Shrewsbury-based artist Lee Lewis has opened a solo exhibition titled 'Story' at Swan Hill Studio, featuring a collection of paintings and personal objects that explore themes of memory and personal narrative. The exhibition, which has been extended until February 28, 2026, focuses on her recent concentration on painting and draws heavily on her Welsh roots and observations of everyday life.
A flurry of art fair activity across Asia marked the early weeks of 2026. Art Basel's inaugural Qatar edition broke format with single-artist presentations, focusing on MENASA artists and discreet institutional buying. The India Art Fair in New Delhi saw strong sales for local galleries like Vadehra Art Gallery and DAG, while international fairs also took place in Indonesia and the Philippines. New events like Pavilion Hong Kong were announced, and Tokyo Gendai confirmed its return.
The seventh edition of the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair took place in Marrakech from February 5-8, 2026, at the La Mamounia hotel. The fair featured 22 galleries, primarily from Africa and its diaspora, showcasing around 70 artists across various media. A key parallel initiative was Gallery Night, which saw local galleries like La Galerie 38 open new exhibitions, such as Ghizlane Agzenaï's solo show 'Dimension 2112: The Station', to coincide with the fair's energy and visitor influx.
Wes Gordon, creative director of Carolina Herrera, presented the brand's Fall 2026 collection in New York. The runway show featured a cast of prominent artists and art-world figures, including photographer Ming Smith, painter Amy Sherald, gallerist Hannah Traore, and artists Anh Duong, Eliza Douglas, and Rachel Feinstein, who modeled the collection. The presentation venue was adorned with murals by artist Sarah Oliphant, creating a cohesive, studio-like environment.
The fifth annual OPO Open, Scarborough's flagship open art exhibition, has opened at the Old Parcels Office Artspace. A record 685 submissions from across the UK were received, with 100 artworks selected for display, exceeding the usual 80 due to the high volume and quality. The exhibition features a diverse range of media including textiles, kinetic sculptures, paintings, and ceramics. Winners of the OPO Open Prize and other awards will be announced during the opening weekend, with a 'Visitors’ Choice' prize to be awarded later.
Artist Ryan McGinness has published a new art book titled 'Trip Advisor: Notes From over 25 Years of Psychedelic Voyages.' The book combines images of his paintings, studio photos, and personal diaries chronicling his experiences with psilocybin mushrooms since 1999, alongside essays reflecting on their significance.
Rapper and entrepreneur Jonathan Williams Jr., known as Jabee, is presenting the third annual Fear of the Black Art Show on February 13 at the Plaza Wall Gallery in Oklahoma City. The event, organized under his initiative With Love OKC, will feature over 20 Black artists from across Oklahoma, showcasing diverse works without a strict theme, as part of Black History Month celebrations.
The Carnegie Museum of Art has announced the full list of 61 artists and collectives for the 59th Carnegie International, which opens in May. The exhibition will feature a record 36 new commissions and includes notable participants such as 2024 Turner Prize-winner Jasleen Kaur and Li Yi-Fan, who will represent Taiwan at the Venice Biennale, alongside a significant number of Indigenous artists.
The Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair (BFAPF) will hold its second edition at the Grand Hall of Powerhouse Arts in Gowanus, Brooklyn, from April 9–12, 2026. The fair expands its scope to include academic printmaking departments from across the United States, self-representing artists, and a subsidized program for emerging artists, alongside established galleries and publishers. New exhibitors include 10 Grand Press and Petzel Gallery, while international participants like D & S Fine Art Editions from France return.
You Yang, the director of X Museum, discusses the recent surge in new art museums, particularly those backed by tech companies in China's Greater Bay Area, including Shenzhen and Hong Kong. He attributes this boom to a strategic shift in Shenzhen's cultural policy, the city's established cultural foundations, and the region's historical role in cross-cultural exchange, which has created a demand for contemporary institutions.
