Barn at Henry Moore’s former home redeveloped into exhibition space

The Henry Moore Foundation has completed a £5m redevelopment of the Sheep Field Barn at the sculptor’s former home in Perry Green, Hertfordshire. The project, led by architecture firm DSDHA, transforms a former farm building into a sophisticated complex featuring improved exhibition galleries and two purpose-built learning studios. The site will open to the public on April 1, 2026, serving as a permanent hub for exploring the artist's legacy through his extensive archives and sculpture collection.

Racine Art Museum’s annual PEEPS®-inspired art exhibition is bigger and bolder than ever

The Racine Art Museum (RAM) has announced the 17th edition of its annual PEEPS® Brand Art Exhibition, running from April 1–18, 2026. This community-driven show features artworks made from or inspired by the iconic marshmallow candy, utilizing diverse media such as glass fusing, 3-D printing, and woodworking. This year’s iteration is the largest to date, expanding into a bigger gallery space and introducing a series of satellite events including an awards ceremony and a sensory-friendly day.

RAM’s PEEPS® Art Exhibition Returns April 1–18 in Racine

The Racine Art Museum (RAM) has announced the 17th edition of its annual PEEPS Art Exhibition, running from April 1–18, 2026. This year’s community-driven showcase moves into a larger gallery space and features a special commission by Chicago artist Andrea Jablonski titled "Enjoy the PEEPS Show," which reimagines iconic sculptures by artists like Picasso and Bourgeois using the marshmallow candy's form. The event includes a diverse range of media, from 3-D printing to glass fusing, submitted by artists of all ages.

Christie’s Situates ‘Sailor Moon’ and ‘Doraemon’ Alongside Hokusai in Its Debut Anime Sale

Christie’s has announced its first-ever auction dedicated to the intersection of anime, manga, and traditional Japanese art. Titled "Anime Starts Here: Japanese Subculture Imagines Tradition," the online sale will debut during Asia Week New York in March, featuring a curated selection that ranges from 19th-century Katsushika Hokusai woodblock prints to original production drawings from iconic series like Sailor Moon and Doraemon. Key highlights include a rare 1953 drawing by the "God of Manga" Tezuka Osamu and a print of Hokusai’s legendary "The Great Wave."

Sotheby's auction: Modern & contemporary art

Sotheby’s is holding its Modern and Contemporary Art auction during Singapore Art Week, featuring rare works that have not been publicly available for decades. Highlights include Walter Spies’s *Die Schlittschuhlaufer (The Ice Skaters)*, estimated at $980,000–$1.8 million, and Raden Saleh’s *The Eruption of Mount Merapi, by day*, appearing at auction for the first time after being held in a private European collection for over a century. Other notable lots include works by Pacita Abad, Marc Chagall, Zao Wou-ki, Mai Trung Thu, and David Hockney. Public exhibition runs January 22–25 at The Singapore Edition, with the live auction on January 25.

ART SG and Singapore Art Week

ART SG, Southeast Asia's leading contemporary art fair, returns to the Sands Expo and Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands from 23–25 January 2026, with previews on 22 January. The fair features three core sectors—Galleries, Focus, and Futures—and for the first time co-presents S.E.A. Focus, curated by John Z.W. Tung with artistic consultation by Emi Eu, themed 'The Humane Agency'. Highlights include Melati Suryodarmo's performance 'I Love You' (2007) from the UBS Art Collection, presented in the UBS Art Studio, with a re-performance and artist talk. Singapore Art Week runs concurrently from 22–31 January 2026, offering exhibitions, installations, and performances across the city, including a collaboration between Rockbund Art Museum and ART SG at The Warehouse Hotel.

All we want for Christmas: The Art Newspaper 2025 gift guide

The Art Newspaper has published its 2025 Christmas gift guide, featuring a curated selection of art-related presents. Suggestions include art supplies from London's historic L. Cornelissen & Son, Japanese Irojiten color pencils, and cookbooks like "The Kitchen Studio: Culinary Creations by Artists" and the out-of-print "The Museum of Modern Art Artists' Cookbook." The guide also includes fantasy gift lists from Frieze and Art UK, with items such as Alexander Calder playing cards and a Tom of Finland cushion from House of Voltaire, alongside more unusual ideas like a sponsorship deal for a Victorian loo or a Lego Louvre heist set.

Gold toilet, Klimt portrait sell for millions at Sotheby’s

A portrait by Gustav Klimt, *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* (1914–1916), sold for $236 million at Sotheby's in New York, setting a record for the auction house. The painting, depicting the daughter of Klimt's patron, was part of the collection of late billionaire Leonard A. Lauder. In the same sale, Maurizio Cattelan's solid gold toilet *America* (2016) fetched $12.1 million, with the piece satirizing superwealth. The toilet had previously been exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum and was stolen from Blenheim Palace in 2019; its current whereabouts remain unknown.

