From Cannes to Nice, via Grasse and Saint-Paul-de-Vence… 8 Refreshing Exhibitions on the Côte d’Azur

De Cannes à Nice, en passant par Grasse et Saint-Paul-de-Vence… 8 expos rafraîchissantes sur la Côte d’Azur

Beaux Arts Magazine highlights eight refreshing exhibitions across the French Riviera from spring to summer 2026. Featured shows include a Carole Benzaken survey at La Malmaison in Cannes, a hotel biennial at the Canopy by Hilton Cannes, a group exhibition on media theorist Nathalie Magnan at Villa Arson in Nice, and a dialogue between Henri Matisse and Yves Saint Laurent at the Musée Matisse in Nice. Other stops include Ellsworth Kelly at Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, and shows in Grasse featuring painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard, photography, and costumes.

Whitney Gala Honors Julie Mehretu, Benefactor of Museum’s ‘Free Under 25’ Initiative

The Whitney Museum of American Art hosted its annual gala, honoring artist Julie Mehretu, board chair Fern Kaye Tessler, and former director Adam D. Weinberg. Mehretu, who donated $2.25 million in 2024 to fund the museum's 'Free Under 25' initiative, delivered a speech emphasizing that free admission for young people is a statement of values, not a privilege. The gala raised $6.3 million, with attendees including artists Rashid Johnson, Glenn Ligon, Anicka Yi, and Fred Wilson, as well as collector Beth Rudin DeWoody.

I'm a Chicana Curator. This Is Why I Removed Cesar Chavez From My Show

Curator Karen Mary Davalos removed a 1969 portrait of Cesar Chavez by George Rodriguez from the exhibition "Chicano Camera Culture: A Photographic History, 1966 to 2026" at the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture in Riverside, California. The decision came after news reports on March 17 revealed that Chavez had assaulted multiple women and girls associated with the United Farm Workers, including allegations of rape against co-founder Dolores Huerta. Davalos, who curated the show, acted swiftly after a call from interim director Valerie Found, removing the photograph to avoid honoring a figure now seen as an abuser.

Chi sono i vincitori del XXIX Compasso d’Oro premiati all’ADI Design Museum di Milano

The XXIX edition of the Compasso d'Oro award, founded in 1954 by Gio Ponti and Rinascente, concluded at the ADI Design Museum in Milan. The jury awarded 3 Compassi d'Oro Young, 10 student project recognitions, 38 honorable mentions, and 20 Compasso d'Oro ADI prizes. Winning projects include Array sofa by Snøhetta for MDF Italia, Bilboquet lamp by Philippe Malouin for Flos, D'Antan armchair by Raffaella Mangiarotti for De Padova, and the Salone del Mobile.Milano Annual Report 2024. Career awards were given to nine figures including Giovanni Arvedi, Paola Lenti, and Alberto Meda, while three iconic products—Sedia '64 by AG Fronzoni, Tavolo Eros by Angelo Mangiarotti, and Tavolo con ruote by Gae Aulenti—received career Compassi d'Oro. The exhibition of all nominated projects runs until June 4, 2026.

The Whitney Museum Raised $6.3 Million Last Night

The Whitney Museum of American Art raised $6.3 million at its annual benefit gala on Tuesday night, honoring artist Julie Mehretu, Board Chair Fern Kaye Tessler, and Director Emeritus Adam D. Weinberg. The event drew a crowd of artists, actors, musicians, and arts leaders, with a performance by Grammy winner Shaggy and a seated dinner at the museum's downtown flagship.

How the National Gallery of Art Used Video to Take an Exhibition Beyond Its Walls

The National Gallery of Art's production studio created a multi-platform video strategy around its 2025 traveling retrospective of artist Elizabeth Catlett. The centerpiece was a documentary following contemporary artist LaToya Hobbs as she created a new linocut portrait of Catlett's granddaughter, Naima Mora, using high-resolution time-lapse filmmaking. The project was presented at the Museum Digital Summit 2026 by a team including Sarah Turner, Chad Lawrence, Adam Enatsky, Karla Carnewal Torallas, and Amelia Mylvaganam.

