The article reflects on the conclusion of New York's spring art fair season, highlighting TEFAF New York at the Park Avenue Armory and the Independent Art Fair, which relocated to Pier 36. It notes the ongoing Focus fair for emerging Asian art and spotlights specific artists, including Taiwanese painter Tseng Chien-Ying at Kiang Malingue's booth and Frank Gaard at Post Times, describing their works and the fair's atmosphere of discovery.
Tony Albert, a 45-year-old artist of Girramay, Yidinji, and Kuku-Yalanji heritage, has spent decades collecting thousands of objects he terms 'Aboriginalia'—kitsch, caricatured, and often racist depictions of Aboriginal people created by non-Indigenous Australians. His solo exhibition 'Not a Souvenir' opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Sydney on 21 May, showcasing over 3,000 items from his collection alongside transformed artworks. The MCA is inviting the public to donate additional Aboriginalia items to Albert's collection, which is housed in his Brisbane studio.
The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has opened its 2026 spring exhibition, “Costume Art,” which explores the relationship between clothing and the human body through pairings of couture with artworks spanning 5,000 years. Curated by Andrew Bolton, the show is divided into thematic chapters such as “Nude Body,” “Disabled Body,” “Aging Body,” and “Anatomical Body,” featuring pieces from designers like Dior, John Galliano for Maison Margiela, and Renata Buzzo alongside historical artifacts and contemporary art.
A Torino la fotografia di moda è protagonista di The Phair 2026. Tutte le novità della settima edizione della fiera
The Phair, a photography fair in Turin, returns for its seventh edition from May 22 to 24, 2026, at the OGR – Officine Grandi Riparazioni. This year's edition focuses on fashion photography as an autonomous art form, featuring works by photographers such as Nanda Lanfranco, Giovanni Gastel, Françoise Huguier, Marco Glaviano, and Michelangelo Di Battista. Participating galleries include Photo & Contemporary, Ira Leonis, Deodato Arte, Jaeger Art, and many others. The fair also expands its curatorial committee with figures like Umberto Benappi, Emilio Bordoli, and Brandei Estes.
M+ in Hong Kong and the Centre Pompidou in Paris have announced a new five-year partnership beginning next year. The agreement, announced at M+ on May 15, includes lending artworks for exhibitions, collaborative research and commissions, curator exchanges, and a four-year postdoctoral fellowship. A major exhibition focusing on visual culture in France and Greater China will debut at the Pompidou when it reopens in 2029 or 2030, then travel to M+.
The second edition of Vima, Cyprus' emerging international art fair, took place in Limassol from May 15-17, 2026, drawing 5,200 visitors and featuring 26 invited galleries from over 20 countries. Artworks sold ranged from €550 to €90,000, reflecting increased sales from the inaugural 2025 edition. Highlights included a special exhibition curated by Kostas Stasinopoulos titled "The Crashing Waves," performances by Scottish choreographer Magnus Westwell, and notable presentations by galleries such as Cut Art Gallery (Riga) and Eins Gallery (Limassol). The fair also hosted 25 events including talks, live music, and off-site shows across Limassol and Nicosia.
Chicago-born artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn, now based in Brooklyn, is opening his first museum show in his hometown at the National Public Housing Museum. Titled “Nathaniel Mary Quinn: A Love Letter to My Mother,” the exhibition runs from May 21 to August 23, 2026, and features 10 artworks alongside a recreation of his childhood living room in the Robert Taylor Homes. The show is dedicated to his late mother, who encouraged his early drawing on the apartment walls. Quinn, known for his collage-like portraits, recently created the album cover for the Rolling Stones’ upcoming album “Foreign Tongues.” The museum will also host community conversations about the history of the Robert Taylor Homes.
La nuova galleria d’arte di Torino è un appartamento dove le opere si espongono in cucina, bagno e camera da letto
The Italian branch of Paris-based gallery CiacciaLevi is relocating from Milan to Turin in September 2026, opening a new space that is an apartment where artworks will be displayed in the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. Founders Antoine Levi and Nerina Ciaccia, who first met and began their careers in Turin between 2005 and 2010, describe the move as both a professional and personal life choice, deepening their ties to the city where they previously worked with Galleria Franco Noero and a.titolo.
