From Backrooms to Boards of Canada: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead

The Guardian's weekly entertainment guide includes a section on art exhibitions, highlighting two shows. Camille Henrot's drawing-focused exhibition is on view at The Perimeter in London until July 25, showcasing a more personal side of the French artist known for complex video and sculpture. Pallant House in Chichester opens 'British Landscapes: A Sense of Place' from May 30 to November 1, surveying over 200 years of British landscape art by artists including Thomas Gainsborough, Paul Nash, and Barbara Hepworth.

Rediscovered Leonora Carrington painting to go on show for the first time at London's Freud Museum

A newly discovered painting by Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington, titled *Villa Pilar* (1940), will be exhibited for the first time at the Freud Museum in London starting July 1. The work was created while Carrington was hospitalized at the Morales sanatorium in Santander, Spain, following the arrest of her partner Max Ernst and her subsequent psychological breakdown. The painting, given to her psychiatrist Luis Morales upon her departure, depicts the hospital as an underworld of hybrid creatures. It will be shown alongside its companion piece *Down Below* in the exhibition *Leonora Carrington: The Symptomatic Surreal*, which has been extended through August 10.

Lost Leonora Carrington Painting Emerges After More Than 80 Years

A long-lost painting by Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington, titled *Villa Pilar* (1940), has been rediscovered in Spain with the family of her former psychiatrist, Luis Morales. The work was created during Carrington's six-month stay at Morales's Peña Castillo sanatorium in Santander, where she was treated after escaping Nazi-occupied France. The painting will debut publicly at the Freud Museum in London as part of the exhibition “Leonora Carrington: The Symptomatic Surreal,” curated by Vanessa Boni, which gathers artworks from that period. The Morales family still owns the painting but is lending it to the show, which runs from July 1 to August 10, before the work travels to the Faro Santander art center in September.

‘I lived near a serial killer’: Steven Shearer on turning teen angst and death metal into high art

Canadian artist Steven Shearer, known for his reclusive nature, discusses his first UK exhibition since 2007 at David Zwirner Gallery in London. The show spans 40 years of his work, including paintings of long-haired teens, collages of appropriated images, and billboard-sized poetry inspired by heavy metal lyrics. Shearer, who grew up near serial killer Robert Pickton in Port Coquitlam, Vancouver, draws on suburban teenage angst, death metal iconography, and art historical references to create a unique visual language.

A century ago, Tate borrowed five Van Goghs to inaugurate its new “modern foreign” galleries

In June 1926, London's Tate Gallery opened its first rooms dedicated to modern foreign art, an event presided over by King George V and Queen Mary. To celebrate, the gallery mounted a massive loan exhibition of over 250 works, as its own collection of international art was too small. Among the loans were five works by Vincent van Gogh—four paintings and one drawing—all lent by British collectors. The article traces the provenance of each work, including Oleanders (now at the Met), Interior of a Restaurant (still in a private collection), Stairway at Auvers (now at the Saint Louis Art Museum), and a lost drawing titled The Hut. It also highlights the role of early female collectors Elizabeth Workman and Esther Sutro.

Lisson Grove's galleries collaborate to promote London's unsung art district

Lisson Gallery, The Showroom, The Bomb Factory Art Foundation, Patrick Heide Contemporary Art, and Palmer Gallery have formed the Lisson Grove Galleries initiative to promote the artistic activity of London's Lisson Grove district. The collaboration will launch during London Gallery Weekend (5-7 June 2025) with talks, tours, performances, and events, including discussions on collectivism, artist talks, and private views, with ongoing programming throughout the year.

London's Royal Society of Arts launches new annual summer exhibition

The Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and AOAP Projects (formerly Art on a Postcard) are launching a new annual summer exhibition in London titled "Illuminated." Running from 10-24 June at the RSA's headquarters on John Adam Street, the show features over 100 artists including Caroline Coon, Susie Hamilton, and Helen Beard, with all works limited to seven inches by seven inches. Artists receive 50% of sales proceeds, with the remainder funding the RSA's social impact programs. The exhibition marks AOAP Projects' strategic shift from its long-running postcard auction format toward curated exhibitions and broader fundraising initiatives.

Inside the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art's major expansion

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, will open a major expansion on June 6, adding 114,000 square feet to its campus. Designed by Safdie Architects, the $100 million project includes 29,000 square feet of new galleries, ceramics and digital-art studios, a community lounge, and an outdoor playscape. The expansion will display 200 previously unseen works from the permanent collection, including new acquisitions, and features the exhibition "Keith Haring in 3D" running through January 2027.

