a reporters tour art basel miami beach nightlife

ARTnews reporter Daniel Cassady recounts his experience navigating the nightlife and social events surrounding Art Basel Miami Beach 2024. The article details his week from Monday to Wednesday, including parties at Untitled Art's venue at The Moore, a dinner at Joe's Stone Crab hosted by dealer Rob Dimin, Gagosian's party at Mr. Chow, and late-night gatherings at Casa Tua and Mac's Club Deuce. He spotlights art-world figures such as dealer Lindsey Jarvis, collector Beth DeWoody, and artist Lucy de Kooning Villeneuve, while noting the chaotic, phone-thieving atmosphere of the Deuce.

Anna Zemánková Estate Joins Gladstone Gallery, Sándra Vasquez de la Horra Joins Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, and More: Industry Moves for April 29, 2026

The article reports a series of industry moves in the art world as of April 29, 2026. Key developments include Gladstone Gallery taking on the estate of Anna Zemánková, Sándra Vasquez de la Horra joining Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, Elijah Wheat Showroom opening a new location in Beacon, New York, and Mariane Ibrahim now representing Leasho Johnson. Additionally, Denniston Hill launches its 2026 residency season with 30 artists, the Minneapolis Institute of Art receives restoration funding from TEFAF, Charlie White is appointed dean of the Sam Fox School, and Jesús Hilario-Reyes and Tichacoco are named inaugural recipients of the Clemente Center’s Van Lier Fellowship. The article also notes a whistleblower claim of $3 million missing from the Palm Springs Art Museum’s investment account, and a New York Times essay by Robin Givhan on Derrick Adams.

Eddie Kang at Gana Art Los Angeles

The article is a table of contents for the February 2026 issue of Contemporary Art Review LA, listing numerous features, interviews, and reviews. It highlights an interview with artist Eddie Kang at Gana Art Los Angeles, alongside other content covering topics like olfactory art, tarot, video art, and reviews of exhibitions across Los Angeles galleries and museums.

The Semiotics of Divination: On Tarot Art’s Evolution

artists withdraw relational aesthetics exhibition maxxi rome

Seven artists—Tania Bruguera, Dora Garcia, Phil Collins, Siniša Mitrović, Alessandra Saviotti, and Gemma Medina—have withdrawn their work from the exhibition “1+1: The Relational Years” at MAXXI in Rome, scheduled to open this week. In an open letter published by Nero Editions, they accuse the museum of having “links to genocide in Palestine” through its acceptance of funding from and collaborations with Italian companies Eni and Leonardo s.p.a., which have ties to Israel's military and energy sectors. The exhibition, curated by Nicolas Bourriaud, surveys relational aesthetics and also includes works by Vanessa Beecroft, Maurizio Cattelan, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Pierre Huyghe, and Rirkrit Tiravanija. Five anti-Zionist activist groups have added their own statement supporting the boycott.

here are the winners of the first art basel awards

Art Basel has announced the winners of its first-ever Art Basel Awards, a new global honors program recognizing excellence across the contemporary art world. The 36 medalists include artists such as David Hammons, Lubaina Himid, Joan Jonas, and Adrian Piper, as well as patrons, curators, museums, and other art-world figures. The awards were unveiled at a press event in New York, with CEO Noah Horowitz and director Vincenzo de Bellis outlining the structure: medalists will later select 12 gold medalists, with up to six artists receiving $50,000 each and a commission for the 2026 Art Basel fair. The jury includes prominent museum directors and curators from around the world.

5 Ways the Art World Can Better Support Women Artists

house of electronic arts tezos foundation digital art

The House of Electronic Arts (HEK) in Basel and the Tezos Foundation have announced a year-long partnership to integrate blockchain technology into museum experiences. The collaboration includes virtual and physical exhibitions, workshops, and preservation initiatives, featuring six international digital artists. Exhibitions will be hosted on HEK's online platform virtual.hek and outdoors during Art Basel, with artworks released via the Tezos-based marketplace Objkt. The partnership also involves on-site kiosks and educational workshops on NFTs and digital ownership, as well as HEK's participation in the EU COST Action EMBARK training school on NFT preservation at ZKM in Karlsruhe.

