Colleen Barry Wants You to Believe in Pictures Again

Artist Colleen Barry presents her exhibition “Iconophilia” at Half Gallery in the East Village, featuring 14 recent paintings that explore motherhood, tenderness, and the complexity of image-making. The works include mythological references like the Capitoline Wolf and juxtapositions of ancient and modern imagery, such as a portrait of Grace Jones combined with the Roman god Janus. Barry, who grew up working class in New York and learned painting from her father, aims to counter contemporary distrust of images—especially among her children—by offering a reverent, iconophilic approach to visual culture.

First Comprehensive Museum Retrospective For Detroit Artist And ‘Bead Man’ Olayami Dabls

The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) will present "Olayami Dabls: Detroit Cosmologies," the first comprehensive museum retrospective for Detroit artist Olayami Dabls, running from April 25 to July 12, 2026. Dabls, who began his career as a curator at the Afro-American Museum in Detroit (now the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History), traces his artistic journey to a transformative moment in the 1970s when he opened a box of African masks that his colleagues feared to handle. This experience led him to investigate how Hollywood and popular culture had demonized African material culture, associating it with horror movies and voodoo, and inspired decades of work as an artist, storyteller, cultural historian, and civic champion.

Vietnam Military History Museum holds lacquer painting exhibition marking national milestones - Vietnam Investment Review

The Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi is hosting a lacquer painting exhibition titled “Homeland and the Soldier,” featuring 55 artworks by multiple generations of artists, lecturers, and students. The exhibition, running until the end of May, marks the 51st anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification, as well as the 136th birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh. It is jointly organized by the Vietnam Military History Museum, the Vietnam University of Fine Arts, and the University of Arts and Design, and is structured into three thematic sections: “Homeland Imprints,” “The Soldier,” and “Colours of Peace,” highlighting landscapes, wartime experiences, and post-war development.

Guildford news...

Guildford-based contemporary impressionist artist Ros Mansfield debuted her first solo exhibition, 'Edges of the Day,' on April 22, 2026, with a private viewing at Open Grounds café inside Guildford Baptist Church. The series features paintings inspired by her creative pilgrimages to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, capturing dawn and dusk scenes she describes as 'the edges of the day.' Mansfield, who considers the island one of the 'holiest places on Earth,' highlighted her favorite piece, 'Quiet Arrival, Pilgrim’s Post,' as the final painting that completed her journey. The exhibition is open to the public until May 24.

'Sachlichkeit' at Galerie Albrecht, Berlin, Germany on 2 May–27 Jun 2026

Galerie Albrecht in Berlin presents 'Sachlichkeit', an exhibition running from 2 May to 27 June 2026, that explores the concept of objectivity in art. The show features works by Kate Diehn-Bitt, a forgotten representative of the New Objectivity movement, alongside Michael Langner, associated with 'German Pop', as well as Rafael Cidoncha, Emese Kazár, and Sabine Herrmann. The exhibition examines how these artists portray people and objects with empathy, realism, and sometimes surreal distortion, ranging from Diehn-Bitt's empathetic portraits to Langner's automobile studies and Kazár's commentary on women's lives.

William Blake: The Age of Romantic Fantasy at the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin

The National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin is hosting the first-ever exhibition of William Blake's work in Ireland, titled "William Blake: The Age of Romantic Fantasy." The show features major works such as "The Night of Enitharmon’s Joy" (c. 1795) from Tate, and includes a life mask of Blake painted by Francis Bacon, connecting the Romantic visionary to the 20th-century Irish-born artist. The article explores Blake's radical politics, his arrest for sedition in 1803, and his enduring influence on figures like Bacon and the critic David Sylvester.

Exhibition | Betye Saar, 'Let's Get It On: The Wearable Art of Betye Saar' at Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, United States

Roberts Projects in Los Angeles will present "Let's Get It On: The Wearable Art of Betye Saar" from May 30 to August 22, 2026, showcasing over 150 objects from the artist's career, including costume designs, garments, jewelry, drawings, and archival materials. The exhibition highlights the influence of Saar's early work in costume and jewelry design (1960s–70s) on her later assemblage and installation practice, leading up to her 100th birthday in July 2026.

Exhibition | 'The Shape of Summer: From Boudin to Wesselmann' at Bailly Gallery, Bailly Gallery Paris, France

Bailly Gallery in Paris is presenting an exhibition titled 'The Shape of Summer: From Boudin to Wesselmann,' featuring works that explore the theme of summer from the 19th century to the present. The show spans artists from Eugène Boudin to Tom Wesselmann, highlighting the evolution of summer imagery in art.

Syrian Artist Sara Shamma To Present An Ode To Palmyra At The 61st Edition Of La Biennale Di Venezia

Syrian artist Sara Shamma will present a large-scale immersive installation titled 'The Tower Tomb of Palmyra' at the 61st edition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2026. This marks Syria's first participation in the Biennale since the fall of the Assad regime and the appointment of President Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa. Shamma's project, inspired by the ancient funerary towers of Palmyra destroyed during the Syrian Civil War, aims to restore the heritage site to life through a multisensory journey combining architecture, painting, and other elements. It will be the first solo presentation by a single Syrian artist at the Biennale, departing from previous group exhibitions with European collaborators.

New media art fair launches second edition in Busan, questions the genre's direction

The Loop Plus media art fair has launched its second edition in Busan, South Korea. The fair, dedicated exclusively to new media art, is confronting fundamental market challenges, specifically the public and collector uncertainty about whether such technologically dependent works can be owned and collected. It aims to build the market and ecosystem for the genre.

painting unfolds across earth, canvas, and space in katharina grosse’s london exhibition

Katharina Grosse's exhibition 'I Set Out, I Walked Fast' at White Cube London presents a continuous environment where painting extends beyond the canvas into space. The show features new works, archival material, and a large in-situ installation that combines mounds of earth, a partially submerged canvas, and a bronze-cast sculpture into a single painted field. Grosse uses an industrial spray gun to apply acrylic pigments, creating works that blur boundaries between surface, site, and viewer. The exhibition avoids chronological order, instead connecting pieces from different periods to form a spatial network where individual works function as nodes.

