April Book Bag: From a Matthew Wong Catalogue to a History of Dogs in Art
The April Book Bag spotlights four new art‑focused titles. "The Dog’s Gaze: A Visual History" (400 pp, $45) surveys canine depictions from the Paleolithic era to contemporary works. "Divine Presence" (137 pp, €68 ≈ $75) examines marble symbolism in 14th‑ and 15th‑century paintings, while "Drawing: Antony Gormley" (320 pp, £50 ≈ $62) explores the sculptor’s view of drawing as a thinking process. The catalogue "Matthew Wong: Interiors" (124 pp, £42 ≈ $53) presents 35 works ahead of a Venice exhibition running May‑November.
Pressing Issues: The Vital Role of Printmaking in the History of Art
Holly Black’s new Yale University Press volume, *The Story of Printmaking: A Global History of Art*, offers the first comprehensive survey of printed images from ninth‑century East Asia to 21st‑century digital techniques. Drawing on her London College of Printing training,...
The Story of London's Great Exhibition, as Seen Through the Eyes of Artists
Julius Bryant’s new volume examines the 1851 Great Exhibition through its visual record—paintings, prints, photographs and ephemera—rather than traditional social analysis. The book highlights Prince Albert’s youthful leadership, the rapid construction of the Crystal Palace, and the involvement of 13,937...
A New Istanbul Gallery Is Offering an Outlet for Iran’s Artists
On Feb. 28, Shiva Zahed Gallery launched in Istanbul’s Pera district, providing a rare physical venue for Iranian contemporary artists amid escalating US‑Iran tensions. The inaugural exhibition, “Echoes,” presents installation artist Shaqayeq Arabi and renowned painter Fereydoun Ave, whose work...
‘It’s Essential for Understanding What Is Going on in Ukraine’: New Exhibition Explores Wartime Limb Loss
Ukrainian artist Nikita Kadan opens "A New Integrity" at Kyiv's Pavilion 13, featuring a mid‑air installation of prosthetic limbs synchronized with a soundscape and veteran testimonies. The work, commissioned by the non‑profit RIBBON International, gives voice to amputated soldiers while avoiding...
George Costakis, Collector and Saviour of Soviet Avant-Garde Art, Celebrated with Athens Exhibition
Greek‑born collector George Costakis amassed thousands of Russian and Soviet avant‑garde works while navigating Stalinist repression, later relocating a substantial portion to Greece. His collection, which seeded the Museum of Modern Art in Thessaloniki, is returning to the National Gallery...
London Galleries Edel Assanti and Emalin Both Announce Expansions
London’s Edel Assanti is opening a 450‑sq‑ft boutique space on 11 Bury Street, bringing its total exhibition capacity to roughly eight shows a year and debuting with three Lonnie Holley quilts priced at $55,000 each. At the same time, Emalin is...
Art Cologne Heads to the Beach with Revived Mallorca Edition
Art Cologne is returning to the Balearic Islands with a revived Mallorca edition, Art Cologne Palma Mallorca, scheduled for 9‑12 April at the Palau de Congressos de Palma. The fair, which first tried a Spanish outpost in 2007, now features 88...
A Brush With... Lorna Simpson—Podcast
Lorna Simpson sits down with Ben Luke to discuss the writers, musicians, filmmakers and artists who have shaped her practice. She explains how her conceptual photography and recent found‑image paintings interrogate identity, history and the archive. Simpson describes a balance...
Irreconcilable Differences: Canadian Cultural Tourism to the US Experiences a Steep Decline
Canadian tourism to the United States has slumped by more than 30% in 2025, driven by President Trump’s annexation rhetoric, renewed tariffs and a perception of unwelcomeness. New York City saw Canadian arrivals fall from 983,000 in 2024 to 800,000...
Monumental 37ft-Long Indian Scroll Goes on Public View for the First Time at Yale Center for British Art
After a two‑year conservation project, the 37‑foot Lucknow scroll—an early 19th‑century Indian watercolor panorama—has been placed on public view at Yale Center for British Art. The scroll, created between 1821 and 1826, is featured in the “Painters, Ports and Profits”...
Canada Returns 11 Artefacts to Turkey in the First Repatriation Between the Countries
Canada returned eleven Ottoman‑era artefacts to Turkey, marking the first official repatriation between the two countries. The collection includes seven manuscript pages, two printed work pages and two modern calligraphy pieces dating from the 17th to 19th centuries, seized by...
