Inside Sunpride Foundation’s Mission to Champion LGBTQ+ Art Across Asia

Patrick Sun founded the Sunpride Foundation in 2014 to support LGBTQ+ communities through art, combining his passion for contemporary queer Asian art with philanthropy. The foundation's flagship "Spectrosynthesis" exhibition series has been staged at major institutions across Asia, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei, and the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. The latest iteration, "Spectrosynthesis Seoul," opened at Seoul's Art Sonje Center and runs through June 28, 2026. Sun, a Hong Kong-born real estate developer and longtime art collector, built the foundation's collection with a focus on works suitable for museum exhibitions about queer identity.

Here’s How Stars at the 2026 Met Gala Nodded to Art History

The 2026 Met Gala, themed "Fashion Is Art," saw celebrities and fashion figures wearing outfits directly inspired by or referencing iconic artworks and art historical movements. Notable nods included Chloe Malle in a gown referencing Frederic Leighton's *Flaming June*, Lauren Sánchez Bezos in a Schiaparelli dress echoing John Singer Sargent's *Madame X*, and Hunter Schafer channeling Gustav Klimt's portrait *Mäda Primavesi*. Other attendees like Anne Hathaway, Hailey Bieber, and Karan Johar also drew from specific paintings, sculptures, and poems, while stylist Law Roach wore a hand-painted piece by Gabonese artist Naïla Opiangah.

Artists made their mark at 2026 Met Gala

The 2026 Met Gala, held on May 4 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, raised a record $42 million for the Costume Institute, surpassing last year's $31 million. Honorary chairs Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos contributed at least $10 million, but their involvement sparked protests outside the event, with demonstrators holding signs like "Tax the Rich" and a group called Everyone Hates Elon leaving fake urine bottles labeled with Bezos's face. Inside, artists made a strong impression: Amy Sherald wore a Thom Browne look based on her painting; Jordan Roth donned a Robert Wun outfit inspired by a Met collection work; and Tschabalala Self collaborated with Brandon Blackwood on a gown evoking Degas's ballerina sculpture. The gala's dress code was "fashion is art," and the accompanying exhibition, "Costume Art" (May 10–January 10, 2027), debuts the Met's new 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast Galleries.

Look Inside the Art-Filled Home of New York City's Cultural Crusaders

This profile explores the Upper West Side residence of Crystal McCrary McGuire and Raymond J. McGuire, a power couple deeply embedded in New York City’s cultural and financial sectors. Their home serves as a private gallery for a significant collection of African American art, featuring masterworks by Norman Lewis, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Elizabeth Catlett, and Romare Bearden. The couple’s shared passion for collecting began independently, sparked by their formative years studying in France, and has since evolved into a joint mission to preserve and live alongside Black artistic heritage.

How Well Do the Met Gala’s Attendees Know Their Art History? We Critique Looks by Madonna, Hunter Schafer, and More

The article critiques nine outfits from the 2026 Met Gala, which was held under the theme 'Fashion Is Art' in conjunction with the Costume Institute's new exhibition 'Costume Art' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It analyzes how attendees like Hunter Schafer, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, and Kylie Jenner referenced specific artworks—such as Gustav Klimt's *Mäda Primavesi* and John Singer Sargent's *Madame X*—in their fashion choices, evaluating the success of these art-historical allusions.

Our Summer Art Reading List

Hyperallergic's summer art reading list features a curated selection of art books, including Kory Stamper's 'True Color' about the Merriam-Webster color definer, Megan O'Grady's essay collection on art as necessity, and 'O'Keeffe-isms' drawn from Georgia O'Keeffe's writings. The list also highlights art detective mysteries like 'The Case of the Disappearing Gauguin' by Stephanie Brown and provenance stories from the San Antonio Museum of Art, alongside upcoming Yale University Press titles on Anni Albers, Dorothea Tanning, and Edward Steichen. Additional coverage includes an exhibition of Jack Kerouac's letters and photographs in NYC, and the Printed Matter art book fair in Los Angeles.

Sift Through the Hundreds of Pacifiers, Graphic Tees, and Spoons in This NYC Couple’s Collection

Multidisciplinary artists Bobbi Salvör Menuez and quori theodor, a couple living in New York City, have built an extensive collection of everyday objects including T-shirts, cassette tapes, spoons, pacifiers, and playing cards sourced from sidewalks, thrift stores, and shoot sets. Their collecting practice is intuitive and deeply personal, driven by nostalgia, childhood memories, and their bond with each other, treating each object as a talisman or treasure rather than a financial investment.

