christine sun kim gallery hyundai john tain industry moves

This ARTnews industry moves column reports several key personnel and representation changes in the art world. Christine Sun Kim has joined Gallery Hyundai, a Seoul-based gallery, and will show at Art Basel Miami Beach. Yoshitomo Nara has moved to David Zwirner while maintaining his relationship with Pace. John Tain has been named Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Carnegie Museum of Art, and Galatea now represents Gabriella Marinho. Chris Sharp has added the duo CrossLypka to his roster. Separately, climate activist Timothy Martin received an 18-month prison sentence for damaging a Degas sculpture at the National Gallery of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art faces turmoil after a rebranding backlash that led to director Sasha Suda's dismissal.

philipp kaiser leaves marian goodman gallery

Philipp Kaiser is leaving Marian Goodman Gallery after more than six years, with his last day on May 2. He will remain as a curatorial consultant as needed. The gallery cited the recent Los Angeles wildfires as a factor in his decision to return to independent curatorial practice. Kaiser joined in 2019, a surprising move given his museum background, and became president and partner in 2021 when founder Marian Goodman stepped back. During his tenure, the gallery opened new spaces in New York and Los Angeles, but also lost major artists Gerhard Richter, Nan Goldin, and William Kentridge to rival galleries.

Zoe Leonard Departs Hauser & Wirth for New York’s Maxwell Graham Gallery

Zoe Leonard, a celebrated conceptual artist whose work will appear at the Venice Biennale next week, has left Hauser & Wirth—a global gallery with 14 locations—to join Maxwell Graham, a smaller New York-based gallery known for spare conceptual presentations. Leonard will continue to be represented by her longtime galleries, Cologne’s Galeria Gisela Capitain and Milan’s Raffaella Cortese. Maxwell Graham staged its first Leonard exhibition last year with “Display,” featuring photographs of historical objects in museums. Leonard is the second artist to depart Hauser & Wirth in the past year, following George Condo’s exit in November.

new gagosian director marian goodman edith dekyndt

Marian Goodman Gallery has taken on representation of artist Edith Dekyndt, whose multidisciplinary practice spans video, sculpture, installation, and performance, with plans to debut her work at Art Basel Paris in October. In other industry moves, Salon 94 now represents Raven Halfmoon, Timothy Taylor Gallery represents Martha Tuttle, Templon adds Martial Raysse, Acquavella Galleries represents Harumi Klossowska de Rola, and Gagosian has hired Aaron Baldinger as a director. Additionally, Jennie Goldstein has been named the inaugural Kippy Stroud Curator at the Whitney Museum, and Sotheby's will sell a tranche of artworks from the collection of the late Leonard Lauder, including Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer, estimated at over $150 million.

whitney museum names dan nadel curator drawings and prints

Dan Nadel, a critic known for championing overlooked American artists, has been appointed curator of drawings and prints at the Whitney Museum in New York. His appointment comes ahead of the opening of his upcoming Whitney exhibition “Sixties Surreal,” which will explore Surrealism’s impact on American art from 1958 to 1972. Nadel previously organized acclaimed shows at Karma gallery, including a pivotal 2018 exhibition of Gertrude Abercrombie, and has held curatorial roles at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art and the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. The Whitney also announced the appointments of Jennie Goldstein as curator of the collection and Roxanne Smith as assistant curator of the collection.

‘It was life-changing’: the celebrated art historian who spent 46 years sitting for Frank Auerbach

Art historian and curator Catherine Lampert is the subject of a career-spanning profile following the opening of her latest exhibition, 'Euan Uglow: An Arc from the Eye,' at MK Gallery. The article details her deep personal and professional relationships with giants of British figurative painting, including Lucian Freud, Frank Auerbach, and Euan Uglow. Lampert, who served as the director of the Whitechapel Gallery for over a decade, continues to be a prolific force in the art world, recently co-authoring Freud’s catalogue raisonné and curating major retrospectives.

The Dealers: Marta Makes Magic

The article profiles Marta, a prominent art dealer in Los Angeles, highlighting her recent activities and influence within the contemporary art scene. It details her gallery's program, her relationships with artists, and her specific curatorial approach that has garnered significant attention.

tate liverpool director helen legg royal academy of arts

Helen Legg has been appointed as the new artistic director of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, transitioning from her current role as director of Tate Liverpool. Starting in June, Legg will oversee the institution’s exhibitions, collections, and public programming, succeeding a period of leadership that saw her manage a major $46 million renovation project at Tate's northern outpost.

