Today's Art Pulse
Gasworks Launches Three‑Year Studio Bursary for Lawrence Abu Hamdan’s Earshot
Gasworks announced a three‑year Studio Bursary supporting Lawrence Abu Hamdan’s nonprofit Earshot from spring 2026 through 2029, funded by patron Mercedes Vilardell. Earshot uses forensic audio to document human‑rights and environmental abuses, providing evidence to more than 30 media outlets and advocacy groups such as Amnesty International.
Shigeo Toya, Artist Who Looked to Nature with His Wood Sculptures, 1947–2026
Japanese sculptor Shigeo Toya, famed for his chainsaw‑hewn wood installations, died in 2026. He launched the "Woods" series in 1984, arranging tall timber pieces to evoke forest clusters, and later created the "Twenty Eight Deaths" series of paired blocks with carved cavities and burned holes. Toya’s work sought to restore the physicality of sculpture, challenging the detachment of post‑minimalism and mono‑ha. Major retrospectives at Nagano Prefectural Art Museum and MoMA Saitama in 2022‑23 cemented his legacy.
May's Must‑See London Exhibitions From Dinosaurs to Metal
Dinosaurs to metal beasts, I've picked my top exhibitions to see in May for @Londonist https://t.co/BPdYNDhzRm
Seeing by Hand
June Leaf, the late American artist known for her tactile, hand‑driven creations, is the focus of the traveling retrospective "Shooting from the Heart," which presents over 150 works spanning 75 years. The show arranges her paintings, sculptures, drawings, and kinetic...
Manet and Morisot: Game On
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Cleveland Museum of Art have opened “Manet and Morisot,” an exhibition that juxtaposes Édouard Manet’s iconic *Balcony* with Berthe Morisot’s *The Artist’s Sister at a Window*. The show revisits a 1870 episode...
Inflatable Life
Paul Chan’s latest show at Greene Naftali revives his signature “Breathers”—inflatable nylon figures powered by hidden fans. The exhibition, now approaching twenty pieces, includes standout works like the five‑member “Tokener Ecstasis” ring and the surreal “Too Spirituale! (after Leibniz).” Chan’s sculptures blend the eye‑catching...
Drawn to the Void
The National Gallery’s "Drawn to the Void" exhibition, curated by Christine Riding and Lucy Bamford, reunites ten of Joseph Wright of Derby’s late‑1760s canvases, including the striking "Two Boys Fighting Over a Bladder." The show highlights Wright’s pioneering use of...
Visions of Depravity
Ceija Stojka, a Romani survivor of Auschwitz, Ravensbrück and Bergen‑Belsen, is the focus of a new show at New York’s Drawing Center. The exhibition showcases the small, expression‑laden canvases she began creating in her mid‑fifties to record the horrors of...
Art for Our Age of Chaos
The Whitney Biennial 2026 and the New Museum’s “New Humans: Memories of the Future” open in Manhattan, showcasing works by more than 50 and 100 artists respectively. Both shows juxtapose room‑filling installations with tiny, whisper‑like pieces, a curatorial tactic meant to...
PATRICK HERON: Early Works, 1950-54
Hazlitt Holland‑Hibbert is mounting a second solo show of Patrick Heron, focusing on his 1950‑54 output, a period when the British modernist moved decisively from figurative interiors toward colour‑driven abstraction. The exhibition assembles works from the artist’s estate—including several never‑exhibited...
Venice Golden Lion Jury Won’t Consider Russian and Israeli Pavilions
The Venice Biennale’s 61st International Art Exhibition will not consider any national pavilion whose leader faces International Criminal Court charges for crimes against humanity. The jury, led by Solange Oliveira Farkas and featuring curators from Yale, Abu Dhabi, Brazil and...
Hades and Persephone: Rape Myth or Ancient Power Couple
The blog post examines the myth of Hades and Persephone, arguing that the oldest sources—especially the Homeric Hymn to Demeter—present the story as a violent abduction rather than a consensual romance. It highlights how Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s 1621‑22 sculpture, *The...
Dries Van Noten Launches Venice Fondazione with ‘The Only True Protest Is Beauty’ Exhibition
Dries Van Noten opened his first dedicated museum space, the Dries Van Noten Fondazione, in Venice’s historic Palazzo Pisani Moretta on April 25. The inaugural presentation, titled “The Only True Protest Is Beauty,” fused fashion, craft and contemporary art, signaling...
