Queer eyes in focus, sculpture hits pay dirt and Whistler’s world – the week in art

This week's art roundup from The Guardian highlights a major exhibition of James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain, showcasing the American artist's impact on Victorian Britain with avant-garde influences from Paris and Japan. Other notable exhibitions include "Gender Stories" at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, featuring works by David Hockney and Grayson Perry; Delcy Morelos's earthy sculptures at the Barbican Centre; and Henry Moore's sculptures at Kew Gardens. The article also covers news of a Nazi-looted portrait found in the home of a Dutch SS leader's family, protests at the Venice Biennale over Israel's inclusion, and the unveiling of Zineb Sedira's film installation at Tate Britain.

photorealism in focus the rose art museum

The Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University has opened a survey exhibition titled 'Photorealism in Focus.' The show brings together works by more than 30 artists, including early pioneers like Robert Cottingham and Ralph Ladell Goings, as well as artists such as Audrey Flack and Joyce Stillman-Myers, to trace the movement's history from the late 1960s to its contemporary expansions across painting and sculpture.

Frieze New York marks 15th edition with expanded international reach

Frieze New York marks its 15th edition from 13-17 May at the Shed, featuring 68 galleries from over 25 countries. The fair includes 57 exhibitors in the main section and 11 in Focus, with nearly half maintaining a New York location. First-time participants include Europa, Sargent’s Daughters, Soft Opening, Ulrik, and W-galería. Latin American representation has grown significantly, with 14 galleries from the region, including Campeche from Mexico City, Isla Flotante from Buenos Aires, and Central from São Paulo. Christine Messineo, Frieze’s director of fairs for the Americas, highlights the fair’s increasingly international scope and the strong Brazilian contingent.

caravaggio morgan library loan

The Morgan Library and Museum in New York will open "Caravaggio’s Boy with a Basket of Fruit in Focus" on January 16, centered on a landmark loan of Caravaggio's titular painting from the Galleria Borghese in Rome. The exhibition, organized through the Foundation for Italian Art and Culture (FIAC) led by Alain Elkann, features 13 artworks by artists who preceded and succeeded Caravaggio, curated by John Marciari to provide context on the artist's influences and legacy.

Collection in Focus | Beatriz Milhazes: Rigor and Beauty

The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation has published a feature titled 'Collection in Focus | Beatriz Milhazes: Rigor and Beauty,' highlighting the Brazilian artist's vibrant, geometric abstract works held in the Guggenheim collection. The piece examines Milhazes's distinctive visual language, which blends modernist abstraction with Brazilian cultural references, and underscores the rigorous compositional structure underlying her seemingly exuberant patterns.

New exhibits at Rose Art Museum delve into photorealism, notions of refuge

Two new winter exhibitions open February 11, 2026 at the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University: “Photorealism in Focus” and “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary.” The first brings together pioneering Photorealists like Richard Estes, Charles S. Bell, Audrey Flack, and Ralph Goings alongside contemporary artists, exploring the blurred line between painting and photography. The second features the U.S. debut of Yinka Shonibare’s installation “Sanctuary City” (2024), comprising 18 illuminated miniature buildings that served as historical refuges, lined with the artist’s signature Dutch wax textiles. Both shows are curated by Gannit Akori, the museum’s director and chief curator.

New York Museums are Showcasing African American Art, Exhibitions Feature Lorna Simpson, Rashid Johnson, Beauford Delaney, Amy Sherald, Black Dandyism & More

New York museums are presenting a wave of major exhibitions focused on African American art this spring and summer, many running through fall 2025. Solo shows include the largest-ever surveys of Rashid Johnson at the Guggenheim Museum, Amy Sherald at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Jack Whitten at the Museum of Modern Art. The Drawing Center hosts the first museum exhibition dedicated to Beauford Delaney's drawings, while the Brooklyn Museum presents the first museum show for sculptor Nancy Elizabeth Prophet. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, highlights include the newly renovated Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, a Lorna Simpson painting exhibition, a roof garden installation by Jennie C. Jones, and the Costume Institute's "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exploring Black dandyism.

Fairfield University Art Museum Exhibition to Commemorate 250th Anniversary of the U.S., Opens Jan. 23

Fairfield University Art Museum will open a major loan exhibition titled "For Which It Stands…" on January 23, 2026, running through July 25, 2026, as part of the university's commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States. The exhibition features over 70 works by diverse artists from the early 20th century to the present day, all centered on depictions of the American flag, including pieces by Jasper Johns, Faith Ringgold, Robert Rauschenberg, Shepard Fairey, Julie Mehretu, Childe Hassam, and a new textile sculpture by Maria de Los Angeles commissioned for the show. Works are lent by private collectors, artists, galleries, and institutions such as the Delaware Art Museum, Yale University Art Gallery, and the Gordon Parks Foundation.

art dominique fung high line commission

Dominique Fung, a 38-year-old artist known for painting and sculpture, created her first site-specific outdoor performance piece, "A Leaf's Pilgrimage," for the High Line in New York in early September 2025. The three-day performance traced the life of a tea leaf through scenes of growth, withering, and packaging, led by a guide from the ancient past and a present-day assistant. Fung, who has previously created large-scale murals for Rockefeller Center and installations for the Armory Show, will debut new paintings at Massimo de Carlo in Paris in January.

14 best art exhibitions to see in Tokyo in 2026

Tokyo's museums have announced their 2026 exhibition schedules, featuring a diverse lineup of international and domestic shows. Highlights include 'YBA & Beyond: British Art in the 90s from the Tate Collection' at the National Art Center, a major retrospective of Hajime Sorayama at the Creative Museum Tokyo, and a solo exhibition of Lithuanian artist M. K. Čiurlionis, alongside shows by Picasso, Ron Mueck, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Minami Tada.

