46 Museum Shows and Biennials to See This Summer

ARTnews has published a guide to 46 museum shows and biennials to see this summer, highlighting major exhibitions across the globe. Featured artists include Laure Prouvost at Paris's Grand Palais with a quantum physics-themed show, Carsten Höller at Beijing's UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Tomás Saraceno at Munich's Haus der Kunst, and a retrospective of Ana Mendieta at Tate Modern. The article also covers biennials such as the Venice Biennale and Manifesta in Germany's Ruhr region, as well as new biennial-style launches in the Northeastern US. Specific exhibitions detailed include Akinsanya Kambon's survey at SculptureCenter and CARA in New York, Cao Fei's European survey at Kunstmuseum Basel, and the group show "Youth Palace" at Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai.

Jumper Maybach Turns Abstraction Into Emotional Space

American artist Jumper Maybach, known for his abstract expressionist paintings, debuted a new suite of works titled "Radiant Spaces" at the inaugural Salt Lake Art Show in 2026. The series explores themes of emotional energy, human resilience, and healing, using layered textures and color fields to create immersive experiences. Maybach has also created site-specific installations in architecturally significant buildings, including the 1900K building in Washington, D.C., and continues to blur the lines between fine art, installation, and luxury design.

Art in America’s Summer Issue Features 20 “New Talent” Artists, Juicy Art Heist Stories, and More

Art in America's Summer issue features 20 emerging artists in its annual "New Talent" portfolio, selected by the magazine's editors. The issue also includes a feature on art heist stories by Jackson Arn, an essay on systems art by Emily Watlington, and a piece on tragicomic times by Eugenie Brinkema. Additional content includes a tribute to Henrike Naumann, a spotlight on Olga Fröbe-Kapteyn, a book review of Trevor Paglen's latest work, and departments covering museum and gallery worker perspectives, a Frick Collection vs. Morgan Library comparison, and a summer reading list of art-themed novels.

How Betye Saar Set Black Dolls Free

An exhibition at the New York Historical celebrates Betye Saar’s promised gift of her collection of over 100 Black dolls to the institution, coinciding with her upcoming 100th birthday. The show, on view through October 4, features dolls alongside Saar’s paintings, prints, and sculptures, including works like “The Liberation of Aunt Jemima” (1972) and “Indigo Mercy” (1975). Saar began collecting Black dolls in 1949 and has incorporated them into her art since the 1970s, using watercolors during the COVID-19 pandemic to reimagine them in mystical scenes.

Behold! Nina Simone’s chewing gum! Inside the show celebrating extreme pop fandom

The Guardian reports on 'Holy Pop,' a new exhibition at London's Somerset House that celebrates extreme pop fandom through personal shrines and collections. The show features photographer Alice Hawkins's Dolly Parton shrine, including leaves from Parton's garden and hair extensions, alongside artifacts from fans of Prince, the Spice Girls, George Michael, Marc Bolan, and others. Curated by Tory Turk, the exhibition includes visual art by Graham Dolphin and Tox26, as well as films and photos of fans visiting stars' graves and impromptu memorials.

Emerging Zambian Artists Take the Spotlight at Imvelo Studios

Imvelo Studios, a Zambian gallery, has opened a group exhibition titled "Rise and Shine" featuring emerging Zambian artists across diverse mediums, including painting, sculpture, and printmaking. Curated by gallery founder Ng’onga Silupya, the show highlights artists such as Jeremiah Ludaka, Boyd Bishonga, Kaluba B. Chilawa, Hassan Yasini, Clare Chilemu, and Hezroth Simanda, whose works employ abstraction, Neo-Expressionism, and traditional techniques to explore themes of youth, cultural identity, and social commentary.

Near death experiences, ‘crip memes’ and the tyranny of the DWP: the new exhibition powered by illness and disability

Flare Up, a group exhibition co-curated by Mariana Lemos and Natasha Hoare at CCA Goldsmiths in London, showcases art centered on illness, chronic conditions, disability, neurodivergence, and deafness. The show features works by artists including Benoît Piéron, Avril Corroon, Derek Jarman, Christine Sun Kim, Jesse Darling, and the collective Freestylers, exploring themes such as near-death experiences, crip memes, government bureaucracy, and the fluctuating nature of symptoms. Highlights include Piéron's bunting made from hospital sheets, Corroon's installation on poverty and health, and Jarman's 1992 painting Act Up.

