Today's Art Pulse
Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince’s ‘Helter Skelter’ debuts at Fondazione Prada in Venice
The joint exhibition “Helter Skelter” opens at Fondazione Prada’s Ca’ Corner della Regina in Venice, running through November 23, 2026. Curated by former Guggenheim chief Nancy Spector, the show pairs Jafa and Prince, artists noted for aggressive appropriation of cinema, music and American iconography. Critics describe the work as lawless image scavenging that confronts viewers.
‘Rapid Response’ Exhibition Spotlights Displacement and Ecocide In War-Torn Lebanon
Artist Ieva Saudargaitė Douaihi launched a rapid‑response exhibition, *Uprooted*, at Norwich’s Outpost Gallery to confront Lebanon’s escalating war. The show features large‑format photographs of native Lebanese plants torn from the ground, presenting them against stark white backdrops to highlight displacement and ecocide. By mirroring the rupture experienced by civilians, the work underscores the intertwined loss of life, land, and cultural continuity. The exhibition opens as Israeli strikes kill roughly 300 people and displace nearly a million Lebanese, intensifying its relevance.
Art Paris 2026 Draws Record Participation as Argo Fine Arts Launches Debut Gallery
The 28th Art Paris fair opened at the Grand Palais with a packed roster, highlighted by the Fonds d’art contemporain’s second‑ever stand focused on “La réparation” and the high‑profile debut of Argo Fine Arts. The fair’s robust attendance underscores Paris’s...
Vietnam's Comic Book Boom Hits New Heights with First Francophone Festival
Vietnam's comic book sector marked a milestone this week with the inauguration of the country's first Francophone Comic Festival in Ho Chi Minh City. The event underscores a decade‑long shift from foreign‑dominated shelves to a thriving ecosystem of homegrown storytellers and international...
Playwright S Shakthidharan Wins $250,000 Windham‑Campbell Prize for Drama
Sri Lankan‑Australian playwright S Shakthidharan has been awarded the $250,000 Windham‑Campbell Prize for drama, recognizing his multigenerational works on Tamil migrant experiences. The win underscores the prize’s role in giving writers financial freedom to pursue ambitious projects.
‘Fully Immersive’ Beeple Survey Lands in Silicon Valley
Artist Mike Winkelmann, known as Beeple, is presenting a two‑decade survey titled _BEEPLE: / INFINITE_LOOP_ at Node, a new nonprofit space in Silicon Valley, opening 18 April. The fully immersive show features kinetic pieces like _Human One_, the three‑storey _Diffuse Control_,...
Agnes Denes's Wheatfield: An Impossible Confrontation
In 1982 artist Agnes Denes transformed Manhattan’s Battery Park landfill into a three‑acre wheatfield that directly faced the World Trade Center and Wall Street. Funded by a $10,000 Public Art Fund grant, the project imported 200 truckloads of soil, planted and...
Good Morning
The Getty Center will shut for a full year of renovations, targeting a spring 2028 reopening just before the Los Angeles Olympics, while LACMA prepares to debut its $724 million Geffen Galleries, a project long in the making. Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn director...
Seoul Gets an Intriguing New Art Fair—Plus, a Rundown of the Latest in Asia’s Art World
The Hive Art Fair debuted in Seoul from May 21‑24, offering 50 exhibitors a booth‑fee‑free, B2B‑oriented platform where galleries purchase client tickets and select locations. Meanwhile, South Asian art commanded record prices, with Saffronart’s spring auction achieving $32.4 million and Raja Ravi Varma’s *Yashoda...
The Philosopher Who Predicted Our Post-Literate Art Moment
Philosopher Vilém Flusser, who foresaw an image‑driven consciousness, is gaining renewed attention as media consumption skyrockets. His 1980s concepts like the “technical image” and “apparatus” have shaped media studies but remain niche. MIT Press just released Martha Schwendener’s book, “The...
Gallery Fumi Just Opened a New York Residency with a Joyful Celebration of Material and Craft
Gallery Fumi has opened a three‑month New York residency at Tribeca’s Galerie56, a Herzog & de Meuron‑designed space that marks the London design gallery’s longest‑ever U.S. show. The first phase, "Materials of Joy," runs through May 23 and presents 51 handcrafted works by more...
