Which City Will Be the Next Asian Art Hub? That’s the Wrong Question

The traditional quest to identify a single dominant Asian art hub is being challenged by the organic growth of decentralized scenes in cities like Bangkok and Hanoi. While Hong Kong and Seoul remain established centers, private initiatives and artist-led projects in Thailand and Vietnam are building resilient, hybrid ecosystems that prioritize long-term structural depth over immediate auction results. From the opening of Dib Bangkok to experimental exhibitions in Hanoi, these cities are transitioning from peripheral status to significant cultural players through a mix of private museums, biennials, and non-profit platforms.

A new Istanbul gallery is offering an outlet for Iran’s artists

Shiva Zahed Gallery has opened in Istanbul’s Pera district, specifically dedicated to showcasing Iranian contemporary art. The gallery's inaugural exhibition, "Echoes," features works by the influential artist Fereydoun Ave and installation artist Shaqayeq Arabi. The opening was significantly delayed and reconfigured after civil unrest in Iran and a communication blackout prevented the founder from coordinating with the 20 emerging artists originally scheduled for the debut.

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The 2025 edition of TEFAF Maastricht has opened with 277 dealers from 24 countries, showcasing 7,000 years of art history despite significant geopolitical instability in the Middle East. While the fair remains a premier destination for Old Masters and high-end antiques, exhibitors are navigating logistical hurdles caused by regional conflicts and airport closures in major transit hubs like Dubai.

The Week in Art: Iran's Heritage, Art Market Recovery, Sydney Biennale

Art communities and heritage in Iran, moderate recovery in the art market, Sydney Biennale—podcast

The latest episode of The Week in Art podcast covers three main topics. First, it discusses the impact of the ongoing Middle East conflict on cultural communities and heritage sites in Iran and Lebanon, including damage to the Chehel Sotoun palace in Isfahan. Second, it analyzes the new Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report, which indicates a market recovery but reveals a complex picture. Third, it features a new installation by Indigenous American artist Cannupa Hanska Luger at the Sydney Biennale, consisting of ceramic dingo skulls, which has gained relevance following a recent tragedy in Australia.

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Gallerist Ron Mandos reflects on the enduring legacy of the late Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf, whose work blended fine art, fashion, and activism. Following Olaf’s death in 2023, Galerie Ron Mandos has continued to champion his career, most recently through the exhibition “Tender Fury,” which places Olaf’s provocative imagery in dialogue with conceptual artist Kendell Geers. The partnership between Mandos and Olaf began in earnest in 2020, a period during which the artist committed to a decade of total creative freedom, resulting in significant series like “Im Wald.”

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A significant number of American art museums are currently without a permanent director, or will soon be. Recent departures include Sally Tallant from the Queens Museum to lead London's Hayward Gallery, and David Brenneman from Telfair Museums due to a medical condition. Other high-profile vacancies include the National Portrait Gallery, MOCA Los Angeles, the New Museum, the Portland Art Museum, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the Clark Art Institute, the Newark Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, among many others across various budget sizes and regions.

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Argentinian artist Pilar Zeta has unveiled 'The Observer Effect', a monumental public sculpture installed on Miami Beach during Art Basel Miami Beach. The work, presented by the Shelborne by Proper, features a colonnade of columns and arches with a matte automotive paint finish that shifts appearance with light and weather. Zeta activated the piece with sunrise and sunset performances by musician Laraaji. The self-taught artist, who moved to Miami at 19 and previously created album art for Coldplay, has also announced a follow-up installation opening next month at Place du Louvre in Paris.

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The Otto Kallir family has donated over 130 Austrian Expressionist works valued at more than $60 million to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The gift includes the museum's first paintings by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, and Richard Gerstl, along with works by Oskar Kokoschka, Alfred Kubin, Marie-Louise von Motesiczky, Lovis Corinth, and Käthe Kollwitz. The collection spans from the turn of the 20th century through the 1920s and features paintings, drawings, prints, posters, and mixed-medium works from the Wiener Werkstätte. A selection of 24 works will go on view in the exhibition “Austrian Expressionism and Otto Kallir” from November 23, 2025, through May 31, 2026, with a comprehensive exhibition planned for 2030. The Kallir family is also donating rare Viennese books and prints to the Getty Research Institute.

