The Walters Art Museum: New leadership and a new exhibition

The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore has appointed Kate Burgin as its new director, succeeding Dr. Julia Alexander, who left the museum after 11 years to run a foundation in New York and passed away suddenly at age 57 earlier this month. Burgin, previously the museum's deputy director, now leads the institution while the community mourns Alexander's loss. Meanwhile, the museum has opened its first permanent exhibition of Latin American art, featuring works from over 40 cultures across North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean.

‘Rethinking, Reimagining and Reinstalling’ the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has unveiled a massive $1.5 billion renovation plan titled "Rethinking, Reimagining and Reinstalling," which aims to transform approximately 25 percent of its galleries and public spaces. This ambitious capital project includes the complete overhaul of the Oscar L. and Annette de la Renta Wing for modern and contemporary art, the renovation of the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing for the arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, and significant updates to the European Paintings galleries.

New Flagship Space for SAMoCA Announced As Part of Saudi Vision 2030

The Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art (SAMoCA) will receive a new flagship space as part of the government-backed Diriyah Company's Saudi Vision 2030 initiative. The museum, financed by a $490 million grant from the Diriyah Company (owned by the Public Investment Fund), will be designed by British architecture firm Godwin Austen Johnson and built by Albawani Company and Hassan Allam Construction – Saudi Arabia. Spanning 77,000 square meters, the project is part of the $63.2 billion Diriyah giga-project aimed at transforming the city into a premier cultural destination.

Jemima Wyman

Jemima Wyman's retrospective "Deep Surface" surveys three decades of her work exploring DIY aesthetics of concealment, protest iconography, and political solidarity. Born in Sydney and based in Los Angeles since 2004, Wyman is known for collages of masked protesters, activist signage, and street rally residues, as seen in works like *Aggregate Icon (RBW)* (2016) and *Mass Monument (Y & B)* (2018). The exhibition highlights her early inspiration from Fluxus, Minimalism, and Yayoi Kusama, as well as the influence of Brisbane's late-1990s art scenes and postcolonial Indigenous Australian art debates. Wyman, who has Indigenous (Palawa) heritage, uses camouflage and disguise to blur boundaries between visibility and concealment, figure and ground.

Illustrative Artist: Anthony Bartley’s Journey From Science into the Gallery

Anthony Bartley, a 27-year-old artist from Chicago's South Side, is presenting twenty acrylic paintings from 2023 to the present in his solo exhibition “Words I’ve Never Said: A Community Healing and Art Exhibition” in Hyde Park. The show explores themes of love, grief, and mental health, doubling as a creative space for community engagement. Bartley’s journey began with childhood interests in anime, Pokémon cards, and video games like Kingdom Hearts and Halo Reach, later influenced by his mother Jeanette, a dean at Triton College, who exposed him to science. He initially majored in molecular biology at Washington University in St. Louis before turning to art as a form of journaling, developing a style he calls “illustrative painting” that blends pop art and street art elements.

In Venice two new cultural realities in the Civic Museums circuit: a contemporary art center is born in Mestre and the Wagner Museum enters the network

A Venezia due nuove realtà culturali nel circuito dei Musei Civici: nasce un centro d’arte contemporanea a Mestre e entra nella rete il Museo Wagner

The Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE) has opened a new contemporary art museum called MUVEC (Casa delle Contemporaneità) at the Centro Candiani in Mestre, inaugurated on April 24. Simultaneously, MUVE has signed an agreement with the Casinò di Venezia and the Associazione Richard Wagner to bring the Museo Wagner in Ca' Vendramin Calergi into its network starting in 2027, expanding the MUVE circuit to 14 museums (excluding MUVEC). MUVEC features a permanent collection spanning from 1948 to the present, drawn from the Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Venezia Ca' Pesaro, and will host temporary exhibitions including a 2026 show on Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka and the body.

