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.

Meet the Woman Who Curated the Art on Miranda Priestly’s Walls

Fanny Pereire, an art advisor specializing in film and television, curates the art seen on the walls of fictional characters like Miranda Priestly in *The Devil Wears Prada 2*, Logan Roy in *Succession*, and Bobby Axelrod in *Billions*. She works as a fine art coordinator, sourcing reproductions and original works to match character personalities and socioeconomic status, often overseeing the destruction of replicas after filming. Her role, created by producer Scott Rudin in 1999, involves clearing copyrights for every artwork shown on screen, from children's drawings to high-end pieces by artists like Wayne Thiebaud and Alex Katz.

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.

New Richard Avedon documentary chronicles how he shaped the evolution of photography

Imagine Documentaries, the nonfiction arm of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment, premiered a new documentary about photographer Richard Avedon at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17. The film, co-produced by the Richard Avedon Foundation, draws heavily from archival interviews conducted by Helen Whitney for the PBS series *American Masters*, supplemented by new interviews with Avedon's son John, muse Lauren Hutton, Isabella Rossellini, Twyla Tharp, and former *New Yorker* colleagues Tina Brown and John Lahr. The documentary explores Avedon's career, his technique of building rapport with subjects, and his iconic images such as *Dovima with Elephants*, which dealer Larry Gagosian notes sold for $2 million.

Sex Dreams, Piss Takes, and Fake Trends: A Week in the NY Art World With Domenick Ammirati

Domenick Ammirati returns to New York after a year-long writing residency in Siena and Provincetown to cover the spring art fairs, including Frieze New York 2026. He observes a notably calm art week, attributing the subdued atmosphere to the fair's proximity to the Venice Biennale, which left key players exhausted. Highlights include a Rei Kawakubo installation at Independent, Gucci's Cruise show in Times Square, and MoMA PS1's 50th anniversary gala, where he mingles with curator Jody Graf and spots Klaus Biesenbach.

Isabel Nolan’s Work Challenges Everything We Think We Know About Creativity

Artist Isabel Nolan recently discovered she has aphantasia, a rare neurological condition that prevents her from visualizing mental images. Despite this, Nolan has built a successful career creating abstract sculptures, drawings, and tapestries, and her work is featured in the Irish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Her exhibition, "Dreamshook," explores themes of imagination versus reality and draws inspiration from late medieval history and the printer Aldo Manuzio.

Can Digital Art Ever Truly Replicate the Gallery Experience?

The article explores whether digital art platforms can replicate the experience of visiting a physical gallery. It acknowledges the impressive progress of virtual exhibitions—global accessibility, VR tours, AR overlays, and high-resolution zoom—and notes that 35% of UK adults digitally engaged with the arts in 2024/25, up from 27% in 2021/22. However, it argues that something essential is lost without physical presence: the tactile encounter with a painting's texture and scale, the serendipity of in-person discovery, and the spatial awe of standing before a Rothko in a white cube.

Theatre, production, performance: fashion invests in art

Fashion houses like Chanel are increasingly investing in contemporary art, not merely as inspiration for prints or patterns but as a strategic tool for brand positioning and cultural credibility. Gallery owner Tristan Paprocki, who recently opened a Milan space with partner Guido Romero Pierini, notes that brands now seek out emerging artists to demonstrate foresight and support new talent. Chanel has collaborated with Berlin's Hamburger Bahnhof museum for large-scale installations by artists such as Klára Hosnedlová and Lina Lapelytė, and has announced ten artists for the third edition of its Next Prize 2026, including Bárbara Sánchez-Kane, Pan Daijing, and Álvaro Urbano. These artists work across fashion, sculpture, and performance, blurring the lines between clothing and contemporary art.

The Art Diary May 2026 – Revd Jonathan Evens

The article titled "The Art Diary May 2026 – Revd Jonathan Evens" appears to be a diary or column by Revd Jonathan Evens, published on Artlyst, covering art-related events, reflections, or commentary for May 2026. The specific content is not provided in the snippet, but the format suggests a curated overview of exhibitions, cultural happenings, or personal observations from the author's perspective.

Dansaekhwa has taken over the modern art world. But the story of how that happened is up for debate.

The article examines the global rise of Dansaekhwa, a Korean monochrome painting style that has achieved record auction prices and widespread collector interest over the past decade. It traces key milestones, including two pivotal 2014 exhibitions at Kukje Gallery in Seoul and Blum & Poe in Los Angeles, and the surge in auction prices for artists like Kim Whan-ki, Park Seo-bo, and Chung Sang-hwa, culminating in a $13 million sale in 2019.

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.

