The New York Times reports that three major auction houses are poised to sell $2.6 billion worth of art in a single week during the spring season, driven by five luxury artworks. The sales are among the most anticipated in years, with major buyers shifting focus away from female and younger artists toward more traditional, established names.
Air de Paris, a highly influential Parisian gallery known for representing many of the most significant contemporary artists, has become one of the earliest supporters of Contemporary Art Daily's parent organization, Contemporary Art Library. The announcement, made by Contemporary Art Daily, highlights Air de Paris's pioneering role in elevating the gallerist's activities into a form of artistic expression, and positions the gallery as a model for the entire field.
Intervista all’artista del Padiglione Danese della Biennale di Venezia 2026 che ha messo in scena i porno divi
The Danish Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale presents "Things to Come," a project by artist Maja Malou Lyse (b. 1993, Denmark), curated by Chus Martínez. The installation combines a three-channel video developed with DIS, materials from Cryos (the world's largest sperm bank), and performers from the porn industry, embedding them within the pavilion's architecture to explore the convergence of pornography, biotechnology, desire, and visual culture as a single system of imaginary production.
Intervista alle curatrici che hanno portato l’Italia alla Craft Week di Londra
Amalia di Lanno and Valeria Zerbo, founders of the London-based curatorial platform Avant Craft, are bringing Italian ceramics to the London Craft Week for the first time. Their exhibition, "Contemporary Perspectives on Italian Ceramics," showcases a selection of independent Italian artists and designers who explore ceramics as a material investigation, sculptural experimentation, and cultural continuity. The show opens on May 14 with a "Meet a Master" event featuring artist Riccardo Monachesi, marking the official kickoff of Avant Craft.
Come cambiano le aste d’arte se online tutto sembra un video game?
The article examines how digital infrastructure has transformed art auctions from exclusive in-person rituals into real-time competitive interfaces. Online sales, which peaked during the pandemic, now account for about 16% of the global art market in 2025 (down from 18% in 2024), according to the Art Market Report by Art Basel and UBS. Digital tools enable instant bidding, global streaming, and discreet participation, allowing collectors to compete without physical presence. The piece highlights the gamification of auctions, noting that ArtTactic has launched Art Forecaster, a platform where users predict auction prices in tournament-style competitions, blending market engagement with ludic elements.
The Plas Art Show, a Seoul-based art fair specializing in sculpture and three-dimensional works, returns for its 11th edition from June 4 at Coex in Gangnam District. Featuring 102 galleries (91 domestic and 11 from Taiwan, Germany, Japan, and Georgia), the fair presents roughly 750 artists and 3,500 works under the theme “New Chance.” Fair president Shin Jun-won acknowledged criticism that the event had drifted from its sculptural focus and announced stricter curation, including on-site inspections and penalties for galleries that fail to include at least one three-dimensional artist and one stereoscopic work. Standard booth prices range from 5.7 to 6.7 million won, which Shin says attracts Gangnam-area galleries priced out of larger venues.
Method Delhi is presenting 'Slow Rot', a group exhibition featuring ten contemporary Indian artists whose works explore human fragility, psychological unrest, and the grotesque. The show runs from May 9 to July 3, 2026, at Method's New Delhi space in Defence Colony, with free entry. Participating artists include Aditya Dhabhai, Dhruvi Jain, M. Imran Ahamed, Milan Sharma, Mitali Das, Priyesh T., Revant Dasgupta, Riya Chandwani, Sajid Wajid Shaikh, and Tithi Das, working across painting, sculpture, and mixed media.
Salon 94 founder Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn is pursuing an expansion of a historic building on Museum Mile at 3 East 89th Street in Manhattan. The project aims to enlarge the gallery's footprint on the Upper East Side, a move reported by Crain's New York Business.
Artist Avi Amesbury has opened her new exhibition, 'Shifting Perspectives: The Self Reconciliation Project', at Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery in Australia. The show combines ceramics, mixed media, and sound to explore her personal family history as a descendant of white settler colonists in Western Australia. Over three years, Amesbury traveled across the country for residencies at Fremantle Arts Centre and Central Craft in Alice Springs, collecting wild clays and collaborating with composer MJ from Those Who Ride With Giants to incorporate poems, writings, and landscape sounds into the installation.
A new artist-led art fair called Fair Play Art Fair will launch in London from October 15–18, 2026, at One Marylebone. Founded by Ryan Stanier, creator of The Other Art Fair, the event offers selected artists free exhibition stands instead of requiring upfront fees, operating on a commission-based model that takes 50% of sales. The fair will run alongside Frieze London and include immersive installations, sound art, dining, and live performances, with a curated selection process overseen by an independent committee.
On May 13, 2026, D'ART Gallery in Baku opened the solo photography exhibition 'The Eternity of a Moment' by fine art photographer Anna Ibrahimbayova. The show is the first installment of the gallery's new project 'Homes Warmed by Love and Art,' which explores how creative partnerships shape shared lives and artistic growth. The opening featured remarks by gallery founder Dilara Muzaffarli, an interview with the artist conducted by art producer Sofiko Dvalishvili, and tributes to Ibrahimbayova's late husband, Azerbaijani playwright Maksud Ibrahimbayov, from People's Artist Omar Eldarov and MP Ulviyya Hamzayeva. The exhibition runs through May 15.
