Seven Significant National Pavilions From the 2026 Venice Biennale
The 61st Venice Biennale opened on May 12, 2026 under the theme “In Minor Keys,” featuring 99 national pavilions, seven of them debuting. Highlights included Australia’s historic first Australian artist in its pavilion, Iceland’s dreamlike “Pocket Universe” with a viral Björk DJ set, and India’s architectural exhibition in the Isolotto warehouse. Other notable shows were Somalia’s inaugural pavilion, Spain’s postcard‑covered “Los Restos,” Canada’s living greenhouse of water lilies, and Estonia’s evolving “House of Leaking Sky.” The event underscored the growing diversity and experimental formats across the global contemporary art scene.
Pioneering British Photographer Julia Margaret Cameron Honoured with a Blue Plaque in London
English Heritage unveiled a blue plaque at 10 Chesham Place in Belgravia, marking the London home of pioneering photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. Cameron, who only picked up a camera at age 48, produced iconic portraits of figures such as Alfred Tennyson, Charles Darwin and...
Frieze New York Will Open With 68 Galleries From 26 Countries, and Other News.
Frieze New York returns for its 15th edition on May 13, showcasing 68 galleries from 26 nations with a spotlight on Central and South American talent. Tiffany & CFDA unveiled a new $25,000 scholarship and internship for emerging jewelry designers, expanding their...
A Joan Mitchell Diptych and a Rare Stack by Donald Judd: Our Pick of the May Auctions
May’s New York auction calendar showcased four marquee works, with Joan Mitchell’s 1989 diptych "Plain" slated for $5‑7 million, Donald Judd’s rare 1969 "Untitled (Stack)" targeting $10‑15 million, Jean‑Michel Basquiat’s 1983 "Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown)" listed above $45 million, and Mark Rothko’s 1957 "Brown...
What Hosting Design Matters Has Taught Debbie Millman About Creativity
Debbie Millman, host of the long‑running Design Matters podcast, will headline Vivid Sydney 2026 with a keynote titled “Designing What Matters: How Creativity Shapes a Life.” In the interview she argues that, even as AI can produce images at speed,...
Comrades in Art: Artists Against Fascism — Eye-Opening Show Sets the Record Straight
The Financial Times review titled “Comrades in Art: Artists Against Fascism” is currently locked behind a subscription wall, so the article’s substantive content—including details about the exhibition, its participants, or critical arguments—is not publicly available. The page primarily displays subscription...
RISING Announces Final Additions to 2026 Program
RISING 2026 has unveiled its final program additions ahead of its 27 May opening in Melbourne. The lineup now includes Cannupa Hanska Luger's large‑scale projection and sound work Midéegaadi, which will illuminate Federation Square and Hamer Hall, exploring Indigenous futurisms and bison regeneration....
Eleanor Conover/Abattoir Gallery by WM
Maine‑based artist Eleanor Conover, known for sculptural, shaped‑canvas paintings that fuse oil, dye, graphite and reclaimed wood, will make her New York solo debut at Independent with Abattoir Gallery from May 14‑17, 2026. The presentation includes a conversation with veteran curator Michelle Grabner...
A New Landmark Survey Aims to Bring Transparency to Museum Collecting Practices
The Penn Cultural Heritage Center (PennCHC) at the University of Pennsylvania will launch the National Survey of Museum Collecting Practices, the first U.S.‑wide effort to document how museums acquire, loan, deaccession and return objects. Conducted from May 20 to August...
Artist Masako Miki Crafts Modern Take on Ancient Japanese Folklore
Artist Masako Miki’s new exhibition "Midnight March" at Boston’s MassArt Art Museum reinterprets the 1,000‑year‑old Japanese folktale "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons" through vivid, needle‑felted sculptures. The works transform traditionally fearsome yōkai into colorful, huggable figures, reflecting Miki’s own...
Somali Artists Take Issue With Nation's First-Ever Venice Biennale Pavilion
Somalia’s inaugural national pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale sparked backlash after the lineup featured only diaspora artists and an Italian co‑curator, prompting the Somalia Arts Foundation and queer collective Warbixinta Cidda to demand inclusion of locally based creators and...
