Read a book, flip off a Nazi: when reading meant resistance – in pictures

A new exhibition at Poster House in New York, titled "Reading Under Fire: Arming Minds & Hearts During Wartime," showcases vintage posters from World War I and World War II that promoted reading and book donations to support troops. The posters, drawn from the collections of the American Library Association, the YMCA, and other organizations, encouraged the public to supply soldiers with reading material as a form of morale-boosting and education. The exhibition runs until 1 November and is curated by Molly Guptill Manning.

‘We’re attached to this land like a tree is rooted in soil’: unexpectedly timely exhibition speaks up for the people of south Lebanon

An exhibition titled 'Forget Me Not: South Lebanon in Memory and Motion' was held at London's Palestine House earlier this month. It featured archival news footage from 2000, photographs, audiovisual materials, and children's drawings to document the history, culture, and resilience of southern Lebanon, a region experiencing renewed conflict.

2026 BFA and MFA thesis exhibitions to open at NMSU Art Museum

New Mexico State University's University Art Museum will host its annual BFA and MFA thesis exhibitions, opening May 1. The MFA exhibition, 'Where We Ended Up,' features interdisciplinary artists Arch Jones and Ezekiel Martey, while the BFA show, 'Raw Perception,' showcases works by nine graduating students across diverse media including painting, sculpture, photography, and ceramics.

Mary Lovelace O’Neal, painter and activist, 1942–2026

Mary Lovelace O’Neal, the American painter, professor, and civil rights activist, has died at age 84. Born in Jackson, Mississippi, she was a co-founder of the Non-Violent Action Group while a student at Howard University, later earning an MFA from Columbia University. Known for monumental abstract works on soot-black surfaces, she developed her signature technique through the Lampblack series (1960s–70s) and continued evolving her practice through series such as Whales Fucking (1970s–80s) and Panthers In My Father’s Palace (1980s–90s). In 1985, she became the first African American woman to receive tenure in the Department of Art Practice at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught for nearly three decades and served as chair from 1999 until her retirement in 2006.

Rafał Zajko Is Hatching a Plan

Rafał Zajko's exhibition 'The Egg Egg' at Arsenal Gallery in Białystok, Poland, brings together 50 works from the past decade across two floors of a former power station, organized into nine 'acts'. The show features modular installations like 'Funny Games' (2025), a set of pastel-colored platforms on wheels with ceramic reliefs, and monumental sculptures such as 'Sisyphus' (2025), a suspended ceramic bobbin evoking textile factory tools. Performances by Agnieszka Szczotka, including 'Song to the Siren' (2026), activate works like 'Amber Chamber III Echo' (2025), blending archaism, futurism, and themes of labor and technology.

Long Live the King?

Sam Jacob's essay in ArtReview uses the upcoming Baz Luhrmann film 'EPIC: Elvis Presley in Concert' (2026) as a springboard to explore the cultural and technical implications of digital restoration. The film, a spinoff from Luhrmann's 2022 Elvis biopic, draws on 59 hours of previously unseen footage from Elvis Presley's 1970 and 1972 Las Vegas performances, recovered from Warner's Kansas salt-mine archive. Using Peter Jackson's Park Road Post technology—including Machine Assisted Learning (MAL) for demixing audio and video—the damaged, fragmented material has been digitally scanned, reconstructed, and enhanced to 4k resolution with 12-channel sound, presented in IMAX cinemas.

Shigeo Toya, artist who looked to nature with his wood sculptures, 1947–2026

Shigeo Toya, the Japanese artist renowned for his chainsaw-hewn wood sculptures, has died at age 79. Born in 1947 in a small village in Nagano Prefecture, Toya began his signature Woods series in 1984, carving rough textures into tall lumber and arranging the pieces like a forest. His series Twenty Eight Deaths featured stacked wooden blocks with cavities and burn marks. Toya represented Japan at the Venice Biennale in 1988 and later exhibited at the Asia Pacific Triennial (1993) and Gwangju Biennale (2000). A major survey of his work was held at the Nagano Prefectural Art Museum and The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, in 2022–23.

Julie Hamisky's garden, the artist who fixes the ephemeral in time, is on show in a Milan auction house

Il giardino di Julie Hamisky, l’artista che fissa l’effimero nel tempo è in mostra in una casa d’aste di Milano

French artist and designer Julie Hamisky presents 'Giardino Alchemico' (Alchemical Garden) at Pandolfini Auction House in Milan during Fuorisalone 2025. The exhibition, organized in collaboration with Galerie Mitterrand of Paris, features around twenty works including monumental sculptures like 'La Géante' (a giant poppy), jewelry, and a chandelier titled 'Aqua'. Hamisky uses electroplating—a 19th-century technique she learned from her father-in-law—to preserve fresh flowers and botanical forms by coating them in metal, freezing them at the peak of their beauty before decay begins.

