Backflips, boulders and dancing dogs: the images that shaped art photography – in pictures

A new exhibition at the Princeton University Art Museum, titled "Photography as a Way of Life," celebrates the photographers who helped establish art photography as a serious movement from the 1940s to the 1970s. The show features works by Minor White, Aaron Siskind, Harry Callahan, and others, including images by Ming Smith, Donna-Lee Phillips, and Walter Chappell. The exhibition runs until September 7 and highlights how these educators and artists transformed photography's role in both the art world and higher education.

black dandyism art history met gala 2025

The article previews the 2025 Met Gala, which coincides with the Metropolitan Museum of Art's exhibition "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style." The gala's dress code will celebrate Black dandyism, inspired by Monica L. Miller's 2009 book *Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity*. Co-chairs include actor Colman Domingo, Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, rapper A$AP Rocky, and musician Pharrell Williams. The exhibition, guest-curated by Miller, will feature historical and contemporary clothing, artworks, and photographs organized into 12 sections such as "Respectability," "Disguise," and "Cool." The article also highlights five art historical examples of Black dandyism, including a 1772 portrait of Julius Soubise.

black arts movement photogtaphy national gallery washington

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., has opened "Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985," a major survey featuring some 150 images by Black photographers who documented the civil rights and Black liberation movements. Curated by Deborah Willis and Philip Brookman, the exhibition includes works by Doris Derby, John W. Mosley, Ming Smith, and about 100 other artists, capturing both iconic protest imagery and quieter, intimate moments of Black life. The show runs through January 11, 2026.

Event: Hammad Nasar and Billy Tang, Off the Record

ArtReview and Ursula magazine have announced a collaborative talk featuring curators Hammad Nasar and Billy Tang as part of their "Off the Record" series in London. The event, held at the Farm Shop in Mayfair, is designed as an intimate, live conversation focused on the working methods and inspirations of creative visionaries. Nasar, a veteran curator and MBE recipient, will join Tang, the Artistic Director of the new Yan Du Project, to discuss their respective practices and the evolution of creative thinking.

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.

obama portrait national portrait gallery

The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, unveiled the official portraits of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama on February 12, 2018. The portraits were painted by Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, respectively, marking the first time the museum has commissioned African American artists to paint a presidential couple. The ceremony was attended by notable figures including former Vice President Joe Biden, director Steven Spielberg, and actor Tom Hanks. Wiley depicted Obama seated in a chair surrounded by botanicals symbolizing his heritage, while Sherald painted Michelle Obama in her signature grayscale palette wearing a geometric dress inspired by Piet Mondrian and Gee's Bend quilts.

Julie Mehretu and John Jasperse Find Common Ground

Julie Mehretu, the celebrated abstract painter, and John Jasperse, a noted choreographer, are collaborating on a joint project at Marian Goodman Gallery in New York. The article explores how the two artists are working together to merge visual art and dance, asking how they can bring something productive to each other’s creative practices.

Review. VARIOUS OTHERS 2026

The 2026 edition of VARIOUS OTHERS in Munich featured a tightly curated program of exhibitions across participating galleries, institutions, and artist-run spaces. For the first time, the event awarded the "VARIOUS OTHERS Prize" (VO Award) to both a gallery and an off-space: Gallery Sperling and space n.n. won for their respective exhibitions. Notable presentations included solo shows by Paola Siri Renard at nouveaux deuxdeux, Milena Muzquiz at Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, and a dual exhibition at Knust Kunz Gallery Editions featuring Robert Motherwell and Merce Cunningham. Museum Brandhorst also opened the "Carrying" project with works by international artists.

Art Basel Qatar unveils new fair format and appoints Artistic Director

Art Basel has announced details for its inaugural edition in Qatar, set to take place from February 5 to 7, 2026, at the M7 creative hub in Doha's Design District. Departing from the traditional booth model, the fair will introduce an open-format exhibition centered on the theme 'Becoming,' with solo presentations by galleries responding to a central curatorial framework. Egyptian-born artist Wael Shawky has been appointed Artistic Director for the first edition, working alongside Art Basel's Chief Artistic Officer Vincenzo de Bellis to shape the curatorial vision and guide gallery selection. The fair will span two key venues—M7 and the Doha Design District—as well as public sites in Msheireb, and plans include transforming Qatar Museum's Fire Station into a platform for educational programs.

