Art News. Vasari Codex

museum exhibitions schedule Apr 11, 2026 visibility 22 link 5 artists

‘We refuse_d’: rehearsing refusal as method, memory, and possibility.

Marking the fifteenth anniversary of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, the traveling exhibition ‘we refuse_d’ has opened at M HKA in Antwerp. Curated by Nadia Radwan and Vasif Kortun, the project draws on the intellectual lineage of Hannah Arendt’s reflections on displacement and the historical precedent of the Salon des Refusés. The exhibition features a constellation of works by artists including Khalil Rabah, Barış Doğrusöz, and Nour Shantout, exploring refusal not as a simple negation, but as a complex strategy for survival, dignity, and the preservation of memory.

newspaper ART AFRICA open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Apr 9, 2026 visibility 18 link 2 artists

The Sky Lives in Us Still, Resistance and Imagination Take Flight.

Vanessa German has unveiled a major new installation at the Speed Art Museum titled '…do you remember when you were the sky?', marking the inaugural project of the Sam Gilliam Visiting Artist Program. The exhibition features German’s signature assemblage sculptures, which utilize diverse materials like cowrie shells, quilts, and skateboards to create hybrid figures representing young girls in states of transformation. The body of work is the result of months of community engagement and research into local histories, specifically focusing on the narratives of the Colored Girls Dormitory in Louisville.

newspaper ART AFRICA open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 19, 2026 visibility 5 link 5 artists, 2 galleries

NEW ZEALAND PHOTOGRAPHER FIONA PARDINGTON REPRESENTS AOTEAROA AT THE VENICE BIENNALE

New Zealand photographer Fiona Pardington (born 1961, Auckland) is representing Aotearoa at the 61st Venice Biennale with her exhibition *Taharaki Skyside*, on view from May 9 to November 22, 2026, at the Aotearoa New Zealand Pavilion. The show features large-scale portraits of taxidermied birds from museum collections across New Zealand and Australia, focusing on endemic species including the extinct huia and whēkau. Curated by Felicity Milburn and Chloe Cull, the exhibition is presented by the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) and Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū.

newspaper Arte al Día open_in_new Read original

gavel restitution schedule May 22, 2026 visibility 5 link 3 artists

Fifty years after Franco, Spain begins to give back art seized during the Civil War

A 2022 Spanish law has quietly triggered a wave of restitutions of art looted during the Spanish Civil War, more than 50 years after dictator Francisco Franco's death. The Museo del Prado has identified 166 confiscated artworks in its collection, including works by Joaquín Sorolla and Pedro Atanasio Bocanegra, and has begun returning pieces such as a panel painting by Maestro de Lupiana to the parish of Yebes. Scholar Arturo Colorado Castellary has uncovered over 26,000 confiscated objects, with around a third never returned to their owners, many deposited in museums, churches, and public administrations.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 20, 2026 visibility 3 link 1 artist

Hong Kong Artists Bring Quiet Reflection to Venice

The 61st Venice Biennale, themed “In Minor Keys” by late curator Koyo Kouoh, emphasizes quiet reflection over spectacle. A collateral exhibition titled “Fermata: Hong Kong in Venice,” curated by the Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA), runs through November 22, 2026, and features two Hong Kong-born artists: Kingsley Ng and Angel Hui. Ng’s installation *Laundry Nocturne* (2026) uses projections and sound to connect the shared laundry-drying traditions of Venice and Hong Kong, while Hui’s *I Would Like to Open a Window for You* (2026) incorporates wrought-iron window frames crafted with local metalsmiths. Both artists explore everyday experiences, memory, and quiet emotions, aligning with the Biennale’s call for a slower, more reflective engagement with art.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 20, 2026 visibility 4 link 6 artists

Tough Stuff: Women in The American Glass Studio

The Corning Museum of Glass (CMoG) opened "Tough Stuff: Women in the American Glass Studio" on May 16, 2026, as part of its 75th anniversary celebration. This is the first survey exhibition dedicated to women artists who shaped the American Studio Glass Movement from the 1960s onward, featuring over 200 works by artists including Claire Falkenstein, Audrey Handler, Margie Jervis, Susie Krasnican, Kathleen Mulcahy, Ginny Ruffner, Ruth Tamura, and Toots Zynsky. The exhibition draws from CMoG’s permanent collection, the Rakow Research Library, and loans from the artists, and is complemented by an oral history initiative preserving first-person accounts.

