Art News. Vasari Codex

article policy schedule Feb 2, 2026 visibility 30 link 11 artists, 21 galleries

art galleries close for general strike 2741073

A nationwide general strike, called for Friday, January 30, 2026, in protest of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minneapolis, has prompted numerous art galleries and organizations to close their doors. Major commercial galleries like Gagosian, David Zwirner, Hauser & Wirth, and Pace Gallery, alongside institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles and the Drawing Center, are participating in the shutdown.

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rate_review review schedule Sep 18, 2025 visibility 26 link 11 artists, 2 galleries

robert longo pace gallery review 1234752550

Artist Robert Longo presents a new exhibition at Pace Gallery, featuring his signature large-scale, hyperrealistic drawings that address themes of brutality, conflict, and protest. The show is a revised version of a 2023 exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum, with works based on media images of events such as the war in Ukraine, Black Lives Matter protests, and migrant crises. The article critically examines several pieces, including "Untitled (Ferguson Police, August 13, 2014)" and "Untitled (Refugees at Mediterranean Sea, Sub-Saharan Migrants, July 25, 2017)," arguing that Longo's manipulations of source photographs result in melodramatic and dishonest representations.

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trending_up market schedule May 1, 2025 visibility 23 link 15 artists, 4 galleries

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Artnet News and Morgan Stanley have released a report analyzing the global art auction market across four major cities—London, Paris, Hong Kong, and New York—over the period from 2013 to 2023. Total auction sales for the first half of 2024 fell to $5.05 billion, down from $7.17 billion in the same period of 2023. The report highlights a dramatic 49 percent decline in London's auction sales following the 2016 Brexit vote, while New York has maintained its dominant position, driven by blockbuster collections like those of Peggy and David Rockefeller and Paul G. Allen. Hong Kong saw growth until the Chinese property crisis in 2022, and Paris has gained ground post-Brexit, with sales up 30 percent over 2013.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 16 link 16 artists, 3 galleries

Queer eyes in focus, sculpture hits pay dirt and Whistler’s world – the week in art

This week's art roundup from The Guardian highlights a major exhibition of James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain, showcasing the American artist's impact on Victorian Britain with avant-garde influences from Paris and Japan. Other notable exhibitions include "Gender Stories" at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, featuring works by David Hockney and Grayson Perry; Delcy Morelos's earthy sculptures at the Barbican Centre; and Henry Moore's sculptures at Kew Gardens. The article also covers news of a Nazi-looted portrait found in the home of a Dutch SS leader's family, protests at the Venice Biennale over Israel's inclusion, and the unveiling of Zineb Sedira's film installation at Tate Britain.

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article news schedule Jan 7, 2026 visibility 20 link 9 artists, 4 galleries

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The United States invaded Venezuela in a military operation that seized President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who will face federal charges in New York. The Trump administration has stated it will run the country until a favored government is installed, while Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as interim president. The operation has sparked global protests and mixed reactions among Venezuelans, with some celebrating Maduro's ouster and others condemning the violation of international law.

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article news schedule May 14, 2026 visibility 24 link 5 artists, 2 galleries

Peter Doig, Tracey Emin, and More Sign Letter Defending Southbank Centre Chair

A letter signed by environmental activist Greta Thunberg and artists Tracey Emin and Peter Doig is circulating in support of Misan Harriman, chair of London's Southbank Centre. The letter defends Harriman against what it calls a "dishonest smear campaign" by the Telegraph and other right-wing outlets, which accused him of promoting conspiracies and comparing Reform Party voters to Nazis. The controversy stems from Harriman's social media comments about a knife attack on Jewish men and a video referencing Susan Sontag and Kurt Vonnegut on the Holocaust, which critics say minimized antisemitism or drew inappropriate parallels. Harriman denies making such analogies, and 70,000 people have complained to media watchdog Ipso, while 15,000 signed the letter.

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article news schedule May 9, 2026 visibility 39 link 43 artists, 7 galleries

Mom, I'm Gonna Be an Artist!