브루클린뮤지엄: 패션디자이너 아이리스 반 페르펜전 'Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses'(5/16-12/6)

The Brooklyn Museum will present the North American debut of "Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses" from May 16 to December 6, 2026. The exhibition features over 140 haute couture creations by Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, displayed alongside contemporary art, design objects, and scientific artifacts. It explores her fusion of traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology, sustainability, and themes from nature and science. The show first opened at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2023 and has traveled to QAGOMA, ArtScience Museum Singapore, and Kunsthal Rotterdam. The Brooklyn presentation coincides with the museum's annual Brooklyn Artists Ball, where Van Herpen will be honored.

Roberto Lugo brings monumental tribute to Puerto Rican culture to Manhattan park

Roberto Lugo has unveiled a monumental 20ft-tall urn titled *Capicú de Cariño (I Heard It Both Ways)* (2026) in Manhattan’s Madison Square Park, as part of his exhibition *Alfarero del Barrio (Village Potter)* commissioned by the Madison Square Park Conservancy. The urn features portraits of prominent Puerto Rican figures including Bad Bunny, Sonia Sotomayor, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Roberto Clemente, and the artist’s own parents, Gilberto and Maribel Lugo. The installation also includes a 15ft-tall orange fire hydrant sculpture, *Para Los Días Caliente (This Is For The Hot Ones)* (2026), and several planters and domino tables, all designed to invite public interaction and community engagement.

Upcoming CAM exhibit celebrates Gullah Geechee culture

The Cameron Art Museum (CAM) in Wilmington will open "Rooted in Memory: The Gullah Geechee Vision of Jonathan Green" on June 19, 2025, running through January 24, 2027. The exhibition features vibrant paintings by Jonathan Green, a Gullah Geechee artist trained at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, alongside traditional sweetgrass baskets, quilts, and Adinkra-printed cloth on loan from the Charleston Museum, the Gibbes Museum, and the South Carolina State Museum. A special opening night on June 18 will also include the exhibits "Fresh Air: Inflatable Sculptures" and "Andy Warhol: Silver Clouds," followed by a free community day on June 20.

Amoako Boafo Drew on Venice’s Rich Creative Heritage for His First Solo Show in Italy

Amoako Boafo, the Ghanaian artist known for his finger-painted portraits of stylish Black sitters, opened his first solo show in Italy at the Museo di Palazzo Grimani in Venice during the 61st Venice Biennale. Titled "It doesn’t have to always make sense" and produced by Gagosian, the exhibition runs through November 22 and features Boafo's paintings alongside works by friends and collaborators, including poems by Raphael Worlasi Langani and a sculpture made with Stephen Allotey. The show also includes a video documenting Boafo's life and a "heroine wall" of portraits honoring women he admires, such as curator Koyo Kouoh.

In an age of distraction, Marina Abramovic draws audiences into art

Marina Abramović, the pioneering performance artist who turns 80 this year, is the subject of a major exhibition at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice, running through October. The show, titled "Transforming Energy," features interactive "transitory objects" such as crystal structures and minerals, a re-enactment of one of her best-known performances, and a depiction of her work "Pieta" staged with her late partner Ulay alongside Titian’s masterpiece. Abramović became the first living woman to be honored with a major exhibition at the museum, and she previously won the top prize at the 1997 Venice Biennale. In an interview, she discusses her shift from painting to performance, her evolving relationship with the audience, and the challenge of holding attention in an age of distraction.