In Verona, the Palazzo Maffei Museum opens a new multifunctional space by reclaiming an ancient chapel

A Verona il museo di Palazzo Maffei apre un nuovo spazio polifunzionale recuperando un’antica cappella

Palazzo Maffei House Museum in Verona has inaugurated a new multifunctional space called "Il Monastero," following the restoration of an ancient chapel located behind the main palace. Inspired by a memory of seeing Miquel Barceló’s work in a deconsecrated Sicilian church, director Vanessa Carlon spearheaded the project to create a contemplative, intimate environment for exhibitions and educational activities. The restoration uncovered original frescoes, vaults, and columns, breathing new life into a previously neglected corner of the city's historic center.

Visit the Art of Science Gallery

Florida Atlantic University is opening its 7th Annual Art of Science gallery exhibition, featuring visual art created by university researchers from their scientific work. The images were selected from a university-wide contest and will be on display at the Ritter Art Gallery on the Boca Raton campus from March 31 to April 20.

9 artists break auction records at Sotheby’s South Asian sale.

Nine artists broke auction records at Sotheby’s modern and contemporary South Asian sale in New York on March 17, 2025. The sale totaled $16.8 million, more than tripling its low estimate of $4.9 million. The top lot was Jagdish Swaminathan’s triptych *Homage to Solzhenitsyn* (1973), which sold for $4.68 million, far exceeding its estimate. Jehangir Sabavala’s *The Journey of the Magi* (1963) followed at $2.73 million. Other record-breakers included Ganesh Pyne, Madhvi Parekh, Nelly Sethna, Sheikh Mohammed Sultan, Mohan Sharma, and M. Sain.

A "National Treasure" Enters the Louvre

Un « trésor national » entre au Louvre

The Musée du Louvre has quietly acquired and installed a major masterpiece of French decorative arts: a commode adorned with Sèvres porcelain plaques by the renowned cabinetmaker Bernard II van Risen Burgh (BVRB). Formerly part of the prestigious Rothschild family collections, the piece was classified as a "national treasure" by the French government in 2023. Although the museum originally planned a public fundraising campaign to finance the acquisition, the initiative was canceled following a high-profile burglary at the museum in October 2025.

Asking New and Better Questions with Cheryl Pope

Artist Cheryl Pope has opened a solo exhibition titled "All There Is" at Monique Meloche Gallery in Chicago. The show features new, large-scale works made from needle-punched wool roving on cashmere that depict landscapes, marking a shift from her previous focus on the human form, memory, and identity. The exhibition runs through May 16.

‘Southeast Exchange’: New La Jolla mural showcases findings at Texas discount store

Artist Lizzie Zelter has installed a new large-scale mural titled "Southeast Exchange" in La Jolla, California, as part of the Murals of La Jolla public art initiative. The composition is based on the artist's observations of a discount store in Brownsville, Texas, featuring a dense array of consumer goods and reflective surfaces that explore themes of domestic arrangement and cultural artifacts. The work is designed to be read from right to left, mimicking the flow of pedestrian traffic and challenging traditional visual perspectives.

Spain’s galleries are protesting against high taxes—can Arco Madrid help voice their concerns?

The 45th edition of Arco Madrid, Spain’s premier contemporary art fair, is set to host 206 galleries from 36 countries at the Ifema convention centre. While the fair remains a vital commercial hub, it is currently overshadowed by a nationwide protest from Spanish galleries against the country's 21% VAT on art purchases. This tax rate is among the highest in Europe, significantly outpacing neighbors like Portugal and France, leading to concerns about international competitiveness and the classification of contemporary art as a luxury elite product.

Historic Monument Honors New York's First Arabic-Speaking Community

New York City unveiled its first commemorative public artwork under Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration on April 30, honoring the historic "Little Syria" neighborhood in Manhattan's Financial District. The monument, titled "Al Qalam (The Pen): Poets in the Park," is a mosaic installation and sculpture by French-Moroccan artist Sara Ouhaddou, created over the past decade. It celebrates nine members of the enclave's literary community, including Lebanese-American poet Khalil Gibran, who co-founded the writers' association Pen Bond in 1920. The $1.6 million artwork sits in Elizabeth H. Berger Plaza, within the blocks where immigrants from Greater Syria settled in the late 19th century before being displaced by tunnel construction in the 1940s.

