Seoul Museum of Craft Art opens two exhibitions centered on brief but ambitious Korean Empire

The Seoul Museum of Craft Art opens two special exhibitions on Tuesday, both centered on the Korean Empire (1897-1910), a brief period when Korea sought to modernize through craft and industrial innovation. The larger exhibition, “The Hybrid,” marks 140 years of diplomatic relations between Korea and France, gathering 24 objects from European collections—23 from France and one from Germany—some not displayed in Korea in over 120 years. The second, “Folded Time, Unfolded Memory: Andong Palace,” focuses on the royal women who lived on the museum’s grounds, particularly Empress Sunjeonghyo and Princess Kim Deok-su. Museum director Kim Soo-jung described the two shows as “almost like an omnibus,” connected through the Korean Empire period.

May-June Exhibition | Sertoma Arts Center

Sertoma Arts Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, presents its May–June Exhibition from May 4 through June 21, 2026, featuring regional artists across multiple gallery spaces. The Raleigh Room highlights Adam Cooley's "Boro Land: Layered Worlds," while the Hall Gallery displays works by Natacha Sochat and Rachel Stewart, and the Lobby Gallery showcases Beverly Lovelace, Heather Lee McLelland, and Linette Knight. An opening reception is scheduled for May 16.

Ripple Effect Art Festival to Spread Across County

The inaugural Ripple Effect Arts Festival will take place April 16–26 across Santa Cruz County, featuring 11 days of performances, exhibitions, workshops, and interactive events spanning visual art, music, dance, theater, film, fashion, and spoken word. The festival includes two concurrent exhibitions at M.K. Contemporary Art in downtown Santa Cruz: 'The Anatomy of Wonder: Photo Sculptures' by Michael Garlington and 'Rochambeau' featuring eight local and Bay Area artists. Major hubs include Santa Cruz and Watsonville, with a grand finale near the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk featuring musician Helado Negro.

Aging more slowly thanks to museums? Science confirms it

Vieillir moins vite grâce aux musées ? La science le confirme

A study published on May 11 in Innovation in Aging by University College London analyzed data from 3,556 adults in the UK, measuring their cultural engagement against biological age using epigenetic clocks. Researchers found that those who visit museums, exhibitions, concerts, or libraries at least once a week age approximately 4% more slowly than those who rarely participate. Even three cultural outings per year correlate with a 2% slowdown in biological aging, with monthly visits yielding a 3% effect—comparable to the benefits of physical exercise.

À Florence, une transformation silencieuse pour préserver son patrimoine

Florence is undertaking a major restoration of Giotto's Campanile, the first comprehensive conservation of the 14th-century bell tower since its construction. The project, budgeted at over €7 million, addresses decades of damage from pollution, acid rain, and natural aging, including detached stone slabs, darkened facades, and microfractures. The four-year scaffolding will be designed to minimize visual impact and gradually reveal restored sections. Separately, the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore is executing a €60 million program to restore the Collegio Eugeniano (which will become its new headquarters) and expand the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo to 11,000 square meters by 2030. The Ponte Vecchio will also undergo summer cleaning and consolidation of its piles, funded equally by the municipality and the Antinori family.

National Art Museum of Kyiv Forced to Close After Russian Strike

Le Musée national d’art de Kiev contraint de fermer après une frappe russe

The National Art Museum of Ukraine (NAMU) in Kyiv was damaged during a massive Russian airstrike on the night of May 23-24, which involved 90 missiles and 600 drones. The museum has closed indefinitely after windows were blown out, window frames damaged, plaster fell from walls, and the skylight roof was hit. No staff or collections were harmed, as the main artworks had been evacuated to secret storage sites since February 2022. The museum had maintained partial activity with temporary exhibitions and conferences, and had loaned over sixty works to the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium for the exhibition 'In the Eye of the Storm.'

In Greece, the Thessalonikéon Métropolis Archaeological Museum Opens Its Doors

En Grèce, le musée archéologique Thessalonikéon Métropolis ouvre ses portes

The Thessalonikéon Métropolis archaeological museum opened on May 7 in Thessaloniki, Greece, inside the renovated Pavlos Melas barracks (Building A3). Its collection of over 300,000 objects—including ceramics, jewelry, mosaics, sarcophagi, and architectural fragments—was unearthed during the construction of the city's metro system, which began in 2006 and became the largest rescue excavation in northern Greece. The centerpiece is the Decumanus Maximus, a well-preserved Roman-Byzantine commercial street discovered at the Venizelou station, nicknamed "Byzantine Pompeii." The museum's restoration cost about €14.5 million, partly funded by European Union funds, while the total archaeological interventions cost between €75 and €203 million.

