Today's Art Pulse
British Portraitists Showcase 52 Works at Free Brixton Exhibition
The Contemporary British Portrait Painters (CBPP) held its 2026 Annual Exhibition at Downstairs at the Department Store in Brixton. The free show, running until 14 June, features 52 artists drawn from the collective’s 75 members, including award‑winning portraitists recognized by the National Portrait Gallery and Royal Society of Portrait Painters.
Louise Pragnell Selected for National Portrait Gallery’s Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026
British portrait artist Louise Pragnell has been chosen for the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026 at London’s National Portrait Gallery. Her oil portrait of former NBA player and NBA Africa ambassador Pops Mensah‑Bonsu was selected from nearly 1,500 entries submitted by artists in 63 countries. The work, featuring a Sankofa bird motif, will debut during the exhibition opening on 25 June 2026 and run through 7 October 2026. The judging panel included senior curators and designers such as Melissa Blanchflower, Es Devlin and Mary Evans.
London Gallery Weekend 2026: Our Critics Pick Their Top Shows
London Gallery Weekend 2026 returns with more than 120 participating galleries and over 80 public events, showcasing the city’s resilience after a prolonged market downturn. Organisers highlight both established expansions—such as Sadie Coles and Modern Art in the West End—and fresh openings...
Quentin Blake’s Sprawling Centre for Illustration to Launch in London
The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration opened this week in Islington’s historic New River Head, a former 17th‑century waterworks, after a £12.5 m (£15.5 m) build funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and other donors. The venue houses a permanent gallery...
German Pavilion’s Marble Mosaic and Patti Smith’s Sacred Performance Anchor 2026 Venice Biennale
The 2026 Venice Biennale’s German pavilion, curated by Kathleen Reinhardt, features Sung Tieu’s three‑million‑stone marble façade and Henrike Naumann’s immersive installation, while Patti Smith delivers a half‑hour sacred performance at the Holy See pavilion. Both projects reinterpret post‑war narratives and deepen the...
Almine Rech Now Represent Keita Morimoto
Almine Rech announced that it will represent Japanese painter Keita Morimoto in its New York and Paris locations. Morimoto’s inaugural solo show with the gallery is scheduled for 2025 in New York, followed by a presentation at Art Basel in Switzerland this...
Newly Unearthed John Lennon Drawings Make Their Public Debut
Some 240 previously unknown drawings by John Lennon, created with artist Stephen Verona in the 1960s for an animated Beatles lyric video, have been unveiled for the first time at Liverpool’s Beatles Museum. The colorful cells each feature a word...
Bronze Fetal Sculptures Turn Hospital Entrance Into Miracle
"Imagine this being the entrance to the hospital where you first saw your baby’s heartbeat… and nine months later, where you became a mom." It's a series of 14 bronze sculptures by the artist Damien Hirst situated outside the Sidra Medical...
Björk Debuts New Song ‘Nerve Bloom’ at Iceland’s National Gallery in ‘Echolalia’ Exhibition
Iceland’s National Gallery of Iceland launched Björk’s “Echolalia” exhibition on May 30, featuring immersive installations and the first public hearing of her new song “Nerve Bloom.” The show, which runs through September 20, pairs the singer‑songwriter with longtime visual collaborator...
May Auction Report: Rational Exuberance
The May auction cycle delivered $2.5 billion in sales, marking the strongest high‑value supply since last fall’s Lauder auction. While total volume surged, hammer ratios slipped, indicating buyers are paying close to estimates rather than overbidding. The market’s bottom has solidified,...
Lost Lucian Freud Portrait Authenticated, Set for London Museum Exhibition
Art detectives and Tate researchers have authenticated Lucian Freud's early portrait "Man in a Black Scarf," a work the artist denied for decades. The painting will be displayed for the first time at the Garden Museum’s Benton End exhibition, resolving...
Escher: The Paradoxical Artist Beloved by Mathematicians
M.C. Escher’s mind‑bending prints—tessellations, impossible staircases, and infinite loops—continue to fascinate mathematicians and scientists. The New Scientist piece highlights how his work visualizes complex concepts such as symmetry groups, topology and the notion of infinity, and notes a traveling exhibition...
Art Basel Unveils ‘Basel Exclusive’ No‑Preview Policy for 2026 Fair
Art Basel announced that 200 of its 232 main‑gallery exhibitors will participate in a new “Basel Exclusive” program that bars digital previews of at least one key work until the fair opens on June 16. The move aims to revive...
