Exhibit Explores the Stories Behind the Quilts in the UWS American Folk Art Museum's Collection

The American Folk Art Museum in New York is presenting "An Ecology of Quilts: The Natural History of American Textiles," an exhibition of 30 quilts from its collection of over 600 pieces. Co-curators Austin Losada and Emelie Gevalt highlight the materials and labor behind the quilts, including indigo dye and cotton, while featuring works by Malissia Pettway of Gee's Bend and Japanese artist Tomie Nagano, the only living artist in the show.

How ‘archaeological ceramicist’ Yasmin Smith has forever changed the way I look at flint

Yasmin Smith, an Australian artist described as an 'archaeological ceramicist,' presents her solo exhibition *Elemental Life* at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) in Sydney, running until June 8. The show features sculptural installations that use ceramics and glaze technologies to decode environmental and human histories. Key works include *Seine River Basin (2019)*, commissioned by the Centre Pompidou, which uses ash-glazed stoneware replicas of tree branches to reflect the chemical history of the River Seine, and *Chicxulub (2025)*, which draws on samples from the asteroid impact crater in Mexico to explore mass extinction. Smith’s practice involves extensive field research and collaboration with ecologists, archaeologists, and local communities, creating site-specific glazes that act as chemical records of place and time.

rome charges fee for trevi fountain 2733686

Rome has introduced a €2.35 entry fee for the Trevi Fountain, one of the world's most famous monuments, effective February 1 during daylight hours (9am to 9pm). The measure, announced by Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, aims to curb overtourism by limiting viewership to 400 people at a time. The fountain currently welcomes up to 70,000 visitors per day, and the fee could raise an estimated $7.6 million annually for maintenance. Similar fees will apply to four other city sites, while Roman citizens retain free access.

Industrial Dreams of the GDR

Industrieträume der DDR

The exhibition "Robotron – Arbeiterklasse und Intelligenz" has opened at the Hartware Medienkunstverein (HMKV) in Dortmund, following its initial run in Leipzig. Centered on the history of the GDR’s largest computer manufacturer, the show features 20 artistic positions including photography, film, and sculpture, alongside a significant five-meter oil sketch by Socialist Realist painter Werner Tübke. The presentation bridges East and West German industrial histories by juxtaposing state-commissioned propaganda with progressive, unofficial works by artists like Ruth Wolf-Rehfeldt and A.R. Penck.

Counterpublic plans sprawling, socially conscious show of public art for St. Louis in September

The St. Louis-based triennial Counterpublic has announced its artist lineup and thematic framework for its 2026 edition, set to open on September 12. Featuring more than 50 artists across five primary locations, the free public art festival will showcase newly commissioned works by major figures such as Glenn Ligon, Rebecca Belmore, and Rirkrit Tiravanija. The exhibition, titled "Coyote Time," explores themes of rapid societal change, community resilience, and the "near future," with specific installations addressing the aftermath of a 2025 tornado and the history of local landmarks like Sumner High School.

Book offers fresh perspectives on why Cubism came into being

Christopher Green, a leading scholar of Cubism, has published a new book titled *Cubism and Reality*, which reexamines the origins and intentions of early Cubism through the works of Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, and Juan Gris. The book focuses on the years immediately before World War I, arguing that Cubism was not a step toward abstraction but a deliberate reinvention of reality based on lived visual experience. Green draws on decades of research, including his own earlier works and the foundational 1959 study by John Golding, and contrasts the movement with mass-produced imagery in chapters on Roy Lichtenstein and Francis Picabia.

Artists share their pin-ups in a London exhibition

London's Incubator gallery has opened 'Notes from the Studio', a group exhibition featuring 45 visual artists, writers, musicians, and fashion designers. Each participant contributed one item currently taped or pinned to their studio wall, ranging from personal objects and notes to postcards, sketches, and reference images. Contributors include Tracey Emin, Michael Stipe, Sam Taylor-Johnson, Harland Miller, and Ben Okri. The gallery preserved the original tape or tack used to attach each item and installed the pieces within drawn charcoal 'frames'.