EU sanctions Mikhail Piotrovsky, director of the Hermitage

L’UE sanctionne Mikhaïl Piotrovski, directeur de l’Ermitage

The European Union has added Mikhail Piotrovsky, the 81-year-old director of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, to its sanctions list as part of the 20th package of measures against Russia. Brussels accuses him of publicly supporting the war in Ukraine and of conducting archaeological excavations by the museum in occupied Crimea. His assets in the EU are frozen and he is banned from entering European territory.

Accusé de viol, le directeur du Frac Bretagne est révoqué

The director of the Frac Bretagne (Regional Contemporary Art Fund of Brittany), Étienne Bernard, has been dismissed following an internal investigation into allegations of sexual violence. The case began in October 2025 when an anonymous testimony on the Instagram account #MeTooArtContemporain accused a former art professor of sexual assault; the post noted the accused had since become a Frac director. After graffiti appeared on the Frac Bretagne building, the institution hired the external consultancy Égaé to conduct an internal inquiry. Two reports submitted in February and April 2026 documented multiple serious allegations against Bernard, including harassment and assault. The board voted unanimously to revoke his position on May 4, 2026, and the public prosecutor's office in Rennes has opened a criminal investigation for moral harassment, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and aggravated rape. Bernard denies the allegations and has filed an appeal with the administrative court.

Aristophil : Gérard Lhéritier obtient une peine aménagée

Gérard Lhéritier, founder of the investment firm Aristophil, has had his prison sentence reduced to two years under electronic monitoring after pleading guilty in a French plea-bargaining procedure. Originally sentenced in December 2025 to five years in prison for fraud, Lhéritier's scheme involved selling shares in manuscripts and historical documents, causing losses estimated at several hundred million euros to nearly 18,000 investors.

The Museum of the Surrender of Reims Reopens After a Year of Renovations

Le Musée de la Reddition de Reims rouvre ses portes après un an de travaux

The Musée de la Reddition de Reims (Museum of the Surrender of Reims) reopened on May 7, the 81st anniversary of the German surrender signed in its map room, after a year-long closure. The renovation, costing approximately €2 million, focused on conservation: protective glazing, improved ventilation and lighting, and anoxic treatment of collections to halt degradation of original maps, documents, and war room objects. The museum also overhauled its scenography, designed by Belgian agency Kascen, to present a clearer chronological narrative covering the occupation, Allied presence in Reims, liberation, postwar reconstruction, and reconciliation, rather than just the surrender itself. The museum now displays 17 uniforms, 130 objects and weapons, and 65 archival documents, including the act of capitulation and General McAuliffe's jacket.

Iran Absent from the Venice Biennale

L’Iran absent de la Biennale de Venise

Iran will be absent from the 2026 Venice Biennale, marking a notable gap in the international art exhibition. The decision reflects ongoing geopolitical tensions and logistical challenges that have prevented the country from participating in one of the world's most prestigious cultural events.

In Berlin, a controversy over subsidies sweeps away the culture official

À Berlin, une polémique sur des subventions emporte l’élue à la Culture

Sarah Wedl-Wilson, Berlin's senator for culture, resigned after the Berlin Court of Auditors ruled that €2.6 million in public subsidies for 13 antisemitism-fighting projects were awarded illegally, bypassing regulatory checks and violating budget law. The controversy intensified when a parliamentary inquiry revealed that CDU politicians, including Christian Goiny and Dirk Stettner, pressured her to approve the funds immediately, coordinating with the Israeli embassy, despite warnings from state secretary Oliver Friederici, whom she later dismissed. Stefan Evers, the finance senator, has been appointed interim successor until Berlin's parliamentary elections in September.

