Review: Getting lost in the art is the best part of LACMA’s new revisionist fever dream of a museum

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has opened its new David Geffen Galleries, a radical reinvention of the museum experience. The installation, conceived by director Michael Govan and architect Peter Zumthor, abandons traditional chronological and departmental silos, instead creating a continuous, curving flow of art from across time, place, and medium. Visitors are encouraged to wander and get lost, forging their own connections between works.

Beyond the Eiffel Tower: Photo Exhibition Reveals Paris Unseen

The Sungkok Art Museum in Seoul is hosting a photography exhibition titled 'Paris Unseen' or 'Paris, Invisible Paris'. The show features works by 51 artists, including three Koreans, and was co-curated with Alain Sayag, former head of photography at the Centre Pompidou. It aims to move beyond the city's iconic tourist imagery to present lesser-known perspectives of Paris, coinciding with the 140th anniversary of Korea-France diplomatic relations.

Confronting the Uncertain Future Of Image Making and AI — These Houston Photography Exhibitions Keep It Real

Two new photography exhibitions in Houston explore the past and future of image-making. At Moody Gallery, a retrospective titled "MANUAL — The Collaboration of Ed Hill & Suzanne Bloom, 1974-2024" honors the legacy of the groundbreaking photographic duo MANUAL, co-founded by Ed Hill and the late Suzanne Bloom, who passed away in 2025. The show, closing April 25, features works inspired by art history, literature, and nature, including pieces referencing Paul Cézanne and Walt Whitman. Meanwhile, at Rice University's Moody Center for the Arts, the group exhibition "Imaging After Photography" (through May 9) examines the intersection of photography and artificial intelligence, featuring artists like Trevor Paglen, Refik Anadol, and Joan Fontcuberta, and raising questions about bias in datasets and algorithms.

History, Culture, and Place Ground LACMA’s Breathtaking New David Geffen Galleries

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has opened its new David Geffen Galleries, a long, elevated concrete structure designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. The building, more than 20 years in the making, replaces much of LACMA's mid-century campus with a single winding gallery that hovers above Wilshire Boulevard. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Sunday, followed by a two-week member preview, with the public opening scheduled for May 4. The project is the vision of longtime director Michael Govan, who sought to create a museum without hierarchy, placing objects from different geographies and time periods in dialogue. Artist Mariana Castillo Deball was commissioned to create a plaza installation that incorporates native animal tracks, Mesoamerican imagery, and the labor of migrant workers, reflecting themes of migration and cultural exchange.

Mark Milroy Sees, Remembers, and Imagines at Once

Artist Mark Milroy, an observational painter in his mid-50s who gained a following during the pandemic through Instagram and online shows at Nancy Margolis Gallery, is now holding his debut New York exhibition, "Jumbo," at JJ Murphy gallery through May 16. The show features 18 oil paintings and 12 colored pencil drawings, with subjects ranging from still lifes and portraits to a titular painting referencing the famous P.T. Barnum elephant killed in Milroy's hometown of St. Thomas, Ontario, in 1885. Milroy's work blends personal memory, art historical insight, and a deliberate gaze, drawing influences from Cedric Morris and 15th-century Florentine painting.

The Most Unique and Research-Focused Exhibitions to See in Brussels in Spring 2026

Le mostre più particolari e ricercate da vedere a Bruxelles nella primavera 2026

Brussels is hosting a series of niche and research-focused contemporary art exhibitions in spring 2026, coinciding with the 42nd edition of Art Brussels. Highlights include Jean-Michel Othoniel's "Diary of Happiness" at the Boghossian Foundation, Caroline Achaintre's "Extrazimmer" at La Verrière, a six-decade survey of the Art & Language collective at Fondation CAB, and a dialogue between Nassos Daphnis and Rita McBride titled "Abstract Constructions."

Rubens Under Construction at the Louvre

Rubens en chantier au Louvre

The Louvre Museum has launched a major four-year restoration project for the monumental 24-canvas 'Cycle of Marie de Médicis' by Peter Paul Rubens. The initiative, funded by the Société des Amis du Louvre with a budget of 4 million euros, aims to restore the works' chromatic power and stabilize their fragile paint layers. The Medici Gallery will close to the public in May, though some stages of the process will be viewable.

