East Africa Meets Western Europe as Michael Armitage Takes on Venice's Palazzo Grassi
British-Kenyan painter Michael Armitage opens his first solo exhibition at Venice’s Palazzo Grassi, showcasing 46 large paintings and nearly 100 sketches that span a decade of work. The show, titled “The Promise of Change,” positions the artist alongside Pinault‑owned masters such as Oehlen, Tuymans and Dumas in a historic 18th‑century venue. Armitage draws on his East African upbringing, Ugandan lubugo bark canvas, and recent Indonesian landscapes to fuse African narratives with European art history. Critics note the exhibition’s blend of documentary urgency and hallucinatory vision.
Texas Man Who Ran Cryptocurrency Scam Supposedly Backed by Blue-Chip Art Worth $1bn Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison
Robert Dunlap, a Texas entrepreneur, orchestrated a five‑year cryptocurrency fraud that promised investors a token called “Meta‑1 Coin” allegedly backed by $1 billion in fine art and $44 billion in gold. The scheme attracted nearly 1,000 victims and siphoned more than $20 million, wiping...
Spice up Your Life: Tate Channels 90s Glam at The Groucho Club
Tate Britain announced its autumn blockbuster, "The 90s: Art and Fashion," running from 8 October 2026 to 14 February 2027. The exhibition, curated by Dominique Heyse‑Moore and an all‑women team, showcases seminal figures such as Damien Hirst, Corinne Day, Helen Chadwick and Jenny Saville. Former...
Titian's ‘Bacchus and Ariadne’ to Get a Refresh with Bank Conservation Grant
Bank of America’s annual art conservation programme is funding the restoration of Titian’s 1520‑23 masterpiece *Bacchus and Ariadne* at London’s National Gallery. The work will be transferred to a new fabric support and any paint loss will be repaired, marking...
From Intimate Still Lives to Shadowed Saints: The Many Sides of Spanish Painter Francisco De Zurbarán Go on Show at...
The National Gallery in London has opened a comprehensive survey of Spanish Baroque master Francisco de Zurbarán, showcasing his famed saint portraits alongside intimate still‑lifes, late devotional works, and a reconstructed tier of a 15‑metre altarpiece from the Charterhouse of Jerez...
Final Book in Trilogy Asks: What Is the Future of the Art World?
András Szántó’s third book, *The Future of the Art World: 38 Dialogues*, gathers conversations with 38 leading figures—from gallerists and collectors to artists and cultural diplomats—to probe the evolving role of museums and the broader art ecosystem. The contributors disagree...
Pittsburgh’s New $31m Arts Landing Combines Public Art with Civic Engagement
Pittsburgh’s $31 million Arts Landing opened on April 17, completing construction on schedule and coinciding with the NFL Draft and the Carnegie International. Managed by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, the 2‑acre plaza showcases works by ten artists, including neon sculpture “Hold” and...
Stockholm's Market Art Fair Wants to Prove the 'Periphery Is Now Essential'
The 20th Market Art Fair opened in Stockholm’s new waterfront venue at Frihamnen, featuring 54 galleries—mostly Nordic but now including U.S. and U.K. participants after the fair broadened its application criteria. Prices ranged from roughly $2,500 for Finnish textile paintings...
Chernobyl 40 Years on, Paula Rego at Munch in Oslo, Gluck’s Flower Painting—Podcast
The Week in Art podcast spotlights three timely exhibitions. An installation at Nikolaikirche in Potsdam commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, running from 24‑27 April. Oslo’s Munch museum opens "Paula Rego: Dance Among Thorns," exploring the British artist’s fascination with...
Sonic Investigations Non-Profit to Be Artist-in-Residence at London's Gasworks
Earshot, a non‑profit founded by artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan, has secured a three‑year studio bursary at London’s Gasworks, funded by Spanish patron Mercedes Vilardell. The award covers an annual stipend and studio rent, giving the organization a permanent base to conduct sound‑based investigations...
