Alma Allen Flops in Venice

Hyperallergic reports on the 2026 Venice Biennale, with Editor-in-Chief Hakim Bishara criticizing the U.S. pavilion's exhibition of Alma Allen's work as a disappointing departure from the previous editions' profound explorations of Indigenous life and Black sovereignty. Editor-at-Large Hrag Vartanian offers a positive review of the main exhibition "In Minor Keys," while Greta Rainbow covers a poetry procession honoring the late artistic director Koyo Kouoh. Additional stories include a review of the film "The Christophers" about an artist and forger, and news of workers at the American Folk Art Museum picketing for higher wages.

Heir of Goya and Abstract Expressionism, the painting of Roger-Edgar Gillet finally rediscovered in an unprecedented retrospective

Héritière de Goya et de l’expressionnisme abstrait, la peinture de Roger-Edgar Gillet enfin redécouverte dans une rétrospective inédite

A major retrospective at the Musée Estrine in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence finally brings long-overdue recognition to French painter Roger-Edgar Gillet (1924–2004), an artist who emerged from the post-war abstraction scene of the Nouvelle École de Paris but later forged a singular figurative style blending Goya, Delacroix, and Northern grotesque traditions. The exhibition follows two important donations—to the Centre Pompidou in 2017 and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes in 2022—that helped revive institutional interest in Gillet, whose work had been marginalized since the 1960s.

DACA Artist Uses Thread to Weave Immigration Stories

Arleene Correa Valencia, a DACA recipient and Bay Area artist, presents her debut solo exhibition "CÓDICE •• SOBREVIVIENDO A LA PERSECUCIÓN" at Fridman Gallery in Manhattan, on view through May 2. The show features large-scale acrylic and textile works on amate bark paper, including a 16-foot-long piece depicting border-crossing narratives. Valencia collaborates with her father, mother-in-law, and papermaker Jose Daniel Santos de la Puerta, and incorporates childhood letters that poignantly reflect family separation and undocumented life.

MFAH's blockbuster modern art exhibit and 7 more openings in Houston this month

The article highlights eight major art exhibitions and events opening in Houston in May 2025, including the U.S. debut of "Picasso–Klee–Matisse: Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen" at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), which features works by Picasso, Klee, Matisse, and Giacometti. Other notable events include the "Freedom Plane National Tour" of founding-era documents at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the 20th Annual Empty Bowls fundraiser at Silver Street Studios, and "No Longer, Not Yet" by Marisol Valencia at Art League, which uses materials from a migrant shelter. The article also mentions shows at CAMH, Moody Art Center, and Sawyer Yards.

With Her First Solo Museum Show in the US, Widline Cadet Conjures Scenes She Can’t Quite Remember

Photographer Widline Cadet has opened her first solo museum exhibition in the United States, titled "Currents 40: Widline Cadet," at the Milwaukee Art Museum. The show, on view through August 9, 2026, features 52 photos and videos that explore her family's migration story from Haiti to the United States. Cadet's installation includes a recreated Haitian living room with plastic flowers, ceramic angels, and a wall-size portrait of her father, blending reality and fantasy to evoke fragmented memories of home.

United Kingdom’s Kew Gardens Transforms into an Open-Air Gallery with Henry Moore’s Monumental Nature Exhibition Featuring Thirty Sculptures, Blending Art and Nature for an Unforgettable Tourist Experience

Kew Gardens in the United Kingdom has been transformed into an open-air gallery with the exhibition "Monumental Nature," featuring thirty sculptures by British artist Henry Moore. The display integrates Moore's large-scale bronze works into the botanical landscape, offering visitors a unique blend of art and nature.

'Greater New York' Exhibit Gets Real at MoMA PS1

MoMA PS1 opened the sixth edition of its quinquennial exhibition 'Greater New York,' featuring over 50 artists from the New York area. The show, which debuted in 2000 as the first joint project between the Museum of Modern Art and P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, fills all floors of the Queens museum with works addressing local themes such as immigration, taxi drivers, massage parlors, rats, and bodega cats. Notable installations include 'Unfree Free Time' by fields harrington, which pays a delivery driver minimum wage for each hour his bike is displayed, and a mural by the Cevallos Brothers, known for their posters for local businesses.

