What am I bid for a blown-up van? The bizarre art auction aiming to build an eco power station in Reform-held Clacton

Artists Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn are auctioning off their work from the past 15 years this Saturday to raise at least £250,000 for a community-led renewable power station in Clacton, the constituency of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. The auction, which will be conducted by former YBA Gavin Turk, includes a gold Ford Transit van wreckage containing fake banknotes that the pair blew up in 2019 as part of their film *Bank Job*, now reconstituted as a mobile sculpture. An online auction runs until 31 May, but currently only £750 has been raised.

New York auctions, James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain, Edvard Munch—podcast

This episode of The Art Newspaper's podcast 'The Week in Art' covers three major stories: the spring auction results in New York, which saw record prices for works by Jackson Pollock, Constantin Brancusi, and Mark Rothko; the opening of the largest James McNeill Whistler exhibition in Europe in over 30 years at Tate Britain in London, which will later travel to the Van Gogh Museum and The Mesdag Collection in the Netherlands; and a feature on Edvard Munch's 1922 frieze from the Freia Chocolate Factory, currently on loan to the Munch museum in Oslo for the exhibition 'Edvard Munch and the Chocolate Factory.'

‘Woman Impressionist’ No More: A New Catalogue Raisonné Restores Eva Gonzalès’s Legacy

The Wildenstein Plattner Institute (WPI) has released a new digital catalogue raisonné for French painter Eva Gonzalès, correcting long-standing misattributions and omissions from the 1990 printed edition. The project reattributes works like *Apples in Basket* (previously assigned to Belgian painter Isidore Verheyden) and adds newly discovered pieces, including a portrait of Madame Georges Haquette and Gonzalès’s sketchbooks now held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. WPI executive director Elizabeth Gorayeb emphasizes that the digital format allows for iterative updates and brings overlooked figures in Gonzalès’s orbit to light.

Megadealer Larry Gagosian Is the Subject of Unauthorized Documentary In the Works from Director Barry Avrich

Director Barry Avrich is producing an unauthorized documentary titled "Shadow Man: Inside The Secret World of Larry Gagosian" about the legendary art dealer. The film, confirmed by Avrich via email, promises to feature interviews with former employees and artists sharing insider stories about Gagosian's rise from selling posters on LA streets to running a global gallery empire with 18 locations. Avrich previously directed art-world documentaries including "Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art" about the Knoedler & Co. forgery scandal and "Blurred Lines: Inside the Art World."

The Met Teams Up with Band-Aid on Art-Themed Adhesive Bandages

The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Band-Aid have reunited for a second collaboration, releasing a new set of art-themed adhesive bandages in 2026. The bandages feature details from three flower paintings in the Met's collection: Claude Monet's *Water Lilies* (1919), Vincent van Gogh's *Irises* (1890), and Odilon Redon's *Bouquet of Flowers* (ca. 1900–1905). The 50-count assortment includes small, medium, and large fabric bandages packed in a collectible tin, available exclusively at Target for $7.29. The 2025 Hokusai collection, which sold out quickly, is also back on sale at major retailers.

Inside Chicago’s Obama Center

The article reports on the upcoming opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago's Jackson Park, a new $850 million campus designed to embody the legacy of Barack and Michelle Obama. It features artworks by Idris Khan, Maya Lin, and others, and is set to open to the public later this month. The piece also covers a planned nationwide strike by Italian cultural workers on June 12, demanding better working conditions and solidarity with Palestine, and notes controversial renderings of a Penn Station redesign that prominently display Trump's name.

It's Art-World Summer in NYC

Hyperallergic's New York newsletter celebrates the unofficial start of summer in the art world, highlighting key exhibitions and events. These include Betye Saar's personal collection of Black dolls on view at the New York Historical, a promised gift for her 100th birthday; Roberto Lugo's hand-painted portraits in Madison Square Park; and Pioneer Works's annual 3D-printed boat regatta. The newsletter also features performance artist Linda Mary Montano's home-shrine tour, an MFA show confronting Columbia University over Gaza, and critical reviews of Ceija Stojka at the Drawing Center and Karla Knight at Andrew Edlin Gallery.

