Rediscovered Rubens and a woolly mammoth head star at Brafa fair in Brussels

Brafa, Belgium's premier art and antiques fair, has expanded for its 71st edition, now featuring 147 exhibitors across three halls in the Brussels Expo convention centre. Highlights include a newly rediscovered Peter Paul Rubens painting, *Portrait of an Old Man* (around 1609), priced at over €1 million, and a 50,000-year-old woolly mammoth head from Siberia that sold for €45,000. The fair runs from 25 February to 1 March, with a strong focus on painting from Old Masters to Modern art, and a notable presence of Belgian and early 20th-century French artists.

Art in DUMBO opens artist studios to public in Brooklyn

Art in DUMBO has announced that DUMBO Open Studios will take place on April 26th and 27th, 2025, featuring 155 artists who will open their studios to the public across the Brooklyn waterfront. The weekend kicks off with the Sharpe-Walentas Open Studios reception on April 25th, offering a look at 17 artists in the annual residency program. Participants include artists from five residency programs: BRIClab Contemporary Art, Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program, Smack Mellon Artist Studio Program, New York Studio School, and Triangle NYC. The article also details the history of the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program, which began in 1991 with support from the Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation and later the Walentas Family Foundation.

Artist Yeesookyung Reimagines Works Through AI in Seoul-Jeju Exhibition

Artist Yeesookyung, known for her "Translated Vase" series that repairs broken ceramics with gold, has created new AI-driven video works for the exhibition "Fail Better," jointly held at Forum & Space in Seoul and Vido Gallery in Jeju through June 13. The two-person show, curated by Kim Yoon-kyung, also features media artist Yangachi and includes works like "Moonlight Crown," which uses real-time GPS and weather data to generate ever-changing forms, and "Oh, Rose!," a digitally bred rose series produced through an AI generative system.

Denver Art Museum Luncheon by Design, a fundraiser event for DIVA exhibition, opening fall 2026

The Denver Art Museum (DAM) held its annual Luncheon by Design fundraiser, celebrating the 60-year career of costume designer Bob Mackie as a prelude to the upcoming DIVA exhibition opening in fall 2026. The event featured a conversation between Joe McFate, Mackie's long-time design director, and Jill D'Alessandro, DAM's director and curator of the Avenir Institute of Textile Arts, sharing stories behind Mackie's iconic costumes worn by Cher, Tina Turner, and P!NK. Funds raised support the DIVA exhibition, which will run from October 4, 2026, to January 31, 2027, at the museum.

First-of-its-kind MCA exhibition plays the beat of Caribbean activism

Carla Acevedo-Yates has curated "Dancing the Revolution: From Dancehall to Reggaetón," a major exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, which will be her final show before departing for a role on the Documenta 16 team in Germany. The exhibition, which occupies the museum's entire fourth floor through September 20, features over 40 artists and explores the social and political histories of Caribbean music genres.

“Constellations”: Jewelry as Art

The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) has launched "Constellations: Contemporary Jewelry," its first exhibition dedicated exclusively to its contemporary jewelry collection. The show features hundreds of pieces organized into four thematic sections—Zones of the Body, Archetypes, Signals, and Play—alongside a historical retrospective titled "Connecting the Dots." The exhibition highlights experimental and often impractical works that blur the lines between wearable objects and sculpture, featuring artists such as Brian Fleetwood, Joyce J. Scott, and Peter Chang.

Portland Art Museum opens gallery focused on Black artists, named for local trailblazer

The Portland Art Museum has opened a new permanent gallery dedicated to Black artists, named for local artist, dancer, and educator Thelma Johnson Streat. The gallery, which opened on the first day of Black History Month, features a variety of works by Black Oregon artists, including multimedia installations, paintings, drawings, and a large photographic grid.

Exhibit Showcases Georgia Wood Artists

The Marietta Cobb Museum of Art (MCMA) in Georgia is presenting its first juried exhibition focused exclusively on wood art and woodworking, titled "Georgia Wood Artists: A Juried Exhibition." Curated by Madeline Beck, the show features works selected from over 150 submissions by artists living in Georgia, including Arnold Abelman, Jody Pollack, Abraham Tesser, Thomas Williams, and Doug Pisik. The exhibition highlights a range of techniques such as carving, woodturning, marquetry, intarsia, joinery, and epoxy woodworking, and runs from January 10 to March 22, 2026.