Filippo Lippi painting—once the centrepiece of Florence's Palazzo Medici Chapel—to undergo two-year restoration

The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin has announced a two-year restoration of Filippo Lippi’s 1459 painting *The Adoration in the Forest*, funded by the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung and the Schoof’schen Stiftung. The tempera-on-panel work, a centerpiece of the Palazzo Medici chapel in Florence, is now in the Gemäldegalerie’s collection. Conservators discovered that a 19th-century varnish layer is degrading the paint, causing it to lift off the panel, particularly affecting the Virgin’s blue cloak, skin, and gold leaf areas. The treatment aims to remove the varnish while stabilizing the paint layer, and may also reveal Lippi’s use of oil paint alongside egg tempera.

chief curator leaves george lucas museum

Pilar Tompkins Rivas, chief curator and deputy director of curatorial and collections at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, has left the museum less than a year before its scheduled September 2026 opening. The museum stated it has no immediate plans to replace her, with George Lucas continuing to oversee curatorial direction. This departure follows a series of staffing issues, including the exit of director and CEO Sandra Jackson-Dumont in March 2025, layoffs of 22 staff members in May, and the earlier losses of curator Amanda Hunt and curator-at-large Dan Nadel. The $1-billion museum, first announced in 2017, has faced repeated delays due to the pandemic and supply-chain shortages.

lucas museum of narrative art pilar tompkins rivas departs

Pilar Tompkins Rivas, chief curator and deputy director of curatorial and collections at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, has left her post, as first reported by the Los Angeles Times. Her departure is the latest in a series of leadership exits at the institution, which is set to open on September 22, 2026. The museum was founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, and Rivas was one of six women of color appointed to high-ranking roles in 2020 by then director and CEO Sandra Jackson-Dumont, who left in February. The museum laid off 15 employees in May, and CEO duties are now held on an interim basis by Jim Gianopulos, while Lucas himself oversees curatorial content.

Usher, Spike Lee, and Tyler Mitchell Helped Raise $3.7 Million for the Studio Museum in Harlem at a Party for the Ages

The Studio Museum in Harlem hosted a star-studded gala at the Glasshouse in Manhattan, raising $3.7 million to support its upcoming reopening. The event marked a significant milestone for the institution, which has been undergoing extensive renovations for seven years and is scheduled to open its new doors on West 125th Street on November 15. Director and Chief Curator Thelma Golden described the evening as a 'threshold' moment, celebrating the museum's legacy of shaping cultural history since its founding in 1968.

just what happens to the sistine chapel during a papal conclave

The Sistine Chapel has closed to the public in preparation for the papal conclave beginning May 7, where cardinals will elect a successor to Pope Francis. The chapel, adorned with Michelangelo's frescoes including the ceiling (1508–1512) and *The Last Judgement* (1536–1541), has been the permanent seat of the conclave since 1878. Preparations include installing a chimney and stove for the smoke signals that announce voting results, as well as modern facilities like chemical toilets added after the 2013 conclave.

Los Angeles museums on the cusp of new golden age

Los Angeles is entering a transformative period of cultural expansion, marked by nearly $3 billion in new museum construction and institutional growth. Key projects include the imminent opening of Peter Zumthor’s $835 million expansion of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the debut of Refik Anadol’s AI-focused Dataland, and the long-awaited opening of George Lucas’s $1 billion Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. These developments, alongside expansions at The Broad and The Huntington, are timed to solidify the city's infrastructure ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics.

El Greco Painting Found Hidden Beneath a Forgery in the Vatican

El Greco Painting Found Hidden Beneath a Forgery in the Vatican

A painting by El Greco, titled 'The Redeemer' (c. 1590–95), was discovered in the Vatican after restorers removed a later forgery that had been painted over it. Scientific analysis confirmed the authenticity of the original work, which had been donated in 1967 and hung in the Apostolic Palace without prior study. The restored painting is now part of a two-work exhibition at the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo.

