Artsy Editorial highlights nine defining portraits of Marilyn Monroe, coinciding with the centennial of her birth. The article notes that while Monroe was a master of self-image in photography, fine artists were drawn to her during her lifetime, but her early death cemented her as a cultural icon. These portraits are currently on display at London's National Portrait Gallery in the exhibition "Marilyn: A Portrait," running through September 6th.
Jeanne Vicerial's city-wide exhibition 'Incarnation: Carte blanche Jeanne Vicerial' opens across multiple historic venues in Aix-en-Provence, including Musée du Pavillon de Vendôme, Musée des Tapisseries, Chapelle de la Visitation, and Musée Granet. The show features textile sculptures and installations from recent years, such as the Armors series and works like 'Gisante de cœur' that reference medieval armor and burial traditions through a feminine lens. The exhibition runs from June 13 to October 4.
White Cube presents the first UK exhibition by Beijing-based artist Shao Fan (also known as Yu Han, b. 1964), opening on 22 May at Mason's Yard in London. The show, titled "Refrain," features the artist's ethereal works spanning paintings, sculptures, and installations that explore the interconnectedness of humanity, deeply engaged with traditional Chinese culture and mixing past with present.
The 16th Gwangju Biennial, scheduled for September 5 to November 15, 2026, in South Korea, has announced its artist list featuring over 40 artists and groups. Curated by Singaporean artist and filmmaker Ho Tzu Nyen, the biennial is titled "You Must Change Your Life," a line from Rainer Maria Rilke's sonnet "Archaic Torso of Apollo." Ho, who represented Singapore at the 2011 Venice Biennale and organized the 2019 Asian Art Biennial, is working with assistant curators Che Kyongfa, Park Gahee, Brian Kuan Wood, Lee Yein, and Koyuri Sato.
The article reviews Georg Baselitz's final body of work, created shortly before his death at age 88. Painted from a wheeled office chair due to physical frailty, the works depict falling bodies, upside-down nudes, and frantic insectile forms, grappling with mortality. The exhibition includes golden canvases that canonize Baselitz and his wife Elke, alongside recurring eagle motifs from his youth in postwar Germany.
Britpop musician Jarvis Cocker, frontman of the band Pulp, is co-curating an exhibition titled 'The Hodge Podge' at the Hepworth Wakefield in West Yorkshire, opening in May 2027. Working with his wife, creative consultant Kim Sion, Cocker has assembled an eclectic mix of artists including Jeremy Deller, Peter Doig, Barbara Hepworth, and Klara Kristalova, with the show aiming to prompt 'unlikely conversations' between works. The couple have written a manifesto explaining the term 'hodge podge,' which originated in the 15th century, and the exhibition will conclude with a piece called Dreamachine.
Colen Lumley, an architect, critic, and painter who helped shape postwar Cambridge architecture, has died at age 93. He was a partner to modernist architect Sir Leslie Martin, contributing to projects such as the Faculty of Music building at Cambridge University, the Museum of Modern Art Oxford, and the Gulbenkian Foundation gallery in Lisbon. After his architectural career, he devoted himself to painting, exhibiting through Cambridge Open Studios.
Prediction market platform Kalshi has launched a section dedicated to art markets, allowing users to bet on outcomes such as whether Andy Warhol will break his auction record this year or if Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Gertrud Loew" (1902) will sell for more than $40 million at Sotheby's. The platform, regulated by the US government, positions itself as a democratizing force that lets retail investors speculate on an otherwise inaccessible asset class, though trading volumes have been modest compared to other markets like celebrity wedding bets. Competitor Polymarket has hosted similar predictions for years but lacks a dedicated art betting product and is unregulated.
A woman claiming to be the sole heir of Margarethe Lieser has filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court seeking restitution of Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Fräulein Margarethe Lieser." The painting was sold at Im Kinsky auction house in Austria in 2024 for $37.5 million, setting a record for any artwork sold at auction in Austria, but the Hong Kong collector buyer withdrew their offer after the sale. The suit, filed by Patricia J. Leahy on behalf of herself and others, names Austria's Eva Ropper and Im Kinsky as defendants, alleging the auction house failed to properly identify the subject and ignored the painting's Nazi-era provenance.
A new hyper-exclusive art experience called the Floating Art Hotel has launched aboard a 236-foot superyacht anchored in Monaco Bay during the Formula 1 Grand Prix. The vessel features a curated exhibition titled "States of Motion" with works by Marina Abramović, Pier Paolo Calzolari, Shirin Neshat, and Tomás Saraceno, alongside 14 private suites for a strictly vetted guest list of collectors and cultural figures. The project, conceived as a "traveling private members' club at sea," will later travel to Miami, Hong Kong, and Abu Dhabi.