In Milan, the furnishings of the White House go on display. Design and architecture to talk about propaganda

A Milano vanno in mostra gli arredi della Casa Bianca. Design e architettura per parlare di propaganda

An exhibition titled 'The White House. Domestic Propaganda' has opened at Dropcity, an experimental center in the tunnels beneath Milan's Central Station, as part of the city's Design Week. Curated by students from the Politecnico di Milano's Interior Design Laboratory, the show critically examines the White House as a domestic space for political propaganda, using installations, models, and drawings to explore how its architecture and furnishings project cultural and social meanings.

Family Tours of the Jeff Koons: Venus Lespugue Exhibition at Museum of Cycladic Art

The Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens is organizing special family tours for its ongoing 'Jeff Koons: Venus Lespugue' exhibition. The tours, scheduled for three Sundays in April, May, and June, are designed for parents and children aged 8-12 and will explore both the Koons exhibition and the museum's permanent collection of Cycladic art.

Cyanotypes of Folded Paper Tessellations Unveil Crystal Patterns With Sunlight

Artist Fritz Horstman has opened a solo exhibition titled 'Folded Worlds,' featuring his Folded Cyanotypes and a new series of Folded Palladiums. These camera-less photographic works are created by exposing folded, chemically coated paper to sunlight or UV light, resulting in abstract images that suggest crystalline landscapes and architectural forms.

A Poetic Tribute to Ona Judge Is Coming to Philadelphia

A new public art installation titled "Sail Through This to That" by conceptual artist indira allegra will debut on May 28 at Philadelphia's Spruce Street Harbor as part of the new ArtPhilly festival. The work features a trio of neon-colored schooner sails mounted on the historic vessel North Wind, commemorating the 1796 escape from enslavement of Ona Judge, who fled the household of George and Martha Washington.

Where Words End Exhibition Brings Tom Vattakuzhy’s Story Paintings to Mumbai

Mumbai will host the first exhibition of artist Tom Vattakuzhy's work in the city, titled 'Where Words End,' at the Institute of Contemporary Indian Art (ICIA) from May 3–17, 2026. The exhibition presents a series of his "story paintings," which explore experiences that elude verbal expression, moving beyond his illustrative background to create ambiguous, emotionally resonant works.

Silvia Heyden: Weaving Notes & Nature at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University

The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University has opened the exhibition 'Silvia Heyden: Weaving Notes & Nature,' celebrating the rhythmic tapestries of Swiss-born artist Silvia Heyden (1927–2015). The show features works from her first solo exhibition at Duke over five decades ago, alongside key experimental pieces from the 1960s and 70s, reconnecting her legacy to the Durham campus that shaped her artistic voice.

Umbrella Gallery presents "Afrocentric" artist reception

The Umbrella Gallery is hosting an exhibition titled "Afrocentric," which showcases visual and mixed media art celebrating the African diaspora. The show focuses on African and Afro-descendant perspectives, exploring themes of heritage, cultural memory, identity, self-definition, migration, resistance, joy, and futurism. It aims to present history as a living presence through echoes of ancestral storytelling.

Jersey Artist Registry presents works by over 30 artists in exhibit at Oyster Point Hotel

The Jersey Artist Registry (JAR) is presenting "Uncharted Territory," an exhibition featuring over 50 works by 31 New Jersey artists at The Oyster Point Hotel in Red Bank. Curated by JAR founder Ellen Martin, the show runs from May 8 through June 29, 2026, and includes a diverse range of styles and media, from surreal photography to geometric abstraction and mystical fractals.

'Parallel Route 01' at Alzueta Gallery, Séneca, Barcelona, Spain on 2–30 Jun 2026

Alzueta Gallery in Barcelona is presenting the exhibition 'Parallel Route 01' from June 2 to 30, 2026. The gallery, founded by Miquel Alzueta, operates from five locations and runs a program of exhibitions, art fairs, and artist residencies.

Amid Urban Spaces, Alex Senna’s Bold Murals Embrace Connection and Belonging

Brazilian artist Alex Senna creates large-scale, black-and-white murals that depict figures gathering, interacting, and connecting with their own shadows. His work, often set against colorful urban backdrops, emphasizes themes of community, emotional bonds, togetherness, and belonging.

April 2026 Art And Culture Guide: Exhibitions, Museums & Cultural Events You Can’t Miss

A guide highlights key art and cultural events in India for April 2026. It features several exhibitions, including Nayanaa Kanodia's 'Staged Realities' at Bikaner House, Neha Sahai's introspective solo show at LATITUDE 28, and Mari Ito's first Indian solo exhibition at Bikaner House. Other notable events are the performance 'Sair-e-Motorcar' blending Kathak with vintage cars, the group show 'Houses I Almost Lived In' at LATITUDE 28, and the two-day World Dance Day festival curated by Geeta Chandran at the India International Centre.

The Emptiness That Will Still Be There Should the War End Tomorrow

"Die Leere, die noch da sein wird, sollte der Krieg morgen enden"

The group exhibition "Looking into the Gaps" at the Jam Factory in Lviv presents works by artists living in Ukraine or in exile, as well as by those killed on the front lines. Curated by Ukrainian artist Nikita Kadan, it is the fourth installment of a series exploring the fractures and diverse experiences within Ukrainian society, with this iteration focusing on the theme of loneliness rather than collective identity.