First Retrospective Exploring Betty Parsons’ Dual Legacy As Artist and Gallerist to Open at CCS Bard June 2026

The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College (CCS Bard)’s Hessel Museum of Art will present "Betty Parsons: An Expanded World" from June 27 to October 18, 2026. It is the first major retrospective to examine Betty Parsons (1900-1982) as both a pioneering abstract artist and a trailblazing gallerist who launched the careers of Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, and Jackson Pollock. Organized by curator Kelly Taxter with artist Amy Sillman, the exhibition features approximately 80 works spanning painting, sculpture, and works on paper, alongside a new film by G. Anthony Svatek and Kaija Siirala about the Betty Parsons Gallery.

Expanded and Expansive: How the Intuit Art Museum Used A Transformative Renovation to Reinvent Itself

The Intuit Art Museum (IAM) in Chicago reopens on May 23 after a $10 million renovation that began in September 2023, partially funded by a $5 million grant from the City of Chicago. The expansion triples the museum's exhibition and education space, adds ADA-compliant features, and includes new galleries, a Center for Learning and Engagement Opportunities (CLEO) named after co-founder Cleo Wilson, and a reinstalled room dedicated to outsider artist Henry Darger. The museum, originally founded in 1991 as the Society for Outsider, Intuitive and Visionary Art by figures including artist Roger Brown and gallerists Carl Hammer and Ann Nathan, has long championed self-taught and visionary artists.

An outsider artist takes the world's biggest stage with the US Pavilion at the Venice Biennale

U.S. artist Alma Allen, a self-taught sculptor from Utah who works in Mexico, has been selected to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale with his exhibition "Call Me the Breeze" at the U.S. Pavilion. The selection process was fraught and opaque, with institutions declining to bid for the commission due to concerns about administration politics after the open call removed diversity, equity and inclusion language in favor of promoting "American values." A prior proposal for artist Robert Lazzarini fell apart after its institutional sponsor backed out, and Allen's project was quickly assembled with the American Arts Conservancy as sponsor and Jeffrey Uslip as curator. Allen, who has lived outside the critical art world for three decades, created a bronze evil eye for the pavilion's exterior and a headless sheep sculpture as a self-portrait of an outsider.

Yu-Chi Lyra Kuo Shares a Vision for the Future of Art, Technology, and Creativity

Yu-Chi Lyra Kuo, an entrepreneur, investor, Harvard-educated lawyer, former Princeton academic, and board member of the Shed, shares her vision for integrating frontier technologies like artificial intelligence and robotics into the art world. She argues that these tools can enhance human creativity rather than replace it, drawing on her early experiences with Asian antiquities and her pioneering work in blockchain, including co-founding OpenSea 2.0. The article, based on an interview with CULTURED, traces her journey from collecting a jade gourd as a child to advising tech companies and joining the board of the Shed, a Bloomberg-backed cultural center in Hudson Yards.

National Museum of Asian Art Opens New Exhibition in June About Its Origin Story

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art will open a new exhibition titled "A Museum in the Making" on June 27, 2026, running through August 8, 2027. The show explores the origin story of the Freer Gallery of Art, America's first national art museum, by examining how collector Charles Lang Freer used his Detroit home as a living laboratory for museum design. It highlights collaborations with artists and architects, including James McNeill Whistler, Stanford White, and Mary Chase Perry Stratton, and features a video walkthrough of the Freer House. The exhibition is part of the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations and the Smithsonian's broader "Our Shared Future" initiative.

In Pictures: The Highlights of the 2026 Venice Biennale

En images : les grands moments de la Biennale de Venise 2026

The 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" and curated by Koyo Kouoh, opened on May 9, 2026, at the Arsenale and Giardini venues. Kouoh, who died suddenly in May 2025 at age 57, conceived the event as a counterpoint to global noise and fury, inviting visitors to slow down and tune into minor tonalities. The exhibition features works addressing colonial memory, slavery, and Gaza, with a team of four curators executing her vision. Highlights include Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons's tribute to Kouoh and Toni Morrison, Hala Schoukair's installation, and Gabrielle Goliath's "Elegy," alongside collateral shows like the Dries van Noten Foundation at Palazzo Pisani Moretta and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation's "Still Joy – from Ukraine into the World."