Inside Kashi Hallegua House, The Historic Kochi Mansion Hosting One of the Biennale’s Most Provocative Art Exhibition

The historic 200-year-old Kashi Hallegua House in Kochi's Jewish quarter has been transformed into Ishara House, hosting the exhibition "Amphibian Aesthetics" during the Kochi-Muziris Biennale season. Running from December 13, 2025, to March 31, 2026, the show features 12 international artists including Shilpa Gupta, Michelangelo Pistoletto, and Dima Srouji, with works responding directly to the building's architecture and maritime histories. The exhibition is organized by Ishara Art Foundation and curated with an "amphibian" lens, exploring themes of transition, climate crisis, and cultural displacement.

At a Los Angeles exhibition, contemporary artists face off with decommissioned Confederate statues

The exhibition "Monuments," co-curated by Hamza Walker, Bennett Simpson, and artist Kara Walker, opens on October 23 in Los Angeles at both the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and the Brick. It features nearly 20 decommissioned Confederate statues—including the melted-down Robert E. Lee monument from the 2017 Charlottesville Unite the Right rally—displayed alongside contemporary works by artists such as Leonardo Drew, Martin Puryear, Nona Faustine, Kahlil Robert Irving, Bethany Collins, and Walter Price. The show places these contested historical objects in dialogue with new commissions and existing pieces that critique monumentality and white supremacy.

"36 Clicks of Mount Fuji": Photographer Julien Rocheblave Reinvents Hokusai's Legendary Prints

« 36 Clics du mont Fuji » : le photographe Julien Rocheblave réinvente les mythiques estampes d’Hokusai

French photographer Julien Rocheblave has completed a contemporary photographic reimagining of Katsushika Hokusai’s iconic print series, "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji." By locating the exact geographical vantage points used by the ukiyo-e master in the 1830s, Rocheblave captures the sacred mountain through a modern lens, juxtaposing Hokusai's original compositions with the realities of 21st-century Japan. The project, titled "36 Clics du mont Fuji," has been compiled into a book and will be showcased at the Rencontres d’Arles via Fisheye Gallery.

Sky Hopinka Reframes the American Landscape at the Barnes Foundation

Artist Sky Hopinka has unveiled a new site-specific installation titled 'Red Metal Dust' at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. The work consists of 11 panels that layer Hopinka's landscape photography with copper sheets, filtering American histories and landscapes through an Indigenous perspective.

russian archaeologist arrested poland ukraine crimea 1234775984

Alexander Butyagin, a senior archaeologist at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, was arrested in Poland following an extradition request from Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities accuse Butyagin of conducting illegal excavations at the ancient Greek colony of Myrmekion in Crimea without the required permits following Russia's 2014 annexation. He is specifically accused of removing 30 gold coins, including rare artifacts bearing the name of Alexander the Great, while operating under Russian authority in occupied territory.

british museum tobacco deal health pact 1234762318

The British Museum has ended a 15-year sponsorship deal with Japan Tobacco International (JTI) after concerns that the partnership violated the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which the UK signed in 2004. The decision followed pressure from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which provides the museum with around £75 million annually. The sponsorship had funded acquisitions of over 2,400 Japanese objects, a curatorial post, an African heritage tour, and diversity training, while giving JTI access to museum galleries for private events and filming, which critics said allowed the tobacco company to launder its reputation and meet policymakers.

Paul’s Gallery of the Month: Arcadia Missa

Paul Carey-Kent selects Arcadia Missa as his 'Gallery of the Month'. The gallery, founded by Rózsa Farkas in 2011, has evolved from a non-profit project space in Peckham to a commercial gallery in central London, now representing 18 artists including recent Turner Prize winners and finalists. Its current exhibitions feature work by Morag Keil and Nnena Kalu.

Size 2 who? Starry Met costume show features pregnant people, plus size models and dwarves for first time

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's upcoming Costume Institute exhibition, 'Costume Art,' will feature mannequins representing a diverse range of body types, including pregnant, disabled, and plus-size figures, instead of the traditional sample size 2. The mannequins were created using photogrammetry scans of real people, such as artist Michaela Stark and disability activist Sinéad Burke, and have reflective steel faces intended to allow visitors to see themselves in the display.

