timo kappeller joins pace gallery senior director

Timo Kappeller has joined Pace Gallery as a senior director in New York, focusing on sales and artist relationships, starting January 20. He arrives from The Campus, a collaborative exhibition space in upstate New York, and previously held senior roles at Hauser & Wirth and Andrew Kreps, with early career experience at Documenta and KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin. His hiring follows several high-profile departures from Pace, including senior vice president Jessie Washburne-Harris to White Cube and artist Yoshitomo Nara to David Zwirner.

meg molloy interview

Meg Molloy, founder of the Working Arts Club, discusses the systemic barriers facing working-class professionals in the art world. Launched last year, the independent network provides social and professional support for arts workers from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, a demographic often excluded by the industry's reliance on unpaid internships, low entry-level salaries, and expensive urban hubs like London.

mattress factory anthony elms artistic director

The Mattress Factory, a contemporary art museum and residency program in Pittsburgh, has appointed Anthony Elms as its artistic director, effective February 2024. Elms, who previously served as chief curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia and as a director at Peter Freeman, Inc., will oversee all artistic programming, including exhibitions, commissions, and the residency program. He was also a cocurator of the 2014 Whitney Biennial and recently organized a solo exhibition for Rodney McMillian at the Henry Art Gallery.

consultant gulf gold rush south arts new ceo

This week's art industry moves include South Arts appointing Doug Shipman as its next president and CEO, departing his role as Atlanta City Council president to lead the regional nonprofit across nine Southern states. London gallery Alison Jacques now represents Cape Town–born painter Gina Kuschke, with a debut solo exhibition opening January 15. Gallery Wendi Norris in San Francisco will represent the Marie Wilson estate, while Berlin's Galerie Judin adds Jorinde Voigt to its roster in partnership with David Nolan, Dirimart, and Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino. Thaddaeus Ropac appoints John Utterson as director in London, and Aperture secures $2 million in gifts toward its new permanent home. A record $31.4 million was paid for François-Xavier Lalanne's 'Hippopotame Bar' at Sotheby's New York, tripling its high estimate. The article also notes a growing trend of consultancies—mostly US- and European-based—being hired to help the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia build their cultural sectors.

the asia pivot tobias berger

Tobias Berger, a veteran curator who held senior roles at Hong Kong’s M+ and Tai Kwun, has transitioned from the public sector to lead two new private initiatives: Serakai Studio and the Tanoto Art Foundation. Ahead of Art Basel Hong Kong, Berger is launching "Gold," an experimental salon space in Wong Chuk Hang that merges contemporary art with design and fashion. These roles mark a shift toward agile, privately funded cultural models that prioritize regional focus and experimental programming over the bureaucratic structures of large public museums.

varvara roza galleries

London-based gallerist and advisor Varvara Roza has established a unique business model that merges commercial representation with strategic artist development and collector education. Drawing from her background as a second-generation collector, Roza’s eponymous gallery focuses on mid-career and established international artists, prioritizing long-term career sustainability over short-term market trends. Her approach emphasizes a dual perspective, acting as both a mediator of cultural value and a strategic manager for her roster.

introducing the 2022 artnet innovators list

Artnet News has published its second annual Innovators List, highlighting 35 individuals from across the global art world who are driving change. The list, curated with input from 50 art-world leaders, features a diverse range of ages and geographies, spotlighting pioneers in digital art, institutional reform, new sales models, and Web3.

jean paul engelen joins acquavella galleries

Jean-Paul Engelen, currently president for the Americas and worldwide co-head of modern and contemporary art at Phillips auction house, will join Acquavella Galleries as a director starting July 1. Engelen spent a decade at Phillips, where he helped increase auction sales by 72 percent between 2015 and 2021, and previously worked at Christie’s for 16 years and at Qatar Museums.

haegue yang kunst werke berlin board chair

Artist Haegue Yang has been appointed chair of the board overseeing KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin, succeeding German artist Katharina Grosse, who served for four years. Yang, who is based between Seoul and Berlin, takes on the role at a time when Berlin has cut its culture budget by €130 million ($154 million), sparking outcry, and as the city grapples with controversies over how institutions handle pro-Palestine artists and artworks. Yang has taught at Berlin's Städelschule since 2017 and won the Museum Ludwig's Wolfgang Hahn Prize in 2018.

chiwoniso kaitano macdowell director newsmakers interview

Chiwoniso Kaitano, executive director of MacDowell since 2023, discusses the oldest continuously operating artist residency in the United States in an ARTnews interview. She highlights MacDowell's 118-year history, its seven artistic disciplines, and its mission to provide a sanctuary for artists. Kaitano, who previously led arts education nonprofits Girl Be Heard and Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy, is working to raise MacDowell's profile and bring artist residencies back to the center of art world discourse.