newspaper Hyperallergic open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 20, 2026 visibility 2 link 1 artist

Tilda Swinton to Perform at Guggenheim Bilbao in June

Actress and performance artist Tilda Swinton will stage a performance titled 'House of Gestures' at the Guggenheim Bilbao on June 5 and 6. The work, a collaboration with fashion historian and curator Olivier Saillard, is commissioned by Dom Pérignon as part of its 'Creation is an eternal journey' series. The piece explores gesture, presence, and transformation, set in the museum's atrium, and is free and open to the public with advance registration.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 20, 2026 visibility 6 link 3 artists

‘These are artifacts from history’: exhibition celebrates objects of sporting victory

A new exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, titled "For the Win," showcases championship rings, trophies, medals, and jewelry spanning nearly 150 years of US sports history. Highlights include Jesse Owens's 1936 Olympic gold medal, Breanna Stewart's 2024 WNBA championship ring, the 1877 NYPD Medal of Valor, and items from Kevin Durant and the Seattle Seahawks. The exhibition, timed to the upcoming World Cup, is housed in the museum's gems and minerals space to emphasize craftsmanship.

newspaper The Guardian open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 20, 2026 visibility 3 link 1 artist

Expansion plans for Rome's Galleria Borghese draw fierce response

Rome's Galleria Borghese, a 17th-century villa museum housing masterpieces by Caravaggio, Bernini, and Canova, is facing controversy over a privately funded feasibility study for a potential expansion. Sponsored by Italian engineering firm Proger, the €900,000 initiative would fund an international architecture competition to explore adding exhibition and visitor space to the Villa Borghese Pinciana grounds. Museum officials cite operational constraints: the historic interiors limit access to 360 visitors per two-hour slot (about 4,000 daily), reservations require weeks of waiting, many works remain in storage, and accessibility is poor. Visitor numbers hit a record 630,760 in 2025, up from 506,000 a decade earlier. Preservation groups including Italia Nostra Roma and Amici di Villa Borghese have objected to any new construction in the sensitive historic landscape. Director Francesca Cappelletti emphasized at a May 18 press conference that no project exists yet and the museum is only beginning a study process, with a winner possible by year's end.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 19, 2026 visibility 4 link 2 artists

After Whistleblower Complaint, Palm Springs Art Museum Declines to Release Report on Allegations of Fraud and Theft, Claims They Are ‘Not Substantiated’

The Palm Springs Art Museum in California has released a three-page statement claiming that an investigation into a whistleblower complaint alleging mismanagement, fraud, and theft found no wrongdoing. The complaint included allegations of improper reclassification of endowment funds, a $3 million discrepancy in investment accounts, and the forced departure of a former director. The museum hired law firm Barnes & Thornburg and forensic accounting firm RSM US to conduct a six-month review, but declined to release the resulting report to ARTnews or the public. The museum acknowledged that proceeds from deaccessioned artworks were used for operating expenses, calling it a long-standing board-approved practice with an internal loan being repaid by 2030.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 14, 2026 visibility 10 link 1 artist

Sophie Rivera's first survey focuses on experimentation

El Museo del Barrio in New York has opened "Sophie Rivera: Double Exposures," the first career survey of the Puerto Rican American photographer (1938-2021). The exhibition reassesses Rivera's practice, highlighting her experimental work beyond her well-known 1978 series "Nuyorican Portraits," which depicted Puerto Rican sitters in Manhattan's Morningside Heights. Curated by Susanna V. Temkin, the show features works across portraiture, photojournalism, and experimental image-making, including the color photograph "Alternators" (1975, printed 1986), which Rivera donated to the museum in the late 1980s.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article policy schedule May 13, 2026 visibility 13 link 2 artists

French Parliament Accuses Louvre of Prioritizing ‘Prestige And Influence’ Over Security Prior to Jewel Heist

