The Interview: Ei Arakawa-Nash

Ei Arakawa-Nash, a Japanese American performance artist, was selected to represent Japan at the 61st Venice Biennale, becoming the first non-Japanese national to do so in a solo presentation. This follows his first solo museum exhibition, "Paintings Are Popstars," at Tokyo's National Art Center in 2024, which was also the center's first solo show devoted to a performance artist. In an interview with ArtReview, Arakawa-Nash discusses his naturalization as a U.S. citizen, his complex relationship with national identity, and his upcoming Venice exhibition titled "Grass Babies, Moon Babies," cocurated by Lisa Horikawa and Takahashi Mizuki, which will explore themes of care and reparation using babies as a central motif.

When Beauty Appears: Lee Mingwei Interviewed by Rhana Devenport

Taiwanese American artist Lee Mingwei presents his largest non-museum exhibition to date, "Lorsque La Beauté Paraît (When Beauty Appears)," at Perrotin in Paris. The show brings together seven invitational projects, including works like *The Mending Project* (2009–) and *The Moving Garden* (2009–). In an interview with Australian curator Rhana Devenport, Lee discusses the political dimensions of beauty, the restorative power of gift-giving, and the courage required for small acts of kindness among strangers. The exhibition is curated by Thierry Raspail, co-founder of the Lyon Biennale and director of the Lyon Museum of Contemporary Art.

National Museum of Women in the Arts Director Susan Fisher Sterling to Retire

Susan Fisher Sterling, director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, D.C., will retire at the end of 2024 after 18 years in the role and nearly four decades at the institution. Sterling joined NMWA as an associate curator in 1988, rose through the ranks to become director in 2008, and oversaw a $67.5 million renovation completed in 2023, expansion of the collection to over 6,000 works, and partnerships with the Louvre, the State Hermitage Museum, and Tate Modern. The board of trustees has begun a search for her successor with executive search firm Howe-Lewis International.

$50,000 Driskell Prize Goes to Cheryl Finley of Spelman College

Cheryl Finley, the director of visual arts and culture at Spelman College and head of the Atlanta University Center Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective, has been awarded the 2025 David C. Driskell Prize by Atlanta’s High Museum of Art. The prize, established in 2005, includes $50,000 and honors figures who have made significant contributions to African American art and art history. Past recipients include Alison Saar, Naomi Beckwith, Amy Sherald, Mark Bradford, and Rashid Johnson. Finley has led the AUC Art Collective since 2019, co-organized the “Black Portraiture[s]” academic convening since 2013, and authored books such as Committed to Memory: The Art of the Slave Ship Icon.

Ho Tzu Nyen Wins 2026 Fukuoka Grand Prize

Ho Tzu Nyen has been named the 2026 Grand Prize laureate of the Fukuoka Prize, becoming the first Singaporean artist to receive the JPY five million (USD 31,500) award. The prize, announced on May 22 by the Fukuoka Prize Committee, honors individuals who have made significant contributions to Asian studies and arts and culture. Ho, born in 1976 in Singapore, creates films, performances, and video installations that explore Southeast Asian history and the legacy of Japanese imperialism, often blending folklore with reality. He has represented Singapore at the 54th Venice Biennale and participated in major exhibitions including the Shanghai Biennale, Aichi Triennale, and Sharjah Biennial. He co-curated the Asian Art Biennial in Taiwan and is currently artistic director of the 16th Gwangju Biennale.

« Les artistes sont des fous, des enfants » : rencontre avec Annette Messager au cœur du bric-à-brac poétique de son atelier

French artist Annette Messager, 82, welcomes Beaux Arts Magazine into her Malakoff studio and home ahead of her exhibition at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris. The studio is a chaotic, poetic bric-à-brac filled with hybrid creatures, stuffed toys, anatomical objects, and textile works, including her iconic piece "Les Piques" (1992–1993). Messager, who won the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2005, discusses her playful yet serious approach to art, describing artists as "mad, like children" who play constantly, sometimes very seriously. Her upcoming shows include presentations at Centre Pompidou Málaga, Galería Albarrán Bourdais in Madrid, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, and the Kunsthalle Prague.

Inside Burger Collection: Tadanori Yokoo: A Visionary Renegade

The article profiles Tadanori Yokoo, the 89-year-old Japanese artist and graphic designer, who remains active despite a recent bout of Covid-19. It details his early life in Nishiwaki, his failed attempts to enter art school and the postal service, and his eventual career in commercial printing, which shaped his innovative approach to graphic design and painting. The piece highlights his ongoing exhibition at Tokyo's Setagaya Art Museum and his enduring influence in Japan's cultural world, including the Yokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art in Kobe.