Delayed by War in Iran, Paul Klee Painting From Israel Finally Joins New York Show
The Jewish Museum in New York has finally received Paul Klee’s 1920 work *Angelus Novus* on loan from the Israel Museum, ending a months‑long delay caused by the war in Iran. The painting now joins the “Paul Klee: Other Possible...
A Lucas Cranach the Elder Masterpiece Once Hung in Hitler’s Munich Apartment
Lucas Cranach the Elder’s 1526‑27 painting *Cupid complaining to Venus*—once hung in Adolf Hitler’s Munich apartment—now resides in London’s National Gallery. The work’s ownership trail is tangled, involving a 1909 Berlin auction, a likely forced sale from a Jewish collector...
Nazi-Looted Portrait Surfaces in Home of Descendants of Dutch SS Leader
A Dutch painting titled *Portrait of a Young Girl*—stolen from the Jacques Goudstikker collection during World War II—has been found hanging in the home of Hendrik Seyffardt’s descendants, the former Dutch SS collaborator. A family member, unaware of his lineage, alerted...
“Pomegranates” By Photographer João Lutz
Brazilian photographer João Lutz releases “Pomegranates,” a book that fuses photography, poetry and stillness to process a resurfaced memory of childhood sexual abuse. The project, created after his forced departure from the United States, abandons linear narrative in favor of...
Houston and Brooklyn Show What Robert Wilson Still Means to LA28
Robert Wilson’s avant‑garde vision returned to the U.S. with Houston Grand Opera’s striking staging of Handel’s “Messiah” and Brooklyn Academy of Music’s immersive “Moby Dick” opera. Both productions were accompanied by screenings of the newly restored documentary “Robert Wilson and the...
‘This Is the Place of Dreams’: Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo’s Venetian Island Venue Opens to Public
Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo inaugurated San Giacomo, a reclaimed Venetian lagoon island, as a new venue for contemporary art during the 2024 Venice Biennale. The island hosts Matt Copson’s solo exhibition in a former munitions storehouse alongside selections from the...
Counterpublic Comes to New York Ahead of Its Next Triennial, Coyote Time
Counterpublic, the St. Louis nonprofit known for large‑scale public art, is gearing up for its third triennial, Coyote Time, running September 12 through December 12, 2026. Ahead of the exhibition, the organization will launch a New York Art Week party in partnership with Frieze...
Art Installation Featuring Trump Iran War Video Game Appears on National Mall
The anonymous collective Secret Handshake installed an arcade‑style video game titled *Operation Epic Furious: Strait To Hell* on the National Mall’s War Memorial. The satirical game lampoons the Trump administration’s rhetoric about an Iran conflict, featuring pixelated portraits of Trump,...
LA500 2026: Michael Govan
Michael Govan, who has led LACMA since 2006, has expanded the museum’s collection by roughly 35,000 works and driven annual attendance above 1.5 million. His tenure culminated in the opening of the $720 million David Geffen galleries, designed by Peter Zumthor and engineered with...
Melding Chinese Lacquer with European Abstraction
Chinese‑German artist Su Xiaobai, who abandoned oil for lacquer after Gerhard Richter’s 2003 advice, presents his mature medium in the Venice show Alchemical Universe. Curated by LACMA’s Stephen Little and designed by architect Kulapat Yantrasast, the exhibition fills the 15th‑century Palazzo...
8 Highlights From Venice Biennale 2026
The 61st Venice Biennale opened with a surreal mix of installations, performances, and satellite shows across the city’s historic venues. Highlights included a naked performer suspended from a massive bell in the Giardini, provocative "piss tanks," and avant‑garde puppet pieces...
The Hiding Man of Griffith Park
Anna Holmes’s L.A. Material piece profiles an anonymous creator who has turned Griffith Park and surrounding Eastside neighborhoods into a sprawling, cryptic installation called “The Hiding Man.” The artist places hand‑painted, grammatically‑twisted warning signs that describe a phantom figure—a burn‑victim‑like, cubist Frankenstein—who...
‘Many Faces of Womanhood’: Brussels Photography Show Challenges Gender Stereotypes in Ukraine and Caucasus
An open‑air exhibition titled “Many Faces of Womanhood” opened on 8 May at Brussels’ Mont des Arts, featuring 36 photographs by Olga Ivaschenko that portray women from Ukraine, Armenia, Moldova and Georgia in roles ranging from frontline fighters to artists and...
