The fate of 'Guernica', a political icon born under bombs, traced in virtual reality at the Musée Picasso

Le destin de « Guernica », icône politique née sous les bombes, retracé en réalité virtuelle au musée Picasso

The Musée Picasso-Paris is launching a virtual reality experience that traces the epic journey of Pablo Picasso's "Guernica," one of the most iconic political paintings of the 20th century. Guided by the voices of writer Juan Larrea and photographer Dora Maar, visitors are transported to Picasso's Paris studio and the bombed ruins of Gernika, reliving the creation of the masterpiece commissioned for the Spanish Republic's pavilion at the 1937 International Exposition in Paris. The VR experience covers the painting's genesis, its global tour, and its eventual exile at MoMA in New York until 1981.

What will the future Louvre museum look like? The architects of the century's construction site have been chosen

À quoi ressemblera le futur musée du Louvre ? Les architectes du chantier du siècle désignés

On May 18, the French Ministry of Culture announced the winner of the international competition for the 'Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance' plan, championed by President Emmanuel Macron in January 2025. The winning consortium, led by Studios Architecture Paris and Selldorf Architects with landscape firm Base, will design a major renovation of the Louvre. The project includes a new entrance on the east side near Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois to relieve congestion at the pyramid, a belvedere overlooking vegetated moats, and a new 3,000-square-meter gallery dedicated to the Mona Lisa. Construction is not expected to begin before 2028.

Which museums are free on the first Sunday of the month in Paris and Île-de-France?

Quels musées sont gratuits ce 1er dimanche du mois à Paris et en Île-de-France ?

This article from Beaux Arts Magazine lists museums in Paris and Île-de-France that offer free admission on the first Sunday of each month, including the Musée de l'Orangerie, Musée national Picasso-Paris, Musée des Arts et Métiers, Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Musée Carnavalet, Musée Cognacq-Jay, Crypte archéologique de l'île de la Cité, Maison Victor Hugo, and Musée de Cluny. It also notes that municipal museums in Paris are free year-round, and provides practical tips such as booking online and taking advantage of free entry for visitors under 18 or 26.

An Otto Dix Masterpiece Comes to Life in the New Season of 'À Musée Vous, À Musée Moi'

Un chef-d’œuvre d’Otto Dix prend vive dans la nouvelle saison d’« À Musée Vous, À Musée Moi »

The popular web series "À Musée Vous, À Musée Moi" has returned for a new season focusing on Otto Dix’s 1926 masterpiece, "Portrait of the Journalist Sylvia von Harden." Created by Fouzia Kechkech and co-produced by the Centre Pompidou and Dada Media, the series uses short, humorous live-action sketches to bring iconic paintings to life. In these episodes, actress Isabelle Desplantes portrays Von Harden, navigating anachronistic situations—such as dealing with social media trolls—while providing historical context about the New Objectivity movement and the "New Woman" of the Weimar Republic.

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.

MoMA Plans a Retrospective for Marcel Duchamp, the Dada Artist Who Was Unimpressed With His Own Masterpieces

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York will open a major retrospective of Marcel Duchamp in April 2026, marking the first U.S. retrospective for the artist in over 50 years. The exhibition will feature more than 200 works, including a 1968 replica of his infamous 'Fountain,' spanning his experiments in Cubism, Futurism, film, photography, and his pioneering readymades.

Malo Chapuy Reimagines Medieval Art on the Cover of our New Talent Issue

Malo Chapuy's painting *Virgin with Codex* (2025) appears on the cover of Art in America's new talent issue. In an interview from his Paris studio, Chapuy explains how he reinterprets medieval and early Renaissance Flemish painting by mixing its motifs with contemporary and sci-fi elements, such as gothic cathedral spaceships and QR codes designed to function like medieval manuscripts for future postapocalyptic monks. He describes his process as making "forgeries," using traditional techniques like oil on wood panels, homemade lead white, and self-carved frames to mimic aged Old Master works while addressing themes of ecological collapse, apocalyptic anxiety, and planetary exile.

British artist says the Met ‘should take responsibility’ for dress copyright dispute

British artist Anouska Samms has publicly criticized the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York over a copyright dispute involving a dress displayed in the Met Gala opening exhibition. Samms claims the museum included a garment called the Nervina Hair Dress, which she says is a copy of her collaborative work Hair Dress, created with fashion designer Yoav Hadari during their residency at the Sarabande Foundation. The Met had expressed interest in acquiring the original dress for its Costume Art exhibition but shelved those plans in December. Samms says she was not credited or paid, while Hadari acknowledges her IP rights over the textile but asserts the design and construction are his own. The Met has declined to comment, directing the artists to resolve the matter themselves.

