Petal passion, super-surreal Polaroids and Billy Childish’s California – the week in art

This week’s art roundup highlights several major exhibitions across the UK, including a floral-themed survey at Kettle’s Yard featuring artists from Henri Rousseau to Lubaina Himid. Other notable openings include Billy Childish’s expressionistic California desert paintings at Carl Freedman Gallery, Katharina Grosse’s site-specific installations at White Cube, and Steve McQueen’s new photography book, 'Bounty', which explores the colonial history of Grenada through its flora.

The Triumphant New LACMA Has the Potential to Rewrite Art History

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is set to open its new $724 million David Geffen Galleries, designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. The building features a radical, non-linear layout that eschews traditional chronological and geographical hierarchies, allowing artworks from 15 different curatorial departments to be displayed in conversation with one of another. Despite years of controversy regarding its concrete design and a 10 percent reduction in exhibition space, the museum is positioning the new structure as a flexible "laboratory" for global art history.

Zurich’s controversial Bührle Collection is rehung, including five paintings by Van Gogh—plus one forgery

The Kunsthaus Zurich has unveiled a comprehensive new display of the Emil Bührle Collection, featuring 205 works including five significant paintings by Vincent van Gogh and one acknowledged forgery. This reinstallation marks a shift from previous thematic displays focused on provenance research to a denser presentation of the collection's breadth. Notable works on view include a 1887 self-portrait and the masterpiece 'The Sower at Sunset,' though one Van Gogh remains in conservation and another has been withdrawn due to Nazi-era ownership complications.

Joan Semmel Is Doing Her Best Work at 93

Nonagenarian painter Joan Semmel is experiencing a significant career renaissance, marked by a major survey exhibition at the Jewish Museum and a concurrent solo show at Alexander Gray Associates. At 93, Semmel continues to work from her Soho studio, where she has lived for over fifty years, producing unflinching figurative paintings that explore the female body, aging, and the gaze. The article traces her trajectory from her early education at Cooper Union and a formative period in Madrid to her pivotal role in feminist art history.

In an Unlikely Pairing, Giacometti Sculptures Head to The Met's Temple of Dendur

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced a major summer exhibition titled "Giacometti in the Temple of Dendur," featuring 17 sculptures by the 20th-century Swiss master Alberto Giacometti. The show, organized in collaboration with the Fondation Giacometti, will place the artist's iconic slender bronze figures within and around the first-century BCE Roman Period Egyptian temple. The installation includes significant loans such as "Femme qui marche I" and "Femme de Venise I," marking a rare dialogue between modern existentialist sculpture and ancient architectural history.

LACMA Geffen Galleries Opening Gala Brings Out Artists, Supermodels, Oscar Winners & Studio Chiefs – Photo Gallery

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) hosted a high-profile opening gala for its new David Geffen Galleries, drawing a massive crowd of celebrities, industry titans, and art world figures. The guest list spanned various sectors of influence, including Disney CEO Bob Iger, artist Jeff Koons, and director Alejandro González Iñárritu, all gathered to celebrate the completion of the museum's new centerpiece.

These Are the 7 Best Destinations for Pop Culture Exhibits

Chicago's diverse landscape of pop culture and contemporary art is highlighted through a curated list of seven key destinations in the metropolitan area. The selection ranges from the Volo Museum’s collection of Hollywood vehicles and Titanic artifacts to the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s extensive permanent collection of over 2,000 modern works and high-tech media displays.

‘Ugly’ but ‘beautiful’: LACMA finally unveils controversial new Geffen Galleries — was it worth the wait?

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has finally unveiled its new David Geffen Galleries, a $724 million concrete and glass structure designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. Spanning Wilshire Boulevard, the 110,000-square-foot elevated gallery space will house 1,700 works from the museum’s permanent collection, including masterpieces by Francis Bacon, Henri Matisse, and Katsushika Hokusai. The building is scheduled to open to the public on April 19, marking the completion of a massive campus expansion that has been nearly two decades in the making.

