How Edward Burtynsky Captures Humanity’s Uneasy Relationship With Nature

Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky is the subject of a solo exhibition titled “Burtynsky: Human/Nature” at Paul Kyle Gallery in Vancouver, running from May 30 to August 1, 2026. The show brings together works from the early 1990s to the present, capturing landscapes that highlight the tension between natural environments and industrial development. Images include a stepwell in India, a granite quarry in Vermont, railcars in British Columbia, and a glowing stream of magma in Ontario. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue with an essay by the gallery’s assistant director, Diamond Zhou, who describes the title as naming a strained relationship rather than a reconciliation.

The Photographs that Shaped the Black Arts Movement in the Mid-20th Century

The Mississippi Museum of Art will present "Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955-1985," an exhibition featuring over 100 photographers whose work shaped the Black Arts Movement. The show includes iconic images such as Ernest Withers's 1968 photograph of Memphis sanitation workers striking with "I Am A Man" signs, Ming Smith's portrait of Sun Ra, and Ralph Arnold's collage critiquing war and violence. Running from July 25 to November 8 in Jackson, the exhibition spans editorial and commercial photography, self-portraits, and mixed-media works that document protest, cultural identity, and resistance during the Jim Crow era.

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.

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).

In Vancouver, artists imagine life after climate change

The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) has opened 'Future Geographies: Art in the Century of Climate Change,' an exhibition curated by Eva Respini that brings together artists from British Columbia, Canada, and beyond to imagine futures shaped by the climate crisis. The show features dozens of works created within the last 25 years, including large sculptures from repurposed waste like Liz Larner's 'Meerschaum Drift' and Brian Jungen's whale skeleton 'Cetology' made from plastic patio chairs, as well as John Akomfrah's three-channel film 'Vertigo Sea.' The exhibition runs at the VAG until January 10 before traveling to the Art Gallery of Ontario in March.

Lee Miller at the Musée d'Art moderne de Paris: A Photographer Between War, Beauty and Chaos

Lee Miller au musée d’Art moderne de Paris : une photographe entre guerre, beauté et chaos

Lee Miller, the American photographer who transitioned from fashion modeling and surrealist experimentation to war photography, is the subject of a major retrospective at the Musée d'Art moderne de Paris. The exhibition covers her career from 1929 to 1955, highlighting her early work as a model for designers like Patou, Chanel, and Schiaparelli, her collaboration and romantic relationship with Man Ray, and her harrowing experiences documenting World War II. After the war, Miller abandoned photography and lived in obscurity until her death in 1977, when her archive was rediscovered and her significance to both history and art history was fully recognized.

Venice show brings together two leading figures from the Polish avant-garde

A collateral exhibition at the 2024 Venice Biennale, titled "Tadeusz Kantor (1915-1990) Emballage Cricotage and Madame Jarema," brings together two towering figures of the Polish avant-garde: Tadeusz Kantor and Maria Jarema. Organized by the Starak Family Foundation at the Procuratie Vecchie, the show features over 60 works spanning paintings, monotypes, sculptures, theatre props, and costumes, culminating in a room dedicated to Kantor's seminal theatre piece "The Dead Class" (1975). Jarema's work was shown at the 1958 Venice Biennale, and Kantor exhibited in the Polish pavilion in 1960; the exhibition highlights their intertwined, interdisciplinary practice and their foundational role in post-war Polish avant-garde art.

San Diego Museum of Art is Celebrating 100 Years With its Most Ambitious Exhibition Yet

The San Diego Museum of Art is marking its 100th anniversary with what it describes as its most ambitious exhibition to date. The show brings together a wide range of works from the museum's collection and loans, aiming to celebrate a century of artistic achievement and institutional history.