Betye Saar’s Birthday Present

Betye Saar, the iconic assemblage artist, is donating her collection of Black dolls to the New York Historical on the occasion of her 100th birthday. The article also covers strong performance art at the Venice Biennale, including works by Florentina Holzinger and Miet Warlop at the Austrian and Belgian pavilions, amidst a fraught edition marked by the death of artistic director Koyo Kouoh, canceled pavilions, and protests. Additional features include a review of Ceija Stojka's exhibition at the Drawing Center and a profile of sculptor Edmonia Lewis.

Post-Paintings, Pyrex Bowls, and Dollar-Store Flowers: Our Critic’s Guide to Art on the UES Right Now

Eliza Douglas makes her New York solo debut with 'Ghosts' at Gagosian's Park Avenue outpost, featuring layered paintings that incorporate UV-printed portraits of her aunt, UFO journalist Leslie Kean, over reworked canvases previously shown at the shuttered Air de Paris gallery. The exhibition runs through July 31, 2026, alongside concurrent shows at Gagosian's Madison Avenue space featuring Marcel Duchamp and Robert Rauschenberg, and a pairing of David Hammons with Jannis Kounellis at White Cube on the Upper East Side.

Kelly Akashi and friends celebrate Altadena's resilience after Los Angeles wildfires

Artist Kelly Akashi created "Field Set," an installation and performance on the site of her former home and studio in Altadena, California, which was destroyed by the Eaton wildfire last year. The project, supported by the nonprofit Los Angeles Nomadic Division (Land), featured salvaged materials, hand-blown glass orbs, wildflower plantings, and a soundscape by artist Phil Peters, drawing around 500 visitors over two days. Akashi integrated remnants from the fire into her recent Lisson Gallery show and has been awarded the Hyundai Terrace Commission for the 2026 Whitney Biennial, where she will present a glass replica of her chimney titled "Monument (Altadena)."

Leonora Carrington work painted during psychiatric confinement to go on show for first time

A recently discovered painting by surrealist artist Leonora Carrington, titled *Villa Pilar* (1940), will be publicly displayed for the first time this summer in London. Carrington created the work while confined in a Spanish psychiatric hospital during World War II, after fleeing Nazi-occupied France and suffering a psychological breakdown. The painting depicts the hospital as a symbolic underworld and was given to her psychiatrist, Dr. Luis Morales, as a parting gift. It remained in his family for decades until researchers rediscovered it while preparing an exhibition for the Faro Santander arts center. The work will debut at the Freud Museum in London as part of the exhibition *Leonora Carrington – the Symptomatic Surreal*, which has been extended through August before traveling to Spain.

Lost Leonora Carrington Work to Make Public Debut

A long-lost painting by British Mexican Surrealist Leonora Carrington, titled *Villa Pilar* (1940), will make its public debut at London’s Freud Museum this summer. The work was rediscovered with an heir of Dr. Luis Morales, the psychiatrist who treated Carrington at a psychiatric hospital in Santander, Spain, where she was institutionalized after a mental breakdown following her partner Max Ernst’s arrest by the Nazis. The painting will be featured in the exhibition “Leonora Carrington: The Symptomatic Surreal,” which has been extended through August 10, and will later travel to the arts center Faro Santander in September.

Venice Biennale: The Must-Sees Off the Official Program

Biennale de Venise, les immanquables du off

The article highlights must-see exhibitions taking place in Venice alongside the official Biennale, curated by the magazine L'Œil. It features three major shows: "Le pli et le temps" at Fondazione dell’Albero d’Oro, exploring the fold as a material and temporal concept through the work of Patrick Saytour and Piero Manzoni; "Lorna Simpson. Third Person" at Punta della Dogana, a major European survey of Simpson's paintings, collages, and films organized by the Pinault Collection; and "Picasso, Morandi, Parmiggiani. Still Lifes" at Galleria di Piazza San Marco, a dialogue between three masters of still life, co-organized by Tornabuoni gallery and the Musée national Picasso-Paris.

From Cannes to Nice, via Grasse and Saint-Paul-de-Vence… 8 Refreshing Exhibitions on the Côte d’Azur

De Cannes à Nice, en passant par Grasse et Saint-Paul-de-Vence… 8 expos rafraîchissantes sur la Côte d’Azur

Beaux Arts Magazine highlights eight refreshing exhibitions across the French Riviera from spring to summer 2026. Featured shows include a Carole Benzaken survey at La Malmaison in Cannes, a hotel biennial at the Canopy by Hilton Cannes, a group exhibition on media theorist Nathalie Magnan at Villa Arson in Nice, and a dialogue between Henri Matisse and Yves Saint Laurent at the Musée Matisse in Nice. Other stops include Ellsworth Kelly at Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, and shows in Grasse featuring painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard, photography, and costumes.