The Interview: Amar Kanwar

ArtReview interviews Amar Kanwar, a New Delhi-based artist known for films and multimedia installations that blend poetry, activism, and documentary to explore power, conflict, and social justice. Kanwar discusses his career trajectory from documentary filmmaking to occupational health research in a coal mining region, and back to filmmaking on his own terms. His best-known work, *The Sovereign Forest* (2012), addresses government-corporate collusion in Odisha, while his latest, *The Peacock's Graveyard* (2023), is a seven-channel film installation currently paired with *The Torn First Pages* (2004–08) at Palazzo Grassi in Venice under the heading "Co-Travellers." Kanwar has participated in four consecutive editions of Documenta (2002–2017) and was a curator of the 2022 Istanbul Biennial.

Serralves museum director steps down

Philippe Vergne, the French curator who has served as director of the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art in Porto since 2019, will step down at the end of July 2026 at his own request. The Serralves Foundation announced that Vergne will continue contributing to exhibition curation until his departure, and the search for a new director will begin immediately. During his tenure, the museum presented major exhibitions of artists including Alexander Calder, Joan Miró, Cindy Sherman, Mark Bradford, and Maurizio Cattelan, and expanded its space with the Álvaro Siza Wing.

Director of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum to depart in October

Janne Sirén, director of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, will step down in October after 13 years leading the institution. The museum announced his departure on April 29, noting that the board will begin a search for a new director this summer. Sirén oversaw a transformative period including a $230 million campus expansion completed in 2023, designed by OMA and Shohei Shigematsu, which added a new building and reconnected the grounds. During his tenure, the museum's collection grew, staff expanded from 62 to nearly 200, the endowment rose from $31.3 million to $79.3 million, and annual visitors reached 340,000. He also launched a public art department, the Innovation Lab, and the AKG Nordic Art and Culture Initiative.

The End-of-Term Grand Interview with Stefano Boeri After 8 Years as President of Triennale di Milano

La grande intervista di fine mandato a Stefano Boeri dopo 8 anni da presidente della Triennale di Milano

Stefano Boeri reflects on his eight-year tenure as president of Triennale Milano in a wide-ranging exit interview. He discusses the institution's transformation into a more international and accessible cultural hub, highlighting key achievements such as the three major International Exhibitions—"Broken Nature" (2019), "Unknown Unknowns" (2022), and "Inequalities" (2025)—and the physical reclamation of spaces like the "Cuore" hall and the garden-level floor, which were opened free to the public. Boeri also touches on financial management, governance challenges, and his hopes for the future leadership.

What does Giovanni Muciaccia do after Art Attack? He continues to spread culture and tells us all about it in this interview

Cosa fa Giovanni Muciaccia dopo Art Attack? Continua a divulgare cultura e ci racconta tutto in questa intervista

Giovanni Muciaccia, the beloved host of the children's art show "Art Attack" that aired in Italy from 1998 to 2004 and again from 2011 to 2014, continues his mission of art education through books, theater performances, and a new online series. Now also an artist and collector himself, Muciaccia discusses his journey from television presenter to full-time art communicator, explaining how his early passion for art was sparked by a middle school teacher and deepened during his time filming in London, where he visited the newly opened Tate Modern and began studying contemporary art.

LACMA Director Michael Govan ’85 talks museum architecture, public art, mounds of dirt

Michael Govan, director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and a 1985 graduate of Williams College, discussed his career and philosophy in an interview with the Williams Record. Govan reflected on his early work at the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA), where he helped install pieces in Lawrence Hall after an expansion by architect Charles Moore, and his subsequent collaborations with Frank Gehry on the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Zaha Hadid at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. He also highlighted his recent oversight of LACMA's new David Geffen Galleries, a $720 million project that has drawn significant attention.

collector questionnaire yu chi lyra kuo technology art

Yu-Chi Lyra Kuo, an entrepreneur, investor, and Harvard-educated lawyer, is profiled for her pioneering work at the intersection of frontier technology and art. A former Princeton academic and one of the youngest board members of the Shed in New York, Kuo began collecting art as a child with a jade gourd from her grandfather's museum of Asian carvings. She was an early entrant into blockchain in 2011, co-founded OpenSea 2.0, and now advises frontier tech companies like Orchid Health. Kuo believes technologies such as AI and robotics can enhance human creativity, enabling individualized artworks, autonomous creations, and robot performances, rather than replacing human cultural meaning.

