6 musées incontournables à visiter à Venise

Beaux Arts Magazine highlights six must-visit museums in Venice, including the Palazzo Ducale, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, and the Pinault Collection venues Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana. The article notes that during the Biennale, the city is filled with free pavilions, but the main museums have high entry fees, offset by passes like the Venice Museum Pass (€59) and Venice City Pass (€119). It also mentions a current Marina Abramović exhibition at the Gallerie dell'Accademia, marking her as the first living female artist honored there.

« La Boule » de Villeroy & Boch : l’art explosif et pop du pique-nique

Villeroy & Boch, the historic German porcelain manufacturer founded in 1748, launched "La Boule" ("Die Kugel") in 1971—a stackable 19-piece porcelain dinner service for four that compacts into a colorful decorative sphere. Designed by Helen von Boch, the eighth-generation family director, the set was part of a pop-design wave and came in original color variants that have since become collectors' items. The article also highlights related designs like the "La Bomba" picnic cutlery set (1968) and melamine set (1972), both held by MoMA, and notes Villeroy & Boch's collaborations with artists such as Keith Haring, Paloma Picasso, and Luigi Colani.

« Les artistes sont des fous, des enfants » : rencontre avec Annette Messager au cœur du bric-à-brac poétique de son atelier

French artist Annette Messager, 82, welcomes Beaux Arts Magazine into her Malakoff studio and home ahead of her exhibition at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris. The studio is a chaotic, poetic bric-à-brac filled with hybrid creatures, stuffed toys, anatomical objects, and textile works, including her iconic piece "Les Piques" (1992–1993). Messager, who won the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2005, discusses her playful yet serious approach to art, describing artists as "mad, like children" who play constantly, sometimes very seriously. Her upcoming shows include presentations at Centre Pompidou Málaga, Galería Albarrán Bourdais in Madrid, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, and the Kunsthalle Prague.

Au musée Marmottan Monet, la peinture de Giovanni Segantini hisse la modernité au sommet des Alpes

The Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris is hosting the first retrospective in France of Giovanni Segantini (1858–1899), a major but little-known figure of Symbolism. The exhibition traces his career through the lens of his geographical ascent into the Alps, from his early success with "Ave Maria à la traversée" (1886–1888) to his final triptych "La Vie, La Nature, La Mort," which he was working on when he died at age 41. Segantini's divisionist technique, which Vassily Kandinsky considered a precursor to abstraction, is highlighted as a means of expressing a dematerialized vision of the world.

From the beaches of Valencia to the gardens of Andalusia, the virtuoso Joaquín Sorolla celebrated by a luminous exhibition in Toulouse

Des plages de Valence aux jardins andalous, le virtuose Joaquín Sorolla célébré par une exposition lumineuse à Toulouse

The article announces a luminous exhibition in Toulouse celebrating the Spanish painter Joaquín Sorolla (1863–1923), known for his radiant beach scenes and masterful use of light. Co-curated by Ana Debenedetti of the Bemberg collection and Enrique Varela Agüí, director of the Museo Sorolla in Madrid, the show features iconic works such as *Contre-jour, Maria à Biarritz* (1906) and *Sur le sable, plage de Zarautz* (1910), alongside a reconstruction of Sorolla’s studio. The exhibition highlights his unique style blending realism, impressionism, and luminism, with energetic brushwork, bold compositions, and photographic framing.

BETWEEN EARTH AND CONCRETE DELCY MORELOS EXHIBITS IN LONDON

Colombian artist Delcy Morelos has unveiled her first UK public commission, titled "Origo," at London’s Barbican Centre. Located in the Sculpture Court—a space reactivated for the first time in ten years—the monumental oval installation is constructed from earth, clay, hay, and seeds, infused with aromatic spices like cinnamon and cloves. The work invites visitors to walk through earthen tunnels, creating a sensory experience that contrasts the organic, porous nature of soil with the Barbican’s rigid Brutalist concrete architecture.