Manhattan's Neue Galerie to Merge With Met Museum

Cosmetics billionaire Ronald Lauder's Neue Galerie, a private museum on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue known for its collection of Austrian and German art, will merge with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The merger takes effect in 2028, with the Neue Galerie retaining its physical space and staff. The announcement was made by The Met on May 14. The museum's star attraction is Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" (1907), and it also holds works by Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, and others. Lauder co-founded the Neue Galerie with dealer Serge Sabarsky in 2001. As part of the merger, Lauder and his daughter Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer will donate 13 additional paintings from their personal collection and make an undisclosed endowment gift.

WTF Is an “A-Corp”?

Hyperallergic's daily newsletter announces that Noah Fischer's comic "Prospect Heights Ghost Story" won a 2026 New York Press Club Award, thanks to collaboration with the Economic Hardship Project (EHRP). The edition also covers anti-Trump guerrilla protest art in Washington, D.C., including an arcade game titled "Operation Epic Furious: Strait to Hell" that satirizes the White House's foreign policy. Other stories include Ridgewood, Queens emerging as a new art hotspot, a feature on Francisco de Zurbarán's religious paintings, and Paddy Johnson's guide to what an "Artist Corporation" (A-Corp) is and whether artists should start one. The newsletter also reports that the Belgian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale closed on May 8 as part of cultural workers' strike for Palestine, and that nearly half of the artists in the international exhibition plus 22 national pavilions withdrew from awards consideration in solidarity with the jury's resignation.

"Ohne die Künstler sind wir als Galeristen alle nichts"

A recent art news roundup from Monopol covers several stories: a debate in 'Frieze' criticizes contemporary art for ignoring digital misogyny and the 'manosphere'; the AfD's cultural policy in German states promotes a 'patriotic turn' and rejects modern art like Bauhaus; a possible lead in the Louvre jewel heist points to Belgium, with photos of the Galerie d'Apollon found on suspects' phones; and Marion Ackermann discusses cultural polarization and defending artistic freedom.

John Chamberlain’s Former Studio Hosts a Star-Studded New Interview Series

The John Chamberlain Estate is launching "ON THE COUCH," a biweekly filmed interview series hosted by estate director Alexandra Fairweather, timed to what would have been the sculptor's 100th birthday. Season one features eight cultural figures including artist Daniel Arsham, architect Annabelle Selldorf, fashion designer Alexander Wang, interior designer Sasha Bikoff, entrepreneur Jon Gray, and painter David Salle. Episodes will be filmed at Chamberlain's former studio on Shelter Island, now a private museum, with guests seated on his iconic foam couches. The series launches May 19 across major streaming platforms.

What the Met Gains from the Neue Galerie

Was das Met mit der Neuen Galerie gewinnt

The Neue Galerie, a private museum for German and Austrian art founded by billionaire collector Ronald S. Lauder, will be integrated into the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) as an auxiliary branch under the new name "The Met Ronald S. Lauder Neue Galerie." The transition, announced by founding director Renée Price, is set to be completed by 2028, with the Met assuming full operational control after a planned renovation of the historic townhouse on Fifth Avenue. The merger follows years of Lauder's stewardship and ensures the long-term future of the collection, which includes masterpieces by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Wassily Kandinsky, and Max Beckmann.

New York’s Neue Galerie to Merge with Metropolitan Museum of Art in Major Expansion

The Neue Galerie, a private museum on New York's Upper East Side founded by collector Ronald S. Lauder, will merge with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2028. The institution will be renamed the Met Ronald S. Lauder Neue Galerie, or Met Neue for short. Lauder and his daughter Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer will contribute funds toward a $200 million endowment, along with 13 works from their collection, including a prized Gustav Klimt and paintings by German Expressionists. The Met plans to exhibit some holdings at its Fifth Avenue base, but Klimt's "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" will remain at the townhouse.

Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Matthew Barney, Gerhard Merz,

The article appears to be a headline or listing mentioning artists Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Matthew Barney, and Gerhard Merz, sourced from Artsy. No further details about events, sales, or exhibitions are provided in the text.

