almaty museum of arts kazakhstan opens 1234753927

The Almaty Museum of Arts (ALMA) opened on September 12 in Kazakhstan's largest city, becoming the country's first private museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art. Founded by auto and real estate tycoon Nurlan Smagulov, the museum houses his collection of over 700 artworks by Kazakh, Central Asian, and international artists. Led by artistic director Meruyert Kaliyeva and chief curator Inga Lāce, the museum's opening features a retrospective of Almaty-born artist Almagul Menlibayeva and a group show titled "Qonaqtar" that explores Kazakh art history and hospitality.

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera are given a voice by New York's Metropolitan Opera

New York is experiencing a wave of Frida Kahlo-related events this spring, including a new book from Rizzoli about her childhood home museum in Mexico City and a small exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) featuring works by Kahlo and Diego Rivera. The centerpiece is the Metropolitan Opera's new production of *El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego*, with music by Gabriela Lena Frank and libretto by Nilo Cruz, both Pulitzer Prize winners. The opera, which premiered in San Diego in 2022, opens on 14 May and features set and costume design by Jon Bausor, who also co-curated the MoMA exhibition alongside curator Beverly Adams. The production imagines Kahlo's spirit rising from the underworld on the Day of the Dead to reunite with Rivera, blending Mexican musical elements with a dreamlike, visually rich aesthetic.

she is an icon of finnish art now modernist helene schjerfbeck takes a global stage 2728018

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has opened "Seeing Silence: The Paintings of Helene Schjerfbeck," the first major U.S. survey of the Finnish modernist painter. The exhibition features approximately 60 works spanning Schjerfbeck's entire career, drawn primarily from the Finnish National Gallery / Ateneum Art Museum, as well as other Finnish and Swedish collections. Curated by Dita Amory of the Met and Anna-Maria von Bonsdorff of the Ateneum, the show takes a thematic rather than chronological approach, highlighting Schjerfbeck's evolution from academic realism to a distinctive, introspective modernism.

renaissance painting feast of the gods 2620480

The article examines Giovanni Bellini's painting *The Feast of the Gods* (1514–29), a mythological scene depicting Roman deities at a feast, which was later reworked by Dosso Dossi and Titian. Commissioned by Duke Alfonso d'Este for his private gallery, the work is notable for including what is believed to be the earliest painted example of Chinese porcelain in European art. The painting draws from Ovid's 'Fasti' and was Bellini's last completed work, finished when he was in his 80s.

Fold in these exhibitions during festival season

Spoleto Festival USA and Piccolo Spoleto begin on May 22, and the article highlights a curated selection of visual art exhibitions in Charleston to enjoy alongside the festival's performances. Featured venues include Robert Lange Studios, Corrigan Gallery, Stevenson and Co., Atrium Gallery, Meyer Vogl, Duckworth Gallery, and the Gibbes Museum of Art, which opens "Mary Whyte: Salt of the Earth" and continues "Rodin: All the Truth in Nature." The College of Charleston's Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, under new director Michael Dickins, presents "Make Room" by In Kyoung Chun and another exhibition through July 25.

Mario Schifano, the artist who anticipated Arte Povera and beyond. What the exhibition in Rome looks like

The Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome has opened a major retrospective of Mario Schifano, curated by Daniela Lancioni and titled simply "Mario Schifano," running until July 12. The exhibition reconstructs the career of the Italian artist (1934–1998), who worked across painting, film, and music, and highlights his role as a precursor to Arte Povera. A centerpiece is the reconstructed dining room Schifano created for the Rome home of Marella and Gianni Agnelli in 1968, featuring 14 canvases and a planned but unrealized sand-filled room with a pyramid, a detail revealed by film producer Ettore Rosboch in a conversation with the curator.

May Things to Do: Visual Art

This article from a Seattle arts publication rounds up May visual art events, including the Seattle Art Book Fair (May 9–10) at Washington Hall featuring over 85 artists and free admission; Timothy White Eagle's exhibition "Once Wild River" (May 9–June 21) at Mini Mart City Park, culminating his EPA artist-in-residency; "Monochrome: Calder and Tara Donovan" (May 13–Jan 17, 2027) at the Seattle Art Museum, where Donovan responds to Alexander Calder's black works; "Rebels + Icons: The Photography of Janette Beckman" opening May 15 at MoPOP, the largest collection of her iconic musician portraits; and Drie Chapek's "Then Is Now" (May 21–June 27).