Amir Zaki’s “Building + Becoming” Wins Gold Design Award
Building + Becoming by Amir Zaki. Co-published with DoppelHouse Press, Building + Becoming brings together 272 pages of full color work by the Orange County, CA–based hyperrealist photographer, accompanied by an interview with curator and writer Corrina Peipon and an essay co-authored by critics...
How to Extract the Story of Appalachia
The Queens Museum’s exhibition "The Great Society" by Swedish artist Fia Backström presents West Virginia as a landscape of perpetual trauma, using inverted photography, quilts, and text that omit local voices. The GRIT collective—artists raised in Appalachia—argues the show extracts...
Avoid Listing Unsellable Art to Prevent Buyer Confusion
Artists sometimes show art they don't want to sell, usually marking it NFS or pricing so high that no one will buy. If you love it that much, best not to show it in for-sale settings. Why? People can get...
Jean Paul Gaultier Tied to Mesh‑Heavy "Fashion Is Art" Theme for 2026 Met Gala
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2026 Met Gala will revolve around the Costume Institute’s new "Costume Art" exhibition and a "Fashion Is Art" dress code that emphasizes the dressed body. Designers and insiders anticipate that Jean Paul Gaultier will provide...
Italian Winemaker Ornellaia Reveals Marina Abramović’s Designs for Its 2023 Vintages
Italian super‑Tuscan producer Ornellaia unveiled its 2023 vintage bottles featuring designs by performance artist Marina Abramović. The collaboration, part of the Vendemmia d’Artista project, includes artwork on standard 750 ml bottles and ultra‑rare 3 L, 6 L and 9 L formats, of which only...
The Met Hires Star Photography Curator for the Museum’s New Wing
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has hired Oluremi C. Onabanjo, previously MoMA’s Peter Schub Curator, as the new curator of its Department of Photographs. Her primary task is to manage the 6,500‑photograph Walther Collection gift received in 2025 and to...
2025 Photo Awards Winner: Victor Cambet
The fourth annual Photo Awards, backed by online portfolio builder Format, announced winners in five categories—Colour, Nature, Portrait, Street and Student. Victor Cambet, a self‑taught photographer who moved from Lyon to Montreal, captured the Street award with images that celebrate...
Required Reading
Beloved painter Mr. Wash is spearheading a Morphosis‑designed arts center in Compton that will house three artist studios, a supply store and a small‑business incubator for formerly incarcerated creators. Across the globe, artist Abed Al Kadiri is running mural workshops for...
A Piece of the Eiffel Tower Is Heading to Auction
A 14‑step fragment of the Eiffel Tower’s original spiral staircase will be auctioned in Paris on May 21, with estimates ranging from $140,000 to $175,000. The piece, nearly nine feet tall, was installed for the 1889 Exposition Universelle and removed in...
The Fight To Keep A Collection Of Landmark Art From Leaving Mexico And Going To Spain
A collection of 20th‑century Mexican masterpieces, featuring works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is slated for export to Spain under an agreement with Banco Santander. Mexican cultural leaders argue the pieces should remain in the country, fearing a permanent...
Rose Wylie at 91: Three Must-See Works From a Joyfully Unruly Retrospective
Ninety‑year‑old British painter Rose Wylie is headlining a 90‑work retrospective at London’s Royal Academy, slated to run through 19 April 2026. The show, titled “The Picture Comes First,” has drawn record‑breaking visitor numbers, underscoring Wylie’s late‑career surge. Curated in partnership with Jari Lager Gallery,...
What The Ambitious New LACMA Building Is Trying To Do
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is preparing to open its new David Geffen Galleries, a 347,500‑square‑foot, $724 million project designed by Peter Zumthor after two decades of planning. The curvilinear structure stretches across Wilshire Boulevard and will anchor a new subway...
Nikita Kadan's 'A New Integrity' Opens on Limb Loss at Kyiv's Pavilion 13
Ukrainian artist Nikita Kadan launched his exhibition 'A New Integrity' on April 11 at Kyiv’s Pavilion 13. The show features a floating prosthetic installation, a soundscape by Clemens Poole, and recorded testimonies from amputee veterans, aiming to make limb loss...