Maria Schnyder Named New Director of De Pont Museum of Contemporary Art

Swiss art historian Maria Schnyder has been appointed as the new director of the De Pont Museum of Contemporary Art in Tilburg, Netherlands. She will succeed the retiring director Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen in October. Schnyder is an internal promotion, having joined the museum in 2013 and served as its deputy director for the last four years.

‘Sometimes the space comes first’: how Shohei Shigematsu is using architecture to break cultural ground

Shohei Shigematsu, director of OMA New York since 2006, has carved a niche designing luxury-brand exhibition spaces and flagship stores for Dior, LVMH, and Tiffany. His approach treats architecture as a cultural platform that integrates fashion, art, design, and food. Key projects include the 2016 'Manus x Machina' exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the 2023 'Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams' show in Seoul, where spatial design often precedes thematic content.

Art Collector and ‘Galerie’ Magazine Founder Lisa Fayne Cohen Fawned Over Jeffrey Epstein in Emails: ‘There Is No One Else Like You’

Newly released documents from the Justice Department's Epstein files reveal that New York art collector and Galerie magazine founder Lisa Fayne Cohen and her husband, real estate developer Jimmy Cohen, were in close contact with financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2015 and 2016. The emails show Cohen seeking Epstein's advice and arranging to photograph his Paris apartment for her magazine, which later featured the residence anonymously in its second issue.

Maximilien Durand

Maximilien Durand has been appointed to a new role in the art world, as reported by Le Journal des Arts. The article announces his position, though specific details of the appointment are not provided in the given text.

'The human-machine creative entanglement': artist Sougwen Chung on her technology-based practice

Artist Sougwen Chung is presenting new work, including the 10-metre scroll 'Recursion 0,' at Art Basel Hong Kong's new Zero 10 sector. The piece, created with brainwave data, will be completed live at the fair, showcasing her ongoing exploration of human-machine collaboration.

louvre abu dhabis manuel rabate tapped to lead indias largest private museum

Manuel Rabaté, the inaugural director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, has been appointed as the first chief executive and director of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in New Delhi. He will lead the institution as it prepares to move from its current location in a shopping mall to a massive new purpose-built complex designed by David Adjaye Associates, which is slated to open within three years.

glenn lowry middle east podcast interview

Glenn Lowry, who stepped down last month after 30 years as director of the Museum of Modern Art, has given a wide-ranging interview on the podcast *The Art World: What If…?!* with Charlotte Burns. He discusses the Trump administration’s threats to museums’ tax-exempt status, his upcoming advisory roles for the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Delhi, a prospective leadership campaign for Alice Walton’s Art Bridges Foundation, and a series of talks at the Louvre titled “I Want a Museum. I Need a Museum. I Imagine a Museum.”

Montclair Art Museum Hires New Chief Curator Kate Kraczon

The Montclair Art Museum in New Jersey has hired Kate Kraczon as its new chief curator, replacing Gail Stavitsky. Kraczon previously served as director of exhibitions and chief curator at the David Winton Bell Gallery at Brown University, where she was terminated last December amid university layoffs. At the Bell, she organized the only US screening of "Prisoners of Love, 2025" by Palestinian artists Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme, and an exhibition of Julien Creuzet's work originally shown at the French Pavilion in the 2024 Venice Biennale. Before Brown, she worked as a curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in Philadelphia, where she organized the 2018 show "Ree Morton: The Plant That Heals May Also Poison."

These Are the Winners of the 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has announced its 2026 fellowship recipients, naming 223 individuals across 55 disciplines. The cohort includes 76 professionals from the visual arts, photography, and fine arts research sectors, featuring notable figures such as Sheida Soleimani, American Artist, Kenneth Tam, and Sonya Clark. This year's selection process was notably competitive, drawing 5,000 applicants—a significant increase from previous years.

carly murphy art basel collectors

Carly Murphy, Christie’s head of client strategy for the Americas, is leaving the auction house to join Art Basel as global head of collector and institutional relations, a newly created position. She will report to Vincenzo de Bellis, the fair’s chief artistic officer and global director of fairs, and begins later this month. The move comes as the art market faces slowing sales, with global art and antiques sales falling 12% in 2024 to $57.5 billion, according to the latest Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report.