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Ralph Rugoff, curator of the 2019 Venice Biennale, is leaving his post as director of the Hayward Gallery after 20 years. The Southbank Centre announced his departure for spring 2026, after which he will work as an independent curator and writer. During his tenure, the Hayward staged acclaimed shows like “Kiss My Genders!,” surveys for Kader Attia and Tracey Emin, and Rugoff was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2019. He previously led the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art in San Francisco.

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Artnet Auctions' Premier Prints and Multiples: Summer Edition sale, open for bidding through April 3, 2025, features iconic works on paper by artists such as Jonas Wood and Lynda Benglis. The article highlights the collaborative process between artists and printers, with firsthand accounts from Emmett Walsh of Ollin Editions and a publisher who worked with Lynda Benglis on a tapestry based on her painting *Rajesh in Rajasthan* (2012–2016). Walsh describes producing Wood's 112-color silkscreen *Kitchen Interior* (2022) over 20 months, while the other publisher recounts a three-year search for weavers to create Benglis's detailed rug.

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Lady Pink, a pioneering graffiti artist, is creating the inaugural mural commission for MoMA PS1 in Queens, New York. The mural, set to be unveiled on June 26, 2025, features a surreal composition of a stone foot, a subway platform, and the Brooklyn skyline, paying homage to the lost 5Pointz graffiti site. Lady Pink, who began tagging subway cars in 1979 and was included in MoMA PS1's 1981 'New York/New Wave' exhibition, is working on-site with assistants, using both brushes and spray paint.

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The Baloise Art Prize, worth $36,800, has been awarded to artists Rhea Dillon and Joyce Joumaa at Art Basel. Dillon's "Leaning Figures" sculptures, made from soap and molasses, were presented by London's Soft Opening gallery. Joumaa's installation "Periodic Sights," shown by Montreal's Eli Kerr Gallery, features photographs of Tripoli and Beirut commenting on energy crises in Lebanon. The prize is given annually to two artists in the fair's Statements sector.

will this ultra rare painting by famed filipina painter anita magsaysay ho break records 2650460

León Gallery's Spectacular Mid Year Auction 2025 will feature a rare egg tempera painting by pioneering Filipina modernist Anita Magsaysay-Ho titled *Water Carriers / Taga-igib* (1947). The work is expected to draw strong market interest, following the artist's previous egg tempera sales at the same auction house—*Tinapa (Fish) Vendors* (1975) and *Fruit Market* (1957)—which fetched $1.52 million and $1.56 million respectively. Only about 20 works by Magsaysay-Ho exist in this delicate medium, making this lot exceptionally scarce. The sale also includes three works by Spanish Filipino artist Fernando Zóbel, whose market has recently surged after exhibitions at the Prado Museum, Ayala Museum, and National Gallery Singapore.

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The article reports that two major Asian art fairs, Taipei Dangdai Art and Ideas and Art Busan, are currently running through May 11, but both have seen significant drops in exhibitor numbers. Taipei Dangdai is down 32% to 53 galleries, while Art Busan is off 16% to 109 galleries. Dealers cite rising costs, geopolitical uncertainties, and fair fatigue as reasons for a more selective, pragmatic approach to participation, focusing on regional fairs and transactional value over visibility.

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The Getty Museum in Los Angeles has acquired and restored Luis de Morales's "Christ Carrying the Cross" (c. 1565), a 16th-century Spanish Renaissance painting. The work, which had been covered in discolored varnish and enlarged with wooden strips, was carefully conserved by Getty conservator Kari Rayner, who removed non-original paint to reveal the artist's original composition. The painting first appeared at auction in 2021 at Nagel Auktionen, initially attributed to Morales's studio with a €10,000 estimate, but later sold for €1.2 million before the Getty acquired it from the Daniel Katz Gallery.