The Top Exhibitions To See In London: May 2025

London's galleries and museums are opening a wave of major exhibitions in May 2025. Highlights include a 30-year survey of South Korean artist Do Ho Suh at Tate Modern, featuring fabric corridors replicating his former homes; two blockbuster shows at the British Museum—Hiroshige's prints of a transforming Japan and an exploration of ancient Indian religious art; a tech-and-nature residency by physicist-artist Jasmine Pradissitto at the London Museum of Water & Steam; and an immersive tree visualization by Marshmallow Laser Feast at Kew Gardens. The Francis Crick Institute also hosts the final weeks of its free multisensory exhibition "Hello Brain!"

Our 6 Favorite Artworks from Women-Led Galleries Now

art bites zuccaro drawing banished from rome 2710007

Federico Zuccaro, a 16th-century Italian Mannerist painter, was banished from Rome in 1581 after presenting a satirical drawing at a feast in the church of Saint Luke. The 13-foot work, 'Porta Virtutis (The Gate of Virtue),' depicted King Midas with donkey ears as a thinly veiled attack on papal steward Paolo Ghiselli, who had rejected Zuccaro's altarpiece. Zuccaro explicitly identified Ghiselli as the foolish Midas and labeled Bologna the 'Reign of Ignorance,' leading Pope Gregory XIII to sentence him for 'excesses' and banish him from the city. He avoided prison by paying a 400 scudi bail.

parties performa anniversary performance art

Performa celebrated its 20th anniversary and the opening of its 2025 biennial with a multi-venue event in New York, starting at Harlem Parish and moving to a Lower East Side hub at 424 Broadway. The evening featured experimental music by Luciano Chessa, Eric Mingus, Elliott Sharp, and Joan La Barbara, a silent auction of custom wine blends by artists Julie Mehretu, Paul Pfeiffer, and Jessica Rankin, and a feast by chef Marcus Samuelsson. The party was co-chaired by artist Rashid Johnson and the late Agnes Gund, with guests including RoseLee Goldberg, Anne Imhof, Joan Jonas, Sanford Biggers, Laurie Simmons, and many others. The event also launched Performa's first magazine, *Works in Practice*.

art bites singerie monkeys 2716648

This article explores the artistic tradition of Singerie, or 'monkey trick,' a genre that depicts primates dressed and acting like humans. It traces the history from its origins in the early 1600s through its peak in the Rococo period, citing examples such as Jan Brueghel the Elder's 'Monkeys Feasting' (c. 1620) and Edwin Landseer's 'The Monkey Who Had Seen the World' (1827). The piece connects this historical convention to contemporary culture, noting its influence on the 2024 Robbie Williams biopic 'Better Man,' where the singer is portrayed as a chimpanzee, and on modern satirical works like Banksy's 'Devolved Parliament' (2009).

Indonesia's 'scarred' art scene regroups following nationwide protests

Art Jakarta's 2024 edition (October 3-5) took place just weeks after nationwide anticorruption protests swept Indonesia and spread to other countries. The fair's director Tom Tandio noted that the demonstrations left a "scar" on the local art community, which had been vocal in organizing donations, attending protests, and sharing digital posters on social media. Despite low expectations due to economic uncertainty, the fair proceeded with new galleries like Ara Contemporary, which sold about 70% of its stand on opening day, featuring politically charged works such as Agung Harahap's manipulated photographs and Irfan Hendrian's paper installations referencing the 1998 anti-Chinese riots. The fair also overlapped with ruangrupa's 25th anniversary exhibition, which included interactive projects and talks promoting sociopolitical engagement.

Try Free Art in Tribeca: A Gallery Walkthrough

A budget-friendly walk through Tribeca's gallery scene highlights two free exhibitions. At Savage Wonderground Tribeca, Brent Owens presents "Fancy Feast," a 24-foot-long banquet table of wooden sculptures mimicking gourmet cat food, with prices ranging from $1,000 to $8,000 but viewing free. At Almine Rech Tribeca, Youngju Joung's "Pause and Flow" features melancholic paintings on traditional Korean paper, memorializing the "moon villages" of displaced working-class citizens from South Korea's urbanization.

High Museum shines a light on an artist who protested, ‘I am not a designer’

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta has launched a major retrospective titled “Isamu Noguchi: ‘I am not a designer,’” exploring the prolific career of the Japanese-American artist. Curated by Monica Obniski, the exhibition features over 200 objects including sculptures, stage sets, furniture, and architectural models. A central highlight is the connection to Atlanta’s own Piedmont Park, which houses "Playscapes," the only artist-designed playground Noguchi completed in the United States, currently celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Geraldine O’ Neill: ‘It’s for creating space for reflection on life, decay, protection and destruction’

Artist Geraldine O’Neill discusses her upcoming exhibition "Flicker, Flicker" at Kevin Kavanagh Gallery during Dublin Gallery Weekend, reflecting on her career, creative process, and the themes of life, decay, protection, and destruction. O’Neill, a Dublin native who studied at the National College of Art and Design, has built a practice that blends fragments of art history, domestic imagery, and popular culture, with her work held in collections including the Irish Museum of Modern Art and the European Central Bank.

