Radiohead singer Thom Yorke and artist Stanley Donwood have opened their first-ever exhibition outside the UK at Castello 2432 in Venice. Titled "No Go Elevator (Not Without No Keycard)," the show features new ink drawings and a large-scale painting created in London earlier this year, timed to the start of the 61st Venice Biennale. The exhibition runs through June 7.
Musician Jarvis Cocker, best known as the frontman of the band Pulp, and his wife Kim Sion, a creative consultant, will curate a group exhibition titled “The Hodge Podge” at The Hepworth Wakefield in the UK in 2027. The show will feature a diverse range of artworks across different eras and media, focusing on artists who challenge conventional definitions of art. This marks Cocker’s first curatorial project at a major institution.
The 2026 Venice Biennale is embroiled in multiple controversies, including the cancellation and reinstatement of Australia's representative artist Khaled Sabsabi, ongoing calls to bar Israel from participating, criticism over allowing Russia to participate, and mounting voices to exclude the U.S. in response to President Donald Trump's actions in Iran. Despite these disputes, the article highlights that many of the city's most exciting shows will take place away from the main Biennale venues.
A set of bronze mirrors by French sculptor Claude Lalanne sold for $33.5 million with fees at Sotheby’s in New York, smashing multiple auction records. The Ensemble of Fifteen Mirrors from 1974 more than doubled its high estimate of $15 million after a 10-minute bidding war between five collectors.
The 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has unveiled its lineup of large-scale art installations, featuring major works by Dutch artist Sabine Marcelis, London-based architect Kyriakos Chatziparaskevas, and The Los Angeles Design Group (LADG). The program, curated by Raffi Lehrer of Public Art Company and Paul Clement, will transform the festival grounds with immersive experiences including a massive glowing maze and towering sculptural structures.
Rockefeller Center in New York has installed a new public sculpture, 'Vertical Highways V03 (2025)', by German Iranian artist Bettina Pousttchi. The work, composed of bent and battered red guardrails arranged in a tangle, will be on view in the Channel Gardens through April 17th.
Photographer Peter Fraser has collaborated with Bottega Veneta on a new series of 27 photographs exploring Venice, capturing both its iconic landmarks—canals, marble floors, Byzantine façades—and its overlooked details like construction cranes, discarded plaster casts, and beached boats. The images are juxtaposed with Bottega Veneta's intrecciato bags from Louise Trotter's first collection, nodding to the fashion house's long history in the Veneto region. In an interview, Fraser discusses his approach to photographing a city burdened by its own legacy, emphasizing the need to distance himself from preconceptions and to shoot based on feeling rather than appearance.
CULTURED and Aritzia co-hosted a dinner party at the former Fred Segal store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles during Frieze Week. The event celebrated Aritzia's Artistic License series, featuring photographer Gregory Crewdson, whose work appears on shopping bags and in stores. Guests included Aritzia CEO Jennifer Wong, CULTURED Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson, artists Chloe Wise and Maya Man, curator Essence Harden, and others from the art and fashion worlds. The evening featured a multi-course meal, Krug champagne, and copies of CULTURED's Entertainers Issue.
A celebratory apéro dînatoire was held at the New York home of patrons Warren and Abigail Klem Spector to launch the Spector Craft Prize, a new initiative by the Spector Family Foundation that supports fine craft and its makers through recognition and financial support. The evening was co-hosted by CULTURED Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson and artist Katie Stout, whose ceramics were integrated into the tablescape, and featured a crowd of cultural heavyweights including prize jury chairman Glenn Adamson, jurors Zesty Meyers and Rosanne Somerson, and designers Misha Kahn and Adam Charlap Hyman.
CULTURED magazine's Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson hosted a candlelit dinner at her Los Angeles home to celebrate the release of the Artists on Artists issue. The event was co-hosted by actor Kyle MacLachlan, the issue's digital cover star, and skincare brand Aēsop. Guests included artists Alex Israel, Jennifer Guidi, Callida Rawles, and Lauren Halsey; actors Jeanne Tripplehorn, Jordan Firstman, and Lisa Rinna; art dealers Sara Lee Hantman and Robert Goff; collector Sonya Yu; and other creative Angelenos. The evening featured Ruinart champagne, seasonal fare by Chris Kronner's Mayday group, and Aēsop gift kits as parting favors.
