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The French gallery Air de Paris has publicly withdrawn from Art Basel in Switzerland after being assigned a booth position its founders considered unfavorable. In an open letter, owners Florence Bonnefous and Edouard Merino stated they were offered a choice between their usual stand and a new one, only to have the rejected option imposed. The gallery, which has participated in Art Basel since 1999, accused the fair of prioritizing managerial efficiency over longstanding relationships. Art Basel defended its placement process, citing curatorial vision and logistical factors. Bonnefous, who served on the fair's selection committee, confirmed the gallery will still participate in Art Basel Paris in the fall.

Kader Attia to Curate 2027 Kochi-Muziris Biennale

French Algerian artist, curator, and educator Kader Attia has been appointed curator of the Seventh Kochi-Muziris Biennale, scheduled to open in Kochi, India, in December 2027. The selection was made by a jury led by Biennale president Jitish Kallat and including Shilpa Gupta, Amrita Jhaveri, Pooja Sood, Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, Mariam Ram, and Rirkrit Tiravanija. Attia, who participated in the 2014 edition of the biennale, is known for his practice addressing social injustice, postcolonialism, and marginalized communities, and previously curated the 2022 Berlin Biennale.

Art Paris: A Better Result Than Expected

Art Paris, un bilan meilleur que prévu

The 28th edition of Art Paris concluded with stronger-than-expected sales despite a sluggish start and a volatile global climate. Featuring 165 galleries, the fair solidified its position as a key regional event for French collectors, offering a price range typically between €10,000 and €40,000. While mega-galleries like Almine Rech participated with accessible works, the fair also welcomed newcomers like Esther Schipper and In Situ-Fabienne Leclerc, who reported positive results across various media including ceramics, photography, and painting.

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Two curatorial teams have won the Hyundai Blue Prize+ 2025, an award organized by Hyundai Motor Company to support curators addressing contemporary issues in an Asian context. The winners are Hyejin and Yoonyoung Park, a Seoul-based duo whose proposal examines AI's reliance on natural resources and labor, and Yifeng Wei and Penny Dan Xu, based in Dublin and London, who invite viewers to reimagine the future of modern technology. Selected from over 160 proposals, the teams participated in a mentorship program and research trip before being chosen by an international jury. Their exhibitions will be held at Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing between mid-2026 and early 2027, with each receiving 800,000 RMB (about $110,000) for production costs.

mohamed hamidi moroccan modernist painter obituary 1234755499

Moroccan modernist painter Mohamed Hamidi has died at the age of 84, as announced by the Barjeel Art Foundation in Sharjah. Born in Casablanca in 1941, Hamidi studied at the School of Fine Arts of Casablanca and later at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris. A founding father of Moroccan modern art, he returned to Morocco in 1967 and taught at the Casablanca School, helping to democratize its curriculum. He participated in the landmark 1969 exhibition “Manifesto” in Marrakech and founded the Moroccan Association of Plastic Arts in 1972. His abstract, erotic paintings incorporated traditional Maghreb motifs and geometric shapes.

Roberto Bernardi | The Unknown Event (2025) | Available for Sale

Roberto Bernardi | L'evento sconosciuto (2025) | Available for Sale

Italian hyperrealist artist Roberto Bernardi has listed a new oil on canvas painting titled "L'evento sconosciuto" (2025) for sale through GALERIE VON&VON. The work, priced at €14,400, is being featured in conjunction with his upcoming exhibition "Unfolding," scheduled to run from April 16 to June 20, 2026. Bernardi, known for his meticulous attention to detail and photorealistic style, has a long-standing presence in the international art market and museum circuit.

blank space book review cultrure over men 1234760399

W. David Marx's book "Blank Space: A Cultural History of the Twenty-First Century" argues that 21st-century culture has stagnated, blaming the Internet and its economies for a lack of innovation. The book cites critics like Jason Farago and Alex Ross who lament the death of monoculture and the failure of the Internet's promised diversity, while Marx himself longs for a past era of linear artistic progress defined by -isms like Realism and Cubism. However, the review criticizes Marx's framework as rooted in a 19th-century positivist fallacy, noting that art history has never been a clean linear progression and that overlooked artists—such as Hilma af Klint and Hector Hyppolite—have always complicated the canon.

