Melding Chinese lacquer with European abstraction

A collateral exhibition titled "Alchemical Universe" at the Palazzo Soranzo Van Axel in Venice features 35 lacquer paintings by Chinese-German artist Su Xiaobai. Curated by Stephen Little of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Lacma) and designed by architect Kulapat Yantrasast, the show spans Su's early experiments to recent works created for Venice, including suspended temple tiles and floor pieces on mirrored Murano glass. Su, who was advised by Gerhard Richter in 2003 to focus on lacquer, now works exclusively in the medium, layering and scoring tree sap to create contemplative abstract works.

Asian Artists Set the Stage at Independent Art Fair 2026

At the 17th edition of the Independent art fair in New York, six galleries are presenting solo booths dedicated to Asian artists, including a U.S. debut by Taiwanese artist Tseng Chien-Ying and works by Japanese painter Rika Minamitani and Chinese conceptual artist Pu Yingwei. Founder Elizabeth Dee highlights the trend as reflecting broader geopolitical shifts and artists' desire to engage with complex cultural debates in New York.

Iván Argote brings roving public art project to Chicago streets

Paris-based artist Iván Argote launches a new mobile sculpture titled DIGNIDAD in Chicago on June 12, installed on a flatbed truck that will travel through the city. The project, organized by the Floating Museum as part of its Floating Monuments series, begins in Humboldt Park—a neighborhood central to Chicago's Puerto Rican community—and will also visit Pilsen, Little Village, and potentially other cities like Dallas and Minneapolis. Argote, known for his giant pigeon sculpture Dinosaur on the High Line, worked with curator Carla Acevedo-Yates and local communities to create a work that responds to current political tensions around immigration and dignity.

‘This is the place of dreams’: Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo’s Venetian island venue opens to public

Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo opened San Giacomo, a Venetian lagoon island she and her husband bought in 2018, to the public on May 7 during the Venice Biennale. The former military site now houses exhibition spaces in converted munitions storehouses, featuring a solo show by Matt Copson curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, selections from the Sandretto collection with works by Michael Armitage, Sarah Lucas, Victor Man, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, and outdoor installations by Pamela Rosenkranz, Claire Fontaine, Hugh Hayden, and Goshka Macuga. The island also includes a chapel-like structure by Hayden and a rocket sculpture by Macuga.

Allison Katz’s Playful Paintings Hide Serious Ideas in Plain Sight

Painter Allison Katz, who lived in New York for seven years but hasn't shown in Manhattan for over a decade, returns with a major debut solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth's Wooster Street location. Titled "Outta the Bag," the show features a suite of New York–centric paintings, including depictions of the city's museums and skyscrapers, as well as an ironically small "Big Apple" composition, marking a significant moment for the mid-career artist.

The British Museum Is Recreating the Bayeux Tapestry’s Medieval Woodland

The British Museum is installing a temporary woodland installation called "Tapestry of Trees" in its forecourt from May 16 to June 2, evoking the 11th-century English landscape depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry. Designed by garden designer Andy Sturgeon, the installation features 37 silver birch trees and planters with dyed hessian wraps matching the tapestry's colors, alongside woodland species like Guelder Rose and Foxglove. It launches public programming ahead of the tapestry's historic loan from France, which will be displayed in a blockbuster exhibition on the Norman Conquest starting in September.

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.

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.

Public art blossoms around New York

New York City's public spaces are blooming with large-scale outdoor art this spring, complementing the gallery and museum season. From the High Line to Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Bronx to Stuyvesant Square, artists including Derek Fordjour, Raven Halfmoon, Monira Al Qadiri, Judith Modrak, Woody De Othello, Shellyne Rodriguez, and Graciela Cassel have installed sculptures, murals, and interactive works. Highlights include Fordjour's mural *Backbreaker Double* (2025), Halfmoon's ceramic bust *West Side Warrior* (2025), and Rodriguez's *Phoenix Ladder: Monument to the People of the Bronx* (2025), which commemorates housing loss in the 1970s.

Fred Tomaselli Turns Newspaper Headlines Into Mulch at His New Show at James Cohan

Fred Tomaselli presents his new exhibition “Blooms Disrupted,” opening May 15 at James Cohan’s 48 Walker Street location in New York. The show features his signature densely layered resin paintings embedded with organic matter like leaves and pharmaceutical pills, alongside a new series of collages constructed from New York Times front pages. The anchor piece, *Month of August (evening)*, combines a geometric spiral of headlines with a photographic Mexican sunflower, while other works reference art-historical gardens such as Frederic Edwin Church’s estate. Tomaselli, a Brooklyn-based artist born in 1956, uses the garden as both subject and metaphor throughout the exhibition.

