Where to go this weekend?

Wohin am Wochenende?

This week's art tips from Monopol magazine highlight exhibitions and events across Germany and Europe. In Berlin, the Helmut Newton Museum reopens with a new immersive film space and a fresh presentation of its collection, while the Neue Nationalgalerie showcases Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's iconic painting "Potsdamer Platz" in the exhibition "Ruin und Rausch. Berlin 1910-1930." In Bozen, Chinese artist Evelyn Taocheng Wang presents new works at Museion, blending painting, textiles, and installation. The Art Brussels fair returns with a reduced lineup of 138 galleries, focusing on Belgian and neighboring markets. In Duisburg, Anish Kapoor receives the Wilhelm-Lehmbruck Prize, accompanied by a solo exhibition at the Lehmbruck Museum.

Met Gala guests take artistic liberties with dress code

Guests at the 2025 Met Gala embraced the dress code 'Fashion is art' with bold, artistic ensembles. Beyoncé wore a custom Olivier Rousteing sculptural skeleton dress with a feathered train and diamond crown. Naomi Osaka stunned in a Robert Wun white sculptural dress that revealed a red beaded gown underneath. Emma Chamberlain arrived in a hand-painted Mugler dress by Miguel Castro Freitas. Co-chairs Anna Wintour, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams also made statements, with Williams wearing a sparkling gown in homage to her own portrait by Robert Pruitt. Many guests referenced famous artworks, such as Lena Dunham channeling Artemisia Gentileschi's 'Judith Slaying Holofernes' through a Valentino design by Alessandro Michele, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos wearing a Schiaparelli gown inspired by John Singer Sargent's 'Madame X.'

American artist Lauren Halsey’s “sister dreamer” sculpture park opens in Los Angeles.

American artist Lauren Halsey’s “sister dreamer” sculpture park opens in Los Angeles.

American artist Lauren Halsey has opened a new public sculpture park titled "sister dreamer" in Los Angeles. The installation, located in the city's historic West Adams neighborhood, features a series of large-scale, fantastical architectural forms that draw on Afrofuturism and the visual culture of the local community.

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The Victoria & Albert Museum has acquired the first-ever YouTube video, "Me at the zoo," along with the platform's original 2006 front-end code and early advertisements. The 19-second clip, featuring co-founder Jawed Karim at the San Diego Zoo, has been integrated into a reconstructed version of the site’s early "watch page" through a collaboration between museum curators and YouTube’s design team. The installation is now on view at V&A South Kensington and the V&A East Storehouse.

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This morning links roundup from ARTnews covers several art-world stories. UK ministers will underwrite up to £800 million in potential damage to the Bayeux Tapestry during its loan to the British Museum, making the British taxpayer the ultimate guarantor. London's Imperial War Museum has been accused of sidelining Victoria Cross recipients in favor of highlighting LGBTQ+ history after closing its gallery of the medals and returning them to Lord Ashcroft. Two exhibitions in Germany explore olfactory art, the Natural History Museum plans to open two spaces, and Ireland has reportedly turned the former Israeli embassy in Dublin into a museum for Palestine.

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The Louvre Museum in Paris has temporarily closed a gallery housing Greek antiquities and several offices after an audit revealed structural weaknesses in beams on the second level of the southern Sully wing. The affected gallery, the Campana Gallery, which displays antique Greek ceramics, was shut as a precaution, and 65 employees have been relocated while experts assess the damage. The closure comes amid a difficult period for the museum, following a $102 million theft of France's crown jewels in October and a scathing report criticizing leadership for prioritizing acquisitions over security upgrades.

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Auction houses Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips are increasingly relying on luxury goods—such as handbags, jewelry, wine, and whiskey—to offset a sharp decline in fine art sales. Fine art sales at these houses fell 44% in the first half of 2025 compared to 2022, creating a roughly $3 billion gap. Luxury sales have surged to a 20.2% market share by value in 2025, with Christie's reporting a 30% rise in luxury sales to $468 million in the first half of 2025, and Sotheby's luxury sales topping $2 billion for three consecutive years. Notable sales include a record $10 million Hermès Birkin bag and a $72 million jewelry auction in Geneva.

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The Louvre Museum in Paris will restore Empress Eugénie's crown, which was severely damaged during a $102 million heist on October 19, 2025. Thieves broke into the museum, used an angle grinder to cut through a display case, and stole crown jewels, but dropped the crown in their escape. The lightweight, diamond-and-emerald crown was deformed, with four of its eight decorative palmettes broken off and one gold eagle missing. However, all 65 emeralds and most of the 1,354 diamonds remain intact. The museum has opened a bidding process for an accredited restorer, overseen by an expert committee chaired by Louvre director Laurence des Cars, to reshape and fully restore the piece for display in the Galerie d'Apollon.

