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.

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.

As Democracy Falters, a New York Museum Champions Activism

The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) in East Harlem will open the Puffin Foundation Center for Social Activism this fall, replacing its existing Puffin Foundation Gallery. The expanded center, funded by an $8 million donation from the Puffin Foundation, will feature a new version of the permanent exhibition "Activist New York," along with temporary shows, public programs, and an annual fellowship. The inaugural temporary exhibition, "Halumii Ktapihna: Lenape Legacies and Future," marks the 400th anniversary of Manhattan's purchase from Indigenous peoples.