In a new home, Photo London gets down to business

Photo London opened its 2025 edition at a new venue, Olympia’s Grand Hall in West Kensington, on 13 May, moving from its previous decade-long home at Somerset House. Despite a hailstorm, the preview day saw lively sales: Paris-B Gallery sold three works for £100,000, including pieces by Yang Yongliang; In Camera sold both a vintage and modern print of Jane Everlyn Atwood's *Auto Portrait (Serpent)*; and Radius Publishing moved 40% of its stock by Thursday lunchtime. The fair runs until 17 May, with prices ranging from £100 to £400,000.

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.

A Delayed Art Dubai Opens With Fewer Galleries—but Buyers Abound

Art Dubai opened its 20th edition at Madinat Jumeirah with a significantly reduced number of exhibitors—50 largely regional galleries, down from the originally expected 120—after being delayed from mid-April due to geopolitical tensions following the U.S.-Iran ceasefire on April 8. The fair, which offered free entry for the first time and refunded booth costs for participating galleries, saw strong attendance from Gulf and Middle Eastern collectors, with an upbeat mood and a more intimate atmosphere reminiscent of pre-Covid editions. Galleries from Lebanon and other conflict-affected regions were present, emphasizing art as a form of resilience and cultural identity.

Ten years on, Tefaf New York still stands out from the crowd

Tefaf New York returns to the Park Avenue Armory from 15 to 19 May, bringing together 88 exhibitors from 14 countries. The fair, which launched in 2016 as a two-part event and consolidated into a single annual edition in 2022, spans Greco-Roman antiquities, jewellery, 20th-century design, and contemporary art. This year’s edition includes nine new exhibitors such as David Lévy, Larkin Erdmann, Piano Nobile, Macklowe Gallery, and ML Fine Art, and sees the return of John Berggruen after a three-year absence. Fair leadership, including director Leanne Jagtiani and head of fairs Will Korner, emphasize the fair’s distinctive focus on Modern art, which they say differentiates it from other spring fairs in New York that are more heavily weighted toward contemporary work.

Bringing back the salon: UK organisation aims to revive Brighton's contemporary art scene

The Adelaide Salon, a new arts organization founded in 2024 by Pascal Dowers and Paulina Anzorge, is staging a ticketed contemporary art event at Brighton's Royal Pavilion on 30 May, featuring live art and performance. This follows the organization's earlier exhibitions at their home in Adelaide Crescent and a current takeover of the Founders Room at Brighton Dome with the exhibition Act O (until 25 May), part of the Brighton Festival. The salon aims to revive Brighton's art scene after notable losses, including the 2023 closure of Brighton University's Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) and the withdrawal of Arts Council funding at Fabrica gallery.

From Normal to Ania Magliano: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead

The Guardian's weekly entertainment guide includes a section on art exhibitions, highlighting two shows opening in the UK. Godfried Donkor's solo exhibition at Firstsite in Colchester runs from 22 May to 30 August, weaving stories of resistance from Boudicca to Yaa Asantewaa through collage, painting, and textile. Delcy Morelos's installation at the Barbican in London, running until 31 July, fills the space with huge mounds of earth, clay, and spices to create immersive environments based on Andean and Amazonian knowledge. The guide also mentions Phantasmagoria at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, exploring video games and digital art.

Hirshhorn Museum Collection Tops 13,000 as Major 50th-Anniversary Acquisitions Announced

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC, acquired 314 works in 2025, bringing its collection to over 13,000 pieces. The acquisitions, announced in conjunction with the museum's 50th anniversary, include major works by Lorna Simpson, Sarah Sze, Mickalene Thomas, and Adam Pendleton, as well as photographs by Graciela Iturbide, Danny Lyon, Ezra Stoller, and Joel-Peter Witkin. The museum also received 176 works by Adam Pendleton as part of a multiyear gift from collectors Doug and Toni Gordon.

Frieze New York Is an Assembly-Line Salad

At Frieze New York, curator Lucien Zayan searches for artworks exploring the relationship between food and art, finding a piece by Aki Goto at Europa gallery that reflects on sugar, colonization, and cavities. The fair features works like David Lamelas's "To Pour Milk into a Glass" (1972) from Dia Art Foundation and Mungo Thomson's "Snowman" (2023) at Karma, while a performance by Kite (Oglála Lakȟóta) at the Counterpublic triennial booth offers a reprieve from the monotonous fair experience.