BLANCA DE LA TORRE Y EL “MUSEO ANFIBIO”: “A MÍ ME INTERESA EL PÚBLICO, NO NECESARIAMENTE LAS MASAS”

Blanca de la Torre, director of the Institut Valencià d’Art Modern (IVAM), discusses her concept of the "Museo Anfibio" (Amphibious Museum) in an interview for Artishock Revista's series on Ibero-American museum leaders. She proposes reimagining the museum as a relational institution that mediates between physical and symbolic territories, communities, and ecosystems, structured around two axes: Territories-Earth and Aquatic Environments. The interview is part of a series leading up to International Museum Day, with previous entries including Nicolás Gómez Echeverri of the Banco de la República de Colombia.

What makes love political, Wynnie Mynerva?

Was macht Liebe politisch, Wynnie Mynerva?

Peruvian artist Wynnie Mynerva discusses her exhibition "Volveré y seré millones" at the Société gallery in Berlin, timed to coincide with Gallery Weekend. The artist explores Andean cosmologies, specifically the concept of 'Ayni' or collective reciprocity, as a counter-narrative to Western, capitalist structures of romantic love and individualism. Her work draws from her personal experience as a migrant in Europe and her observations of Berlin’s queer scene, questioning how care and survival function within modern political frameworks.

Editor’s Letter: Still, Listening

The 61st Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" and curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, opens in May 2026, shifting focus from Eurocentric narratives to quieter, relational, and improvisational voices from the Global South. ArtAsiaPacific's May/June issue honors Kouoh's vision with features on artists including Gala Porras-Kim (a 2025 MacArthur Fellow), Khaled Sabsabi (representing Australia), and others like Liang Yuanwei, Yuko Mohri, Mona Hatoum, Tadanori Yokoo, Gayane Umerova, Li Yi-Fan, Hyeree Ro, and Ei Arakawa-Nash, with contributions from a curatorial team that carried Kouoh's work forward after her death in 2025.

photographer maryam eisler alexei riboud interview

Photographers Maryam Eisler and Alexei Riboud, former high school classmates in Paris nearly 40 years ago, reunited in 2023 through a WhatsApp group and embarked on a creative challenge: photographing the same American Southwest landscapes side by side without sharing their images until the trip ended. The result is "West West," a book and exhibition at Pierre Yovanovitch's Manhattan gallery (June 12–July 11), curated by historian Carrie Scott and gallerist Howard Greenberg, featuring their work alongside iconic photographers like Diane Arbus, Joel Meyerowitz, and Ansel Adams.

woven danielle barr los angeles

Woven and CULTURED hosted their second annual luncheon at Alba in Los Angeles, celebrating visionary women in design. The event brought together gallerists Megan Mulrooney and Anat Ebgi, interior designers Jane Hallworth and Sarah Weichel, and other creative professionals for a relaxed gathering that included fresh flowers, copies of the CULT100 issue, and a vintage car display. Attendees included jewelry designer Kim Dunham, gallerist Rosa Park, lighting designer Analuisa Corrigan, and others, with photography by Madison McGaw/BFA.

new york art guide jenni crain gordon hall 2

Gordon Hall's exhibition "Hands and Knees" at the Kitchen in New York features sculptures made from chrome cantilevered chairs with seats and backs removed, arranged in configurations that evoke bodies on all fours. The show includes unannounced performances where performers are carried in on stretcher-like sculptures and placed on the chair forms, exploring themes of submission, rest, and bodily interaction. Separately, the article reviews Martha Diamond's posthumous exhibition "After Image" at David Kordansky Gallery, highlighting her 1986 painting "White Light" and her abstract depictions of New York City.

The Monumental Impact of Indian Miniature Painting

Aicon Art in New York has opened its first exhibition dedicated entirely to Indian miniature painting, titled "Courtly Visions: Indian Miniature Painting." The show features a breadth of works created between roughly 1630 and the early 19th century, showcasing the intricate detail and narrative scenes characteristic of the genre. It aims to highlight the diverse styles and themes that emerged from various royal courts across the Indian subcontinent.

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Austrian artist Tobias Pils presents a new body of pencil and ink drawings at Galerie Eva Presenhuber in Vienna, in an exhibition titled "Blende zum Morgen / Fade to Morning. Zeichnungen / Drawings." The show features works that are finished pieces rather than preparatory sketches, highlighting the dynamism of drawing as a medium. Pils, known for his monochromatic paintings blending figuration and abstraction, here eschews color entirely, allowing the raw qualities of ink and pencil to reveal the core of his creative vision. The exhibition runs through December 19, 2025.

Pioneering 19th century women artists inspire new city castle exhibition

A new exhibition titled "Chain of Flowers" opens at Norwich Castle on May 16, featuring works by Cambridge-based artist Miranda Boulton. The exhibition draws inspiration from pioneering 19th-century women artists Emily Stannard and Eloise Stannard, members of the Norwich School of Artists. Boulton retraced Emily Stannard's 1820s journey to the Netherlands to study Jan Van Huysum's paintings at the Rijksmuseum, creating a series of oil paintings that contrast the Dutch Golden Age's detailed style with thick impasto and spray paint.