First Comprehensive Museum Retrospective For Detroit Artist And ‘Bead Man’ Olayami Dabls

The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) will present "Olayami Dabls: Detroit Cosmologies," the first comprehensive museum retrospective for Detroit artist Olayami Dabls, running from April 25 to July 12, 2026. Dabls, who began his career as a curator at the Afro-American Museum in Detroit (now the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History), traces his artistic journey to a transformative moment in the 1970s when he opened a box of African masks that his colleagues feared to handle. This experience led him to investigate how Hollywood and popular culture had demonized African material culture, associating it with horror movies and voodoo, and inspired decades of work as an artist, storyteller, cultural historian, and civic champion.

D Lan Galleries and Pace Gallery to present Emily Kam Kngwarray in New York

D Lan Galleries and Pace Gallery are collaborating to present "Emily Kam Kngwarray: The Turning Season," a major survey of the renowned Australian First Nations artist, on view in New York from May 15 to August 14. The exhibition spans Pace's Chelsea spaces and includes key works from Kngwarray's career, such as her celebrated painting series and early batik textiles, following her landmark 2025 retrospective at Tate Modern in London.

Language Games in a Haunted Present.

Ndéyé Kouagou has opened her first solo exhibition in Italy at Collezione Maramotti, presented in conjunction with the Fotografia Europea 2026 festival. The exhibition, titled 'Ghosts of the Moment', features recent works and new commissions that showcase her language-driven practice, blending text, performance, and image to explore unstable meaning and contemporary subjectivity.

Feeling Nature According to Nicolas Poussin

Ressentir la nature d’après Nicolas Poussin

An exhibition titled "Le sentiment de la nature. L’art contemporain au miroir de Poussin" has opened at the NMNM – Villa Paloma in Monaco. Curated by Guillaume de Sardes, it places Nicolas Poussin's 1651 painting *L'Orage* in dialogue with works by over twenty contemporary artists, including Sarah Moon, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Thomas Demand, Pierre Thoretton, Ange Leccia, Marine Wallon, and Claudio Parmiggiani.

Historic Istanbul exhibition reveals century of growth and creative vision

Yapı Kredi Culture Arts and Publishing has opened a landmark exhibition in Istanbul titled "Imprints on the Century: The Koç Group and the Arts," running until November 29, 2026, at the Yapı Kredi Culture Center in Galatasaray. Curated by YKYM Gallery Director Didem Yazıcı over two years, the show commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Koç Group, tracing its evolution from a small business registered by Vehbi Koç in 1926 to a global industrial conglomerate. The exhibition draws on archives from the Sadberk Hanım Museum, Arter, and the Rahmi M. Koç Museums, highlighting the group's contributions to archaeology, museology, contemporary art, publishing, and theater, including milestones like the first color film in Turkey and the Bauhaus-inspired Küçük Sahne theater.

AIPAD’s 45th Edition Puts New Light on Favorites at Park Avenue Armory

The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD) held its 45th annual Photography Show at New York City's Park Avenue Armory, featuring 77 exhibitors from North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Australia. The preview night drew a crowd of photography enthusiasts, with highlights including strong representation of Latin American photographers such as Graciela Iturbide, Frida Kahlo, and Tina Modotti, as well as classic New York imagery from William Klein, Joel Meyerowitz, and Richard Avedon. Notable sales included a Lucienne Bloch portrait of Kahlo, which sold within hours of the preview opening.

Exhibition | Nick DOYLE, 'Collective Hallucinations' at Perrotin, New York, United States

Perrotin gallery in New York presents 'Collective Hallcinations', an exhibition of new works by Brooklyn-based artist Nick Doyle. The show features wall-mounted denim collages and an immersive installation of a psychic parlor, including Doyle's first use of artificial intelligence. The works explore the fraught relationship between land and technology, progress and destruction, using denim as a material that evokes Americana, capitalism, and masculinity. The centerpiece, 'Mirror, Mirror', is a denim-clad structure housing an AI avatar named Ava, who offers sardonic commentary on the American dream and the digital frontier.