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.

Independent Art Fair Trades Downtown for the World

The Independent Art Fair has moved to Pier 36 on the Lower East Side waterfront for its 17th edition, running through May 17. The fair features 76 booths with a more spacious, warehouse-like layout, and a noticeably older, glossier crowd compared to previous years. Exhibitors include Los Angeles-based ATLA and Diane Rosenstein galleries, as well as international participants like Bogotá's SGR Gallery, showcasing solo presentations by artists such as Yoshikazu Tanaka, Kuniko Kinoto, and Johan Samboní. The fair has also announced partnerships with Sotheby's for its 20th-century edition and with the nonprofit Henry Street Settlement, signaling a tension between upscale ambitions and local community ties.

At the Centre Pompidou-Metz, 100 Works to Understand the Double Face of François Morellet

Au Centre Pompidou-Metz, 100 œuvres pour comprendre le double visage de François Morellet

The Centre Pompidou-Metz presents a centenary retrospective of French artist François Morellet (1926–2016), featuring 100 works that explore the dual nature of his practice. Curator Michel Gauthier has divided the exhibition into two mirrored halves—one dedicated to reason and geometric rigor ("the Mondrian side"), the other to disorder and irrationality ("the Picabia side")—reflecting Morellet's own description of himself as the "monstrous son of Mondrian and Picabia." The show traces his evolution from early figurative works and self-taught experiments to his embrace of concrete art, Islamic decorative systems, and systematic absurdity.

Think you have strong opinions about the 2026 Archibald prize? Check out the portraits that didn’t make the cut | Dee Jefferson

The article explores the annual ritual of the Archibald Prize, Australia's most famous portrait competition, through the lens of the 2026 edition. The author, Dee Jefferson, describes the predictable cycle of public enthusiasm, critical disdain, and media coverage that surrounds the prize, noting recurring trends like brown suits, oversized heads, and the dominance of male artists painting male subjects. The piece highlights specific works in this year's exhibition, including a portrait of musician Keli Holiday by Sindy Sinn that the author finds disorienting, and contrasts the main exhibition with the Salon des Refusés, the showcase of rejected entries, which includes a provocative portrait of Patricia Piccinini by Wendy Sharpe featuring exaggerated anatomy.

Latin American galleries dominate at Frieze New York

Frieze New York 2025 features a surge of 14 Latin American galleries from Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil, reversing a trend of withdrawal seen during the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s second presidency. Non-profit support from organizations like Latitude, which helped all eight Brazilian exhibitors, and a concerted effort by Frieze’s Americas team have enabled this increased presence, despite ongoing challenges such as high shipping costs, tariffs, and visa denials—exemplified by Mexican artist Dr Lakra being unable to attend his own show at Kurimanzutto.

Esther fair goes out on top

The Esther art fair, a satellite of Frieze New York, opened its third and final iteration at Estonian House on East 34th Street. Founded by Estonian gallerists Olga Temnikova and Margot Samel, the fair eschews conventional stands, instead arranging 22 participating galleries and three bespoke projects throughout the historic Beaux-Arts building’s basement, salons, and upper floors. Highlights include sold-out presentations at Adams and Ollman and Management, works by Katja Novitskova, Jill Goldstein, and Elīna Vītola, and a special project by Darja Popolitova and Madlen Hirtentreu turning beauty-industry equipment into installations. Gallerists praised the cooperative atmosphere, contrasting it with larger, more institutionalized fairs.

Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit reopens, with the local community front and centre

The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (Mocad) reopened on 25 April after over a year of renovations, unveiling upgrades to its 22,000-square-foot Midtown space—including a new learning space, air conditioning, and a large street-facing window—just in time for its 20th anniversary. The main building has been renamed after co-founder Julia Reyes Taubman. Co-directors Marie Madison-Patton and Jova Lynne have repositioned the institution as a civic space, emphasizing community engagement and local artists, with exhibitions such as Olayami Dabls: Detroit Cosmologies, Martha Mysko's Retail Therapy, and Carole Harris's This Side of the River.