We prefer to be better-doers than know-it-alls

"Wir sind lieber Bessermacher als Besserwisser"

German cultural policy official Wolfram Weimer calls the rise of the far-right AfD a 'defining moment' for the republic, urging the democratic center to reclaim cultural symbols like the German flag. In Vienna, the Mumok museum introduces temporary free admission under new director Fatima Hellberg, sparking debate over transparency and anonymous private funding. A new museum called Dataland opens in Los Angeles, dedicated exclusively to AI artist Refik Anadol. Meanwhile, critic Christine Lemke-Matwey in Die Zeit condemns filmmaker Wim Wenders for failing to properly apologize for a nude scene involving a 13-year-old Nastassja Kinski in his 1975 film 'Falsche Bewegung'.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Ronald S. Lauder Neue Galerie New York Announce Plans for a Landmark Merger

The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Ronald S. Lauder Neue Galerie New York have announced a landmark merger agreement, set to take effect in 2028. The merger will unite the Neue Galerie's collection of 20th-century Austrian and German art—including Gustav Klimt's *Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I*—with The Met, while preserving the Neue Galerie's distinct museum experience. Ronald S. Lauder and his daughter Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer plan to donate 13 additional paintings from their personal collection, and several Met trustees have pledged significant endowment gifts to support the integration and long-term operations.

Venice Biennale Strike Makes History

On May 8, thousands marched through Venice and more than two dozen national pavilions were partially or fully shuttered during a 24-hour strike organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance and local activist groups. The strike, which included Palestinian flags draped over artworks, marks the first cultural strike in the Venice Biennale's 131-year history. Italian police beat back protesters as Editor-in-Chief Hakim Bishara reported from the scene. Separately, a nesting seagull near the Polish pavilion became an unexpected star, and the LA Art Book Fair opened with a focus on archival materials.

Artists & Mothers Announces 2026 Recipients of Childcare Grants

New York City nonprofit Artists & Mothers has named the 2026 recipients of its $25,000 childcare grant for artists who identify as mothers. The four awardees—Sara Cwynar, Nickola Pottinger, Trisha Baga, and Mimi Ọnụọha—work across photography, sculpture, collage, video, and multimedia installation. The grant covers nine months of childcare for emerging and mid-career artists raising a child under three, and this is the program's third cycle.

Artists Rashid Johnson and Sheree Hovsepian to Launch New Residency Program in Menorca

Artists Rashid Johnson and Sheree Hovsepian are launching a new residency program called The Residency at Casa Gràcia on the island of Menorca, set to begin next spring. The self-directed residencies, open to three artists and two writers per cohort, require no public presentation or outcome. Applications are open until July 31, with an advisory board including Hank Willis Thomas, Colson Whitehead, and representatives from Hauser & Wirth. The historic Casa Gràcia, built in 1860 and recently renovated by Laplace and Maimó&Brosa, features a studio, study, and walled garden in Mahon.

Louvre Reveals Architects for $1 Billion Expansion

The Louvre has announced an international team of architects—New York's Selldorf Architects and Studios Architecture Paris—to lead its "Nouvelle Renaissance" expansion, a project estimated to cost over €1 billion ($1.2 billion). The plan, first announced by French President Emmanuel Macron in early 2025, includes a new entrance to accommodate three million additional visitors annually and a dedicated 33,000-square-foot exhibition space for Leonardo da Vinci's *Mona Lisa*. The museum's new director, Christophe Leribault, is moving forward with the project despite significant budget uncertainty, with cost estimates ranging from €270 million to €1.1 billion.

Interview with Reynaldo Rivera

Boy Punctures Magritte’s ‘The Castle of the Pyrenees’ With a Pinecone at the Israel Museum

A young boy visiting the Israel Museum in Jerusalem accidentally punctured René Magritte's painting 'The Castle of the Pyrenees' (1959) with a pinecone before a guard could intervene. The canvas has been sent to the museum's conservation lab, where head conservator Sharon Tager expects repairs to take several weeks, involving stitching and treating the oil paint layers. The work was not behind glass or alarmed to enhance visitor experience.

Win a Tate membership, Tracey Emin merch and more

The Guardian is running a competition in partnership with Tate to promote the exhibition "Tracey Emin: A Second Life" at Tate Modern. The prize includes a special-edition one-year Tate Membership for the winner and a friend, lunch for two at Tate Modern, a Tracey Emin Teacup and Pancake blanket (worth £200), an exhibition catalogue, a tote bag, and a cap. Entrants must answer a question before 11:59pm on Sunday 5 July 2026, and the competition is open to UK residents aged 18 and over.