The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FVM) in Philadelphia has opened "Some American Dreams," an exhibition marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Curated by Hilde Nelson, FVM curatorial fellow, the show features 27 works by 20 artists created during the museum's Artist-in-Residence Program over four decades. The exhibition includes pieces in furniture, sculpture, textiles, clothing, video, and photography, and is on view until June 14, 2026. In an interview with My Modern Met, Nelson discusses her curatorial approach, which poses the question, "What if 'America' is not one project, but many?" and explores how these multiple Americas are affirmed, resisted, or remade through the artworks.
The Dax Centre in Melbourne, in partnership with SANE Australia, has opened "Recovering Art," an exhibition pairing historical works from the Cunningham Dax Collection—created by patients in Victorian psychiatric hospitals from the 1950s—with new contemporary pieces by artists Ruth Buchanan, John Young Zerunge, Abdul Abdullah, Jenna Lee, and Luke Willis Thompson. Curated by Andy Butler, the show includes landscape paintings by Rene Sutton, works by Graeme Doyle, Carla Krijt, and NEG, alongside new commissions that engage with themes of archive, classification, and institutional observation of lived experience.
An exhibition titled "Still Joy" opened in Venice during the preview days of the Biennale, organized by the Pinchuk Art Center in Kiev, showcasing Ukrainian art that responds to the ongoing war with Russia. The show features works by artists including Kateryna Aliinyk, Piotr Armianovski, Roman Khimei and Yarema Malashchuk, Zhanna Kadyrova, Alevtina Kakhidze, and Nikita Kadan, addressing themes of resilience, memory, and resistance. The Ukrainian Pavilion at the Biennale also centers on the conflict, with Kadyrova's work referencing the Budapest Memorandum. Many of these artists have chosen to remain in Ukraine despite the dangers, keeping the cultural scene alive.
The article traces the history of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, from its origins in the efforts of Johanna van Gogh-Bonger—who preserved Vincent van Gogh's works after his death—to its official opening in 1973 by Queen Juliana. It describes the museum's location on Museum Square, its two-part building designed by Gerrit Rietveld and Kisho Kurokawa, and its role as a major tourist attraction that drew nearly two million visitors in 2024.
Finalmente il Ministro della Cultura Giuli ha visitato il Padiglione Italia alla Biennale di Venezia 2026 e ha fatto pace con il Presidente Buttafuoco
Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli finally visited the Italy Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale alongside Biennale President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, marking their first public appearance together after earlier tensions led Giuli to skip the opening ceremony. During the visit, Buttafuoco proposed that the work of artist Chiara Camoni, whose exhibition "Con te con tutto" is curated by Cecilia Canziani, should find a permanent home after the Biennale ends, sparking discussion about the future of pavilion artworks.
Taiba Akhuetie, a London-based artist who uses human and synthetic hair as her primary medium, is preparing for her first solo exhibition at the Sarabande Foundation. Her unsettling, taxidermy-like sculptures transform everyday objects—handbags, mirrors, rocking chairs, and umbrellas—into eerie, hair-covered artworks. Akhuetie began her career as a braider, founding the salon Keash Braids in Peckham, and pivoted to sculptural work during the pandemic. Her creations have attracted high-profile clients including Rihanna, Cate Blanchett, and Nigerian singer Tems, and have been featured by Vogue.