collector questionnaire allison sarofim beauty marfa

Allison Sarofim, a Houston-born patron and founder of the clean skincare line Loulu Hawai‘i, is profiled in a CULTURED questionnaire. She recounts her art-collecting journey, which began with a Mark Rothko given by her father to her mother upon her birth, later gifted to her on her 30th birthday. Her first purchase was an Andy Warhol gold-leaf portrait of Stuart Preston. Sarofim serves as a founding board member of Ballroom Marfa, which recently acquired the 75-year-old Auction Sale Barn (the Bull Room) to transform into a performing arts space. She also discusses the inspiration behind her beauty line, rooted in Hawaii's botanicals and the spirit of aloha, and plans for new products in 2026.

Rachida Dati Resigns as French Minister of Culture to Run for Mayor of Paris

rachida dati minister of culture france mayor paris

Rachida Dati has announced her resignation as France’s Minister of Culture to launch a bid for the Mayor of Paris in the upcoming March elections. Appointed in 2024 under President Emmanuel Macron, Dati’s tenure was marked by controversy and criticism from outlets like Le Monde, which characterized her term as a series of publicity stunts that failed to address critical reforms in public broadcasting and institutional issues at the Louvre.

Frieze Taps Art Basel Veteran Frank Lasry as Chief Operating Officer

Frieze has appointed Frank Lasry as its new Chief Operating Officer, effective this June. Lasry joins the organization with an extensive pedigree in the art market, having previously served as COO at Perrotin and managing director at Art Basel, where he was instrumental in launching Art Basel Paris. His career also includes senior leadership roles at major auction houses Christie’s and Phillips, positioning him as a veteran executive with deep operational expertise across multiple sectors of the industry.

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.

Museums & Heritage

Melissa Chiu has been appointed as the new director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, departing her long-standing role at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. This major leadership transition comes alongside several other significant museum developments, including the Getty Center's planned $600m–$800m renovation closure and the National Gallery's staff reduction scheme to address a multi-million pound deficit.

Moving On Up: 24 Museum Curators and Art Leaders Who Took on New Appointments in First Half of 2025

Culture Type has published its annual list of new appointments among museum curators and arts leaders for the first half of 2025, highlighting two dozen hires and promotions at major institutions. Notable appointments include Deana Haggag as program director for arts and culture at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Ann Collins Smith as chief curator at the New Orleans Museum of Art (the first Black American in a full-time curatorial role there), and Vincent van Velsen as head of exhibitions at Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam. The list also features curators such as Alisa Chiles at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Brittany Webb at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

A first home, a first gallery, and a life built around art

Peggy Robinson, a graduate of the Elam School of Fine Arts and a former staffer at Page Galleries, has launched her own contemporary art space, PEG Gallery, in Wellington's Newtown district. The gallery debuted in November with a focus on national artists, including the estate of the late Selwyn Muru, fulfilling a long-held professional ambition for Robinson after years of working in the commercial art sector.

tefaf managing director out dominique savelkoul

The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) and its managing director Dominique Savelkoul have parted ways after just over a year, making her the fourth managing director in six years (counting an interim). Savelkoul, a Belgian arts administrator who took up the post in September 2024, had never run an art fair before. TEFAF cited “differing views on the organisation’s future strategic direction” in a statement. Savelkoul succeeded Bart Drenth, who resigned in May 2023 after controversial social media posts. She previously held roles at the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Gallery in London, and Mu.Zee in Ostend.

India Phillips Appointed Managing Director, Modern & Contemporary Art, Europe at Phillips

Phillips has appointed India Phillips as Managing Director, Modern & Contemporary Art, Europe, effective February 2026. Based in London and reporting directly to the CEO, she will focus on expanding the auction house's presence across Europe. Phillips joins after a decade at Bonhams, where she most recently served as Managing Director, EMEA. The announcement also includes promotions for Marianne Hoet to Chairman, Modern and Contemporary Art Europe, Olivia Thornton to Deputy Chairwoman, and Matt Langton to Deputy Chairman, Modern and Contemporary Art, Europe.

Museum of the year finalists revealed by Art Fund

Art Fund has announced the five finalists for the Museum of the Year 2026 award, the world’s largest museum prize. The shortlist includes Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, The Box in Plymouth, and London’s National Gallery and V&A East Storehouse. The winner, to be announced on June 25 at the Cutty Sark, will receive £120,000, while the remaining four finalists will each be awarded £20,000.