Santiago Museum, Set on Fire During 2020 Protests, Reopens
Chile’s Violeta Parra Museum reopened on March 24 after a $1 million restoration funded by its fire‑insurance policy. The guitar‑shaped building suffered three arson attacks during the 2020 nationwide protests, though its structure remained intact. Director Denise Elphick oversaw the rehabilitation, adding...
Should English Museums Charge Tourists? Plus, Raphael at the Met and Senga Nengudi at the Whitechapel Gallery—Podcast
The UK government responded to a report proposing that England’s national museums charge tourists for entry, sparking a heated debate over free access versus new revenue streams. In New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art opened "Raphael: Sublime Poetry," the first...
Gagosian Chooses Paris Location to Present Three Important Late Paintings by Francis Bacon
Gagosian will showcase three late Francis Bacon paintings—*Study from the Human Body — Figure in Movement* (1982), *Study from the Human Body* (1986) and *Man at a Washbasin* (1989‑1990)—at its Paris gallery from April 11 to May 30, 2026. The...
Keep It in the Family: How Johannes Vermeer’s Paintings Remained Out of View for so Long
Andrew Graham‑Dixon’s new biography reveals that Maria de Knuijt and Pieter Claesz van Ruijven commissioned most of Johannes Vermeer’s output, amassing a collection of about 20 of his paintings. After their daughter Magdalena died in 1682, a notary inventory showed the...
An Expert's Guide to Alexander Calder: Six Must-Read Books on the US Sculptor
The Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris is hosting a major exhibition of nearly 300 Alexander Calder works, tracing the evolution of his iconic mobiles and broader practice. Curators Dieter Buchhart and Anna Karina Hofbauer paired the show with a curated...
A Brush with… Karen Archey, Head of Curatorial at Düsseldorf's K20 and K21 Museums
Karen Archey, head of curatorial at Düsseldorf’s K20 and K21 museums, highlighted the recent acquisition of Alice Neel’s politically charged 1965 painting “The Great Society.” She reflected on her 2007 “Grand Tour” of the Venice Biennale, Art Basel, Documenta, and Skulptur Projekte,...
New York’s Jewish Museum Opens Paul Klee Exhibition without Its Centrepiece
The Jewish Museum in New York opened its Paul Klee exhibition on March 20, but the centerpiece, Angelus Novus, is absent because the original remains in Israel amid disrupted air transport caused by the Iran war. An authorized facsimile now occupies a recessed...
‘The Sharp Perception only a Woman Can Bring to Observing Other Women’: Dorothy Bohm’s Photographs Go on Show at Lee...
Dorothy Bohm’s photography will be showcased in the new "About Women" exhibition at Farleys House & Gallery, opening on 2 April and running through 26 July. The show presents seven decades of her female‑focused black‑and‑white and colour work, tracing a career that...
Mexico’s Art Community Calls for Greater Transparency in Management of Treasured Collection
The Gelman Collection, one of the world’s most significant 20th‑century Mexican art holdings, was purchased by the Monterrey‑based Zambrano family in 2023 and placed under Banco Santander’s stewardship as the Gelman Santander Collection. An open letter signed by 350 cultural...
Copy of Rembrandt Portrait on Display in Chicago Is by the Master Himself, Scholar Claims
A copy of Rembrandt's 1631 portrait *Old Man with a Gold Chain*, long labeled a workshop replica, is now argued by art historian Gary Schwartz to be an autograph work by the master himself. The original and the contested copy...
New £5m Cultural Centre in Northampton, UK to Pursue Model that ‘Embeds Artists in Social and Economic Fabric of a...
A new cultural centre opens in Northampton on 1 May after a £5.2 million (£≈6.6 million USD) refurbishment of a 1930s municipal building. Arts Collective will run free year‑round exhibitions, 17 purpose‑built artist studios and community workshops, launching with a Rose Finn‑Kelcey retrospective....
Comment | A Generational Moment for Nazi-Looted Art Claims in the US
On March 16 the U.S. House approved an expanded Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (HEAR) Act of 2025, awaiting President Trump’s signature. The bill makes the six‑year discovery‑based statute of limitations permanent and eliminates technical defenses such as laches, the act‑of‑state...
‘As an Artist I Have a Duty to Reflect the Times’: Photographer Misan Harriman Explores Protests and Solidarity in New...
Misan Harriman’s protest photography collection *The Purpose of Light* has become a permanent installation at London’s Hope 93 gallery, showcasing over a hundred black‑and‑white images from seven years of demonstrations across the UK, US and South Africa. The exhibit, originally a...