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.

With New Tribeca Outpost, Gratin Gallery Doubles Down on Young Artists

Gratin Gallery, founded by Talal Abillama, is opening a new outpost in Tribeca at 15 White Street, leased for ten years. The space will debut on May 15 with “Blinds and Shutters,” the first U.S. solo exhibition of Spanish sculptor Mónica Mays. The gallery, which started on Avenue B in 2022 and later moved to Grand Street, is expanding despite a challenging art market. Abillama cites the need to be closer to collectors who avoid the 15-minute walk from Tribeca to Chinatown. The new location sits near Luhring Augustine and Ortuzar Projects, and will officially open in November after renovations.

Figurative Painter Solo Exhibitions

The Lisa Yuskavage exhibition has opened at David Zwirner's 533 West 19th Street location in New York, running from May 14 through June 26, 2026. The show features new and recent paintings, works on paper, and a body of collages made on green Color-aid paper, incorporating pastel, egg tempera, gouache, and pasted elements. Many paintings expand on the theme of the artist's studio, with recurring figures appearing across compositions. This marks Yuskavage's tenth solo exhibition with David Zwirner, twenty years after her first show with the gallery in 2006. The exhibition follows her first comprehensive museum presentation of works on paper, 'Lisa Yuskavage: Drawings,' at The Morgan Library and Museum in New York from June 2025 through January 2026.

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.

Exhibition | Janet Laurence, 'Once Were Forests' at Cassandra Bird, Paris, France

Cassandra Bird Paris, supported by Zimmermann, presents 'Once Were Forests,' an immersive solo exhibition by Australian artist Janet Laurence. The show features a major installation alongside new sculptures, paintings, and photographs that explore ice, forest, and water as carriers of time, memory, and life. Soundscapes from Australian forests and birdsong deepen the sensory experience, inviting visitors into a contemplative space where ancient ecologies, present nature, and possible futures converge.

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.

Fold in these exhibitions during festival season

Spoleto Festival USA and Piccolo Spoleto begin on May 22, and the article highlights a curated selection of visual art exhibitions in Charleston to enjoy alongside the festival's performances. Featured venues include Robert Lange Studios, Corrigan Gallery, Stevenson and Co., Atrium Gallery, Meyer Vogl, Duckworth Gallery, and the Gibbes Museum of Art, which opens "Mary Whyte: Salt of the Earth" and continues "Rodin: All the Truth in Nature." The College of Charleston's Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, under new director Michael Dickins, presents "Make Room" by In Kyoung Chun and another exhibition through July 25.

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.

Parrish Art Museum Summer 2026 Guide

The Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York, has announced its Summer 2026 guide, detailing a robust schedule of exhibitions and public programs running through August. Highlights include "Regeneration: Long Island’s History of Ecological Art and Care" featuring 11 intergenerational artists, a solo presentation of Sanford Biggers titled "Drift," and exhibitions of works by Ellsworth Kelly and Will Ryman. The museum also offers a wide range of events such as docent-led tours, art workshops for children, therapeutic programs for Alzheimer's patients and cancer survivors, and member mornings.

Sarah Lucas Unveils VENUS VICTORIA at the New Museum’s Bowery Plaza

The New Museum has unveiled "VENUS VICTORIA," a new public sculpture by British artist Sarah Lucas, inaugurating the museum's outdoor plaza at the junction of Bowery and Prince Street in downtown Manhattan. The sculpture, which features Lucas's signature Bunny figure seated atop a giant washing machine, was selected by an all-artist jury including Teresita Fernández, Joan Jonas, Julie Mehretu, Cindy Sherman, and Kiki Smith. It opens on May 12, 2026, and will remain on view for two years as the first of five commissions dedicated to public sculpture by women artists.

JR to cover Paris’s Pont Neuf in homage to Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

French artist JR has begun installing a monumental trompe-l’oeil work titled *La Caverne du Pont Neuf* (2026) on Paris’s Pont Neuf, transforming the city’s oldest bridge into an immersive cave. The project reimagines the bridge as a limestone quarry cave, referencing the stone from which the bridge and many Parisian buildings were constructed. The work pays homage to Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s iconic *The Pont Neuf Wrapped* (1985) and will be visible both day and night throughout the summer.

Urban art at the Petit Palais: discover the free exhibition We are here

The Petit Palais in Paris is hosting the second edition of its free urban art exhibition, "We are (still) here," from June 20 to September 20, 2026. Organized in collaboration with the Itinerrance Gallery, the show features nearly 200 works by leading French and international street artists, including Seth and Inti, displayed in the Concorde Hall and throughout the museum's permanent collections, creating a dialogue between contemporary street art and classical masterpieces.