Proposed Restitution Law in France Advances in National Assembly
The French National Assembly’s Cultural Affairs Committee approved a restitution bill that the Senate’s counterpart cleared in January, setting a plenary debate for April 13. The draft empowers the Minister of Culture to order the return of African artifacts by decree,...
No Dust to Settle: Amir Zaki at Diane Rosenstein Gallery
Photographer Amir Zaki presents *No Dust to Settle* at Diane Rosenstein Gallery, his third solo show with the space. The exhibition features black‑and‑white photographs of Orange County public libraries, many designed by mid‑century architects such as Richard Neutra, William Pereira...
Latina Poet’s Verse Now Circles Jupiter on Europa Clipper
With all this beautiful talk about poets & the current Artemis II mission, I’m reminded that our first Latina U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón wrote an original poem, "In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa," which is engraved (in...
K-POP, FUNGI, AND TERRACE RAVES: Art Basel Hong Kong 2026
Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 unfolded amid geopolitical tension and market uncertainty, yet the week featured a surge of new venues and alternative fairs. New spaces like GOLD and Antenna Space HK opened, while three debut fairs—Art House Tai Hang, Checkin...
French Senate Unanimously Passes Bill to Protect Artists From AI Data Scraping
The French Senate voted unanimously to adopt a landmark bill that flips the burden of proof onto AI developers, obligating them to demonstrate that copyrighted artistic works were not used to train their models. The legislation also requires transparency about...
5 Photographers Redefining Womanhood in the Middle East
The Middle East Archive, founded by curator Romaisa Baddar, has issued its eighth publication, shifting from domestic interiors to a deep dive on women’s evolving definitions of femininity. Titled “Al Nisa,” the book spotlights five photographers—Myriam Boulos, Rania Matar, Farah Al Qasimi,...
You Can Become an Artwork at This New York Museum—Thanks to Piero Manzoni
Magazzino Italian Art in Cold Spring, NY, will reactivate Piero Manzoni’s 1961 conceptual piece “Magical Base” as part of its “Piero Manzoni: Total Space” exhibition. On April 10‑11 visitors can stand on a wooden pedestal, be photographed, and receive a participation...
Marian Goodman’s Prized $65 Million Collection Lands at Christie’s
Christie’s announced a three‑day auction of Marian Goodman’s personal art collection, valued at roughly $65 million, slated for May 2026 in New York. The centerpiece will be seven Gerhard Richter paintings, including a 1982 candle work estimated up to $50 million. Additional pieces...
Radiohead Unveil ‘Kid A Mnesia’ Touring Audiovisual Installation
British rock group Radiohead announced a touring audiovisual installation titled Motion Picture House, built around their 2021 Kid A Mnesia reissue. The 75‑minute experience will premiere in a 17,000‑square‑foot underground bunker at Coachella and then travel to venues in Brooklyn,...
YouTube Report Details Animation Industry Indie Wave, Reveals Viewership Trends (Exclusive)
YouTube’s Culture & Trends team released the "Animation’s New Wave" report, showing a surge in independent digital animation as traditional studio output declines. The study, based on creator interviews, viewership data for 16‑49‑year‑olds, and a U.S. survey, finds that half...
Chicago’s Obama Presidential Center Has Art at Its Core
The Obama Presidential Center, a $850 million eight‑storey museum on Chicago’s South Side, will open on Juneteenth, June 19, 2026. Designed vertically to preserve Jackson Park’s landscape, the campus integrates a new library branch and public spaces. Ahead of the opening, the Center...
Readymades, Replicas, Reiterations: MoMA Show Explores Marcel Duchamp the Inventor
The Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Philadelphia Art Museum have opened a long‑awaited retrospective on Marcel Duchamp, the first major U.S. survey of his work in 53 years. Curated by Ann Temkin, Michelle Kuo and Matthew Affron, the show presents...
Project 2 | Dialogue: The 2Craigs
The fourth chapter of Project 2 continues the year‑long visual relay between photographer Craig Cutler and illustrator Craig Frazier. Each new piece is created as an instinctive response to the previous work, without any pre‑planned brief or conversation. The series blends...
Sasaoka Yuriko’s Violent Puppeteering
Sasaoka Yuriko’s "Paradise Dungeon" at the Shiga Museum of Art runs Jan‑Mar 2026, showcasing a decade of video‑art and installations that fuse grotesque puppetry with digital overlays. Beginning with the 2011 looped video "Untitled," the show traces her response to...