English museums should only charge tourists if digital ID checks in place, UK politician says

Labour peer Margaret Hodge has detailed her proposal to introduce admission fees for overseas tourists at England’s national museums, stipulating that such a move must be preceded by a universal digital ID system. Speaking to a parliamentary committee, Hodge argued that without digital verification, museum staff might resort to profiling visitors based on appearance, which would undermine community cohesion.

the first gulf quinquennial in the uae argues for a less is best approach to group shows 1234739146

NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery has launched its first Gulf Quinquennial, titled "Between the Tides," featuring around 30 artists from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The exhibition presents a coherent selection of videos, installations, paintings, and traditional record-keeping practices, aiming to deepen and complicate the cultural narrative of the Arabian Peninsula by highlighting its diversity, linguistic interactions, and migrant labor.

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Museo del Prado director Miguel Falomir announced at a press conference unveiling the museum's 2026 exhibition schedule that the institution does not need more visitors, stating it is comfortable with 3.5 million annual visitors and fears becoming "over-saturated." Falomir cited concerns about circulation around iconic works like Velázquez's *Las Meninas* and Bosch's *The Garden of Earthly Delights*, and emphasized improving visitor experience through optimizing entrances, reducing group sizes, and enforcing photography bans. The Prado, last expanded in 2007, is significantly smaller than the Louvre, which topped 2024 visitor figures with 8.7 million.

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South Africa has canceled its submission for the 2024 Venice Biennale, a performance piece titled *Elegy* by artist Gabrielle Goliath, because the work planned to commemorate the deaths of women and children in Gaza. Culture minister Gayton McKenzie withdrew financial support and terminated the partnership with the organizing nonprofit Art Periodic, calling the project "highly divisive" and related to a polarizing international conflict. Goliath, curator Ingrid Masondo, and their colleague James Macdonald have condemned the decision as censorship, while the selection committee that unanimously chose Goliath described it as an abuse of executive authority.

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The article examines the art market's struggle to attract new wealthy buyers despite a surge in global wealth. Marc Spiegler, former global director of Art Basel, argues that galleries have failed to recruit the newly wealthy, noting that inflation-adjusted art sales have declined over the past 15 years. He suggests the industry needs to reposition art as 'magical' and transformative to appeal to potential patrons.

sandra mujinga stedelijk museum sculpture performance 1234769366

Sandra Mujinga, a Congolese-born artist based in Berlin and Oslo, recently unveiled a new performance at the Park Avenue Armory in New York and has a major installation, "Skin to Skin" (2025), finishing its run at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam before traveling to the Belvedere museum in Vienna. The installation features 55 lithe, tentacular figures covered in the artist's own textiles, arranged around mirrored columns in a green-lit environment. In an interview, Mujinga discussed how fashion and clothing function as data and storytelling, reflecting identity and belonging, a theme that permeates her sculptures, videos, and performances.

work of the week maria van oosterwijck 2731570

A rare 17th-century still life by Dutch Golden Age painter Maria van Oosterwijck sold for €406,400 ($477,000) at Christie’s Paris, nearly three times its high estimate, during the auction of the Stern family collection. The painting, titled *A bunch of fruit, berries and flowers hanging in a niche*, achieved the second highest auction price ever for the artist, who is believed to have produced only about 30 works in her lifetime.

hong kong venice biennale kingsley ng angel hui 1234766955

Hong Kong will send two artists, Angel Hui and Kingsley Ng, to represent the special administrative region at the 2026 Venice Biennale, marking the first time a duo has been selected. The Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) are collaborating for the first time on the presentation, which will take place at the Campo della Tana as a collateral event. Hui, a gongbi ink painter born in 1991, and Ng, a media artist and associate professor born in 1980, will explore "the poetic rhythms of daily life" in dialogue with the Biennale's main exhibition theme, "In Minor Keys." The selection follows HKADC's decision in April to oust M+ museum as the exhibition's organizer, a role it had held since 2013, without citing a reason.

