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Artist and activist Michele Pred has opened a solo exhibition at Nancy Hoffman Gallery in New York, showcasing a body of work that addresses the erosion of civil and reproductive rights. The exhibition features her signature electroluminescent wire-stitched vintage handbags, sculptures made from found objects like wooden gavels and disarmed bullets, and large-scale inflatable abortion pill sculptures. Pred’s practice, rooted in her upbringing between California and Sweden, utilizes approachable domestic objects to deliver urgent political messages regarding bodily autonomy and social justice.

AI Art Copyright Supreme Court Ruling

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The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from computer scientist Stephen Thaler, effectively upholding lower court rulings that AI-generated artwork cannot be copyrighted. The case centered on a 2012 digital work titled "A Recent Entrance to Paradise," which Thaler claimed was created autonomously by his AI system, DABUS. By refusing the case, the court leaves in place the U.S. Copyright Office's stance that copyright protection requires "traditional human authorship."

Hadassah-Brandeis Institute spotlights Holocaust survivors‘ art in Kniznick Gallery

The Kniznick Gallery at Brandeis University has opened "Who Will Draw Our History? Women’s Graphic Narratives of the Holocaust, 1944-1949," an exhibition curated by Rachel E. Perry. The show features the work of ten female survivors who utilized visual storytelling—including handmade albums, pictorial diaries, and wordless novels—to document their experiences in concentration camps like Auschwitz-Birkenau and Ravensbrück. These "graphic narratives" serve as early visual testimonies, often created as a "call to duty" immediately following the liberation.

Michelangelo's Pietà Altarpiece for His Own Tomb Restored and Returned to Public View

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The Opera del Duomo Museum in Florence has unveiled the newly restored Bandini Pietà, a monumental sculpture Michelangelo carved for his own tomb between 1547 and 1555. The two-year conservation project, funded by the Friends of Florence Foundation, removed centuries of accumulated dust, wax, and plaster residue from the 5,900-pound marble block, which the artist famously left unfinished after discovering flaws in the stone.

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The Art Institute of Chicago is considering a major expansion that could involve relocating or reshaping the historic Chicago Stock Exchange Trading Room. Located on the museum's east side, the 5,700-square-foot room is a preserved architectural landmark originally designed in the 1890s and saved from demolition in the 1970s. While no final decisions have been made, museum officials identified this area as having the highest potential for increasing gallery capacity to showcase more of the institution's permanent collection.

Veteran artist transforms military burn pit trauma into art at TAMUCC exhibition

Air Force veteran and MFA candidate Ian Manseau has debuted his thesis exhibition, "Residue," at the Weil Gallery at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. The exhibition features 800 ceramic vessels infused with military uniforms and fired in a kiln, alongside prints made from charcoal and Combat Paper. The works utilize reduction firing and recycled materials to visualize the toxic legacy of military burn pits, which have been linked to severe respiratory illnesses and cancers in service members.

Art exhibition celebrating Glasgow's immigrant women

Scottish artist Gerard Burns has launched "Mother Glasgow," a portrait series featuring fifteen oil paintings of immigrant women who have made Glasgow their home. Debuting on International Women’s Day, the project showcases a diverse cohort ranging from a nine-year-old Ukrainian girl to an 87-year-old Italian resident, representing various professions including nursing, politics, and the arts. The works are being displayed across digital billboards and will tour prestigious Scottish venues.

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The Belarus Free Theatre (BFT), an underground performance group currently in exile, has announced its first major visual art exhibition titled "Official. Unofficial. Belarus." as a collateral event for the 61st Venice Biennale. Staged at the historic La Chiesa di San Giovanni Evangelista, the show features site-specific works by exiled artists including Sergey Grinevich, Vladimir Tsesler, and Nicolai Khalezin. The installations range from paintings functioning as altar panels to a massive sphere of banned books and a crucifix made of CCTV cameras, all designed to critique the surveillance and censorship of the Lukashenko regime.

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Frieze Los Angeles 2026 opened amid concerns over the city's cooling art market, following a wave of gallery closures and a shift toward nomadic dealer models. Despite the economic downturn and the lingering shadow of previous regional fires, the fair week saw a resurgence of energy with 32,000 attendees and significant blue-chip sales, including a $3.75 million Ed Ruscha at Gagosian and a $2.8 million Njideka Akunyili Crosby at David Zwirner. The week was characterized by a mix of high-end commerce at the Santa Monica Airport and grassroots vitality at satellite events like Felix and the newly launched Post-Fair.