French-Swiss conceptual artist Julian Charrière has created a permanent installation called "Breathe" at the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Tasmania, Australia. The artwork allows visitors to inhale oxygen extracted from 2.4-billion-year-old iron ore sourced from Australia's Pilbara region. The oxygen is released through a Hofmann apparatus in a subterranean chamber, offering a solitary, immersive experience that connects each person to the Great Oxidation Event and the origins of aerobic life. The piece opens alongside Charrière's major exhibition "Hard Core," which explores geology and includes works previously shown at the Venice Biennale.
Nearly 100 artists participating in the 2024 Venice Biennale have threatened legal action after their requests to be removed from consideration for a visitors' choice award were ignored. The artists, including Alfredo Jaar, Zoe Leonard, and Laurie Anderson, expressed shock that their names remained on the ballot despite repeated demands. The award, called the Visitors' Lions Award, was introduced as a last-minute replacement after the Biennale's traditional Golden and Silver Lion Awards were canceled when the jury resigned en masse. The jury stepped down following its decision to disqualify artists from countries accused of crimes against humanity, effectively barring Israel and Russia's pavilions, which led to legal threats from Israel's artist.
More than 100 artists participating in the Venice Biennale have threatened legal action against the organizers for ignoring their repeated requests to be removed from the visitor-voted Visitors' Lions awards. In a statement posted on e-flux on 3 June, artists from the Biennale's In Minor Keys exhibition and various national pavilions expressed disappointment that the Biennale failed to act on their demands, calling the lack of responsiveness disrespectful and the voting process lacking transparency. The signatories, including Walid Raad, Laurie Anderson, and Pio Abad, said they would begin next steps toward legal action, following a 20 May letter demanding their names be removed and votes disqualified. The Biennale responded on 28 May, stating artists would remain listed to guarantee visitors' freedom of expression but that votes for signatories would not be counted.
The Center for Photography at Woodstock (CPW) in Kingston, New York, has opened the first-ever New York Upstate Photography Biennial, featuring the work of 39 artists from the Hudson Valley and beyond. Co-curated by Marina Chao and Adam Giles Ryan, the exhibition showcases diverse photographic practices, including Morgan Gwenwald's documentation of a lesbian feminist collective in the 1970s, Allison DeBritz's collages challenging media objectification, Robert Kalman's portraits paired with handwritten responses about American identity, and Viktorsha Uliyanova's textile-based works confronting Soviet conformity. The show runs until September 6, 2026.
A small painting of hell by a follower of Hieronymus Bosch sold for $537,600 at Sotheby’s in New York, more than ten times its high estimate of $30,000–$50,000, after a six-minute bidding war among ten bidders. The result came during a strong week for Old Masters sales, with Christie’s Old Masters and 19th Century Paintings sale totaling nearly $7 million (89% sell-through rate) and Sotheby’s similar sale reaching $6.4 million (92% sell-through rate). Other standout lots included Francesco Glielmo’s *Elijah and the Angel* ($114,300 against a $15,000–$20,000 estimate), Aert van der Neer’s moonlit landscape ($120,650), and a drawing by Giulio Benso ($53,760, over 13 times its estimate).
Over 100 artists are threatening legal action against the Venice Biennale Foundation for ignoring their requests to be removed from consideration for the new "Visitors' Lion" awards. The artists, including prominent figures like Laurie Anderson, Alfredo Jaar, and Lubaina Himid, signed a letter published on e-flux demanding their names be withdrawn from the ballot due to the inclusion of national pavilions by Israel and Russia. The dispute follows the resignation of the original Golden Lion jury, which had refused to consider pavilions of countries charged with crimes against humanity, leading the foundation to replace the prize with an audience-voted award. The artists say the foundation has not officially replied to their demands, and they now seek legal recourse.
Sophie Green discusses her photograph of twins on a spinning ride at a funfair in Weston-super-Mare, taken in 2021 as part of her ongoing project documenting the British seaside. The image captures the intense colors and joyful atmosphere of seaside leisure, which she began photographing during the Covid lockdown when beaches became vital gathering spaces. Green's broader documentary work explores themes of belonging, shared heritage, and subcultures, including projects on banger racing, Black-majority churches in South London, and Irish Traveller horse fairs.
"Es gibt keinen wirklichen Normalzustand"
Neurologe Mario de la Piedra Walter hat ein Buch über das kreative Gehirn geschrieben, in dem er retrospektiv Künstler wie Vincent van Gogh, Wassily Kandinsky, Frida Kahlo und Virginia Woolf untersucht. Er analysiert, wie neurologische Erkrankungen und Wahrnehmungsstörungen – etwa Synästhesie oder Epilepsie – die Werke dieser Künstler beeinflusst haben könnten, und stützt sich dabei auf Symptombeschreibungen in deren Werken und Biografien.
French artist Jean-Marc Bustamante (born 1952) will inaugurate the Fonds Bustamante in Arles on July 9, 2026. The foundation, dedicated to contemporary art, is housed in the former Sainte-Croix church, renovated by architect Charles Zana. Its opening coincides with the Rencontres d'Arles festival and features the inaugural exhibition "Bustamante en miroirs." The facade will display an enameled lava frieze by Bustamante and a monumental sculpture by Cristina Iglesias. The project is overseen by a supervisory board and scientific committee, joining Arles' major institutions such as LUMA Arles, Lee Ufan Arles, and the Fondation Vincent Van Gogh.