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More than 100 staff members at the Tate galleries in England began an indefinite strike on August 18, 2020, protesting the institution's plan to cut over 300 jobs from its commercial arm, Tate Enterprises. The PCS union voted overwhelmingly in favor of striking after Tate confirmed 313 redundancies, citing anticipated revenue loss from a long-term drop in visitor numbers due to the pandemic. Workers are demanding that 10% of government bailout funds be invested in Tate commerce, that no redundancies occur while senior staff earn six-figure salaries, and that Tate push for more government aid. The strike has closed several Tate gift shops, with picketing scheduled through August 22 and an indefinite strike from August 24.

musee dorsay manet mock trial dejeuner sur lherbe 1234755595

The Musée d'Orsay in Paris staged a mock trial of Édouard Manet and his model Victorine Meurent for his 1863 painting *Déjeuner sur l'herbe*, which caused scandal at the Salon des Refusés for its nude female figure. The event, part of the museum's Orsay Live program for 18-to-25-year-olds, featured real lawyers, a sitting judge, and students from the Fédération française de Débat et d'Éloquence, with speeches reviewed by Manet specialist Isolde Pludermacher. The trial aimed to explore historical debates about morality, indecency, and artistic freedom in a courtroom format.

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Tate Modern, the world's most visited modern and contemporary art museum, reported a budget deficit six months ago, prompting critics to blame its programming and curatorial strategies for declining foot traffic. While domestic attendance has recovered to 95% of pre-Covid levels, international visitors have dropped significantly—down 39% at Tate Modern, 32% at Tate Britain, and nearly 40% at Tate St Ives. Tate Liverpool remains closed until 2027. Research from The Art Newspaper's annual visitor report, however, points to external factors such as Brexit, socioeconomic shifts, and the cost-of-living crisis as key drivers of the decline, particularly among young European visitors aged 16 to 24.

is spains sistine chapel of romanesque art at risk 2656768

The Spanish Supreme Court has ordered the return of the Sijena Murals, 12th-century Romanesque frescoes known as the "Sistine Chapel of Romanesque Art," from the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) in Barcelona to their original monastery in Huesca, Aragon, by June 25. However, the MNAC is resisting the move, arguing that transporting the fragile, fire-damaged murals poses a "real risk of irreparable damage." The museum has requested more information about the destination and conditions at the Sijena monastery, and has suggested a longer timeline for the return of particularly delicate sections, while the Sijena City Council has proposed installing the works elsewhere if necessary.

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The Toledo Museum of Art has opened the first major exhibition dedicated to Dutch Golden Age painter Rachel Ruysch, organized with the Alte Pinakothek in Munich and traveling next to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The show features Ruysch's vibrant still lifes of fruits and flowers, often animated by insects, and places her work alongside that of her sister Anna Ruysch and other female scientific illustrators like Maria Sibylla Merian. Curator Robert Schindler's rediscovery of Anna Ruysch's work helped inspire the exhibition, which also draws on botanical research to catalog the global plant species Ruysch depicted, reflecting colonial trade networks.

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A group of officials overseeing major UK cultural institutions, including the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the National Gallery, have signed a public letter defending corporate sponsorship. Published in the Financial Times, the letter calls for an end to "relentless negativity" around private sector partnerships and is backed by ten organizations, including the Science Museum Group. It follows protests over Baillie Gifford's sponsorship of literary festivals due to its ties to fossil fuels and Israel, which led nine festivals to end partnerships in 2023.

nicolas nahab samy ghiyati ng interview 1234744129

Nicolas Nahab and Samy Ghiyati, two seasoned art world professionals, have left their high-profile gallery positions to launch NG, an independent art advisory and exhibitions company. Nahab, formerly a director at Mendes Wood DM and previously at Marian Goodman Gallery and Yvon Lambert, will focus on curating, while Ghiyati, who worked at David Zwirner and Kamel Mennour, will handle advising. Their inaugural show will feature a solo exhibition of new work by New York–based Moroccan artist Meriem Bennani in Essaouira, Morocco, opening in December 2025.