Maurizio Cattelan's solid gold toilet going to auction at Sotheby's

Sotheby's will auction Maurizio Cattelan's solid gold toilet sculpture, *America* (2016), during its evening sale of contemporary art in New York on 18 November. Bidding starts at approximately $10 million, based on the current market value of the 18-karat gold used in the work. The piece, a fully functioning toilet modeled after a standard Kohler design, will be on view at Sotheby's Breuer Building from 8 to 17 November, though visitors will not be allowed to use it. This is the only surviving edition; another was famously stolen from Blenheim Palace in 2019 and believed melted down.

Christie's presents its 20/21 Marquee Week - Christie's

Christie's will host its 20/21 Marquee Week in London from October 8, 2025, featuring six live and online sales of Impressionist, Modern, Post-War, and Contemporary art during Frieze Week. Highlights include works by Lucian Freud, Peter Doig, Paula Rego, Yoshitomo Nara, Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne, Louise Bourgeois, Chris Ofili, Paul Signac, Gerhard Richter, and Pablo Picasso, along with the Ole Faarup Collection. The event also includes a philanthropic initiative called Architects for the Birds, with birdhouses designed by architects including Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, and David Chipperfield, benefiting the Tessa Jowell Foundation; an exhibition of wearable sculptures and an installation by artist Natasha Wightman; and a continued partnership with the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair.

Minneapolis Institute of Art announces artists for its first juried crop art exhibition

Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) has announced the artists for its first juried crop art exhibition, "Cream of the Crop," opening September 6, 2025. The exhibition features winners and honorable mentions selected from crop art entries at the Minnesota State Fair. Jeanne Morales won best interpretation of a Minnesota landmark, story or tradition with "My Chagall Dream," while Amy and Steve Saupe won best interpretation of an artwork at Mia with "The Treachery of a Pronto Pup." The selections were made by Mia director Katie Luber, associate curator Galina Olmsted, and associate curator Leslie Ureña. Honorable mentions include works by Jill Osiecki, Jill Moe, Amanda Cashman, and Ursula Murray Husted.

Meet the Lawyer-Turned-Dealer Opening a Jewel-Box Gallery Uptown—and More Juicy Art World Gossip

Artnet News's Wet Paint column reports that former David Zwirner director Felix Rödder is opening his own gallery, Rodder (no umlaut), on September 18 at 22 East 80th Street on the Upper East Side, in the same building as Sprüth Magers. The jewel-box space, formerly Barbara Mathes Gallery, will debut with a solo show of sculptural paintings by Wyatt Kahn. Rödder, a lawyer-turned-dealer, plans to mix contemporary programming with historical exhibitions, keeping overhead low and avoiding art fairs for now. The column also teases a mention of Aby Rosen's involvement in the New York mayoral race.

Takashi Murakami Casts His Spell Again

Takashi Murakami is back in the spotlight with a new exhibition, “Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow,” opening May 25 at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The show features a full-scale replica of a portion of an ancient temple at Nara, Japan, and highlights the artist’s signature Flowers series. Murakami, known for his manga- and anime-inspired characters, has also become a fashion icon, with followers including Usher, Pharrell Williams, and entrepreneur Sarah Andelman. The article captures a press event where Murakami sketched portraits of artist Shahzia Sikander, dressed in a whimsical outfit designed to captivate his audience.

Required Reading

This week’s roundup of essential art reading highlights a diverse range of global initiatives, from the development of a new arts center in Compton by formerly incarcerated painter Mr. Wash to a mural project for displaced children in Lebanon led by artist Abed Al Kadiri. The report also covers a guerrilla projection protest at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where activists criticized the institution for laying off staff members of color despite a massive endowment, and a poignant look at medical students graduating amidst the ongoing crisis in Gaza.

C’è un libro che racconta il sorprendente rapporto storico tra arte, biciclette e ciclismo

Antonio Colombo, the Italian entrepreneur behind Columbus and Cinelli, has published a memoir titled "A.C. Confidential. La mia vita tra arte, bicicletta e design" (Ediciclo Editore, 2026, co-written with Giacomo Pellizzari). The book traces his family's engineering legacy—his father Angelo Luigi Colombo supplied steel tubes to Bauhaus designer Marcel Breuer in 1933—and Colombo's own career fusing technical precision with artistic vision. He acquired Cinelli in 1978, collaborated with artists like Keith Haring, Alessandro Mendini, and Barry McGee, and introduced groundbreaking bicycle models including the Rampichino mountain bike (1985) and the Laser, which won the Compasso d'Oro design award in 1991. The narrative also covers his friendships with artists Mario Schifano (who designed Tour de France jerseys) and his role in the Red Hook Criterium fixed-gear race.

