The Manhattan District Attorney's Office returned 17 stolen antiquities and rare books, valued at over $1.5 million, to Italy and the Vatican in a restitution ceremony. The items include six rare 16th–17th century Chinese-language Jesuit books stolen from the Vatican Archives and other artifacts seized from institutions like the Morgan Library and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Photographer Eddie Otchere has released a new photozine, "Wu-Tang 4 + 1 More," featuring a decade's worth of previously unseen portraits of the Wu-Tang Clan and other hip-hop artists. The images, captured between 1994 and 2004, document intimate and candid moments with members like RZA, Method Man, and Ghostface Killah, chronicling the group's early years and Otchere's determined mission to photograph each member.
Quel avenir pour les centres d’art ?
The article examines the uncertain future of contemporary art centers in France, a category that encompasses vastly different institutions from major venues like the Palais de Tokyo to smaller regional spaces. These non-collecting institutions, dedicated to exhibiting emerging artists and experimentation, face fragility due to heavy reliance on local government funding and difficulty proving their utility to elected officials. Their core mission is further challenged by more robust regional contemporary art funds (Fracs), which have greater resources for similar goals of exhibiting ultra-contemporary art and cultural democratization.
The group exhibition ‘Bándearg’ (Pink) is set to open at Books At One in Louisburgh, County Mayo, featuring the work of five female artists based in Ireland. The show explores the color pink as both a physical medium and a complex cultural symbol, showcasing a diverse range of artistic approaches including the bold, hard-edge op art of Elphin-based artist Nickie Harrington.
A Verona arriva un grande evento itinerante dove i libri si acquistano un tot al chilo: intervista
The traveling literary event Librokilo is set to arrive in Verona on April 11–12, 2026, hosted at the independent cultural space Habitat 83. This initiative allows attendees to purchase second-hand and rare books at a fixed price of 10€ per kilogram, aiming to rescue titles that would otherwise be sent to landfills. Since its inception in 2022, the project has recirculated over 120,000 books across Italy, addressing the systemic issue of overproduction in the publishing industry.
Milano mette a disposizione spazi per aprire 10 nuove librerie di quartiere. Il bando per aprirne una
The City of Milan has launched a public tender to open ten new neighborhood bookstores by repurposing vacant municipal properties. Part of the "Sefémm" program, the initiative offers spaces ranging from 30 to 190 square meters across various districts, including central and peripheral areas. The selection process will heavily prioritize the social and cultural impact of the proposals over financial bids, favoring micro-enterprises and independent operators who commit to creating community hubs.
The Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro is hosting "Salt, Stone & Stars," a multidisciplinary event celebrating the Vermont pastoral tradition through literature and visual art. The program highlights the connection between two books centered on shepherding, Helen Whybrow’s "The Salt Stones" and Jody Gladding’s translation of "The Serpent of Stars," alongside the opening of the exhibition "Seasons & Cycles."
Magnum Gallery in Paris is opening a solo exhibition titled "Martin Parr: In Plain View" from March 28 to June 6, 2026, dedicated to the late English photographer Martin Parr. The show features works from his three-decade tenure with the Magnum Photos cooperative, tracing his evolution from black-and-white documentary work to his influential color photography, and includes archival materials and interactive experiences.
Artist Liss Fenwick has created a photobook titled 'The Colony' by feeding a collection of historical Australian novels, described as 'settler fan fiction,' to a colony of termites. The insects consumed the books over several years, leaving behind hollowed, sculptural remains that Fenwick photographed. The resulting work documents this process of organic transformation, where the physical texts are digested and reshaped.
The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh has launched a major interactive exhibition dedicated to the work of the late author and illustrator Eric Carle. The showcase features immersive environments based on five of Carle's most famous collage-based books, including "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," designed to engage young visitors through tactile and visual storytelling.
A collection of rare 17th-century books, written in Chinese by Jesuit missionaries and stolen from the Jesuit Historical Institute in Rome, has been returned to Italy. The books, which cover astronomy and other scientific topics, were recovered by the Carabinieri art squad after being illegally exported to the United States.
Una biblioteca di sensazioni a Roma nella mostra di Gabriele Simei. L’intervista
Artist Gabriele Simei has transformed the VOLUME! art space in Rome into an immersive installation titled "LABiblioteca Sottotevere." Curated by Silvano Manganaro, the exhibition features metal sculptures shaped like books, alongside found objects such as old lace, blankets, and tools. Simei uses acid to etch the textures of leaves gathered from the banks of the Tiber River and vintage textiles onto iron and brass plates, creating a "library of sensations" that bridges the gap between nature and domestic memory.
Oltre le armi. La forza sociale come vera difesa nel Golfo Persico
Journalist and observer perspectives highlight that Iran’s geopolitical resilience against international military pressure stems from its vibrant middle class and deep-rooted historical identity rather than just its arsenal. Observations from travels across Iranian cities like Tehran, Shiraz, and Isfahan reveal a society deeply engaged with its own culture, frequenting museums, cafes, and archaeological sites despite political isolation and a lack of foreign tourism.
The Tarble Arts Center hosted the opening reception for the 2026 Master of Arts in Studio Art Exhibition, featuring thesis projects from 11 graduate students. The exhibition showcased a diverse range of mediums, including an immersive installation by Vitória Kazanovski that recreated her grandmother’s Brazilian kitchen using audio and textured cookbooks, and a ceramic series by Wendy Peters that highlighted the technical mistakes and evolution of her craft.
Multidisciplinary artist and printmaker Irie Zepeda has curated a new group exhibition titled “Print As Protest/Grafica En Resistencia” at the Chicano Park Museum & Cultural Center in San Diego. The show highlights printmaking as a vital medium for solidarity and community storytelling, drawing on Zepeda’s deep roots in Barrio Logan and their work with Por La Mano Press y Arte. The exhibition features works that position the craft of printing as a tool for visibility and collective action within marginalized communities.