You Don’t Know You Know This Balenciaga-Backed Artist
Jon Rafman, the Canadian net‑artist behind the 2008 “Nine Eyes” series, is unveiling his largest museum show, “Main Stream Media,” at Düsseldorf’s K21. The six‑part exhibition immerses visitors in glitch‑filled collages, LED tunnels, and surreal installations that echo his past...
Julio Le Parc, Kinetic Art Pioneer, Dies at 97
Julio Le Parc, the Argentine artist whose light‑filled installations helped define kinetic and Op art, died in Paris at age 97. His son Yamil confirmed the news, underscoring the end of a career that shaped interactive art worldwide.
Leandro Erlich Unveils Immersive Illusion Exhibition at Paris’s Grand Palais
Leandro Erlich has launched his first major monographic exhibition in Paris, transforming the historic Grand Palais into a series of immersive illusion installations. The show, spanning three decades of the Argentine artist’s career, challenges visitors’ perception of space, gravity and...
Art Shows to Leave the House for in June 2026
June 2026 brings a global surge of exhibitions that examine culture, community, and selfhood amid rising instability. Highlights include the JOY zine launch in Provincetown, Tony Albert’s “Not a Souvenir” in Sydney, Widline Cadet’s solo museum debut in Milwaukee, and Mariuccia...
Barbara Gladstone’s Estate Heads to Sotheby’s With Richard Prince, Jean Prouvé Among Top Lots, and Other News.
Sotheby’s will auction 140 works from the late Barbara Gladstone estate, with estimates ranging from $6.9 million to $10 million, highlighted by Richard Prince’s *Medusa* hood priced up to $1.2 million. The CFDA and Vogue have announced ten designers vying for the 2026...
Paul’s Book of the Month: Marguerite Humeau – Auguries
Marguerite Humeau’s new monograph Auguries (White Cube, 2025) offers a deep dive into the French artist’s Turner‑Prize‑shortlisted practice, featuring essays, an interview, and 176 pages of visuals priced at £45 (≈ $58). The book surveys her recent projects, from the termite‑inspired installation ‘Meys’...
Centre Pompidou-Metz Files Lawsuit After Maurizio Cattelan's Banana Stolen
The Centre Pompidou-Metz reported that Maurizio Cattelan's banana artwork, part of the “Endless Sunday” exhibition, was stolen on Saturday. The museum has filed a legal complaint against unknown perpetrators, underscoring the piece’s multimillion‑dollar value and prompting a review of security...
Sotheby's to Auction $7‑$10 M of Barbara Gladstone’s Art and Design Estate
Sotheby's will auction 140 works from the estate of late dealer Barbara Gladstone on June 9, with estimates of $6.9‑$10 million. The sale, part of New York Design Week, underscores a market shift toward integrating contemporary art and mid‑century design.
Your Guide to the Glasgow International Festival of Contemporary Art 2026
Glasgow International, Scotland’s premier biennial contemporary art festival, returns from June 5 to June 21, 2026, offering 17 days of exhibitions, talks, workshops, and performances. The programme spans traditional galleries, civic spaces, off‑site venues, and pop‑up locations, exploring themes such...
Antony Gormley Two Exhibitions Two Countries – Miranda Carroll
British sculptor Antony Gormley is presenting two simultaneous shows in 2026: "Geestgrond" at Antwerp’s Royal Museum of Fine Arts (KMSKA) and "What Holds Us" at Galleria Continua in San Gimignano. In Antwerp a white‑cube gallery houses the steel sculpture "Cave" and...
German, Ukrainian and Haitian-Canadian Artists Redefine Venice Biennale 2026
The 61st Venice Biennale sees Germany’s pavilion re‑examining its fascist architecture through Sung Tieu and Henrike Naumann, Ukraine’s pavilion launch a suspended "Origami Deer" by Zhanna Kadyrova, and Haitian‑Canadian artist Manuel Mathieu unveil the immersive "Pendulum" installation. The three national...
This Masterwork by Irish Painter Gerard Dillon Just Crushed Its Auction Estimate by 450 Percent
An unknown phone bidder paid €1.4 million ($1.6 million) for Gerard Dillon’s 1955 painting “Tea Party” at Adam’s Auctioneers in Dublin, far exceeding the €150,000‑€200,000 ($174,000‑$233,000) pre‑sale estimate. The sale set a new record for the 20th‑century Irish artist, eclipsing his previous...
