The annual Artexpo New York returns to the city's cultural calendar this week, serving as a major highlight among a diverse array of local events. The fair joins other significant spring activations including the New Directors/New Films festival at Lincoln Center and MoMA, the Big Umbrella Festival, and the seasonal reopening of major outdoor markets like Smorgasburg.
New York City’s cultural landscape is undergoing a significant transformation with the reopening of the New Museum in its expanded 60,000-square-foot building designed by OMA. The inaugural exhibition, "New Humans: Memories of the Future," features over 200 contributors exploring the intersection of technology and humanity. Simultaneously, major institutions are launching landmark shows, including a massive Raphael retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the 2026 Whitney Biennial, which focuses on artificial intelligence and climate grief.
The Los Angeles-based collective Diva Corp is challenging traditional art world hierarchies through a series of provocative interventions and exhibitions. Their recent solo show at Pio Pico, titled 'The Meeting,' gained notoriety for requiring visitors to surrender their phones before viewing a single painting, 'Untitled (Young adults are having less sex than ever), 2026.' This practice, alongside performances designed to circulate through digital retelling and social rumor, highlights the group's focus on the 'afterlife' of an artwork and the social friction it generates.
Ai Weiwei has launched a solo exhibition at Tang Contemporary Art in Singapore, featuring his signature Lego brick recreations of Western masterpieces and intricate porcelain sculptures. The show includes pixelated interpretations of works by Van Gogh and Andrew Wyeth, alongside porcelain pieces like 'Watermelon' and a series of 16 helmets that satirize international military aid. The artist, currently based in Portugal, noted that the exhibition's themes are heavily influenced by contemporary global conflicts and the digital age's impact on authorship.
The global art calendar for April 2026 features a diverse array of exhibitions ranging from indigenous-led material studies in Los Angeles to a historical deep-dive in Prague. Key highlights include 'Several Eternities in a Day' at the Hammer Museum, which explores 'living materials' through Brown and Indigenous perspectives, and a major 40-year retrospective of Veronica Ryan’s tactile sculptures at London’s Whitechapel Gallery. Additionally, Prague’s National Gallery revisits the controversial 1969 São Paulo Biennial through the work of Jiří Kolář, examining the intersection of art and political censorship.
Author Dave Eggers and artist JD Beltran have launched Art + Water, a new initiative located at Pier 29 in San Francisco designed to bypass the traditional art school model. The program seeks to resurrect the historical artist-apprentice and atelier systems, providing students with practical skills and studio space without the prohibitive costs of modern higher education. By partnering with the Port of San Francisco and the Community Arts Stabilization Trust, the founders aim to revitalize the city's waterfront while offering a sustainable alternative to the current debt-heavy academic landscape.
The Portland Art Museum (PAM), the oldest art museum in the Pacific Northwest, has recently completed a significant 100,000-square-foot expansion to enhance its public and gallery spaces. The museum's diverse collection of over 50,000 objects is particularly noted for its holdings in Native American art, English silver, and graphic arts. Current highlights include the Joe and Shelley Voboril Gallery’s focus on Plains regional works and the 'Conductions: Black Imaginings II' series of in-gallery activations.
The Hayward Gallery in London is hosting a special after-hours event on April 1, 2026, titled 'Hayward Gallery Lates.' The evening offers exclusive night-time access to two major solo exhibitions: Chiharu Shiota’s 'Threads of Life' and Yin Xiuzhen’s 'Heart to Heart,' accompanied by live poetry performances from the New Poets Collective, creative activations, and guided tours.
The Independent art fair has announced the exhibitor list for its 17th edition, scheduled for May 14–17 in New York. The fair is moving to a new, larger venue at Pier 36 on the East River, featuring a redesigned exterior by architecture firm SO–IL. This year’s edition includes 76 exhibitors, nearly half of whom are first-timers, and introduces "Independent Debuts," a curatorial initiative focused on solo presentations by artists making their New York debut.