A brush with... Andrew Cranston—podcast

This episode of 'A brush with...' podcast features Scottish painter Andrew Cranston, born in 1969 in Hawick. Cranston discusses how his work draws on personal experiences—childhood memories, family recollections, and recent rituals—filtered through the painting process. His pictures are rich with references to art history, cinema, poetry, and television, and he often paints on the covers of old hardback books. The conversation covers his influences (Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Paul Klee, Pierre Bonnard, Winifred Nicholson, writers Hugh MacDiarmid and Elizabeth Bishop, filmmakers Nicholas Roeg and Dennis Potter), his studio life, and his answer to 'what is art for?' The episode is sponsored by Bloomberg Connects.

The Egyptian Modernist Inji Efflatoun gains international exposure with new biographical collection

The article profiles Egyptian Modernist artist and activist Inji Efflatoun, detailing her life from her birth in 1924 in Cairo to her political activism, arrest in 1959, and four-and-a-half-year imprisonment. It highlights a new biographical collection, *The Life and Work of Inji Efflatoun*, which includes her translated memoirs and critical essays, offering a comprehensive view of her art and revolutionary life.

How Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys Built a Best-in-Class Art Collection With a “Collect What You Feel” Philosophy

Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, the musician power couple, have built a major art collection known as the Dean Collection, now touring as the exhibition "Giants" at the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art. The show, which debuted at the Brooklyn Museum in 2024, features works by Gordon Parks, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Malick Sidibé, and a new multimedia installation by Mickalene Thomas. In an interview with GQ's Frazier Tharpe, the couple discusses their philosophy of collecting art based on emotional connection rather than investment or social status, and how their passion for art has deepened over their 15-year marriage.

Artist Henry Ossawa Tanner

This article profiles Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859–1937), the pioneering African American artist who achieved international fame in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Pittsburgh to a bishop father and a mother who escaped slavery, Tanner studied under Thomas Eakins at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts before moving to Paris to escape racial discrimination. He studied at the Académie Julian, became a mentor to Black artists including Aaron Douglas and Hale Woodruff, and gained renown for his biblical paintings such as "Daniel in the Lions' Den" (1896). Tanner traveled widely—to Egypt, Morocco, and Palestine—and was named a chevalier of the French Legion of Honor in 1927. The article lists numerous works by Tanner held in major collections, including the first painting by an African American artist acquired for the White House Collection.

Can an Artwork Have Personhood?

The article explores a growing trend in contemporary art where artists like Pierre Huyghe, Nina Katchadourian, and Marge Monko create works that blur the line between art objects and sentient beings. These works incorporate human performers, animals, AI, and smart devices, prompting viewers to question whether these entities possess or simulate personhood, and forcing an examination of our instinct to anthropomorphize.

Ready for their close-ups: celebrity passport photos

Dave Sharkey, a former professional boxer, and his wife Ann founded a photographic studio on Oxford Street in London in 1953, offering passport photos with a 10-minute turnaround. The studio, later run by their son Philip, became a popular spot for celebrities including Muhammad Ali, Mick and Bianca Jagger, David Hockney, and Tilda Swinton. A new book titled 'Passport Photo Service,' published by Phaidon Press, compiles over 300 of these celebrity passport portraits from the 1950s to the 2010s.

Meet the London Perfumer Building a Collection Around Humor and Instinct

Cherry Cheng, a London-based perfumer, has curated a personal art collection in her Notting Hill flat that reflects her instinctive and humorous approach to collecting. The collection features works by artists such as Beau Gabriel, Miranda Keyes, Sarah Pucci, Juliette Teste, Araki Nobuyoshi, Katrien de Blauwer, Lucile Littot, Leo Costelloe, Sebastian Espejo, and Joline Kwakkenbos, displayed throughout her home like a diary of her tastes.