Seattle Art Museum’s Latest Exhibition Explores French Farm-To-Table

The Seattle Art Museum has opened "Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism," a traveling exhibition exploring the connections between food, art, and national identity in late 19th-century France. Featuring over 50 works by Impressionist masters including Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Eva Gonzalès, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the show examines both the privileged dining experiences of the upper class and the labor of those who grew and harvested food. The exhibition, organized by the American Federation of Arts in collaboration with the Chrysler Museum of Art, runs until January 18, 2026, and includes interactive elements such as a seated discussion table with conversation prompts and a series of panel talks on food-related topics.

Frieze in London, Hypha Studios and a Renoir drawing for ‘The Great Bathers’—podcast

This episode of The Art Newspaper's podcast 'The Week in Art' covers three main stories. Host Ben Luke discusses the mood at the Frieze art fairs in London with art market editor Kabir Jhala, amid ongoing debate about the health of the art market. The episode also explores Hypha Studios, a UK initiative that provides free exhibition and studio space to unrepresented artists in vacant properties, which has just launched an online sales platform called Hypha Curates. Finally, the podcast features a 'Work of the Week' segment on a Renoir drawing from the 1880s, a study for 'The Great Bathers,' now on view at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York as part of the exhibition 'Renoir Drawings.'

IMA’s 50th Anniversary Gala and Art Auction Promises a Bacchanalian Feast

The Institute of Modern Art (IMA) in Brisbane, Australia's longest-running independent contemporary art gallery, will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a surrealist-themed gala dinner and art auction on October 31 at The Calile Hotel. The event features a sit-down banquet, a benefit auction with works by leading artists including 2025 Archibald Prize winner Julie Fragar, a raffle with prizes from local venues, and live performances. Attendees are encouraged to dress in black tie with a surrealist twist, and artists will be present to interact with buyers.

Taste test: artist-made desserts will be shown (and eaten) in New York gallery’s one-night exhibition

On Saturday, June 28, the Lower East Side gallery Olympia will host CAKE, a one-night exhibition and feast featuring desserts donated by dozens of New York-based artists, including Hannah Beerman, Mie Yim, Wells Chandler, Robin F. Williams, Hein Koh, and Melissa Joseph. The event functions as a fundraiser for the gallery and a participatory performance art piece, with tickets priced at $45. The gallery's founder and director, Ali Rossi, conceived the show as a community-centric alternative to typical summer group exhibitions, and all desserts will be photographed before consumption to preserve documentation.

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs celebrates France’s ‘king of fashion’, who married haute couture to art

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris is presenting a new exhibition, *Paul Poiret: Fashion is a Feast*, dedicated to the early 20th-century French couturier who styled himself the “King of Fashion.” The show draws on the museum’s extensive Poiret collection, spanning from the Belle Époque through the 1920s, and features his garments alongside photographs, drawings, posters, and illustrations. It traces Poiret’s career from his start at the House of Worth to his independent house, his collaborations with artists such as Raoul Dufy and Maurice de Vlaminck, and his exotic inspirations from travels in Europe and North Africa.

Weaving a history: Worcester Art Museum exhibits tapestries 'From the Vault'

The Worcester Art Museum is opening a new exhibition, "From the Vault: Collecting Tapestries at the Worcester Art Museum," on May 3, 2025, running through July 27. The show features nearly 30 works, including 12 large-scale tapestries and 18 fragments, many unseen for decades. The centerpiece is the museum's iconic 16th-century "The Last Judgment" tapestry, restored after 35 years in storage. Other highlights include a contemporary piece by Diedrick Brackens, a Flemish tapestry depicting Emperor Titus, and works by Jean Lurçat.