Exhibition brings together Art Nouveau and Art Deco through a century of chairs

The Horta Museum in Saint-Gilles is set to launch a new exhibition titled 'Art Nouveau versus Art Deco? 1850-1950: A Century in 32 Chairs,' running from June 25 to January 11, 2027. The showcase utilizes 32 chairs designed by prominent architects and designers alongside archival documents to trace the stylistic and ideological evolution of Western design. A unique collaborative element features students from La Cambre, who will present chair designs in Victor Horta’s workshop for a public vote.

Inside de Young Museum’s New Indigenous American Art Galleries

The de Young Museum in San Francisco has unveiled its completely reimagined Arts of Indigenous America galleries, featuring nearly 2,000 objects from across North, Central, and South America. Developed in close collaboration with Indigenous scholars and community advisors, the new installation moves away from traditional chronological or ethnographic displays. Instead, it integrates historical artifacts with contemporary works to emphasize the continuity and living nature of Indigenous artistic traditions across four regional sections.

What’s new this spring at the Cantor Arts Center

The Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University has launched two major exhibitions that challenge traditional perceptions of nature and craft. 'Animal, Vegetable, nor Mineral' features the multimedia work of Miljohn Ruperto, utilizing virtual reality, sculpture, and animation to critique how humans categorize and expand into both physical and digital landscapes. Simultaneously, 'Jeremy Frey: Woven' presents over 30 intricate baskets by the MacArthur Fellow and Passamaquoddy artist, marking the final and only West Coast stop for this career-spanning survey.

Brooklyn Museum Plans $13 Million Overhaul for New African Art Galleries

The Brooklyn Museum has announced a $13 million renovation project to establish a permanent 6,400-square-foot home for its extensive African art collection. Scheduled to open in Fall 2027, the new Arts of Africa galleries will feature approximately 300 works ranging from ancient Meroitic ceramics to contemporary pieces. The architectural overhaul, led by Peterson Rich Office and Beyer Blinder Belle, will transform former storage spaces on the museum's third floor into four distinct gallery environments.

LACMA’s Soaring New Gallery Was Designed to Give You a Fresh Look at Art History

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is preparing to open the David Geffen Galleries this spring, marking the culmination of a nearly two-decade campus overhaul led by director Michael Govan. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor, the $720 million concrete structure spans 900 feet and is elevated 30 feet above ground to create a public plaza. The new building features 110,000 square feet of gallery space on a single horizontal level, utilizing unconventional materials like gray concrete and floor-to-ceiling windows to integrate natural light.

The Sticky Politics of Wall Texts

The 36th Bienal de São Paulo, curated by Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, has drawn criticism for its unconventional and problematic approach to exhibition didactics. The show featured floor-mounted placards with QR codes, labels placed far from the corresponding artworks, and extremely lengthy, omnibus section texts for its six chapters, creating a confusing and frustrating viewing experience.

Ackland Art Museum to Open Two Major Exhibitions Exploring Identity and Color

The Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill will open two new exhibitions on January 30, 2026. "Bill Bamberger: Boys Will Be Men" presents introspective portraits of male students from Durham School of the Arts, exploring masculinity through photography and audio interviews. "Color Concentrated: A Salon-Style Show from the Robertson Collection" reimagines modernist works from the museum's collection in a dense, single-wall installation inspired by 19th-century Parisian Salons.

Two Museum Exhibitions Reframe Amazon Civilizations

Two museum exhibitions, one at Americas Society in New York and another at the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac in Paris, are reframing perceptions of Amazon civilizations by centering the artistic and cultural traditions of the region's Indigenous peoples. The New York show, "Amazonia Açu" (on view through April 18, 2026), features works by artists including Sara Flores, Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe, PV Dias, and the film collective Colectivo Tawna, blending mediums and challenging Western distinctions between art and craft. The Paris exhibition, "Amazônia – Indigenous Creations and Futures" (through January 18), presents the Amazon as a culturally rich, inhabited ecosystem rather than a pristine wilderness.