Cello belonging to artist John Constable to be played for first time in 100 years

John Constable's personal cello, commissioned by the artist in 1802, will be played in public for the first time in a century after a restoration funded by the Friends of Ipswich Museum. The instrument, made by Constable's neighbor and mentor John Dunthorne Sr., had been unplayable since a botched repair in 1926. Restorers James and Sylvie Fawcett, along with cellist Melanie Woodcock, have revived the cello, which is believed to have been played by Constable in a local band in East Bergholt, Suffolk.

New digital archive reconstructs Leonardo da Vinci manuscripts for the first time in four centuries

A new digital archive called Leonardotheka has launched, reuniting thousands of pages from Leonardo da Vinci's manuscripts that were cut apart and separated over 400 years ago. The project merges the Codex Atlanticus, held at the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, with around 550 sheets from the Royal Collection at Windsor, UK. Overseen by Museo Galileo in Florence over ten years, it includes 50 confirmed page reconstructions, such as reuniting a drawing of a horse with text about the Regisole monument. The initiative involved the Royal Collection Trust, the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, and the Biblioteca Leonardiana.

AI cultural companion Artlas expands pilots as founder argues institutions need trusted AI tools

Artlas, an AI-powered cultural companion launched in 2025 by former Google engineer Grace Yao, is expanding its pilot programs at institutions including the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Dib Bangkok, and the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami. The platform generates personalized audio guides, artwork recognition, navigation, and conversational tools that adapt to visitors' interests, language, time, and knowledge level, supporting over 20 languages. Since December 2025, it has produced more than 25,000 personalized audio guides, offering tailored interpretations of artworks—such as Georges Seurat's *A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte*—for different audiences, from children to specialists.

Leonardo’s ‘Codex Atlanticus’ Is Complete for the First Time in 400 Years

Florence's Galileo Museum has digitally reunited Leonardo da Vinci's Codex Atlanticus with over 500 pages that were cut from it in the late 16th century, completing the full manuscript for the first time in 400 years. The museum launched Leonardotheka 2.0, adding pages excised by sculptor Pompeo Leoni—now held by the U.K.'s Royal Collection Trust—to the 1,119-page tome owned by Milan's Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana. The reconstruction, which matches dimensions, materials, and watermarks, includes notable reunions such as a drawing of a horse returned to Leonardo's notes on the Regisole monument.

Yemen heritage, US flags at the National Gallery in Washington, Felix Gonzalez-Torres—podcast

This podcast episode from The Art Newspaper covers three distinct topics. First, Ben Luke speaks with reporter Melissa Gronlund about the devastating impact of Yemen's civil war on its heritage, including damaged buildings and looted antiquities, alongside ongoing efforts to protect and restore historical landmarks. Second, the episode previews the exhibition "American Icon: The US Flag in Art" opening at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., featuring a conversation with chief curatorial and conservation officer E. Carmen Ramos. Third, the Work of the Week segment focuses on Felix Gonzalez-Torres's "Untitled (Revenge)" (1991), a candy sculpture currently on view in the survey show "Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Sweet Revenge" at the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid, where curators Alejandro Cesarco and Nancy Spector discuss the work.

Maurizio Cattelan’s Infamous Banana Vanishes. Again

Maurizio Cattelan's banana sculpture *Comedian* (2019) was stolen again from the Centre Pompidou-Metz in France, where it is on view in the exhibition "Dimanche Sans Fin." The thief remains at large, and the museum quickly replaced the banana per the artist's protocol. This marks the second incident at the same venue; a previous visitor ate the fruit in 2025. The work has a history of being consumed, starting with performance artist David Daturna at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019, followed by a Seoul art student, and later by crypto billionaire Justin Sun after he bought the piece for $6.2 million at Sotheby's in 2024.

Gone bananas: Cattelan's Comedian stolen from Centre Pompidou-Metz exhibition

Maurizio Cattelan's iconic artwork *Comedian* (2019)—a banana duct-taped to a wall—was stolen from the Centre Pompidou-Metz in northern France on May 30. The museum reported the theft, filed a complaint, and quickly replaced the banana, restoring the work to its original presentation. The perpetrators remain unknown, and the museum emphasized that the work's value lies in its certificate of authenticity and display protocol, not the perishable fruit.