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The Syrian government has announced plans to reopen the ancient city of Palmyra to tourists as early as next summer, following extensive damage inflicted by ISIS. The historic UNESCO World Heritage Site, once attracting 150,000 visitors annually, was occupied twice by the terrorist group, which destroyed iconic structures including the Temple of Bel, the Temple of Baal Shamin, and the Arch of Triumph, and beheaded the city's head of antiquities, Khalid al-As'ad. Restoration efforts are underway with assistance pledged from UNESCO, Russia, Poland, and Italy, focusing on repairing the Old City and restoring artifacts such as the Lion of Al-lāt statue.

15 Must-See Events Enriching the Venice Biennale 2026 Experience.

The article presents a curated guide to 15 must-see events accompanying the 61st Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" and curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, running from May to November 2026. It highlights key exhibitions beyond the main pavilions, including "Screen Melancholy: Li Yi-Fan" at Palazzo delle Prigioni, "Darkness Visible: The Long Shadow of Dictatorship" at Spazio Punch, "Elegy" by Gabrielle Goliath at Chiesa di Sant'Antonin, and "As Above, So Below" at Ex Church Santi Cosma e Damiano, among others. These events span museums, foundations, and historic palazzi, featuring performances, talks, and curatorial interventions that extend the Biennale's reach across Venice.

Valerio Adami | Valerio Adami @Miart 2026 (2026) | Art & Prints

Valerio Adami, a prominent Italian painter born in 1935, is offering a new acrylic-on-canvas work titled "Valerio Adami @Miart 2026" (2026) through Dep Art Gallery. The painting, sized 198 × 147 cm, is a unique piece accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Adami is known for his graphic, comic-inspired narrative figuration, with works held in major museums including MoMA, Centre Pompidou, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

In an Age of Image Overload, AIPAD’s The Photography Show Reminds Us What a Photograph Can Do

The 2026 Photography Show, organized by AIPAD, opened to VIPs on April 22 at the Park Avenue Armory with record attendance and strong early sales. Featuring 80 domestic and international galleries, the fair showcased works ranging from early photographic experiments to contemporary digital and installation-based practices, with notable acquisitions by the Museum of the City of New York. AIPAD executive director Lydia Melamed Johnson reported a broad demographic of collectors, from established connoisseurs to first-time buyers.

New media art fair launches second edition in Busan, questions the genre's direction

The Loop Plus media art fair has launched its second edition in Busan, South Korea. The fair, dedicated exclusively to new media art, is confronting fundamental market challenges, specifically the public and collector uncertainty about whether such technologically dependent works can be owned and collected. It aims to build the market and ecosystem for the genre.

May 2026 Exhibitions

Several galleries and a museum in Columbus's Short North arts district are opening new exhibitions for May 2026. Highlights include a women's group show at Sean Christopher Gallery Ohio, environmental abstract paintings by Annette Poitau at Marcia Evans Gallery, a spring-themed solo exhibition by Amy Adams at Sharon Weiss Gallery, and a salon exhibition at 24 Lincoln St. Gallery & Art Studios. The Columbus Museum of Art at the Pizzuti is presenting the first U.S. museum survey of Bahamian conceptual artist Tavares Strachan, featuring his 'Encyclopedia of Invisibility'.

Barkley L. Hendricks | Biography, Paintings, Photography & Legacy

Barkley L. Hendricks was a transformative American portrait artist known for depicting ordinary Black men and women with the scale and technical mastery typically reserved for European Old Masters. After a pivotal trip to Europe in the 1960s where he noted the absence of Black subjects in museum collections, Hendricks dedicated his career to elevating Black identity through bold, life-sized oil paintings and photography. His work often featured vibrant monochromatic backgrounds and subjects drawn from his personal life, popular music, and urban culture.

What does 250 years of American art look like?

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. has launched "Dear America," a major exhibition commemorating the U.S. semiquincentennial through more than 100 works on paper. Drawing from the museum’s deep permanent holdings, the show features a diverse range of media including photography, lithographs, and artist books by figures such as Andy Warhol, Ansel Adams, Faith Ringgold, and Kara Walker. The curation spans 250 years, juxtaposing iconic American imagery with lesser-known folk art and contemporary works that explore the complexities of national identity.

How four Los Angeles artists are doing a year after the wildfires

Four Los Angeles-based artists—Kelly Akashi, Christina Quarles, Adam Ross, and Kathryn Andrews—are navigating the long-term recovery process one year after devastating wildfires destroyed their homes, studios, and archives. Despite significant losses, including Adam Ross’s archive of 5,000 drawings, the artists have demonstrated remarkable resilience by securing temporary workspaces and continuing to produce new work for major events like Frieze Los Angeles and the Whitney Biennial.