Turner Prize 2026 Shortlist Highlights Sculpture, Awards £10,000 to Four Artists
The Turner Prize 2026 shortlist was announced today, naming four artists—Simeon Barclay, Kira Freije, Marguerite Humeau and Tanoa Sasraku—each to receive £10,000 (about $12,700). The jury, chaired by Tate Britain director Alex Farquharson, highlighted a strong sculptural focus, signaling a shift toward three‑dimensional and...
On Being
London‑based electronic composer Max Cooper released his new album "On Being," built on a crowdsourced pool of audience‑submitted "unspoken words" that answered personal prompts. He turned these raw emotions into music, partnering with French musician Félix Gerbelot for the title track...
Moore / Freud: Masters of Intimacy Explored at Hastings Contemporary
Moore / Freud opens at Hastings Contemporary on 13 June 2026, bringing together Henry Moore and Lucian Freud for the first time in a focused show of twenty family‑themed works. The exhibition juxtaposes Moore’s abstracted maquettes and wartime Shelter Drawings with Freud’s intimate figurative...
Atelier Tsuyoshi Tane Architects Designs Sea of Time – TOHOKU in Fukushima, Japan
Atelier Tsuyoshi Tane Architects, in partnership with artist Tatsuo Miyajima, is developing Sea of Time – TOHOKU, a circular art‑and‑architecture installation on a cliff in Tomioka, Fukushima. The project, slated for construction from 2024 to 2027 with a spring 2028...
AI Is Not Replacing Animators; It Is Redefining the Craft of Animation
AI is reshaping animation by eliminating long‑standing production bottlenecks, not replacing artists. Generative tools compress rendering and key‑framing from hours to minutes, freeing animators to focus on concept, narrative, and visual direction. Brands such as Coca‑Cola and Levi’s have integrated...
Taiwan Strips National Prize From Sakuliu Pavavaljung After Sexual Assault Conviction
Taiwan’s National Culture and Arts Foundation stripped Indigenous visual artist Sakuliu Pavavaljung of the 2018 National Award for Arts and ordered the return of the NTD 1 million (~$32,000) prize after a Supreme Court upheld his four‑year‑six‑month sexual assault conviction. The award,...
PRINT Book Club: Thursday April 23, 2026 with Aubrey Hirsch
PRINT Magazine is hosting a live Zoom book club on Thursday, April 23, 2026, featuring artist‑writer Aubrey Hirsch. The discussion will center on her graphic nonfiction title *Graphic Rage: Comics on Gender, Justice, and Life as a Woman in America*....
Balenciaga Launches First Formal Art Series with Eduardo Chillida Exhibition in Milan
Balenciaga has opened its first formal art initiative, presenting an exhibition of Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida at the brand’s Milan flagship. The project, led by creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli, marks a strategic shift toward integrating high art into the luxury...
Venice Biennale 2026: Oman’s Haitham Al‑Busafi and Yto Barrada Unveil Shows
Oman’s Haitham Al‑Busafi will debut the participatory “Zinah” installation, and Yto Barrada’s “enfant de Saturne” will open the French pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale. In parallel, VCUarts Qatar secures a collateral slot with “Aghrab Idrāk: Thresholds of Perception,” underscoring...
The Art World This Week: AI Reveals El Greco Authorship, Finland Retracts From Venice Biennale, National Gallery Receives $116m Donation,...
Scientists at Case Western Reserve University unveiled a machine‑learning tool that can detect multiple artists’ contributions in a 17th‑century El Greco altarpiece, offering a new method for attribution studies. Finland announced it will withdraw from the Venice Biennale if Russia is...
Private Money, Public Retreat
A $116 million endowment from a billionaire will permanently fund the National Gallery’s art‑loan program, while the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater in Cape Cod has suspended operations due to a tightening philanthropic climate. Similar strains appear nationwide: Brazil’s film sector relies...
Tale of a Riderless Horse
The National Gallery in London is hosting a major exhibition devoted to 18th‑century equine artist George Stubbs, featuring his iconic 1762 painting “Whistlejacket.” The work portrays a riderless horse that was originally intended for King George III but never received a...