French MPs Alexis Corbière and Alexandre Portier have released a parliamentary report accusing the Louvre of prioritizing "prestige and influence" over security, leading to a brazen jewel heist on October 19, 2025. Thieves entered the museum in broad daylight and stole nine pieces of jewelry worth an estimated $102 million in under eight minutes. The report, based on over 20 hearings with 100 insiders, reveals that security had been "relegated to the background" despite audits in 2017 and 2019, and that a Security Equipment Master Plan from 2019 was not implemented in time by former director Jean-Luc Martinez. The report also casts doubt on President Emmanuel Macron's nearly $1 billion renovation plan for the Louvre, announced nine months before the heist.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 13, 2026 visibility 19 link 13 artists, 6 galleries

He’s behind you! The best of Photo London – in pictures

Photo London, the UK's leading photography fair, launches its 11th edition at a new venue, Olympia in Kensington, London, running from 13–17 May 2026. The fair features a diverse array of exhibitors, including debutants like Agony and Ecstasy gallery, which showcases nostalgic works of Ibiza by Oriol Maspons and Walter Rudolph, and Hackney-based Guest Editions, presenting Laura McCluskey and Thomas Duffield. A new 'Focus' section highlights galleries from Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe, such as Ungallery (Argentina) and Galeria Monopol (Poland). Notable presentations include vintage prints by Japanese master Daido Moriyama at Akio Nagasawa Gallery, and Ketaki Sheth's series 'Twinspotting' at Photoink, which pairs Patel twins in the UK with those in India.

newspaper The Guardian open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 8, 2026 visibility 14 link 1 artist

Fashion figure Jordan Roth wows in collage at the Venice Biennale

Multi-disciplinary artist Jordan Roth staged a performance on May 7 at Palazzo dei Fiori in Venice during the Biennale preview week, where he tore apart vinyl prints of Renaissance painter Irene di Spilimbergo and reassembled them into collages within a gilt frame. The event, presented with Performance Space New York’s Visionaries Circle, was attended by Whitney Museum director Scott Rothkopf and dealer Kristin Hjellegjerde, following Roth's earlier appearance as a "living sculpture" at the Met Gala.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article policy schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 21 link 1 artist

UK’s Palestinian Ambassador Calls on Government to Have British Museum Reinstate the Word ‘Palestinian’

The Palestinian ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, has called on the British government to intervene in a dispute with the British Museum over the removal of the word “Palestinian” from wall texts in its Middle East galleries. Zomlot raised the complaint with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office after reports that the museum had stripped the term from maps and didactics, following lobbying by UK Lawyers for Israel. The museum denies removing the word entirely, stating it still appears elsewhere, but photographic evidence suggests otherwise. Zomlot declined a tour with director Nicholas Cullinan, calling the issue “existential.”

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 19 link 4 artists

Rosy Simas on Creating a Space for Peace in Minneapolis

Minnesota-based interdisciplinary artist Rosy Simas opened a contemplative installation titled "A:gajë:gwah dësa’nigöëwë:nye:' (i hope it will stir your mind)" at the Walker Art Center on the same day that Trump-appointed border czar Tom Homan announced the end of Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration enforcement operation in the Twin Cities. The installation features salt bottles made from woven corn husks, each honoring one of Simas's relatives, and is inspired by the teachings of Handsome Lake (Ganyodaiyo’), her fifth great-grandfather’s half-brother, who promoted the Seneca concept of a "good mind." The exhibition, on view through July 5, is part of a two-part project that also includes performances in May. Simas, known primarily for choreography, has increasingly gained recognition as a visual artist, recently receiving a Creative Capital Award.

newspaper Hyperallergic open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 19 link 2 artists

Hundreds of ‘Piss Bottles’ Left at the Met Gala in Protest of Jeff Bezos

Hundreds of bottles filled with what appeared to be urine were discovered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art during the Met Gala on May 5, 2026, according to the New York Post. The protest was claimed by the anti-billionaire group Everybody Hates Elon, which targeted the event over Jeff Bezos serving as the gala's chair. The group left the bottles with signs labeling them a "Met Gala VIP toilet" and criticizing Bezos for alleged labor practices at Amazon, where workers reportedly feel forced to urinate in bottles due to lack of bathroom breaks. The group later clarified on Instagram that the bottles did not contain real urine.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

gavel restitution schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 21 link 1 artist