Exhibition Tour— Seeing Silence: The Paintings of Helene Schjerfbeck

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is hosting a virtual exhibition tour of "Seeing Silence: The Paintings of Helene Schjerfbeck," led by Dita Amory, Robert Lehman Curator in Charge, and Max Hollein, Marina Kellen French Director and CEO. The exhibition highlights the Finnish painter Helene Schjerfbeck (1862–1946), who is celebrated in Nordic countries for her highly original style but remains relatively unknown elsewhere. Featuring nearly 60 works, including loans from the Finnish National Gallery / Ateneum Art Museum and private collections, the show traces her evolution from traditional realism to a spare, abstract style developed in isolation.

Venice, Sydney, Gwangju: the most interesting biennials to visit in 2026

The article previews several major biennials scheduled for 2026, including the 61st Venice Biennale, the 25th Sydney Biennale, and the 16th Gwangju Biennale. The Venice Biennale will proceed posthumously under the vision of curator Koyo Kouoh, who died in May 2025; she was the first African woman appointed to curate the event. The Sydney Biennale, themed "Rememory" and inspired by Toni Morrison, will be directed by Hoor Al Qasimi, while the Gwangju Biennale will be led by Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen, focusing on collective artistic responses to global crises.

People Watching at an Auckland Art Gallery opening night

Illustrator Toby Morris attended the opening party for the 'Pop to Present: American Art' exhibition at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, as part of his regular 'People Watching' series for Sunday magazine. The exhibition is drawn from the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and features American art from the Pop era to the present day.

Twisting tale of ‘Henry VIII’s lost dagger’ to be told in London exhibition

An exhibition opening at Strawberry Hill House in London on November 1 will explore the history of a jewel-encrusted Ottoman dagger long believed to have belonged to Henry VIII. Curator Silvia Davoli has uncovered that the dagger was actually made in late 16th-century Istanbul, decades after Henry's death, and was mistakenly attributed to the king by 18th-century engraver George Vertue. The dagger was owned by Horace Walpole, then passed through several hands before being stolen in a 1946 heist at Hever Castle, where it was kept by the Astor family. Though the original dagger remains missing, the exhibition will display two similar Ottoman daggers from Welbeck Abbey and Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Local artist's latest exhibit is totally wicked

Local artist Carmen McCullough, who also works under the name 'Strange Farm Girl,' is opening a new mixed media exhibition titled 'Wicked Plant Art' across three venues in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota: the Becker County Museum, Bluebird Books, and Ortenstone Gardens and Sculpture Park. The exhibition, which includes 22 original pieces, was previously shown at the Lauritzen Botanical Gardens in Omaha, Nebraska, and features nature-themed works inspired by 'wicked plants.' An opening reception will be held at the Becker County Museum on October 9, and the show runs through January 15, 2026.

Review | A sprawling survey highlights the women making art around D.C.

A survey exhibition titled "Women Artists of the DMV: A Survey Exhibition" at the American University Museum in Washington, D.C., showcases 63 works by women artists from the region. The show, reviewed by Mark Jenkins, features depictions of women as everyday people, archetypes, allegorical figures, and goddesses, alongside some abstract pieces, with a preference for representational art.

Documenta unveils first all-woman curatorial team for 2027

Documenta has announced the first all-woman curatorial team for its 16th edition, set to take place in Kassel, Germany, from June 12 to September 19, 2027. Artistic director Naomi Beckwith, deputy director and chief curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, selected four curators—Carla Acevedo-Yates, Romi Crawford, Mayra A. Rodríguez Castro, and Xiaoyu Weng—to develop the exhibition, publications, and programming. Each curator brings distinct expertise: Acevedo-Yates focuses on diaspora and cultural production; Crawford on race and American visual culture; Rodríguez Castro on writing and editing; and Weng on globalization, feminism, and decolonization.

‘Our pattern, our document’: this Indigenous Australian community is using design to assert its rights

A new exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) in Sydney, titled 'Yolŋu power: the art of Yirrkala', showcases the work of 90 Yolŋu artists from the remote community of Yirrkala in Australia's Northern Territory. The exhibition highlights how the community's art centre, Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka, has produced sacred clan designs known as miny'tji for eight decades, and how these patterns were used as legal and political documents to assert land and sea rights. Key moments include the 1963 Yirrkala Bark Petition, the Saltwater Project (1996) initiated by artist Djambawa Marawili, and the subsequent 2008 High Court ruling recognizing Indigenous ownership of the intertidal zone under the Land Rights Act.