Download 60,000 Works of Art from the National Gallery, Including Masterpieces by Van Gogh, Gauguin, Rembrandt & More

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. has made over 60,000 high-resolution digital images from its permanent collection available for free download through its NGA Images platform. This open-access initiative includes masterpieces by iconic artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, and Rembrandt van Rijn, allowing users to download files up to 3,000 pixels for personal or educational use.

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The European Alliance of Academies has launched 'Re:Create Europe,' a four-year, $2 million initiative designed to safeguard artistic freedom and cultural autonomy across the continent. Funded largely by the European Union, the program will provide financial aid, residencies, and digital resources to artists and institutions facing political censorship, economic precarity, and the impacts of war. Notable beneficiaries include Madrid’s Círculo de Bellas Artes, which will receive funding to offset recent politically motivated local budget cuts.

Carmen Reviriego on Art Patronage in Spain and the Callia Foundation

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Carmen Reviriego, founder and president of the Callia Foundation, recently hosted the 11th edition of the International Patronage Awards at Madrid’s Royal Collections Gallery. The event honored significant figures in the art world, including ARTnews Top 200 collector Batia Ofer, while highlighting the foundation's broader mission of funding restorations and fostering collaboration between private donors and Spain’s public institutions. Reviriego, who transitioned from a career in finance to art philanthropy, utilizes a business-minded approach to advocate for a more balanced model of cultural funding in Spain.

Spain’s galleries are protesting against high taxes—can Arco Madrid help voice their concerns?

The 45th edition of Arco Madrid, Spain’s premier contemporary art fair, is set to host 206 galleries from 36 countries at the Ifema convention centre. While the fair remains a vital commercial hub, it is currently overshadowed by a nationwide protest from Spanish galleries against the country's 21% VAT on art purchases. This tax rate is among the highest in Europe, significantly outpacing neighbors like Portugal and France, leading to concerns about international competitiveness and the classification of contemporary art as a luxury elite product.

The Semiotics of Divination: On Tarot Art’s Evolution

The article is a table of contents for Issue 43 of Contemporary Art Review LA, listing various articles, interviews, and reviews focused on the Los Angeles art scene. Featured pieces include an essay on the evolution of Tarot art, a report on the Made in L.A. 2025 biennial, an interview with artist Kelly Wall, and reviews of exhibitions at venues like the Orange County Museum of Art, Karma, and Château Shatto.

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Buckminster Fuller’s iconic 'Fly’s Eye Dome' (1976) sculpture at LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton has collapsed after a severe blizzard. The fiberglass structure, one of only five existing prototypes of its kind, buckled under the weight of heavy snow, leaving its custom-made modular components crumpled and in need of extensive restoration.

The Future is Handmade – The Regina A. Quick Center Hosts Community Art Project in the lobby this Season

The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University has debuted "The Future is Handmade," a large-scale exhibition featuring eight female artists with regional ties. Curated by Linda Colletta and organized by the Center for Arts & Minds, the showcase transforms the center's lobby into a vibrant gallery of mixed-media, textiles, and sculpture. The exhibition opened alongside a performance by the dance company BODYTRAFFIC, emphasizing a multidisciplinary approach to community engagement.

7 Discoveries from Los Angeles Satellite Art Fairs

The 2026 edition of Frieze Los Angeles was accompanied by a vibrant circuit of satellite fairs, including the eighth edition of Felix Art Fair at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the second iteration of Post-Fair in Santa Monica, and the debut of ENZO, a boutique fair in Echo Park. These alternative venues provided a platform for approximately 100 international galleries to showcase emerging and established talent in unconventional settings ranging from hotel cabanas to Art Deco post offices and industrial warehouses.

5 Artists We Discovered at Felix Art Fair 2026

The eighth edition of the Felix Art Fair returned to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in February 2026, featuring 57 galleries with a significant emphasis on Los Angeles-based talent. The fair maintained its signature intimate atmosphere, utilizing hotel rooms, cabanas, and the iconic David Hockney-designed pool area to showcase a diverse range of contemporary works. This year's iteration saw a high influx of new participants, with over 20 galleries making their debut at the event.

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The School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York has announced the closure of its MA in Curatorial Practice program, effective upon the retirement of its founding chair, Steven Henry Madoff, in May 2027. The decision to "teach out" the program comes despite recent recruitment efforts and follows a period of financial instability for the institution. The announcement also coincides with the recent abrupt resignation of David A. Ross, chair of SVA’s MFA Art Practice program, following revelations regarding his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

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Rena Bransten, a foundational figure in the San Francisco art scene, has died at the age of 92 following a heart attack and a subsequent fall. Since founding her eponymous gallery in 1975, Bransten became a champion for California-based artists, with a pioneering focus on women and artists of color. Her gallery represented major figures including John Waters, Dawoud Bey, and Fred Wilson, evolving from its origins in ceramics to a multidisciplinary powerhouse that recently transitioned to a nomadic model.