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Calls on King Charles to Return Treasured Diamond to India

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani publicly called on King Charles III to return the Koh-i-Noor Diamond to India during the British monarch's visit to New York City on Wednesday. Speaking at a press conference before a 9/11 commemoration ceremony, Mamdani said he would encourage the King to return the diamond, which was given to Queen Victoria in 1850 after Britain's colonial governor-general arranged its exchange from a deposed Indian leader. The two leaders later met at the ceremony, but Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the discussion.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 26 link 4 artists

Venice Biennale Jury Resigns in the Wake of Controversial Prize Ban

The jury for the 2026 Venice Biennale has resigned just days before the public opening on May 9, after announcing on April 22 that it would not consider artists from countries accused of crimes against humanity for the Golden and Silver Lion prizes. The jury, consisting of Solange Oliveira Farks (president), Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi, cited its earlier statement of intention in its resignation, which directly impacted the participation of Russia and Israel—both subject to International Criminal Court warrants. In response, the Biennale postponed the awards ceremony from May 9 to November 22 and replaced the traditional jury with a public vote for best participant and best national participation, framing the move as upholding openness and rejecting censorship.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 22 link 1 artist

Venice Biennale Jury Resigns En Masse, Organizers to Award “Visitors’ Lions” in November

The jury for the 2026 Venice Biennale has resigned en masse, announcing the decision via e-flux's Instagram account on April 30 without providing a reason. The five-member jury, including president Solange Oliveira Farks, Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi, had previously stated they would not consider national pavilions from countries charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, directly affecting Israel and Russia. In response, the Biennale postponed the awards ceremony from May to November 22 and replaced the Golden Lions with two "Visitors' Lions" voted on by the public.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 19 link 6 artists

Five Independent Souls: The Signers from New Jersey

Morven Museum & Garden in Princeton, New Jersey, is presenting "Five Independent Souls: The Signers from New Jersey," an exhibition opening May 3, 2026, through January 17, 2027. The show examines the lives of five lesser-known signers of the Declaration of Independence—Abraham Clark, John Hart, Francis Hopkinson, Richard Stockton, and John Witherspoon—through over 100 historic artifacts including manuscripts, paintings, furniture, and personal objects. It confronts the paradox that these men fought for liberty while enslaving people, and also addresses the impact of American independence on New Jersey's indigenous population. Highlights include the painting "Congress Voting Independence" (1796-1817), the first known American depiction of the vote for Independence.

newspaper Hyperallergic open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Apr 29, 2026 visibility 19 link 2 artists

EU imposes sanctions on Mikhail Piotrovsky, director of Russia's State Hermitage Museum

The European Union has imposed sanctions on Mikhail Piotrovsky, the director of Russia's State Hermitage Museum, as part of its 20th sanctions package adopted on 23 April. Piotrovsky, a vocal supporter of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, is cited for being a close associate of Vladimir Putin and for actively supporting the war, including justifying Russian cultural policies that incorporate Ukrainian museum items into Russia's State Museum Fund and enabling unauthorized archaeological excavations in occupied Crimea. The sanctions also target three other cultural officials involved in the Crimean digs. Meanwhile, Hermitage archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, arrested in Poland in December 2025 at Ukraine's request, was released in a prisoner exchange on 28 April.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Apr 28, 2026 visibility 13 link 2 artists

The Newest Docent at This Historic Italian Palace Is a Robot

Palazzo Madama in Turin, Italy, has introduced a four-foot-tall robot named R1 as a docent for its Baroque collection. The robot, developed by the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) under Project Convince with €4 million in EU funding, guides visitors through the former royal apartments, narrating the history of the House of Savoy and detailing paintings, tapestries, and furniture. R1 can interact with visitors via LED eyes, answer questions, and autonomously navigate the museum's first floor, though it cannot climb stairs. It has been learning on the job since 2025, completing 30 tours in December 2025, and uses corrective software to relocalize itself if lost.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Apr 28, 2026 visibility 22 link 5 artists

Israel’s foreign ministry accuses Venice Biennale's jury of ‘politicising’ exhibition