With more than 3,000 participating institutions, the European Night of Museums returns this Saturday, May 23

Avec plus de 3 000 institutions participantes, la Nuit européenne des musées revient ce samedi 23 mai

The 22nd edition of the European Night of Museums returns on Saturday, May 23, with over 3,000 institutions across France and Europe opening their doors free of charge from late afternoon. Many museums are offering special activities such as concerts, performances, games, guided tours, and walks. The youth program "La classe, l'œuvre!" will again involve primary, middle, and high school students acting as mediators for artworks they studied throughout the year. Highlights include exhibitions at the Centre Pompidou-Metz dedicated to François Morellet and Louise Nevelson, a concert at Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle's Cyclop in Milly-la-Forêt, a dance performance by Korean artist Eun-Me Ahn at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, and exhibitions at museums in Tours, Vernon, Rouen, and Sète, as well as a Brazilian ball at the Château des ducs de Bretagne in Nantes.

Printmaking skills of Manet, Van Gogh and more celebrated in Bath show

An exhibition titled *Beyond Impressionism* at the Holburne Museum in Bath showcases over 50 prints by artists such as Édouard Manet, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, James McNeill Whistler, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Pablo Picasso. The show, running from 23 May to 13 September, highlights how impressionist, post-impressionist, and cubist painters revived printmaking in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, elevating it from commercial reproduction to a respected artistic medium. Works are drawn from public collections including the Courtauld Gallery and Ashmolean, as well as private collections.

Here’s What You Missed at MoMA PS1’s 50th Birthday Bash

MoMA PS1 held its annual gala on Tuesday night, celebrating the institution's 50th anniversary and honoring founding director Alanna Heiss and former MoMA Director Glenn D. Lowry. More than 500 guests attended the Surrealist-themed event, which featured artistic direction by the fashion and art collective Women’s History Museum, with stilt walkers, custom posters, performances, and DJ sets. Notable attendees included artists Wolfgang Tillmans and Camille Henrot, dealers Jeffrey Deitch, and musicians Swizz Beatz, along with museum leadership and collectors.

Independent art fair makes the most of more spacious digs

The Independent art fair in New York has relocated from Spring Studios in Tribeca to Pier 36 on the East River, doubling its footprint while slightly reducing the number of exhibitors from 87 to 76. The move creates a more spacious, single-level layout with larger stands and improved circulation, allowing for more ambitious installations. Dealers report strong early collector turnout, with over a third of exhibitors presenting solo stands by artists showing in New York for the first time, including Omar Mismar and Julia Maiuri. Notable presentations include Charles Moffett’s revival of late textile artist Silvia Heyden, James Fuentes’s cross-generational downtown New York showcase, and a large-scale installation by Gretchen Bender.

Lucy Liu Paints the ‘Emotional Truth’ of Family Memories

Lucy Liu, best known for her acting career in films like "Kill Bill" and the TV series "Elementary," is currently presenting a new exhibition of paintings titled "Hard Feelings" at Alisan Fine Arts in New York. The show features works that explore family memory and personal history, including pieces like "Family Portrait" (2016) and newer, more gestural paintings such as "What Stays" (2023) and "Hourglass" (2026). Liu, who studied at the New York Studio School from 2004 to 2007, uses layered and obscured imagery to reflect the unstable, fragmentary nature of memory, drawing on family photographs and her own childhood experiences following her father's death.

‘It smells like my ranch!’ Diva of dirt Delcy Morelos and her amazing 30-tonne earthworks

The article profiles Colombian artist Delcy Morelos and her immersive earthwork installations, focusing on two major works: 'The Womb Space' in Mexico City, which has drawn over 60,000 visitors in its final month, and 'Origo', a new 24-metre-wide outdoor pavilion opening at the Barbican in London. Morelos creates vast soil sculptures sourced from specific regions, evoking sensory experiences of smell, touch, and memory, and invites visitors to contemplate their connection to the earth. The piece includes her reflections on Andean cosmovision, the sacredness of nature, and her 14-year artistic inquiry into soil as a humble yet life-sustaining material.

At Frieze New York With the Art-World Elite

Frieze New York 2026 opened at the Shed with 68 galleries from 26 countries, marking the fair's 15th year. The event drew art-world elite including curators, gallery owners, and advisers, with notable attendees such as Paulina Kolczynska, Jim Kelly, Larry Ossei-Mensah, and Ludlow Bailey. Latin American and African galleries had a strong presence, and conversations highlighted increased diversity and representation from the Global South. The fair is part of a broader art sprint that includes the Whitney and Venice Biennials, TEFAF, and the Independent Art Fair.