The Biggest Week of the Spring?

Hyperallergic's newsletter provides a comprehensive overview of a packed week in New York's art scene. Key events include the reopening of the New Museum after its OMA-designed expansion, the concurrent runs of the Affordable Art Fair and Outsider Art Fair, and the city-wide Asia Art Week. The publication also offers a critical assessment of the 2026 Whitney Biennial and a guide to upcoming spring art fairs.

Candidates Announced for the 2026 Cannes Film Festival (Again No Italians, Just Like at the Biennale)

Annunciati i candidati al Festival di Cannes 2026 (pure qui niente italiani, come alla Biennale)

The 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival has unveiled its official selection for 2026, scheduled to run from May 12 to 23. Led by President Iris Knobloch and General Delegate Thierry Frémaux, the festival will open with Pierre Salvadori’s 'La Vénus électrique,' a romantic comedy set in 1928 Paris centered on a painter who loses his inspiration. The competition lineup features a global array of heavyweights, including new works by Pedro Almodóvar, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Asghar Farhadi.

Artibus et Historiae - An Art Anthology - No. 92, 2025

Artibus et Historiae - An art anthologie - n°92, 2025

The latest issue of the academic journal 'Artibus et Historiae' has been published, featuring a collection of scholarly articles focused on European art from the Renaissance to the early 19th century. The volume includes research on topics such as the translation of classical imagery in colonial Peru, investigations into women artists in Bologna, new attributions and provenance studies for works by artists like Ludovico Carracci and Caravaggio, and analyses of drawings and artistic education.

kazimir malevich mnac bucharest yaniv cohen dispute

Yaniv Cohen, a Bucharest-based Israeli businessman, is threatening to sue the art publication e-flux and Ukrainian American art historian Konstantin Akinsha for defamation over an article questioning the authenticity of three paintings attributed to Kazimir Malevich. The works—'Suprematist Composition in Color' (ca. 1915), 'Cubo-Futurist Composition' (ca. 1912–13), and 'Linear Suprematism' (ca. 1916)—are currently on view at the National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC) in Bucharest as part of the exhibition 'Kazimir Malevich: Outliving History.' Akinsha accused MNAC of lacking expertise and challenged the provenance of the previously unseen works, prompting Cohen to demand the article's removal and an apology via a letter from the Tel Aviv–based law firm Rosen-Ben Gal.

ilucas museum layoffs 14 percent full time staff

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles has laid off 15 full-time employees (14% of its full-time staff) and seven part-time workers, primarily affecting its Learning & Engagement and Museum Services teams. The cuts also include Regan Pro, deputy director of public programs and social impact, and Bernardo Rondeau, curator of film programs. The museum, founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, has faced multiple delays due to supply-chain issues, pushing its opening from 2023 to 2026, and recently underwent a leadership transition with director Sandra Jackson-Dumont stepping down.

Sharjah Biennial Lines Up 109 Artists for 2027 Edition, Titled ‘What Remains, Sits Restive’

Sharjah Biennial announces theme and artists

Sharjah Art Foundation Announces 2027 Biennial Programming

Museum Moves 1 – 7 May 2026

Tate has appointed Daisy Desrosiers as its Britton Family Curator at Large, North America, based in the US, focusing on developing North American art in Tate’s collection through research and acquisitions. Meanwhile, Lycia Lobo, chief operating officer at the Design Museum, has been confirmed as chair of the board of trustees of Chiswick House & Gardens Trust. Several new exhibitions are opening across UK museums, including 'Colour' at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery in Exeter, 'Aleksandra Kasuba: Shelters for the Senses' at Tate St Ives, 'Wildlife Photographer of the Year' at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, and 'Helios' by Luke Jerram at National Museum Cardiff. Additionally, the Museum of Archaeology at Palace Green Library has received a £217,844 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for gallery redevelopment.

