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Jean Baudrillard, the French philosopher whose concept of simulation inspired *The Matrix* (1999), is the subject of a new biography by Emmanuelle Fantin and Bran Nicol. The article explores Baudrillard's complex relationship with the art world: he was celebrated by artists and served on *Artforum*'s editorial board, yet he disavowed the Neo-Geo movement that claimed his ideas, arguing that art had become indistinguishable from commerce and lost its critical distance. His 1987 lecture at the Whitney Museum drew thousands, but he used the platform to declare art's irrelevance.

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Artnet News editors and journalists compiled their annual roundup of the best artworks seen in 2025, highlighting standout pieces from around the world. Among the featured works are Richard Serra's monumental steel sculpture "East-West/West-East" (2014) in the Qatari desert, Emma Ferrer's painting "You Will Return the Evil to Its Steppe (Homage to Josefa de Óbidos)" (2024) shown at New York's Sapar Contemporary, and Kerry James Marshall's "The White Queens of Africa: Colette" (2025) from his retrospective at the Royal Academy of Art. Each artwork is accompanied by a personal reflection from the journalist who encountered it.

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Art in America's 2025 "New Talent" issue features 20 emerging artists chosen by the magazine's editors, including Nico Williams, Bint Mbareh, Justin Allen, Agnes Questionmark, and Brooklin A. Soumahoro. The issue also includes a postmortem on figurative painting by Barry Schwabsky, an essay on spiritual art by Eleanor Heartney, a symposium on art's purpose with seven artists, and a tribute to the late Jaune Quick-to-See Smith by Emmi Whitehorse. Other sections cover Suzanne Valadon, Hito Steyerl's book, and a debate between art fairs and biennials.

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Artnet News published a roundup of 10 art historical deep dives from 2025, curated by an editor who expresses a deep passion for art history. The article highlights several featured stories, including the eccentric tale behind Carl Kahler's monumental cat painting "My Wife's Lovers" (1891), commissioned by Gilded Age patron Kate Birdsall Johnson; the record-breaking sale of Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer" for $236.4 million at Sotheby's New York, with its rich symbolism and Imperial Chinese motifs; the online resurgence of August Friedrich Schenck's obscure 19th-century painting "Anguish" (ca. 1878), popularized by TikTok; and the centenary of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" with a deep dive into Francis Cugat's iconic cover art "Celestial Eyes" (1924).

‘They accomplished so much, even as they were dying’: the groundbreaking gay art of Peter Hujar and Paul Thek

Author and Frieze Magazine editor-in-chief Andrew Durbin has released a dual biography titled 'The Wonderful World That Almost Was,' chronicling the lives and creative partnership of Peter Hujar and Paul Thek. The book focuses on their relationship from the mid-1950s through the 1970s, detailing their collaborative influence and the development of their respective practices in photography and sculpture before both died of AIDS-related complications in the late 1980s.

Jordan Wolfson’s Newest Provocation Is a Creepy Prada Ad Campaign

Artist Jordan Wolfson has directed a new advertising campaign for Prada's Spring/Summer 2026 collection. The campaign, titled "I, I, I, I AM… PRADA," features unsettling, computer-generated birds and a bird-man hybrid alongside models including actors Carey Mulligan, Nicholas Hoult, Damson Idris, and Hunter Schafer, continuing Wolfson's signature style of disturbing digital avatars.

8 Artists to Follow If You Like Marcel Duchamp

Marcel Duchamp’s legacy continues to shape contemporary art through his pioneering use of readymades, conceptual rigor, and institutional critique. This analysis identifies eight modern and contemporary artists whose practices echo Duchamp’s subversion of traditional aesthetics, ranging from his early experiments with found objects to his later explorations of gender and mechanical desire.

A New Series on Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera Is Heading to Netflix

A New Series on Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera Is Heading to Netflix

Netflix has announced a new series focusing on the turbulent relationship and artistic partnership between Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. The project, adapted from Claire Berest's biography, will be co-directed by Mexican filmmakers Patricia Riggen and Gabriel Ripstein and aims to present the story through a specifically Mexican and feminine perspective, exploring their politics and infamous love affairs.

The best art books of 2025, as picked by The Art Newspaper’s editors

The Art Newspaper’s editors have selected their top art books of 2025, featuring a diverse range of titles. Highlights include "Kerry James Marshall: The Histories," a catalogue from the Royal Academy of Arts exhibition surveying the American artist’s large-scale history paintings centered on Black figures; "Minimal, edited by Jessica Morgan," which reassesses overlooked Minimalist artists; and "Lee Miller," the Tate Britain exhibition catalogue exploring the photographer’s multifaceted career. Other notable picks include monographs on Celia Paul, Shahzia Sikander, and Edward Gorey, as well as a comprehensive overview of Middle Eastern art from 1900 to now.