Israel’s foreign ministry has accused the Venice Biennale's jury of politicizing the exhibition after jurors announced they would not consider for prizes countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court charges for crimes against humanity. The jury’s statement, which did not name specific nations, is broadly understood to apply to Israel and Russia, both returning to the Biennale for the first time since the Gaza war and the Ukraine invasion, respectively. The Israeli ministry posted on X that the jury had decided to 'boycott' Israeli sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru, calling it 'a contamination of the art world.' The Biennale distanced itself from the jury’s announcement, stating the jury acts autonomously, while the Russian pavilion is reportedly set to open only for a limited pre-opening period due to budget constraints amid sanctions.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Apr 28, 2026 visibility 18 link 3 artists

Russian Pavilion Will Be Closed to the Public During Venice Biennale: Report

The Russian Pavilion will be closed to the public for most of the 2025 Venice Biennale, opening only during the pre-opening vernissage (May 5–8) for live performances tied to the exhibition “The Tree Is Rooted in the Sky.” After May 9, the pavilion will remain closed, with digital documentation displayed in the windows. The compromise follows weeks of pressure from European cultural and political figures—including Italy’s culture minister—to shutter the pavilion due to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Plans were confirmed via email correspondence between Biennale Foundation president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, general director Andrea Del Mercato, and Russian Pavilion commissioner Anastasia Karneeva, as reported by Italian outlets Open and La Repubblica.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Apr 28, 2026 visibility 19 link 6 artists

Mexican Cultural Workers Denounce Pedro Reyes Sculpture at LACMA

A group of nearly 80 Mexican cultural workers, including artists, critics, and academics, has signed an open letter denouncing the display of Pedro Reyes's sculpture "Tlali" at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The colossal lava stone head, unveiled earlier this month at LACMA's new building, echoes a controversial 2021 public commission by Reyes that was scrapped by Mexico City's government after protests from feminist and Indigenous advocates. The signatories accuse LACMA of ignoring the previous activism against the artist's work in Mexico, calling the museum's decision to legitimize a new version of the polemic sculpture "deceiving." Reyes has not responded to requests for comment.

newspaper Hyperallergic open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule Apr 27, 2026 visibility 22 link 1 artist

Lee ShinJa's Handwoven Portals

Hyperallergic profiles the work of South Korean textile artist Lee ShinJa, whose handwoven artworks are described as 'portals' that bridge traditional craft and contemporary abstraction. The article highlights her use of traditional Korean weaving techniques to create layered, ethereal pieces that evoke both physical and metaphysical spaces.

newspaper Hyperallergic open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Apr 27, 2026 visibility 20 link 4 artists

From intimate still lives to shadowed saints: the many sides of Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán go on show at London’s National Gallery

The National Gallery in London is opening a major survey exhibition of Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664), the first on this scale since 1987. The show expands beyond his famous austere saints to include intimate still-lifes, late private devotional works, and large-scale altarpiece reconstructions. Curator Daniel Sobrino Ralston highlights two newly discovered paintings, including *Alcarraza on a Plate*, and a rare reconstruction of the second tier of the Charterhouse of Jerez de la Frontera altarpiece, reuniting works from museums in Grenoble and Poznań.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article policy schedule Apr 26, 2026 visibility 33 link 1 artist

Arts funding gap in the north must be closed | Letters

Two letter writers to The Guardian criticize the UK government's arts funding imbalance, highlighting that London receives disproportionate investment compared to northern England. Christine Baranski points out that £135m was spent on the V&A East in London while the Tate in Liverpool has been closed for over two years and the Albert Docks cultural area appears neglected. Sharon Maher notes that Arts Council spending is roughly £57 per Londoner versus £28 per person in the north, and argues that future national museum outposts should be located in the north.

newspaper The Guardian open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Apr 24, 2026 visibility 21 link 1 artist

Tourist Damages Florence’s Neptune Fountain in Pre-Wedding Stunt

A 28-year-old tourist in Florence climbed the Neptune Fountain in Piazza della Signoria and caused €5,000 ($5,800) in damage while attempting to touch the statue's genitals as part of a pre-wedding challenge. Police intervened, and specialists from the Fabbrica di Palazzo Vecchio later found damage to a horse's legs and a frieze. The woman has been reported to judicial authorities but is presumed innocent until a verdict.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original