Last Thursday, an intimate panel conversation took place at the sales gallery of the Jean-Georges Miami Tropic Residences in the Miami Design District, bringing together leaders from visual culture. Panelists included CULTURED Editor-at-Large Julia Halperin, designer Glenn Pushelberg, artist Marcel Dzama, and art advisor Jamie Stagnitta, who discussed how art, design, and culture shape contemporary living. Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten surprised guests by arriving at the event.
Sam Chermayeff and Stella Roos are planning a day-long wedding party for 250 people in an abandoned Fascist-era villa in Rome, originally built as Olivetti offices. The couple, who live in Berlin but have no family there, decided on Rome for its festive appeal. They initially considered joining the Catholic Church to secure a venue but ultimately arranged to hold their ceremony in a ruined church on the Appia Antica, with artist Tacita Dean asked to officiate. The party venue, inherited by a friend of a friend, sits near the Baths of Caracalla and features overgrown gardens and dusty rooms. Invitations were designed by their friend Leo of Something Fantastic, and the couple's mood board includes whimsical details like an ice sculpture, tiny potatoes, and a flower chain.
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.
Clara Wu Tsai, owner of the New York Liberty, and CULTURED Arts Editor-at-Large Sophia Cohen hosted an evening at Barclays Center in Brooklyn to honor artist LaToya Ruby Frazier. The event celebrated the debut of Frazier's first outdoor public art commission, "The Liberty Portraits: A Monument to the 2024 Champions," which reimagines the plaza as a tribute to the women's basketball team. Attendees included WNBA players Natasha Cloud and Isabelle Harrison, Brooklyn Nets CEO Sam Zussman, artists Sarah Sze, Joan Jonas, Shaun Leonardo, and Dustin Yellin, gallerist Gavin Brown, public art advocate Susan Freedman, and curators Eric Shiner, Tina Kukielski, Drew Sawyer, and Jennifer Blessing. Wu Tsai also announced upcoming public art commissions from Sarah Sze and Rashid Johnson for Barclays Center.
CULTURED magazine hosted a September issue launch party at FOOD, a revived 1970s art-world restaurant now run by artist Lucien Smith and the estate of Gordon Matta-Clark. The event, co-hosted by legendary model and activist Bethann Hardison and CULTURED Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson, drew a crowd of fashion and art insiders including designers, stylists, artists, and editors. Guests enjoyed family-style dishes, Lagavulin cocktails, and left with copies of the magazine's latest covers featuring Julia Fox, Anthony Edwards, Vicky Krieps, Sophie Calle, and Lucien Smith.
CULTURED's food editor Mina Stone asked over two dozen artists to name their essential foods, from comfort dishes to simple staples. Responses range from Aya Brown's rice (rooted in her Black American and Japanese heritage) to Rob Pruitt's Caesar salad, Kaws's cheese, and Armando Nin's Dominican breakfast Mangú, with many artists citing coffee, eggs, and nostalgic family meals.
Cary Kwok's exhibition at Sessions Arts Club in London presents four new paintings created with support from Herald St, Cabin Studio, Jonny Gent, and David Southard. The works, rendered in acrylic and ink on paper, explore still lifes, silhouettes, and staged interiors inspired by 1980s visual culture, including interior design, cinematography, fashion editorials, and advertising. Featured pieces include *Eclipse* (2026) and *Anticipation* (2026), with the artist's signature subtly embedded in objects like jewelry and glassware. The show opens May 18 and is viewable by appointment or during dining hours, alongside a related wine label collaboration for the Sessions Arts Club Lost Wines Project.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is drawing record crowds in spring 2026 with its latest exhibitions, including newly restored ancient artifacts. The article, written by travel editor Elena Müller, positions The Met as a top cultural destination for American travelers, highlighting its location on Manhattan's Upper East Side, its Beaux-Arts architecture, and its proximity to Central Park. It also covers the museum's founding in 1870, its expansion into a neoclassical landmark on Museum Mile, and its role as a cornerstone of New York's cultural landscape.
Bobby Rogers, a graduate of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, has been appointed as the head of design and editorial at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA). In this role, he oversees the museum's visual identity, exhibition design, and marketing, aiming to make MIA a more engaging and innovative space for visitors. Rogers previously worked as head photographer at the Walker Art Center and as a senior art director at Target.