Lucian Freud Painting He Spent Decades Denying Will Go on Public View for the First Time
A portrait titled *Man in a Black Scarf*, painted by Lucian Freud in 1939, has been authenticated after decades of the artist’s denial. Researchers uncovered Tate Britain archive records confirming Freud’s hand, prompting the work’s first public showing at the...
Pussy Riot Drops Debut Album “CYKA” With Venice Biennale Protest
Pussy Riot announced their debut album CYKA with a staged protest at the Venice Biennale, timed to Russia’s return to the art fair. The performance featured a call‑out to President Vladimir Putin and a new single with Avenged Sevenfold, underscoring...
South Asian Artists Command Art Basel Hong Kong 2026, Redefining Global Narrative
South Asian artists took center stage at Art Basel Hong Kong 2026, highlighted by Shahzia Sikander’s illuminated installation on the M+ façade and a slate of works that interrogate body, history and knowledge systems. Galleries such as Shrine Empire and...
June Book Bag: From the Street Art of JR to a Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Venice Biennale
June’s art‑book roundup showcases four new titles that blend visual spectacle with deep cultural insight. JR’s Basic Art Series (96 pp, £15 ≈ $19) offers behind‑the‑scenes photography of refugee‑focused projects in Turin and Lviv, plus a separate Pont Neuf‑wrapped monograph priced at $51. jrp...
Lehmann Maupin Now Represent Rana Begum
Lehmann Maupin announced it will represent Bangladeshi‑British artist Rana Begum, whose work fuses light, colour, sculpture and architecture. The gallery will debut a series of her pieces at its Art Basel booth in June and host her first New York solo...
Phoenix Art Museum Gifted 185 Works of Native American Art
The Phoenix Art Museum has received 185 modern and contemporary Native American works from collector William P. Healey, the largest such gift in its history. The pieces will anchor the new exhibition "The Way We Came: A Century of Indigenous Art,"...
Mapplethorpe Nudes, the NEA and the Birth of America’s Culture Wars
Isaac Butler’s new book, *The Perfect Moment: God, Sex, Art, and the Birth of America’s Culture Wars*, chronicles the 1989 Mapplethorpe retrospective that ignited a national debate after the NEA’s $30,000 grant was exposed. The controversy spurred conservative attacks on...
Blue‑Chip Auction Records Shatter as Contemporary Sales Stall
Christie's and Sotheby's posted record-breaking blue‑chip sales in May, highlighted by Jackson Pollock’s $181 million auction and Constantin Brâncuși’s $108 million hammer price. At the same time, works by artists under 40 barely appeared in the same auctions, underscoring a widening gap...
Portraits of Pride: Joan Cox on Painting Modern Love, Queer Visibility, and Finding Your Artistic Voice
In this episode, host Sour Dough chats with painter Joan Cox about her evolving practice of portraying queer love through large‑scale, color‑rich portraits. Cox explains how she discovered her artistic voice by re‑imagining a Berlin exhibition piece, focusing on intimate...
These Intimate Portraits Examine India’s Influencer Culture
Mumbai photographer Megha Singha’s new series, I Love My Friends, But They’re Killing Me, uses stark, intimate portraits to dissect India’s burgeoning influencer culture. The images pair opulent branding—such as Swarovski‑covered pink sheets—with unsettling props like a plastic gun, symbolising...
The Art Diary June 2026 – Revd Jonathan Evens
The June 2026 Art Diary spotlights a wave of exhibitions that fuse spirituality, mysticism, and historic religious spaces. Highlights include Sanya Kantarovsky’s Venice site‑specific works, James Turrell’s light‑filled Skyspaces and Roden Crater, and Renaud Muraire’s biblical‑inspired paintings in Canterbury Cathedral....
What Will Art Basel’s No-Preview-Allowed ‘Basel Exclusive’ Initiative Offer?
Art Basel’s new “Basel Exclusive” program asks participating galleries to withhold at least one marquee work from online previews, creating a surprise element for the fair’s opening. The initiative, voluntary for the main Galleries sector, attracted nearly 200 of the...
Sheila Metzner: “I Photograph My Truth”
Sheila Metzner, the American photographer who defined 1980s fashion imagery, reflects on her truth‑driven approach in a new interview. Her work for Vogue (1981‑89) combined portraiture of cultural icons like Uma Thurman and Robert Mapplethorpe with high‑profile commissions for Ralph...