Screening and Conversation with Sophie Calle

Art21 hosted an advance screening of Sophie Calle's segment from the upcoming Season 12 of "Art in the Twenty-First Century" at the SAG-AFTRA Robin Williams Center in New York. Following the first public showing of the documentary, which follows Calle preparing exhibitions in Paris, Arles, and Minneapolis, the artist participated in a conversation with filmmaker Bette Gordon. They discussed the influence of 1980s New York and themes of identity and vulnerability in her work.

Ai Weiwei and the Art of Keeping Your Mouth Shut

Dissident artist Ai Weiwei explores the corrosive nature of state control and self-restraint in his new book, "On Censorship" (2026). Drawing from a lifetime of persecution—including his father’s exile to a labor camp, his own 81-day detention in 2011, and recent digital erasure by Chinese AI—Ai argues that censorship fundamentally strips individuals of their humanity. He highlights how the mechanism of silencing has evolved from overt state violence in the East to a more insidious culture of self-censorship in the West, exemplified by the cancellation of his own 2023 exhibition at Lisson Gallery following comments on the conflict in Gaza.

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Ceal Floyer, a conceptual artist known for her spare, witty sculptures that transformed everyday objects into thought-provoking art, died on Thursday at age 57 after a long illness. Her Berlin-based gallery Esther Schipper, along with Lisson Gallery and 303 Gallery, confirmed her death. Floyer gained international recognition for works like *Light Switch* (1992–99), which projected an image of a light switch onto a wall, and *Bucket* (1999), a plastic bucket with a recorded dripping sound but no water. She participated in major exhibitions including the Venice Biennale (2009) and Documenta (2012), and won the Preis der Nationalgalerie in 2007.

munich lohaus sominsky expands to tribeca 1234763956

Munich-based gallery Lohaus Sominsky, founded by Ingrid Lohaus and Sofia Sominsky, will open its first New York space at 62 White Street in Tribeca next month. The inaugural exhibition, featuring new paintings and a site-specific installation by Berlin-based artist Charlie Stein, opens December 11, shortly after the gallery participates in Art Basel Miami Beach for the first time. The expansion follows three years of operations in Munich, where the gallery has mounted over 18 exhibitions with an international roster including Vera Molnár and Phoebe Derlee.

project native informant gallery london closes 1234759675

Project Native Informant, a London gallery known for its focus on internet-influenced art, announced it will close after 12 years. Founder Stephan Tanbin Sastrawidjaja cited the volatile global economic, political, and social environment, along with personal factors, as reasons for the decision. The gallery launched in 2013 in a Mayfair garage before moving to the East End, and its final show was a solo exhibition for Sean Steadman that closed over the summer.

Sarasota Art Museum senior curator heading to Seattle

Rangsook Yoon, the senior curator at the Sarasota Art Museum (SAM), is departing her role to join the Frye Art Museum in Seattle as the senior director of curatorial affairs. Yoon will conclude her tenure at SAM on May 1, following the opening of the major loan exhibition "Something Borrowed, Something New," which features works by blue-chip artists like Louise Bourgeois and Ai Weiwei. Her move to Seattle follows a successful two-year period in Sarasota where she curated high-profile shows and participated in regional collaborations like Skyway 2024.

Korean Cultural Center New York Presents the Major Exhibition "Lee Kang So: A Field of Becoming"

The Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY) presents the major exhibition "Lee Kang So: A Field of Becoming," on view from May 13 to June 20, 2026. The show features the work of pioneering Korean contemporary artist Lee Kang So (b. 1943), who since the 1970s has worked across photography, painting, sculpture, installation, and performance, resisting fixed forms to explore how art emerges through process, material, and context. The exhibition includes key works from his 1970s performances and installations, as well as later sculptures and paintings that foreground gravity, chance, and bodily gesture. Lee, who was active in New York in the 1980s and participated in MoMA PS1's Studio Artist Program, returns to the city with this exhibition at KCCNY's expanded venue.

With an exhibition in Venice, the great artist Joseph Kosuth demonstrates his trust in language

Con una mostra di Venezia il grande artista Joseph Kosuth dimostra la sua fiducia nel linguaggio

Joseph Kosuth, a pioneer of conceptual art, presents a new exhibition titled "The Exchange Value of Language Has Fallen to Zero" at Casa dei Tre Oci in Venice. The show features both historical works from the 1960s, such as "One and Three Mirrors" (1965), and a new neon piece "A Chain of Resemblance" created for the occasion, which pays homage to Michel Foucault. The exhibition explores themes of language, authorship, and community, including works like "The Fifth Investigation" (1969) and a poster from the 1976 Venice Biennale. Kosuth, who lived in Venice from 2021 to 2025, has a deep connection to the city, having participated in eight editions of the Venice Biennale and maintaining two permanent installations there.