Michael McGraw, a prominent figure in the design public relations world, is opening a new gallery called Dernier Cri on New York's Upper East Side. The space debuts on January 29, 2026, with an exhibition titled "Night Shift," featuring sculptural works by artists including Julian Mayor, Casey Johnson, Todd Marshard, Jessie Nelson, and Marit Harte, all rendered in a single black palette. McGraw, who has spent years shaping narratives for design studios and brands, describes the gallery as a physical extension of his work as a design publicist, aiming to showcase compelling art and design that inspires interior designers.
The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) censored an exhibition titled 'Constellation of Complicity: Visualising the Global Machinery of Authoritarian Solidarity' after pressure from the Chinese embassy. The exhibition, which opened on July 24, featured works by exiled artists from Myanmar, Iran, Russia, and Syria exploring authoritarian alliances. Following a visit by Chinese embassy staff, several works were removed, including a multimedia installation by a Tibetan artist, and texts mentioning 'Hong Kong', 'Tibet', and 'Uyghur' were redacted. The curator, Sai, a Myanmar artist in exile, said the interference was not unexpected.
The National Gallery of Art has received a $116 million endowment from the Mitchell P. Rales Family Foundation to permanently fund its nationwide loan program, 'Across the Nation.' This gift, the largest to endow programming in the institution's history, was made to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Museums across the United States are launching a series of major exhibitions to mark the nation's 250th anniversary. These shows use art and material culture to explore the construction of American identity, featuring themes like migration, modernity, and reinterpretations of national icons.
The article highlights a partnership with leading global galleries to showcase artists, artworks, and exhibitions, with membership vetted by industry peers and available by application and invitation only. It also emphasizes the role of art advisors who provide visibility and access to influential galleries, collectors, and auction houses, while celebrating contemporary art through editorial content.
The Art Newspaper's podcast 'The Week in Art' returns with three major stories. Ben Luke hosts a discussion with Ben Sutton, the publication's editor-in-chief in the Americas, about the Trump administration's announced comprehensive internal review of eight Smithsonian museums and artist Amy Sherald's cancellation of a long-scheduled exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, citing censorship and institutional fear. The episode also covers Frieze Seoul 2024, the season's first major art fair, with correspondent Lisa Movius reporting from the South Korean capital amid political turmoil. The Work of the Week segment features Dara Birnbaum's landmark video artwork 'Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman (1978-79)', part of a new exhibition 'The Quantum Effect' at the San Marco Art Centre in Venice, curated by Daniel Birnbaum and Jacqui Davies with physicist Ulf Danielsson.
New York's art, design, and philanthropic leaders gathered at the Park Avenue Armory for the Winter Show's Opening Night Preview, marking the fair's 72nd edition and honoring Caroline Kennedy. The event featured 75 international exhibitors, with co-hosts including Executive Director Helen Allen, East Side House Settlement Executive Director Daniel Diaz, Honorary Co-Chair Wendy Goodman, and designers Noz Nozawa, Ben Pentreath, Jane Keltner de Valle, Giancarlo Valle, Michael Bargo, and CULTURED Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson. Attendees included fashion designer Cynthia Rowley, interior designers Reed and Delphine Krakoff, and architect Peter Marino, among others.
Art Dubai has postponed its 2026 fair from April to May 14–17, shifting to an "adapted format" at its usual venue, the Madinat Jumeirah resort. The fair, a cornerstone of the Middle Eastern art scene, will proceed with a more focused model, featuring galleries from over thirty-five countries but altering its financial structure, with participating galleries paying a percentage of sales instead of standard booth fees.
A new wave of high-end art fairs is targeting luxury vacation destinations like St. Moritz, Mallorca, and the Hamptons, moving beyond traditional market hubs. These events, such as the inaugural St. Moritz Art Week and Art on the Island in Mallorca, are strategically timed for the summer and winter holiday seasons to directly engage wealthy collectors during their leisure time.
Barnaby Barford is marking 20 years of collaboration with David Gill gallery through the exhibition 'We Are Where We Are', featuring 35 ceramic sculptures and large-scale drawings. The show includes a new work titled 'Ascension'. To celebrate, Wallpaper* magazine revisits its November 2007 issue, in which Barford took over the fashion pages, dressing his found porcelain figurines in designer labels such as Missoni, Versace, Gucci, Christian Dior, and Prada, photographed by Theo Cook with fashion styling by Sophie Dean and Sébastien Clivaz.
Gallery Weekend Berlin 2026 features over 50 galleries across the city, with a strong emphasis on painting. The event, founded in 2005 by a cooperative of local gallerists as an alternative to traditional art fairs, this year confirms the lasting power of painting despite its original anti-painting ethos.