The New Costume Institute Show Gets Under the Skin

The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has opened its 2026 spring exhibition, “Costume Art,” which explores the relationship between clothing and the human body through pairings of couture with artworks spanning 5,000 years. Curated by Andrew Bolton, the show is divided into thematic chapters such as “Nude Body,” “Disabled Body,” “Aging Body,” and “Anatomical Body,” featuring pieces from designers like Dior, John Galliano for Maison Margiela, and Renata Buzzo alongside historical artifacts and contemporary art.

Bharti Kher Commissioned by Powerhouse Parramatta, Australia’s New Cultural Center Opening Later This Year

British-Indian sculptor Bharti Kher has been commissioned to create a monumental sculpture titled 'Tree of Life' for the entrance of Powerhouse Parramatta, a major new cultural center opening later this year in Parramatta, west of Sydney, Australia. The work, made of four stacked bronze and clay heads, is part of Kher's ongoing 'Intermediaries' series, which began in 2016 after she found a collection of broken clay figurines in her Delhi studio. The commission was reported by Art Asia Pacific, and Kher previously installed related public works in Central Park and at Harvard Business School.

An Artist Ponders Pond Scum, Humans and the Meaning of Life

Anicka Yi, an artist known for exploring the intersection of biology and technology, has created a new installation at Storm King Art Center. The work features muck-filled columns that examine pond scum and other microscopic life-forms, using them as a lens to question humanity's role in the natural world. The installation is described as a kind of laboratory where Yi investigates the agency and intelligence of non-human organisms.

8 Standout Shows at the Venice Biennale 2026

The 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, titled "In Minor Keys" and curated by Artistic Director Koyo Kouoh, opened in Venice in 2026, running through November 22 at the Giardini, Arsenale, and various city locations. The main exhibition features 110 invited artists, collaborative duos, collectives, and artist-led organizations, realized by Kouoh's team after her passing in May 2025. Alongside 100 National Participations in historic pavilions, 31 Collateral Events and independent projects are on view. Art & Object highlights eight standout shows, including Lu Yang's immersive digital installation "DOKU The Illusion" at Espace Louis Vuitton, Oriol Vilanova's postcard-based "Los restos" at the Spanish Pavilion, and JR's photographic reinterpretation "Il Gesto" at The Venice Venice Hotel.

Five Whirlwind Days in Venice, at (and Beyond) the Biennale

The article recounts a whirlwind three-day visit to the 61st Venice Biennale, focusing on the main exhibition at the Giardini della Biennale curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, titled "In Minor Keys." The author highlights textile works by artists such as Thania Petersen, Billie Zangewa, and Annalee Davis, as well as Beverly Buchanan's "Spirit Jars" and Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons's portrait of Kouoh and Toni Morrison. The trip also includes visits to collateral events, a performance at Jordan Roth's palazzo, and a side trip to Gabriele D'Annunzio's estate on Lake Garda.

Exhibition | Kenjiro Okazaki, 'Never could be any other way — anagnorisis' at Pace Gallery, London, United Kingdom

Pace Gallery in London is presenting an exhibition by Japanese artist Kenjiro Okazaki titled 'Never could be any other way — anagnorisis'. The show features Okazaki's latest works, which explore themes of recognition and revelation through his distinctive blend of painting, drawing, and conceptual practice.

Amy Sherald Comes Home: “American Sublime” Opens at the High Museum

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta opens "Amy Sherald: American Sublime" on May 15, a mid-career retrospective featuring over 35 paintings from 2007 to 2024. The exhibition was originally scheduled to conclude at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., but Sherald canceled that stop after a Trump administration executive order directed Smithsonian institutions to remove so-called "un-American content." The High Museum secured the final slot after the Baltimore Museum of Art, following months of coordination with SFMOMA, Sherald's studio, and Hauser & Wirth. The show includes Sherald's portrait of Breonna Taylor and her iconic Michelle Obama portrait, organized into five thematic sections.

Guggenheim New York Announces Spring and Summer Public Programs

The Guggenheim New York has announced its spring and summer 2026 public programs, featuring a range of events including a performance lecture by LG Guggenheim Award recipient Trevor Paglen on May 18, a conversation between artist Carol Bove and curator Katherine Brinson on June 2, and the annual Museum Mile Festival on June 9. Other highlights include Late Shift evening events with live music, family-friendly activities like Stroller Hour and Art Cart, Teen Circle and Teen Tuesdays, and a screening of Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno's video work "Zidane, a 21st century portrait" in celebration of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Poet-in-Residence Patrick Rosal will also launch summer activations.