Art and Soul: Showcasing Three Inspiring Women Artists

The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) will present a major exhibition of East Bay artist Mildred Howard titled "Mildred Howard: Poetics of Memory" from June 12 through October 18. The show spans over 50 years of Howard's career, featuring sculpture, public art, and immersive installations, including large-scale works made from found objects like skillets, shoes, and glass bottles. Key pieces include "Blackbird in a Red Sky (aka Fall of the Blood House)" and "Ten Little Children Standing in a Line (One Got Shot, and Then There Were Nine)." Howard, a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow, explores themes of memory, home, Black identity, and the African American experience, often using house-like structures to prompt dialogue about belonging and sanctuary.

picasso kahan gallery ann norton sculpture

A new exhibition titled “Picasso: Clay, Line and Legacy” has opened at the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens in West Palm Beach, produced in collaboration with Kahan Gallery. The show features an expansive collection of Pablo Picasso’s ceramics, linocuts, prints, drawings, and tapestries from his Vallauris period (mid-1940s to early 1970s), when he worked with the Madoura pottery workshop and the printmaking studio of Hidalgo Arnéra in Vallauris, France. Works on view include pieces like *Femme (A.R. 301)* (1955) and *Quatre Profils Enclases (A.R.87)* (1949), highlighting his experimentation with medium, composition, and form.

ten x art institute of chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago has partnered with the Tuscany-based sculpting studio Ten X to create two marble reimaginations of a rare 8th-century Tang dynasty Bodhisattva. The original limestone sculpture, a centerpiece of the museum’s Asian art collection, has been missing its left arm since it was acquired in 1930, leaving its meditative gesture a mystery. Rather than attempting a traditional restoration, curator Dr. Tao Wang commissioned two distinct versions that explore different historical possibilities for the figure's hand placement based on extensive cross-cultural research.

Rosalind Fox Solomon and Larry Fink reunited with mentor Lisette Model at Paris Photo

At this year's Paris Photo, the MUUS Collection presented "Looking Out, Looking In: Larry Fink and Rosalind Fox Solomon with Lisette Model," an exhibition that placed the work of photographers Larry Fink (1941-2023) and Rosalind Fox Solomon (1930-2025) in dialogue with that of their teacher, Lisette Model (1901-83). The MUUS Collection, founded by Michael W. Sonnenfeldt, owns the archives of Fink and Solomon, acquired in 2024 and 2021 respectively, and partnered with the French gallery baudoin lebon to include Model's prints. The presentation was organized by Anne E. Havinga, curator of photography at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and highlighted Model's pedagogical legacy as a teacher at the New School for Social Research who emphasized personal vision and creative independence.

Garden State Art Weekend: Celebrate Jersey’s Vibrant Art Scene, April 24-27

Garden State Art Weekend returns from April 24-27, 2025, with over 95 venues across New Jersey opening their doors for a four-day celebration of the state's art scene. Co-directed by artists Christine Romanell and Alison Pirie, the festival offers a digital guide and map for attendees to explore exhibitions, open studios, live demonstrations, and workshops at venues ranging from world-class museums to intimate artist studios. Highlights include the Montclair Art Museum, Newark Museum of Art (free admission all four days), Grounds for Sculpture, Zimmerli Art Museum, and special events like an iron pour for International Sculpture Day at Gardenship Art in Montclair. The festival's headquarters at Manufacturers Village Artists in East Orange hosts a kickoff party and a spring open house featuring over 65 artist studios.

The Louvre changes: the project chosen to steer the museum into its new Renaissance

Il Louvre cambia: scelto il progetto che traghetterà il museo nel suo nuovo Rinascimento

The Louvre has announced the winners of its "Nouvelle Renaissance" competition, selecting a team led by STUDIOS Architecture Paris, with Selldorf Architects for museography and BASE Landscape Architecture for landscaping. The jury, chaired by Marc Guillaume and composed of 21 experts, chose this proposal from five finalists for its respectful and contemporary approach, which elegantly connects the city, the palace, and the museum while improving visitor flow and security. The project addresses urgent needs including new underground entrances, a dedicated space for Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, enhanced circulation, and green spaces, following a period of difficulty for the museum including a high-profile theft in October.