Vancouver Biennale Names Senior Curator for 2027-29 Edition
The Vancouver Biennale has appointed internationally‑renowned curator Marcello Dantas as senior curator for its 2027‑29 edition. Dantas brings a portfolio that includes co‑curating Desert X AlUla 2024, directing the Pelé Station exhibition during the 2006 World Cup, and leading an...
Comment | Artnet-Artsy Merger: 'A Bloomberg for Art?'
Artnet and Artsy have been merged under private‑equity firm Beowolff Capital, with Artsy CEO Jeffrey Yin now running both businesses. The consolidation has already triggered staff cuts, including the closure of Artnet’s Berlin office and layoffs at Artnet News, raising...
Art Basel's Solution to PDF Pre-Sales? Ask Galleries to Reserve Works Until Opening Day
Art Basel is launching Basel Exclusive for its June Swiss fair, asking participating galleries to keep marquee works out of online viewing rooms and pre‑fair previews until the First Choice VIP preview on June 16. More than 170 galleries, including...
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...
From the World Cup and the Olympics to Two New Museums: Upcoming Cultural Attractions in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is gearing up for a wave of high‑profile events and cultural projects. SoFi Stadium will host World Cup matches, the 2027 Super Bowl and the opening ceremony of the 2028 Summer Olympics. The city also welcomes the $1 bn...
New Biography of Chaïm Soutine Pieces Together Illusive Artist's Life and Works
Celeste Marcus’s new biography, "Chaïm Soutine: Genius, Obsession, and a Dramatic Life in Art," reexamines the elusive expressionist painter’s turbulent career, from his 1913 arrival in Paris to his death in 1943. Drawing on testimonies from contemporaries, the book highlights...
Caravaggio and Rubens Works Destroyed by Fire in Second World War Are Brought Back to (Digital) Life
The Gemäldegalerie in Berlin has digitised its high‑resolution glass‑negative archive of paintings destroyed in a 1945 fire, including works by Caravaggio, Rubens, Veronese and van Dyck. Around 430 large‑format pieces were lost, leaving a major gap in art‑historical records. The project...
US National Gallery of Art Gifted More than 1,200 Mitch Epstein Photographs
The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. has received a gift of 1,261 photographs by acclaimed American photographer Mitch Epstein, creating the museum’s largest institutional collection of his work. The donation, made by Epstein and his wife Susan Bell, spans his...
New Catalogues Reveal Royal Collection's Vast Sculpture Holdings—And Queen Victoria's Acquisition Spree
Jonathan Marsden, former royal household surveyor, has released a four‑volume catalogue documenting roughly 1,800 sculptures in the Royal Collection, spread across Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Hampton Court, Kensington Palace and Osborne House. The work uncovers hidden gems such as a...
A Teaspoon at a Time: How LACMA Built Its Collection
Los Angeles County Museum of Art has transformed from a modest offshoot into a world‑class institution by layering incremental acquisitions, strategic exhibitions, and bold leadership. Curators like Stephanie Barron and Sharon Takeda leveraged local foundations and international loan shows to...
Diego Rivera’s Grandson Donates More than 150,000 Objects to Mexico City’s Museo Anahuacalli
Juan Rafael Coronel Rivera, the grandson of famed muralist Diego Rivera, has donated 157,300 objects from his private collection to Mexico City’s Museo Anahuacalli. The eclectic items—ceramics, textiles, photographs, archives and a research library—cover Mexican art from the 16th century to the present...
Recently Restored Castle in Norwich Among Five Institutions Shortlisted for UK's Top Museum Prize
Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery, fresh from a £27.5 m (£34 m) redevelopment that reopened in August 2025, joins four other institutions on the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2026 shortlist. The shortlist also features the National Gallery, the Fitzwilliam Museum,...
Drum and Trumpet with Human Skulls Attached Complicate Plan for Restitution From Los Angeles to Ghana
The Fowler Museum at UCLA holds a 19th‑century Asante drum and ivory trumpet seized by British troops, each bearing a human skull—a male skull on the trumpet and a female skull on the drum. While the museum successfully restituted seven...