Ukraine Sanctions Russian Culture Figures Linked to Country’s Participation in Venice Biennale

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued a decree imposing sanctions on five Russian cultural figures involved in the Russian Pavilion for the 2026 Venice Biennale. The sanctioned individuals include pavilion commissioner Anastasia Karneeva, former culture minister Mikhail Shvydkoy, and three performers from the Intrada Ensemble. Ukrainian officials argue that these figures use international art platforms to legitimize Russian aggression and spread state propaganda, specifically citing past activities in occupied territories like Crimea and Donetsk.

Native Americans created dice more than 12,000 years ago, study finds

Archaeological research from Colorado State University has identified the world's oldest known dice, created by Native American hunter-gatherers on the western Great Plains over 12,000 years ago. These two-sided "binary lots," found at Folsom-period sites in Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico, predate the earliest known Old World dice by more than 6,000 years. The study reclassifies artifacts previously overlooked or misidentified, highlighting that these objects were the only decorated, non-utilitarian items found at these late-Pleistocene sites.

biennale of sydney jewish group pro palestine artists

The Biennale of Sydney has officially denied allegations of discrimination and bias following claims from Australia’s Jewish community that the exhibition's selection process favored anti-Zionist artists. The controversy intensified when the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies declined a preview invitation, citing "objectionable social media activity" by participating artists rather than the artworks themselves. In response, the Biennale maintained that its selection process is based strictly on artistic merit and that the organization maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward all forms of racism, including antisemitism and Islamophobia.

lebanese ministry of culture urges unesco to grant enhanced protections to cultural property

Lebanon’s Ministry of Culture has formally petitioned UNESCO to secure enhanced protections for the nation’s cultural heritage sites as regional conflict intensifies. Culture Minister Ghassan Salamé urged the UN agency to intervene with belligerent parties to ensure the safety of irreplaceable landmarks, including the National Museum of Beirut and the Roman ruins of Baalbek. UNESCO confirmed it has shared the coordinates of these World Heritage sites with all involved parties to prevent accidental or intentional targeting during military operations.

what would happen to auction houses if luxury art sales

Major auction houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips are experiencing a significant shift as luxury goods—such as cars, watches, handbags, and jewelry—see explosive growth while fine art sales decline. In 2025, fine art sales at the 'Big Three' fell by 35% to $7.04 billion, whereas luxury auction sales rose 18% to $1.84 billion. This trend is most visible at Sotheby’s, where luxury now accounts for a third of total revenue, driven by massive private sales and strategic expansions into sectors like collector cars.

trump hotel belgrade plan collapses indictments

Plans to convert Belgrade's historic Generalštab complex, a former Yugoslav military headquarters and landmark of postwar Modernism, into a Trump International Hotel have collapsed. The developer, Affinity Global Development, withdrew from the deal after Serbia's culture minister and three senior heritage officials were indicted on charges of abuse of office and falsifying documents related to the project.

smithsonian internment unjust self censorship

The Trump administration has intensified pressure on the Smithsonian Institution, setting a deadline for compliance with a review of its content and plans to align with the president's executive order "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History." According to reports in the New York Times and the Guardian, Smithsonian staff are already engaging in self-censorship, including removing the word "unjust" from a proposed exhibition label about the internment of Japanese Americans, fearing it might appear partisan. This comes after Trump called for purging "anti-American ideology" from the institution's 19 museums in 2025.

lindsey halligan trump smithsonian executive order

President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the Smithsonian Institution to be purged of "divisive, race-centered ideology." The order tasks Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum with overseeing the review of the Smithsonian's 21 museums, the National Zoo, and other sites. However, the article focuses on Lindsey Halligan, a former property lawyer from Fort Lauderdale, who is named twice in the order as the only individual specifically charged with co-piloting the initiative alongside Vance. Halligan, a former Trump legal team member involved in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case and a defamation lawsuit against CNN, has a background in property law and little public record on cultural or historical matters.

pascaline early arithmetic machine christies sale

Christie’s has halted the sale of a rare 17th-century Pascaline arithmetic machine, originally scheduled for auction on November 19, after the Administrative Tribunal of Paris suspended its export license. The machine, invented by Blaise Pascal and estimated at €2–3 million, was pulled from sale at the consignor’s request following pressure from French cultural campaigners who argue it should be classified as a National Treasure to prevent its departure from France.