Weekend of Art, Artists and Open Studios in Riebeek Valley

Solo Studios returns to the Riebeek Valley from October 24 to 26, 2025, featuring over 60 artists opening their studios in Riebeek Kasteel and Riebeek West. The weekend includes curated exhibitions such as LANDscape[s] at Die Kunshuis, showcasing works from Modern Art Projects South Africa (MAPSA), and a display of Ardmore Ceramics at EcoPlace, a home built from recycled materials. Other highlights include Red Hot, Pink Spot, a group show of 13 female artists from Kommetjie, and FEAST, a Porterville artist exhibition. Talks on art collecting and live music complement the open studios.

mrbeast mexico ancient mayan sites outrage 2646169

Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has filed an administrative lawsuit against the production company of YouTuber MrBeast (James Donaldson) over a video titled “I Explored 2000 Year Old Ancient Temples,” uploaded on May 10, 2025. The video shows MrBeast and his companions exploring Mayan sites in Yucatán, including Chichén Itzá, Calakmul, and Balamcanché, and features a scene where he promotes his snack brand Feastables as “the only Mayan-approved snack on the planet.” INAH alleges that the permit granted to Full Circle Media did not authorize commercial advertising or false information, and it demands compensation and a public retraction. The controversy escalated after Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum called for further investigation into whether the permit was violated.

art asher lifrin young artist

Asher Liftin, a 27-year-old New York-based artist, is profiled as part of Cultured's 2025 Young Artists list. He gained early recognition at age 12 when Wes Anderson selected his artwork for the film *Moonrise Kingdom*. Liftin now creates trompe l'oeil paintings that resemble tapestries but are actually finely rendered pointillist compositions inspired by art-historical still lifes and history paintings. He holds degrees in cognitive science and visual art, and cites graffiti artist Christian Aldunate as a key early influence.

parties meurice paris collectors designers art basel

CULTURED magazine hosted an intimate dinner at Le Meurice's Salon Pompadour in Paris, cohosted by Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson, arts leader Jen Roberts, and collector Jamie Goguen. The event brought together art and design-world figures including gallerists, designers, Sotheby's CEO Charles F. Stewart, and Independent Art Fair founder Elizabeth Dee, with a feast by Alain Ducasse and pastry chef Cedric Grolet. Guests received a copy of the inaugural CULTURED at Home issue and a bottle of Roos & Roos fragrance.

Stella’s Art Gallery in Willoughby hosting a pair of shows

Stella’s Art Gallery in Willoughby, Ohio, is currently hosting two distinct exhibitions: "The Four Seasons," a juried show featuring local award winners like Anna Hsu and Tatiana Strelnikova, and "Unreal: 2 Visions," an abstract showcase in the Annex Gallery featuring artists Josh Chefitz and Gregory Johnson. Additionally, the gallery is preparing for its upcoming "Size Matters" small works exhibition in May, while the Willoughby Arts Collaborative has launched a call for artists to design local utility boxes.

Seeing Silence: The Paintings of Helene Schjerfbeck

This article introduces the work of Finnish modernist painter Helene Schjerfbeck (1862–1946), whose career spanned eight decades and evolved from naturalism to near abstraction. Born in Helsinki, she studied in Paris under French naturalist painters and initially gained recognition for history paintings celebrating Finnish heritage. Later, retreating to Hyvinkää to care for her mother, she abandoned naturalism, paring down her figure paintings and still lifes to simplified, materially intense compositions. The exhibition features key works such as 'View of St Ives' (1887) and 'Clothes Drying' (1883), highlighting her shift toward ethereal, boundary-testing imagery that early Finnish critics dismissed.

In Kelantan, 'After Monsoon: Tera-Kota' project connects art with local community

The National Art Gallery of Malaysia, in collaboration with Art Matters Trading, launched the 'After Monsoon Project: Tera-Kota' exhibition series from October 24–30 at Pantai Pulau Kundur in Kota Baru, Kelantan. Themed 'Tanah, Tubuh, Tapak' (Land, Body, Site), the site-specific event featured clay sculptures, a community art feast (bekwoh), cultural performances, and a traditional ceramic firing facility (gok), engaging local residents—nearly 90% of whom practice traditional crafts like batik, pottery, and weaving—alongside students from Universiti Malaysia Kelantan.

Beyond the Gallery Walls: Solo Studios 2025 Transforms the Riebeek Valley into a Living Canvas, South Africa

Solo Studios 2025 returns to the Riebeek Valley in South Africa from 24–26 October, transforming the twin towns of Riebeek Kasteel and Riebeek West into a living canvas. Over sixty artists will participate in open studios, curated exhibitions, performances, and culinary events, with highlights including the LANDscape[s] exhibition at Die Kunshuis featuring works from the Modern Art Projects South Africa collection, a group show at EcoPlace made from recycled materials, and talks on art collecting led by Strauss & Co.'s Elmarie van Straten. The weekend also features music, a marketplace of ceramicists, and exhibitions such as 'Red Hot, Pink Spot' at the Church Hall.