Finland’s political leadership to retract from Venice Biennale over Russian Pavilion

Finland's Minister of Science and Culture, Mari-Leena Talvitie, announced that the country's political leadership will not participate in the upcoming Venice Biennale if Russia's national pavilion is allowed to take part. This decision follows a joint letter signed by Talvitie and 21 other European ministers in March, which deemed Russia's return to the Biennale since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine as 'unacceptable'. Finnish public officials and cultural representatives, however, will still attend to support Finnish artists.

Marian Goodman Gallery to ‘Pause’ Operations in Los Angeles

Marian Goodman Gallery is suspending operations at its Los Angeles location after two and a half years, following the conclusion of Tacita Dean's solo show on April 25. The gallery's partners announced a consolidation of programming to its historic homes in New York and Paris, stating they will evaluate the space's future while maintaining an LA presence through art fairs, special projects, and museum exhibitions.

What are these 'art clubs' that Alessandro Benetton is opening around Italy? The story.

Cosa sono questi “art club” che Alessandro Benetton sta aprendo in giro per l’Italia? Il racconto

21Art, a company founded by Alessandro Benetton based on a project by entrepreneur Davide Vanin, is expanding its network of gallery spaces and affiliated 'Art Clubs' across Italy and into Monaco. This spring, a new location in Montecarlo will join existing galleries in Rome, Padua, and Treviso, with plans for further openings in Milan, Cortina, and Jesolo by 2027. The expansion is accompanied by a spring 2026 exhibition program featuring shows by Mario Ceroli in Treviso, Ahmet Güneştekin in Rome, and Jan Fabre in Montecarlo.

Marina Xenofontos on Representing Cyprus at the 61st Venice Biennale

Artist Marina Xenofontos will represent Cyprus at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026. Her exhibition, centered on an animatronic sparrow titled 'Passer' and incorporating folk songs recorded by her grandmother and great-aunts, explores themes of memory, endurance, and the quiet persistence of culture.

Maria Kreyn “Continuum” at Robilant+Voena, Milan

American artist Maria Kreyn opened her first solo exhibition in Milan, titled "Continuum," at the gallery Robilant+Voena. The show presents a selection of her new paintings, which are characterized by atmospheric renderings that blend figuration with abstract geometry.

International Quilt Museum to host artist Wada, professor Dudley

The International Quilt Museum is hosting a special event titled 'An Evening of Boro' on April 24, featuring artist Yoshiko Wada and professor Sandra Dudley. The event includes a reception for the exhibition 'Boro: The Hidden and the Visible in Japanese Mended Textiles,' a lecture by Dudley, and a guided tour of the exhibition led by Wada, who served as guest curator. The event will be livestreamed for remote attendees.

Agnes Gryczkowska Discusses Curating Marina Abramović’s New Berlin Mega Show

Marina Abramović has opened a major solo exhibition, "Balkan Erotic Epic. The Exhibition," at Berlin's Gropius Bau, marking her first solo show in the city since the 1990s. The expansive presentation features historical and recent works across film, installation, sculpture, and live performance, focusing on themes of ritual, eroticism, death, and the body as a site of political and spiritual intensity. The opening included a live performance by Svetlana Spajić and a video work, Tito’s Funeral (2025).

AI Model Reveals New Information About Authorship of 17th-Century El Greco Altarpiece

A team of scientists from Case Western Reserve University has developed a new AI model named PATCH that analyzes tiny sections of paintings to identify the number of artists involved in their creation. The model was applied to two works by El Greco, suggesting that 'The Baptism of Christ,' long thought to be a collaborative workshop piece, may have been painted primarily by the master himself.

Maria Schnyder Named New Director of De Pont Museum of Contemporary Art

Swiss art historian Maria Schnyder has been appointed as the new director of the De Pont Museum of Contemporary Art in Tilburg, Netherlands. She will succeed the retiring director Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen in October. Schnyder is an internal promotion, having joined the museum in 2013 and served as its deputy director for the last four years.

The Pet Food Store Owner Behind the Venice Biennale’s US Pavilion, 400-Year-Old Pendant in English Painting Resurfaces, and More: Morning Links for April 20, 2026

The New York Times profiled Jenni Parido, the 37-year-old commissioner of the upcoming US Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, who has no professional arts background and previously ran a luxury pet food store in Florida. She selected Jeffrey Uslip as curator, and artist Alma Allen will represent the US after other artists reportedly declined.