Molière Ex Machina: AI Used to Create ‘New Work’ by Beloved French Playwright
French scholars at Sorbonne used the AI tool Le Chat to co‑write a new three‑act comedy in the style of Molière, titled L’Astrologue ou les Faux Présages. The play debuted at the Royal Opera in Versailles before an audience of 100,...
Comment | Flourishing Markets Beyond the Big Three Will Benefit the Art Ecosystem—And the Planet
The latest Art Basel & UBS report shows the share of art‑market activity outside the traditional hubs of New York, London and Hong Kong climbing from 17 % in 2015 to 24 % in 2025. Protectionist policies, Brexit‑related tariffs and inflation have slowed cross‑border sales,...
Artist Bouke De Vries Creates Sculptural Porcelain Bottles for Dries Van Noten Perfume
Belgian artist Bouke de Vries has crafted five sculptural porcelain bottles for Dries Van Noten’s unisex fragrance Soie Malaquais. The limited‑edition containers, priced at £6,000 (about $7,600) each, are sold in the brand’s London and New York boutiques and online. De Vries, known for...
These Portraits Capture the Artists and Club Kids of Mexico City
Photographer Ryan O’Toole Collett launched the street‑portrait series *A Caged Dog Barks the Fiercest* after arriving in Mexico City in 2024 amid a heated presidential election. The project documents the city’s underground art scene and club‑kid culture, capturing 30 vivid...
Koray Duman Is Architecting Engagement From the Venice Biennale to Carnegie International
Bureau Koray Duman (B‑KD) unveiled five high‑profile international projects, including the UAE National Pavilion and Denniston Hill installation at the 61st Venice Biennale and the 59th Carnegie International exhibition in Pittsburgh. The studio also completed the Noguchi Museum storage‑archive in...
The Koyo Kouoh Foundation Launches in Memory of the Late Venice Biennale Curator, and Other News.
The Koyo Kouoh Foundation was launched to preserve the legacy of the late curator who became the first African woman to helm the Venice Biennale, coinciding with her posthumous exhibition “In Minor Keys” at the 2026 Biennale. Indonesian multimedia artist Dian Suci...
Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art 2026 Review: Up Close and Personal
The 2026 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, titled *Yield Strength* and curated by Ellie Buttrose, showcases 24 artists across three venues, probing how materials and cultures endure political and social pressure. Highlights include Erika Scott’s 15‑metre assemblage of discarded domestic objects, Jennifer Matthew’s...
Lexon X Jeff Koons Reimagine the Balloon Dog in a Limited Chromatic Series
Design firm Lexon and artist Jeff Koons have expanded their partnership with the Chromatic Collection, a limited‑edition line of Balloon Dog lamps and speakers in eight vibrant colorways. The lamp offers nine programmable LED hues and reflective finishes, while the...
ForteBank Immortalizes Almaty’s Viral Human Chain in Bronze
ForteBank unveiled a bronze sculpture called “Humanity Chain” in Almaty, commemorating a viral video of strangers rescuing a dog from a river. The interactive artwork lets visitors extend the final hand, turning the public into participants. The launch, executed with no...
France Passes Landmark Restitution Law for Looted Art
France has enacted a landmark restitution law that creates a universal legal framework for returning cultural artifacts looted during the colonial era, fulfilling President Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 promise. The legislation makes France the first European country to override the traditional...
New From MolokoTake a Ride with A. Robert Lee’s Travel Painting
Moloko has launched *Take a Ride with A. Robert Lee’s Travel Painting*, an anthology that fuses poetry, prose, and visual art around the theme of travel. The book showcases Lee’s verses and vignettes that traverse literal journeys and literary imagination. Its wrap‑around...
The Art That Nazis Stole, Still Waiting To Go Home, Wherever Home May Be
The Musée d’Orsay in Paris has opened a permanent gallery titled “À qui appartiennent ces œuvres ? / Who Do These Works Belong To?” that showcases artworks from France’s MNR collection recovered after World War II but still without identified owners. The exhibition aims...
Ajman Department of Tourism, Culture and Media Strengthens the Presence of Emirati Crafts
The Ajman Department of Tourism, Culture and Media, together with the Ministry of Culture, is taking part in the second edition of the Artisans Pavilion at the “Make it in the Emirates 2026” Forum. The showcase highlights traditional ornamental crafts such...