Dallas Art Fair Brings Texas's Relationship-Driven Collecting Community Into Focus
The Dallas Art Fair has settled into a steadier rhythm, maintaining roughly 90 exhibitors and seeing only 31 galleries drop out compared with over 40 in previous cycles. Local collectors, who purchase sparingly but deliberately, treat the fair as the...
English Museums Should only Charge Tourists if Digital ID Checks in Place, UK Politician Says
Labour peer Baroness Margaret Hodge has revived a proposal to charge overseas visitors for entry to England’s national museums, but she insists it should only proceed once a universal digital ID system is in place. She estimates the fees would...
The Big Review: Rothko in Florence ★★★★★
Palazzo Strozzi, San Marco and the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana are hosting "Rothko in Florence," a three‑venue exhibition that juxtaposes 70 of Mark Rothko’s canvases with Fra Angelico frescoes and other Renaissance works. Co‑curated by Rothko’s son Christopher, the show draws from...
Toronto Biennial Takes Waterways as Inspiration for Its Fourth Edition
The Toronto Biennial of Art returns this autumn with its fourth edition, "Things Fall Apart," running from September 26 to December 20. The show features 30 artists, including 17 new commissions, and for the first time extends beyond the Greater Toronto Area...
A Brush With... Hurvin Anderson—Podcast
Hurvin Anderson joins Ben Luke for a deep‑dive podcast, unpacking the writers, musicians, and artists that shape his practice. He explains how he transforms personal and found photographs into layered canvases that echo memory and diaspora. Anderson also discusses his...
Art Dubai Announces Updated Gallery List for Postponed 2026 Edition
Art Dubai has shifted its 2026 edition to May 15‑17, postponing the event by a month due to the US‑Israel war in Iran. The fair will feature 50 regional and international galleries and introduces a revised fee model that waives...
'It Was My Job to Create the View': US Artist Liza Lou on Making Colourful Works in Her Windowless Warehouse
Liza Lou, the California‑based artist who first gained fame for her five‑year bead‑covered installation *Kitchen*, is back to working alone in a windowless warehouse, fusing oil paint with glass beads to create colour‑driven canvases. The stark, dark studio forces her...
Olafur Eliasson Stages Public Wake for the Great Salt Lake in Utah
Olafur Eliasson installed "A symphony of disappearing sounds for the Great Salt Lake" in Memory Grove Park, Utah, from March 26 to April 4, offering a free, ten‑day multimedia experience. The work projected shifting light onto a three‑storey illuminated sphere...
Defiant Women and Daring Paintings: Emin, Webster and Wylie Create a Buzz in the UK's Exhibition Calendar
Three veteran British women artists dominate the UK exhibition calendar, each mounting a high‑profile survey that redefines late‑career creativity. Rose Wylie, 92, became the first female painter to occupy the Royal Academy’s main galleries, showcasing massive, eclectic canvases that blend...
Staff at Goldsmiths Art College Plan Industrial Action Ahead of Redundancies
Goldsmiths, University of London’s flagship art college, announced a two‑year "Future Goldsmiths" restructuring that aims to deliver roughly $27.5 million in savings by 2027. The plan builds on earlier programmes that generated about $9.5 million and $20.1 million in savings, but also revealed...
France's Château La Coste Hosts Four Decades of Work by Designer Marc Newson
Australian designer Marc Newson’s 1994 Olympic sculpture “Electra” has been restored and installed at Château La Coste in Provence, where it will be on view until June 21. The piece joins a curated survey of four decades of Newson’s work, displayed in Oscar Niemeyer’s...
Berlin Exhibition Focuses in on Women Photographers of the Bauhaus
The Museum für Fotografie in Berlin is mounting *New Woman, New Vision: Women Photographers of the Bauhaus*, featuring roughly 300 photographs by 29 women linked to the historic Bauhaus and its Chicago offshoot. Curator Kristin Bartels aims to dismantle the lingering myth that...