'Soulages-Hartung : Affinités électives' at Perrotin, Paris Marais, France on 25 Apr–30 May 2026

Perrotin in Paris Marais is presenting 'Soulages-Hartung: Affinités électives,' an exhibition exploring the friendship and artistic dialogue between Pierre Soulages (1919–2022) and Hans Hartung (1904–1989). The show features a never-before-screened filmed interview from the Fondation Hartung-Bergman, along with archival documents and rarely seen studio tools. It highlights their shared concerns as postwar abstract painters, their mutual support and gift exchanges—such as Soulages's walnut stain piece given to Hartung in 1948—and their contrasting approaches, with Hartung's explosive gestures versus Soulages's measured structures. The exhibition also reveals their lesser-known use of blue in the 1980s.

‘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.

How the South Side Community Art Center Grew from an Icon of the Black Renaissance to a Vital and Expanding Force

The South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC) in Chicago, the first Black art institution in the United States, is undergoing a major rehabilitation and expansion campaign. Founded in 1940 during the Chicago Black Renaissance, the center was established by community members including Dr. Margaret Taylor-Burroughs, Eldzier Cortor, Charles White, and Archibald Motley Jr., who raised funds through initiatives like the 'Mile of Dimes' campaign and the Annual Artists' and Models' Ball. Housed in a historic Bronzeville brownstone, the center has served as a vital hub for Black artists, hosting landmark exhibitions and creative programs.

Exhibition | Betye Saar, 'Let's Get It On: The Wearable Art of Betye Saar' at Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, United States

Roberts Projects in Los Angeles will present "Let's Get It On: The Wearable Art of Betye Saar" from May 30 to August 22, 2026, showcasing over 150 objects from the artist's career, including costume designs, garments, jewelry, drawings, and archival materials. The exhibition highlights the influence of Saar's early work in costume and jewelry design (1960s–70s) on her later assemblage and installation practice, leading up to her 100th birthday in July 2026.

Exhibition | 'The Shape of Summer: From Boudin to Wesselmann' at Bailly Gallery, Bailly Gallery Paris, France

Bailly Gallery in Paris is presenting an exhibition titled 'The Shape of Summer: From Boudin to Wesselmann,' featuring works that explore the theme of summer from the 19th century to the present. The show spans artists from Eugène Boudin to Tom Wesselmann, highlighting the evolution of summer imagery in art.

Selling exhibition to support art: Déjà Vu at Alserkal heralds joint initiative

A multi-gallery selling exhibition titled 'Déjà Vu' opens at Concrete in Alserkal Avenue on April 25, running for 14 days. The exhibition features over 50 artists from 20 leading UAE contemporary art galleries and is curated by Kevin Jones, Nada Raza, and Zaina Zaarour. It is designed as a commercial initiative to support galleries impacted by recent events.

A Guide To May 2026 Photography Festivals & Exhibitions

A diverse array of international photography festivals and exhibitions are scheduled for May 2026. Key events include Bieler Fototage in Switzerland, focusing on vulnerability as a social condition; Photo London, which is relocating to the Olympia and introducing new curated sections; Hard Copy New York at the ICP, exploring photocopied imagery; Fotofestival Lenzburg, an open-air exhibition in Switzerland; and several other events across Europe and the US.

Exhibition | 'Human Traces: Presence, Absence, and Material Memory' at Axel Vervoordt Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium

A group exhibition titled 'Human Traces: Presence, Absence, and Material Memory' is on view at the Axel Vervoordt Gallery in Antwerp. It features works by four artists—Ida Barbarigo, William Turnbull, El Anatsui, and Bosco Sodi—who explore themes of memory and transformation through material, shifting focus from the human body to its traces.

The Best New Discoveries of Milan Art Week 2026

Milan Art Week 2026 featured a constellation of fairs including the main regional fair miart, the independent MEGA Art Fair, and the new Milan edition of Paris Internationale. Observers noted the week felt somewhat muted due to the imminent arrival of the globally dominant Milan Design Week, but identified strong presentations from galleries like Ehrlich Steinberg, which showcased Japanese artist Eni Mizukami, and eastcontemporary, which highlighted Eastern European artists Ania Bąk and Natália Trejbalová.