German Artist Anne Imhof to Be Subject of ‘Ambitious’ Hong Kong Solo Exhibition in 2027
German performance artist Anne Imhof will present her first solo exhibition in Asia at Hong Kong’s Tai Kwun cultural complex from 26 September 2026 to 3 January 2027. The show combines a comprehensive survey of her most influential works with a brand‑new commission, creating an immersive environment...
Comment | Inside the Preservation of the Largest Fortress in the Americas
Haiti’s Citadelle Laferrière, the Western Hemisphere’s largest fortress and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is nearing the end of a 25‑year preservation effort. The World Monuments Fund and Haiti’s Institute for the Protection of National Heritage have reinforced the structure against...
Chile's Leading Art Fair Foregrounds Affordable Works, Often with a Political Edge
The 16th edition of Chile Arte Contemporáneo (Chaco) runs in Santiago until March 29, featuring more than 50 galleries and a mix of Chilean and international exhibitors. Organisers emphasize affordability, with many pieces priced below $1,000 and larger works around...
Matisse’s Explosive Finale and a New Chapter for Hong Kong? Plus, Schiaparelli and Dalí—Podcast
The Grand Palais in Paris opened "Matisse 1941‑1954," a comprehensive survey of the artist’s final 13 years, featuring cut‑outs, chapel works, and late paintings. Art Basel Hong Kong continued through March 29, offering a tentative optimism for the region’s art market despite a broader Chinese...
Revealed: The Amazing Frame Once Created for Van Gogh’s Sunflowers
Researchers have reconstructed the lost Art Deco frame that once surrounded Vincent van Gogh’s early masterpiece, Three Sunflowers, using a 1930s photograph and archival material. The frame, dark lacquered with gold circles and angled edges, is now attributed to Irish‑born...
One of Donatello’s Most Important Bronze Statues Is Being Restored: Should It Ever Be Shown Outdoors Again?
Donatello’s 15th‑century bronze equestrian statue Gattamelata, long displayed in Padua’s Piazza del Santo, has been moved indoors for the first time in nearly six centuries for a €1 million (≈$1.08 million) restoration funded by Friends of Florence and Save Venice. Conservators discovered...
Guillaume Cerutti Departs as President of the Pinault Collection After 13 Months
Guillaume Cerutti, former Christie’s CEO, is exiting his role as president of the Pinault Collection after just 13 months. The departure was confirmed by the collection’s spokesperson, though no official explanation was provided. Cerutti, who has long‑standing ties to François...
Theaster Gates Gifts David Drake Pot From His Collection to Enslaved Ceramicist’s Descendants
Theaster Gates’ new Gagosian exhibition, "Dave: All My Relations," spotlights enslaved potter David Drake by displaying two of his historic vessels—one already restituted by the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and another from Gates’s own collection that will also be...
'The Human-Machine Creative Entanglement': Artist Sougwen Chung on Her Technology-Based Practice
Sougwen Chung is showcasing new works at Art Basel Hong Kong’s inaugural Zero 10 sector, a platform for digital‑age art. Her centerpiece, Recursion 0, is a 10‑metre scroll generated live from brain‑wave data, illustrating her long‑standing human‑machine collaboration research that began in 2015. The...
Exhibition Explores Connection Between Textiles and Spirituality in Asia
The Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile in Hong Kong launches "Threading Inwards," an exhibition that investigates the link between textiles and spirituality across Asia. Featuring fourteen artists working in painting, video, AI, and fabric, the show includes Sang A....
Researchers at Art Gallery of Ontario Identify Painter and Subject of 18th-Century Portrait of Black Woman
Researchers at the Art Gallery of Ontario have identified both the sitter and the artist of an 18th‑century portrait of a Black woman. The subject, Eleonora Susette, was born around 1756 in the Dutch colony of Berbice (now Guyana) and was...
Michaelina Wautier’s Work Was Lost, Hidden or Misattributed to Men—Now Her Rediscovered Paintings Are Going on Show in London
Michaelina Wautier, a 17th‑century Flemish Baroque painter long obscured and often misattributed to men, is the focus of a major exhibition at London’s Royal Academy of Arts. The show features 25 works, including newly identified pieces such as the Five...
Comment | All Hail the Rise of the Art Internship
Edconic and Sotheby’s have launched a paid 12‑week fellowship for 20 master’s students at the Sotheby’s Institute in New York, granting academic credit and wages well above the minimum. The pilot, announced in February, will later expand to London with...