Block Museum exhibition features contemporary art by five MFA candidates

Northwestern University's Block Museum of Art is hosting the exhibition "We can make any two stories touch," featuring contemporary works by five second-year MFA candidates in the art theory and practice department: Lamia Abukhadra, Pegah Bahador, naakita f.k., Przemek Pyszczek, and Gabby Banks. The show, running through June 14, includes portraits, films, and mixed-media pieces. Gabby Banks presents three portraits of living Black figurative painters Kerry James Marshall, Jordan Casteel, and Amy Sherald, painted in their respective styles. Przemek Pyszczek explores legacy with works like "My Father Winning Gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics (No Boycott Version)" and a wooden Olivier salad sculpture. naakita f.k. addresses resource extraction in "Porous Bodies," using dust from deep-sea mining and copper mine samples from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

east fork matisse collection

Alex Matisse, the great-grandson of Henri Matisse and co-founder of the ceramics company East Fork, has launched a permanent collection in partnership with the estate of Henri Matisse. The collection features plates, platters, and mugs adorned with iconic motifs from the artist's work, including his "Nu Bleu" series, cut-outs like "Femmes et singes" (1954), and drawings such as "Le Platane" (1951). Alex Matisse, who deliberately avoided painting and drawing to forge his own path in clay, describes the project as a coming-full-circle moment that merges his family lineage with the craft that has defined his creative life.

Vancouver Art Gallery's "Future Geographies" Exhibit Explores How Art Responds to Climate Change

The Vancouver Art Gallery has opened "Future Geographies: Art in the Century of Climate Change," an exhibition curated by Eva Respini, the gallery's interim co-CEO and curator at large. Featuring over 30 artists and 35 works—including sculptures, paintings, video installations, and photographs—the show explores climate change through themes of living knowledge, consumed earth, speculative worlds, and material memory. Highlights include Brian Jungen's whale-skeleton sculpture made from plastic chairs and Clarissa Tossin's multimedia weaving of Amazon boxes. The exhibition also incorporates sustainability in its organization, using recycled cardboard for labels, overland shipping for loans, and commissioning local artists.

photographer maryam eisler alexei riboud interview

Photographers Maryam Eisler and Alexei Riboud, former high school classmates in Paris nearly 40 years ago, reunited in 2023 through a WhatsApp group and embarked on a creative challenge: photographing the same American Southwest landscapes side by side without sharing their images until the trip ended. The result is "West West," a book and exhibition at Pierre Yovanovitch's Manhattan gallery (June 12–July 11), curated by historian Carrie Scott and gallerist Howard Greenberg, featuring their work alongside iconic photographers like Diane Arbus, Joel Meyerowitz, and Ansel Adams.

sebastian gladstone jonas wood brian sharp denzil hurley

At Sebastian Gladstone gallery in Los Angeles, artists Jonas Wood and Brian Sharp reunited for a conversation about their late University of Washington professor, post-conceptual painter Denzil Hurley. Moderated by writer and curator Andrew Berardini, the dialogue explored Hurley's profound influence on his students, with Wood describing the bond as "full cosmic nepotism." The event coincided with the closing of the exhibition "Denzil Hurley and Brian Sharp," organized by Wood, which paired Hurley's abstract works with Sharp's paintings. The gallery is also publishing an accompanying book featuring a written exchange between Wood and Sharp.

American Artist at Commonwealth and Council

American Artist presents a solo exhibition at Commonwealth and Council in Los Angeles, running from April 4 to May 16, 2026. The show includes a press release and checklist, documented through 32 images provided by the artist and gallery, with photography by Paul Salveson.

Maine art museums overflow with summer exhibits

Maine's art museums are presenting a packed summer season with numerous exhibitions, including the collaborative show "By Design: The Worlds of Betsy James Wyeth" organized by the Colby College Museum of Art, Farnsworth Art Museum, and Brandywine Museum, which explores the design influence of Andrew Wyeth's wife. Other highlights include the largest survey of Carl Spinchorn at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art and Bates College, "Shadow of the Eagle" at the Abbe Museum examining Native American perspectives on the Revolutionary War, and retrospectives of Phyllis Graber Jensen and Spindleworks Art Center at Bates College and Bowdoin College respectively. The Center for Maine Contemporary Art features new abstract sculptures by Bianca Beck, while Colby Museum also presents "Imagining an Archipelago" focusing on art from Cuba, Guam, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and their diasporas.

Eat Frida food off a Frida plate: Kahlo kitsch raises eye...

A major Tate Modern exhibition dedicated to Frida Kahlo and her circle opens next month in London, accompanied by a wave of commercial spin-offs including a Kahlo-inspired menu, dinner plates, a Netflix documentary, a clothing line, and an opera premiering in New York. The show, titled "Frida: The Making of an Icon," will also display over 200 souvenir objects and knick-knacks, examining Kahlo's transformation into a global brand. A new whodunnit novel by Oscar de Muriel reimagines Kahlo as a detective, and a culinary collaboration with Mexican chef Santiago Lastra will run at the Tate Modern restaurant.