A wave of exhibitions led by Polish women artists is set to sweep across global institutions in 2026, highlighting themes of feminism, digital capitalism, and cultural identity. Key upcoming shows include Karolina Wojtas’s first U.S. solo exhibition, "Made in Poland," at Light Work in Syracuse, and Agnieszka Kurant’s "RECURSION" at Marian Goodman Gallery in New York. These exhibitions span diverse media, from interactive soft sculptures and photography to complex installations involving bacteria and artificial intelligence.
The late British sculptor Lynn Chadwick will be the subject of a major retrospective at Houghton Hall in Norfolk, running from May to October. Organized by Pangolin London, the exhibition features 30 works spanning four decades, including his signature kinetic sculptures and iconic "couples" figures, with several pieces coming directly from the artist's estate.
The Portland Art Museum and SITE Santa Fe have launched "MORE COLORS THAN THE EYE CAN SEE," a national educational initiative based on Jeffrey Gibson’s historic solo exhibition for the U.S. Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale. Developed in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and a cohort of ten educators, the project introduces 14 interdisciplinary K-12 lesson plans. These resources integrate Indigenous contemporary art into subjects ranging from mathematics to social studies, utilizing Gibson’s vibrant aesthetic to explore themes of identity, representation, and creative sovereignty.
Los Angeles enters the month of March with a diverse array of exhibitions following the intensity of its major art fair week. Highlights include Hayv Kahraman’s mystical paintings at Vielmetter, which process the trauma of displacement and environmental loss, and a survey of the late muralist Noni Olabisi at Loyola Marymount University’s Laband Art Gallery. Other notable shows feature Jesse Wiedel’s expressionistic Americana at Serious Topics and Lauren Quin’s formalist abstractions at Pace Los Angeles.
Miami’s art scene is transitioning into the spring season with a diverse lineup of exhibitions across the city’s museums and private galleries. Key highlights include the Pérez Art Museum Miami’s exploration of sports and art, a duo photography show by Diana Larrea and Zonia Zena at Green Space Miami, and solo presentations by Richard Vergez at Homework and David Barnes at Andrew Reed Gallery. The month also features a fiber art-focused group show at The CAMP Gallery and a survey of works on paper by the late abstract painter Lynne Golob Gelfman at Central Fine.
The 61st Venice Biennale has begun announcing its lineup for the 2026 edition, which is scheduled to run from May 9 to November 22. While the main exhibition will follow a curatorial framework established by the late Koyo Kouoh, various nations have started naming the artists and curators who will represent them in the Giardini, the Arsenale, and satellite venues across the city.
Pace Gallery has announced the representation of Korean-born, New York-based conceptual artist Anicka Yi, who joins the gallery's roster while maintaining her existing relationships with Gladstone Gallery, 47 Canal, and Esther Schipper. Yi will debut a new painting at Pace’s Art Basel Hong Kong booth this month, followed by a solo exhibition in New York in 2027 and upcoming projects at the New Museum and Storm King Art Center.
Atlanta’s 2026 spring season features a major homecoming for artist Amy Sherald, whose mid-career retrospective 'American Sublime' arrives at the High Museum of Art following a high-profile withdrawal from the Smithsonian over censorship concerns. Other museum highlights include an exploration of Isamu Noguchi’s design work at the High, the U.S. International Poster Biennial at MODA, and a soccer-themed exhibition at the Michael C. Carlos Museum.
The Boulder County arts scene is currently hosting a diverse array of exhibitions across its local galleries and museums. Key highlights include the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art’s group exhibition "Yes &…" featuring 18 artists, Rodney Carswell’s lithographs at 15th Street Gallery, and Albert Chong’s "Jamaican Portraits" at East Window. The listings also feature community-focused displays ranging from urban sketching and paper crafts at the Boulder Public Library to studio art quilts at the Collective Community Arts Center.
The UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art is hosting "Overshare," the first major North American survey of French conceptual artist Sophie Calle. Organized by the Walker Art Center and curated by Henriette Huldisch, the exhibition spans five decades of Calle’s career, utilizing photography, text, and installation to explore the boundaries between public and private life. The show is organized into thematic sections—the Spy, the Protagonist, the End, and the Beginning—highlighting her voyeuristic projects and autobiographical narratives.