Nalini Malani’s Venice Biennale 2026 exhibition confronts violence, myth, and motherhood

Artist Nalini Malani will present a solo exhibition titled "Of Woman Born" at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026. The show features a site-specific installation commissioned by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, comprising 67 animations with over 30,000 iPad drawings and a haunting soundscape. The work centers on the Greek myth of Orestes, who kills his mother Clytemnestra, and explores themes of violence against women, motherhood, and justice. Malani, now 80, has been a key figure in bringing Indian contemporary art to global prominence, with her work held by major institutions including Tate, MoMA, and Centre Pompidou.

One Fine Show: “Paula Rego, Dance Among Thorns” at MUNCH in Oslo

MUNCH in Oslo presents "Paula Rego: Dance Among Thorns," the first comprehensive museum survey of the Portuguese-British artist in the Nordic region and her largest since the 2021 Tate Britain retrospective. The exhibition brings together over 140 works spanning seven decades, from early abstract political collages to the grotesque papier-mâché tableaux of her final years. A central section traces previously undocumented links between Rego and Edvard Munch, including the discovery of a never-before-exhibited work by Rego's son, Nick Willing. Highlights include Rego's monumental "Oratorio" (2008-09) and "The Dance" (1988), which curator Kari J. Brandtzæg connects to Munch's "Dance of Life" (1898-1899).

‘Something Missing?’ Absence is emotional with Sophie Calle’s new show

Sophie Calle's latest exhibition, 'Something Missing?' at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Copenhagen, explores themes of absence, loss, and disappearance through works spanning 1979 to 2023. The show features series such as 'Because' (2018-2023), where embroidered felt sheets hide photographs; a response to Picasso's works swaddled during Covid lockdowns; 'The Blind' (1986), in which people born without sight describe beauty; and 'Voir la mer' (2011), capturing Istanbul residents seeing the sea for the first time. Calle's characteristic wit and emotional depth turn voids into vantage points, inviting viewers to confront what is missing.

BITS & BYTES May 22, 2026: What’s happening in the Berkshires and beyond!

The article announces four upcoming art exhibitions in the Berkshires region of Massachusetts. At The Mount in Lenox, the 2026 Sculpture at The Mount exhibition titled "Flourish" runs from May 24 to October 24, featuring outdoor sculptures exploring growth, resilience, and connection. In Great Barrington, Childs + Clark Gallery opens "Glass Half Full: Hope, Happiness & Resilience" on May 23, inviting artists to respond to contemporary overwhelm. Also in Great Barrington, Lauren Clark Fine Art presents "In Celebration of the Fine Art Print" from May 23 to July 12, showcasing 18 artists working in print media. At Gallerie 271 in Monterey, "Two to Tango" features works by Jaye Alison and Bill Carlson from May 22 to July 4.

LR Vandy's Dynamic Rope Sculptures Transform Yorkshire's Weston Gallery With Maritime Inspirations

British artist LR Vandy has transformed the Weston Gallery at Yorkshire Sculpture Park with "Rise," an exhibition of dynamic rope sculptures that climb walls, loop through pulleys, and coil across the floor. The centerpiece, "A Call to Dance," is a monumental maypole whose braided strands cascade from a metal ring. Vandy, who works from her studio at the historic Chatham Dockyard, uses maritime fibers that evoke ships, cargo, and hard labor. The sculptures appear caught mid-action, hovering between tension and release, with over 30 kilometers of rope used in the installation, much of it evolved onsite through collaboration with technicians.

The Pain Behind the Colors

Der Schmerz hinter den Farben

Henry Taylor is the subject of a major exhibition at the Musée Picasso in Paris, where his monumental paintings addressing racism, poverty, hope, and pain are displayed in dialogue with art history. The article describes a key work featuring Martin Luther King Jr. in a park scene, with small adult-faced figures and a limousine of white men watching, highlighting Taylor's narrative style.

Venice Biennale: A Silent US Pavilion

Biennale de Venise : un Pavillon US silencieux

The US Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, featuring artist Alma Allen, opened to sparse crowds despite a 10% overall attendance increase at the Biennale. The pavilion was embroiled in controversy before opening: Allen was selected by the American Arts Conservancy (AAC), a private entity created in 2025 at the initiative of Donald Trump after the dissolution of the federal committee that previously oversaw the pavilion. AAC head Jenni Parido, a former pet food executive, chose the self-taught, little-known artist who had never had a solo museum exhibition. Major funders the Ford and Mellon Foundations withdrew, forcing the AAC to launch a public donation appeal. The exhibition features 25 abstract bronze, stone, and burl-wood sculptures that the artist describes as biomorphic landscapes, but critics find them pleasant yet silent, lacking the promised political or visceral resonance.

