebuerger Konschtlexikon, presented by members of the Lëtzebuerger Konschtarchiv at the MNAHA. For details of this event, the organiser directs visitors to its registration link.
This dictionary provides a different kind of context. In its presentation of the project, published in 2023, the Nationalmusée explains how biographical data, exhibitions, affiliations, distinctions and bibliographical references are brought together. The aim is to document the people involved in the visual arts who are connected to Luxembourg, and the links between their careers.
This resource does not replace encountering the works. It can help visitors continue their exploration: finding an earlier exhibition, placing an education in context or understanding a connection between several people. Context can then enrich the experience without claiming to dictate a conclusion.
A few questions to take with you
When faced with a group exhibition, there is no need to look immediately for an overarching explanation. You can start with what is actually visible: a material, a composition, a relationship between several elements. Then consider what the title and the available information add, or leave unresolved.
Comparing two works can also bring choices to light that might not have been noticed in isolation. This suggestion for a visit does not describe a display we have walked through: it simply offers a way to approach the announced programme.
The Salon du CAL thus offers an opportunity to discover artists’ names and approaches, then to continue exploring beyond a single visit. The best place to start is with a work to look at, not an answer to know in advance.
Archive photograph: entrance to the Alen Tramsschapp. It does not show the Salon 2026 display.