Sung Tieu and the Art of Difficulty

Sung Tieu, a Vietnamese-born German artist, is the subject of a critical feature in Frieze that examines her work's engagement with difficulty—both in terms of the complex political and historical themes she tackles and the challenging formal qualities of her installations. The article highlights her recent projects, including works shown at the Venice Biennale, which address issues of surveillance, migration, and Cold War legacies through meticulous research and unconventional materials.

AT THE ART GALLERIES

The article announces a series of May art exhibitions across multiple galleries in Key West, Florida. The Studios of Key West opens four solo shows: Tim Marshall Curtis's "Giants Among Us" featuring towering sculptures, Carole Faye's "Reverence/Irrelevance" with works made from scavenged materials, Andree B. Carter's "Roots of a City" textile paintings, and Wayne Garcia's "Once There Was a Railroad" hand-carved reliefs. Other venues include the Key West Collective featuring Steve Bikis and Brad Gruss, Harrison Gallery showcasing Santa Fe artist Melinda K. Hall, Gallery on Greene honoring Peter Vey, and Shade and Shutter Gallery highlighting Mark Klammer's pottery.

This illustrator is the best Nova Scotian folk artist you’ve never heard of

The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) has opened "On the Matter of Memory: The Drawings of Harold Cromwell," the first solo exhibition dedicated to the late African Nova Scotian folk artist. Cromwell (1919–2008) created intricate ballpoint-pen drawings on everyday surfaces like cupboard doors and paper plates, chronicling working-class rural life. His works were sold for a few dollars at the Annapolis Farmer’s Market and were largely overlooked during his lifetime, despite his regional popularity. The exhibition runs until September 13, 2026, and aims to elevate his legacy alongside better-known Nova Scotian folk artists like Maud Lewis.

Daniel Blumberg at Galerie Balice Hertling

Galerie Balice Hertling in Paris is presenting an exhibition of silverpoint drawings by artist Daniel Blumberg, running from March 26 to May 16, 2026. The show features 57 images documented by photographer Aurélien Mole, with no accompanying videos or text descriptions in the visual record.

John Riepenhoff at Cooper Cole

John Riepenhoff's solo exhibition "Out of Mind" is on view at Cooper Cole in Toronto from March 28 to May 2, 2026. The presentation includes 80 images documenting the show, with press release, checklist, and venue details available through the gallery's website and the Contemporary Art Library.

Jack White opens debut art exhibition in London at Newport Street Gallery starting May 29

Jack White, the Grammy-winning musician and frontman of The White Stripes, will open his debut art exhibition titled "These Thoughts May Disappear" at Newport Street Gallery in London on May 29, 2026. The show, running through September 13, features sculptures, interactive works, installations, and furniture design that White calls "Hardware Store Art," blending found objects, tools, epoxy, and assemblage. It includes a remake of his 2015 sculpture "The Red Tree" and marks his first public showing as a visual artist after two decades of private practice.

The San Juan Islands Museum of Art Summer 2026 Exhibitions include Photography, etching, glass sculpture and feather sculpture

The San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) in Friday Harbor, Washington, will present three exhibitions from June 11 to September 14, 2026, featuring photography, etching, glass sculpture, and feather sculpture. The exhibitions include "Convergence & Divergence: The Family Aesthetic" in the Nichols Gallery, showcasing the work of Imogen Cunningham, Roi Partridge, and Rondal Partridge together for the first time, with over 100 photographs and prints spanning nearly 110 years. Also on view are "Feathered Masterpieces: The Artistry of Chris Maynard" in the North Gallery, featuring intricate feather carvings, and a glass sculpture by Raven Skyriver.

Pinta Lima Offered Curated Content–and Context–for the Curious

Pinta Lima, the 13th edition of the art fair, opened with a vibrant VIP preview and strong attendance of 16,000 visitors. The fair features around 50 booths and special presentations, with a curation-driven approach that includes sections like NEXT (curated by Juan Canela) and RADAR (curated by Ilaria Conti), as well as FORO panel discussions. The fair emphasizes Latin American art, particularly Peruvian contemporary art, and is part of the broader Pinta network that stages fairs and Art Weeks across Latin America and the U.S. Textile, fiber, and ceramic works are notably prominent, recontextualizing indigenous craft traditions.