Besser Museum hosts Dr. Kelly Bushey for final Gallery Talk in Divine Comedy Series

Dr. Kelly Bushey will deliver the final Gallery Talk titled “The Agnostic and The Atheist” at the Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan on May 28, as part of a four-part lecture series accompanying the museum's exhibition *Divine Comedy Reenvisioned*. The talk explores Salvador Dalí's transition from surrealism to neo-classicism, influenced by his encounter with Sigmund Freud and his renewed spiritual perspective, offering insight into his illustrations of Dante Alighieri's *Divine Comedy*. The exhibition remains on view through July 18.

‘Monochrome’ at the Seattle Art Museum bridges contemporary art between decades

The Seattle Art Museum's new exhibition, 'Monochrome: Calder and Tara Donovan,' opened May 13, pairing works by mid-20th-century American artist Alexander Calder with newly developed pieces by contemporary artist Tara Donovan. Curated by Catharina Manchanda, the show features Calder's iconic mobile 'Jacaranda' and his massive 'Mountains' stabiles alongside Donovan's site-specific works like 'Transplanted,' a slab of layered roofing tiles, and other pieces made from slinkys, mylar, and stir sticks. Donovan's process emphasizes letting materials dictate form, creating contrasts in mass and movement while engaging with the gallery space.

Zurbarán: a ‘magnificently choreographed’ showing of the Spanish ‘genius’

The article reviews the first-ever British exhibition dedicated to Spanish Baroque painter Francisco de Zurbarán, held at the National Gallery in London. The show brings together 40 works from collections spanning Seville to San Diego, featuring his hyper-real religious paintings and radiant still lifes, described as a 'magnificently choreographed' trawl through his oeuvre. Critics praise the exhibition for its dramatic lighting and revelatory presentation, though some note uneven quality in his later works.

Memorial Art Gallery admission will become free starting in 2027

The Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) in Rochester, New York, announced on May 13 that admission will become free for all visitors starting in 2027, eliminating its current $20 entry fee permanently. The museum, part of the University of Rochester, raised over $9 million through its "Free for All, Forever" campaign, surpassing its original target faster than expected. Key donations included a $1 million gift from Dr. Alexander A. Levitan and his wife Lucy K. Levitan, a $3 million donation from UR trustee Doug Bennett, his wife Abby, and the Sands Family Foundation, and $2 million from Mary Ellen Burris. Additional support came from anonymous donors, Kitty and Nick Jospé, and Sandy Hawks Lloyd and Justin Hawks Lloyd.

How Frida Kahlo Became This Year's Cultural Obsession

In 2026, Frida Kahlo has become a global cultural obsession, with museums, opera houses, and cinemas worldwide celebrating her legacy. The Metropolitan Opera in New York City will premiere Gabriela Lena Frank's Spanish-sung opera *El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego* on May 14, which imagines Diego Rivera summoning Kahlo back to life three years after her death. Set and costume designer Jon Bausor drew inspiration from the trees, veins, and cracked imagery in Kahlo's paintings.

Ali Banisadr: Temple of the Mind | Solo exhibition at Buffalo AKG Art Museum

The Buffalo AKG Art Museum will present "Ali Banisadr: Temple of the Mind," a solo exhibition running from June 26 to November 8, 2026. The show occupies the Hemicycle Gallery and, for the first time, the Wilmers Galleries, where Banisadr's works will be installed alongside Surrealist and Abstract Expressionist pieces from the museum's permanent collection. The exhibition includes an installation exploring the artist's influences, featuring works by Andō Hiroshige and Francisco de Goya, as well as studio materials, a new etching created with Mirabo Press, and an audio journey narrated by Banisadr.

High Museum opens sweeping Isamu Noguchi exhibition with an Atlanta connection

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta is presenting a major exhibition titled "Isamu Noguchi: 'I am not a designer'" running from April 10 to August 2, 2026. The show spans Noguchi's career across sculpture, design, and functional objects, and includes a model of Piedmont Park's Playscapes—the only playground Noguchi saw built in the U.S. during his lifetime, giving the exhibition a direct Atlanta connection. Curator Monica Obniski organized the landmark display.