An Auction Without Bidding: Loïc Gouzer’s Latest Bet on How to Sell Art
Art tech founder Loïc Gouzer is launching "No Warning," a new sales format on the Fair Warning auction app that eliminates traditional bidding. Buyers see a fixed price, can either purchase instantly or submit a single, binding offer that remains...
Turner Prize 2026 Shortlist Announced with Strong Showing for Sculpture
The Turner Prize 2026 shortlist features Simeon Barclay, Kira Freije, Marguerite Humeau and Tanoa Sasraku, with a pronounced emphasis on sculpture alongside performance, installation and film. Each nominee receives £10,000 (≈ $12,700), and the eventual winner will earn an additional £25,000 (≈ $31,800) on 10 December....
Dutch Commission Recommends New Guardianship for ‘Orphaned’ Nazi-Looted Art
A Dutch government‑appointed committee has recommended transferring guardianship of the Netherlands Art Property (NK) Collection’s orphaned Nazi‑looted works to a Jewish foundation, ideally housed at Amsterdam’s Jewish Museum. The plan provides an annual budget for exhibitions and a wall label...
Schiaparelli Unveils Art‑Inspired Pop‑Up Takeover at Harrods
Schiaparelli has transformed key areas of Harrods with art‑inspired pop‑up installations that showcase its iconic golden keyhole motif and promote the new book “Anglomaniac.” The takeover coincides with the Victoria and Albert Museum’s “Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art” exhibition, marking the...
Climate Week Exhibition 'Earth, Air, Fire, Water' Opens at San Francisco’s Mills Building
KALW and the Swig Company unveiled the multi‑media exhibition 'Earth, Air, Fire, Water' at the Mills Building in downtown San Francisco. Running through May 8, 2026, the show spotlights Bay Area artists who translate climate data and natural materials into paintings, photographs,...
Historic $116M Gift Endows Lending Program at National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art received a historic $116 million donation from the Mitchell P. Rales Family Foundation, endowing the Across the Nation artwork‑lending program in perpetuity. Launched as a pilot last spring, the initiative has loaned works by O’Keeffe, Rembrandt, Rothko,...
Closely Watched Curator Raphael Fonseca Joins Lisbon’s Culturgest
Raphael Fonseca, the Denver Art Museum’s first curator of Latin American modern and contemporary art, has been appointed visual arts programmer at Lisbon’s Culturgest, a private foundation backed by state‑owned Caixa Geral de Depósito. He will relocate in June 2026,...
OpenAI's Images2 Pulls Me Back, Creates Magazine Instantly
1/ have not used openAI/chatgpt in ~3 months 0% use. 100% claude BUT with release of Images2 (especially for text) openAI recaptured ~20% of my use i designed a new 21-page magazine in 3mins that i fantasized existed: a mashup of...
Winning Design Unveiled for First UK Journalists’ Memorial
Artist Wolfgang Buttress won the On The Record competition with "End of Copy," a sculptural arrangement of aluminium columns forming a Fibonacci spiral. The design will be installed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, with a companion piece at...
Edvard Munch’s Paintings for a Chocolate Factory Get a Rare Museum Outing
Edvard Munch’s twelve‑panel Freia Frieze, commissioned in 1922 for the women’s canteen of Oslo’s Freia chocolate factory, is leaving the factory for the first time. The monumental works have spent a century exposed to cacao dust and cigarette smoke before...
Barbara Chase-Riboud Speaks Out on Declining US Pavilion Spot
American sculptor Barbara Chase‑Riboud announced she will not participate in the United States Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale, citing the current climate of global conflicts. She joins photographer William Eggleston, who also declined the invitation, leaving the pavilion to...
Chad Moore’s New Book Captures the Unearthly Beauty of Eyes and Skies
American photographer Chad Moore releases a new photo book titled “Eyes and Skies”, published by Super Labo. The collection departs from his well‑known portraits of New York’s youth, pairing close‑up studies of human eyes with expansive images of sunsets, skylines...
Anselm Kiefer Returns to New York with New Paintings Exploring Myth, Landscape and Alchemy
Gagosian will host Anselm Kiefer’s new exhibition, "Seal My Ears Shut and I Shall Hear You Still," opening May 15 and closing June 27, 2026, at its West 24th Street gallery in New York. The show assembles a fresh series...