Celebrated in the 1970s, American artist Nancy Graves returns to the spotlight at Ceysson & Bénétière

Célébrée dans les années 1970, l’artiste américaine Nancy Graves retrouve la lumière chez Ceysson & Bénétière

Beaux Arts Magazine reports on a resurgence of interest in American artist Nancy Graves (1939–1995), highlighted by a new exhibition at Ceysson & Bénétière. Graves, who worked across painting, sculpture, film, and stage design, was a rising star in the 1970s—exhibiting at MoMA and the National Gallery of Art, and becoming the youngest artist to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art at age 29. The article traces her career from studying literature at Vassar and art at Yale, to her brief marriage to sculptor Richard Serra, and her pioneering use of NASA satellite imagery and natural history themes in works like her life-size camel sculptures.

A Look Into Frank Stella's Mesmerizing Collection of Diné Textiles

The late abstract artist Frank Stella's collection of 40 Diné (Navajo) textiles, assembled over decades, is on public display for the first time at Arader Galleries in New York City through June 10. Organized by rug expert Peter Pap, the exhibition also includes a selection of Stella's early geometric drawings, highlighting the connection between Diné weaving and his visual language. The textiles, mostly from the Transitional Period (c. 1880–1910), were chosen by Stella for their bold colors and geometric patterns rather than traditional scholarly benchmarks. The collection will also be shown at Pap's store in Dublin, New Hampshire, later this summer, ahead of its sale.

Julius von Bismarck “This is not the storm” at Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne

Julius von Bismarck's first Australian solo exhibition, "This is not the storm," opens at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) in Melbourne on Friday, 17 April. The Berlin-based artist blends art, science, and environmental themes to challenge conventional perceptions of nature as a social construct.

‘Keith Haring in 3D’ Highlights the Artist’s Prolifically Art-Filled Life

An exhibition titled 'Keith Haring in 3D' has opened at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, focusing on the artist's prolific career and his belief in art as an accessible, public experience. The show highlights Haring's subway drawings, his rapid-fire chalk works on black paper, and his engagement with the 1980s New York City street art scene, including figures like Fab 5 Freddy, Lady Pink, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. It features works from the collection of Larry Warsh and is curated by Glenn Adamson, with a rare surviving subway drawing on display.

The Top Exhibitions To See In London: June 2026

London's June 2026 art scene features a diverse lineup of exhibitions, including Japanese photography at Japan House and the Photographers' Gallery, the opening of the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration with debut shows, a Marilyn Monroe centenary at the National Portrait Gallery, Rachel Maclean's AI-themed exhibition at Josh Lilley Gallery, and a celestial-themed show at Saatchi Gallery. These exhibitions span photography, illustration, pop culture, and contemporary art, offering free and ticketed options across the city.

Ten London Art Exhibitions Opening June 2026

Ten London art exhibitions opening in June 2026 are previewed, including major shows such as Anish Kapoor at the Hayward, Frida Kahlo at Tate Modern, and Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait at the National Portrait Gallery. Other highlights include The Sun and The Moon at Saatchi Gallery, a retrospective of M.C. Escher at Somerset House, Julio Le Parc at Tate Modern, and Project a Black Planet at Barbican Art Gallery, all part of a vibrant gallery scene anchored by London Gallery Weekend with over 120 participating galleries.

London Gallery Weekend 2026 Highlights And Recommendations

London Gallery Weekend 2026 will take place from June 5 to 7, featuring over 120 galleries across the city, including nine first-time participants and several with new or expanded spaces. The free, open-to-all event is organized by geographic focus days: Central London on Friday, South London on Saturday, and East London on Sunday, with participating galleries open from 11am to 6pm on Friday and Saturday, and 12pm to 5pm on Sunday. Highlights include Gagosian showing rare early works by Christo, Niru Ratnam presenting Keith Piper, Sadie Coles HQ screening new films by Helen Marten, and Victoria Miro debuting Shahzia Sikander's first exhibition since announcing representation.

Nagas: A Charming Art Gallery and Mini Museum Hybrid

Ilian Rebei, an art dealer and founder of Nagas Gallery, operates a hybrid space in New York that functions as both a mid-tier gallery and a research-based mini museum. Educated at La Sorbonne and an expert in Surrealism and Modernism, Rebei focuses on historically significant works with strong provenance, such as a Hindu mid-18th-century work on paper and pieces by Surrealist Valentine Hugo. The gallery currently presents "Cosmogrammes," an exhibition of works by American painter and poet Louise Janin, who blended Asian philosophies with abstract visions. Rebei also lends to the Musée du Luxembourg and recently sold a work to the Morgan Library & Museum.