11 Contemporary Emirati Artists To Know

The article highlights 11 contemporary Emirati artists, providing an overview of their practices and significance within the Gulf's evolving art scene. It contextualizes this list against recent major events in the region, including the debut of Art Basel Qatar in early February and the subsequent U.S. attacks on Iran, which caused turmoil across the Gulf, disrupted airline operations, and forced Art Dubai to scale back its event to a smaller fair in mid-May. Artists and galleries in the Gulf also had to temporarily close.

How to Buy Minimalist Art

Artsy Editorial offers a guide on buying Minimalist art, explaining the movement's core principles of geometric shapes, limited color palettes, and material reduction. The article highlights key artists such as Carl Andre and Polly Apfelbaum, and emphasizes that Minimalism focuses on the idea behind the work rather than the artist's technical skill.

A mind-bending Spaniard, an imagistic Puerto Rican and a lush Latvian – the week in art

This week's art roundup from The Guardian features a major exhibition on Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán at the National Gallery in London, described as a mind-bending and revelatory show with loans from the Prado and other top museums, positioning him alongside Goya and Picasso. Other highlights include Gilbert & George's tribute to their late homeless friend at their London centre, outdoor sculptures by Lynn Chadwick at Houghton Hall, thickly built-up paintings by Angel Otero at Hauser & Wirth Somerset, and abstract works by Latvian sculptor Daiga Grantina at Warwick Arts Centre. The article also covers a new Banksy statue in central London depicting a man marching with a flag, and a Masterpiece of the Week feature on Guido Reni's 'Saint Mary Magdalene'.

The 5 Best Booths at miart 2026

The 30th edition of miart opened its doors at the Allianz MiCo convention center in Milan, marking a significant milestone for Italy’s premier international modern and contemporary art fair. As the city continues its ascent as a global art capital, the 2026 fair attracted a diverse continental crowd of collectors and professionals ahead of the upcoming Venice Biennale.

Julie Mehretu Captures Our Contemporary Chaos in Shimmering Abstract Paintings

Julie Mehretu has established herself as a preeminent voice in contemporary abstraction by creating dense, multilayered canvases that synthesize architectural drawings, maps, and media imagery. Her work is characterized by a meticulous accumulation of marks that transform sociopolitical data and historical events into ethereal, gestural compositions. By layering information until it reaches a point of abstraction, she explores how individual and collective identities are shaped by the built environment and global shifts.

Sculptor Thaddeus Mosley dies at 99.

Sculptor Thaddeus Mosley dies at 99.

Sculptor Thaddeus Mosley, a self-taught artist renowned for his monumental abstract wood sculptures, has died at the age of 99. Working for decades in his Pittsburgh basement, Mosley used locally sourced felled trees and traditional hand tools to create dynamic, asymmetrical forms that channeled both modernist principles and African artistic traditions. His prolific career, which began in his 30s, gained significant institutional recognition only in his later decades, culminating in a major 2022 solo exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Cosima von Bonin’s sculptures star in Loewe’s fall/winter 2026 runway show.

Cosima von Bonin’s sculptures star in Loewe’s fall/winter 2026 runway show.

German artist Cosima von Bonin’s large-scale, fabric-based sculptures were integrated directly into Loewe’s fall/winter 2026 runway show during Paris Fashion Week. Creative director Jonathan Anderson placed her oversized, characteristically enigmatic soft sculptures—including a giant lobster and a crumpled cigarette—amidst the models, transforming the presentation into a moving exhibition. This collaboration continues Anderson’s practice of merging high art with high fashion on the runway.

Trisha Donnelly at MUSEUM MMK FÜR MODERNE KUNST

The Museum MMK für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt is presenting an exhibition of work by American artist Trisha Donnelly. The show features a range of her untitled pieces from 2005 to 2025, including sculptures, photographs, and other media, drawn from her own studio and various international collections and galleries.