Museum openings: V&A East and Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Plus, William Blake in Dublin—podcast

Two major museum projects have reached completion as London’s V&A East prepares for its public debut and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) unveils its new $700m David Geffen Galleries. V&A East opens with a focus on community-driven programming and its inaugural exhibition, 'The Music is Black: A British Story,' while LACMA’s long-awaited Peter Zumthor-designed building begins member previews amidst ongoing debates regarding its scale and cost.

In Geneva, John M Armleder’s Stunning Lesson in Art History

À Genève, la renversante leçon d’histoire de l’art de John M Armleder

The Musée d’Art et d’Histoire (MAH) in Geneva has unveiled its sixth "carte blanche" exhibition, curated by the influential Swiss artist John M Armleder. Following in the footsteps of figures like Ugo Rondinone and Wim Delvoye, Armleder was invited by museum director Marc-Olivier Wahler to mine the institution's vast collection of 800,000 objects. The resulting show defies traditional museum hierarchies by juxtaposing fine art with decorative objects, such as silver-topped corks and musical instruments, alongside Armleder's own prolific output of multiples.

It’s LACMA’s World, and Hollywood Wants to Play in It

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) celebrated the opening of its new David Geffen Galleries with a star-studded gala that raised nearly $11.5 million. The event brought together architect Peter Zumthor, museum director Michael Govan, and a high-profile mix of Hollywood celebrities, artists, and major donors. The $720 million building, Zumthor's first major project in the United States, marks the culmination of a decades-long development process and is set to open to the public next week.

Defying Soft Power: “Proximities” at SeMA

The Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) is hosting "Proximities: Contemporary Art from the United Arab Emirates," a major survey featuring over 110 works by 47 artists. Co-curated by Maya El Khalil and Eunju Kim in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF), the exhibition eschews traditional chronological narratives in favor of a dense, non-linear exploration of Emirati identity. The show is organized into thematic chapters led by artist-curators, featuring works ranging from Shaikha Al Mazrou’s precarious sculptures to Raja’a Khalid’s olfactory installations.

Jo Ractliffe at the Jeu de Paume: “I am not a militant photographer, but when you work in South Africa you cannot escape stories of violence”

Jo Ractliffe au Jeu de Paume : « Je ne suis pas une photographe militante, mais quand on travaille en Afrique du Sud on ne peut échapper aux histoires de violence »

South African photographer Jo Ractliffe discusses her upcoming retrospective at the Jeu de Paume, reflecting on her career path that began during the isolation of the apartheid era. Eschewing traditional photojournalism, Ractliffe developed a singular poetic language focused on landscapes and animals to address the heavy histories of violence, ownership, and displacement in Southern Africa.

Edmonia Lewis Was the Earliest Known Black Artist to Depict Emancipation. This Is Her First Retrospective.

The Peabody Essex Museum is hosting "Said in Stone," the first-ever comprehensive retrospective dedicated to Edmonia Lewis, a pioneering 19th-century sculptor of Black and Ojibwe heritage. The exhibition assembles a significant body of her marble works, including the landmark sculpture "Forever Free" (1867), which is recognized as the first formal visual representation of emancipation by a Black American artist. The show traces her journey from her upbringing with her Ojibwe family and her traumatic years at Oberlin College to her eventual success as an expatriate artist in Rome.

Exhibition | Everlyn Nicodemus, 'Without History' at Goodman Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

Everlyn Nicodemus presents 'Without History' at Goodman Gallery in Cape Town, marking her first solo exhibition with the gallery and a rare return to the African continent since the 1980s. The show, organized in partnership with Richard Saltoun Gallery, features major bodies of work including the 'Woman in the World' cycle and the 'Wedding' series. These works, created while Nicodemus lived across Europe, explore themes of trauma, gender, and spiritual survival through a practice that blends painting with deep archival research and social anthropology.