New ‘Of the Earth’ art exhibition opens at Detroit Lakes’ Ortenstone Gardens

A new public art exhibition titled 'Of the Earth' has opened at Ortenstone Gardens and Sculpture Park in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. The exhibition features three sculptures by Polish-American artist Olga Ziemska, who is also the park's first artist-in-residence, supported by local nonprofit Project 412. The works incorporate natural materials like river rocks, sticks, and grass, and join Thomas Dambo's troll sculpture 'Barefoot Frida' as permanent attractions at the 50-acre park, which was donated to the city by the Mark and Cindy Fritz Foundation.

Early summer shows at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art: Out Loud 2025, 2025 Gala Art Exhibition: The Factory

The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) is presenting two early summer exhibitions: "Out Loud 2025" and the "2025 Gala Art Auction: The Factory." Out Loud 2025 features work by 17 young artists from Utah high schools who completed a 12-week workshop series, exploring themes of queer identity, childhood nostalgia, and coming-of-age through diverse media including painting, ceramics, collage, and video. The 2025 Gala Art Auction showcases works by 57 Utah artists available for purchase.

The Big Review | Caravaggio 2025 at Palazzo Barberini, Rome ★★★

The article reviews the "Caravaggio 2025" exhibition at Palazzo Barberini in Rome, which brings together 24 paintings by the Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Curated by Francesca Cappelletti, Maria Cristina Terzaghi, and Thomas Clement Salomon, the show is accompanied by a heavy marketing campaign tied to the Catholic Church's Jubilee year. The review notes that while any gathering of Caravaggio's works guarantees a beautiful experience, the exhibition's title and scope remain unclear, and the curatorial approach—divided into four thematic sections—feels disjointed. Highlights include the reunion of three paintings from Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte's collection and the public display of the recently identified portrait of Maffeo Barberini.

Daniel Johnston: I Think, I Draw, I Am

Daniel Johnston: I Think, I Draw, I Am is the largest New York solo exhibition of work by musician and artist Daniel Johnston (1961-2019). Curated by Lee Foster, co-owner of Electric Lady Studios and Curatorial Advisor for the Daniel Johnston Trust, the show features over 300 drawings that reveal the psychological depth and formal inventiveness of Johnston's comic-inspired art. Johnston first gained fame as a lo-fi musician in Austin, Texas, in the 1980s, and his graphic art reached a national audience when Kurt Cobain wore his Hi, How Are You? T-shirt at the 1992 MTV Music Awards.

The Flaten Art Museum presents Gateway to Himalayan Art, a traveling exhibition from the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art

The Flaten Art Museum at St. Olaf College is presenting "Gateway to Himalayan Art," a traveling exhibition from the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art that introduces the forms, concepts, and traditions of Himalayan art and cultures. The exhibition features objects from the Rubin Museum's collection along with multimedia elements from its educational initiative, Project Himalayan Art, and will be on view from September 12 to December 7, 2025. A companion exhibition, "Tashi Delek, Minnesota! (Auspicious Blessings, Minnesota!)," curated by Thor Anderson and Karil Kucera with the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota, will run concurrently, highlighting the public life of Tibetan Minnesotans through photographs and videos.

What is the international exhibition of the Venice Biennale like? Review of "In minor keys" by Koyo Kouoh

Com’è la mostra internazionale della Biennale di Venezia? Recensione di “In minor keys” di Koyo Kouoh

The 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "In minor keys" and curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, opens to the public on May 9 amid controversies including the absence of the president's name in the colophon at the Arsenale entrance. The exhibition, organized by Kouoh's team (Rory Tsapayi, Siddharta Mitter, Marie Helene Pereira, Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo, and Rasha Salty), unfolds across the Giardini and the Arsenale's Corderie, featuring works that balance strength and beauty with a harmonious mix of voices and themes. The Giardini section is particularly compelling, with a non-linear, polycentric layout that feels like a living organism, while the Arsenale offers further depth.