The Art Hive in Prescott, Arizona, is celebrating its third anniversary with a disco-themed party on Friday, May 22, from 5:00 pm to midnight. Founded in 2023 by artist Cloud Oakes, the venue houses 36 artist studios and a fine arts gallery, and the event will feature the Tenant Spring Exhibition, open studios, art booths, live music, a no-host bar, and a '70s Disco DJ bash, with a people's choice award for best costume and best in show.
Arario Gallery Shanghai presents Huang Hankang's solo exhibition 'The Sky Remains as the Bird Departs,' running from May 15 to July 4. The show uses Shanghai as a dynamic 'processing system' where images, histories, and cultures are constantly received, translated, and reorganized. Through installations and paintings, the exhibition compresses multiple visual and historical threads, featuring works such as 'Gate of Flesh and Soul,' which juxtaposes Giuseppe Castiglione's hybrid visual language with the Cathay Theatre and fragments of George Washington's dentures, and 'Overlaid Life,' which contrasts a Song Dynasty crystal rabbit with cultivated orchids. Other pieces like 'Void Resonance' and 'Nameless Mark' explore perception, the body, and cultural mediation.
Newmarket artist Jing Fu presents her solo exhibition 'Unearthed – My Equilibrium' at the Aurora Cultural Centre, opening May 14. The show traces her 30-year artistic journey from Shanghai to Canada, blending traditional Chinese shanshui painting with Canadian natural landscapes. Fu's work includes atmospheric landscapes inspired by Ontario wilderness and an abstract 'Roots' series exploring emotional connection and inner balance.
The Doosan Yonkang Foundation has joined as a sponsor of the Korean Pavilion at the 61st Venice International Art Exhibition, held at Giardini Park in Italy until November 22. The pavilion, themed "Haebang Space," explores political and social changes in Korean society since liberation in 1945. Artistic Director Choi Bitna oversees the exhibition, featuring artists Noh Hyeri and Choi Goeun, along with fellows Han Kang, Kim Hoojoo, Lee Rang, Hwang Yeji, and Christian Nyampeta. This marks the foundation's first sponsorship of the Korean Pavilion as part of its visual arts support program.
The Doosan Yonkang Foundation, the philanthropic arm of South Korean conglomerate Doosan, is sponsoring the Korean Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale for the first time. The pavilion, titled "Liberated Space: Fortress and Nest," runs from May 9 to November 22 at the Giardini park in Venice, and explores political events and historical transitions in Korean society from 1945 to the present. Participating artist Noh Hye-ri is an alumna of the foundation's Doosan Art LAB program, and artistic director Choi Binna serves as a supervisor of the Doosan Curator Workshop, highlighting the foundation's direct investment in nurturing artistic talent.
Hong Kong's Affordable Art Fair (AAF) returns in May with the theme “See Art. Love Art. Own Art.”, featuring 106 local and international exhibitors—up from 98 last year—and artworks priced from HK$1,000 (US$128). The fair, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, aims to make art accessible to new and seasoned collectors alike, with a focus on transactions under US$50,000. Founder Will Ramsay highlights growing confidence in this market tier, citing a report by Affordable Art Fair × ArtTactic that shows 69% of galleries expect sales growth and that art fairs generate 44% of gallery revenues.
The Woodlands Arts Council (TWAC) presents 'ENTWINED,' its first exhibition featuring a married couple, artist-educators Bob Mosier and Karen Fearon. The show, on view from May 12 to August 6, 2026, highlights their individual practices—Mosier's intricate thread paintings that evolve into three-dimensional fabric sculptures, and Fearon's expressive drawings, paintings, and assemblages rooted in intuitive mark-making. Both artists incorporate found and reclaimed materials, and their work explores light, form, and the yin-yang of creative process. An opening reception is scheduled for June 18, 2026.
Thousands of artists, cultural workers, and protesters marched through Venice on May 8, 2026, one day before the opening of the 61st Venice Biennale, to protest the Israeli genocide in Gaza and Lebanon. The strike, organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA), led to the closure of approximately 27 of the Biennale's 100 national pavilions, with signs reading "We Stand with Palestine." The Israeli pavilion remained closed and guarded by armed police, who clashed with protesters. Meanwhile, the European Commission threatened to suspend €2 million in EU grants to the Biennale Foundation over its decision to allow Russia to participate, citing incompatibility with EU sanctions and the invasion of Ukraine.
A new art exhibition titled "Persistent Curiosity: Charting the Rippled Fabric of the Sea" has opened at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Center for Coastal Studies. The show runs from May 15 through July 19, with an opening reception on May 22.