5 Artists on Our Radar in January 2026

Artsy's January 2026 edition of 'Artists on Our Radar' highlights five emerging visual artists: Elladj Lincy Deloumeaux, Xiaochi Dong, and Bobbye Fermie (with two others implied). Deloumeaux, born in Guadeloupe and based in Paris, paints solitary figures exploring identity and displacement; his work is featured in a group show at Loft Art Gallery in Marrakech and he has a solo show upcoming at Musée de la Parure de Marrakech. Xiaochi Dong, a Shanghai-born artist trained in classical Chinese painting, creates intimate works evoking gardens and ecosystems, currently in a two-person exhibition at Albion Jeune in London. Bobbye Fermie, an Amsterdam-born London-based artist, produces dreamlike watercolors and collages, with works available at Wilder Gallery.

Arnulf Rainer, a revolutionary figure in postwar Austrian art, has died aged 96

Arnulf Rainer, a revolutionary figure in postwar Austrian art, has died at age 96. His death on 18 December was confirmed by his gallery Thaddaeus Ropac, which described him as one of the most influential artists of the post-war period. Born in 1929 in Baden, Austria, Rainer emerged as a leading figure of the Austrian avant-garde, known for his gestural paintings confronting the atrocities of the Holocaust and Hiroshima, and for his experimental self-portraiture. He was a founding member of Galerie nächst St Stephan in postwar Vienna, a vital hub for artists seeking alternatives to the conservative art world. His signature Übermalungen (overpaintings) involved painting over photographs and self-portraits with aggressive gestures, dense black strokes, and erasures, creating charged works where violence and vulnerability coexist.

Malba acquires collection of more than 1,200 Latin American works

The Argentine real-estate developer and collector Eduardo F. Costantini has acquired the entire Daros Latinamerica Collection, adding 1,233 works by 117 artists to his Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (Malba). Previously housed in Zurich, the collection includes key pieces by artists such as Ana Mendieta, Hélio Oiticica, Lygia Clark, and Cildo Meireles. The acquisition brings 75 new artists to Malba's holdings, including Doris Salcedo and Jesús Rafael Soto, and strengthens existing ones like Guillermo Kuitca and León Ferrari. Plans for a museum expansion to accommodate the works are already underway.

Local Art Books to Gift This Holiday Season

Several artists with ties to Baltimore have released new art books just in time for the holiday season. The featured publications include a debut monograph on Derrick Adams from Phaidon's Monacelli imprint, a book by rising painter Jerrell Gibbs titled 'No Solace in the Shade' published by Rizzoli, the exhibition catalogue for Amy Sherald's retrospective 'American Sublime' at the Baltimore Museum of Art, and Jackie Milad's debut art book 'Shabtis Gather' produced in partnership with BmoreArt. The article also recommends gifting a subscription to BmoreArt magazine.

Holly Stevenson – interview

London-based ceramic artist Holly Stevenson discusses her recent and upcoming projects in an interview with Studio International. She had a joint exhibition, "A Hyena Wore My Face Last Night," at C+N Gallery Canepaneri in Milan, with works titled after Leonora Carrington's short story "The Debutante," and a solo exhibition, "Tracing the Irretraceable," at the Freud Museum in London in collaboration with the Jane McAdam Freud Estate. Stevenson reflects on the resurgence of surrealism, particularly feminist perspectives, and the influence of psychoanalysis on her work, noting coincidental timing with a major Carrington exhibition at Palazzo Reali in Milan.

How Art Week Tokyo is opening up routes into Japan’s contemporary art landscape

Art Week Tokyo, which launched in November 2021 during border closures, has adopted a unique "post-art fair" model that forgoes a traditional art fair in favor of connecting museums and galleries across Tokyo via free buses and inviting international art professionals. The fourth full edition coincides with three major Japanese art festivals—the Aichi Triennale, Okayama Art Summit, and Setouchi Triennale—creating a powerful autumn art season. Key highlights include AWT Focus, a selling exhibition at the Okura Museum of Art curated by Adam Szymczyk, featuring over 50 artists with increased international gallery participation, and the museum exhibition "Prism of the Real: Making Art in Japan 1989-2010" at the National Art Center, Tokyo, curated by Doryun Chong.

The Art World This Week, 19 September 2025

Ocula's weekly briefing reports strong sales at viennacontemporary with 15,000 visitors and six-figure results for Galerie Zimmermann Kratochwill. Sotheby's announced $248 million in pre-tax losses for 2024 but achieved $100 million from the Karpidas collection sale and consigned the Pritzker and Lauder collections for November. Haegue Yang was appointed chair of the executive board at Kunst-Werke Berlin. Yemen's National Museum in Sanaa was damaged by Israeli airstrikes. Gallerist Sebastian Gladstone opened a new Los Angeles space, while L.A. Louver closed its Venice Beach gallery after 50 years. Taymour Grahne Projects opened in Dubai. Samia Halaby won the MUNCH Award, Jennifer Packer and Marie Watt received Heinz Family Foundation awards, and the Henry Moore Foundation distributed £100,000 to UK sculptors.