Uncertainty & Possibility
Kyotographie 2026, Kyoto’s international photography festival, runs at multiple venues until May 17, gathering more than 13 artists to probe the concept of "the edge." The programme juxtaposes experimental image‑making with social, historical and urban peripheries, featuring veterans like Daido Moriyama...
The Artists of Sherkin Island Off West Cork: ‘You Might Not See Anyone for a Couple of Weeks’
Technological University Dublin’s four‑year BA in Visual Arts has been delivered on Sherkin Island, off West Cork, for 26 years, offering weekend residencies that combine studio work with island life. The program has produced about 120 graduates, with roughly 15...
Rite & Reason: ‘I Find It Too Very Ugly’: The Statue so Divisive It Was Hidden in a Dún Laoghaire...
The Monument of Christ the King, a 5.5‑metre bronze sculpture weighing 3.5 tonnes, was commissioned in 1931 by a cross‑denominational committee in Dún Laoghaire. After being hidden from the German army during World War II and rejected by Archbishop John Charles McQuaid, it spent decades...
Bruno Bischofberger, Art Dealer of Stars Like Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Dies at 86
Bruno Bischofberger, the Zurich‑based dealer who championed American pop and contemporary art in Europe, died at 86. His eponymous gallery, founded in 1963, introduced icons such as Andy Warhol, Jean‑Michel Basquiat and Julian Schnabel to European collectors and helped shape...
Tuan Vu Paints Vietnam Through the Haze of Memory and Imagination
Self‑taught Vietnamese‑born artist Tuan Vu presents his solo exhibition “Annam” at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery in Berlin. The show explores memory, imagination, and Vietnam’s colonial past through vivid, dreamlike paintings that blend Eastern motifs with Western modernist references. Vu, now based...
A Venice Biennale in Turmoil
The 2026 Venice Biennale opened amid unprecedented chaos, with the entire jury resigning over the eligibility of Israeli and Russian pavilions. Iran withdrew its national pavilion days before the launch, and the U.S. pavilion remained empty after a values‑based call...
81 Artists Withdraw From Venice Biennale Competition
The 61st Venice Biennale opened amid a wave of protest, with 81 artists pulling their work from the Visitor Lion prize pool. The withdrawals span the central exhibition and 16 national pavilions, citing solidarity with the international jury that resigned...
Five Pavilions to See at the Venice Biennale
The 2024 Venice Biennale showcases five standout national pavilions. Japan invites visitors to hold 5.5‑kg baby dolls that hide QR‑code poems, creating an intimate, comforting ritual. Britain’s Lubaina Himid pairs bright, multi‑canvas paintings with a pastoral soundscape to interrogate migration...
Plot Twist Newsletter: Art or Propaganda? The Furore at the Venice Biennale
The Economist's Plot Twist newsletter examines the heated debate surrounding the 2026 Venice Biennale, where several high‑profile installations were accused of serving as state‑backed propaganda. Critics and artists clash over whether the works represent legitimate artistic expression or political messaging,...
Rocky Has Entered the Building
The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s new exhibition “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments” examines the iconic Rocky Balboa statue, a 1980 commission that has become a global tourist magnet. An estimated four million visitors flock to the statue each...
Largest-Ever Henry Moore Exhibition Opens at Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has launched "Monumental Nature," the largest outdoor exhibition of Henry Moore’s work, featuring 30 sculptures, drawings and prints across its grounds. The show runs through 31 January 2027, with four pieces remaining at the nearby Wakehurst estate until...
New York Art Week Will Test the Market’s Momentum
New York’s art week kicks off with Frieze New York opening on May 13, featuring 68 galleries—about half of them local. Simultaneously, Sotheby’s will auction roughly $1.8 billion of works, highlighted by a Robert Mnuchin Rothko projected to fetch $70‑100 million. The auction house’s...
In Antwerp, Families Come in All Shapes and Sizes
The Fotomuseum Antwerpen (FOMU) presents "Families," a photography exhibition that runs until May 23 2026. Curated by Anne Ruygt and written by author Niña Weijers, the show draws from the museum’s four‑million‑object collection to showcase more than 200 images that interrogate traditional, chosen, and...