Retired businessman and South Norfolk councillor Brendon Bernard and his wife, painter Barbara Bernard, are opening a new art gallery on Broad Street in Bungay, England. Their debut exhibition, titled "A Flying Start," will run from June 8 to June 27, featuring six artists working in painting, original prints, and sculpture, including Jackie Bell, formerly of the now-closed Bell Gallery. The building, over a century old, was once used for storage by American forces during WWII and later as a carpentry workshop; East Suffolk Council approved its conversion into a gallery in March.
Tatiana Malinovscaia's painting "Blue Distance in Quiet Light" (2026) is being offered for sale by Artseeker Gallery. The 100x130 cm acrylic on canvas work features a restrained abstract composition with muted blues, ivories, beiges, and charcoals, built through layered textures and tonal contrasts. Malinovscaia, a self-taught Moldovan artist, explores the interplay between architectural clarity and atmospheric abstraction, with light acting as a central structural element that reveals nuanced variations across the textured surface throughout the day.
The 9th edition of Printemps Asiatique (Asian Spring) will take place from June 3 to 12, 2026, across Parisian galleries, museums, and auction houses. Modeled on New York’s Asia Week and London’s Asian Art, the festival features a shared calendar of exhibitions, tours, talks, and auctions, with nearly thirty galleries, ten museums and art venues, and thirteen auction houses participating. This year, Korea is the spotlight country, with dedicated exhibitions and artistic itineraries. Key venues include the Musée National des Arts Asiatiques - Guimet, Musée Cernuschi, Musée des Arts Décoratifs de Paris, and Musée du Louvre, alongside auction houses such as Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, and others.
Raven’s Heart Gallery in Kanab, Utah, will host its Summer Show on June 13, 2026, from 1–4 PM at 57 W. Center St. The free, interactive event features live art-making demonstrations by a roster of Southern Utah artists, including Gail Alger (acrylic animal painting), Angela Woods (oil painting), Rebekka Anderson (color reduction linocut printmaking), Ken Ragsdale (basket illusion technique on wood), David Lane (astrophotography), James Mosdell (lapidary work with Grand Canyon Opal), Ellie Mae Clough (mixed media on encaustic wax), and Gary Kalpakoff (wild mustang photography and metal sculpture). The signature artwork is Gail Alger's 'Raven in Flowers,' and large-scale oil paintings from Cyrus Mejía's 'The Vicktory Dog' and 'Mill Dogs Revenge' collections will also be on view. The gallery, home to more than 30 regional artists, will transform into a working studio with easels, paints, cameras, lapidary equipment, and printmaking presses.
Syrian visual artist Ismail Nasra has opened a new exhibition at Zawaya Art Gallery in Damascus, featuring 28 medium- and large-scale works that mark a departure from his earlier dense, colorful style. The paintings, created over three years on aged and weathered fabrics, employ muted palettes, abstraction, and negative space to explore themes of silence, absence, and emotional solitude. Solitary female figures and recurring bird motifs—symbols of freedom and escape—dominate the compositions, with the natural textures and cracks of the fabric becoming integral to the artwork.
Irish artist John Redmond presents a new collection of sculptures in his exhibition "Beyond Form" at Gormleys Gallery in Dublin, running from May 22 to June 4. The show marks a significant evolution in his practice, as he moves from abstract painting into three-dimensional works for the first time, using mixed materials such as bronze, resin, and marble, with pieces cast at a foundry in Greece.
Sri Lankan artist Shanaka Kulathunga presents 'Silent Stories,' a solo exhibition opening May 21–28, 2026, at the CCA Building, Bikaner House in New Delhi, India. Curated by Archana Khare-Ghose, the show features acrylic and oil paintings that explore memory, everyday life, and Sri Lanka's rural landscapes. The exhibition also marks the launch of a dedicated publication on the artist's practice, bringing together works that blend figuration and landscape to capture human emotion and social dynamics.
Bonu Deji's painting "Bloom Beyond Sight" (2026) is being offered for sale through Art R us gallery in Naples, Florida. The acrylic and oil on canvas work, sized 25 × 31 inches, is priced at US$1,400 and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Deji, a Nigerian artist born in 2003 and based in Lagos, creates figurative works exploring poverty, labor, resilience, and human dignity. The piece was exhibited in 2026 at Art R us's breakout exhibition of the artist and previously in the 2025 group show "Faces of Us" at The Zebra Gallery.
Art R us gallery in Naples, Florida, is offering "Crowned by Resilience" (2026), a painting by Nigerian contemporary artist Bonu Deji. The acrylic and oil on canvas work explores themes of strength, endurance, and identity, and is priced at US$1,400. Deji, born in 2003 and based in Lagos, creates figurative works addressing poverty, labor, and human dignity, and has exhibited at Art R us and The Zebra Gallery.
Bonu Deji's painting "The Watchful Savior" (2026) is being offered for sale through Art R us gallery in Naples, Florida. The acrylic and oil on canvas work, measuring 25 × 31 inches, is priced at US$1,400 and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Deji, a Nigerian contemporary visual artist born in 2003 and based in Lagos, creates figurative works exploring poverty, labor, resilience, and human dignity. The piece was previously exhibited in the gallery's 2026 solo presentation of the artist and in the 2025 group show "Faces of Us" at The Zebra Gallery.