Galerie Gmurzynska’s Old-School Slow Art Model Is Newly Radical

Galerie Gmurzynska, a family-run gallery founded in 1965 by Antonina Gmurzynska, is celebrating its 60th anniversary by moving its New York operations to the historic Fuller Building at 595 Madison Avenue. The gallery inaugurated the space with an exhibition titled “Miró/Matta,” pairing works by Joan Miró and Roberto Matta, and has published a 400-page volume on the relationship between Wifredo Lam and Pablo Picasso. Known for its deep research, museum-quality exhibitions, and scholarly publications, the gallery operates primarily from Zurich and New York under the leadership of Krystyna Gmurzynska and her daughter Isabelle Bscher, representing a rare three-generation model of female leadership.

Joseph Raffael: white ground paintings

Nancy Hoffman Gallery will present *Joseph Raffael: white ground paintings* from May 21 to June 27, 2026, featuring a series of works from the 1960s. After a bout of hepatitis and his father’s death, Raffael abandoned abstraction to create fragmented, photorealistic compositions on white grounds, first exhibited at Stable Gallery in 1965. The show includes pieces like *Monkey, brassiere and figure* (1964) and *Homage to Frank O’Hara* (1967), reflecting his psychoanalytic exploration and fragmented state of mind.

Early portrait denied by Lucian Freud shown for first time after authentication

An early portrait by Lucian Freud, titled *Man in a Black Scarf* (1939), will be exhibited for the first time after experts authenticated it, despite the artist having denied it was his for years. The painting depicts John Jameson, a friend and heir to the whiskey family, and was created while Freud was a student at the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing in Hadleigh, Suffolk. The work gained attention on the BBC's *Fake or Fortune?* in 2016, but authentication was complicated by Freud's repeated denials, which stemmed from a personal feud with the original owners, Denis Wirth-Miller and Richard Chopping. New evidence from Tate Britain archives confirmed the painting's origin, and it will now debut in the exhibition *Benton End: A Paradise of Pollen and Paint* at the Garden Museum in London.

Show celebrates legacy of the art school in Benton End—which counted Lucian Freud among its students

An exhibition at London's Garden Museum, titled "Benton End: A Paradise of Pollen and Paint," will explore the legacy of the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing and its founders, artists Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines. The school operated from the Tudor manor house Benton End in Suffolk from 1940 to the 1970s, attracting students including a young Lucian Freud and Maggi Hambling. The show features immersive reconstructions, original objects, and the portrait "Man in Black Scarf" (1939), controversially attributed to Freud, exhibited publicly for the first time.

Elizabeth Blackadder exhibition reveals wintry Tuscan landscapes and minimalist still lifes

A new exhibition at the Jenna Burlingham Gallery in Kingsclere, Hampshire, showcases early works by Scottish painter Elizabeth Blackadder (1921-2021), focusing on wintry Tuscan landscapes and minimalist still lifes from the 1950s through the 1970s. Most pieces are exhibited for the first time, revealing a less familiar side of the artist known for her accessible paintings of flowers and cats. The show includes gouache and watercolour landscapes Blackadder painted after winning a travelling scholarship, as well as pared-back oil still lifes from the 1960s and 1970s.

‘America’s sweetheart’: exhibition explores Marilyn Monroe’s complex relationship to stardom

A new exhibition titled 'Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon' opens this weekend at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, featuring costumes, personal letters, notes, and audio recordings that explore the star's complex relationship with fame. Curated by Sophia Serrano, the show includes rarely displayed items such as the pink dress from 'Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,' a sequined outfit from a Madison Square Garden charity appearance, and handwritten letters revealing Monroe's private thoughts. The exhibition is part of a series of centenary celebrations, with concurrent shows at the British Film Institute and National Portrait Gallery in London.

Leonora Carrington Painting Made Inside Spanish Sanatorium Resurfaces After 80 Years

A long-lost painting by Leonora Carrington, titled *Villa Pillar* (1940), will be publicly exhibited for the first time in over 80 years at the Freud Museum in London starting July 1. The work was created while Carrington was a patient in a Spanish sanatorium in Santander, where she was treated by psychiatrist Luis Morales. Carrington gave the painting to Morales, and his family kept it until researchers from the forthcoming Faro Santander art center discovered it and convinced the family to loan it for the exhibition “The Symptomatic Surreal,” which traces Carrington’s development from 1938 to 1941 through her sketchbooks and letters. The show, which opened in March, has been extended through August 10 and will later travel to Faro Santander when it opens in September.