In Genoa, an exhibition dedicated to Giovanni Korompay, the Futurist who loved Pink Floyd

A Genova una mostra dedicata a Giovanni Korompay, il futurista che amava i Pink Floyd

A major retrospective exhibition dedicated to Giovanni Korompay, a Venetian painter, sculptor, and illustrator associated with the second wave of Futurism, has opened at the Wolfsoniana in Genoa Nervi. Titled "Korompay, un’antologica," the show runs until November 1st and features around sixty works, including paintings, sculptures, graphic works, photographs, and documents. It explores Korompay's evolution from traditional training under Ettore Tito to his embrace of Futurist aeropainting, exemplified by works such as "Alta velocità" (High Speed), which celebrates a 1934 world speed record set by a Macchi-Castoldi MC 72 seaplane. The exhibition is curated by Alex Casagrande, Matteo Fochessati, Franco Tagliapietra, and Anna Vyazemtseva, with loans from public museums (Mart, Mambo), private collections, and the Fondazione Korompay.

È morto Paolo Masi. La lunga ricerca dell’artista fiorentino sulla trasformazione dei materiali poveri

Paolo Masi, the Florentine artist known for his lifelong exploration of poor materials and their transformation, died in Florence on Wednesday, May 6, just days before his 93rd birthday. His career spanned from informal experiments in the 1950s through a rigorous investigation of materials in the 1960s, including his first solo show at the Strozzina in 1960. He joined the aesthetic research group Centro F/Uno alongside Baldi, Lecci, and Nannucci, and later co-founded the collective spaces Zona (1974) and Base (1998) with Mario Mariotti and Maurizio Nannucci. Masi participated in the Venice Biennale (1978) and the Rome Quadriennale (1986), and his works are held by major museums and foundations internationally. His later years saw significant retrospectives at the Museo MAGA in Gallarate (2018) and at Le Murate in Florence (2018), as well as a 2023 solo show at Florence's Galleria Frittelli, which remembered him as an extraordinary artist and dear friend.

The New Exhibitions of the Pinacoteca Agnelli and the New Public Works on the Lingotto Park-Track: The Photos

Le nuove mostre della Pinacoteca Agnelli e le nuove opere pubbliche sulla pista-parco del Lingotto: le foto

The Pinacoteca Agnelli in Turin has launched a new exhibition program that includes the first major institutional retrospective in Italy dedicated to Swiss photographer Walter Pfeiffer, titled "In Good Company," running until September 13, 2026. Curated by Nicola Trezzi and Simon Castets, the show features over 100 photographs from the 1970s to today, blending iconic and unseen works that explore queer eroticism, everyday artifice, and collaborative image-making. Concurrently, the museum presents "Modigliani sottopelle. Quattro capolavori" as part of its "Beyond the Collection" series, placing four masterpieces by Amedeo Modigliani—including a loan from the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart and works from the Centre Pompidou—in dialogue with the permanent collection. Curated by Pietro Rigolo and Beatrice Zanelli, the exhibition takes an interdisciplinary approach combining art history, diagnostics, and scientific research, using an algorithm to analyze canvas weaves and propose a new dating for the iconic "Nu couché" acquired by Giovanni and Marella Agnelli in 1960.

The legendary film "Novecento" by Bertolucci in his Parma becomes a major exhibition

Il mitico film “Novecento” di Bertolucci nella sua Parma diventa una grande mostra

A major exhibition titled "Bernardo Bertolucci. Il Novecento" has opened at the Palazzo del Governatore in Parma, Italy, marking the 50th anniversary of Bertolucci's epic film "Novecento" (1976). The show is structured as a visual experience across 25 rooms and four sections, exploring the film's dialectic between collective history and intimate gaze. It features video, drawings, photographs, production materials, and artworks by artists such as Franco Angeli, Renato Guttuso, Taner Ceylan, and Mario Schifano, all drawn from private collections. The exhibition's first room sets the tone with a video juxtaposing the film's opening credits over Pellizza da Volpedo's painting "Il Quarto Stato" and a close-up of the young Olmo holding a frog, encapsulating the tension between political epic and sensory detail.

Milan Design Week 2026: A Guide to What to See in the Brera District

Milano Design Week 2026: guida alle cose da vedere nel distretto di Brera

The Brera Design District has unveiled its extensive programming for Milan Design Week 2026, featuring over 300 events and 217 showrooms under the theme "Essere Progetto." Key highlights include Yinka Ilori’s immersive installation for Veuve Clicquot, a major showcase of Uzbek craftsmanship at Palazzo Citterio curated by Kulapat Yantrasast, and Sara Ricciardi’s large-scale inflatable installation at the Pinacoteca di Brera. To manage the high volume of visitors, organizers have introduced the "Fuorisalone Passport," a digital platform designed to streamline entry and registration across various locations.