È morto Paolo Masi. La lunga ricerca dell’artista fiorentino sulla trasformazione dei materiali poveri

Paolo Masi, the Florentine artist known for his lifelong exploration of poor materials and their transformation, died in Florence on Wednesday, May 6, just days before his 93rd birthday. His career spanned from informal experiments in the 1950s through a rigorous investigation of materials in the 1960s, including his first solo show at the Strozzina in 1960. He joined the aesthetic research group Centro F/Uno alongside Baldi, Lecci, and Nannucci, and later co-founded the collective spaces Zona (1974) and Base (1998) with Mario Mariotti and Maurizio Nannucci. Masi participated in the Venice Biennale (1978) and the Rome Quadriennale (1986), and his works are held by major museums and foundations internationally. His later years saw significant retrospectives at the Museo MAGA in Gallarate (2018) and at Le Murate in Florence (2018), as well as a 2023 solo show at Florence's Galleria Frittelli, which remembered him as an extraordinary artist and dear friend.

There is a major Paulo Nazareth exhibition to see in Venice (but the artist himself hasn't seen it)

C’è una grande mostra di Paulo Nazareth da vedere a Venezia (ma l’artista stesso non l’ha vista)

A major exhibition of Brazilian artist Paulo Nazareth, titled "Algebra," has opened at Punta della Dogana in Venice, but the artist himself is absent. Nazareth has kept a promise not to set foot in Europe until he has crossed African territories on foot, as they existed before the arbitrary divisions imposed by the 1884 Berlin Conference. He did not participate in the installation or opening, instead staging a simultaneous event in Veneza, a working-class district of Ribeirão das Neves, Brazil—a gesture he also made when invited to the 2013 Venice Biennale. The exhibition centers on structural violence and uses attention and care as strategies for healing, with the word "algebra" referring to the act of recomposing what was broken.

Fort Worth’s Fall Gallery Night blows in this weekend. Here are 5 art galleries to visit

Fort Worth's Fall Gallery Night returns on September 6, organized by the Fort Worth Art Dealers Association, featuring concurrent open houses at museums, galleries, and pop-up spaces across Fort Worth and Arlington. Highlights include Alex Da Corte's exhibition 'The Whale' at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Victoria Gonzales's 'Ethereal Goats, Earthy Pecans' at William Campbell Gallery, and a group show 'Inner Space' at Kinfolk House, along with a Latin-themed car and culture exhibition across three Sundance Square galleries. Rebecca Low Sculpture Gallery will participate in its final Gallery Night before permanently closing in November.

Manifesta 16 Ruhr announces list of artists

Manifesta 16, the nomadic European biennial, has revealed the full list of 106 artists from 30 countries who will participate in its 2026 edition. The event will open on 21 June and take place across 12 decommissioned modernist churches in four cities in Germany's Ruhr region: Bochum, Essen, Duisburg, and Gelsenkirchen. The program includes 64 new commissions.

5 Artists to Discover at Art Mumbai 2025

Art Mumbai returned for its third edition at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse on November 13, 2025, with 82 galleries—up from 50 in 2023—including international participants like Galleria Continua and Lisson Gallery. The fair saw strong sales on VIP day, with most leading Indian galleries selling the majority of their displays. Notable collectors Kiran Nadar and Kito De Boer participated in a fireside chat, where Nadar outlined plans to open a new museum space in New Delhi by early 2028. The article highlights five emerging artists to discover, including Neha Vedpathak, who uses a self-invented "plucking" technique with handmade Japanese paper.

Wagner Foundation Names Winners of $75,000 2026 Arts Fellowships

The Wagner Foundation has selected artists Tomashi Jackson, Lucy Kim, and Yu-Wen Wu as the recipients of its 2026 Wagner Arts Fellowships. Each artist, based in the Boston area, will receive an unrestricted $75,000 grant, professional development support, and will participate in a group exhibition at the Wagner Gallery in Cambridge from August to December 2026.

What Makes a Good Protest Sign?