Claude Lalanne: Saint Laurent Commissioned Mirrors’ $33.5 Million Auction Record
Claude Lalanne’s 15-piece botanical mirror ensemble sold at Sotheby’s New York for $33.5 million, more than double the $15 million high estimate and eclipsing the previous record for both Claude and her late husband François‑Xavier. The mirrors, commissioned by Yves Saint Laurent...
Private Collectors' Collective Launches Daejeon Initiative to Host World‑Renowned Artists
Fourteen Korean art collectors have united under the Arche II collective to present the “Tracing the Unfinished” exhibition at Daejeon's Heredium cultural complex. Featuring 30 works by artists such as Le Corbusier, Olafur Eliasson and David Hockney, the show marks...
Marc Brandenburg at the Berlinische Gallery
Marc Brandenburg’s solo show “20th Century Debris” opens at Berlin’s Berlinische Galerie, showcasing decades‑long pencil drawings that translate personal photographs into monochrome, dream‑like fragments. The works, loaned from private and corporate collections, are arranged in thematic clusters that move from...
Sedona Arts Center Launches 'Form & Face' Exhibition Featuring Guerrero and Titzer
The Sedona Arts Center opened 'Form & Face: Abstract Bodies and Masked Identities' on April 24, showcasing works by Zarco Guerrero and Kevin Titzer. The show runs through May 31 and includes a free reception with live music, food and...
Onya McCausland: Tailings
British artist Onya McCausland opens "Tailings" at CLOSE Gallery, a solo show running from April 25 to May 30, 2026. The exhibition presents 30 paintings that employ bespoke pigments derived from mining waste, delivering a palette of ochres, rusts and...
Miles Greenberg: “It’s Hard to Ignore the Body’s Particular Poetry”
Miles Greenberg, a Montreal-born performance artist, recently traced his West African ancestry during a research pilgrimage to Benin. While attending the Vodun Days festival in Ouidah, he observed masked ceremonies and communal energy exchanges that resonated with his own bodily...
Jasper Johns: Night Driver Opens at Guggenheim Bilbao with Major Retrospective
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao has opened "Jasper Johns: Night Driver," a sweeping retrospective that showcases roughly 140 works spanning six decades of the artist’s career. Running from May 29 to October 12, 2026, the exhibition traces Johns’ evolution from his...
Eyes of Lillian Bassman
The Metropolitan Museum of Art opened “Lillian Bassman: Bazaar and Beyond” (Mar 2‑Jul 26, 2026), positioning the iconic fashion photographer’s work beyond commercial fashion. Bassman’s experimental techniques—blur, smoke, and abstract composition—transform garments into studies of form and movement. The exhibition follows historic museum...
Antony Gormley Sculpture Quietly Removed and Sold Off by UK Council
Kent County Council, now run by the Reform party, quietly removed Antony Gormley's early sculpture "Two Stones" from the Kent History and Library Centre and sold it back to the artist for an undisclosed sum. The work, valued at £859,000...
Wangechi Mutu Awarded National Gallery Contemporary Fellowship in Landmark UK Collaboration
Kenyan‑American artist Wangechi Mutu has been awarded the National Gallery’s second Contemporary Fellowship, a two‑year program run with Art Fund and the Whitworth in Manchester. The fellowship runs from 2026 to 2028, during which Mutu will develop new work that...
Chang-Ching and Rhett Tsai’s Tricks of the Light
Artists Chang‑Ching Su and Rhett Tsai present a tandem series at Chicago’s Watershed Art & Ecology that interrogates the ecological and geopolitical fallout of green‑light luring used in Chinese squid‑fishing fleets. Su’s *Greenlessness* (2023‑25) records the LEDs on colour film,...
Met Gala 2026 Redefines Red‑Carpet Rules with 'Fashion Is Art' Dress Code
The 2026 Met Gala unveiled a tighter dress‑code brief alongside its 'Fashion Is Art' theme, prompting designers and celebrities to balance artistic ambition with specific guidelines. The shift is already sparking debate over how closely red‑carpet looks should adhere to...
BTS’s RM to Debut Personal Art Collection at SFMOMA in October
BTS leader RM (Kim Nam-joon) will showcase his personal collection of modern Korean art at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art from Oct. 3 through Feb. 7. The exhibition, titled RM x SFMOMA, features roughly 200 works, many never before shown in the United...