How to Feel the Benefits of Art, According to Psychologists

Recent psychological research confirms that engaging with visual art provides significant physical and mental health benefits, including the alleviation of depression, anxiety, and stress. Studies indicate that viewing art can also enhance cognitive functioning and social skills, prompting new initiatives to explore the specific mechanisms behind these wellness improvements.

The Guardian view on the legacy of the Festival of Britain: look to the future | Editorial

The Guardian editorial reflects on the 75th anniversary of the Festival of Britain, launched by King George VI on 3 May 1951 as a "tonic" for a war-weary nation. It highlights the festival's most enduring legacy: the construction of the South Bank, including the Royal Festival Hall, which later became the Southbank Centre—the UK's largest arts complex. This summer, commemorations include poems from London schoolchildren projected onto its walls and a mobile poetry library visiting coastal towns, recreating the journey of the repurposed naval ship Campania. The festival, a triumph for the Labour government, faced critics like Evelyn Waugh and Noël Coward, and much of its physical infrastructure was demolished by the incoming Conservative government, save for the Royal Festival Hall.

Do you remember the last negative review you read?

« Vous souvenez-vous de la dernière critique négative que vous avez lue ? »

The traditional art of negative criticism is vanishing from mainstream media, replaced by a culture of polite consensus or violent but unprincipled social media attacks. Historically, critics like Baudelaire, Zola, and Huysmans used sharp, subjective arguments to defend avant-garde movements and challenge academicism, viewing the attack on certain artists as a necessary byproduct of championing others. Today, limited editorial space and a desire to support the arts have led French journalists to focus almost exclusively on praise, resulting in a loss of discernment and comparative analysis.

The Story Behind Tschabalala Self’s Met Gala Dress by Brandon Blackwood

Artist Tschabalala Self will co-chair the 2026 Met Gala, marking her first attendance at the event, which launches the Costume Institute's new exhibition “Costume Art.” She collaborated with designer Brandon Blackwood, a friend, to create her gown and style her look for the evening.

How to Take Great Photographs of Art, According to Artists

Contemporary gallery-going has become synonymous with digital documentation, as visitors increasingly use smartphones to capture paintings, sculptures, and installations. This shift from passive observation to active photography serves as a method of personal archiving, allowing viewers to preserve the fleeting experience of a physical exhibition and share it within their social circles.

Frieze in London, Hypha Studios and a Renoir drawing for ‘The Great Bathers’—podcast

This episode of The Art Newspaper's podcast 'The Week in Art' covers three main stories. Host Ben Luke discusses the mood at the Frieze art fairs in London with art market editor Kabir Jhala, amid ongoing debate about the health of the art market. The episode also explores Hypha Studios, a UK initiative that provides free exhibition and studio space to unrepresented artists in vacant properties, which has just launched an online sales platform called Hypha Curates. Finally, the podcast features a 'Work of the Week' segment on a Renoir drawing from the 1880s, a study for 'The Great Bathers,' now on view at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York as part of the exhibition 'Renoir Drawings.'

How to watch the 'Costume Art' Met Gala red carpet

The 2026 Met Gala, held on May 4 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, featured a dress code titled 'Costume Art' that explicitly frames fashion as an embodied art form. Celebrities including Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams ascended the museum's steps wearing archival fashion pieces and custom creations, with references to artistic collaborations such as Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dalí's lobster dress, Yves Saint Laurent's Mondrian-inspired designs, and Marc Jacobs' work with Takashi Murakami. The event raises funds for the museum's Costume Institute, whose spring exhibition 'Costume Art' examines the centrality of the dressed body.

The Guardian view on anonymity in art: the ‘unmasking’ of Banksy and Ferrante should stop | Editorial

A Reuters investigation this week identified street artist Banksy as 52-year-old Robin Gunningham, reigniting a long-running public debate about the unmasking of anonymous artists. This follows a recent hoax announcement of novelist Elena Ferrante's death, which similarly targeted her carefully guarded identity.

What Makes a Good Protest Sign?

The article's main feature is a guide on creating effective protest signs for the upcoming No Kings protest, compiled by comic artist Steven Weinberg with input from artists, writers, and curators including Hyperallergic's Editor-at-Large Hrag Vartanian. It offers practical advice for crafting visually and rhetorically powerful signs that challenge authority.

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Coreen Simpson, an 83-year-old photographer born in Brooklyn in 1942, is the subject of a new eponymous monograph published by Aperture as part of its Vision and Justice Book Series. The book surveys five decades of her work, spanning street photography, fashion photography, studio portraits in Harlem, images of the early hip-hop scene, and later collage experiments. Simpson is known for merging fashion and social photography, capturing both celebrities like Muhammad Ali, Toni Morrison, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, as well as unnamed individuals in her series “Nitebirds/Nightlife,” all with a frontal, confident gaze that emphasizes the subject's self-presentation.