The article's main feature is a guide on creating effective protest signs for the upcoming No Kings protest, compiled by comic artist Steven Weinberg with input from artists, writers, and curators including Hyperallergic's Editor-at-Large Hrag Vartanian. It offers practical advice for crafting visually and rhetorically powerful signs that challenge authority.

francis irv closes 2740202

Francis Irv, an unconventional art space in New York known for its unpredictable programming, is closing after over three years. Founded by Sam Marion Wilken and Shane Rossi, the gallery operated first in a Chinatown mall beneath the Manhattan Bridge and later in a nondescript third-floor room nearby. It showcased a multigenerational mix of artists from the US and Europe, including Megan Marrin, Win McCarthy, and Reinhard Mucha, and participated in alternative art fairs like Basel Social Club and Paris Internationale rather than the mainstream circuit.

nigeria hopes the return of two looted artfacts will inspire the british museum to give the benin bronzes back 269920

Two Benin Bronzes looted by British troops in 1897 have been returned to Nigeria by a British pensioner, Mark Walker, whose grandfather participated in the raid. The artifacts—a long-beaked bird and a monarch's bell—were handed over during a ceremony in Benin City in June 2014. Following the return, Nigerian officials, including Prince Edun Akenzua, renewed calls for the British Museum to repatriate its collection of some 800 Benin Bronzes, which remain on display in London.

Miami Art Week guide: Some of the top art fairs to visit

Miami Art Week, headlined by Art Basel Miami Beach, returns December 1-7, 2025, transforming Miami-Dade County into a sprawling arts celebration. The guide highlights major fairs including Art Basel (283 galleries from 43 countries), Art Miami + Context Art Miami (celebrating 35 years with 160 international galleries), Scope Art Show (featuring padel matches and 80+ galleries), and Untitled Art Fair (160 exhibitors including nonprofits for the first time). Notable new additions include Cuban gallery El Apartamento making history as the first gallery founded on the island to participate in Art Basel, and a new digital art sector called Zero 10.

Venice Biennale Artists Decline Consideration for Golden Lions Chosen by Public Vote

Nearly half of the artists in the main exhibition of the Venice Biennale have signed a statement declining consideration for the Golden Lion awards, in solidarity with the jury that resigned last month. The statement, published by e-flux, includes prominent names such as Alfredo Jaar, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Otobong Nkanga, and Walid Raad, as well as national pavilion representatives from France, Lithuania, and the Netherlands. The Biennale had planned to replace the jury-selected Golden Lions with "Visitor Lions" decided by public vote, but the artists' refusal marks an unprecedented protest within the exhibition.

Au Louvre, des directeurs de département entre responsabilités internes et rôle national

Maximilien Durand has been reappointed as head of the Department of Byzantine and Eastern Christian Arts at the Louvre Museum, a role that carries both internal museum responsibilities and national duties on behalf of the French state. Two decrees signed by Culture Minister Catherine Pégard formalize his renewal: one as head of the museum department, and another as head of the corresponding major heritage department, a status held by only nine of the Louvre's departments.

Alma Allen’s US Pavilion Heads to Venice Amid Questions Over Selection Process

The selection of Alma Allen to represent the United States at the 2026 Venice Biennale has ignited controversy over the process. The U.S. State Department abandoned its traditional selection model, which involved a panel of experts convened by the National Endowment for the Arts, and instead handed control to a new nonprofit, the American Arts Conservancy, led by individuals with little museum experience. This shift has drawn criticism from prominent figures in the art world, with some artists declining to participate due to concerns over the political context and unfamiliar leadership.

Venice Biennale Russia Pavilion Return Controversy

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The Venice Biennale is facing intense backlash following the announcement that Russia will return with a national pavilion for the 2026 edition, marking its first official participation since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and various international activists have called for Russia's exclusion, arguing that the platform is being used to whitewash war crimes and exert political influence. In response, the Biennale leadership has maintained a policy of non-exclusion, stating that any country recognized by Italy has an autonomous right to participate.

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A Canaletto painting titled *Venice, the Bucintoro at the Molo on Ascension Day* (ca. 1754) will lead Christie’s Old Masters sale in New York this February 2026, with an estimate of over $30 million. The monumental canvas, commissioned by the King family (later Earls of Lovelace), is the last known version of this subject by the artist. It last sold at Christie’s 20 years ago during the Champalimaud Collection sale, setting a record. The work will tour exhibitions in New York, Hong Kong, and London before returning to New York for a pre-sale exhibition.