trump freedom truck exhibition

President Donald Trump has launched the 'Freedom Truck' fleet, a series of six mobile exhibitions traveling across the United States ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary. Funded by a $14.1 million grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the project features interactive displays, AI-powered historical figures, and artifacts provided by Glenn Beck’s American Journey Experience. The tour, organized by conservative groups like PragerU and Hillsdale College, focuses on a patriotic narrative of American independence and sovereignty.

venice biennale koyo kouoh 2026 in minor keys

The Venice Biennale will proceed with its 2026 edition despite the unexpected death of its curator, Koyo Kouoh, earlier this month. The Biennale announced on Tuesday that it will realize Kouoh's exhibition, titled "In Minor Keys," which she had already begun planning before her passing. Kouoh had selected artists, developed commissions, and established the central concept. The show will be carried forward by a team of five advisers she personally chose: curators Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo, Marie Helene Pereira, and Rasha Salti; critic Siddartha Mitter as editor; and Rory Tsapayi as assistant. The exhibition remains scheduled to open on May 9, 2026, with the full support of Kouoh's family.

Step Aboard the Superyacht Circling This Year’s Cannes Film Festival

Over the weekend of the Cannes Film Festival, director Ron Howard premiered his documentary *Avedon*, which traces photographer Richard Avedon's rise from a working-class Jewish immigrant background to a defining chronicler of American culture. The film received a second life aboard the Renaissance superyacht with a party hosted by editor Graydon Carter, Ancient chairman and CEO Alexander Klabin, and Burgess chief executive John Beckett. Guests included actors Natasha Lyonne and Rosemarie Dewitt, photographer Jean Pigozzi, model Eddie Mitsou, Avedon's grandchildren Michael, Matthew, and Caroline Avedon, and producers Courtney Kivowitz, Sara Bernstein, Darcie Reisler, Dallas Rexer, Chris St. John, and Justin Wilkes. The after-hours cocktail allowed attendees to relive the film's most impactful scenes while mingling with the producers and the photographer's family.

The LA Art World’s New Obsession Is a Theater Where Artists Run the Show

Calla Henkel and Max Pitegoff, former artistic directors of Berlin's Grüner Salon, launched New Theater Hollywood in 2024 as a nonprofit venue on Santa Monica Boulevard. The 49-seat theater specializes in genre-defying, multidisciplinary collaborations, staging works like Sophie Becker's ventriloquist act *Ronnie's Big Idea* and Diamond Stingily's *The Driver*. Every performance sells out, attracting a cult following of literary, art world, and pop culture figures who often linger to discuss shows.

parties nyfw fashion bethann hardison

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.

Art at Bartlett Presents BARTLETT ART TALK: Janice Kasper

Maine-based environmental painter Janice Kasper will headline the first Bartlett Art Talk of the 2026 season at Bartlett Woods Retirement Community on April 22. The event coincides with the exhibition "Chickadees, Alligators and Stonehenge," which features Kasper’s work alongside pieces by Cicely Aikman and Dirk McDonnell, all on loan from the Caldbeck Gallery. Kasper, whose work is held in major collections like the Portland Museum of Art, is known for dramatic oils that explore the tension between wildlife and human technology.

Environmental painter Janice Kasper to speak at 'Bartlett Art Talk' series

Maine-based environmental painter Janice Kasper will headline the first 'Bartlett Art Talk' of the 2026 season on April 22 at the Bartlett Woods Retirement Community. The event coincides with the exhibition "Chickadees, Alligators, and Stonehenge," which showcases Kasper’s dramatic oil paintings alongside works by Cicely Aikman and Dirk McDonnell. Kasper’s practice focuses on the tension between human technology and the preservation of wildlife and natural landscapes.

Monuments in Motion

Denkmäler in Bewegung

Berlin-based artist Sarah Ama Duah, who transitioned from fashion to sculpture, creates works that explore Afro-German memory culture. Her practice includes beeswax portraits, found objects like Delft porcelain and baroque vases, and performances at venues such as the Humboldt Forum. In 2025, she received the Wolfram Beck Prize for Sculpture. Duah's early fashion work, including silicone garments shown at the Fashionclash Festival in Maastricht, evolved into sculptural investigations of clothing, body, and space, leading her to study performance and sculpture at the Berlin University of the Arts under Jimmy Robert.