Our pick of the shows to see in the world's great art cities in 2026

The article presents a curated selection of upcoming art exhibitions across major global cities in 2026, highlighting key shows in Paris, New York, and Tokyo. In Paris, notable exhibitions include a Georges de la Tour show at the Musée Jacquemand-André, a Renoir retrospective at the Musée d'Orsay, and a Henri Rousseau exhibition at the Musée de l'Orangerie. New York features solo shows of Egon Schiele at the Neue Galerie, Thomas Gainsborough at the Frick Collection, and Paul Klee at the Jewish Museum, while Tokyo focuses on women artists from the 1950s and 60s at the National Museum of Modern Art and a centennial exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.

The Best Art Exhibits to See in New York City Right Now

New York City's autumn art scene features a diverse array of exhibitions across major museums. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Man Ray: When Objects Dream" showcases 60 rayographs alongside 100 paintings and prints, exploring the artist's camera-less photography technique. The Brooklyn Museum presents "Monet and Venice," placing 19 of Monet's Venetian paintings in dialogue with works by John Singer Sargent and others, while also hosting "Breaking the Mold: Brooklyn Museum at 200," a retrospective on the institution's two-century history. The New York Historical Society offers "The Gay Harlem Renaissance," highlighting queer Black artists and writers of the Harlem Renaissance, and "The New York Sari," examining South Asian women's fashion influence since the Gilded Age.

Art in Focus: New Public Exhibit by Julia Chiang Presented by Art Production Fund

Julia Chiang has unveiled a new public art exhibition titled "This Way That Way, Here" at Rockefeller Center in New York City, presented by Art Production Fund as part of the Art in Focus series. The show features a trio of glass cases with 18 glazed ceramic vessels at 45 Rockefeller Plaza, a diorama-like window display at 10 Rockefeller Plaza created through a children's workshop called Art Sundae, murals throughout the campus reproducing excerpts from Chiang's 2021–2025 works, and a 125-foot mural on the Rink Level. The exhibition runs through the end of October and includes paintings and ceramics that explore themes of the human body and natural phenomena.

4 artistes sami, peuple autochtone d’Europe du Nord, à découvrir avant tout le monde

Four Sámi artists, representing the Indigenous people of Northern Europe, are being highlighted in Finnish museums as Oulu, the European Capital of Culture, hosts exhibitions showcasing their work. The article introduces these artists and their practices, emphasizing their unique perspectives rooted in Sámi culture and traditions.

Reception Held for NBMAA Exhibit "The Museum of the Old Colony" by Pablo Delano

The New Britain Museum of American Art (NBMAA) recently hosted a community reception for Pablo Delano’s exhibition, "The Museum of the Old Colony." This conceptual, site-specific installation utilizes archival imagery and objects to examine the enduring impact of U.S. colonial rule in Puerto Rico since 1898. The event was attended by local dignitaries, including Mayor Bobby Sanchez, marking a significant moment for the museum's engagement with the local Puerto Rican community.

A Rococo Snuffbox for Cleveland

Une tabatière rocaille pour Cleveland

The Cleveland Museum of Art has acquired a rare gold and lapis-lazuli snuffbox (tabatière) by the Rococo master Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier, dated 1728-1729. The box, which bears Meissonnier's hallmark and the coat of arms of Marie-Anne de Neubourg (widow of King Charles II of Spain), was likely made for her during her long exile in Bayonne. It will be a centerpiece of the museum's upcoming exhibition "Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier: Rococo Goldsmith in Focus," opening in October.

Redland Art Gallery celebrates the sea, light and local creativity

Redland Art Gallery in Cleveland, Australia, is launching three new exhibitions in late November 2025, each exploring themes of sea, light, and local creativity. The season features "Water Works" by acclaimed Queensland artist Joe Furlonger, whose expressive paintings and ceramics capture the beauty and danger of the sea; "Some Things Too Bright to See" by emerging Brisbane artist Holly Anderson, focusing on light across water; and "In Focus 2025 – Flourish," an annual community exhibition showcasing local artists. The exhibitions run through January 2026 and include artist talks, workshops, and a People's Choice Award.

Printmaking exhibition opens

The Estuary Arts Centre in Ōrewa is hosting "Pressing Matters – Printmaking in Focus" throughout March, showcasing over 150 works by contemporary New Zealand printmakers. The event features a daily pop-up print lab for live demonstrations and a family-oriented open day on March 14, including a talk by letterpress specialist Tara McLeod.

New dates, new venue, and a new theme: Here is what the Moncalieri emerging photography festival will look like

Nuove date, nuova sede e nuovo tema. Ecco come sarà il festival di fotografia emergente di Moncalieri

Liquida Photofestival has announced the details for its fifth edition, scheduled to take place from April 17 to 19, 2026. The independent festival dedicated to emerging contemporary photography is moving to a new venue at the Real Collegio Carlo Alberto in Moncalieri, near Turin. Under the artistic direction of Laura Tota, the upcoming edition will center on the theme "Learning and Unlearning – (re)writing the rules," featuring a program of exhibitions, talks, and publishing events built primarily through open calls.

Why Aguirre's works remained out of the public eye

Two Madrid galleries, Malvin Gallery and Espacio Jovellanos, have launched a dual exhibition titled 'Mi perro tiene memoria' to showcase the long-overlooked work of Spanish artist Luis Fernando Aguirre. Following his death in 2021, Aguirre’s family worked to bring his extensive archive out of his studio and into the public eye, featuring both his courtroom illustrations for El País and his evolution through expressionism and figurative painting.