Rare, World-Class Masterworks from Picasso to Dalí Meet Contemporary Artists in Front Royal at Ichiuji Fine Arts Gallery

The Melissa Ichiuji Studio Gallery in Front Royal, Virginia, opened a new exhibition titled 'Slow Image: Material Intelligence Across Generations' on April 25th. The show features original prints by major 20th-century artists including Picasso, Miró, Matisse, Dalí, Chagall, Calder, and Giacometti, displayed alongside contemporary artists working in clay, steel, textiles, collage, drawing, and paint. Gallery proprietor and artist Melissa Ichiuji conceived the exhibition over two years, aiming to create a museum-level experience in an intimate setting for the local community.

‘Studio Iron’ to Launch at Saatchi Yates, Blurring the Boundaries Between Art and Design

Saatchi Yates is partnering with creative director and makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench to launch Studio Iron, a new design gallery whose inaugural exhibition opens April 30 and runs through June 7, 2026. The show presents a dense, post-industrial landscape dominated by steel and iron, featuring works by artists including Jannis Kounellis, Paul McCarthy, Jordan Wolfson, Anne Imhof, Marina Abramovic, Nico Vascellari, and others. Furniture, sculpture, installation, and painting collide in a space that resists categorization, hovering between function and non-function, utility and image.

GABRIEL CHAILE DESPLIEGA SU ARQUELOGIA DE LO MIGRATORIO EN LONDRES

Argentine artist Gabriel Chaile has opened a new commission titled "Archaeology of Memory" at the Whitechapel Gallery in London. The site-specific installation transforms a large gallery space into an archaeological excavation site, incorporating everyday and decorative objects sourced from the surrounding East End neighborhood. These objects are embedded into monumental adobe sculptures that draw on the forms and material traditions of Indigenous communities from northwest Argentina, where Chaile originates. The artist acts as both anthropologist and storyteller, exploring a "genealogy of form" that traces recurring motifs across cultures and time.

GABRIEL CHAILE UNFOLDS HIS ARCHAEOLOGY OF MIGRATION IN LONDON

Argentine artist Gabriel Chaile has opened a new commission titled "Archaeology of Memory" at London's Whitechapel Gallery. The site-specific installation features monumental adobe sculptures that incorporate everyday and decorative objects sourced from the surrounding East End neighborhood. Chaile, who is based in Lisbon, draws on the material traditions of Indigenous communities from northwest Argentina, blending roles as artist, anthropologist, and storyteller to explore themes of migration, identity, and cultural memory.

At the Venice Biennale, the Armenian Pavilion Transforms into an Artist's Workshop: Works Are Born in Front of the Public

Alla Biennale di Venezia il Padiglione dell’Armenia si trasforma in bottega d’artista: le opere nascono di fronte al pubblico

The Armenian Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale will transform into a functioning artist's studio, where sculptor Zadik Zadikian will create works in real time before the public. Titled "The Studio," the project is curated by gallerist Tony Shafrazi and curator Tina Chakarian, and will operate daily from May 6 to November 22 at the Tesa 41 of the Arsenale. Zadikian, born in Yerevan in 1948 and now based in the US, will work with traditional Armenian plaster techniques alongside his son Aram and studio assistants, emphasizing the process of making over the finished object.

No money, more problems: 85% of US museums in urgent need of building repairs

A recent survey by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that approximately 85% of US museums face a costly backlog of maintenance or building repairs, with 77% having at least one structural issue that puts their collections at risk. Based on a survey of around 300 museums and 17 site visits, the report reveals that institutions across the country struggle to keep buildings updated and safe due to a lack of funding, with challenges especially pronounced in rural and remote locations where shipping materials and finding skilled workers is prohibitively expensive. Many museums are housed in historic homes or sites that are part of their collections, adding further complexity, and smaller museums often lack the budget to address major problems like new roofs or HVAC systems.