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Hauser & Wirth's Somerset gallery, established in 2014 in the rural town of Bruton, has transformed the local area into a significant contemporary art destination. The gallery complex, featuring exhibition spaces, a restaurant, meadow, and educational programs, has catalyzed gentrification and attracted other galleries, trendy hotels, and high-end amenities to a formerly unremarkable settlement.
The Dorset Museum & Art Gallery in Dorchester has opened a major exhibition titled 'People Watching,' which explores portraiture in modern British art. The show features around 50 works from over 40 artists, spanning from 1915 to the present day, and combines pieces from The Ingram Collection with the museum's own holdings, including several never-before-seen works.
The Hanwha Cultural Foundation is presenting a major solo exhibition, 'Sweat Models 1991-2026,' by Korean American artist Michael Joo at its New York venue, Space Zero One. The show, running from February 20 to April 18, is a 30-year survey of Joo's work across sculpture, installation, and video, exploring themes of body, system, matter, and information.
The Hanwha Foundation will present a solo exhibition by Korean American artist Michael Joo titled 'Sweat Models 1991-2026' at its New York space, Space Zero One, from February 20 to April 18, 2026. This marks the first exhibition of the year for the Tribeca-based platform, which opened in November with a mission to support emerging artists internationally.
Bolton Museum has launched its annual Open Art Exhibition, running from February 14 to May 17. The free showcase features a wide range of media from artists, craftspeople, and students based in the borough, with three prizes to be awarded, including a Visitors' Choice Award and a Young Artist Award.
Goole Museum in East Yorkshire has issued a call for entries for its annual open exhibition, which this year is themed to celebrate the town's 200th anniversary. The Bicentenary Open Art Exhibition welcomes submissions in all subjects and mediums, including paintings, illustrations, textiles, sculptures, ceramics, and digital works, from local artists. Selected works will be displayed from March 21 to May 16.
Goole Museum, led by curator Dr Alex Ombler, has issued a call for artwork submissions to celebrate the town's 200th anniversary. Entrants are encouraged to create pieces reflecting Goole's rich heritage, though all subjects will be considered by a selection panel. Entry forms are available at the museum or online.
The Jerry Taylor and Nancy Bryant Foundation has donated $1.5 million to NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale to fund exhibition development and educational programming. The gift will provide an ongoing income stream to support the museum's exhibitions, which are central to its regional and national distinction. Philanthropists Jerry Taylor and Nancy Bryant, who established their foundation in 1999, have a long history of supporting Nova Southeastern University and the museum, including a $5 million donation for a trading floor at the university's business school.
Artist Judy Chicago recounts her frustrating experiences with public art commissions, focusing on a recent failed collaboration with Google for its Chicago headquarters at the Thompson Center. After being encouraged by her dealer to apply, Chicago was awarded a commission in fall 2025 to create a large terrazzo floor and a 17-story glass elevator shaft using her "Through the Flower" imagery. However, the project fell through after months of effort, mirroring earlier disappointments with the Beverly Hills Sculpture Park, where a city councilor questioned the value of her work, which Chicago attributes to institutionalized sexism.
Twelve artists from the Hidden Gems Art Studios collective are exhibiting their work in a month-long group show titled Hidden Gems @ The Unicorn at The Unicorn Collection in Sturt Street, Ballarat, running until 1 March. The exhibition features painting, photography, textiles, ceramics, and mixed media, with a Meet the Artists session scheduled for the evening of 6 February. Artists include Sylvia Aguirre, Jeannie King, Kate Wise, and Anne Langdon, among others.
The article highlights 20 art exhibitions across India running concurrently with the India Art Fair, focusing on six key shows. Atul Dodiya presents 'The Gatecrasher' at Vadehra Art Gallery in Delhi, featuring 12 large-scale oil paintings that weave pop culture, art history, and personal memory. Sudarshan Shetty's 'A Breath Held Long' at GallerySKE explores the intersection of voice, body, and urban life through film and steel sculptures. Bikaner House hosts 'Typecasting: Photographing the People of India 1855-1920,' a critical exhibition of colonial ethnographic photographs. The Kolkata Centre for Creativity presents 'Convergences: A Shared Ground' examining artistic and architectural practices from eastern and northeastern India. Nilaya Anthology in Mumbai showcases a retrospective of architect Pinakin Patel, 'The Turning Point,' featuring 11 signature pieces.