The Hole gallery and artist Barry McGee have transformed a shuttered 99 Cents Only store in Mid-City Los Angeles into a massive, temporary art installation titled "99CENT." The exhibition preserves the original infrastructure of the discount store—including its blue-and-white tiling, checkout lanes, and aisle signage—to house a dense collection of sculptures, paintings, and mixed-media works. Hundreds of artists, ranging from established figures in the graffiti scene to emerging students, contributed to the project, which features everything from tagged bridal gowns to foam sculptures.
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.
Pace Prints, the storied New York-based print publisher and gallery, has announced it will open its first West Coast location in Hollywood this autumn. The new facility will feature a fully equipped printmaking workshop alongside a gallery space, allowing Los Angeles-based artists to produce technically ambitious works—including etching, woodcut, and large-format printing—without traveling to New York.
British-Montserratian sculptor Veronica Ryan discusses her extensive career and creative process in a new podcast interview, ahead of her major upcoming exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery in 2026. Ryan explores how she utilizes diverse materials—ranging from bronze and marble to textiles and found objects—to investigate themes of personal memory, historical legacy, and the unconscious.
London’s art scene sees a surge of activity this week with five notable openings across the city. Highlights include a rare exhibition at Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert featuring Rachel Whiteread’s drawings alongside her sculptures, breaking her long-standing rule of keeping the two mediums separate. Other significant shows include LA Timpa’s UK solo debut at Cell Project Space, Hannah Lim’s exploration of cultural heritage at Wilder Gallery, and a group exhibition at Woodbury House featuring Los Angeles street art pioneers like RETNA and Chaz Bojórquez.
Los Angeles is hosting a series of major exhibitions to coincide with the Frieze Los Angeles art fair, highlighting both historical activism and contemporary social critiques. Key shows include Judith F. Baca’s exploration of her iconic 'Great Wall of Los Angeles' mural at Jeffrey Deitch, a massive survey of time-based media from the Julia Stoschek Foundation at the Variety Arts Theater, and a collaborative project between MOCA and The Brick titled 'Monuments' that recontextualizes removed Confederate statues through the lens of contemporary Black artists.
Washington, D.C. is hosting a series of major art exhibitions this spring that critically examine American identity, race, and gender. Key shows include the National Gallery of Art’s "Dear America," the National Museum of Women in the Arts’ "Making Their Mark," and the National Portrait Gallery’s "Outwin 2025" triennial. These exhibitions feature a diverse range of artists, from historical figures like Mary Cassatt and Fritz Scholder to contemporary voices like Nick Cave, Diana Al-Hadid, and Aliza Nisenbaum.
Los Angeles is hosting a series of high-profile gallery openings and experimental activations in the lead-up to Frieze Los Angeles 2026. Highlights include David Salle’s first solo exhibition in the city since 1997 at Sprüth Magers, a massive artist-run flea market organized by The Hole in a shuttered 99-cent store, and Rob Pruitt’s charitable flea market with James Fuentes. The week also features a performance by Ryan Trecartin and a solo show of decorative arts by Ingrid Donat at Carpenters Workshop Gallery.
The Norton Museum of Art's 2026 annual gala drew nearly 700 guests and raised nearly $5 million for the museum's programs. The event featured a live auction hosted by Sotheby's Oliver Barker, selling works by contemporary artists like Julie Curtiss, Jeffrey Gibson, Jessie Henson, and Marilyn Minter, and honored trustee Ronnie Heyman and artist Loie Hollowell. The evening's design was inspired by the concurrent exhibition "Art and Life in Rembrandt's Time: Masterpieces from the Leiden Collection."
Galleries and museums worldwide are presenting a series of exhibitions to mark Black History Month, highlighting the contributions of Black and African diasporic artists. These shows explore themes of identity, history, and liberation, ranging from the vibrant works of AFRICOBRA co-founder Wadsworth Jarrell to Ifeyinwa Joy Chiamonwu's intimate portraits of her Igbo community, and a major photography exhibition at MoMA.
The United States is experiencing significant cultural and political disputes as it approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in July 2026. A recent flashpoint involved the Trump administration removing the rainbow Pride flag from the Stonewall Monument in New York, highlighting deep societal divisions over history and representation. Concurrently, various cultural initiatives are being planned to mark the semiquincentennial.