Ornament & Information at Chicago Cultural Center

The Chicago Cultural Center is presenting 'Ornament & Information,' an exhibition featuring 62 images and no videos, as documented by Contemporary Art Daily. The show explores the interplay between decorative ornamentation and informational content in contemporary art, though specific artists, dates, and curatorial details are not provided in the available text.

Art Basel Qatar Announces Artistic Director and Theme for 2027 Edition

Art Basel Qatar has appointed Iraqi curator Wassan Al-Khudhairi as artistic director for its second edition, scheduled for January 28–30, 2027, in Doha. The fair will be themed “between / بين,” exploring states of betweenness and fluid cultural encounters, and will feature a scaled-up Special Projects sector with large-scale, site-specific works, alongside solo gallery presentations. Al-Khudhairi, a specialist in modern and contemporary Arab art, previously served as founding director of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha and held curatorial roles at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.

Zohran Mamdani Visited MoMA PS1’s Greater New York—and Loved It

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited MoMA PS1's recurring survey exhibition "Greater New York" alongside New York State Representative Claire Valdez. PS1 director Connie Butler shared the news on Instagram, posting images of the politicians smiling and raising their arms near an installation by Palestinian American photographer Dean Majd. Majd's work features photographs of communities in New York and the West Bank, including a portrait of Mahmoud Khalil, an Algerian Palestinian activist detained by ICE. The exhibition, which runs through August 17, includes 53 artists and focuses on themes of urban decay, infrastructural failure, and survival.

This week's openings in Parisian galleries

Les vernissages cette semaine dans les galeries parisiennes

This week's openings in Parisian galleries feature a wide range of exhibitions across the Marais, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and other districts. Highlights include Galerie Alain Margaron's group show "Du modèle à l'autoportrait" exploring the body in works by André Derain, Jean Hélion, Fred Deux, and Zoran Mušič; Kim Myoung Nam's first solo show at Galerie UNIVER / Colette Colla, presenting perforated paper pieces; and Galerie Wagner's collective exhibition dedicated to Latin American artists Milton Becerra, Olga Luna, and Claudia Lavegas. Other notable shows include Louis Pion's ink-on-envelope series at Galerie Incognito Artclub, Léonore Chastagner's raw ceramics at Galerie Anne-Sarah Bénichou, and solo presentations by Quentin Gouevic and Jérôme Zonder at Galerie Nathalie Obadia.

Mark Manders at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York

Mark Manders presents his sixth solo exhibition at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in New York, featuring new works that include monumental bronze busts, abstract sculptural landscapes, and discrete paintings and works on paper. The pieces are described as dreamlike and fragmented, populating the gallery like a series of thoughts given form and frozen in time.

Bruno Birmanis and Mareunrol’s on Representing Latvia at the 61st Venice Biennale

Bruno Birmanis and the artist duo Mareunrol’s (Mārite Mastiņa-Pēterkopa and Rolands Pēterkops) will represent Latvia at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026, with their pavilion located in the Arsenale. Their project draws on memories of Latvia in the 1990s, particularly the avant-garde fashion event The Untamed Fashion Assembly (UFA), conceived by Birmanis, which took place two months after Latvia regained independence from the Soviet Union. The installation is not a nostalgic archive but a space of dialogue and reflection, using the visual codes of a fashion show backstage to explore themes of memory, freedom, and utopian intentions.

How Can Art Depict Everyday Violence?

Anuar Maauad and Roger Muñoz have cocurated the exhibition "La Alegría de Vivir" at Estudio Anuar Maauad in Mexico City, featuring works by Jorge de León, Benjamin Orlow, Miguel Ángel Rojas, Berenice Olmedo, Miguel Ventura, Paul McCarthy, and Teresa Margolles. The show confronts themes of necropolitics and systemic violence through sculptures, photographs, and installations that depict war, state power, and human suffering as ongoing, normalized conditions.

Marcel Duchamp and the MoMA Exhibition That Didn’t Ask Questions

Marcel Duchamp's 1917 readymade *Fountain* and its radical questioning of art's definition are the focus of a new retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, curated by Matthew Affron, Michelle Kuo, and Ann Temkin. The exhibition, the first major Duchamp show in the U.S. since 1973, assembles three hundred objects and presents them chronologically, tracing Duchamp's evolution from early paintings to his conceptual breakthroughs. The article highlights how *Fountain* was originally submitted to a no-jury exhibition by the Society of Independent Artists, sparking a debate that ultimately led to its rejection and Duchamp's resignation, a pivotal moment in art history.