A new hope: Lucas Museum of Narrative Art sets September 2026 opening date

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles has announced its opening date of September 22, 2026, more than a decade after the project was first conceived by filmmaker George Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson. The museum, which moved from San Francisco to Chicago before settling in Los Angeles's Exposition Park, has grown from a $700 million budget to a reported $1 billion and will house over 40,000 works across 100,000 square feet of exhibition space. The collection spans ancient artifacts, canonical artists like Frida Kahlo and John Singer Sargent, comic book legends such as Jack Kirby and Alison Bechdel, photography by Gordon Parks and Dorothea Lange, and the Lucas Archives of film memorabilia.

A Dismembered Album by Gerard van Honthorst (1592-1656): Unpublished Drawings and Reconstruction of a Corpus

Un album démembré de Gerard van Honthorst (1592-1656) : dessins inédits et reconstitution d'un corpus

An article in La Tribune de l'Art presents a significant expansion of the known corpus of drawings by Dutch Golden Age painter Gerard van Honthorst (1592-1656). Following the 2014 exhibition of twenty-seven drawings identified by the author, this study adds thirty-two more sheets—twenty-two of which are previously unpublished—as a preliminary step toward reconstructing a dismembered album. The research, conducted with direct observation and advanced imaging techniques (digital microscopy, ultraviolet, raking light), aims to restore the album's original order and shed light on the role of drawing in Honthorst's workshop and creative process.

Open Letter on Auction of “Tributes” to the Russian Avant-Garde

An open letter signed by art historians, curators, and researchers protests an upcoming auction at Stanley's Auction House in Zaventem, Belgium, scheduled for April 23, titled “Tributes to the Russian Avant-Garde & Constructivists.” The second sale is organized in cooperation with Drouot, a major French auction platform, and offers approximately one hundred works from the so-called Toporovsky collection, which has been linked to a scandal involving forged Russian modernist paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent. The alleged suppliers, Igor Toporovsky and Olga Toporovsky, face criminal charges including the sale of 171 forged works for about €20 million, with court proceedings beginning in May in Ghent. The signatories argue that the auction, with works priced around €300 each, is deeply troubling given the pending legal case and the undisclosed consignor identity.

World Press Photo 2026 winners – in pictures

The World Press Photo 2026 winners have been announced, with Carol Guzy awarded the top honor for her image of distraught girls clinging to their father as ICE agents detain him after an immigration hearing in New York City. Finalists include Saber Nuraldin’s photograph of Palestinians scrambling for aid in Gaza, Victor J Blue’s image of Achi women outside a Guatemala City court, and other powerful works documenting climate displacement in Mexico, a wedding during a typhoon in the Philippines, police detaining a priest at a pensioners’ protest in Argentina, and a social robot in Europe.

Are These Lost Malevich Masterpieces—or $190 Million Fakes?

An exhibition at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Bucharest (MNAC) features three purportedly long-lost paintings by Kazimir Malevich, valued between $160 million and $190 million. The works, loaned by Israeli businessman Yaniv Cohen, were allegedly stored under the mattress of his grandmother-in-law, Eva Levando, for decades. However, Ukrainian-American art historian Konstantin Akinsha has publicly questioned their authenticity, citing incomplete provenance and a lack of consensus from international experts. The museum has faced criticism for including the paintings without additional scholarly analysis in the show "Kazimir Malevich: Outliving History," curated by Mariana Dragu and sponsored by a dental clinic owned by Cohen.

Finalists for Canada’s top contemporary art prize, the Sobey Art Award, revealed

The Sobey Art Award, Canada's top contemporary art prize, has announced its six finalists for 2025: Tarralik Duffy, Tania Willard, Chukwudubem Ukaigwe, Sandra Brewster, Swapnaa Tamhane, and Hangama Amiri. Each represents a different region of Canada and will receive C$25,000, with the winner taking home C$100,000 on November 8 at the National Gallery of Canada. The finalists were selected by a jury including past winner Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory and international juror Carla Acevedo-Yates, among others.