japanese sculptor kunimasa aoki wins 2025 loewe craft prize 1234743920

Japanese sculptor Kunimasa Aoki won the 2025 Loewe Craft Prize on Thursday evening in Madrid, receiving a €50,000 cash prize. His anamorphic terracotta sculpture “Realm of Living Things 19” was selected by a 12-member jury from 30 shortlisted works on display at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum. The jury praised the work's honest expression of the ancestral coil process and the raw, unfinished form of the material. Two special mentions were awarded: Nigerian artist Nifemi Marcus-Bello for “TM Bench with Bowl” and Studio Sumakshi Singh from India for “Monument.”

art basel paris 2025 exhibitor list 1234743631

Art Basel Paris has announced the 203 galleries participating in its 2025 edition, set to take place at the Grand Palais from October 24–26, with VIP previews on October 22–23. The fair is divided into three sections: the main Galeries section with 177 dealers, Emergence featuring 16 solo booths for emerging artists, and Premise with nine presentations from 10 galleries challenging the art historical canon. Notable blue-chip participants include Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Pace Gallery, David Zwirner, and top Parisian galleries such as Balice Hertling, Galerie Chantal Crousel, and Mennour. The fair will also bring back its Oh La La! Initiative and public art exhibition in the Jardin des Tuileries.

tefaf restores black book of hours 2638098

TEFAF has selected the Black Book of Hours, a rare 15th-century illuminated manuscript from the Hispanic Society Museum and Library in New York, as the recipient of its 2025 Museum Restoration Fund. The manuscript, one of only seven known black vellum books of hours, will be displayed at TEFAF New York at the Park Avenue Armory before undergoing conservation treatment by the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia. The work involves disbinding the 149-folio volume, high-resolution imaging, and addressing centuries of wear.

why is art history filled with miserable brides 2627456

The article examines the recurring theme of unhappy brides in 19th-century painting, focusing on works like Vasily Pukirev's *The Unequal Marriage* (1862) and Auguste Toulmouche's *The Reluctant Bride* (1866). It notes how these depictions of devastated brides and depressing nuptials have gone viral on social media, with 21st-century audiences—especially women—relating to the emotional tenor of the images despite the historical distance.

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The Toledo Museum of Art has opened "Rachel Ruysch: Nature Into Art," the first monographic exhibition dedicated to the 17th-century Dutch still-life painter Rachel Ruysch. Curated by Robert Schindler, the show brings together dozens of her paintings from public and private collections across Europe and America, including her only known work on paper, alongside manuscripts and works by contemporary women botanical artists. The exhibition originated at the Alte Pinakothek Munich and will travel to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston later this year.

Spheres of influence: the Bauhaus’s radical female photographers – in pictures

An exhibition titled 'New Woman, New Vision: Women Photographers of the Bauhaus' opens at the Museum of Photography in Berlin. It focuses on the pioneering work of female Bauhaus photographers like Marianne Brandt, Lucia Moholy, and Gertrud Arndt, who used the camera to capture unconventional perspectives and explore artistic freedom during the Weimar Republic.

Statement of Withdrawal from Visitor Lion Awards

art collecting debraj ray professor economics

Economic theorist and NYU economics professor Debraj Ray discusses his art collection, which began with a Picasso etching purchased from a Berkeley gallerist after his daughter Zayira discovered the image online. His collection focuses on early- and mid-20th-century masters, including works by Joan Miró, Egon Schiele, and Henry Moore, with a preference for monochrome etchings and lithographs. Ray describes how his analytical mindset as an economic theorist connects to his approach to art, viewing aesthetics and mathematics as interconnected modes of thinking.

Watch: Wallace Chan returns to the Venice Biennale with ‘Vessels of Other Worlds’

Wallace Chan returns to the Venice Biennale for the fourth time with 'Vessels of Other Worlds', a two-city exhibition opening at the Chapel of Santa Maria della Pietà in Venice on 8 May 2026 and continuing at the Long Museum West Bund in Shanghai from 18 July, coinciding with the artist's 70th birthday. Curated by James Putnam, the project features large-scale titanium sculptures that explore material transformation, perception, and metaphysical space, including a live video link between the two venues and an inhabitable mirrored sculpture at the Long Museum.