France’s New Restitution Law Passes Final Vote
The French parliament voted unanimously on 13 April 2026 to adopt a framework law governing the restitution of cultural objects taken during the colonial era. The legislation requires a state‑initiated request and a bilateral scientific committee to certify that items were...
FKA Twigs and Brian Eno Among Artists Included in the Vatican's Sound-Based 2026 Venice Biennale Pavilion
The Vatican’s Holy See pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale will showcase 24 artists, including Brian Eno, FKA Twigs, Patti Smith and poet‑musician Precious Okoyomon. Titled “The Ear is the Eye of the Soul,” the exhibition interprets the life of Saint Hildegard of Bingen...
As Cuban Crisis Deepens, Diaspora Artists Have a Message of Compassion
The Piero Atchugarry Gallery’s exhibition *Exile* uses a salvaged, bullet‑scarred raft to embody the trauma of Cuban migrants risking a 93‑mile crossing to the U.S. Artists Antonia Wright and Ruben Millares combine sculpture, cyanotypes and silkscreen prints to shift viewers...
New Bienal De Yucatán to Spotlight Mexican Region’s Growing Art Scene
Mérida, Yucatán’s capital, will host the inaugural Bienal de Yucatán from 26 November 2026 to 28 February 2027. French‑born patron Catherine Petitgas, who runs Proyecto Y, is the driving force behind the event, while Mexican artist Abraham Cruzvillegas serves as artistic director. The biennial follows a...
Stealing the Show: Mona Lisa Heist Inspires Andrew Lloyd Webber Musical
Andrew Lloyd Webber is developing a new musical that dramatizes the 1911 theft of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa by Louvre employee Vincenzo Peroggia. The story will trace the painting’s three‑year disappearance and its recovery in Italy, a narrative that has fascinated...
Chicago’s Neighbors and Barely Fairs Show the Strengths of Smaller, Alternative Formats
Chicago’s spring art calendar now includes two intimate fairs that contrast with the massive Expo Chicago. Barely Fair, running through April 19 in McKinley Park, showcases 32 exhibitors in 20‑square‑foot booths with works priced from $150 to $8,000, emphasizing experimental formats. Neighbors,...
SP-Arte Underscores Latin America’s Resilient Rise Amid Global Market Recalibration
The 22nd SP‑Arte fair opened in São Paulo’s Ibirapuera Park, drawing over 180 galleries, design studios and cultural institutions. Brazilian galleries reported a 21% year‑on‑year sales surge in 2025, underscoring the region’s resilience amid global market recalibration. The fair expanded its...
UK National Gallery to Recoup £2m a Year After Completing Staff ‘Voluntary Exit Scheme’
London’s National Gallery announced it will save roughly $2.5 million a year through a voluntary exit scheme, helping to address an anticipated $10.3 million deficit. The scheme delivers $1.9 million in savings from departing staff and $625 k from a recruitment pause, but the...
Marcel Duchamp at MoMA, Dorothea Tanning Book, Leonora Carrington at the Freud Museum, London—Podcast
The Museum of Modern Art opens the first major U.S. survey of Marcel Duchamp’s career since 1973, with a later run at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Yale University Press releases a new monograph, *Dorothea Tanning: A Surrealist World*, priced at $45....
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...
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...
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...
Robilant and Voena Gallery Founders Part Ways to Start Separate Ventures with Their Children
After 22 years together, co‑founders Edmond di Robilant and Marco Voena have dissolved their partnership to launch two independent family‑run galleries, Robilant and Voena. The next generation steps into leadership, with Michele di Robilant taking the director role at Robilant...
The Art of Technology Jostles for Position in Venues Both New and Historic
Canyon, a new 40,000 sq ft Manhattan institution founded by video collector Robert Rosenkranz, will open this autumn to showcase moving‑image, sound and performance art. Unlike traditional museums, it will not hold a permanent collection but will program rapid 18‑24‑month exhibitions, borrowing...