‘America’s Mona Lisa’: how chance, genius and cheap paint made the masterpiece Whistler’s Mother

James Abbott McNeill Whistler's iconic painting of his mother, Anna, known as 'Whistler’s Mother' or 'Arrangement in Grey and Black No 1', is returning to London for the first time in nearly two generations as part of a Tate Britain exhibition. The article recounts how the portrait was painted in 1871 in Whistler's Chelsea studio during a low point in his career, using cheap paint and a used canvas after a young sitter canceled. The author, who restored the painting for the Musée d'Orsay, details the work's accidental genesis, Whistler's radical minimalist aesthetic, and the initial critical confusion it caused.

Alexander James Dissects Painting’s Most Enduring Shape in Hong Kong Exhibition

British artist Alexander James presents *Dissecting the Square*, a new exhibition at Phillips Gallery in Hong Kong, running until 31 May 2026. The show features a series of paintings, sculptures, and installations that explore the square as a geometric form, inspired by a moment when sunlight dissected an empty canvas in his studio. James divides canvases into quadrants, creating works that balance order and disruption. The exhibition also includes Josef Albers’ *Homage to the Square: In Time* (1967) and a sculpture by Sean Scully, placing James’s practice in dialogue with art historical precedents.

Exhibition | Judith Murray, 'Pure Pleasure' at Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York, New York, United States

Judith Murray's solo exhibition 'Pure Pleasure' is on view at Sundaram Tagore Gallery in New York. The show presents a selection of the artist's vibrant, abstract paintings that explore color, form, and sensory experience.

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.

In Basel, a Dive into the Great Bath of Colors of Helen Frankenthaler

À Bâle, plongée dans le grand bain de couleurs d’Helen Frankenthaler

The Kunstmuseum Basel has opened a major retrospective of American painter Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011), a key figure in Color Field painting who is less known in Europe than her contemporaries Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. The exhibition was sparked by a 2024 donation of Frankenthaler's 1963 painting "Riverhead" from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, and features around fifty works showcasing her signature soak-stain technique, in which she applied thinned paint to unprimed canvas using sponges, brooms, and scrapers. The show traces her career chronologically, highlighting influences from Old Masters and her physical approach to painting on the floor.

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.

Texas Vignette announces call for women artists to join 2026 Vignette Art Fair Sept. 30-Oct. 3 at On The Levee

Texas Vignette has announced an open call for Texas women artists to participate in the eighth annual Vignette Art Fair, scheduled for September 30 to October 3, 2026, at On The Levee in the Dallas Design District. Alison de Lima Greene, the Isabel Brown Wilson Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, will curate the juried exhibition. Submissions open May 26 through June 26, with a $36 fee, and selected artists will be notified by August 17. The fair is free to the public on October 2-3, with ticketed preview events including a Patron Welcome Dinner and a Preview Benefit.

7 D.C. art exhibits to catch this summer before they close

The article highlights seven art exhibitions in Washington, D.C. that are closing at the end of summer 2025, urging visitors to see them before they end. Featured shows include a retrospective of African American artist Alma Thomas at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, a survey of contemporary Indigenous art at the National Museum of the American Indian, and a solo presentation of Yayoi Kusama's infinity rooms at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Other notable exhibits include a photography collection by Gordon Parks at the National Gallery of Art and a showcase of modern Latin American art at the Museum of the Americas.

Helen Frankenthaler at Kunstmuseum Basel

Kunstmuseum Basel has opened a major exhibition of Helen Frankenthaler's work, running from April 18 to August 23, 2026, featuring over 50 large-format pieces spanning six decades. The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation loaned 37 works for the show. The article also notes recent auction results, including Christie's offering of 'The Last Minute in April' (1974) for an estimated $2–3 million, and Sotheby's sales of 'St. John' (1971) for $2.1085 million and 'Perseus' (1983) for $2.804 million. Previous European exhibitions of Frankenthaler's work are listed, including shows at Museo di Palazzo Grimani, Museum Folkwang, Palazzo Strozzi, and Museum Reinhard Ernst.

World-renowned photographer Roger Ballen will visit Latvia with a lecture at ISSP and a retrospective exhibition at the Mark Rothko Art Centre

World-renowned photographer Roger Ballen will visit Latvia in June 2025 for a public lecture at the contemporary photography platform ISSP in Riga, followed by a major retrospective exhibition titled "The Other Mind: Roger Ballen. Retrospective" at the Mark Rothko Art Centre in Daugavpils. The lecture, held on June 6, offers a rare opportunity to hear Ballen discuss his creative process and over fifty years of work, while the exhibition, running from June 5 to August 30, spans his career from early documentary works to his signature "documentary fiction" and recent color photography.