Hyperallergic's Saturday newsletter, edited by Valentina Di Liscia, rounds up a week of art-world activity marked by protests and resistance. Staff Writer Isa Farfan asked 15 artists to share advice from their mothers for Mother's Day, featuring responses from Pat Oleszko, whose work is in the Whitney Biennial. The newsletter also covers editor-in-chief Hakim Bishara's report on a historic strike for Palestine and workers' rights at the Venice Biennale, where dozens of national pavilions shut down, and Editor-at-Large Hrag Vartanian's review of the central exhibition "In Minor Keys." Additional stories include Damien Davis on artists and consignment agreements, Matt Stromberg on the LA Art Book Fair, a protest against Jeff Bezos at the Met Gala, MoMA PS1's upcoming Teresa Margolles survey, and a picket at the American Folk Art Museum.

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article news schedule Feb 21, 2026 visibility 17 link 10 artists, 1 gallery

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The New York art scene is witnessing a shift in the Tribeca gallery landscape as 1969 Gallery, a fixture known for championing emerging painters, has shuttered its physical space at 39 White Street. Founder Quang Bao confirmed the closure following the building owner's decision to sell the property, noting that he is currently operating from Barcelona with plans to pivot toward collaborations and residencies rather than the traditional gallery model. Meanwhile, the itinerant Ward Gallery continues to gain traction by hosting pop-up symposia at institutions like the International Center for Photography, signaling a broader trend toward real-estate-free dealership.

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article culture schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 27 link 7 artists

Artists made their mark at 2026 Met Gala

The 2026 Met Gala, held on May 4 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, raised a record $42 million for the Costume Institute, surpassing last year's $31 million. Honorary chairs Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos contributed at least $10 million, but their involvement sparked protests outside the event, with demonstrators holding signs like "Tax the Rich" and a group called Everyone Hates Elon leaving fake urine bottles labeled with Bezos's face. Inside, artists made a strong impression: Amy Sherald wore a Thom Browne look based on her painting; Jordan Roth donned a Robert Wun outfit inspired by a Met collection work; and Tschabalala Self collaborated with Brandon Blackwood on a gown evoking Degas's ballerina sculpture. The gala's dress code was "fashion is art," and the accompanying exhibition, "Costume Art" (May 10–January 10, 2027), debuts the Met's new 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast Galleries.

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article news schedule Apr 24, 2025 visibility 11 link 8 artists

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Kelly Xi, an artist and lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), was placed under investigation and administrative leave after using a school photocopier to produce materials for a pro-Palestine student exhibition and sharing an email list for a faculty union petition. The exhibition advocated for divestment from Israel and criticized the school's handling of a protest encampment that led to dozens of arrests in May 2024. The actions were organized by Students for the Liberation of Palestine (SLP), targeting trustee A. Steven Crown, whose family owns a stake in defense contractor General Dynamics and donated to pro-Israel groups.

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article news schedule Apr 29, 2026 visibility 36 link 20 artists, 2 galleries

The US Pavilion Wants Your Money

The American Arts Conservancy, a new nonprofit with MAGA-aligned leadership, is fundraising for Alma Allen's 2026 US Pavilion at the Venice Biennale through a "Donate" button on its website, having received no institutional financial support. Meanwhile, a sculpture by Pedro Reyes at the newly unveiled LACMA building has sparked controversy for recalling a 2021 commission rejected by Mexico City after Indigenous and feminist protests, and the experimental LA nonprofit The Box has closed after 19 years.

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article culture schedule Jun 12, 2025 visibility 13 link 8 artists, 1 gallery

barbara kruger untitled questions ice protests la 1234745039

Barbara Kruger's monumental text-based mural "Untitled (Questions)" (1990/2018) at the Geffen Contemporary in Los Angeles has become a backdrop for National Guard deployments during protests against ICE raids. Originally commissioned by MOCA in 1989, the 191-foot-long work asks "WHO IS BEYOND THE LAW?" and has been photographed twice with armed soldiers beneath it—first in 1992 during the Rodney King protests, and again this week as President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to quell demonstrations against immigration enforcement. Photographer Jay L. Clendenin captured the latest image, showing a calm scene that belies nearby unrest.