Inaugural Brussels Art Week stakes a strong claim for the city's scene

The inaugural Brussels Art Week took place from September 5-8, organized by the non-profit RendezVous, co-founded by Evelyn Simons and Laure Decock. The event featured gallery openings, artist talks, institutional shows, performances, and offsite interventions across multiple neighborhoods, deliberately avoiding the traditional art fair model. A centerpiece was a commissioned social space by British artist Zoe Williams titled 'A Tip Inn,' a functioning bar and performance venue that hosted talks, readings, and DJ sets. Participating galleries included Xavier Hufkens (showing Charline von Heyl), Gladstone (Nicholas Bierk), and Mendes Wood DM (Julien Creuzet), while Damien & The Love Guru installed Sharon Van Overmeire's inflatable castle sculpture at Wiels garden.

Emerging artists explore identities and bodies through queer perspectives at Frieze Seoul

Frieze Seoul 2025 is spotlighting queer and female artists through two major exhibitions: “off-site 2: Eleven Episodes” at Kukje Gallery K2, organized in partnership with Art Sonje Center, and “UnHouse” at the new Frieze House space. The former features works by 11 emerging Korean female and genderqueer artists exploring non-normative bodies and identities, including photography by Hong Ji-young, video by duo Yagwang, and an experimental piece by Kwak So-jin. The latter reimagines domestic space through a queer lens with 14 artists such as Anne Imhof, Catherine Opie, and Xiyadie.

Washington, D.C., Museums are Showcasing African American Art, Exhibitions Focus on Photography and the Black Arts Movement, Vivian Browne, Adam Pendleton & More

Museums across Washington, D.C., are currently presenting a robust slate of exhibitions focused on African American art, including major retrospectives, solo shows, and thematic group presentations. Notable shows include "Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist" at the National Gallery of Art, "We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts by Black Women Artists" at the Renwick Gallery, solo exhibitions for Vivian Browne and Essex Hemphill at The Phillips Collection, Chakaia Booker's "In the Tower" at the National Gallery, and Adam Pendleton's "Love, Queen" at the Hirshhorn Museum. Additionally, collectors Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson have pledged 175 works by Black artists to the National Gallery, with over 60 on view in "With Passion and Purpose."

How the wealth transfer from Boomers to their children will shake up the art market

The article examines how the transfer of wealth from Baby Boomers to younger generations is reshaping the Australian art market. As Boomers downsize or pass away, their tightly held collections—featuring artists like Grace Cossington Smith, Howard Arkley, and Brett Whiteley—are entering auction houses, creating rare buying opportunities. Meanwhile, younger collectors (Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z) face economic uncertainty, leading to a softening in the ultra-contemporary market and a decline in NFTs. New models of online and agency representation are bypassing traditional galleries, and galleries themselves are undergoing generational change, with some closing and others like Ames Yavuz and D'Lan Contemporary expanding.

How to Plan an Art-Filled Day Trip to the Berkshires

This article is a travel guide for planning an art-focused day trip to the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, highlighting key cultural destinations for summer 2025. It details MASS MoCA in North Adams, a vast contemporary art museum housing works by Sol LeWitt, Anselm Kiefer, Louise Bourgeois, and James Turrell, with current exhibitions including a Vincent Valdez retrospective and Alison Pebworth's "Cultural Apothecary." The guide also covers the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, featuring its "Ground/work 2025" outdoor sculpture exhibition curated by Glenn Adamson, alongside shows by Mariel Capanna, mid-century modern graphic design, and Isamu Noguchi. Additional attractions include the LOUD Weekend and FreshGrass music festivals, plus dining options like the museum campus's cafe and the Tourists hotel restaurant.

Culture Type | The Month in Black Art, Here’s What Happened in June 2025

The June 2025 edition of Culture Type's 'The Month in Black Art' roundup reports multiple developments: the Detroit Institute of Arts acquired Tiff Massey's installation 'Baby Bling' (2023) for its reimagined Modern and Contemporary galleries opening in 2026; Aperture magazine released a summer issue guest-edited by Tanisha C. Ford focusing on Black style and fashion; Different Leaf, a cannabis culture journal, relaunched with guest editors Nick Cave and Bob Faust; and Sean Kelly Gallery announced representation of artist Lindsay Adams in collaboration with PATRON Gallery. The article also notes updates on the Studio Museum in Harlem, a shakeup at the Afro Brazil Museum, new Art Basel Awards, and Suzanne Jackson's exhibition at SFMOMA.