Art Basel’s Swiss Fair Will Include a New Initiative Where Galleries Will Withhold Works from Their PDF Previews

Art Basel has announced a new initiative called "Basel Exclusive" for its upcoming Swiss fair, running June 18–21 with VIP previews June 16–17. Under the program, participating galleries will withhold at least one artwork—or even their entire booth—from the PDF previews sent to clients ahead of the fair, encouraging collectors to visit in person. So far, 170 of 232 exhibitors (nearly 75%) have signed on, including major galleries like Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Pace Gallery, David Zwirner, Gladstone, Lehmann Maupin, Lisson, Matthew Marks, Paula Cooper, Thaddaeus Ropac, and White Cube, as well as secondary-market dealers such as Galerie 1900-2000, Helly Nahmad, Landau, Mayoral, Pace Di Donna Schrader, and Van de Weghe. Art Basel’s chief artistic officer Vincenzo de Bellis described it as a "gallery-led process" developed from conversations with exhibitors, formalized during Art Basel Hong Kong.

yale errata exhibition

Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library is hosting a new exhibition titled "'Beauties of My Style,'" which explores 500 years of printed errors and errata sheets. Curated by Rachel Churner and Geoff Kaplan, the show features approximately 30 artifacts ranging from James Joyce’s error-riddled first edition of Ulysses to the infamous 1631 "Wicked Bible," which accidentally commanded readers to commit adultery. The exhibition highlights how these slips of paper serve as more than just corrections, acting as sites of humor, legal maneuvering, and poetic reinterpretation.

andrea fraser whitney museum prisons

Artist Andrea Fraser has launched a site-specific sound installation titled "Down the River" at the Whitney Museum of American Art’s new Renzo Piano-designed building. The project features audio recorded at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, played within the museum’s massive, empty 18,200-square-foot fifth-floor gallery. By piping the sounds of cell doors, inmate voices, and prison intercoms into the pristine museum space, Fraser physically links the acoustics of confinement with the architecture of elite cultural institutions.

henrike naumann obituary

German installation artist Henrike Naumann has passed away at the age of 41 following a battle with cancer. At the time of her death, Naumann was preparing for the pinnacle of her career: representing Germany at the upcoming 61st Venice Biennale. The German pavilion organizers have confirmed that they will work closely with her studio team to realize her finalized artistic vision for the exhibition as planned this May.

tai shani phaidon book deal leon blacks jeffrey epstein

Turner Prize-winning artist Tai Shani has officially terminated her book contract with Phaidon, the prominent arts publisher owned by billionaire collector Leon Black. Shani cited Black’s extensive financial ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the "horrific allegations" of sexual assault leveled against Black as the primary reasons for her withdrawal. Describing the move as a "feminist practice" of refusal, Shani walked away from a planned monograph despite praising the publisher's editorial team.

antonello da messina ecce homo

The Italian Ministry of Culture has acquired a rare double-sided Renaissance painting by Antonello da Messina, 'Ecce Homo; Saint Jerome in Penitence,' for $14.9 million in a private sale with Sotheby's New York. The work was withdrawn from a planned public auction, and its final institutional home is now the subject of a heated debate among major Italian museums and the artist's hometown.

joe frazier statue philadelphia museum of art steps

The Philadelphia Art Commission has approved a plan to relocate a statue of real-life boxer Joe Frazier to the base of the Philadelphia Museum of Art's steps. This move is intended to replace the iconic statue of fictional boxer Rocky Balboa, which is being moved to the top of the same steps.

l v hull home joins national register of historic places

The Kosciusko, Mississippi, home of self-taught African American artist L.V. Hull has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. Hull transformed her property into a vibrant art environment over decades, using found objects and her signature dot paintings, attracting international visitors. This marks the first home-studio of an African American woman visual artist, and the first such environment by any African American artist, to be listed at the national significance level.

philadelphia art museum new director

The Philadelphia Art Museum has appointed Daniel Weiss, former CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as its new director, effective December 1. Weiss takes over amid a legal battle with recently ousted director Sasha Suda, who filed a wrongful-termination lawsuit after her November 4 dismissal. The museum has escalated its defense, alleging Suda misappropriated funds prior to her firing. Weiss, who previously restored fiscal stability at the Met, is expected to guide the institution through this tumultuous period, which also includes backlash over a controversial rebrand.

georg wilsons pilar corrias

London artist Georg Wilson opens "Against Nature," her second solo exhibition with Pilar Corrias, exploring the hidden world of poisonous plants in the English countryside. The show features paintings of henbane, thorn apple, and nightshade, depicting them as rebellious agents that thrive in abandoned, uncultivated land. Wilson's work coincides with her institutional debut at Jupiter Artland in Edinburgh, titled "The Earth Exhales." Her research began by collecting second-hand botanical books, which led her to notice toxic flora growing unnoticed around London, including a towering thorn apple near her studio.

yasha grobman appointed director israel museum

Yasha Grobman, an architect and researcher, has been appointed director general of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, ending a prolonged leadership crisis. He succeeds Suzanne Landau, who stepped down after serving as interim director since September 2023. Grobman, a former dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, has been publicly critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and has spoken at protests in Haifa opposing the war in Gaza. His appointment follows a discreet search by a board-appointed committee and comes as the museum faces financial strain, reduced hours, and a decline in international activity.

south africa venice biennale

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.