Our chief art critic’s nine best UK museums — you may be surprised

Laura Freeman, chief art critic for The Times, shares her personal list of nine favorite UK museums and galleries, ranging from London institutions like Sir John Soane’s Museum and the V&A to smaller venues such as Pallant House in Chichester and Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge. She emphasizes character and collection over flashy renovations, noting that her picks are based on decades of visits, family outings, and emotional resonance.

art criticism lynne tillman paying attention book

Lynne Tillman celebrated the publication of her new collection, *Paying Attention: Essays on Art and Culture*, from David Zwirner Books, at an event hosted by Coco’s at Colette. The article features a conversation between Tillman and the author, in which she discusses her origin story as a critic, her background in fiction writing, and her unconventional entry into art criticism through an invitation from Craig Owens at *Art in America*. She recounts writing a Madame Realism story about a Renoir exhibition after eavesdropping on museum tours, a piece that angered some art historians.

GEORGE FEBRES: TRANSLATION, IRONY, AND LIBERATION. AN ECUADORIAN ARTIST IN THE DIASPORA

The article examines the life and work of George Febres (1943–1996), an Ecuadorian artist who spent most of his career in the United States, primarily in New Orleans. Febres’s practice blends Pop Art, Neo-Surrealism, and Southern US culture with his experiences as a migrant and queer subject, using bilingualism and ironic tropical imagery to create a hybrid, irreverent body of work. Despite his significance, no works by Febres exist in Ecuadorian public collections, and no major retrospective has been held in his home country, reflecting a broader erasure of queer narratives from national art history.

GEORGE FEBRES: TRADUCCIÓN, IRONÍA Y LIBERACIÓN. UN ARTISTA ECUATORIANO EN LA DIÁSPORA

George Febres (Guayaquil, 1943 – New Orleans, 1996) was an Ecuadorian artist whose work blended pop art, neo-surrealism, and Southern U.S. culture, shaped by his experience as a migrant and queer individual. The article traces his life from a privileged but unstable childhood in Ecuador to his migration to the United States, where he was drafted during the Vietnam War and eventually settled in New Orleans. Febres used bilingualism and ironic appropriation of tropical imagery to create a hybrid, irreverent body of work that challenges the official historiography of Ecuadorian art.

Max Mara will stage next cruise show in Shanghai’s Long Museum West Bund - FashionNetwork

Max Mara has announced that its next cruise show, the Resort 2027 collection, will take place at the Long Museum West Bund in Shanghai on June 16, 2026. The event will also mark the opening of a public exhibition titled 'The Max,' curated by French fashion expert Olivier Saillard, celebrating the brand's 75th anniversary. The show continues Max Mara's tradition of staging cruise collections in museums, following previous shows at Berlin's Neues Museum and Venice's Doge Palace.

The glories of Francisco de Zurbarán’s paintings | Letters

Two letters to the editor respond to Charlotte Higgins's article on Francisco de Zurbarán. Paul McGilchrist critiques the physical inaccuracy of crucifixion depictions, including Zurbarán's *The Crucified Christ*, noting that most paintings fail to convey the true weight and distortion of a body suspended by nails. Jean Wilson highlights Zurbarán's series *Jacob and his 12 Sons* at Auckland Palace in Bishop Auckland, describing its history since 1756 and its connection to Bishop Trevor's support for Jewish rights.

I Turned My TV Into a Rotating Art Gallery Using Free Museum Downloads

The article provides a guide on how to turn a TV into a rotating art gallery by downloading high-resolution, public-domain images from museum digital collections. It explains the need to filter for Open Access works to avoid copyright issues and recommends several museums with extensive free collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago and the Getty Museum.

‘It’s about processing’: the artist who spent three months recreating the most poignant moments with her ex

Photographer Diana Markosian has created a new project titled "Replaced," in which she spent three months recreating intimate moments from her past relationship with an ex-partner. To document the experience of falling in and out of love, she hired an actor to play her ex and traveled with him to locations they once visited together, including Miami, Paris, Naples, Capri, and Nice. The series blurs documentary and fiction, using staged reenactments to process grief, heartbreak, and healing.

Japan’s Art Museums and Creative Spaces Offer Travelers a Unique Cultural Journey Across Modern and Traditional Design

Travel And Tour World published an article highlighting Japan's art museums and creative spaces as a unique cultural journey for travelers, blending modern and traditional design. The piece showcases various institutions across Japan, emphasizing their architectural significance and the immersive experiences they offer, from contemporary art galleries to historic venues that reflect the country's rich aesthetic heritage.

