A new exhibition, "Bernini i Barberini," at Rome's Palazzo Barberini explores the profound artistic partnership between Pope Urban VIII and the young sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini. This relationship, beginning in 1623, led to decades of Baroque masterpieces that transformed Rome's architecture and urban design, showcasing the papacy's use of art as a tool of power and propaganda.
The Repatriates Collective has launched 'Tide of Returns' at Ocean Space in Venice, an exhibition that redefines repatriation as a continuous process of spiritual and communal repair rather than a singular legal transaction. Set within the historic Church of San Lorenzo, the installation features immersive works such as 'From My Mother’s Country,' which utilizes thousands of handmade dolls from Namibia, and Verena Melgarejo Weinandt’s textile and video works exploring the symbolic power of water and braiding.
Da Bari a Genova: tra le mostre del momento con Artbox su Sky Arte
The television program Artbox on Sky Arte, in its April 7th episode, features a tour of current art exhibitions across Italy. The episode spotlights a major exhibition of Flemish master Anthony van Dyck at Genoa's Palazzo Ducale, a solo show by Angolan artist Ana Silva at the GAMeC in Bergamo, and the contemporary programming at Bari's Pinacoteca Corrado Giaquinto, including an installation by local artist Pamela Diamante. The show also includes its regular segments: "Invito al viaggio," exploring the relationship between art and society through figures like Warhol and Banksy, and "Arte e vita in libreria," where critic Vincenzo Trione presents his new book.
Sabbie e riti dagli antipodi. Da scoprire in una ex chiesa di Venezia
The Church of San Lorenzo in Venice, home to Ocean Space, is hosting "Tide of Returns," an exhibition by the Repatriates Collective. The installation transforms the historic nave with sand dunes populated by thousands of decorated shells known as Dadikwakwa-kwa, or shell dolls, from the Anindilyakwa people of Australia. The show also features a tripartite installation of video, textiles, and braids by German-Bolivian artist Verena Melgarejo Weinandt, exploring themes of ancestral connection and the universal significance of water.
A Roma c’è un festival dedicato al cinema contemporaneo e alle sperimentazioni audiovisive. L’intervista
The Ru-mòre Cinema and Audiovisual Experimentation Festival is launching in Rome’s San Lorenzo district from April 14 to 18. Evolving from the former Barkov Film Festival, the event features a diverse program of short films, screenwriting competitions, and a dedicated section for virtual reality. The festival utilizes multiple local venues, including Cinema Tibur and the Mercato di San Lorenzo, to host international works and industry panels.
A Gorizia gli artisti lavorano con le aziende del territorio all’insegna della circolarità degli scarti industriali
The exhibition "The Matter Loop" has opened in Gorizia as part of the GO! 2026 European Capital of Culture celebrations, showcasing a unique collaboration between contemporary artists and local industrial companies. Curated by Vincenzo Alessandria and organized by the QuiAltrove Association, the project paired four artists from the Friuli Venezia Giulia region with local businesses to repurpose industrial waste—including textiles, metals, and organic residues—into new artworks.
Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary (TBA21) Academy has opened its 2026 program at Ocean Space in Venice with the exhibition 'Tide of Returns'. Developed by the Repatriates Collective, the show features artists, filmmakers, and Indigenous communities from across the globe, transforming the former Church of San Lorenzo into an immersive environment. It moves beyond conventional restitution debates by presenting repatriation as a living, tidal process expressed through ritual, memory, and community care, using materials like sand from Anindilyakwa Country and returned shell dolls.
From 26 April 2026 to 10 January 2027, the Vincenzo Vela Museum in Ligornetto, Switzerland, presents "Bertille Bak: Voices from the Earth," the first major solo exhibition in Switzerland of French artist Bertille Bak. The show brings together works from the past fifteen years that combine cinema, visual arts, and field research, focusing on marginalized communities and themes of labor, identity, and resistance. Bak, born in Arras in 1983, creates video installations and narrative devices through long immersions in communities, with her work held in collections such as the Centre Pompidou and the Collection François Pinault.
A Bologna una mostra mette assieme tradizioni pittoriche e profumi contemporanei
The exhibition "Sogni di natura" (Dreams of Nature) has opened at the Collezioni Comunali d’Arte in Bologna’s Palazzo d’Accursio, coinciding with the 57th edition of Cosmoprof Worldwide. The show transforms the historic Sala Boschereccia into a multisensory "imagined garden" where 18th-century landscape paintings by Vincenzo Martinelli and Giuseppe Valiani are paired with contemporary fragrances. Students from the Italian Perfumery Institute developed these scents by analyzing the historical and symbolic identity of the room’s original decorations.
Buffalo-based artist Mark Di Vincenzo is set to debut a new exhibition of paintings at Eleven Twenty Gallery, running from April 17th through May 16th. The showcase features a collection of 19 large-scale oil paintings and 12 gouache works, many of which were inspired by a residency at The Park School of Buffalo where the artist focused on capturing the natural landscape.