Venice Biennale 2026 Roundup

The 61st Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" and curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, opened in May 2026 amid significant turmoil. The Austrian Pavilion features Florentina Holzinger's performance piece "Seaworld Venice," centered on a giant bell that chimes hourly. The biennale has been marked by the death of its curator, the resignation of the international jury over the inclusion of Russia and Israel, protests by Pussy Riot and the Art Not Genocide Alliance, and the cancellation of the South African Pavilion over Gabrielle Goliath's "Elegy," which honors murdered women including a Palestinian poet. The US Pavilion's state-sponsored offerings have also drawn criticism.

New Orleans artist Andrew Lamar Hopkins channels folk art legend Clementine Hunter in new exhibit

The article profiles New Orleans artist Andrew Lamar Hopkins and his new exhibition "Her Way, His Way" at the Orleans Gallery on Julia Street. The show pairs Hopkins' contemporary folk-inspired works with paintings by the late, legendary Louisiana folk artist Clementine Hunter, who died in 1988. Hopkins, now 48, draws directly from Hunter's subjects—such as wildflower bouquets and pecan harvesting scenes—creating a dialogue between two artists who never met. The piece also traces Hopkins' career trajectory from a self-taught history nerd in Mobile, Alabama, to a rising star with works displayed in Venice during the Venice Biennale.

The exhibition "The Charm of Flowers" will open in honor of the 290th anniversary of the Rundāle Palace

An exhibition titled "The Charm of Flowers" will open at Rundāle Palace in Latvia to mark the palace's 290th anniversary. It explores the history of exotic garden flowers in Europe, their popularity in the Duchy of Courland-Semigallia, and the symbolic meaning of flowers in 17th- and 18th-century art. The show features works from major European museums including the National Art Gallery named after Boris Voznyatsky in Lviv, Het Loo Palace Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and the National Art Museum named after M. K. Čiurlionis. A key highlight is the multimedia installation "Tulipomania" by Dutch artist Joost Agassi, which offers a contemporary take on the 17th-century Dutch tulip mania.

Summer in Five Exhibitions: Rothko Museum Announces New Exhibition Season

The Rothko Museum in Daugavpils, Latvia, opens its summer exhibition season on June 5, featuring five distinct shows that span photography, painting, and ceramics. Highlights include a retrospective of South African photographer Roger Ballen, known for his psychologically intense and boundary-blurring work; Chinese painter Liu Guofu’s meditative abstractions exploring entropy; Lithuanian artist Romualdas Balinskas’s shift toward abstract expression; Latvian artist Madara Tropa’s botanical paintings; and a ceramic series by Pēteris Martinsons marking his 95th anniversary. The season brings together artists from Latvia, Lithuania, China, and South Africa, curated by Aivars Baranovskis, Calvin Hui, and Tatjana Černova.

Theodoros Papagiannis: Reusing Materials For Art’s Slow Arrow, As An Antidote To Barbarism

Theodoros Papagiannis, a Greek sculptor and professor, is the subject of a tribute exhibition titled "In Praise of Sculpture" at the Sianti Gallery in Athens. The show features works by eighteen artists, all graduates of the 1st Sculpture Workshop of the Athens School of Fine Arts, honoring Papagiannis as their teacher. In an interview, Papagiannis discusses his philosophy of reusing materials, the importance of memory in art, and his belief that art must remain rooted in tradition while engaging with the present. He also reflects on Greece's sculptural heritage, the influence of ancient works like the Elgin Marbles, and his ongoing project of drawing from Greece's archaeological museums.

Tra carte, fotografie e concettualismo. Tutto il programma di mostre da vedere alla GAM di Torino nella seconda metà del 2026

The Galleria d'Arte Moderna (GAM) in Turin has launched "Quarta Risonanza," an exhibition program running from May 21 through November 1, 2026. The program comprises four distinct projects: a major survey of works on paper from the museum's collections titled "Un altro Novecento," curated by Fabio Cafagna and Elena Volpato; an intervention by artist Pesce Khete as the program's "Intruso"; a photographic series by Lisetta Carmi exploring eroticism and authority at the Staglieno cemetery, presented in dialogue with sculptures; and a centenary exhibition for conceptual artist Vincenzo Agnetti, "Oggi è un secolo," curated by Chiara Bertola and Virginia Lupo, focusing on his Photo-graffi works from 1979–1981.