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article news schedule Nov 21, 2025 visibility 22 link 7 artists, 2 galleries

fall of freedom 2025 2716978

Across the U.S., artists and organizations have organized over 600 pop-up events, performances, readings, and other creative protests as part of Fall of Freedom, a new artist-led movement launching November 21–22. Initiated by artist, curator, and writer Accra Shepp and Puerto Rican artist Miguel Luciano, the program aims to activate the culture community against growing authoritarian threats. Events range from a participatory art action by ABC No Rio in Madison Square Park to a video installation by Los Herederos in a New York subway station, a roving digital billboard by NYC Resistance Salon, and a benefit concert at Pioneer Works headlined by Sheryl Crow. Participating venues include 601ArtSpace, Jack Shainman Gallery, Cristin Tierney Gallery, Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, El Museo del Barrio, and the Bronx Museum, though major institutions are notably absent.

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rate_review review schedule May 8, 2026 visibility 27 link 36 artists, 1 gallery

What does a woman swimming in urine tell us about the state of the world? Lots! – Venice Biennale review

The 2026 Venice Biennale, curated by the late Koyo Kouoh under the theme "In Minor Keys," has been plagued by months of turmoil including countries withdrawing, artists being fired, exhibitions cancelled, funding pulled, and protests during the preview. A five-person curatorial team took over after Kouoh's death, resulting in what the critic describes as a disjointed, committee-driven exhibition that prioritizes quiet contemplation and healing over direct political engagement. The central shows in the Giardini and Arsenale feature a vast, poorly explained array of art from the global south, with installations of ceramics, textiles, slide projectors, and serene natural scenes that the critic finds anachronistic and dull.

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article news schedule May 7, 2026 visibility 22 link 21 artists, 1 gallery

A Venice Biennale in Protest

Hundreds of protesters, led by the Art Not Genocide Alliance, blocked the entrance to the Israeli pavilion at the Venice Biennale on May 6, waving Palestinian flags and accusing Israel of operating a "genocide pavilion." Activists from Pussy Riot and FEMEN also staged a pink smoke-filled protest against Russia's participation. Meanwhile, the Biennale jury suddenly resigned, and Israeli pavilion artist Belu-Simion Fainaru made legal threats against the Biennale alleging antisemitism and discrimination. The article also covers exhibitions in Upstate New York, a tribute to Beat Generation icon Jack Kerouac, and obituaries for performance art champion Steven Durland, artist Georg Baselitz, cartoonist Nicole Hollander, and arts patron Doris Fisher.

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article news schedule Sep 30, 2025 source 2 sources visibility 9 link 2 artists, 1 gallery

cai guo qiang fireworks protester white cube london 1234754637

Protests erupted outside White Cube's London gallery last Thursday over a fireworks piece by Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang. The artwork, titled *The Rising Dragon*, was staged on September 19 at a high-altitude plateau in Shigatse, Tibet, and sparked online backlash over environmental concerns. Two UK-based groups, Tibetan Community in Britain and Free Tibet, led the protest, accusing Cai of committing "cultural violence." White Cube acknowledged the groups' concerns but continues to host Cai's exhibition, which opened in June and runs through early November.

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museum exhibitions schedule Oct 17, 2025 visibility 27 link 23 artists, 1 gallery

Frieze London diary: art historical speed dating and frozen faeces

During Frieze week in London, the National Gallery hosted its 'Unexpected Views' talk series, where eight contemporary artists including Grayson Perry, Shirazeh Houshiary, and Haegue Yang gave ten-minute talks on their favorite works. Tracey Emin and British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan held a candid discussion titled 'Confessions in the Museum,' and the art collective Konn Artiss placed ice blocks containing frozen feces outside major galleries and auction houses as a protest against the art market. The week also featured a lavish Frieze Collectors' Dinner with guests including Ari Emanuel, Sadie Coles, and Christian Levett, and a secret performance by musician Sampha.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 13, 2026 visibility 10 link 8 artists