London’s Design Museum has announced a major retrospective for the Japanese creative polymath NIGO, marking his first significant museum exhibition outside of Japan. Opening in May, the show will feature over 700 objects, including vintage clothing, childhood artifacts, and runway looks that trace his evolution from a punk-influenced student at Bunka Fashion College to the founder of A Bathing Ape (BAPE) and the current artistic director of Kenzo.
Collector R Parmar has launched Enzo Art Fair, a new boutique satellite fair debuting during Frieze Week Los Angeles in Echo Park. Hosted at Parmar’s Alabaster Projects warehouse, the fair features nine New York-based galleries, including Magenta Plains and Silke Lindner, and operates on a non-traditional, cost-free model for both exhibitors and attendees.
Prague, opening of the exhibition “De Chirico – Painting is the Magical Art”
The Italian Cultural Institute in Prague has inaugurated a major retrospective titled “De Chirico – Painting is the Magical Art,” dedicated to the master of Metaphysical art. Curated by Lorenzo Canova, the exhibition features over 70 works sourced from prominent private collections across Europe, spanning the artist's career from the 1930s through his final creative years. The display includes his iconic Italian Piazzas, Baroque-inspired horses, and "silent life" still lifes, alongside a significant selection of graphic works and lithographs.
Artist Andrea Fraser has launched a site-specific sound installation titled "Down the River" at the Whitney Museum of American Art’s new Renzo Piano-designed building. The project features audio recorded at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, played within the museum’s massive, empty 18,200-square-foot fifth-floor gallery. By piping the sounds of cell doors, inmate voices, and prison intercoms into the pristine museum space, Fraser physically links the acoustics of confinement with the architecture of elite cultural institutions.
The 2026 edition of Frieze Los Angeles was accompanied by a vibrant circuit of satellite fairs, including the eighth edition of Felix Art Fair at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the second iteration of Post-Fair in Santa Monica, and the debut of ENZO, a boutique fair in Echo Park. These alternative venues provided a platform for approximately 100 international galleries to showcase emerging and established talent in unconventional settings ranging from hotel cabanas to Art Deco post offices and industrial warehouses.
The inaugural Enzo art fair has launched in Echo Park, Los Angeles, featuring nine galleries primarily from New York’s Chinatown and Lower East Side. Founded by collector R Parmar at Alabaster Projects, the fair operates on a unique fee-free model for exhibitors and visitors alike, removing the traditional financial barriers of booth fees and wall build-outs. The opening saw a vibrant atmosphere with works ranging from Peggy Chiang’s suspended sculptures to Radek Szlaga’s textile installations.
The BYU Museum of Art (MOA) has unveiled a meticulously restored gypsum cast replica of Lorenzo Ghiberti’s Renaissance masterpiece, the "Gates of Paradise." The restoration project spanned a decade and involved approximately 13,000 hours of labor, largely performed by BYU students who repaired damage and applied gold leaf to the ten ornate panels. The restored work is now the centerpiece of the exhibition "Gilded Paradise," which features immersive projections of Florence and will remain on view through October 2026.
A severe nor’easter in New York City has disrupted travel plans for numerous East Coast dealers and gallery staff heading to Los Angeles for Frieze Week. With nearly two feet of snow grounding direct flights, art professionals have been forced into grueling multi-stop itineraries through cities like Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, and Fort Lauderdale to reach the West Coast in time for fair openings.
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has secured a major loan of the ancient marble sculpture *Sleeping Hermaphroditus* from the Louvre in Paris. The work will be a centerpiece of the museum's upcoming exhibition "Metamorphoses," which opens on February 6, 2026, and explores themes of transformation drawn from Ovid's epic poem.
The Serpentine Gallery in London has announced that Mexican architecture studio Lanza Atelier, founded by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo, will design the 25th Serpentine Pavilion, titled "a serpentine," on view from June 6 to October 25. The pavilion draws inspiration from the English crinkle-crankle wall, featuring a translucent roof, brick columns, and a winding outdoor bench. To mark the anniversary, the Serpentine is collaborating with the Zaha Hadid Foundation on a dedicated architecture program at Serpentine South, exploring Hadid's legacy and contemporary architectural issues. The project is sponsored by Goldman Sachs, which has supported the pavilion for 12 years.
LANZA atelier, a Mexico City-based architecture studio founded by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo, has been commissioned to design the 2025 Serpentine Pavilion in London’s Kensington Gardens. The pavilion, which will be unveiled on June 6, marks the 25th anniversary of the Serpentine Pavilion program. Inspired by the English serpentine or crinkle-crankle wall, the design features a brick wall of alternating curves, a translucent roof resting on brick columns, and a second wall that harmonizes with the tree canopy. This year’s pavilion will be accompanied by a dedicated architecture program at Serpentine South, honoring the legacy of Zaha Hadid, who designed the inaugural pavilion in 2000.