A Firenze c’è da vedere una mostra sulla creatività degli Anni Venti

A new exhibition titled "Firenze Déco. Atmosfere degli anni Venti" has opened at Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence, running until August 25, 2026. Curated by Lucia Mannini and promoted by Città Metropolitana di Firenze with Fondazione MUS.E, the show explores the creative explosion of the 1920s in Florence, focusing on decorative arts, fashion, graphic design, and manufacturing. It highlights figures such as Gio Ponti for Richard-Ginori, Galileo Chini, Thayaht, Ferragamo, and Gucci, tracing how the city absorbed influences from Paris and the 1925 Exposition des Arts Décoratifs to forge its own distinctive Deco style. The exhibition features ceramics, furniture, jewelry, costumes, and period photographs, and is accompanied by an interview with the curator.

Jenna Sutela “With each cycle” at Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation, London

Jenna Sutela's exhibition "With each cycle" at the Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation in London features a site-specific iteration of her sculptural sound installation *Pond Brain*. The work, a water-filled bronze piece forged as the artist's neuroplastic portrait, functions as both instrument and fountain, creating feedback loops of sonic vibrations and dancing droplets inspired by cybernetic ideas of ponds as self-regulating living systems.

Szentendre’s Old Artists’ Colony Marks 100 Years with Major Exhibition

A major exhibition titled "Artists’ Colony 100" has opened at MűvészetMalom in Szentendre, Hungary, to mark the centenary of the Old Artists’ Colony founded in 1926. The show features hundreds of works by nearly a hundred artists, from founding members such as József Bánáti Sverák, Miklós Bánovszky, and Béla Onódi to contemporary figures including József Baksai and Imre Szakács. It includes iconic pieces, rare works, and recent discoveries, organized thematically with a focus on the garden motif that has long inspired colony artists.

Live Arts Program “1922 Revisited” Opens May 5th to Kick Off Preview Week, 61st Venice Biennale 2026

Third Space Art Foundation will present “1922 Revisited,” a live arts program curated by Dr. Janine A. Sytsma, from May 5–9, 2026 in Venice, Italy, during the preview week of the 61st Venice Biennale. The program brings together ten international artists to engage with the 1922 Venice Biennale exhibition of African sculpture through performances, a film screening, and a panel discussion, staged at venues including Hotel Monaco and the European Cultural Centre’s Marinaressa Gardens.

Six Unforgettable Artists at the Biggest Independent Fair

The article reports on the return and expansion of a major independent art fair, now located on the far side of Chinatown. It highlights six standout artists whose works are featured at the fair, emphasizing the event's stylish and curated atmosphere.

New art exhibition near Penrith spotlights work of celebrated painter

Beckstones Art Gallery in Greystoke Ghyll, near Penrith, is hosting a solo exhibition of celebrated still-life painter Tim Gustard titled 'Looking for the Light' from May 16 to May 31. The show features 23 new paintings created over the past two years, including works depicting glass, porcelain, silver, flowers, and miniature self-portraits. Gustard, who moved to Cumbria in 1997, is known for his technical precision and often spends hundreds of hours on a single painting. The gallery has represented him for over 29 years and notes that his previous exhibitions have nearly sold out.

Scholars and curators share museum practice cases at Beijing symposium

A symposium for young scholars and curators was recently held at Beijing's Culture Palace of Nationalities, moderated by a council of museums with ethnic content from the Chinese Museums Association. Ten speakers from museums, cultural institutions and universities, both on-site and online, presented case studies and ideas under the theme "Bridge, Symbiosis," focusing on the research and exhibition of China's ethnic cultures. The event coincided with International Museum Day, when many museums and art spaces opened their doors to the public, with exhibitions and events held throughout the week to encourage more time at museums.