Goldfish on Cars and Ceramic Flowers: Artists Take over the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong
The Peninsula Hong Kong has launched its annual Art in Resonance program, featuring three site‑specific installations from Angel Hui, Albert Yonathan Setyawan and William Lim. Hui’s goldfish‑in‑a‑Rolls‑Royce piece draws on Hong Kong’s Goldfish Market, while Setyawan’s ceramic structure of 700...
French Government Blocks Sale of Newly Discovered Drawing by German Renaissance Master Hans Baldung
The French culture ministry stepped in at the last minute to block the auction of a newly identified Hans Baldung Grien drawing, slated for March 23 at Drouot with a pre‑sale estimate of €1.5‑3 million (approximately $1.65‑$3.3 million). The silverpoint portrait of...
London Exhibition Celebrates Konrad Mägi, Estonia’s Mystic Modern Master
London’s Dulwich Picture Gallery has opened the first UK exhibition devoted to Estonia’s modernist pioneer Konrad Mägi, showcasing more than 60 paintings, many never displayed abroad. Curated by Kathleen Soriano, the show arranges the works chronologically, tracing Mägi’s evolution from his...
Keeping up with the Kleins: Exhibition Brings Together Yves’s Talented Artist Family
The Stedelijk Museum Schiedam has opened "Yves Klein and His Artist Family," showcasing 30 works by Yves alongside more than 40 pieces by his parents Fred Klein and Marie Raymond and his widow Rotraut Klein‑Moquay. Curated by Tijs Visser of...
The Met’s Blockbuster Raphael Exhibition Looks Beyond the Artist’s Idealised Madonnas
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has opened "Raphael: Sublime Poetry," the first comprehensive U.S. exhibition devoted to the Renaissance master, showcasing 237 works—including 33 paintings and 142 drawings—spanning his entire career. The show features unprecedented loans from institutions such as...
Gullah Artist Sam Doyle’s Narrative Portraits Shine at Outsider Art Fair in New York
Sam Doyle, a self‑taught Gullah artist from South Carolina, is featured with twenty narrative paintings at the Outsider Art Fair in New York, sourced from Bob Roth’s collection and priced between $35,000 and $85,000. Doyle’s works depict local Lowcountry figures, historic...
Russia’s Pavilion at Venice Biennale Will Be Closed if It Features Propaganda, City’s Mayor Says
Mayor Luigi Brugnano warned that Venice will close Russia’s Biennale pavilion if it serves as a propaganda platform, reinforcing EU pressure to limit Russian cultural presence after the 2022 invasion. The Biennale’s president announced a “Biennale del Dissenso” space featuring...
New Chilean President Reverses Predecessor’s Policies, Cutting Culture Budget
Chile’s new president José Antonio Kast has ordered a 3% across‑the‑board budget cut, targeting the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage among 25 ministries. The culture ministry’s budget, which rose to roughly $580 million for 2026 under Gabriel Boric, will be...
Mexico’s Culture Ministry Urges eBay to Halt Sales of Pre-Hispanic Artefacts
Mexico’s Secretariat of Culture has flagged 195 pre‑Hispanic artefacts listed by the U.S.‑based eBay seller Coins Artifacts and formally asked the platform to halt the sales and return the items. The ministry’s letter cites Mexico’s 1827 export ban and alleges the...
Major Collection of Indian Paintings and Calligraphy to Be Offered at Christie's
Christie’s will auction Indian paintings and calligraphy from the Seattle‑based Cowles collection in London on 28 April, with a total estimate exceeding £1.5 million. The lot is dominated by Mughal works spanning the 16th to mid‑19th centuries, including a Fraser Album piece...
Art Dubai 2026 to Be Postponed and Adapted in Response to Regional Conflict
Art Dubai has postponed its 20th‑anniversary fair from mid‑April to May 14‑17, 2026, and will reformat the event as a curated cultural gathering rather than a traditional exhibition. The organizers introduced a flexible fee structure, replacing fixed stand fees with...
Dalí Painting that Inspired Schiaparelli Dress to Be Shown in UK for First Time
Salvador Dalí’s 1936 painting *Necrophiliac Spring*, long unseen in the United Kingdom, will be displayed at the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of the “Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art” exhibition running March 28‑November 1. The work, which inspired Elsa Schiaparelli’s celebrated 1938...