popular artists march 2025

Artnet News published its quarterly analysis of the most exhibited living artists at over 250 U.S. museums in March 2025, identifying more than 3,700 artists. The top artist is photographer Cara Romero, who appears in multiple museum shows including a major retrospective at the Hood Museum at Dartmouth College. Three of the six most featured artists have Native American backgrounds, reflecting a surge in exhibitions celebrating Indigenous art. The list excludes the late Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, a Native painter and curator who died in January 2025 at age 85 and would have ranked highly.

See Photos from Archives of Nine Photographers Going to Center for Creative Photography

The Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona has acquired the archives of nine photographers: Laura Aguilar, Jack Dykinga, Jody Forster, Frank Gohlke, Mark Klett, Nathan Lyons, Stephen Marc, Patrick Nagatani, and Susan Wood. The collections include photographic prints as well as supporting materials like correspondence, notebooks, and working proofs that document the artists' creative processes.

amy sherald talks canceled smithsonian show 60 minutes

Painter Amy Sherald has revealed in a "60 Minutes" interview with Anderson Cooper that she pulled out of her solo exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery because the museum considered removing her painting of a Black transgender Statue of Liberty, titled "Trans Forming Liberty." Sherald stated that the Smithsonian secretary, Lonnie G. Bunch III, proposed replacing the painting with a video discussing trans issues that would include anti-trans views, which she deemed unacceptable censorship. The exhibition, "American Sublime," was originally organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and last shown at the Whitney Museum; it is now expected to open at the Baltimore Museum of Art on November 2.

leading artists call for nationwide resistance against authoritarian forces

Visual artist Dread Scott, playwright Lynn Nottage, and dozens of cultural figures have launched "Fall of Freedom," a nationwide weekend of creative demonstrations scheduled for November 21–22, 2025, to protest rising authoritarianism under the Trump administration. The project invites arts communities to organize independent actions—such as storefront readings, pop-up performances, exhibitions, and workshops—at museums, galleries, classrooms, comedy clubs, or any community gathering space. Participating institutions include the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, which will host a "Wear Your Rights" silk-screening workshop, and New York's Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, which will turn a gallery into a library of queer art activism books. Other notable participants include artists Marilyn Minter, Robert Longo, and Amy Sherald, who recently canceled a Smithsonian exhibition after concerns over her painting of a Black transgender Statue of Liberty.

amy sherald american sublime the baltimore museum of art

Amy Sherald's exhibition "American Sublime" will now open at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) in November, after the artist canceled its planned iteration at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in July over censorship concerns. The show, which features some 50 works and is one of the largest presentations of Sherald's work, was originally organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and is currently on view at the Whitney Museum through August 10. Sherald, who attended the Maryland Institute College of Art and previously served on the BMA's board, called the BMA presentation a homecoming.

amy sherald trans forming liberty the new yorker cover

Amy Sherald's portrait of a Black transgender Statue of Liberty, titled *Trans Forming Liberty* (2024), has appeared on the cover of *The New Yorker* after the artist canceled a planned iteration of her traveling survey at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, alleging censorship. Sherald said museum leadership objected to the painting and proposed replacing it with a video discussion that would include anti-trans views. The work is currently on view at the Whitney Museum, where her survey 'American Sublime' runs through August 10. The Smithsonian later stated it sought to contextualize rather than replace the work, while the Trump administration praised the removal as a 'principled and necessary step' amid broader scrutiny of the institution's exhibitions.

amy sherald cancels smithsonian exhibition amid censorship concerns

Painter Amy Sherald has canceled her upcoming solo exhibition “American Sublime” at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery after the museum considered removing her painting *Trans Forming Liberty* (2024), which depicts a Black transgender Statue of Liberty. The show was scheduled to open in September. Sherald stated she was informed of internal concerns about the painting and that discussions arose about replacing it with a video featuring reactions and discussion of trans issues, which she opposed over fears it would include anti-trans views. She wrote to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III that institutional fear shaped by political hostility toward trans lives compromised the integrity of her work.

Amy Sherald Withdrew 'American Sublime' Exhibition From Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Citing 'Culture of Censorship'

Amy Sherald has withdrawn her exhibition 'American Sublime' from the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, citing a 'culture of censorship' after the museum raised concerns about including her painting 'Trans Forming Liberty' (2024), a portrait of a trans woman posed like the Statue of Liberty. The show, slated to open in September, would have been the first solo exhibition of a Black female artist at the museum since it opened in 1968. Sherald stated that institutional fear shaped by political hostility toward trans lives influenced the museum's request to remove the work, and she decided to cancel the show to preserve the integrity of her vision.

Culture Type | The Month in Black Art: Here’s What Happened in May 2025

The May 2025 roundup of Black art news reports the deaths of two influential figures: international curator Koyo Kouoh and artist-curator Evangeline J. Montgomery, who died at 94. Montgomery's career spanned metalwork, fiber art, and photography, and she was a key advocate and mentor in the African American art community, later working at the U.S. Information Agency. Other highlights include historian Edda L. Fields-Black winning a Pulitzer Prize for her book on Harriet Tubman, the acquisition of Adam Pendleton's entire "Who is Queen" installation by MoMA, and Kapwani Kiwanga winning the Joan Miró Prize. The Met Gala also featured Black dandy style inspired by the Costume Institute's exhibition "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style."

Culture Type | The Month in Black Art: Here’s What Happened in August 2025

The Studio Museum in Harlem announced it will reopen on November 15, 2025, after being closed since 2018 for construction of its new building on 125th Street. The museum shared details about opening celebrations, community day, suggested admission prices, and hours. In other August 2025 news, Brazilian artist Ana Cláudia Almeida joined Stephen Friedman Gallery (London/New York) alongside Quadra and Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel; Ekow Eshun was named curator of British Art Show 10, opening in September 2026 across five UK cities; and Vanity Fair previewed the new Studio Museum building in its September issue, featuring interviews with Director Thelma Golden and artists Karon Davis and Tshabalala Self.

Artist Amy Sherald has canceled her upcoming show at the Smithsonian

Artist Amy Sherald has canceled her upcoming solo exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, scheduled to open September 19. The cancellation stems from a dispute over her painting *Trans Forming Liberty* (2024), which depicts a trans woman with pink hair and a blue gown holding a torch. Sherald stated that the museum expressed concerns about including the portrait, leading to discussions about removing it. She claims the Smithsonian planned to replace the painting with a video of people reacting to it, which she opposed as it would debate the value of trans visibility. The Smithsonian denies the painting was to be replaced, saying the video was meant to provide context. Sherald's exhibition, *Amy Sherald: American Sublime*, was organized by SFMOMA and is currently on view at the Whitney Museum.

In Meyerowitz's book, all the intensity of the encounter between his photography and Morandi's painting

Nel libro di Meyerowitz tutta l’intensità dell’incontro tra la sua fotografia e la pittura di Morandi

A new edition of the book 'Morandi’s Objects' by photographer Joel Meyerowitz has been published by Damiani. The volume explores the artistic dialogue between Meyerowitz's photography and the paintings of Giorgio Morandi, featuring a series of still-life photographs inspired by Morandi's studio and objects, along with a new essay by Maggie Barrett.