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Artnet News revisits the trend of inventive, sculptural frames in contemporary painting, originally explored in Katie White's essay "Bordercore." The article features a podcast conversation between White and editor Ben Davis, examining how artists like Stephanie Temma Hier use frames as surreal, symbolic extensions of their work, moving beyond traditional containment to comment on and disrupt the artwork's boundaries.

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Artnet News published a podcast episode featuring writer and editor Katie White, who discusses her article "Bordercore: Why Frames Became the New Frontier in Contemporary Art." White explores how contemporary artists are reimagining picture frames as surreal, sculptural, and symbolic elements that actively comment on, disrupt, or extend the artwork beyond its traditional boundaries. She cites examples like Stephanie Temma Hier's 2021 work "Sparks and Tremors," which combines oil on linen with glazed stoneware sculpture, and notes that statement frames are increasingly appearing at art fairs and exhibitions after a long period of frameless display.

Meet the Gallerists Trading White Cubes for Unconventional Architecture

A growing number of gallerists are moving away from the traditional 'white cube' gallery model, opting instead for spaces with unconventional architecture and distinct character. These include locations in repurposed industrial buildings, historic structures, and uniquely designed new constructions that actively shape the visitor's experience of the art.

In plane sight: how the gilded elite live – in pictures

Photographer Will Vogt's second monograph, *Behind the Hedges*, offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of America's gilded elite, featuring images of his own social circle at hunting estates, weddings, exclusive club lunches, and golf weekends. The book, published by Schilt Publishing, includes quotes by Vogt and text by editor Jennifer Garza-Cuen from her essay 'Posture of Privilege,' capturing a world of inherited wealth and tradition.

Pope Francis and art, J.M.W. Turner’s 250th birthday, John Singer Sargent’s ‘Madame X’—podcast

This episode of The Art Newspaper's podcast 'The Week in Art' covers three major art stories. Host Ben Luke is joined by managing editor Louis Jebb to discuss Pope Francis's deep engagement with art and the Vatican collections following his death on Easter Monday. The podcast also marks the 250th anniversary of J.M.W. Turner's birth, featuring an interview with Tate Britain senior curator Amy Concannon about Turner's enduring appeal. The episode's 'Work of the Week' is John Singer Sargent's 'Madame X' (1883-84), discussed with co-curator Stephanie L. Herdrich ahead of a major Sargent exhibition opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and traveling to the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

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Photographer Peter Fraser has collaborated with Bottega Veneta on a new series of 27 photographs exploring Venice, capturing both its iconic landmarks—canals, marble floors, Byzantine façades—and its overlooked details like construction cranes, discarded plaster casts, and beached boats. The images are juxtaposed with Bottega Veneta's intrecciato bags from Louise Trotter's first collection, nodding to the fashion house's long history in the Veneto region. In an interview, Fraser discusses his approach to photographing a city burdened by its own legacy, emphasizing the need to distance himself from preconceptions and to shoot based on feeling rather than appearance.

How Much Change Can Society Endure?

Wie viel Veränderung hält die Gesellschaft aus?

Artist Julius von Bismarck and SPD politician Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter engaged in a deep dialogue about the societal transition from a fossil-fuel-based to a post-fossil society. During a live podcast hosted by Monopol editor-in-chief Elke Buhr at the BMW Foundation in Berlin, von Bismarck challenged traditional notions of environmental protection, arguing that the very concept of "nature" should be abolished to foster a new relationship with the world. The discussion bridged the gap between artistic radicalism and political pragmatism, touching on existential threats, global inequality, and the role of technology like AI.

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.

How Hajime Sorayama’s Sexy Robots Reflect Our Fantasies

Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama has spent nearly five decades developing his iconic "Sexy Robots" series. These chrome-plated female figures, rendered first with airbrush and later as polished metal sculptures, have evolved to include life-sized works created through digital modeling and engineering collaborations.

8 Artists to Follow if You Like Elsa Schiaparelli

The article profiles eight contemporary artists whose work resonates with the legacy of fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. It highlights creators like Shona McAndrew, whose soft sculptures explore the body's interior, and Kiki Smith, known for visceral, anatomical forms, drawing direct parallels to Schiaparelli's surrealist and corporeal inspirations.

Kate Moss’s portrait sessions with Lucian Freud will be the focus of “Moss & Freud.”

A new biographical drama film titled "Moss & Freud" is set to premiere in the UK, focusing on the portrait sessions between supermodel Kate Moss and painter Lucian Freud. The film stars Ellie Bamber as Moss and Derek Jacobi as Freud, and is directed by James Lucas, having first appeared at the London International Film Festival.