A Milano una grande mostra a Palazzo Reale racconta i Macchiaioli (e l’Italia del loro tempo)

A major exhibition at Palazzo Reale in Milan explores the Macchiaioli, the 19th-century Italian painting movement often seen as a precursor to Impressionism. The show brings together works by key figures such as Giovanni Fattori, Silvestro Lega, Telemaco Signorini, Giuseppe Abbati, and Odoardo Borrani, alongside tangential artists like Giovanni Boldini, Federico Faruffini, and Gerolamo Induno. It traces the movement's origins at Florence's Caffè Michelangiolo, its epicenter at Castiglioncello under patron Diego Martelli, and its evolution from the 1850s through the 1870s, when the group's democratic ideals and en plein air techniques challenged academic conventions.

Gordon Cheung: Many Worlds, One Mind

CLOSE Gallery in Somerset presents 'Many Worlds, One Mind', a major survey exhibition of contemporary multi-media artist Gordon Cheung, running from 6 June to 15 August 2026. The show brings together 28 works across sculpture, painting, print and etching, including pieces from Cheung's 'New Order' series, which uses algorithms to reorder pixels from Dutch Golden Age still lifes, and 'Passages of Time', a sculpture incorporating Financial Times stock listings. Cheung's work examines global capitalism, cultural memory, and the intersection of classical art history with digital technology.

To Paint is to Love Again at Crèvecoeur, rive droite

Crèvecoeur gallery in Paris presents "To Paint is to Love Again," a group exhibition curated by artist Louise Sartor running from April 9 to May 27, 2026. The show brings together works by eleven artists: Geneviève Asse, Sadie Benning, Whitney Claflin, Anne-Lise Coste (Uruk), Jean Dubuffet, Jean Hugo, Ulalai Imai, Françoise Lapeyre, Louise Sartor, Li Shan, and Naoki Sutter-Shudo. The exhibition is documented with 49 images on Contemporary Art Daily.

From the artist who painted with his feet to the splashes of Pollock: abstraction takes over the Centre Pompidou Malaga

The Centre Pompidou Malaga has opened the exhibition 'Gesture and Matter. International Abstractions (1945–1965)', running until September, featuring around 30 works by 26 artists. The show highlights abstract art as a post-World War II response, with key pieces including Jackson Pollock's 'Number 26A. Black and White' and Kazuo Shiraga's 'Planet Nature', painted with his feet while suspended from ropes. Co-curated by Anne Foucault and Christian Briend, the exhibition traces abstraction's development from Paris and New York to Asia and Europe, emphasizing painting as a full-body, performative act of freedom.

Newcastle Art Gallery’s stunning new exhibitions open up a multiverse

Newcastle Art Gallery has opened three new exhibitions following its February reopening with the blockbuster show 'Iconic Loved Unexpected'. The new presentations include Tiyan Baker's solo show 'Mouth Mnemonica', 'The Mordant Family Gift' featuring 25 works donated by philanthropists Simon and Catriona Mordant, and Brian Robinson's 'Multiverse'. The exhibitions collectively showcase a diverse range of national and international artistry, with works by artists such as Gemma Smith, Tim Silver, Alasdair Macintyre, and Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. Baker's solo exhibition focuses on preserving the Bidayǔh language through multimedia works including autostereograms and video installations.

Sir John Akomfrah’s Venice Biennale Exhibition Comes To Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery

Sir John Akomfrah's exhibition, originally presented at the Venice Biennale, is now on view at Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery. The show brings together a selection of the artist's acclaimed film and video works that explore themes of memory, migration, and the African diaspora, offering UK audiences a rare chance to see the Biennale presentation in a new context.

Major summer exhibitions bring international artists to seaside gallery

Hastings Contemporary in the UK is hosting three major summer exhibitions until September 13, featuring international contemporary and modern artists. The shows include the first major UK solo exhibition of German-Brazilian artist Janaina Tschäpe, a solo show by Argentinian artist Miguel Rothschild with a new seascape installation, and "Moore / Freud," which brings together 20 works by Lucian Freud and Henry Moore exploring familial and personal connections.