Major exhibition to transform USC Pacific Asia Museum into an immersive journey through myth and the immigrant story

USC Pacific Asia Museum (USC PAM) has announced "Mythical Creatures: The Stories We Carry," a major exhibition conceived by Los Angeles–based Korean American artist Dave Young Kim. Opening February 14, 2026, the 12-room immersive installation blends approximately 100 objects from the museum's collection—spanning 5,000 years of Asian and Pacific art—with new media technology and contemporary works by over 20 artists, including Dinh Q. Lê, Lily Honglei, Wendy Park, Momoko Schafer, Kyungmi Shin, Sanjay Vora, and Lauren YS. The exhibition uses mythology as a visual language to explore the immigrant experience, featuring environments like a shadowy night crossing, a recreated first apartment, and a gilded room with a gold Jin Chan frog. A limited public preview runs December 20, 2025–January 4, 2026.

A Story of South Asian Art: Mrinalini Mukherjee and Her Circle

The Royal Academy of Arts in London presents "A Story of South Asian Art: Mrinalini Mukherjee and Her Circle," a visually thrilling exhibition running from 31 October 2025 to 24 February 2026. Curated by Tarini Malik, the show pivots around the work of Mrinalini Mukherjee (1949-2015), placing her in dialogue with key figures of the Indian cultural scene, including her parents Benode Behari Mukherjee and Leela Mukherjee, as well as artists Gulammohammed Sheikh and Nilima Sheikh. The exhibition highlights Mukherjee's hemp sculptures like 'Adi Pushp II' (1998-99) and bronze works such as 'Forest Flame IV' (2009), and emphasizes the importance of art schools and places—Santiniketan, Baroda (Vadodara), and New Delhi—in shaping her practice.

How the Sienese painter Ambrogio Lorenzetti spoke truth to power

The article examines Ambrogio Lorenzetti's frescoes "Good and Bad Government" (1338-1339) in Siena's Sala dei Nove, arguing that the painter embedded a subtle critique of the ruling oligarchy. Jules Lubbock, a professor emeritus at the University of Essex, reinterprets the murals as a warning against repressive one-party rule, challenging the traditional view of Siena under the Nine as a golden age of good governance.

Jerrell Gibbs Finds Healing With New Exhibition, ‘No Solace In The Shade’ - Essence

Jerrell Gibbs presents his first solo museum exhibition, 'No Solace in the Shade,' at the Brandywine Museum of Art, featuring over 30 large canvases that depict intimate scenes of Black life, family, and memory. The show, on view through March 1, 2026, draws from family photo albums and explores themes of loss, fatherhood, and healing, with works like 'The Electric Slide' (2024) and 'Boys Planting' (2021). It is accompanied by Gibbs's debut monograph and marks both a milestone for the artist and the museum's first solo show of an emerging contemporary artist.

Sunday's floating art exhibition in Norfolk is a love letter to its waterways

A floating art exhibition called the Hague Parade will debut on Sunday, October 5, 2025, on the Hague River in Norfolk, Virginia. Organized by artist Lindsay Horne and her studio wastelust in partnership with the Chrysler Museum of Art, the event features nine artist teams—including students from the Governor's School for the Arts—who have designed sustainable, leave-no-trace floats using canoes, kayaks, and rain barrels. Inspired by the Bosch Parade in the Netherlands, the parade aims to celebrate Norfolk's waterways and foster community engagement, with additional activities like a fashion show on a pedestrian bridge.

In John Constable’s Hometown, a Trio of Shows Marks His 250th Birthday

A series of three exhibitions in Suffolk, England, celebrates the 250th anniversary of John Constable's birth. The program, hosted at Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich, includes "Constable: A Cast of Characters," focusing on his personal life and circle; "The Hay Wain: Walking Constable's Landscape," featuring his iconic paintings including *The Hay Wain* displayed in its depicted county for the first time; and "Constable to Contemporary," examining his ongoing influence on modern artists.

Pixels and paintings: video games return to the V&A

The Victoria & Albert Museum hosted a special Friday Late event in collaboration with the London Games Festival, transforming its historic galleries into a playground for interactive and independent video games. Visitors could play titles like the Bafta-winning 'Thank Goodness You’re Here!' and the comedic 'Sex With Friends' amidst the museum's permanent collection, while live-coding music performances and participatory art projects like 'Robot Karaoke' and 'The Line is the Game' emphasized communal, performative experiences.