The Carnegie International is a Once Every Four Year Treat

The Carnegie International, the longest-running international art show in North America, returns in 2026 for its 59th edition at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh. Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1896, the exhibition takes place roughly every four years and features contemporary works from artists around the world, including Zhao Yao (China), Hans Ragnar Mathisen (Sapmi/Norway), Cinthia Marcelle (Brazil), and Walter Scott (Canada). The 2026-2027 edition is themed "If The Word We," exploring the first-person plural as an open and evolving concept. The show is integrated throughout the museum alongside permanent collection pieces, and extends to venues such as the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, Mattress Factory, and the Thelma Lovette YMCA.

Ascension Weekend 2026: 10 must-see exhibitions to check out in Paris over this long weekend

For the Ascension long weekend (May 14–17, 2026), Paris offers a curated selection of ten must-see exhibitions. Highlights include a major Hilma af Klint retrospective at the Grand Palais, exploring her spiritualist and abstract works; 'Jardins des Lumières' at the Grand Trianon in Versailles, focusing on 18th-century landscape garden design; 'Sèvres, a Rothschild Passion' at the Mobilier National, showcasing Rothschild porcelain collections; and a Giovanni Segantini exhibition at the Marmottan Monet Museum, featuring his Alpine Symbolist and Divisionist paintings.

De Pont Director Maria Schnyder On Why Financial Independence Is a Museum’s Greatest Asset

Maria Schnyder, who has served as deputy director of the De Pont Museum of Contemporary Art in Tilburg, Netherlands, since 2021, has been appointed as its new director, succeeding Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen. In an interview, Schnyder discusses the advantages of rising from within, emphasizing continuity and deep knowledge of the institution's artist-first ethos. The museum, housed in a former woolen mill with 7,000 square meters of exhibition space, operates with only 18 full-time employees and is financially independent, allowing it to prioritize artistic vision over audience-driven agendas.

This Museum Show Will Make You Question Whether You’re Still Human

The New Museum in New York has opened "New Humans: Memories of the Future," an exhibition curated by Chief Curator Massimiliano Gioni that explores a century of art predicting the fusion of humans and machines. The show features works by artists including Anicka Yi, Francis Picabia, Constantin Brancusi, and Marcel Duchamp, alongside robots and technological artifacts that blur the boundaries between bodies and technology. The exhibition is housed within OMA's newly expanded museum space on the Bowery.

The Art of Transparency: Reiko Sudō’s Textile Innovation for LACMA

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) commissioned Tokyo-based textile designer Reiko Sudō to create custom curtains for its new David Geffen Galleries, which feature floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Sudō developed sputter-plated chrome textiles—in matte and gloss finishes—that are both transparent and light-protective, solving the challenge of shielding light-sensitive artworks while preserving panoramic views of the surrounding city. The textiles, produced by Sudō’s company NUNO, are now installed as curtains and will also appear in her retrospective "Textile Alchemy: The Art of Reiko Sudō and NUNO" at LACMA opening September 20, 2026.

Paris exhibition celebrates the visionary world of Hilma af Klint, an artist ahead of her time

A major exhibition at Paris's Grand Palais presents Hilma af Klint's visionary abstract series "Paintings for the Temple" (1906–1915) for the first time in France. The show features works like "The Ten Largest" (1907), which predate the abstract art of Kandinsky, Mondrian, and Malevich by several years. Curated by Pascal Rousseau, the exhibition highlights Af Klint's pioneering use of spirals, geometric forms, and spiritual themes, created in seclusion and long hidden from public view.

Garden Party: Nature on Paper

The McNay Art Museum in San Antonio presents "Garden Party: Nature on Paper," an exhibition running from May 7 to August 9, 2026, that explores humanity's relationship with the natural world. Featuring prints, drawings, photographs, paintings, and sculpture from the museum's permanent collection, the show includes works by René Magritte, Rufino Tamayo, Kara Walker, Luis Jiménez, and Honoré Daumier. Organized by Elizabeth Kathleen Mitchell, the exhibition is divided into two narratives: one celebrating nature's abundance through gardens and flowers, and another examining human extraction through hunting and exploitation imagery.

Montclair Art Museum Announces Retirement of Longtime Chief Curator Dr. Gail Stavitsky

The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) has announced that Dr. Gail Stavitsky, its Chief Curator, will retire on July 1, 2026, after a tenure of more than 30 years. Stavitsky joined MAM in 1994 as Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, was promoted to Chief Curator in 1998, and curated over 200 exhibitions, including landmark shows such as "Cézanne and American Modernism" (2009) and "Matisse and American Art" (2017). Her recent exhibitions include solo shows for vanessa german and Tom Nussbaum, and she co-curated "Shifting Terrain: Perspectives on Land in North America." She also oversaw major acquisitions and the care of the museum's collections of George Inness and Morgan Russell.