MONET TO MATISSE: DEFYING TRADITION to Launch at Art Gallery of South Australia

The Art Gallery of South Australia is set to launch a new exhibition titled 'MONET TO MATISSE: DEFYING TRADITION,' which will feature works by iconic modern artists such as Claude Monet and Henri Matisse. The show aims to highlight how these artists broke away from conventional artistic norms to pioneer new movements in art history.

Art Gallery of NSW to unveil landmark exhibition exploring the many forms of Vishnu

The Art Gallery of New South Wales will open 'Avatar: Forms of Vishnu' in June, its largest exhibition of South and Southeast Asian art in over two decades. Featuring more than 200 works spanning 1,500 years, the show includes ancient sculptures, paintings, textiles, photography, and contemporary installations from institutions such as the British Museum, Ashmolean Museum, and National Museum of Cambodia. Curated by Melanie Eastburn and Chaitanya Sambrani, the exhibition explores artistic interpretations of Vishnu and his avatars across cultural, political, and spiritual contexts, with new commissions by Desmond Lazaro and Sumakshi Singh, and works by Nalini Malani, Pushpamala N, Gulammohammed Sheikh, and Jumaadi.

James McNeill Whistler was more than just a combative ‘coxcomb’

Carol Jacobi, curator of a new exhibition at Tate Britain in London, aims to reframe the legacy of James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903), an artist often reduced in public memory to his 1877 libel lawsuit against critic John Ruskin. The show, the UK's first full Whistler survey since 1994, highlights his prolific output, evolving style, and belief that art should seek "a more fundamental beauty" beyond mere impression. It brings together many of his celebrated nocturnes and, for the first time, his sketchbooks, though the infamous Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket (1875) could not be loaned.

The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and Christie's Unveil 'The Meeting Ground: Scenes from the KNMA Collection' - Christie's

The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in New Delhi and Christie's London have announced a major institutional exhibition titled 'The Meeting Ground: Scenes from the KNMA Collection,' running from 16 July to 21 August 2026 at Christie's King Street. The show brings together modern and contemporary works alongside folk and indigenous art from South Asia, curated by Akansha Rastogi with a team of curators. It features artists such as M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, Zarina Hashmi, and Jangarh Singh Shyam, and is part of KNMA's ongoing international programme.

James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain: The Fleeting Nature of Light, and of Life

Tate Britain is hosting a major exhibition of James McNeill Whistler, exploring his mastery of light and atmosphere across paintings, etchings, and pastels. The show traces Whistler's career from his early realist works to his iconic nocturnes and portraits, emphasizing his radical approach to composition and color.

Tang Museum presents Pursuing Possibilities: Explorations in Glaze

The Tang Museum at Skidmore College will present 'Pursuing Possibilities: Explorations in Glaze,' a student-curated exhibition running from May 30 to September 12, 2026. Organized by Emily Lin, the 2025–26 Charina Endowment Fund Endowed Intern, the show features works from the Tang collection that examine the chemical composition of ceramic glazes and their expressive possibilities. Lin used X-ray fluorescence to analyze glazes and consulted with ceramics professor Matt Wilt, bringing together art history, chemistry, and studio practice.

Picasso, the figure: Inside Louvre Abu Dhabi’s transformative exhibition

Louvre Abu Dhabi has opened "Picasso, the Figure," its first exhibition dedicated entirely to Pablo Picasso, running until May 31. The show brings together around 60 works exploring Picasso's fascination with the human figure, spanning his cubist experiments, neoclassical portraits, surrealist compositions, and late works. It is presented in collaboration with Musée National Picasso-Paris and France Muséums, housed within Jean Nouvel's iconic floating dome on Saadiyat Island.

‘Picasso-Klee-Matisse’ exhibit brings modernist masterpieces to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) is hosting "Picasso-Klee-Matisse: Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen" from May 20 to September 13, 2026. The exhibition features dozens of works by Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, and Henri Matisse from the private collection of dealer and collector Heinz Berggruen, on loan from the Museum Berggruen – Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. The show is organized thematically—portraits, landscapes, still life, and the human figure—and includes paintings, drawings, collages, sculptures, and archival materials, alongside pieces from MFAH's own collection. It has already attracted over 1 million visitors on its international tour.