A new, monochromatic perspective on Alexander Calder at SAM

The Seattle Art Museum (SAM) has opened "Monochrome: Calder and Tara Donovan," a new exhibition in its Calder at SAM series that pairs two matte-black Alexander Calder sculptures with works by Brooklyn-based artist Tara Donovan. Curated by Donovan alongside SAM curator Catharina Manchanda, the show uses black as its sole color to highlight materials, texture, and form. Highlights include Calder's 1949 mobile "Jacaranda" and 1976 maquette "Mountains (1:5 intermediate maquette)," juxtaposed with Donovan's sculptures made from industrial materials like plastic stir sticks, slinkys, tar paper, and mylar. The exhibition runs through January 17, 2027.

Picture gallery in transformation: recent gifts

MASP — Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand will present the exhibition "Picture gallery in transformation: recent gifts" starting May 15, as part of its Latin American histories series. The show features two sets of silkscreen prints recently added to the museum’s collection: 51 prints (2002–2007) by the Argentine collective Taller Popular de Serigrafía, which combined art and activism during the 2001 economic crisis, and the series "Ink and blood: 1968–2009" by Mexican artist Abraham Cruzvillegas, comprising 41 facsimiles of protest ephemera from Latin American social movements. The exhibition is curated by MASP artistic director Adriano Pedrosa, curator Regina Teixeira de Barros, and curatorial assistant Matheus de Andrade.

Exhibition | Kelly Akashi, 'Heirloom' at Lisson Gallery, 508 West 24th Street, New York, United States

Kelly Akashi presents her first exhibition with Lisson Gallery in New York, titled 'Heirloom,' featuring a new body of work that explores loss, grief, and absence through sculpture. The exhibition includes bronze, Corten steel, flame-worked glass, and carved stone pieces, many inspired by her garden and personal artifacts like an inherited stone ring and her grandmother's lace tablecloth. It coincides with her participation in the 2026 Whitney Biennial and a commission for John F. Kennedy International Airport's New Terminal One.

Tribeca Gallery Night brings together more than 80 spaces

On Friday, May 15, more than 80 galleries in New York's Tribeca neighborhood will stay open late for Tribeca Gallery Night, from 6pm to 8pm. Three new galleries are joining the event: Tappeto Volante Gallery (opening at 4 Cortlandt Alley with a show of painter Angelo Vasta), Gratin (opening at 15 White Street with a solo show for Spanish artist Mónica Mays), and Southern Guild (relocated from Los Angeles to 75 Leonard Street, featuring solo shows for Usha Seejarim and Mmangaliso Nzuza).

Human Touch Wins Big With the 2026 Loewe Craft Prize

Jongjin Park won the 2026 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize and €50,000 for his work "Strata of Illusion, 2025," which combines glassblowing and bookbinding techniques using porcelain-coated paper layers. The ceremony took place at the National Gallery Singapore, with a jury led by Loewe's new creative directors Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, alongside architects Minsuk Cho, Frida Escobedo, Wang Shu, and Patricia Urquiola. Special mentions went to Graziano Visintin for his necklace "Collier" and a collaborative piece by Baba Tree Master Weavers and Álvaro Catalán de Ocón. The exhibition of 30 finalists, selected from over 5,100 applicants across 133 countries, runs at the National Gallery Singapore through June 14.

In Pictures: The Highlights of the 2026 Venice Biennale

En images : les grands moments de la Biennale de Venise 2026

The 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" and curated by Koyo Kouoh, opened on May 9, 2026, at the Arsenale and Giardini venues. Kouoh, who died suddenly in May 2025 at age 57, conceived the event as a counterpoint to global noise and fury, inviting visitors to slow down and tune into minor tonalities. The exhibition features works addressing colonial memory, slavery, and Gaza, with a team of four curators executing her vision. Highlights include Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons's tribute to Kouoh and Toni Morrison, Hala Schoukair's installation, and Gabrielle Goliath's "Elegy," alongside collateral shows like the Dries van Noten Foundation at Palazzo Pisani Moretta and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation's "Still Joy – from Ukraine into the World."

Of This Earth: Transforming Culture and Country Through First Nations Ceramics

The National Gallery of Australia presents 'Of This Earth: Transforming Culture and Country Through First Nations Ceramics,' an exhibition featuring over thirty works by twenty-eight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, including Thancoupie, Billy Bain, Nicole Foreshew, and Janet Fieldhouse. The show highlights diverse ceramic techniques and narratives drawn from the National Collection, emphasizing cultural continuity and contemporary expression.