How Tech Billionaires Turn Couture into Content

Wie Tech-Milliardäre Couture zu Content machen

The Met Gala, long considered the premier event for fashion and cultural influence, has become increasingly dominated by tech billionaires. This year, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos purchased their role as co-hosts, sparking protests in New York and raising questions about whether money alone now buys entry into the highest echelons of fashion. Individual tickets cost $10,000 and a table $350,000, with sponsors including OpenAI, Snapchat, and Meta. The event, organized by Anna Wintour to raise funds for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, raised $31 million last year but has transformed from a benefit into a spectacle optimized for viral moments and algorithmic appeal.

Les jardins de Monet à l’épreuve du surtourisme

Claude Monet's gardens in Giverny, France, which were recreated in 1980 after being abandoned in the 1950s, are now suffering from severe overtourism. The site, which attracted 70,000 visitors in its first year, is expected to exceed one million visitors in 2026, the centenary of Monet's death. Crowds are so dense that visitors report feeling unable to experience any emotion, and gardeners spend hours each morning repairing damage from trampling. The gardens have become a kind of industrial product, with 15,000 plants propagated each season to replace those destroyed.

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.

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.

The best looks from the 2026 Met Gala

The 2026 Met Gala, themed 'Costume Art,' took place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, honoring the Costume Institute's spring exhibition on the role of the dressed body in art history. Co-chaired by Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, Anna Wintour, and Beyoncé, the event featured A-list celebrities, pop stars, and tech titans on the museum's grand staircase, with a dress code of 'Fashion Is Art' encouraging guests to treat the body as a canvas. Notable attendees included Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Rosé, Gigi Hadid, Katy Perry, and Charli XCX, with many wearing custom designs from houses like Marc Jacobs, Saint Laurent, Thom Browne, and Jean Paul Gaultier.

Why Did the Met Opera Decide to Exhume Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s Marital Strife?

The Metropolitan Opera has staged Gabriela Lena Frank's first opera, *El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego*, which imagines a supernatural reunion between Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera on Día de los Muertos. The production, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and starring Isabel Leonard and Carlos Álvarez, uses magical realism to explore the couple's turbulent relationship, though it largely sidelines their Communist activism and Kahlo's queer affairs in favor of a simplified reconciliation narrative.

$102 Million Louvre Heist Is Getting the Film Treatment

A feature film is in development about the October 2025 Louvre heist, in which two thieves disguised themselves, smashed into the museum, and stole eight historic jewels worth an estimated €88 million ($102 million) in under eight minutes. Paris-based production company Iconoclast has acquired the rights to the book "A Grab at the Louvre" by journalists Jean-Michel Décugis, Jérémie Pham-Le, and Nicolas Torrent, and French director Romain Gavras is attached to helm the project, which could hit theaters in 2028. A separate documentary series by an anonymous British producer is also in the works.

Who Owns the Megayachts Docked Outside the Venice Biennale?

The article examines the megayachts docked outside the Venice Biennale, focusing on the 170-foot vessel 'Private GG' owned by Giancarlo Giammetti, cofounder of the Valentino fashion house. Giammetti, a serious art collector, was in Venice for the Biennale opening, posting photos of artworks and a dinner with actress Salma Hayek and her husband François-Henri Pinault, a major art collector. The yacht, built in 2022 by CRN, features luxury amenities including a jacuzzi, cinema saloon, and beach club.

‘It’s a world heritage site, but it’s my home’: the last resident of Casa Milà on life in Gaudí’s masterwork

Ana Viladomiu, a 70-year-old writer, is the last remaining tenant of Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Milà (La Pedrera) in Barcelona, a UNESCO World Heritage site that receives about a million visitors annually. She has lived in the luminous apartment since 1988, originally moving in with her then-husband Fernando Amat, owner of the iconic design store Vinçon. Viladomiu holds a rare renta antigua (fixed-rent contract) that allows her to stay until she or Amat dies, after which the not-for-profit foundation managing the building will take ownership. The rest of the building now houses offices and cultural event spaces.

How Tasmania became one of the world’s most exciting art destinations

Helen Ochyra reports on how Tasmania, particularly Hobart, has emerged as a leading global art destination, driven largely by MONA (Museum of Old and New Art). The privately funded museum, founded by art collector David Walsh, recently opened a $100 million AUD wing housing a towering concrete amphitheatre by German artist Anselm Kiefer. Beyond MONA, Hobart hosts the provocative winter festival Dark Mofo, the science-and-culture Beaker Street Festival, and the inaugural Island Readers & Writers Festival, cementing its reputation for cutting-edge arts and culture.