‘The content, material and form support each other’: Sandy Rodriguez on her Hispanic Society Museum show

Sandy Rodriguez presents her new exhibition, *Tierra Insurgente*, at the Hispanic Society Museum and Library in Washington Heights, featuring her hand-painted maps on amate paper alongside historic codices and globes from the institution's collection. Her works blend Mesoamerican and colonial-era imagery with contemporary symbols of state violence and resistance, such as riot police, calavera-style surveillance helicopters, and references to the 2020 racial-justice protests in New Orleans. Rodriguez uses natural pigments like cochineal and hand-processed minerals on bark paper, a material once outlawed by Spanish colonizers, to create a dialogue between past and present.

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article news schedule May 11, 2026 visibility 15 link 13 artists

More than 70 Venice Biennale artists withdraw from awards

More than 70 artists participating in the 2025 Venice Biennale have withdrawn from consideration for the Golden Lion awards, which this year will be decided by public vote. The artists, including Walid Raad, Laurie Anderson, and Yto Barrada, signed a statement published on e-flux on May 9, withdrawing in solidarity with the entire prize jury that resigned last month over a dispute regarding the participation of Israel and Russia. The Biennale management replaced the traditional jury-selected awards with a new "Visitor Lion" system where ticket holders can vote, but the Biennale has acknowledged that if any of the withdrawing artists win, they will not collect the award.

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article news schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 23 link 12 artists

See Some of the Most Outrageous, Stylish Looks at the 2026 Met Gala

The 2026 Met Gala raised $42 million for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, surpassing last year's $31 million. The event, themed "Costume Art" with a dress code of "Fashion is Art," featured honorary chairs Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, whose involvement sparked protests. Co-chairs included Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour, with artists Anna Weyant, Tschabalala Self, and Amy Sherald on the host committee. The gala precedes the Costume Institute's spring exhibition, also titled "Costume Art," opening May 10.

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article policy schedule Apr 13, 2026 visibility 22 link 7 artists

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President Donald Trump’s return to office has triggered a sweeping overhaul of the American cultural landscape through executive orders and the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Key actions include the dissolution of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices at the Smithsonian, the cancellation of thousands of National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grants, and the removal of high-profile Biden appointees from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum board. These measures are accompanied by new tariffs and immigration policies that threaten the international art trade and cross-border collaborations.

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article policy schedule Mar 25, 2026 visibility 16 link 4 artists

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The Venice Biennale is facing intense international backlash following its decision to allow Russia to return for the 2026 edition after a hiatus caused by the invasion of Ukraine. High-ranking politicians from 22 European nations, along with thousands of artists and curators, have signed open letters condemning the move as a platform for state-directed cultural diplomacy and war-crime whitewashing. The Biennale has defended its stance by claiming a policy of non-censorship, asserting that it accepts any nation recognized by the Italian government.

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article policy schedule Feb 23, 2026 visibility 14 link 3 artists

high vat rates art sales spain protest reina sofia 1234774135

Hundreds of artists, gallery owners, and collectors staged coordinated sit-ins at major Spanish museums, including the Museo Reina Sofía, to protest the country's 21 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) on art sales. Demonstrators gathered around Richard Serra’s 'Equal-Parallel/Guernica-Bengasi'—a replica of a work that famously vanished from storage—to symbolize the potential disappearance of the Spanish art sector under current fiscal pressures. The protests included demands for the resignation of the culture and finance ministers and calls for tax parity with European neighbors.

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article news schedule Jan 6, 2026 visibility 13 link 2 artists

louvre walkout targets new mona lisa gallery 1234768892

Staff at the Louvre in Paris staged another walkout, closing the museum on Monday morning before a partial reopening at noon. The strike, backed by three unions with 350 staff members voting unanimously, protests the Louvre–Nouvelle Renaissance redevelopment plan launched by President Emmanuel Macron. The plan includes a dedicated gallery for the Mona Lisa, a new entrance, and a $778 million budget, which unions call unrealistic. The museum reopened with limited access to iconic works like the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory of Samothrace, while other galleries remained closed.

