helen frankenthaler facts

Helen Frankenthaler, the pioneering Color Field painter known for her luminous, stain-soaked canvases, is the subject of a renewed wave of exhibitions. The Palazzo Strozzi in Florence and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao recently hosted a major survey of her work, while the Museum of Modern Art in New York is currently presenting "Helen Frankenthaler: A Grand Sweep" in its atrium. Next year, the Kunstmuseum Basel will open the largest exhibition of her art in Europe to date, marking her first solo museum show in Switzerland. The article also recounts her biography—her privileged upbringing on the Upper East Side, her studies at the Dalton School and Bennington College, her relationships with Clement Greenberg and Robert Motherwell, and her invention of the soak-stain technique in 1952, which helped birth Color Field painting.

yun fei ji james cohan

Chinese artist Yun-Fei Ji presents a new body of work in the exhibition “Riding the Tiger” at James Cohan Gallery in New York. The paintings draw on archetypes from Chinese folklore and the 16th-century novel *Journey to the West*, blending fantastical imagery with recognizable human scenes to explore the psychological and spiritual dimensions of migration. Works such as *The Sweep Up of Animal Spirits* and *The Round Up #1* directly reference the persecution of immigrants by government agencies, using symbols like tigers, buddhas, and livestock to critique power structures.

Michael Armitage and the Feverish Memory of Images

Michael Armitage und das fiebrige Gedächtnis der Bilder

The British-Kenyan painter Michael Armitage is the subject of a major solo exhibition at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice, part of the Pinault Collection. The showcase features new works, including the titular painting "52,000 Years," which references prehistoric cave art while weaving together themes of political unrest, the refugee crisis, and lush landscapes. Armitage’s technique is noted for its use of Lubugo bark cloth, a traditional Ugandan material that adds a tactile, irregular dimension to his complex figurative compositions.

Open Call for Artists: Gallery A3’s 11th Annual Juried Show

Gallery A3 in Amherst, Massachusetts, has announced an open call for its 11th Annual Juried Show, scheduled for August 6–29, 2026. Submissions will be accepted online from May 10 to June 7, 2026, with an entry fee of $38 for three entries. The theme for this year's show is 'Everyday Sublime,' inviting artists to explore how awe and wonder manifest in daily life. The juror is Andrew S. Yang, a professor at the School of the Art Institute Chicago whose work has been exhibited internationally, including at the 14th Istanbul Biennial and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

Review: Guadalupe Rosales crafts an analog Wayback Machine for a vibrant show at Palm Springs Art Museum

Guadalupe Rosales presents a solo exhibition titled "Tzahualli: Mi memoria en tu reflejo" at the Palm Springs Art Museum, centered on a checkerboard dance floor with a makeshift DJ booth, motorized blue spotlights, and mirrored disco fixtures. The show gathers ephemera from the 1990s—magazines, snapshots, lowrider bicycle parts, bandannas, street signs, and more—used in assemblage sculptures and display cases. Four thematic sections include a dance room, an entryway, a nighttime space, and a car culture gallery, with imagery referencing Chicana culture, Los Angeles' Eastside, and historic clubs like Arena and Circus.

stephan appleby barr mesocosmos robilant and voena

London-based painter Stephen Appleby-Barr is presenting his fourth solo exhibition with Robilant and Voena, titled “Mesocosmos,” running from May 23 to July 4, 2025. The show features a new body of work created over two years, blending Old Master techniques with contemporary life and fantasy. Appleby-Barr describes the exhibition as a self-contained universe where drawings, sculptures, and paintings interact, with the aim of allowing each medium to influence the others in unexpected ways. The artist emphasizes ambiguity and the unknown over clear resolutions, inviting viewers to form their own interpretations.

DFW museums kick off World Cup fever with soccer-themed exhibitions

Several Dallas-Fort Worth cultural institutions are launching a series of soccer-themed exhibitions to coincide with the upcoming FIFA World Cup matches at AT&T Stadium. These showcases range from the Arlington Museum of Art’s multi-part historical exploration "More Than a Match" to the Latino Cultural Center’s solo exhibition of Mexican artist Jazzamoart, whose paintings translate the rhythm and emotion of the sport into expressive canvas works.

A Look at the DIA’s Contemporary Anishinaabe Art Exhibition

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) has opened "Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation," its first Native American art exhibition in over 30 years. Featuring 92 works by more than 60 Anishinaabe artists from the Great Lakes region, the show spans from 1892 to 2025 and includes pieces by renowned artists such as Jim Denomie, Norval Morrisseau, Kent Estey, Jonathan Thunder, and Rabbett before Horses Strickland. Highlights include Denomie's vibrant "Four Days and Four Nites, Ceremony" (2020) and Morrisseau's spiritual works like "Punk Rockers Nancy and Andy" (1989).

Artist Mashonda Tifrere Launches New Exhibitions

Mashonda Tifrere, an art collector, musician, and founder of two art-based nonprofits, has launched two new projects in San Diego. She created a mindfulness audio tour titled "Inscape: Art and Collection at the Stuart Collection" for the Stuart Collection at UC San Diego, guiding listeners through 22 site-specific artworks. She also curated a group exhibition called "Somewhere in Between" at Quint Gallery in La Jolla, featuring works by artists including Taylor Chapin, Megan Gabrielle, and Nathan Wong.

The Little Prince Exhibition At Bugis Has Dreamy Projections For An Immersive Storytelling Sesh

The Little Prince: The Journey of Stars, an immersive exhibition retelling Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's classic children's book, is now open at Parkview Square in Bugis, Singapore, hosted by the GROUNDSEESAW SINGAPORE art gallery. The experience runs through 31 July 2025 and features a film recap, interactive zones, and 3D projections of iconic characters like The Fox and The King, with sessions lasting about an hour. Tickets start at $15 for children and $22 for adults, with an early bird 50% discount available until 7 July 2025.

Art of the Brick: LEGO Exhibition opens in Downtown Cincinnati

The globally acclaimed exhibition "Art of the Brick" has officially opened in downtown Cincinnati, showcasing over 100 sculptures crafted by artist Nathan Sawaya. The display features millions of LEGO bricks transformed into large-scale original works, including a 20-foot T-Rex, alongside brick-built interpretations of iconic masterpieces like the Mona Lisa and The Starry Night. Visitors can also engage with a hands-on building zone designed to foster creativity.

Three years after, Adelakun takes 45 KókóEwà to Mydrim

Prince Saheed Adelakun has returned to Mydrim Gallery in Lagos for a solo exhibition titled "KókóẸwà" (Essence of Beauty), featuring 45 new works. The exhibition is divided into two distinct series: "Dúdúyẹmí," which celebrates the natural richness of dark skin and traditional adornments, and "Ojú Tó ń Sọ̀rọ̀," a collection of portraits focusing on the expressive power of the human gaze. Utilizing a unique and labor-intensive rope medium, Adelakun explores themes of femininity, resilience, and cultural identity.

Folklore and Nature Converge in Cat Johnston’s Expressive, Eccentric Puppets

London-based artist Cat Johnston creates expressive puppets and sculptures that blend folklore, nature, and childhood memories into eccentric characters like a fashionable bat, a melancholy sun, and gods representing sunburn, hay fever, and insomnia. Her work, which draws on historical costumes and emotive, cartoonish faces, inhabits dreamlike realms where the familiar meets the strange.