A monthlong open-air exhibition called BlowUp Jubilee has taken over The Hague, featuring 24 giant inflatable artworks installed in parks, on buildings, and even in a train station. Highlights include a 7-meter-tall stew pot floating in front of the Mauritshuis museum, home to "Girl with a Pearl Earring," and works by artists such as Eugenie Boon, who created a piece inspired by Curaçaoan culture, and British artist Steve Messam, whose red spiked sculpture Crested sits atop a parking garage entrance. The exhibition is curated by Mary Hessing and runs until June 21.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is celebrating Museum Month and International Museum Day (May 18) by highlighting the Phoenix Airport Museum's exhibitions. The museum, which began as an art program in the 1960s with Paul Coze's mural "The Phoenix" and officially became a museum 38 years ago, has presented over 500 exhibitions focusing on Arizona's culture. It now houses more than 1,000 artworks across 40 display areas, including architecturally integrated pieces and portable works. Current exhibitions include "Spectral Alchemy" (15 local artists exploring light), "Fluoresce" (blacklight paintings), "Time & Place" (paintings by Martin Dimitrov), "Runway Fashion" (vintage flight attendant uniforms), and several others in Terminals 3 and 4, both pre- and post-security.
SOBRE LA IM-POSIBILIDAD DE COMUNICARSE. “DICHO A MANO”, DE FELIPE PINEDA
The exhibition "Dicho a mano" by Chilean artist Felipe Pineda, curated by Ayelén Ruiz at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Santiago, explores the difficulty of communication when words fail, turning to the body and hands as alternative languages. Pineda draws on his migratory experience in London and references mutilated classical sculptures from the British Museum, while a recent theft of one piece adds an unexpected dimension. The show reflects on barriers in art and human connection, proposing that even failed communication carries a desire to be understood.
Du simple bleu au tailleur haute couture, le vêtement de travail étudié au musée Postal
The Musée Postal in Paris has reopened with a new name and identity, launching its first exhibition titled "Sous toutes les coutures" ("Under All Seams"). Curated by Elodie Goëssant and Didier Filoche, the show brings together 420 pieces, artworks, and archival objects to explore the history of workwear in France, from uniforms and protective clothing to high-fashion collaborations. It traces the evolution of work attire from the 18th century to the present, highlighting how women lacked dedicated work clothing until the 1970s and how airlines like Air France pioneered partnerships with luxury houses such as Christian Dior to dress flight attendants as national ambassadors.
Below Grand, a gallery on Orchard Street in New York, has transformed its space into "Club Bar," an immersive exhibition curated by Marissa Graziano that blurs the line between art and entertainment. The show features a pool table, free beer and hot dogs, and a white roulette table dealt by artist Sam Guy, where guests gamble for raffle tickets to win artworks. The exhibition includes works by Alexis Akua, Thomas Bohm Jr., Alex Cassetti, Angela Dufresne, and others, with a suggested donation of $25 for five plays and raffle tickets.
The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts in Little Rock opened its 65th annual Young Arkansas Artists exhibition on Saturday, showcasing over 50 student artworks selected by a panel of museum and art professionals. The exhibition, on view through July 26 at the Robyn and John Horn Gallery, features four works per grade from kindergarten through 12th grade, using media ranging from charcoal and watercolor to linoleum print and glazed ceramics. Awards included $25 gift certificates to BLICK Art Materials for each featured student, a $200 award for submitting educators, and special recognitions such as the Mid-Southern Watercolorists' Suzann Waggoner Memorial Award and the AMFA Docents' Recognition Award. Best in Class winners, like kindergartner Levi Splawn and fifth grader Blair Allen, received free summer camp sessions at the museum.
Kayem, a New England-based hot dog brand, has partnered with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) to create an exhibition exploring the cultural significance of hot dogs in American history. The collaboration uses artworks and artifacts from the museum's collection to trace the hot dog's journey from its European origins to its status as a quintessential American food, highlighting its presence at events like baseball games, state fairs, and presidential inaugurations.
The article 'From Paris To Gyeongseong’ Illuminating The Flow Of Modern Art' explores the historical and cultural exchange of modern art between Paris and Gyeongseong (the former name of Seoul during the Japanese colonial period). It traces how Western modernist movements, particularly from Paris, influenced Korean artists in the early 20th century, highlighting the cross-cultural dialogue that shaped the development of modern art in Korea. The piece examines specific artworks, exhibitions, and the role of key figures who facilitated this artistic flow.