Firelei Báez paintings at Hauser & Wirth New York

Firelei Báez presents her first New York exhibition with Hauser & Wirth, featuring a constellation of new paintings, works on paper, and large-scale bronze sculptures across two floors of the gallery's 22nd Street location. The show includes 'View of Nature' (2026), an eight-panel painting based on John Emslie's 1852 engraving, alongside bronze ciguapa figures from Dominican folklore and a series of monumental works on paper that explore atmospheric and cosmic themes.

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.

Discover 5 Standout Talents at New York’s Satellite Art Fairs

Galerie magazine highlights five standout satellite art fairs running concurrently with Frieze New York and TEFAF New York: Independent, NADA New York, Esther III, 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, and Future Fair. The article profiles emerging and rediscovered artists such as Julia Maiuri (presented by 12.26 at Independent), Shangfeng Zhang (LATITUDE Gallery at NADA New York), and others, noting that more than a third of Independent's booths feature artists making their New York solo debuts.

Independent Opens With Solo Presentations, Early Sales and (Most Importantly) Breathing Room

Independent art fair opened on May 14, 2026, at a new location in Lower Manhattan’s Pier 36, offering a larger, less central venue than its previous Tribeca home. The fair emphasizes solo presentations, which make up 70 percent of the booths, and features tightly focused displays. Gallerist Susanne Vielmetter reported early sales and museum reservations for works by Samuel Levi Jones, Robert Pruitt, and Nate Lewis. Brazilian gallery Almeida & Dale shares a booth with David Nolan Gallery, showcasing Chakaia Booker and Miguel Rio Branco, while New York dealer Charles Moffett reported strong interest in late Swiss artist Silvia Heyden’s tapestries.

Mario Schifano, the artist who anticipated Arte Povera and beyond. What the exhibition in Rome looks like

The Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome has opened a major retrospective of Mario Schifano, curated by Daniela Lancioni and titled simply "Mario Schifano," running until July 12. The exhibition reconstructs the career of the Italian artist (1934–1998), who worked across painting, film, and music, and highlights his role as a precursor to Arte Povera. A centerpiece is the reconstructed dining room Schifano created for the Rome home of Marella and Gianni Agnelli in 1968, featuring 14 canvases and a planned but unrealized sand-filled room with a pyramid, a detail revealed by film producer Ettore Rosboch in a conversation with the curator.

Exhibition | Paul P., 'The Fugitive Marvels of Sunset' at Maureen Paley, London, United Kingdom

Maureen Paley presents *The Fugitive Marvels of Sunset*, the fifth solo exhibition of Canadian artist Paul P. at the gallery. The show features his signature portraits of anonymous young men, sourced from gay erotic magazines from the late 1960s to early 1980s, alongside paintings of bats, laundry, and seascapes that explore twilight and threshold moments. The exhibition draws on coded visual languages from Victorian-era dandies and post-Stonewall culture, with works also included from a recent two-person show at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin.

Exhibition | Paula Rego, 'Drawing from Life' at Galerie Lelong, 38 Avenue Matignon, Paris, France

Galerie Lelong in Paris is presenting 'Paula Rego, Drawing from Life,' an exhibition focused on the artist's intense three-year period from 2005 to 2007, during which she devoted herself almost exclusively to drawing and lithography in her London studio. The show features works inspired by literary sources such as 'Jane Eyre,' 'Peter Pan,' and the sixteenth-century tale 'The King of Pigs,' as well as her connection with playwright Martin McDonagh. Key pieces include 'Shakespeare’s Room,' 'Scarecrow,' and 'Turtle Hands.' The exhibition is made possible with the support of Nick Willing, the artist’s son, and Cristea Roberts Gallery in London.

The 10 Best Museum and Gallery Shows to See in the Bay Area This Summer

The article highlights ten notable museum and gallery exhibitions opening in the Bay Area during summer 2026, including Ranu Mukherjee's solo show 'The Long Middle' at Gallery Wendi Norris, a group survey 'Slice of the Pie' at Fraenkel Gallery featuring 14 Bay Area galleries, and 'Giant Steps' at Personal Space in Vallejo focusing on innovative ceramic works. Other featured shows include Will Yackulic's 'A Certain Slant of Light' at pt.2 in Oakland and several other exhibitions across San Francisco and Oakland.