Prado Restoration Lab Coats by Loewe

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Spanish luxury fashion house Loewe has designed custom, high-performance lab coats for the restoration department at the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid. Developed in collaboration with the museum's conservators, the garments are crafted from non-reflective materials to prevent glare on masterpieces and feature leather-reinforced pockets specifically sized for restoration tools.

‘Everyone can talk about a cabinet or a chair’: Ryan Preciado on his show at Hollyhock House in Los Angeles

Artist Ryan Preciado has launched a new exhibition titled "Diary of a Fly" at Frank Lloyd Wright’s historic Hollyhock House in Los Angeles. The show features a mix of high-gloss steel sculptures, woven tapestries, and furniture that Preciado calls "insecure sculptures"—objects that blur the line between functional craft and fine art. By placing these contemporary works within the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Preciado creates a dialogue between his own carpentry-based practice and Wright’s iconic Modernist architecture.

The remarkable man who made Art UK possible | Letter

Fred Hohler, the founder of the Public Catalogue Foundation, is the pivotal figure behind the Art UK project, which has successfully digitized over one million UK public art entries. The letter corrects a previous article that highlighted the project's new chair but omitted Hohler's foundational role.

The remarkable man who made Art UK possible | Letter

Fred Hohler, the founder of the Public Catalogue Foundation, is the pivotal figure behind the Art UK project, which has successfully digitized over one million UK public art entries. The letter writer, Prof Robin Simon, expresses astonishment that a recent article on Art UK's milestone failed to credit Hohler's foundational work.

LAMA: Post War & Contemporary Art featuring the Collection of Roberta & Fletcher Benton

Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) held a Post-War & Contemporary Art sale featuring the private collection of Roberta and Fletcher Benton. The auction, hosted in partnership with Artsy, showcased 121 lots including significant works by California-centric artists such as John Mason, Claire Falkenstein, Peter Alexander, and Mel Ramos. Notable items included Bernar Venet’s steel sculptures, Judy Kensley McKie’s design pieces, and a series of artist-made jewelry by figures like Sonia Delaunay and Billy Al Bengston.

Are we seeing the demise of statement stands at art fairs?

The era of the 'statement stand' at international art fairs is rapidly declining as galleries shift away from immersive, high-risk installations in favor of more conservative group presentations. Rising participation costs, the sheer volume of the global fair calendar, and the financial pressure to recoup expenses have made experimental booths like those once championed by Jeffrey Deitch or Gavin Brown an endangered species.

Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles acquires Kara Walker sculpture made from dissected Confederate monument

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Los Angeles has acquired "Unmanned Drone" (2023), a significant bronze sculpture by Kara Walker. The work was created by dissecting and reassembling a decommissioned 1921 monument of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson, which was removed from Charlottesville, Virginia, following the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally. The acquisition was announced alongside more than 150 other new additions to the museum's permanent collection, including major works by Cynthia Daignault and Paul Pfeiffer.

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The High Court of Justice of Andalusia has overturned a four-year prison sentence for antiques dealer Santos Boy Jiménez Cortés, who was previously convicted of misappropriating a 17th-century Baroque sculpture. The artwork, 'Saint Margaret of Cortona' by José de Mora, was purchased from the Our Lady of the Angels convent in Granada for €21,600 before being resold to a Madrid gallery and eventually offered at TEFAF New York for €400,000. The court ruled that the nuns' claims—that they had only requested a restoration budget rather than selling the piece—were inconsistent and lacked documentation.

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The inaugural edition of Art Basel Qatar launched with a unique booth-less format, prioritizing single-artist presentations and regional connections over the typical high-speed frenzy of European fairs. While the pace of transactions was more measured, significant sales were reported, including a $250,000 video installation by Kutlug Ataman sold by Niru Ratnam to an institution and multiple works by regional stars like Ahmed Mater and Ali Cherri. High-value blue-chip items, including a $42 million Picasso, remained tucked away in private viewing rooms to accommodate the region's preference for discretionary collecting.

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Hundreds of artists, gallery owners, and collectors staged coordinated sit-ins at major Spanish museums, including the Museo Reina Sofía, to protest the country's 21 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) on art sales. Demonstrators gathered around Richard Serra’s 'Equal-Parallel/Guernica-Bengasi'—a replica of a work that famously vanished from storage—to symbolize the potential disappearance of the Spanish art sector under current fiscal pressures. The protests included demands for the resignation of the culture and finance ministers and calls for tax parity with European neighbors.