Pablo Diaz, directeur de Sciences Po Rennes : « L’acte II de l’INSEAC de Guingamp »

Pablo Diaz, director of Sciences Po Rennes, announces that the Institut national supérieur de l'éducation artistique et culturelle (INSEAC) in Guingamp has been transferred from the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (Cnam) to Sciences Po Rennes as of January 1, 2026. The institute, which opened in 2021 and focuses on training, research, and resources for arts and cultural education, will now operate under public-sector governance with oversight from the French ministries of Culture, Education, and Higher Education. Diaz outlines plans to appoint a dedicated site director in Guingamp and establish a strategic orientation committee chaired by interministerial delegate Emmanuel Ethis, aiming to resolve past management and governance issues.

A U.S. agency that funds culture wins a judicial reprieve

Une agence américaine qui finance la culture gagne un répit judiciaire

A U.S. federal court has blocked the Trump administration's attempt to cut funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a key agency supporting museums and libraries nationwide. The lawsuit was brought by the American Library Association (ALA) and the AFSCME union, with support from the legal organization Democracy Forward, arguing that the executive branch cannot unilaterally reduce programs authorized by Congress. The ruling temporarily halts the funding reductions, which were part of broader efforts to slash federal cultural spending during Donald Trump's second term.

L’offre de formation se développe

French art training institutions are expanding their curricula to include provenance research, responding to a 2022 government report that identified gaps in conservator education. The Institut national du patrimoine (INP) now offers seminars on Nazi-era spoliation (1933-1945) and has added a five-day provenance research module for external competition students since 2024-2025. Paris-Nanterre University launched a master's-level diploma in 2022 covering legal, historical, and methodological aspects of provenance research. The École du Louvre now offers a specialized master's in "sensitive goods and provenance research" addressing spoliated works, human remains, colonial acquisitions, and illicit trafficking, while also integrating provenance methodology into its general curriculum from master's level one.

Aristophil : Gérard Lhéritier reconnaît sa culpabilité et obtient une peine réduite

Gérard Lhéritier, founder of the art investment firm Aristophil, has pleaded guilty in a French court under a procedure known as comparution sur reconnaissance préalable de culpabilité (CRPC), effectively a plea bargain. On April 14, he admitted responsibility for fraud and deceptive commercial practices after more than a decade of denial. This late admission, made just before his expected incarceration, reduces his sentence from the five years of imprisonment handed down in December 2025 to two years under electronic monitoring. The case stems from Aristophil’s collapse, which involved selling shares in manuscripts and historical documents as attractive investments, leaving thousands of investors heavily impacted.

New experimental art gallery launches in Brighton

A new experimental art gallery, the Founders Room, is launching in Brighton in May 2026 as part of the Brighton Festival. The inaugural exhibition, titled Act 0, is organized by The Adelaide Salon in collaboration with Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival. It features works by two artist couples—Isobel Smith and The Baron Gilvan, and Lucy Newman and Bob Dixon—exploring process-led, relational, and interdisciplinary practices. The exhibition questions the boundary between artist and artwork, presenting painting, drawing, and performance-led works that blur authorship and lived experience.

Locky Morris, Liz Vitlin at Gertie

Locky Morris and Liz Vitlin are featured in a two-person exhibition at Gertie, a gallery space. The show presents a selection of works by both artists, documented through 59 images on the Contemporary Art Daily platform, though no text descriptions or curatorial statements are provided in the article.

Strange Stranger at Timeshare

Contemporary Art Daily presents documentation of the exhibition "Strange Stranger at Timeshare," featuring 35 images and no videos. The page provides a visual record of the show without text descriptions or additional context about the artists, works, or venue involved.

Mirei Monticelli’s Hand-Woven Banana Leaf Lamps Swell Between Material and Movement

Milan-based Filipina designer Mirei Monticelli creates biomorphic lighting fixtures from hand-woven Banaca fabric, made from Abacá fiber sourced from the Philippines. Her studio collaborates with a community of weavers in the Bicol province, developing the material through a long-term relationship. The lamps, which blend sculpture and utility, were recently featured in an installation titled 'Pleasure Garden' at Milan Design Week. Monticelli’s process incorporates techniques from garment construction, learned from her mother, a fashion designer.

Dozens of Suspended ‘Halos’ Glimmer in a Florentine Factory

Earlier this month, artist SpY installed "Halos," a large-scale installation of dozens of metallic discs suspended from the ceiling of a former railway factory in Florence. The work was part of the city's Bright Festival, transforming the brutalist industrial interior into a space of ethereal movement and reflection, with the discs interacting with natural breezes and glimmering light.