VARINIA BRODSKY ZIMMERMANN: “ENTIENDO AL MUSEO COMO UN CAMPO DE REVERBERACIÓN”

Varinia Brodsky Zimmermann, director of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de Chile, is interviewed as part of a series on contemporary museums in Latin America. She describes the museum as a "field of reverberation" that amplifies social, cultural, and political questions without reacting mechanically to demands. The conversation covers structural challenges facing public museums in Chile, including budget precarity and suspended exhibition projects, and Brodsky advocates for more permeable, horizontal, and sustainable institutions that maintain critical depth while engaging diverse communities.

2026 Sobey Art Award shortlist revealed

The National Gallery of Canada and the Sobey Art Foundation have announced the six finalists for the 2026 Sobey Art Award, Canada's most prestigious contemporary visual arts prize. The shortlisted artists are Melaw Nakehk'o (Circumpolar region), Samuel Roy-Bois (Pacific), Audie Murray (Prairies), Lotus L. Kang (Ontario), Caroline Monnet (Quebec), and Shane Perley-Dutcher (Atlantic). Their practices range from land-based pedagogy and architectural sculpture to ancestral materiality and metal basketry.

Matthew Wong’s Grieving Mother Protects His Artistic Legacy

Matthew Wong, a troubled painter whose star was on the rise, died at age 35. His mother, Monita Wong, is now actively working to protect and promote his artistic legacy, ensuring that his work continues to be seen by the public.

At 90, the Korean artist Lee Ufan Finds Energy in His Art

The Korean artist Lee Ufan, now 90 years old, remains actively engaged in his artistic practice, working daily and preparing for three upcoming exhibitions. Among these is a display of his pivotal paintings at the Venice Biennale, underscoring his enduring creative output and continued relevance in the contemporary art world.

Marisol Mendez wins 2026 Saltzman-Leibovitz Photography Prize

Bolivian artist Marisol Mendez has won the 2026 Saltzman-Leibovitz Photography Prize for her work *MADRE*. The award includes a $15,000 cash prize, and Mendez's winning piece will be exhibited alongside works by other nominees at Photo London from May 13 to 17. The prize was founded in 2025 by photographers Lisa Saltzman and Annie Leibovitz. Miranda Barnes took second place, with Cole Ndelu, Lindeka Qampi, and Bettina Pittaluga also nominated.

Interview with the frontier gallerist who opened his space in Vasto, Abruzzo

Intervista al gallerista di frontiera che ha aperto il suo spazio a Vasto in Abruzzo

Sangallo Fine Art, a modern art gallery located in Vasto, Abruzzo, Italy, is profiled in an interview with its founder Giorgio di Michele Marisi. The gallery, born from a chance encounter and a passion for 20th-century art, has carved out a distinctive space in the periphery of the art world. It is currently presenting the exhibition "Permanenza della materia espansa" (2026), curated by Lorenzo Madaro, which exemplifies its commitment to critical rediscovery and experimental display. Despite being geographically distant from traditional art hubs, the gallery has built a loyal clientele of knowledgeable collectors and international buyers, relying on direct relationships and participation in art fairs.

Minor Keys and Major Silences: Yoshiko Shimada and the Art of Outrage

Yoshiko Shimada, a Japanese feminist and antiwar artist, is featured in a conversation with ArtAsiaPacific ahead of her inclusion in the 2026 Venice Biennale, curated by Koyo Kouoh under the theme "In Minor Keys." The article explores Shimada's decades-long practice of excavating the gendered scars of Japanese imperialism, focusing on her collaborative work with BuBu de la Madeleine, which uses drag and irony to critique imperial frameworks and the erasure of wartime atrocities. It also highlights her revival of the Chū-pi-ren movement, a 1970s feminist group that fought for abortion rights and access to birth control, arguing that their legacy remains urgent in 2026 given Japan's slow progress on women's bodily autonomy.

Kiran Nadar’s Ambition to Put Indian Art On the World Stage

Kiran Nadar, one of India's most influential arts patrons, is spearheading the development of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in Delhi, set to become the largest integrated cultural center in India at over one million square feet. The museum, supported by the Shiv Nadar Foundation, will feature multiple exhibition spaces, a performing arts center, a library, an education center, and restaurants. Nadar recently appointed Manuel Rabaté, former director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, as KNMA's director. She also made headlines by purchasing M.F. Husain's record-breaking painting *Untitled (Gram Yatra)* for $13.8 million at Christie's New York. On the occasion of Nalini Malani's collateral exhibition "Of Woman Born" at the 2026 Venice Biennale, supported by KNMA, Nadar discussed her vision for putting Indian art on the world stage.