April 2026 Art And Culture Guide: Exhibitions, Museums & Cultural Events You Can’t Miss

A guide highlights key art and cultural events in India for April 2026. It features several exhibitions, including Nayanaa Kanodia's 'Staged Realities' at Bikaner House, Neha Sahai's introspective solo show at LATITUDE 28, and Mari Ito's first Indian solo exhibition at Bikaner House. Other notable events are the performance 'Sair-e-Motorcar' blending Kathak with vintage cars, the group show 'Houses I Almost Lived In' at LATITUDE 28, and the two-day World Dance Day festival curated by Geeta Chandran at the India International Centre.

Memories of South End captured on canvas in art exhibition

A nostalgic art exhibition opened at the South End Museum in Nelson Mandela Bay, featuring canvas paintings that recreate historical black-and-white images of the former South End neighborhood. The exhibition and sale, organized by local framing company Frame Art and artist/trustee Michael Barry, showcases works primarily by Vincent Olivier, based on a collection amassed by the late Frame Art founder Salie Wackie.

Artists invited to shape Shellharbour’s next major works for popular art trail

Shellharbour City Council has launched an open call for artists to create two new permanent public artworks for the Waterfront Shell Cove art trail. The commission seeks large-scale, site-specific installations that reflect the local coastal environment and community identity, specifically targeting the areas near the marina and the foreshore.

One of Milan's most unique and peculiar museums is full of works that are not beautiful

Uno dei musei più unici e particolari di Milano è pieno di opere che non sono belle

The Casa Museo Boschi Di Stefano in Milan, housed in a building designed by Piero Portaluppi, showcases a massive collection of 20th-century Italian art donated by Antonio Boschi and Marieda Di Stefano. The apartment displays approximately 300 works by masters such as Lucio Fontana, Giorgio de Chirico, and Mario Sironi, arranged in the intimate domestic setting where the collectors once lived.

A New Museum in California Aims to Draw Children to Science

KidSTREAM, a new $7 million children's museum, has launched in Camarillo, California, transforming a former library site into an interactive educational hub. Founded by Kristie Akl, a former teacher, the museum focuses on hands-on learning across science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) to engage young learners through play.

Texas' First Modern Art Museum Is In A Gorgeous San Antonio Colonial Mansion

The McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas, is highlighted as the state's first modern art museum, uniquely housed in a 1929 Spanish Colonial Revival-style mansion. Founded in 1954 by collector Marion Koogler McNay, the institution manages a collection of over 20,000 objects, including masterworks by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Georgia O'Keeffe, set across 25 acres of landscaped gardens.

'Paintings of Whimsy' opening May 2

Local artist Roz Davis is set to debut her solo exhibition, "Paintings of Whimsy," at the MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital hall gallery in Damariscotta. Running from May 2 through June 28, the show features a collection of paintings and mixed media works that transform everyday subjects—such as donuts, candies, and footwear—into playful, narrative-driven compositions.

Two Sales at Bonhams in Paris

Deux ventes chez Bonhams à Paris

Bonhams has launched its annual "Classic Week" in Paris, featuring two distinct yet complementary auctions. The sales showcase a diverse range of works, most notably a previously unknown drawing of Marie Serre, the mother of the celebrated painter Hyacinthe Rigaud. This rare portrait adds a new dimension to the iconography of Serre, who was famously depicted by both her son and the sculptor Antoine Coysevox.

Two American artists have invented a pedal-powered basketball court that now arrives in Milan to regenerate the suburbs

Due artisti americani hanno inventato un campo da basket a pedali che ora arriva a Milano per rigenerare le periferie

Artists Marisa Morán Jahn and Rafi Segal, both faculty members at MIT, have brought their 'HOOPCycle' project to Milan for Design Week. The installation consists of a mobile basketball hoop mounted on a cargo bike, designed to transform urban spaces into spontaneous playgrounds and community hubs. This Italian iteration features backboards made from recycled plastic by the design collective IlVespaio and includes a vertical hoop inspired by the ancient Mesoamerican game of pok-ta-pok.

History in your hands at mini art exhibition

Artist Marilyn Murray and the Bundaberg Regional Heritage Group have launched 'History in Your Hands,' a specialized exhibition of miniature paintings at the Bundaberg School of Arts Gallery. Part of the Australian Heritage Festival, the show features small-scale artworks that depict the architectural details, textures, and historical landmarks of the Bundaberg region.

Green Island Restaurant hosts new artwork displays by local artists

Private & Public Gallery has partnered with Green Island Restaurant in Jersey to install a rotating display of works by local artists Jacques Le Breton, Charles Haydn Taylor, Claire Haithwaite, and Hazel Wynn. The exhibition features a diverse range of media, including ceramics, iPad drawings, and paintings created from found coastal materials, all arranged in a traditional French Salon style.