London’s V&A Launches Webpage Exploring Provenance of Its Objects
The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has unveiled a new online collections hub titled “How have objects come to be in the V&A?”. The site, launched on International Provenance Research Day, aggregates existing research and new essays on objects...
Young-Jun Tak’s Eyes Are Always on the Audience
Seoul‑born, Berlin‑based artist Young‑jun Tak credits his first job as an usher at the Seoul Arts Centre with honing a hyper‑observant eye on audience bodies. The experience sparked a career that fuses sculpture, choreography and film to dissect how posture,...
Swain's Launches First Auction House for Black and African Diaspora Art at Expo Chicago
Swain's inaugurated The Foundational Sale, the first auction house built exclusively for Black and African diaspora art, on April 10, 2026 at Chicago's Expo. The 19‑lot live auction featured marquee works by Guy Stanley Philoche, Bisa Butler and others, and...
Pilar Corrias Now Represents Alexis Ralaivao
Pilar Corrias has added French painter Alexis Ralaivao to its roster, partnering with New York’s Olney Gleason. His first UK solo show, Flirter avec l’abstrait, runs at the gallery’s Conduit Street space until 23 May 2026. Ralaivao’s oil paintings blend 17th‑century Dutch techniques with a...
Ragnar Kjartansson: Realms of the Real
Ragnar Kjartansson, Icelandic visual artist, narrates his journey in a new Art21 documentary that maps the rise of Iceland’s contemporary art scene from a rural, sheep‑farming nation to a vibrant urban creative hub. The film highlights his eclectic, music‑infused practice...
Why the Photo Market Is Moving Closer to Painting, With Unique Works Leading the Way
The photography market is gaining momentum, with four works surpassing $1 million and two exceeding $2 million in Artnet’s latest Spring Photographs auction. Specialized fairs such as AIPAD’s Photography Show and dedicated auction blocks are spotlighting unique, one‑of‑a‑kind images that blur the...
Simone Bodmer-Turner Grew an All-White Line of Tableware
Simone Bodmer‑Turner, a ceramicist famed for sculptural white vases, has introduced a 12‑piece all‑white tableware collection from her Pioneer Valley studio. The line, ranging from oval plates to candle holders, is slip‑cast in red stoneware and white slip for durability...
At 94, Gerhard Richter Is About to Give the Art Market a Massive Stress Test
Christie’s will auction a collection of Gerhard Richter works from the $65 million estate of late dealer Marian Goodman. The highlight is the 1982 painting “Candle,” projected to fetch at least $35 million, while the 1995 abstract “Poppy” is expected to bring...
Philadelphia Art Museums Celebrate America's 250th Anniversary with Blockbuster Two-Venue Show
Philadelphia’s two‑venue exhibition *A Nation of Artists* celebrates the nation’s 250th anniversary, uniting the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. The show features over 1,000 paintings, photographs, sculptures and decorative objects, spanning colonial portraits...
Event: Hammad Nasar and Billy Tang, Off the Record
ArtReview and Ursula magazine are hosting a live, ticketed conversation on 14 April in London’s Mayfair featuring curator Hammad Nasar and artistic director Billy Tang. The event, priced at £14 (approximately $18), includes a welcome drink and copies of both magazines. Nasar, an...
Michelangelo's 24‑Year‑Old Marble Masterpiece Radiates Sad Grace
The most beautiful marble sculpture in the world. Carved from a single block of marble by Michelangelo, showing Mother Mary with Jesus in her arms. Observe the emotions. The softness of the art. Pure sadness. Michelangelo was just 24 when he completed this.
Allison Katz Returns to New York with Outta the Bag at Hauser & Wirth
Allison Katz opens her first solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth in New York, titled "Outta the Bag." The show deepens her investigation of painting’s elasticity, using language, framing and self‑portraiture to probe an image‑saturated culture. Notable works include "Jaws,"...
One Art Advisor’s Conviction. Before It Became Consensus
Art advisor Myrtha Herrera of Collēctum selected self‑taught sculptor Alma Allen for a site‑specific commission at the Cero5Cien luxury residential project in Mexico City. The 65,000‑square‑meter development, designed by Grupo Arquitectura and built by GICSA, later earned the CIDI Gold...