The controversy raised by Timothée Chalamet has made us reflect on the fragility of culture

« La controverse soulevée par Timothée Chalamet a eu le mérite de nous faire réfléchir à la fragilité de la culture »

Timothée Chalamet, l'acteur franco-américain, a suscité une controverse en déclarant qu'il ne souhaitait pas travailler dans le ballet ou l'opéra, qualifiant ces disciplines de "trucs où c'est genre : 'Hé, continuez à faire tourner ça, même si plus personne n'en a rien à faire.'" Ses propos, tenus alors qu'il était en lice pour l'Oscar du meilleur acteur, ont provoqué des réactions dans le monde culturel, notamment dans le magazine Art Review, où Will Ferreira Dyke a défendu la pérennité du ballet et de l'opéra, arguant qu'ils survivraient aux attaques des "chalametistes". L'article relie cette polémique à la fragilité de la culture face aux coupes budgétaires, évoquant les demandes de Donald Trump pour augmenter le budget militaire américain au détriment de l'éducation, de la santé et de l'environnement.

"Gesundheitseffekt der Künste auf biologischer Ebene"

A roundup of art news covers multiple stories: Stefan Trinks criticizes Berlin's 'MuseumsMeileMitte' as a symptom of urban and cultural misdevelopment, where museums are co-opted by real estate marketing. At the Venice Biennale, the German Pavilion by Henrike Naumann and Sung Tieu explores East German identity and post-reunification trauma, while Patti Smith performed a 'sonic prayer' at the Vatican Pavilion curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers. A study from University College London suggests regular arts engagement may slow biological aging.

Where to go for the next scandal?

Wo bitte geht's zum nächsten Skandal?

The article reports on the 2024 Venice Biennale preview days, where the atmosphere is dominated by political protests, media stunts, and social-media pressure rather than the art itself. Incidents include a solidarity drone choir for Gaza, a Pussy Riot and FEMEN protest at the Russian Pavilion, and a planned demonstration near the Israeli Pavilion, all amplified by PR agencies and WhatsApp alerts. A journalist describes being pressured by editors to cover scandals and political controversies instead of art reviews, which they say no longer attract clicks.

« Impression, soleil levant » de Claude Monet, l’éblouissant manifeste de l’impressionnisme

Claude Monet's "Impression, soleil levant" (Impression, Sunrise), the painting that gave Impressionism its name, is analyzed in detail by Beaux Arts Magazine on the centenary of the artist's death. The article examines the work brushstroke by brushstroke, recounting how Monet painted it from his hotel room in Le Havre, capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere that became the hallmark of the movement.

Meet the Writer Who Sees Every Single Show at the Venice Biennale

Jaeyong Park, a Seoul-based writer, translator, and interpreter, has attended every edition of the Venice Biennale since 2022—including both art and architecture cycles—and seen every single show, from the central exhibition and national pavilions to collateral and unofficial events. He documents his journeys in regular dispatches and has compiled a free bilingual guide to the biennial. Park organizes his trips with a group of fellow art workers, splitting accommodation costs and sharing reviews over dinner to ensure full coverage.

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.

List of small Italian museums dedicated to writing. Among diaries, typewriters and memories

Lista dei piccoli musei d’Italia dedicati alla scrittura. Tra diari, macchine da scrivere e memorie

The article highlights the phenomenon of cultural overbooking, where major museums like the Louvre, Vatican Museums, and British Museum attract millions of visitors, turning art appreciation into a physical endurance test. It then pivots to a series of small, specialized museums across Italy dedicated to writing, diaries, and memory, offering a quieter, more intimate alternative. Featured institutions include the Piccolo Museo del Diario in Pieve Santo Stefano, which houses over 10,000 personal diaries and letters, and the Museo della Lettera d’Amore in Torrevecchia Teatina, with 25,000 love letters. Other stops include the Parco Poesia Pascoli in San Mauro Pascoli, dedicated to the poet Giovanni Pascoli.

This Family Made Gin on Zoom During Covid. Here’s How It Became an Art World Staple.

During the pandemic, the Mordant family—Simon, Catriona, Brielle, and Angus—began making gin from wild juniper on their Umbria property, splitting operations between Italy, London, and upstate New York. After enrolling in a master gin-making course and refining recipes via Zoom, they entered their creation into the World Gin Awards, earning a triple-gold medal with a score of 97 out of 100. Despite initially producing only 502 bottles not intended for sale, global demand prompted them to scale up commercially, leading to Quattro Gatti becoming the official gin of the Venice Biennale.

The Finale Cut: Lucio Fontana e la sua arte al cinema

A new documentary titled "The Final Cut" explores the life and artistic journey of Lucio Fontana, the Italian-Argentine artist famous for his slashed canvases (Concetti Spaziali). Produced by Good Day Films and Nexo Studios, directed by Andrea Bettinetti and narrated by Miriam Leone, the film will screen in Italian cinemas on May 25–27 as part of the "La Grande Arte al Cinema" season. It features archival footage, interviews with artists such as Doug Wheeler, Antony Gormley, Carsten Höller, Alfredo Jaar, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Heinz Mack, and scholars Luca Massimo Barbero and Daniela Alejandra Sbaraglia, highlighting Fontana's revolutionary approach and his first immersive installation, "Ambiente Spaziale a luce nera" (1949).