Hubert Robert & Fragonard. Le sentiment de la nature

The Musée d'art et d'archéologie in Valence, France, is presenting an exhibition titled "Hubert Robert & Fragonard. Le sentiment de la nature" from March 7 to June 21, 2026. The show traces the artistic friendship between Hubert Robert and Jean-Honoré Fragonard, who met as young French artists sketching in the ruins of Rome under the guidance of Charles-Joseph Natoire. It features works from the museum's renowned collection of sanguine drawings, notably those from the foundational bequest of Julien Victor Veyrenc (1835-1836), and includes new attributions proposed by curator Sarah Catala, a graduate conservator from the Institut National du Patrimoine.

These Four Filmmakers Have Never Fully Gotten Their Due. The Kitchen Wants To Change That.

The Kitchen, a New York nonprofit arts organization, held its annual spring gala at City Winery to honor four female filmmakers: Cheryl Dunye, Garrett Bradley, Shari Frilot, and Catherine Gund. The event was co-chaired by prominent figures including Ava DuVernay, Julie Mehretu, and Komal Shah, and featured performances, remarks, and a crowd of artists, curators, and collectors. The gala celebrated the filmmakers' contributions to cinema, with special recognition of their work in expanding representation and narrative boundaries.

San Francisco's iconic art museum, the Legion of Honor, is hosting an after-hours party this June

The Legion of Honor, a historic art museum in San Francisco, will host an after-hours party on June 11, 2026, to celebrate its new exhibition "The Etruscans: From the Heart of Ancient Italy." The event, part of the museum's Late Night Editions series, will feature drinks, live DJ sets, food from Off the Grid Food Trucks, and a VIP tasting room from Ezeta Wine, with general admission at $35 and VIP tickets at $95.

major exhibition of rare paintings and archives honors zaha hadid ten years after her passing

A major exhibition titled 'I Think There Should Be No End to Experimentation' has opened at LUMA Arles, marking the sixth chapter of the Hans Ulrich Obrist Archives. Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Arthur Fouray, the show honors the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid on the tenth anniversary of her passing. It features rarely exhibited paintings, early calligraphic drawings, personal notebooks, and previously unseen video interviews from 2001 to 2013, alongside tribute posters by peers such as Sir Peter Cook, Stefano Boeri, Sumayya Vally, Iwan Baan, and Lina Ghotmeh. The exhibition is presented in the Tower building designed by Frank Gehry and unfolds across the Cherry Tree Gallery and Archives Gallery, with exhibition furniture conceived by Kazuyo Sejima.

JUNKANOO EN VENECIA ARTE MEMORIA Y COLABORACION POSTUMA EN EL PABELLON DE BAHAMAS

The Bahamas presents its second pavilion at the Venice Biennale after a 13-year hiatus, featuring the exhibition "In Another Man's Yard" curated by Dr. Krista Thompson. The show brings together the late John Beadle (1964–2024) and Lavar Munroe in an intergenerational dialogue rooted in the Junkanoo festival tradition, exploring themes of collaboration, commemoration, and material transformation through discarded materials like cardboard and salvaged objects.

JUNKANOO IN VENICE ART MEMORY AND POSTHUMOUS COLLABORATION AT THE BAHAMAS PAVILION

The Bahamas Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale presents "In Another Man's Yard," an intergenerational exhibition curated by Dr. Krista Thompson featuring works by the late John Beadle (1964–2024) and Lavar Munroe. The show explores Junkanoo, the biannual Bahamian festival, through collaborative artmaking, discarded materials, and posthumous collaboration—including Munroe's monumental 11-panel painting based on photographs by Jackson Petit and works incorporating materials from Beadle's studio.