delcy morelos barbican london commission

The Barbican in London will present a major commission by Colombian artist Delcy Morelos, her first in the United Kingdom, from May 15 to July 31. The centerpiece is an oval-shaped pavilion measuring roughly 78 feet in circumference, constructed from soil, clay, spices, and plant materials, sited in the Barbican's outdoor Sculpture Court. It is the third public-realm commission by the Barbican and the first in its Sculpture Court. The project is supported by the London-based Bukhman Foundation, founded by Anastasia Bukhman, a new addition to ARTnews's Top 200 Collectors list.

guggenheim bilbao museum urdaibai expansion canceled

The Guggenheim Bilbao has canceled its planned expansion in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO-designated site in Spain's Basque country, citing territorial, urban planning, and environmental constraints. The project, first announced in 2022, faced fierce opposition from activists, environmental groups like Greenpeace, and over 1,000 Basque creatives who signed a petition. The expansion would have included a facility in Guernica and a net-zero exhibition space in Murueta, but legal disputes and public pressure led the museum's Board of Trustees to terminate the plan. Local group Guggenheim Urdaibai Stop celebrated the decision as a victory and plans a festival in February 2026 to mark the project's demise.

tony fitzpatrick chicago artist obituary

Tony Fitzpatrick, a prominent figure in Chicago's art scene, died at age 66 on October 11 from a heart attack while awaiting a double lung transplant at Rush University Medical Center. He was an artist, printmaker, poet, writer, actor, gallerist, and city booster, known for collages combining vintage illustrations, tattoo art, words, and natural motifs. His work is held by major institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Gallery of Art. He also ran several Chicago galleries—The Edge, World Tattoo, and The Dime—and published a book, The Sun at the End of the Road: Dispatches From an American Life.

saya woolfalk empathic universe

New York-based artist Saya Woolfalk is the subject of her first retrospective, "Saya Woolfalk: Empathic Universe," at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York. The exhibition, curated by Alexandra Schwarz, runs from April 12 to September 7, 2025, and surveys two decades of Woolfalk's multidisciplinary practice, which blends science fiction, fantasy, and critical examinations of race, science, anthropology, and identity. The show is organized into chapters highlighting major projects, including her fictional "Empathics"—a race of women who can fuse with plants—and features sculptures, video, painting, works on paper, a commissioned audio drama, and live dance performances.

hauser wirth to open sicily location in historic palazzo

Hauser & Wirth has announced plans to open its first Italian location in Palermo, Sicily, housed in the historic Palazzo Forcella De Seta. The gallery purchased roughly 20,000 square feet of the neo-Gothic palace, which previously served as a venue for Manifesta 12 in 2018 and was once home to Galleria Mediterranea, the city’s first private art gallery. The deal closed in November, but the local government and Italy’s Ministry of Culture retain a 60-day right of public pre-emption due to the building’s status as a historic monument. If that right is not exercised, work could begin in 2026, with completion expected by 2030.

adaa art fair

The Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) has announced a new art fair, the ADAA Fair, set to take place at the Park Avenue Armory from November 12–16, 2026. This follows the cancellation of the 2025 edition of its long-running Art Show, prompted by the end of a partnership with the charity Henry Street Settlement, which had hosted the fair's VIP opening as a fundraiser. The ADAA plans to refocus on supporting visual arts and museums, with the ADAA Foundation continuing to provide grants to U.S. institutions.

tate strike

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.

pulitzer critic christopher knight retires los angeles times

Christopher Knight, the Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic for the Los Angeles Times, is retiring after a 45-year career in criticism, including 36 years at the newspaper. His final day is Friday. Knight, one of the few remaining full-time art critics in American journalism, was praised by colleagues for his encyclopedic knowledge and razor-sharp assessments. He won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 2020, notably for a series of articles that harshly critiqued the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's (LACMA) proposed redesign by architect Peter Zumthor. He also received a lifetime achievement award from the Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation in 2020, and the College Art Association's Frank Jewett Mather Award in 1997. Before his journalism career, Knight worked as a curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and consulted for the Lannan Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution's Archives of American Art.

nazi looted painting argentina attribution investigation

A painting discovered in an Argentine home in August, initially attributed to 18th-century Italian painter Giuseppe Ghislandi and believed to be Nazi-looted art, has been called into question. Paolo Plebani, curator of the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo, Italy, told the Argentine newspaper Clarín that the work is actually by Giacomo Ceruti, another Northern Italian painter. The painting was previously owned by Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, who fled the Nazis, and later by former Nazi Friedrich Kadgien, whose daughters Patricia and Alicia owned the Mar del Plata home where it was found. Argentine authorities recovered the painting after placing the daughters and Patricia's husband under house arrest.

trump big beautiful bill space shuttle discovery museum houston

President Donald Trump signed the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" on July 4, which includes a provision requiring the Smithsonian Institution to transfer a space vehicle—widely understood to be the space shuttle Discovery—to NASA. The shuttle has been displayed at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, since 2012. The move must be completed by January 4, 2027, and $85 million has been allocated for planning, transportation, and a new exhibition facility in Houston. The provision originated from the "Bring the Space Shuttle Home Act" introduced by Texas senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, after their state lost the original competition to host Discovery.