Van Gogh visited Georges Seurat's studio the day he left for Provence

The Courtauld Gallery in London is hosting a major exhibition of Georges Seurat’s work, highlighting the profound influence the Neo-Impressionist leader had on Vincent van Gogh. Historical records reveal that Van Gogh visited Seurat’s studio on February 19, 1888—the very day he departed Paris for Arles—to view masterpieces like 'A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.' This meeting underscores the deep respect Van Gogh held for Seurat’s scientific approach to color, even as he prepared to embark on his most famous creative period in Provence.

New York exhibition seeks to raise funds for LGBTQ+ youth centre

The Ali Forney Center (AFC), an LGBTQ+ youth organization facing a funding drop of over $400,000 from lost corporate sponsors, is holding a benefit exhibition titled "Toward the Light: Artists for the Ali Forney Center" at David Zwirner’s West 19th Street gallery in Chelsea from October 28 to November 1. Organized by art adviser Stephen Truax for the second year, the show features 38 works by artists including Doron Langberg, Jenna Gribbon, Jake Grewal, Ilana Savdie, Anthony Cudahy, Wolfgang Tillmans, Julie Mehretu, and Katherine Bradford, with proceeds supporting AFC’s housing and care for over 2,000 queer youth. Previous editions with Sotheby’s raised over $350,000 and $370,000 respectively.

Arts of Life Celebrates 25 Years

Arts of Life, a Chicago-based nonprofit supporting artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is celebrating its 25th anniversary with its first museum exhibition, "Community on the Make | Arts of Life 2000 – 2025," at the Design Museum of Chicago from August 11 to September 30, 2025. The retrospective features works by over 50 artists, staff, and volunteers, including founding member Veronica "Ronnie" Cuculich, and highlights collaborative pieces such as David Krueger and Ben Marcus's Love Man series. Related programs include a public reception on August 21 and artist residency hours throughout September.

Intuit Art Museum has its big reopening: ‘I don’t want this to be a traditional art museum’

The Intuit Art Museum in Chicago has reopened after a landmark $10 million renovation, marking a significant rebranding from its former name, "Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art," to simply "Intuit Art Museum" (IAM). The museum, which collects work by self-taught artists, replaced a traditional ribbon-cutting with a collaborative ribbon-tying ceremony, creating an interconnected artwork that will remain in its collection. The renovation tripled its gallery space and introduced new exhibitions, including a refurbished Henry Darger installation with LED screens and an immersive recreation of the artist's apartment, as well as a rotating permanent collection display featuring artists like Mr. Imagination, Lee Godie, and Wesley Willis. The second floor is dedicated to the special exhibition "Catalyst: Im/migration and Self-taught Art in Chicago," featuring works by artists such as Drossos Skyllas, Thomas Kong, Pooja Pittie, and Carlos Barberena.

The Met Reopens Newly Reimagined Galleries Dedicated to the Arts of Africa, the Ancient Americas, and Oceania, Following a Multiyear Transformation of The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has reopened its newly reimagined galleries dedicated to the arts of Africa, the Ancient Americas, and Oceania, following a multiyear transformation of the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. The renovated spaces present a refreshed installation of the museum's extensive collection, highlighting cross-cultural connections and updated interpretive approaches.

The Big Review | The reopening and rehang of the Sainsbury Wing, National Gallery, London ★★★★★

The National Gallery in London has reopened its Sainsbury Wing after a renovation led by architect Annabelle Selldorf, designed to create a more welcoming entrance. The wing, originally designed by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown in 1991, now features a transformed ground floor with double-height spaces, improved lighting, and a new piazza linking to Trafalgar Square. The reopening coincides with the gallery's bicentenary and a major collection rehang titled "C C Land: the Wonder of Art," sponsored by a Hong Kong property developer. Old favorites like the chapel-like space for Piero della Francesca's works are restored, and new commissions, including Richard Long's "Mud Sun," greet visitors.

Anna-Sophie Berger, Benjamin Hirte at Shore Gallery

Shore Gallery in Vienna presents "Baader Streisand Komplex," a two-person exhibition featuring artists Anna-Sophie Berger and Benjamin Hirte, curated by Nik Geene. Running from April 1 to May 16, 2026, the show brings together their respective practices in a dialogue framed by the exhibition's title.