UMich art museum glorifies left-wing protests

A new exhibition at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) titled “American Sampler: The Art, Language and Legacy of Protest” features posters, pamphlets, and video from 1960s and ‘70s left-wing protest movements, including the Black Panthers, Vietnam War protesters, and the anarchist Yippies. Guest curator Julie Ault organized the show using materials from U-M’s Labadie Collection, which holds radical literature. Conservative commentator Bobby Mars, writing for the Michigan Enjoyer, criticizes the exhibit for allegedly glorifying violence and anti-American sentiment, arguing that the museum’s framing encourages today’s students to protest against the government.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Unveils Its Fashion Galleries, Highlighting Fashion’s Place in Museums

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has unveiled the new Condé M. Nast Galleries, a nearly 12,000-square-foot suite of exhibition spaces designed by Brooklyn-based architecture firm Peterson Rich Office. Located adjacent to the museum's Great Hall, the galleries relocate fashion exhibitions from a previously tucked-away basement space to one of the museum's most visible and architecturally significant locations. The new spaces debuted with "Costume Art," an exhibition organized by The Costume Institute and curated by Andrew Bolton, which places roughly 200 garments and accessories in dialogue with 200 artworks from the museum's collection, exploring themes such as "The Classical Body," "The Aging Body," and "The Disabled Body." The design, by architects Miriam Peterson and Nathan Rich, uses a restrained material palette of grey marmorino plaster and oak doors framed by limestone arches to create permanent-feeling yet flexible spaces that harmonize with the museum's historic Beaux-Arts architecture.

Generations A Solo Exhibition by Julie Torres May 15 – July 11, 2026

Julie Miller Torres, a Tallahassee native and Maclay School graduate now based in Atlanta, is presenting a solo exhibition titled "Generations" at the Gadsden Arts Center & Museum in Quincy, Florida, from May 15 to July 11, 2026. The exhibition showcases her signature works—woven screenprints and paper quilts—that blend everyday materials like crochet and weaving with themes of freedom and empowerment. One of her most recognized pieces, "Super Diva," a portrait of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is part of the permanent collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Torres holds degrees from the University of Florida, the University of Miami, and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and her work appears in major collections including Delta Airlines, the Ritz-Carlton, SCAD, and the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation.

Without Childhood Photos, A Haitian American Artist Spends A Decade Imagining Her Family Archive

Artist Widline Cadet, who was separated from her mother for six years as a child during her family's emigration from Haiti to New York, has spent nearly a decade creating a multi-generational "living archive" of photographs, video, sound, and sculpture. The archive fills the gaps left by scarce family photographs and fading memories, exploring the diasporic experience and the elusiveness of memory. The largest presentation of this work is currently on view at the Milwaukee Art Museum in the exhibition "Currents 40: Widline Cadet."

Venice exhibition rethinks curating and creativity in the AI era

A new exhibition titled *Metamorphosis: Beyond the Real. Searching for Victoria Lu – When Humans and AI Think Together, the Story Begins* has opened at Ca' Foscari Esposizioni in Venice, running parallel to the 2026 Venice Biennale. The show centers on Victoria Lu, a pioneering Chinese curator whose five-decade career helped shape contemporary Asian art. It features archival materials, AI-generated works, and collaborative experiments exploring the intersection of human creativity and artificial intelligence.

Unsung modernist artist's work back in Christchurch after 45 years

A major exhibition of works by pioneering New Zealand modernist painter Edith Collier has opened at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, marking the first time in 45 years that Christchurch audiences can see a wide range of her work. The show, titled 'Edith Collier: Early New Zealand Modernist,' features over 60 pieces including studies, sketches, watercolours, prints, and archival material, drawn from the permanent collection of Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui. Collier, born in 1885, developed a bold post-impressionist style during a nine-year stay in London alongside artist Frances Hodgkins, but faced harsh criticism upon returning to conservative New Zealand, leading her father to destroy some of her paintings.

Six environmental artists win this year’s Rewilding Art Prize

Six Canadian artists have been awarded the 2026 Rewilding Arts Prize, established in 2023 by the David Suzuki Foundation and Rewilding Magazine. The winners include Nicole McDonald-Fournier, whose project EmballeToi! repurposes old winter coats as plant-growing pots, and the Montreal/Toronto duo Masumi Rodriguez and Elena Kirby, who run community papermaking workshops using invasive plant species. The prize awards $2,000 to each artist and plans to feature their work in a future exhibition, following the inaugural winners' show at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa.

N.Y.'s Met museum to add Japanese designer Tamae Hirokawa to collection

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will add garments by Japanese designer Tamae Hirokawa to its permanent collection. Seven bodysuits from her signature "Skin Series" line, which explores the concept of seamless knitwear as a "second skin," will be displayed in the spring 2026 Costume Art exhibition. Hirokawa joins fellow Japanese designers Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo, and Hanae Mori in the museum's Costume Institute collection. The exhibition, held in new galleries adjacent to the Great Hall, pairs garments with artworks to highlight the relationship between clothing and the body.