The evolution of agriculture tells the story of the world in an unmissable exhibition at Fondazione Prada

L’evoluzione dell’agricoltura racconta il mondo in un’imperdibile mostra alla Fondazione Prada

The Fondazione Prada in Milan is hosting "Dash," a comprehensive solo exhibition by Chinese artist Cao Fei that explores the intersection of ancient agricultural rituals and cutting-edge technology. The exhibition features installations like 'Land Ceremony,' where an agricultural drone is treated as a ritualistic rice dragon, alongside VR experiences and documentary films that investigate the automation of farming in China and Southeast Asia.

5 exhibitions in Provence for the 100th anniversary of Fragonard, the historic perfume house

5 mostre in Provenza per i 100 anni di Fragonard, la storica maison di profumi

The historic French perfume house Fragonard is preparing to celebrate its centenary in 2026 with a series of five exhibitions in Provence. Founded in 1926 by Eugène Fuchs and named in honor of the Rococo painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard, the maison has evolved into a significant cultural patron under the leadership of the Costa family. The upcoming celebrations highlight the family's extensive private collections, which span ancient perfume artifacts, traditional Provençal costumes, and fine art, housed across several free public museums in Grasse, Paris, and Arles.

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.'

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.

Vancouver Art Gallery gifted 131-work private collection from Hong Kong

The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) has received a landmark donation of 131 works by 78 artists from an anonymous Hong Kong-based collector, named the Art Continuum Hong Kong (ACHK) collection. The gift, the largest contribution of Hong Kong art in the gallery's history, spans painting, sculpture, printmaking, film, installation, and lens-based media from the 1950s to the present, chronicling social, political, and cultural change in Hong Kong. It includes works by internationally recognized artists such as Luis Chan, Irene Chou, Tsang Kin Wah, Wesley Tongson, Sin Wai Kin, and Wucius Wong, as well as Hong Kong-born, Vancouver-based artists like Howie Tsui and Lam Tung Pang. The VAG will present an exhibition of the donation alongside its permanent collection in 2027, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from the UK to China.

LOOK25 Gala supports Contemporary Calgary and Butterfly Ball raises funds for Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre

The LOOK25 Gala in Calgary, held on May 31 and presented by MAWER, raised over $1.2 million for Contemporary Calgary. Themed “Noir Nouveau” after textile artist Simone Elizabeth Saunders, the event featured a VIP dinner by Holt Renfrew, performances by Justine Tyrell and Timothonius, and a live auction led by Heather Edwards that included works by Saunders, June Clark, Evan Penny, and a circa-1960 Jean-Paul Riopelle. An after party sponsored by Masters Gallery drew 600 guests. Separately, the Butterfly Ball in Toronto, now in its 26th year, raised $1.27 million for Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre, with co-chairs Claire MacNamara and Trish Del Sorbo, and an auction handled by Christie’s consultant Brett Sherlock.

Has a new Banksy statue just appeared in central London?

A new statue has appeared on Waterloo Place in central London, bearing the signature of elusive street artist Banksy. The artwork depicts a suited man carrying a large flag that covers his face, stepping off a plinth, and blends with nearby bronze and granite monuments. Sightings were first reported on Wednesday 29 April, but how and when the statue was erected in this busy intersection remains unknown. Banksy has not yet posted the work on his Instagram account, his usual method of authentication, though crowds have already gathered.

LACMA Unveils Ambitious David Geffen Galleries Redesign

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has announced the official opening date of April 19, 2026, for its new David Geffen Galleries. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor, the 274-meter-long concrete structure will house between 2,500 and 3,000 objects from the museum's permanent collection. The inaugural display will feature a mix of historical masterpieces by artists such as Matisse and Van Gogh alongside new contemporary commissions by Todd Gray, Lauren Halsey, and Do Ho Suh.

European Ministers Call on Venice Biennale to Exclude Russia

Twenty-two European ministers, led by Latvia's Minister of Culture Agnese Līce, have signed a joint letter calling for Russia to be barred from the 61st Venice Biennale. The ministers argue that Russia's planned participation, following its voluntary absence since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, would misuse a major cultural platform to legitimize military aggression and undermine international sanctions.

Acclaimed Wilkes Artist Ward Nichols dies

Ward Hampton Nichols, a celebrated artist from North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, died on May 5 at the age of 95 at the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home, surrounded by his children. A few weeks before his passing, a celebration of his life, legacy, and art was held at the Wilkes Art Gallery. Nichols, born in 1930 in Welch, West Virginia, taught himself to draw as a child and later served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean conflict, where he designed a NATO shoulder patch and co-founded a shipboard newspaper. After his service, he pursued a lifelong passion for art, painting until January of this year, and was also an avid aviator and sports car enthusiast.