James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain — a plunge into the rush of the modern world

Tate Britain presents a major exhibition of James McNeill Whistler's work, showcasing his immersive depictions of early industrial life alongside masterpieces of Victorian portraiture. The show brings together a wide range of Whistler's paintings, prints, and works on paper, highlighting his innovative approach to capturing the energy and atmosphere of the modern world in the late 19th century.

Human Connection Cuts Through Technology at Focus Art Fair

Focus Art Fair, New York's only art fair dedicated to contemporary Asian art, returned for its fourth edition at Chelsea Industrial, running through May 24, 2026. The fair's theme, 'human-technology coexistence,' was explored through works such as Hwia Kim's interactive installation 'What if two eyes don't work together?' presented by LG Electronics, and pieces by the Ukrainian-born F-Twins (Anna and Valeriia Lyshchenko), who founded the Primarealism art movement in response to AI's encroachment on critical thinking. Other highlights included Annu Yadav's political installation 'This Land is Wounded' (2025) and Taezoo Park's 'Hacked Snoopy' (2025), which memorializes neglected technologies. The fair featured more than 40 galleries and presenters, with a notable appearance by Japanese pop icon Kento Senga, who shared his FiNGA character as a means of connecting with his grandmother suffering from Alzheimer's.

Finally, Culture Minister Giuli visited the Italy Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale and made peace with President Buttafuoco

Finalmente il Ministro della Cultura Giuli ha visitato il Padiglione Italia alla Biennale di Venezia 2026 e ha fatto pace con il Presidente Buttafuoco

Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli finally visited the Italy Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale alongside Biennale President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, marking their first public appearance together after earlier tensions led Giuli to skip the opening ceremony. During the visit, Buttafuoco proposed that the work of artist Chiara Camoni, whose exhibition "Con te con tutto" is curated by Cecilia Canziani, should find a permanent home after the Biennale ends, sparking discussion about the future of pavilion artworks.

A Decade of Contemporary Art: Gallery Weekend Beijing Turns 10

Gallery Weekend Beijing (GWBJ) will celebrate its 10th anniversary with the 2026 edition running from May 22 to May 31, opening with three VIP days before going public on May 26. Founded in 2017, the event features curated exhibitions from 30 galleries and 10 non-profit institutions across Beijing, anchored in the 798 Art District and extending to Caochangdi and the CBD Art District. A new Academic Committee—comprising Guo Xi, Leng Lin, Tian Yuan, Xi Tao, and Yang Beichen—selected the participating galleries, with 25 returning from previous editions and five newly nominated. Highlights include institutional presentations at UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Red Brick Art Museum, and SONG Art Museum, as well as a special exhibition titled "Nirvana" by Ouyang Chun.

May we suggest the art you need to see this May?

Lifestyle Asia has published a curated list of art exhibitions and events to see in May, offering recommendations for art enthusiasts looking to explore new shows and installations during the month. The article serves as a guide to notable cultural happenings, likely highlighting both emerging and established artists across various venues.

Gerard van Honthorst

A major retrospective of the Dutch Golden Age painter Gerard van Honthorst has opened at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht, running from April 25 to September 13, 2025. The exhibition brings together numerous large-format works that trace Honthorst's full career, from his early Caravaggesque phase to his later stylistic and thematic diversification across Utrecht, Rome, London, and The Hague. The show is praised for its successful mix of chronological and thematic hanging, offering a comprehensive view of the artist's complexity.

“Cartographies of Growth” at MARTa Herford

From February 7 to June 7, 2026, MARTa Herford presents a dual exhibition dedicated to Lois Weinberger (1947–2020) and Katinka Bock (born 1976). The show explores poetic phenomena beyond human control, where materials react, spaces shift, and natural forces leave their traces both inside the museum and beyond.