MoMA PS1 chief curator has a vision for Art Basel’s outsized sector, Unlimited

Ruba Katrib, Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs at MoMA PS1, has been appointed curator of Art Basel's Unlimited sector for 2026. Unlimited is a dedicated platform for large-scale installations, sculptures, wall paintings, and video works. Katrib, a Syrian American curator known for bold exhibitions and amplifying emerging voices, will select around 69 projects from over 100 gallery proposals to create a coherent curatorial narrative within a 16,000 m² space. She succeeds Giovanni Carmine, director of the Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen.

'It keeps me in touch with life': The London artist still working at 103

London painter Anthony Eyton, who turned 103, is preparing to exhibit new works at the 258th Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, the world's oldest open-submission exhibition. A figurative painter and Royal Academician since 1976, Eyton has shown at Tate Modern, Tate Britain, and the Imperial War Museum. He continues to paint daily, finding satisfaction in the act of creation, and has embraced social media with his daughter Sarah, posting regularly on Instagram to reach a global audience.

Interview. Max Goelitz

In an interview marking the sixth anniversary of his gallery, Max Goelitz reflects on the founding and evolution of his two-location operation in Munich and Berlin. He discusses how his decade at Häusler Contemporary, where he served as director, prepared him for the unpredictable nature of running his own gallery. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a strategic pivot from international ambitions to a focus on the local German market, which proved unexpectedly sustainable. Goelitz also addresses the current challenges facing galleries, including generational shifts and a more difficult art market, while advocating for an "old-school" reconsideration of what defines a gallery in times of transition.

De Pont Director Maria Schnyder On Why Financial Independence Is a Museum’s Greatest Asset

Maria Schnyder, who has served as deputy director of the De Pont Museum of Contemporary Art in Tilburg, Netherlands, since 2021, has been appointed as its new director, succeeding Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen. In an interview, Schnyder discusses the advantages of rising from within, emphasizing continuity and deep knowledge of the institution's artist-first ethos. The museum, housed in a former woolen mill with 7,000 square meters of exhibition space, operates with only 18 full-time employees and is financially independent, allowing it to prioritize artistic vision over audience-driven agendas.

Montclair Art Museum Announces Retirement of Longtime Chief Curator Dr. Gail Stavitsky

The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) has announced that Dr. Gail Stavitsky, its Chief Curator, will retire on July 1, 2026, after a tenure of more than 30 years. Stavitsky joined MAM in 1994 as Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, was promoted to Chief Curator in 1998, and curated over 200 exhibitions, including landmark shows such as "Cézanne and American Modernism" (2009) and "Matisse and American Art" (2017). Her recent exhibitions include solo shows for vanessa german and Tom Nussbaum, and she co-curated "Shifting Terrain: Perspectives on Land in North America." She also oversaw major acquisitions and the care of the museum's collections of George Inness and Morgan Russell.

Here is who Florentina Holzinger is, the artist protagonist of the Austrian Pavilion at Venice 2026

Ecco chi è Florentina Holzinger, l’artista protagonista del Padiglione Austria a Venezia 2026

Florentina Holzinger, an Austrian artist, performer, and choreographer born in Vienna in 1986, has been selected to represent Austria at the Venice Biennale 2026. The article traces her career from her early work *Silk* (2012), which won the Prix Jardin d’Europe at ImPulsTanz Festival, through boundary-pushing pieces like *Recovery* (2015), *Schönheitsabend* (2015), *Apollon* (2018), and *Tanz* (2019), which earned a Nestroy Prize. Her practice blends dance, circus, horror, body art, stunt techniques, and sideshow, often featuring all-female casts and full nudity, and has provoked censorship in Italy while being hailed as avant-garde elsewhere. She became an associate artist at Berlin’s Volksbühne in 2021 and will join its ensemble from the 2026/27 season.

Sébastien Allard à la tête du département des Peintures du Louvre

Sébastien Allard has been appointed interim head of the Paintings Department at the Musée du Louvre, effective April 14. The 47-year-old specialist in 19th-century art previously served as deputy to Vincent Pomarède, who moved to a new role overseeing museum mediation. Allard's permanent appointment awaits confirmation by Culture Minister Aurélie Filippetti, on the recommendation of Louvre director Jean-Luc Martinez. Meanwhile, the search for a director of the Research and Collections Support division continues, with recruitment expected to be external.

Is Berlin not over yet?

Ist Berlin doch noch nicht over?

Çağla Ilk, who curated the German Pavilion at the Venice Biennale two years ago, has presented her plans as the new artistic director of the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin. Her program reimagines theater from the perspective of visual art, signaling a major shift in the city's theater landscape. The announcement comes amid broader reforms in Berlin's theater scene, including Matthias Lilienthal's upcoming takeover of the Volksbühne, and was met with both anticipation and anxiety, reminiscent of Chris Dercon's failed tenure at the Volksbühne in 2017.