NEXT in the Gallery: Preview Pittsburgh summer with a 'Pity Party,' dog sculptures and so much more art

NEXTpittsburgh's May 2026 gallery preview highlights a packed month of art events leading into the Three Rivers Arts Festival. Key offerings include the 59th Carnegie International at Carnegie Museum of Art, opening May 2 with works by 61 artists from 24 countries and four new commissions at local institutions. Other featured shows include 'Down to Earth: Revealing the Natural World' at James Gallery, Jody Shell's 'Shoebox Memories,' Dominique Swift's 'Uli Awakened,' and a three-artist exhibition at Irma Freeman Center featuring Laura Jean McLaughlin, James Simon, and Robert Qualters.

Where did the great artist Joseph Beuys live? The comic story by Gianluca Costantini

Dove viveva il grande artista Joseph Beuys? Il racconto a fumetti di Gianluca Costantini

In the summer of 2022, the author visited Düsseldorf and discovered that Joseph Beuys's former home at Drakeplatz 4 in Oberkassel was for sale, but the city's cultural department declined to purchase it. Beuys lived and worked there from 1961 until his death in 1986, using the space as both a residence and studio. The article recounts the intimate details of family life there, including how Beuys painted the main room white for his wife Eva's photography, and how the family navigated the blend of private life and artistic practice. Two years later, the Brunhilde Moll Foundation acquired the house and opened it to the public, though it was closed for renovations when the author returned. The house now displays about sixty works from Beuys's creative period and will host artist residencies and events.

New art gallery inspired by Norfolk landscape to open in nature reserve

A new art gallery is set to open within Pensthorpe, a nature reserve in Norfolk, on May 25, in partnership with local artist Claire Frances Smith. Housed in the former education building, the gallery will display Smith's original landscape paintings and giclée prints in a relaxed, interiors-led setting, and will also host seasonal painting workshops, starting with an En Plein Air Masterclass on June 30. The reserve's education centre will be relocated and enhanced over the summer.

RiNo Art District expands First Friday into summer festival series

RiNo Art District in Denver is expanding its monthly First Friday art walk into a free summer festival series, beginning May 1, 2026, at RiNo ArtPark at Arkins Park. The inaugural event will run from 4 to 9 p.m., featuring live music by Denver group Chouette, food vendors such as TacoNation and Black Knife Bakery, art exhibitions, and hands-on workshops led by local artists including Courtney Ozaki-Durgin. Three festivals are planned for 2026, with additional dates on August 7 and September 4, plus a partnership with the Denver Fringe Festival on June 5.

Great Neck library to host sculpture exhibition by Dr. Suzanne Posner

The Great Neck Library will host a summer sculpture exhibition titled "Swim or Fly" featuring works by local artist Dr. Suzanne Posner from May 1 through July 31 at the Main Library. The sculptures will be displayed atop bookshelves in the Reference Study Area, with a public reception on June 6. Posner, a direct carver with 30 years of experience working in stone, transitioned to full-time artistry after retiring from dentistry following a Parkinson's Disease diagnosis.

À Florence, une transformation silencieuse pour préserver son patrimoine

Florence is undertaking a major restoration of Giotto's Campanile, the first comprehensive conservation of the 14th-century bell tower since its construction. The project, budgeted at over €7 million, addresses decades of damage from pollution, acid rain, and natural aging, including detached stone slabs, darkened facades, and microfractures. The four-year scaffolding will be designed to minimize visual impact and gradually reveal restored sections. Separately, the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore is executing a €60 million program to restore the Collegio Eugeniano (which will become its new headquarters) and expand the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo to 11,000 square meters by 2030. The Ponte Vecchio will also undergo summer cleaning and consolidation of its piles, funded equally by the municipality and the Antinori family.

Area artists invited to submit work for summer library exhibit

The Mansfield Public Art Commission and the Mansfield Richland County Main Public Library are collaborating on a prehistoric-themed art exhibition titled "Unearth a Story," part of the library's summer reading program. The exhibition is open to all ages, with categories for youth, teens, and adults, and accepts submissions in various media including painting, photography, digital art, textiles, and mixed media. The deadline for digital submissions is May 29, with accepted artists notified by June 1 and the exhibition opening June 15.