Sandro Miller’s Golden Tribute

Photographer Sandro Miller's exhibition "Steppenwolf 50: Through the Eye of Sandro Miller" is on view at the Art Center Highland Park through June 13. The show features a series of portraits and composites created in 2012 that celebrate 50 years of Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Works include large-scale composites like "Orgasmic Theatre" with 25 actors, a tribute to the late John Mahoney, and a collaboration with the late artist Tony Fitzpatrick. The exhibition also presents a grid of 45 black-and-white photographs capturing raw emotional moments from rehearsals and performances, along with diptychs and individual framed portraits of Steppenwolf actors.

He’s Royal: Kingsley George Lawton Cooper

The 19th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition opened on April 29 in Charleston, South Carolina, featuring over 70 artists from 22 states under the theme 'Regal Threads: The Majesty of Blue and Purple.' Curated by Torreah 'Cookie' Washington, the juried exhibition explores the spiritual and historical significance of blue and purple in African diasporic traditions. Among the works is Donnette Cooper's quilt 'He's Royal: Kingsley George Lawton Cooper,' honoring her late brother Kingsley, who died in June 2024, incorporating the adinkra symbol Nyame Nwu Na Mawu and referencing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s eulogy.

Ukraine war stories captured in powerful art exhibition

Fine artist Louise Pasterfield will open her exhibition 'Colour and Courage' at St Stephen’s Church in Saltash, Cornwall, on May 28. The show features 18 watercolour portraits from her ongoing Ukraine series, which began after Russia’s 2022 invasion and now totals 295 portraits of civilians, soldiers, and families. Among the works is a tribute to Christopher Parry, a Cornish volunteer killed in Ukraine in 2023, painted from a photograph given by his parents. The exhibition also includes botanical paintings inspired by Tresco Abbey Gardens.

Ava Roth Collaborates with Insects to Create ‘Kintsu-Bee’ Ceramic Vessels

Ava Roth has created a new series of ceramic vessels titled "Kintsu-Bee," in which she collaborates with honeybees to repair broken ceramics. The bees build honeycomb structures that fill cracks, replace missing handles, or mend fissures, echoing the Japanese kintsugi tradition of repairing broken pottery with metallic lacquer. Roth guides the bees around forms, resulting in hybrid objects that are part human-made ceramic and part insect-built comb.

Mango Tango Art Gallery Presents: Fresh Paint and Seasoned Strokes

Mango Tango Art Gallery in St. Thomas is opening a group exhibition titled 'Fresh Paint and Seasoned Strokes' on May 30, featuring works by three artists: newcomer Vickie Lawrence, regional icon Eric Winter, and master teacher David Millard. The show includes watercolors, acrylics, and oil paintings, with live music by Sammy Watts and Ras Abu, and will run for one month.

Coral Springs museum to honor Clyde Butcher, America at 250 before its relocation

The Coral Springs Museum of Art will present a double-feature exhibition from June 5 to August 1, 2025, as its final show before relocating to the Cornerstone complex in downtown Coral Springs. The exhibition includes "Clyde Butcher: Lifeworks in Photography," featuring 45 large-format prints of Everglades and global landscapes by the renowned photographer, and "Across this Land: America at 250," a multimedia contemporary collection exploring landscapes, waterways, and urban environments in honor of the nation’s 250th birthday. The museum will also host a lecture and book signing with Clyde Butcher on June 13.

Daura Museum of Art exhibits work of local artists this summer

The Daura Museum of Art at the University of Lynchburg is exhibiting works by local artists Laura Reed Howell and the late Georgia Weston Morgan through July 17. Morgan, a pioneering female painter from Lynchburg who studied in Paris and had her portrait accepted into the Paris Salon, is honored in Gallery I with a curated exhibition by museum assistant Thomas Canard. Howell’s award-winning plein air paintings are displayed in Gallery II, and she will give an artist talk on May 22.