Sorolla and Valencia: an itinerary in the light of the master who captured the soul of the Mediterranean

The city of Valencia is actively promoting a cultural itinerary dedicated to Joaquín Sorolla, tracing the master painter's life from his birthplace in the historic center to the Mediterranean shores that inspired his most famous works. The route encompasses key biographical sites including the Church of Santa Caterina, the School of Craftsmen, and the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos, where his early sketches and academic records are preserved.

The Antwerp Six and the Problem of Now

A new exhibition at MoMu in Antwerp, guest-curated by Geert Bruloot, explores the enduring legacy of the 'Antwerp Six'—a group of visionary designers who graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in the 1980s. The show features dedicated rooms for members including Walter Van Beirendonck and Dirk Van Saene, showcasing their distinct aesthetics ranging from maximalist rave-wear to surrealist runway recreations. It traces their journey from a self-funded trip to a London trade fair in 1986 to becoming global icons who challenged the dominance of Parisian couture.

Harry Bertoia Gets His Moment

The city of Detroit is experiencing a significant Harry Bertoia revival, centered around the rediscovery and restoration of a massive 26-foot suspended sculpture. Originally commissioned in 1970 for a Michigan mall and long presumed lost or destroyed during building demolitions, the steel-wire and brass work was found languishing in a basement in 2017. Following an extensive restoration process, the monumental piece has been installed in General Motors' new global headquarters at the historic Hudson’s site, a feat that required complex engineering and a five-story opening in the building's facade.

Exhibition | Megan Jenkinson, 'Secateur / Sequitur' at Two Rooms, Auckland, New Zealand

Artist Megan Jenkinson presents her latest body of work, 'Secateur / Sequitur', at Two Rooms in Auckland. The exhibition features intricate photocollages that blend botanical elements with man-made materials like wire, drawing inspiration from classical philosophy and the Japanese art of ikebana. Jenkinson’s meticulously structured compositions explore the tension between the natural world and human systems of order.

At the Walters: Douriean Fletcher’s jewelry for the ‘Black Panther’ movies

The Walters Art Museum is showcasing the intricate jewelry designs of Douriean Fletcher, the specialty jeweler responsible for the iconic adornments in the 'Black Panther' film franchise. The exhibition highlights Fletcher's craftsmanship and her ability to blend Afrofuturist aesthetics with traditional African metalworking techniques, bringing cinematic artifacts into a fine art museum context.

Guide to Cultural Festivals in Italy in April 2026: PARMA 360, Turin Jazz, Rome Science, Genoa of the Arts

Guida ai festival culturali in Italia di aprile 2026: PARMA 360, Torino Jazz, Scienze di Roma, Genova delle arti

The Italian cultural landscape in April 2026 features a diverse array of festivals, headlined by the 10th anniversary of PARMA 360. This contemporary creativity festival, themed 'LUX. Visions on Light,' transforms the city of Parma into a widespread laboratory with exhibitions across 22 locations. Other notable events include the Symeoni Festival in Ferrara, which celebrates the art of movie posters and the legacy of painter Sandro Simeoni, alongside various music and educational programs.

Vian Sora: Tepe Gawra

Vian Sora’s solo exhibition "Tepe Gawra" at Bortolami Gallery marks her debut with the gallery, featuring a series of large-scale paintings that bridge ancient Mesopotamian history with contemporary Iraqi experience. The works, such as 'Celestial capsule' and 'Scarlet', utilize a complex layering process of poured acrylics and precise oil applications to explore themes of mortality, survival, and the aftermath of conflict.

Art shows how Shirley Cards and race shaped photography | Opinion

Artist Jeremy Okai Davis has launched a solo exhibition titled “Presence of Color” at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. The show, curated by Dr. Tamara Brothers, features large-scale paintings that utilize a pixelated, neo-impressionist style to depict Black figures and historical icons like Angela Davis. The works specifically address the history of "Shirley Cards"—color-calibration tools used by Kodak that were based on white skin tones, effectively marginalizing Black subjects in film photography for decades.