Rachel Mentzer Transforms Discarded Cartons into Dusky Collagraphs

Ohio-based artist Rachel Mentzer creates collagraph prints using discarded cartons as printing plates, carving them with images of birds, trees, and energy infrastructure. Her process involves carving the cardboard, sealing it with polyurethane, inking it, and transferring the image via an etching press, often incorporating chine collé for color. Her work was recently shown at the Manhattan Graphics Center, and she will participate in the Suzanne Wilson Artist-in-Residence Program at Glen Arbor Arts Center this summer.

New art gallery in Waikiki showcases local artists

A new art gallery and community hub called The ART House has opened in the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa in Honolulu, showcasing curated products from 30 small businesses and more than 20 local artists from across Hawaii. Founder Danielle Rush of Illuminated ART Hawaii announced the gallery on HNN’s Sunrise, highlighting a Featured Artist Series that rotates every two months to spotlight individual creators. The grand opening celebration is scheduled for May 30th at 6 p.m. with free parking, and featured artists include painter Lauren Roth, Kris Goto, Haunani Hess, and others from Oahu, Maui, Hawaii Island, Kauai, Lanai, and Molokai.

4th Friday Art Walk

The 4th Friday Art Walk has returned to downtown Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, with participating businesses on Market, Merchant, and Main Streets open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Nine art venues took part last Friday, including Music Art Love, E.KleK.Tix Studio and Gallery, Only Child Originals and Rust Artisan Shop, CJoy Art Works, Two Rivers Gallery, The Art Guild, Silver Sycamore Gallery of Fine Art, and ASL Pewter. Artists such as Christine Alexander, Jean Rissover, Sam Conlon, Christina Joy Elsen, Bryan Haynes, Charles Rhinehart, Andrew Naeger, and Tom and Pat Hooper showcased and sold their work, with live music and special exhibits featured.

Jodi Stuart Opening Reception

The Art Base in Basalt, Colorado, opens its fall season with 'Toxic Positivity,' an installation of plastic-formed sculptures by Denver-based artist Jodi Stuart. The exhibition runs from October 2 to November 8, 2024, with an opening reception on October 4 featuring an artist talk. Stuart specializes in a process that combines weaving techniques with plastics, creating objects that are both light and saturated.

New art gallery brings fresh perspective to Madrona

A new art gallery called Dirkse/Prim has opened in Seattle's Madrona neighborhood, founded by married couple Michelle and Jeremy. Michelle works as an interior designer, while Jeremy is a painter of seascapes. Their debut exhibition features the work of another husband-and-wife duo, Mya Kerner and Zach Helenske, whose art is inspired by their 40-acre farm in Pennsylvania. The gallery aims to offer a warm, welcoming alternative to traditional white-box spaces, emphasizing community and approachability.

New Art Vault Installation: How to Have a Flying Dream

A new immersive installation titled "How to Have a Flying Dream" by interdisciplinary artist Nancy Dewhurst opens at Gallery One’s Art Vault in Albuquerque, with a reception on May 15. The installation explores the phenomenon of flying dreams through objects, dream journaling, immersive imagery, and a digitized 16 mm film projected onto the ceiling, inviting visitors to engage in dream training exercises.

"Bloom Beyond Sight" , 2026

Bonu Deji's painting "Bloom Beyond Sight" (2026) is being offered for sale through Art R us gallery in Naples, Florida. The acrylic and oil on canvas work, sized 25 × 31 inches, is priced at US$1,400 and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Deji, a Nigerian artist born in 2003 and based in Lagos, creates figurative works exploring poverty, labor, resilience, and human dignity. The piece was exhibited in 2026 at Art R us's breakout exhibition of the artist and previously in the 2025 group show "Faces of Us" at The Zebra Gallery.

"The Watchful Savior" , 2026

Bonu Deji's painting "The Watchful Savior" (2026) is being offered for sale through Art R us gallery in Naples, Florida. The acrylic and oil on canvas work, measuring 25 × 31 inches, is priced at US$1,400 and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Deji, a Nigerian contemporary visual artist born in 2003 and based in Lagos, creates figurative works exploring poverty, labor, resilience, and human dignity. The piece was previously exhibited in the gallery's 2026 solo presentation of the artist and in the 2025 group show "Faces of Us" at The Zebra Gallery.