Art: Passion is Volcanic – Desire in Southeast Asian Art at National Gallery Singapore

National Gallery Singapore has opened a major exhibition titled 'Passion is Volcanic: Desire in Southeast Asian Art.' The show, which carries an unprecedented R18 rating and prohibits photography, presents a comprehensive exploration of eroticism, pleasure, and the body through a wide range of artworks from the region's collection and loans. It is curated by Dr. Patrick Flores, Dr. Adele Tan, and Dr. Kathleen Ditzig, who frame desire as a culturally specific yet universal force shaped by history and power.

The Art Galleries of New York

A visitor recounts a personal gallery crawl through New York City neighborhoods like Tribeca, Chelsea, and the Lower East Side, highlighting specific exhibitions at Andrew Kreps Gallery, James Cohen Gallery, Chapter NY, and Bortolami Gallery. The article details works by artists including Thérèse Oulton, Elias Sime, Sonya Kelliher-Combs, Rosha Yaghmai, Vian Sora, and Sophie Reinhold, emphasizing the diversity of styles and materials on view.

Flávia Ventura joins Nara Roesler and Mariana Rocha signs with A Gentil Carioca

Two Brazilian artists have secured new gallery representation. Flávia Ventura, whose work explores the body, sexuality, and power through painting, has joined São Paulo's Nara Roesler gallery. Meanwhile, Rio de Janeiro-based A Gentil Carioca gallery is now representing Mariana Rocha, an artist whose practice investigates the body, memory, and the feminine through drawing, painting, and photography.

National Gallery Singapore's 'Passion Is Volcanic' exhibition: 5 works to see

National Gallery Singapore has opened its first R18 exhibition, 'Passion Is Volcanic: Desire In South-east Asian Art', featuring around 60% of works from the national collection, many shown for the first time, alongside regional loans. The show includes a 14th-15th century tantric Buddhist sculpture of kissing buddhas, a pastel painting by pioneering gay Singaporean artist Tan Peng, Liu Kang's 1953 painting 'Scene In Bali', and long-exposure photography by Lavender Chang originally commissioned for a Viagra campaign. Co-curators Adele Tan and Kathleen Ditzig contextualize the exhibition with pre-modern works to demonstrate that artists' interest in the body, desire, and sex is enduring in Asia.

'A Serene Look upon the World' at Mendes Wood DM, Brussels, Belgium on 22 Apr–30 May 2026

Mendes Wood DM in Brussels presents 'A Serene Look upon the World,' a group exhibition running from 22 April to 30 May 2026. The show features 22 artists including Lucas Arruda, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Lee Ufan, and Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, whose works explore the sublime as a tension between permanence and transformation. The exhibition juxtaposes painting, photography, sculpture, and mixed media to evoke moments of pause before the overwhelming, drawing on philosophical ideas from Longinus and Kant.

8 art shows that should be on your radar for April and May

Architectural Digest India has published a guide to eight art shows opening in Delhi and Mumbai during April and May 2026. The article highlights exhibitions such as "He Who Permeates" at Tao Art Gallery, featuring NFN Kalyan and Jayesh Sachdev; "The Last Rust" at Chemould, showcasing Archana Hande's sculptural works; and "Tracing Tradition, Shaping Modernity" at Akara Modern, which draws from The Lechner Collection to pair Jamini Roy and Meera Mukherjee. The shows are curated to place different artists side by side, exploring shared themes through contrasting visual styles.

'Come Closer' at Tang Contemporary Art, Hong Kong on 15 May–5 Jul 2026

Tang Contemporary Art in Hong Kong is presenting the exhibition 'Come Closer,' featuring works by artists Arik Levy and Zoé Ouvrier from May 15 to July 5, 2026. The show explores themes of intimacy, vulnerability, and the relational space between viewer and artwork, inviting audiences to engage deeply with pieces that address memory, the body, and identity.