Crystal Bridges’ Safdie Architects Expansion Opens This Week, and Other News.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville is unveiling a 114,000‑square‑foot, $100 million expansion on June 6, boosting its footprint by about 50 percent and adding 29,000 sq ft of new exhibition space, studios, and community areas. The museum will showcase roughly 200 previously...
Art and Hollywood Convened in Little Tokyo for the MOCA Gala
The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles held its annual MOCA Gala in Little Tokyo, honoring Kara Walker and Paul McCarthy as “MOCA Legends.” Creative director Piero Golia transformed the venue with immersive installations referencing the artists’ iconic works. The star‑studded evening,...
Björk Debuts ‘Nerve Bloom’ Within Iceland’s Immersive ‘Echolalia’ Exhibition
Icelandic pop visionary Björk previewed her upcoming song “Nerve Bloom” inside the National Gallery of Iceland’s “echolalia” exhibition. The immersive show, which runs through September 20, 2026, turns the museum into a living soundstage, merging spatial composition, choral performance, and...
Quentin Blake's 'A Bridge to the Past' Mural Opens at Clerkenwell Illustration Centre
Sir Quentin Blake unveiled his new mural "A Bridge to the Past" at the Quentin Blake Illustration Centre in Clerkenwell, London, ahead of the venue’s public opening. The 5‑metre‑by‑2‑metre ink drawing celebrates the 17th‑century New River and signals a growing...
How Alice Walton Culturally Transformed A Corner Of Arkansas
Alice Walton’s Crystal Bridges Museum, opened in 2011, has turned Bentonville, Arkansas, into a free‑admission arts destination attracting roughly 800,000 visitors a year. Over the past 15 years her philanthropy has spurred high‑end hotels, a pedestrian square, a 40‑mile bike...
Antony Gormley’s Labyrinthine ‘What Holds Us’ Transforms Galleria Continua
British sculptor Antony Gormley has opened “What Holds Us,” a sprawling, labyrinth‑like installation at the 14th‑century Galleria Continua in San Gimignano, Italy. The exhibition, on view May 9‑September 13, 2026, fills the former cinema‑theatre with interlocking sculptures that turn the human body into...
Pioneering Kinetic Artist Julio Le Parc Dies at 97—And More Art Industry News
Art Basel Paris returns to the Grand Palais for its fifth edition (Oct. 23‑25) under new director Karim Crippa, featuring more than 200 exhibitors. Christie’s announced the appointment of François‑Henri Pinault as board chairman, while its London branch prepares a live...
Interview: Wallace Chan Sculpts Time, Light, Life and Rebirth in Venice
Wallace Chan’s fourth Venice show, timed with the Biennale, occupies the historic Santa Maria della Pietà chapel and the iconic Scala Contarini del Bovolo staircase. Marking his 70th birthday, the exhibition introduces colour‑coded titanium sculptures that explore birth, growth and rebirth, while...
First Monograph Celebrates Blondell Cummings' “Moving Pictures”
Blondell Cummings: Dance as Moving Pictures is the first monograph dedicated to the pivotal work of African American choreographer and video artist Blondell Cummings. Published in 2021, the book accompanied an exhibition of the same name, co-organized by the Getty Research...
Julio Le Parc Dies, Cattelan’s Banana Stolen From French Museum, and More: Morning Links for June 1, 2026
Julio Le Parc, the Argentine‑born kinetic‑art pioneer and 1966 Venice Biennale Grand Prize winner, died at 97 in Paris, just before a major retrospective opens at Tate Modern on June 11. Maurizio Cattelan’s duct‑taped banana, the viral "Comedian" piece that fetched $6.24 million in...
Ken Griffin’s $43.2 Million Constitution Copy Debuts at New York Museum
Billionaire collector Ken Griffin has placed a $43.2 million copy of the U.S. Constitution on view at New York’s South Street Seaport Museum. The acquisition, made in 2021 and now publicly exhibited, reignites discussion about the role of private wealth in preserving and...
Andy Warhol’s Tribute to Marilyn Monroe
Andy Warhol’s response to Marilyn Monroe’s 1962 death was a prolific series of over 50 silk‑screened portraits that cemented his reputation as a pop‑art pioneer. Using a single publicity still, Warhol explored repetition, misregistration and color variation to comment on...
Whitney Biennial 2026 Launches with Five Empire‑Focused Themes
Curators Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer opened the 2026 Whitney Biennial with 56 artists organized around five thematic strands that examine the legacy of US power, American identity and interspecies kinship. The show debuts a week after the United States...