With "Video Games & Music," the Philharmonie de Paris Gets Into the Game

Avec « Video Games & Music », la Philharmonie de Paris se prend au jeu

The Philharmonie de Paris has launched "Video Games & Music," an immersive exhibition exploring the history and evolution of video game music (VGM). Curated by Fanny Rebillard and Jean Zeid, the show features a non-linear scenography inspired by open-world games, incorporating 29 playable consoles, archival photography by Ira Nowinski, and contemporary art by Mounir Ayache and Invader. The exhibition traces the medium's journey from 8-bit bleeps to complex orchestral scores and its influence on club culture and mainstream pop.

Maria Britton: Second Sleep

Artist Maria Britton presents "Second Sleep," a solo exhibition at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art featuring her "Draperies" series. Britton transforms discarded, patterned bedsheets into three-dimensional abstract works that blur the line between painting and sculpture through expert layering and pleating.

Nagano Prefecture 150th Anniversary / Renewal Opening 5th Anniversary: "Reorganizing – The NAM Collection Today" @ Nagano Prefectural Art Museum

長野県150周年記念／リニューアル・オープン5周年記念「再編する－NAMコレクションの現在」@ 長野県立美術館

The Nagano Prefectural Art Museum has announced a major exhibition titled "Reorganizing – The NAM Collection Today," scheduled to run from April 29 to June 7, 2026. Celebrating the 150th anniversary of Nagano Prefecture and the 5th anniversary of the museum's renewal, the show features approximately 100 works from the permanent collection alongside new commissions by guest artists Naoya Hirata, Barrack, and Tomoko Sato. The exhibition is structured into three thematic sections focusing on sculpture, the layers of painting, and the re-reading of institutional history.

NAFRICA–MASCHERE: The Mask Strikes Back

Curator Simon Njami discusses his exhibition 'NAFRICA–MASCHERE' at the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, which juxtaposes the fascist anthropological archives of Lidio Cipriani with contemporary artworks. The show utilizes the metaphor of the mask to explore the tension between how individuals are perceived and how they project themselves, specifically addressing the persistence of colonial logic in the modern world. By including artists from Africa, America, and Italy, Njami seeks to move beyond a binary 'colonizer vs. colonized' narrative toward a broader inquiry into human representation and power.

‘Washwasha’ (Whispers Across Water): Sonic Cartographies of the UAE at the Venice Biennale.

The National Pavilion UAE has announced its upcoming exhibition for the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026, titled ‘Washwasha’ (Whispers Across Water). Curated by Bana Kattan with assistant curator Tala Nassar, the presentation features six artists: Mays Albaik, Jawad Al Malhi, Farah Al Qasimi, Alaa Edris, Lamya Gargash, and Taus Makhacheva. The exhibition moves away from traditional visual spectacle to focus on sound, oral traditions, and 'sonic cartographies' that explore memory, migration, and the fluid identity of the UAE through an architectural environment designed by Büro Koray Duman Architects.

The Cost of Love: Rugby Art Museum and Gallery presents joint exhibition by artists Charlie Kirkham and Robert Walker

Artists Charlie Kirkham and Robert Walker are set to debut a joint exhibition titled "The Cost of Love" at the Rugby Art Gallery and Museum this May. The showcase features contemporary paintings that reimagine classical mythological figures—such as Narcissus, Apollo, and Adonis—to explore psychological themes of desire, transformation, and vulnerability. While both artists maintain a focus on technical rigor and the human figure, the works shift away from traditional storytelling to focus on the emotional tensions of modern life.

Vietnam Silk Paintings Draw Travelers to Hanoi as Emotional Silk Art Exhibition at Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum Boosts Cultural Tourism Experience – New Update You Need to Know

The Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi is hosting a significant exhibition dedicated to the traditional craft and contemporary evolution of Vietnamese silk painting. The showcase features a diverse array of works that highlight the delicate techniques and emotional depth unique to this medium, drawing significant interest from both local art enthusiasts and international tourists.