How Art Libraries Make Art Accessible

Wie Artotheken Kunst zugänglich machen

Artotheken, or art libraries, are public institutions that lend artworks to anyone with a library card, making art accessible beyond the traditional museum or gallery system. In Germany, over 100 such artotheken exist, often housed in public libraries, art associations, or museums. The Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek in Berlin, for example, has a collection of 2,000 works, with around 300 currently on loan to homes, doctors' offices, and law firms. The lending process is informal: borrowers can eat, drink, and even touch the works, and transport by bus or bike is encouraged. A jury selects up to 15 new works annually, and the collection includes major names like Roy Lichtenstein and Niki de Saint Phalle, though most users choose pieces based on personal connection rather than prestige.

On ARTE, the Ruffini Affair or the Autopsy of an Extraordinary Scandal in the Art World

Sur Arte, l’affaire Ruffini ou l’autopsie d’un scandale hors norme dans le monde de l’art

The documentary series "Le Peintre, la Pizza et le Corbeau" (The Painter, the Pizza and the Crow), available on ARTE, investigates a sprawling art forgery scandal centered on discreet dealer Giuliano Ruffini. Beginning in spring 2014 with an anonymous letter, the case led to a judicial inquiry by judge Aude Burési and France's Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Goods (OCBC). The series follows multiple suspicious artworks—including a Lucas Cranach Venus seized from an exhibition at the Hôtel de Caumont, a David and Goliath by Artemisia Gentileschi, and a Frans Hals portrait—each raising questions of authenticity. Ruffini, a former painter turned collector, remains an enigmatic figure, portrayed as both intuitive genius and possible cog in an opaque system.

Les pionniers de la photographie à connaître

Beaux Arts Magazine publishes a dossier on the pioneers of photography, marking the medium's 200th anniversary. The article profiles key figures such as Nicéphore Niépce, Louis Daguerre, Anna Atkins, Gustave Le Gray, Nadar, Eugène Atget, Girault de Prangey, Alfred Stieglitz, Julia Margaret Cameron, and Edward Steichen, highlighting their innovations in heliography, cyanotype, daguerreotype, and pictorialism. It also includes a focus on the oldest known photograph.

Major new Jean-Michel Basquiat collector’s book, priced at $1,400, released from Assouline.

Assouline has released a new collector's book titled "Basquiat: The World of Jean-Michel," a 348-page volume featuring over 200 artworks and archival photographs of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Priced at $1,400, the book is part of the publisher's Ultimate Collection of large-format, hand-bound volumes, and is organized thematically into six chapters covering Basquiat's depictions of heads, New York City's influence on his work, his use of silkscreens, and spiritual themes.

Tell Me About Love…

Yvon Lambert, the legendary French art dealer and collector, reflects on his lifelong relationship with art and literature in an interview for TLmag41: The Art of Collecting. He recounts buying his first painting at age 14, opening his Paris gallery in the 1960s, and later donating a major portion of his collection to the French State, now housed at the Collection Lambert in Avignon. After closing his gallery in 2014, he shifted focus to an artist's bookshop, now run by his daughter Eve Lambert. The conversation, led by Sibylle Grandchamp, explores Lambert's early influences, his father's passion for literature, and the family's shared love for art books.

How super-skinny red carpet trend at Met Gala clashes with own its body-positive Costume Art show

The Met Gala, organized by Vogue and themed around "costume art," was accompanied by an exhibition of the same name at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art opening May 10, focusing on the dressed body. While the exhibition has been praised for using inclusive mannequins representing diverse body types—including variously abled, fat, thin, and pregnant forms—the red carpet was criticized for its overwhelming thinness and the involvement of honorary chairs Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, who reportedly sponsored the event for $10 million, sparking boycott calls. Fashion commentators like Diet Prada noted the Gala was more poorly received than ever, with some celebrities absent.

Met Gala 2026: Everything to Know About the Theme, Co-Chairs, Dress Code and More

The 2026 Met Gala will take place on May 4 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, with the theme "Costume Art" and a dress code of "Fashion Is Art." The event honors the spring 2026 exhibition of the same name, which inaugurates the Costume Institute's first permanent galleries, the nearly 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast Galleries. Co-chairs include Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour. The red carpet livestream will be hosted by Ashley Graham, La La Anthony, Cara Delevingne, and Emma Chamberlain on Vogue's digital platforms.