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article news schedule Dec 9, 2025 visibility 14 link 1 artist

swedish court acquits climate activists monet painting 1234765895

A Swedish court acquitted six climate activists from the group Återställ Våtmarker (Restore Wetlands) who smeared red paint on the protective glass of Claude Monet's painting *The Artist’s Garden at Giverny* (1900) at the National Museum of Sweden in June 2023. The painting, on loan from the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, was unharmed; the court ruled the activists had no intent to damage the work, noting they used water-soluble paint and targeted a glass-covered piece, though some paint reached the frame.

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article culture schedule Oct 15, 2025 visibility 14 link 5 artists

art heist that inspired the mastermind 1234757268

Kelly Reichardt's new film *The Mastermind*, starring Josh O'Connor, depicts a low-stakes art heist at the fictional Framingham Museum of Art, inspired by a real 1972 theft at the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts. In the actual heist, two robbers stole four paintings by Rembrandt, Picasso, and Gauguin, worth about $7.72 million today, and shot an unarmed guard. The film, set in the early '70s, draws on details like two schoolgirls who witnessed the crime, but Reichardt deliberately makes the cinematic version less thrilling than the real event.

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article news schedule Oct 13, 2025 visibility 14 link 1 artist

climate activists deface christopher columbus painting on day marking his arrival to americas 1234756823

Two activists from the climate group Futuro Vegetal were arrested on October 12 after throwing biodegradable red paint on José Garnelo's 1892 painting *First Tribute to Christopher Columbus* at the Naval Museum in Madrid. The protest occurred on Spain's National Day, which commemorates Columbus's arrival in the Americas. The activists unfurled a banner reading “October 12, nothing to celebrate. Ecosocial justice” and were charged with crimes against cultural heritage. Separately, about 20 activists from Marea Palestina staged a sit-in around Picasso's *Guernica* at the Reina Sofía Museum, demanding an end to “the genocide against the Palestinian people,” temporarily closing the gallery.

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person people schedule Sep 27, 2025 visibility 28 link 16 artists, 2 galleries

ebony l haynes zwirner global head of curatorial projects 1234753820

Ebony L. Haynes, a director at David Zwirner since 2020 and founder of the gallery's affiliated space 52 Walker in 2021, has been promoted to the newly created position of global head of curatorial projects. In this role, she will oversee special exhibitions, projects, and collaborations with Zwirner's artists globally, while continuing to direct 52 Walker in New York's Tribeca neighborhood. The space has hosted 16 shows since opening in October 2021, featuring artists such as Kandis Williams, Nikita Gale, Nora Turato, and Raymond Pettibon, whose wrestling-themed drawings and live matches open tonight.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 30, 2025 visibility 12 link 5 artists

louvre launches design contest for 400 million expansion including a new room for mona lisa 2662261

The Louvre Museum in Paris has announced an architectural competition for a €400 million ($417 million) expansion, which includes a dedicated underground gallery for Leonardo da Vinci's *Mona Lisa* and a new entrance on the eastern facade near the Seine River. The project, dubbed a "New Renaissance" for the Louvre, follows a staff strike over overcrowding and an internal memo from director Laurence des Cars citing crumbling infrastructure. A 21-person international jury will select the winning design in October, with the aim of easing congestion at I.M. Pei's iconic glass pyramid entrance and providing a separate timed-entry space for the *Mona Lisa*.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 27, 2025 visibility 23 link 15 artists

guerrilla girls feminist collective why so important 1234745911

The feminist collective Guerrilla Girls began its activism in May 1985 by wheat-pasting posters in SoHo, New York, that listed prominent male artists and revealed that their galleries showed 10 percent or fewer women artists. The group formed after the 1984 MoMA exhibition 'An International Survey of Recent Painting and Sculpture' included only 13 women out of 169 participants, sparking protests that failed to gain traction. For 40 years, the Guerrilla Girls have used statistics-driven, provocative posters to call out sexism and racism in galleries, museums, and the broader art world. This year, their anniversary is marked by retrospective exhibitions at the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles, and the National Gallery of Bulgaria in Sofia.

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