Kaatsbaan Cultural Park in Tivoli, New York, will open its sixth annual Visual Arts Exhibition on June 6, 2026, with a free afternoon reception. Titled "Earthly Delights," the show features works by nine contemporary artists, including returning artists Aurora Robson, Ian McMahon, and Portia Munson, as well as newcomers Thea Berman, Sharon Broit, Laura Battle, Kris Perry, Nadia Yaron, and Virginia L. Montgomery. The exhibition also includes two bronzes by Gaston Lachaise on loan from the Lachaise Foundation. Curated by Hilary Greene, the artworks explore planets, plants, insects, and biological forms inspired by the Hudson Valley landscape.
Houston is set to host the U.S. debut of artworks by Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, and Henri Matisse, as announced by CW39 Houston. The exhibition will bring these major modern masters to a local venue, marking the first time these specific pieces are shown in the United States.
MillHouse Foundation, in partnership with Cotton Mill Partners, has launched the inaugural America 250: Texas Trailblazing Wonder Women Exhibition at the newly opened Atrium Gallery inside the McKinney Cotton Mill Arts and Design District in McKinney, Texas. Running from June 12 through August 26, the exhibition features 24 large-scale original works by Texas artists honoring influential Texas women such as Barbara Jordan, Lady Bird Johnson, Ann Richards, Simone Biles, Beyoncé, and Selena Quintanilla. All artworks are available for purchase, and a Meet the Artists Reception on June 27 will announce award recipients including the $5,000 Texas Trailblazer Award.
Irish comic artist and illustrator Niall Breen is debuting his Dog & Frog comic series in Singapore with a solo exhibition titled "Lazy Days with Dog & Frog" at Heartware Store & Gallery in Joo Chiat. Running from May 29 to July 26, 2026, the show features original artworks, merchandise such as blankets and picnic mats, and a special artist talk on May 30 where Breen will discuss his creative process and the global following his tender, everyday-life comics have attracted since 2018.
Joy Machine's exhibition 'Feel Free' explores themes of order, change, and the limits of control through a series of artworks. The show presents a visual dialogue between structured systems and the unpredictable forces that disrupt them, inviting viewers to reflect on the tension between stability and transformation.
Surrey Art Gallery in Bear Creek Park, Vancouver, has opened a free temporary exhibition titled "In The Shadow of the Pavilions: Expo 86 and Contemporary Art." The show revisits the cultural legacy of Expo '86, the 1986 World's Fair that transformed Vancouver's urban and economic identity, through contemporary artworks in photography, video, installation, and archival materials. It highlights the many public artworks commissioned for the fair, the architecture of pavilions, and features an anonymous documentary slideshow of over 1,700 photographs by Michael de Courcy capturing visitors and everyday scenes.
Rising Melbourne and Battersea Arts Centre (BAC) have announced that British artist and game designer Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley will design the ninth hole artwork for the playable exhibition 'The Art of Mini Golf' when it travels to London this summer. The exhibition, formerly known as 'Swingers', will take over BAC from 17 June to 26 July, featuring nine interactive golf hole artworks by leading women artists including Miranda July, Kaylene Whiskey, Saeborg, Delaine Le Bas, Natasha Tontey, BKTHERULA, Soda Jerk, and Pat Brassington. Brathwaite-Shirley's new commission, 'Enough Is Enough', uses video game language to critique technology's impact on society, addressing issues like surveillance, censorship, and wealth inequality.
Artspace Gallery in Richmond, Virginia, has announced a juried art exhibition titled "250 Years of Expression: Freedom, Dissent and the American Voice," running from May 22 to July 18, 2026. The show features over 30 artworks in video, photography, sculpture, and mixed media, selected by juror Diego Sanchez, an artist and educator. An opening reception and juror talk will take place on May 22, with a Fourth Friday reception on June 26. Concurrently, the gallery will present "Of, By, For," an exhibition of works from Artspace artists' studios in the Elisabeth Flynn Chapman Gallery.