Carrières de lumières : condamnation pénale de Culturespaces
France's highest court, the Cour de cassation, has definitively upheld the criminal conviction of Culturespaces and its CEO Bruno Monnier for 'recel de favoritisme' (concealment of favoritism) in the irregular award of a public service delegation for the Carrières des Baux-de-Provence. The case stems from a long-running dispute with Cathédrale d'Images, the original operator of the site since 1976, which was ousted in 2008 when the municipality awarded the contract to Culturespaces. Monnier received a six-month suspended prison sentence and a €60,000 fine, while Culturespaces was fined €100,000. The court also confirmed a five-year ban on Culturespaces participating in public procurement contracts.
Julio Le Parc, the Argentine-French artist renowned for his kinetic sculptures and Op-Art paintings, has died at the age of 97. Over a 70-year career, he created socially engaged works that used shifting lights, motors, and everyday objects like Ping-Pong balls to actively involve viewers in the experience of art.
Alan Saret, the American sculptor known for his ethereal, cloud-like wire sculptures, has died at the age of 81. His best-known works were large, airy tangles of wire that evoked tumbleweeds, nests, or tulle, often designed to sway gently in the breeze if a window was open. Saret emerged in the 1960s as part of the post-minimalist movement, gaining recognition for his innovative use of industrial materials to create delicate, seemingly weightless forms.
Refik Anadol has opened Dataland, a new venue in Los Angeles dedicated entirely to A.I.-generated art. The space features immersive installations that respond to viewers' presence, creating a two-way sensory experience. Anadol, the founder, describes Dataland as a place for "human dreamers" to explore the creative potential of artificial intelligence.
Sanford Biggers presents his first major solo survey on Long Island, featuring textile works, prints, sculptures, and installations that explore his connection to the East End’s natural environment and culture. The exhibition, titled "Where Sky Meets Water, Sanford Biggers Sees Life’s ‘Drift’," showcases the artist's ongoing engagement with themes of water, sky, and the passage of time.
Fleurs de fumée, projection monumentale… Normandie Impressionniste 2026 réactive le rêve des jardins de Monet
The sixth edition of the Normandie Impressionniste festival has launched, running through 2026 with 75 projects across 43 communes in Normandy, including 31 exhibitions. Curated by Philippe Platel, the festival is themed "Un possible jardin" (A Possible Garden), paying homage to Claude Monet, who died 100 years ago. Highlights include a monumental daytime pyrotechnic spectacle by Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang in Vernon, an exhibition of his gunpowder paintings at Mont-Saint-Michel, and shows by artists Lionel Sabatté (using mud from Monet's pond), Ange Leccia (video projections at Saint-Georges-de-Boscherville Abbey), and Sarah Moon (photographic works at Rouen's Centre photographique and Jardin des Plantes).
Oriol Vilanova, the artist representing Spain at the 61st Venice Biennale (2026), will present an installation titled *Los restos* based on his long-running postcard collection. In an interview with ArtReview, he describes working with fragments from flea markets and everyday visual culture, which he believes will resonate in Venice. The Spanish pavilion is located in the Giardini, and Vilanova notes that his presentation does not engage with national identity, instead emphasizing how postcards easily cross borders. He also acknowledges the legacy of previous Spanish pavilion artists such as Antoni Muntadas, Esther Ferrer, and Santiago Sierra.
RojoNegro, the artist duo María Sosa and Noé Martínez, will represent Mexico at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026 with an installation titled *Invisible Acts to Sustain the Universe*. Their pavilion in the Arsenale features a video, paintings made with natural dyes, ceramics, a clay-and-salt sculpture built in situ, and a sound work commissioned from artist Alberto Rubí. The project draws on over a decade of collaborative research, engaging with Indigenous knowledge systems, resistance, and ecological stewardship, inspired by anthropologists, choreographers, and filmmakers.
ArtReview published a questionnaire response from artist Nabil Nahas, who is representing Lebanon at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026. Nahas describes his planned installation, a 45-meter-long frieze of 26 panels titled "Don't Get Me Wrong," which creates an immersive environment inspired by natural processes and his own evolving visual language. The pavilion is located in the Arsenale, and the Biennale runs from 9 May to 22 November 2026.
Over one hundred artists participating in the 2026 Venice Biennale are threatening legal action unless their names are removed from the ballot for the newly created Visitors’ Lions awards. The awards were established after the entire Golden and Silver Lions jury resigned en masse earlier this spring, citing a refusal to consider artists and pavilions from countries whose leaders have been accused of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. Despite a formal request from 52 artists, collectives, and estates on May 9 to be excluded, Biennale organizers included their names in an email to ticketed visitors inviting them to vote, prompting a broader protest now involving 67 main exhibition participants and 39 national representatives.