Catherine Opie “To Be Seen” at National Portrait Gallery, London

The National Portrait Gallery in London is hosting "Catherine Opie: To Be Seen," the first major UK museum exhibition dedicated to the American photographer. The show brings together over 80 photographs spanning 30 years of Opie's career, exploring themes of social, political, and individual identity through studio portraiture, environmental studies, and documentary images.

The Permanence of Refusal: Interview with Ding Yi

Chinese artist Ding Yi, who first appeared at the Venice Biennale in 1993 as part of the inaugural Chinese contemporary art exhibition, has returned to Venice with his first solo show in the city, titled “Cosmotechnics: Ding Yi as a Planetary Code” at Fondazione Querini Stampalia. The exhibition, referencing philosopher Yuk Hui's concept of cosmotechnics, traces Ding Yi's abstract visual language from the 1980s to the present, featuring new and historic works that engage with the modernist architecture of Carlo Scarpa. In an interview with ArtAsiaPacific during the 61st Venice Biennale preview week, Ding Yi reflects on the evolution of his practice, his travels, and the deep perceptual frameworks of ancient civilizations.

Ed Ruscha | Billy (1968) | Art & Prints

Ed Ruscha's 1968 exhibition catalogue 'Billy', designed for a show of works by his friend Billy Al Bengston, is being offered for sale. The catalogue features a flocked sandpaper cover, satin ribbon bookmark, and machine screw and hex nut binding, and was published by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for an exhibition that traveled to the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Vancouver Art Gallery. The work is listed on an art marketplace platform with a price of €62,600, and the listing includes details about its condition, provenance, and the artist's broader career.

Tate Britain will Exhibit ‘90s Art and Fashion, and Other News.

Tate Britain will stage "The 90s: Art and Fashion" in autumn 2026, guest curated by Edward Enninful, featuring nearly 70 artists, designers, and photographers including Steve McQueen, Damien Hirst, Alexander McQueen, and Vivienne Westwood. The exhibition explores how the decade reshaped British cultural identity through art, fashion, and social commentary, highlighting DIY anti-fashion aesthetics and themes of identity, race, class, and representation. Separately, Gagosian opened a new ground-floor flagship at 980 Madison Avenue in New York, replacing its longtime sixth-floor space after 37 years. A rare 17th-century Mughal astrolabe is heading to Sotheby's London with a £1.5–2.5 million estimate. Fondazione Sozzani launched an award for emerging creative talent. A Manhattan federal jury ordered art publisher Michael McKenzie to pay $102.2 million in damages to the Morgan Art Foundation for producing unauthorized works by Robert Indiana.

Art Dubai announces updated gallery list for postponed 2026 edition

Art Dubai has released a revised exhibitor list for its 2026 edition, which was rescheduled to May 15–17 following regional instability caused by the US-Israel war in Iran. The fair will feature 50 galleries at Madinat Jumeirah, down from its original roster after approximately 75 participants—including major Indian and Western galleries—withdrew due to scheduling conflicts and logistics. To support those remaining, the fair has introduced a flexible fee structure where galleries pay a percentage of sales capped at the original stand cost.

Gladstone Gallery Now Represents the Estate of Pope.L, Boundary-Crossing Performance Artist

Gladstone Gallery has announced its representation of the estate of the late performance and conceptual artist Pope.L. The gallery will present its first solo exhibition of his work in New York in 2027, joining existing representatives Modern Art in London and Vielmetter Los Angeles in stewarding his legacy.

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Hollis Taggart is hosting a retrospective of Frank Diaz Escalet, a Puerto Rican-born artist whose unique practice involved creating intricate figurative compositions from inlaid leather. Raised in New York and later based in Maine, Escalet transitioned from a master leather craftsman catering to celebrities like the Rolling Stones to a fine artist focused on the lives of everyday people. The exhibition showcases his self-taught technique of cutting, dyeing, and conjoining leather shapes to create vibrant scenes of Puerto Rican culture and urban life.