Colossal has reached a significant milestone by funding 100 K-12 classroom projects across the United States through its partnership with the nonprofit DonorsChoose. Supported by a portion of Colossal Membership fees, the initiative has contributed over $13,000 to provide essential art supplies, sketchbooks, and equipment to students. The program places a special emphasis on supporting schools in Chicago, ensuring that young learners have the tools necessary for creative expression and artistic education.
Millon reprend Pierre Bergé & Associés
The Millon Auction Group has acquired Pierre Bergé & Associés (PBA), becoming the sole shareholder of the historic house founded in 2002. This acquisition follows a turbulent period for PBA, which was placed in receivership in 2023 and briefly owned by Alexandre Landre after being embroiled in a high-profile antiquities trafficking scandal. Under the leadership of Alexandre Millon and newly appointed Managing Director Marc Chochon, the firm plans to return to Drouot and focus on prestigious collections and rare books.
Sopra il Lago Maggiore c’è la libreria più in altitudine d’Italia che combatte lo spopolamento delle montagne
The Libreria Alpe Colle, located in the Lepontine Alps overlooking Lake Maggiore, has become Italy's highest-altitude bookstore. Established in 2014, this unique cultural hub is accessible only by a hike through beech forests and historical WWI fortifications. It houses thousands of rare, out-of-print, and antique volumes, attracting a diverse mix of serious collectors and casual hikers who visit for both literature and local artisanal products.
Teenage artist An Dre, who is on the autism spectrum, has been selected to have his dinosaur illustrations featured on the covers of South Korea's 2026 state-issued elementary art textbooks for special education. His vibrant and dynamic depictions of prehistoric creatures will appear on the fifth-grade textbook and the teacher's guidebook, marking a rare instance of a student with developmental disabilities being chosen for such a national platform.
Nereida Apaza Mamani presents a solo exhibition at ICPNA Cultural in Miraflores, Lima, featuring 150 works across watercolor, painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, embroidery, and installation. The show traces stories of migration and displacement through cartographies, maps, and family trees, drawing on embroidery techniques inherited from her mother and grandmother. Curated by Miguel López, the exhibition explores belonging in a country marked by discrimination and centralism, incorporating the artist's notebooks begun in 2009 and works that address political violence and memory.
La MansA lance son magazine
La MansA – Maison des mondes africains has launched MansA Magazine, a bilingual (French/English) semiannual cultural publication. The magazine, available at newsstands, bookstores, and online, features essays, interviews, and portfolios focused on African and Afro-diasporic art scenes, adopting a critical and documentary approach. The cover of the inaugural issue features Guillaume Diop, the first Black male principal dancer at the Paris Opera.
A hand-signed offset lithograph poster by Ed Ruscha, created for the 2012 "Reading Ruscha" exhibition at the Kunsthaus Bregenz in Austria, is available for sale. The poster features an iconic 1971 photograph of the artist by Jerry McMillan and is noted for its rarity, with Ruscha having signed fewer than 50 copies for the institution.
The Lawrence S. Ting Foundation is presenting the fourth Children's Art Exhibition 2026, titled "Empower Light," opening on April 24 in Ho Chi Minh City and later in Hanoi. The exhibition features nearly 50 artworks and handcrafted pieces from students at eight special education schools and centers across Vietnam, curated by visual artist Ngo Dinh Bao Chau. It also includes picture books from a competition for children with disabilities and interactive activities.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., has returned 17 rare books, collectively valued at nearly $3 million, to the heirs of John Hay and Betsey Cushing Whitney. The books were stolen from the couple's Long Island estate in the 1980s and include a bound collection of John Keats's love letters, a signed James Joyce volume, and an illustrated Brothers Grimm book. The recovery followed a tip from Manhattan book dealers in 2015, leading to search warrants executed in 2025 and 2026.
A new exhibition, "Monet and Venice," has opened at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. It centers on the pivotal 1908 trip to Venice that the 68-year-old Claude Monet was initially reluctant to take, showcasing over 20 of the luminous, atmospheric paintings of the city he produced there. The show also includes over 100 related items, featuring works by Canaletto, Turner, Sargent, and Whistler, as well as photographs and books, to contextualize Monet's Venetian achievement.
The Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona has acquired the archives of nine photographers: Laura Aguilar, Jack Dykinga, Jody Forster, Frank Gohlke, Mark Klett, Nathan Lyons, Stephen Marc, Patrick Nagatani, and Susan Wood. The collections include photographic prints as well as supporting materials like correspondence, notebooks, and working proofs that document the artists' creative processes.
Seventeen rare books, valued at over $2 million and stolen nearly 40 years ago from the Long Island estate of former Museum of Modern Art president John Hay Whitney, have been recovered and will be formally returned to his descendants. The trove includes a first edition of James Joyce's *Finnegan's Wake*, letters from Oscar Wilde, and a portfolio of John Keats's love letters worth $2 million.
Seventeen rare books, valued at over $2 million and stolen nearly 40 years ago from the Long Island estate of former Museum of Modern Art president John Hay Whitney, have been recovered and will be returned to his descendants. The trove includes a $2 million portfolio of handwritten letters from poet John Keats and first editions of works by James Joyce and Aleister Crowley.
Indrapramit Roy and Mark Cazalet are coming together for a duo exhibition titled 'Stray Birds' at the Shridharani Gallery in New Delhi. Curated by Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya and organized by Art Magnum, the show explores the parallel trajectories of two artists who met during their formative years in Baroda under the mentorship of Gulam Mohammed Sheikh. The exhibition features works that document lived experiences, memory, and movement through drawing and painting, often rooted in their personal sketchbooks and visual journals.