A new exhibition titled "Permission to Breathe: A Black Woman’s Perspective on Living Life Unapologetically" opens at Positive Space Tulsa in midtown Tulsa, featuring nearly 30 works by Black women artists. Co-curated by Ebony Iman Dallas, Elizabeth Henley, and Jaiden Jiji McClellan, the multidisciplinary show explores themes of rest, resistance, joy, ancestral memory, and radical self-acceptance, with most artwork available for sale. The exhibition runs from February 7 to February 28, 2026, and includes both seasoned and first-time artists.
Mnuchin Gallery, a blue-chip art gallery on Manhattan's Upper East Side, will close at the end of February after 34 years, following the death of its founder Robert Mnuchin in December at age 91. The gallery, known for museum-quality exhibitions of Modern and postwar art, concluded its final show—a survey of Julian Schnabel's plate paintings—on Saturday. Partner Michael McGinnis said the decision to close was made to end on a high note, honoring Mnuchin's passion and vision.
The DESA Unicum auction house in Warsaw has opened its latest "Contemporary Art. Works on Paper" exhibition, which will culminate in an auction of the presented works. This edition is notable for its broad historical scope, featuring pieces created between 1940 and 2025, and includes museum-quality works and rare sketches by key Polish avant-garde artists.
The artistic center of gravity in Mexico City is shifting from established gallery districts like Condesa and Roma to the Santa María la Ribera neighborhood. Over the past five years, a wave of artists has moved there, drawn by affordable rents, large studio spaces, and a central location, transforming the area into a vibrant, organic hub for artistic production and new, non-traditional exhibition spaces.
Qatar has announced details for its inaugural Rubaiya Qatar quadrennial, set to open in November across Doha and the wider state. The headline exhibition, 'Unruly Waters,' will feature over 50 artists, including Lawrence Abu Hamdan and Lydia Ourahmane, and more than 20 new commissions. It will be curated by a team led by Tom Eccles and Ruba Katrib, and will incorporate historic objects from Qatar Museums.
The 2026 Governor's Capitol Art Exhibition will open at the Wyoming Capitol on February 9, featuring local artist Alexandra Hansen of Aladdin among 53 artists selected from 383 entries by 152 artists. The biennial exhibition, part of Wyoming's tribute to America's 250th anniversary, celebrates the state's landscapes, communities, and people. Hansen, a contemporary Western artist known for stylized vintage patina oil paintings, grew up on a South Dakota ranch and studied at Oklahoma State University. Kate Hlavin, Curator of the Coors Western Art Exhibit and Sale, served as guest juror. A public reception and awards ceremony will be held on February 26, with a People's Choice Award vote on the Wyoming State Museum Facebook page.
A luxury art gallery, Galerie Philia, has announced its first Texas location will open in Houston's River Oaks District on May 10. The gallery, known for its focus on collectible design and contemporary art, will feature a rotating selection of about 40 pieces every three weeks and host three to four special exhibitions annually.
London gallery Archeus / Post-Modern has organized a by-appointment presentation titled "Bridget Riley: Sixties. The Complete Black and White Graphic Works." The exhibition brings together a rare, complete suite of seven prints on paper and seven companion works on Plexiglas, known as *Fragments*, all created by the English Op Art pioneer in the early-to-mid 1960s.
Stephen Friedman Gallery, a prominent London-based contemporary art gallery, has entered administration and closed its doors after 30 years in business. The gallery had recently expanded, opening a new space in New York and moving to larger premises in London, but financial strain from construction costs, rent, and a downturn in the art market led to its collapse. The gallery's closure was confirmed just as Art Basel Qatar opened, where its planned solo booth was taken over by the represented artist's estate and another gallery.