Art Basel Qatar Taps Former Mathaf Director Wassan Al-Khudhairi to Shape 2027 Fair

Art Basel has appointed Iraqi curator Wassan Al-Khudhairi as artistic director for the 2027 edition of Art Basel Qatar, succeeding Egyptian artist Wael Shawky who shaped the inaugural edition. The fair will take place January 28–30, 2027, with preview days on January 26–27, at Doha Design District and M7 in Msheireb Downtown Doha. Al-Khudhairi, former founding director of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, brings deep ties to Qatar and international curatorial experience from biennials including Gwangju and the Asian Art Biennial.

yan du project billy tang artistic director

London-based nonprofit Yan Du Project (YDP) has appointed Billy Tang as its artistic director, effective this month, ahead of the opening of its new home in a Grade I-listed townhouse on Bedford Square this October. Tang, who was born in London to Vietnamese refugee parents, returns to the city after serving as executive director and curator at Para Site in Hong Kong, and previously held curatorial roles at Magician Space in Beijing and Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai. YDP is the second nonprofit founded by ARTnews Top 200 Collector Yan Du, following the Asymmetry Foundation launched in 2019.

roland augustine luhring augustine gallery

Roland Augustine, cofounder of New York's Luhring Augustine gallery, is stepping down to focus on philanthropy. Cofounder Lawrence Luhring will continue leading the gallery alongside longtime directors Lauren Wittels and Donald Johnson Montenegro, who will become equity partners. Luhring bought out Augustine's share at the end of last year, and the gallery plans to restructure in 2026, potentially changing its name within three years.

Amanda Carneiro and Raphael Fonseca to curate 2027 Bienal de São Paulo

Amanda Carneiro and Raphael Fonseca have been named curators of the 2027 Bienal de São Paulo. Carneiro, a curator at MASP since 2018, has organized solo exhibitions for artists including Santiago Yahuarcani, Beatriz Milhazes, and Sonia Gomes, and was part of Adriano Pedrosa’s curatorial team for the 2024 Venice Biennale. Fonseca, visual arts programmer at Culturgest and curator-at-large at the Denver Art Museum, is currently curating the Taiwan Pavilion for the 2026 Venice Biennale and co-curating the 3rd Counterpublic Triennial. He also curated the 2025 Bienal do Mercosul.

Lynda Roscoe Hartigan Named Director of Smithsonian American Art Museum

Lynda Roscoe Hartigan has been appointed as the new director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in Washington, DC, effective September 8. She returns to SAAM, where she began her career and later served as chief curator, from her current position as executive director and CEO of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. She succeeds acting director Jane Carpenter-Rock, who will remain as deputy director.

tania willard wins sobey art award

Tania Willard, a mixed Secwépemc and settler artist from Neskonlith, British Columbia, has won the 2025 Sobey Art Award, receiving CAD$100,000 ($71,000). The announcement was made at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. The award, established in 2002 by the Sobey Art Foundation, supports contemporary Canadian artists. The five other shortlisted artists—Tarralik Duffy, Chukwudubem Ukaigwe, Sandra Brewster, Swapnaa Tamhane, and Hangama Amiri—each receive CAD$25,000. Willard's land-based, community-focused practice centers Indigenous resurgence, and her site-specific installation *Declaration of the Understory* is on view at Bentway Staging Grounds in Toronto through spring 2026.

Kate McNamara Named Director of Harvard’s Carpenter Center for Visual Arts

Harvard University's Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts has officially appointed Kate McNamara as its John R. and Barbara Robinson Family Director. McNamara, who had been serving in the role on an interim basis since last year, is the founder of the experimental art space ODD-KIN and has held leadership positions at Providence College Galleries, Otis College of Art and Design, and Boston University Art Galleries.

Toleen Touq to curate next MOMENTA Biennale

MOMENTA Biennale d’art contemporain in Montreal has appointed curator and educator Toleen Touq to organize its 20th edition, scheduled for 2027. The biennial will be titled 'The Long Now' and will focus on interrogating concepts of time and duration.

art howardena pindell interview white cube show

Howardena Pindell, the 82-year-old artist known for her dot-based abstractions and incisive video works, was honored with a Cultural Leadership Award at the American Federation of Arts’s 2025 Gala. In an interview with Cultured, she discusses her current White Cube show “Off the Grid” in London, which spans her decades-long career from early figurative work to new abstract pieces. The exhibition runs through January 18, and Pindell also reveals upcoming projects: a 50-foot-tall stained-glass mural for the University of Texas at Austin, a Dia Beacon acquisition of her works for long-term display in 2026, and her inclusion as the only living artist in the AFA’s touring exhibition Abstract Expressionists: The Women.

art arne glimcher pace 125 newbury interview

Arne Glimcher, the 87-year-old founder of Pace Gallery, opened a satellite gallery called 125 Newbury in Tribeca in 2021 after his son Marc, Pace's CEO, told him he would have to wait three years for a show slot. The gallery, named after Pace's original Boston address, operates under Pace's umbrella but focuses on experimental, scholarly exhibitions that often feature artists not represented by Pace. Glimcher recently mounted a Kiki Smith show pairing her 1990s paper mannequins with bronze birds, and he continues to take risks, such as funding a pond for Max Hooper Schneider's exhibition. Despite the gallery not being self-sustaining, Glimcher remains committed to supporting original art and connoisseurship.

art florence bonnefous air de paris

Florence Bonnefous, co-founder of Air de Paris gallery, is profiled in a feature that traces the gallery's 35-year history from its founding in Nice with poet Edouard Merino to its current industrial space in Romainville, a northern Paris suburb. The gallery, named after Marcel Duchamp's readymade, launched with a legendary 1990 exhibition featuring Philippe Parreno, Pierre Joseph, and Philippe Perrin, and has since become known for championing underground conceptual and challenging art. Bonnefous is described as a preeminent gallerist-curator who prioritizes artistic integrity over profit, representing estates of avant-garde female artists like Sturtevant and Dorothy Iannone, and maintaining close bonds with artists such as Liam Gillick and Flint Jamison. The gallery is exhibiting at Art Basel Paris but recently withdrew from Art Basel in Basel over a booth placement dispute.