lawsuit dismissed yuga labs bored ape yacht club nfts howey

A federal judge dismissed a class action lawsuit against Yuga Labs, the company behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT collection, ruling that its digital assets—including Bored Ape NFTs and ApeCoin—do not qualify as securities under the Howey test. Plaintiffs Adonis Real and Adam Titcher had alleged that Yuga Labs colluded with celebrities like Justin Bieber, Madonna, and Steph Curry, as well as talent agent Guy Oseary and crypto platform MoonPay, to inflate prices and violate securities laws. Judge Fernando Olguin found that while the plaintiffs satisfied one prong of the Howey test—expectation of profits from others' efforts—they failed to meet the other requirements, leading to the dismissal.

art basel paris avant premiere initiative

Art Basel Paris has announced a new ultra-VIP preview program called "Avant Première" for its upcoming edition at the Grand Palais. Scheduled for Tuesday, October 21, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., the initiative allows all 203 participating galleries to invite select clients for an exclusive early viewing, ahead of the fair's official VIP days on October 22–23. The fair declined to disclose how many invitations each gallery can extend. The program was first reported by the Baer Faxt, and Art Basel CEO Noah Horowitz described it as "for the market, by the market."

phillips juvenile triceratops november sales

Phillips will auction a juvenile triceratops skeleton nicknamed "Cera" during its modern and contemporary art sale on November 18 in New York. The 66-million-year-old fossil, excavated in South Dakota in 2016, is the first full juvenile triceratops ever discovered and the first triceratops to come to auction in the US in over a decade, with a presale estimate of $2.5 million to $3.5 million. The auction house is also introducing a new section called "Out of This World" within the sale, featuring natural history objects including a Steneosaurus bollensis fossil and a golden nugget, in partnership with Zurich-based art dealer Christian D. Link.

france returns colonial era human remains to madagascar

France has returned three colonial-era human skulls to Madagascar, including one believed to belong to King Toera, a Malagasy king executed by French troops in 1897. The skulls were handed over to Malagasy representatives at the French Culture Ministry on Monday, after being held in Paris’s National Museum of Natural History. French Culture Minister Rachida Dati called the return “historic,” while her Malagasy counterpart Volamiranty Donna Mara described it as healing an “open wound” after 128 years.

formula 1 memorabilia auction sothebys rm

RM Sotheby's is hosting an online auction titled "The Champions – Schumacher and F1 Legends" from July 24 to 30, featuring 280 lots of Formula 1 memorabilia. Highlights include a Cartier Automatic watch gifted by Enzo Ferrari to Fiat executive Gianni Agnelli in 1988, estimated at €10,000–€20,000, and over 150 lots related to Michael Schumacher, such as racing suits, helmets, and boots from his career. Other notable items include watches presented to Jean Todt and Michael Schumacher, as well as memorabilia from drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Ayrton Senna, and Fernando Alonso. A selection of 35 lots will be displayed at the Concours of Elegance in Tegernsee, Germany.

1-54 makes the most of its new home in New York

The 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair is holding its 11th New York edition at the Halo in the Financial District through May 11. Founder Touria El Glaoui notes a market shift toward more accessible pieces and prices amid the turbulent US economy. Of 30 participating dealers, ten are US-based, including first-time participant Gallery Article 15 from Washington, DC, which specializes in Congolese contemporary art. Other US galleries like Yossi Milo from Chelsea and Knowhere Art Gallery from Martha’s Vineyard are showing works by artists such as Samuel Fosso, Ibrahim Said, Sanlé Sory, Adana Tillman, and Maria-Lana Queen, with prices ranging from $500 to $36,000.

Vilcek Foundation to Award $200,000 in Grants to Nonprofits Uplifting Immigrant Contributions

The Vilcek Foundation is accepting applications for its 2026 grant cycle, offering up to $20,000 per grant to nonprofit organizations that highlight immigrant contributions in the arts, sciences, and culture. The total funding pool is $200,000, with a deadline of April 30, 2026. This initiative marks the second year of this specific grant program, expanding the foundation's long-standing mission as it celebrates its 25th anniversary.