$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.

What is a botanical curator? Rahel Kesselring takes on inaugural role at Fondation Beyeler

Fondation Beyeler in Switzerland has appointed Rahel Kesselring as its inaugural botanical curator, a newly created position supported by the Chanel Culture Fund. Kesselring, a former research associate at Humboldt University, will develop a hybrid curatorial programme focused on the museum's park and surrounding ecosystems, aiming to integrate botanical knowledge with artistic practice on a practical, material level.

A brush with… Karen Archey, head of curatorial at Düsseldorf's K20 and K21 museums

Karen Archey, the head of curatorial at Düsseldorf's K20 and K21 museums, shares personal insights in an interview format. She reveals her obsession with painter Alice Neel, discusses a formative 2007 summer touring major European art events, and lists the poetry and audio currently occupying her attention.

Frank O’Hara’s Curatorial Eye

The article examines the largely overlooked curatorial work of poet Frank O'Hara during his tenure at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It details his role in organizing significant exhibitions, championing emerging artists like Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, and his influential collaborations with artists such as Larry Rivers.

liz munsell vice president curatorial powerhouse arts

Powerhouse Arts, a nonprofit creative production facility in Brooklyn’s Gowanus neighborhood, has appointed Liz Munsell as its new Vice President of Curatorial and Arts Programs. Munsell, who previously held senior curatorial roles at the Jewish Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, succeeds Diya Vij following Vij's appointment as New York City’s cultural affairs commissioner. Alongside Munsell, the organization hired Constanza Valenzuela, formerly of High Line Art, as associate curator to support the expansion of its exhibition and residency programs.

Eugenio Viola, Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá

eugenio viola museo de arte moderno de bogota

The Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá (MAMBO) terminated the contract of its artistic director, Eugenio Viola, earlier this month. Viola claims his dismissal came after he raised concerns with the board in September 2025 about deteriorating working conditions at the museum, concerns he says were shared by other staff. The museum stated the decision resulted from a comprehensive review and that it has begun searching for a new artistic director.

hammer museum leadership michael wellen regan pro

The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles has appointed Michael Wellen as its new chief curator and Regan Pro as chief of learning, engagement, and research. Wellen joins from Tate Modern, while Pro was previously at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. The appointments fill key leadership roles that had been vacant, with the chief curator position open since 2023.

hamza walker winner 2026 audrey irmas award ccs bard

The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College (CCS Bard) has awarded its 2026 Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence to Los Angeles–based curator Hamza Walker. Walker, executive director of the Brick (formerly LAXART) since 2016, will receive $25,000 and be honored at CCS Bard’s spring gala in April. He is recognized for exhibitions featuring artists like Elizabeth Paige Smith, Gregg Bordowitz, and Postcommodity, and for cocurating the acclaimed "Monuments" exhibition with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, which examines artists' responses to Confederate monument removals. Walker also secured a $1 million donation from collectors Jarl and Pamela Mohn to fund the Brick's move to a new Hollywood space and its rebranding.

komal shah making their mark foundation forum launch

Komal Shah, a prominent art collector, announced the renaming of her Shah Garg Foundation to the Making Their Mark Foundation, coinciding with a three-day forum in Washington, D.C., scheduled for March 2025. The foundation takes its name from the traveling exhibition "Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection," curated by Cecilia Alemani, which highlights women artists from Shah and her husband Gaurav Garg's collection. The forum, held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, will feature panels, keynotes, and performances organized around themes like Visionary Voices and Changemakers, with Alemani as curatorial director and Loring Randolph as director.

keith haring foundation simon castets

The Keith Haring Foundation has appointed Simon Castets, a French American curator formerly of Luma Arles and the Swiss Institute, as its next executive director, effective January 12. Castets will oversee the foundation's collection of Haring's work, its archives, and its grant-making program, which disbursed $7.7 million in 2025, including major gifts to the Studio Museum in Harlem and Bard College's Center for Curatorial Studies. Upcoming exhibitions include a Brant Foundation show on Haring's early work and Crystal Bridges Museum's "Keith Haring in 3D."

frick collection chief curator aimee ng

The Frick Collection in New York has promoted Aimee Ng to chief curator, effective November. She succeeds Xavier F. Salomon, who is leaving to become director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon. Ng, a curator at the Frick since 2015, has organized exhibitions on Italian Renaissance artists and co-curated the landmark 2023 show "Barkley L. Hendricks: Portraits at the Frick." Her appointment is the second senior leadership choice under director Axel Rüger, who joined in March ahead of the museum's long-awaited reopening.