Artist Charles Ross Spent 50 Years Trying to Bring the Stars Down to Earth. At 88, Has He Done It?

Artist Charles Ross is nearing the completion of Star Axis, a monumental naked-eye observatory in the New Mexico desert that has been under construction for over 50 years. Conceived in 1971 and situated on a mesa Ross discovered in 1975, the massive architectural sculpture is designed to make the 26,000-year cycle of Earth’s axial precession perceptible to the human eye. The project began after a chance encounter with a local ranching family provided Ross with the square mile of land necessary to realize his cosmic vision.

How Dalí’s Amber Varnish May Have Caused This Painting to Decay

A new scientific study has revealed the cause of deterioration in Salvador Dalí's 1946 painting 'The Temptation of Saint Anthony.' Researchers from the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium and an international team used advanced imaging techniques to determine that the degradation, which includes areas becoming transparent or textured, is linked to the chemical interaction between a zinc white paint layer and an amber varnish layer, both materials specifically advocated by Dalí in his own artistic manual.

Whitney Biennial Trends, a New Baroque Art Star, and Banksy Unmasked

The Art Angle podcast, hosted by Ben Davis and Kate Brown with guest Eileen Kinsella, recapped major art stories from March 2026. The discussion centered on three key developments: the opening of the 2026 Whitney Biennial, the rising art historical prominence of 17th-century Flemish painter Michaelina Wautier, and a new investigation claiming to have definitively unmasked the identity of the anonymous street artist Banksy.

Chicago’s Obama Presidential Center has art at its core

The Obama Presidential Center is set to open on Chicago’s South Side on June 19, 2026. The $850m institution, designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, features more than 25 site-specific contemporary art commissions integrated into its architecture and 19.3-acre campus. Ahead of the opening, the museum has partnered with Expo Chicago to preview these works, which include monumental contributions from artists such as Julie Mehretu, Mark Bradford, and Nick Cave.

Duchamp in New York

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has launched a major solo exhibition dedicated to Marcel Duchamp, marking the artist's first comprehensive survey in New York City in over 50 years. The exhibition explores Duchamp’s revolutionary impact on modern art, featuring iconic works and archival materials that trace his history from the 1913 Armory Show to his later years in New York. The opening is complemented by a broader "Duchamp spring" in the city, including a forthcoming exhibition of his readymades at Gagosian.

Process Is the Point at IFPDA Print Fair

The International Fine Prints and Drawings Association (IFPDA) Print Fair returned to New York’s Park Avenue Armory, featuring 80 global galleries, publishers, and print studios. The event showcased a diverse range of works, from 19th-century Japanese ukiyo-e masterworks by Hokusai to contemporary pieces by artists such as Kiki Smith, Julie Mehretu, and David Hockney. Notable highlights included Kiki Smith’s massive 12-foot watercolor "Wooden Moon" and Paula Rego’s influential abortion etchings, which were recently acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Jasper Johns Marks Time

The art world is currently reflecting on the enduring legacy of Jasper Johns, highlighted by a new Gagosian exhibition focusing on his 1970s output. Critic John Yau explores Johns's career-long fascination with materiality and the inevitable decay of art, noting how the artist uses newsprint and wax to acknowledge that nothing remains static in time.

Jasper Johns Keeps Looking

Jasper Johns’s latest exhibition at Gagosian, 'Between the Clock and the Bed,' serves as a profound meditation on the artist's career-long investigation into the 'things the mind already knows.' By revisiting his signature motifs—including flags, targets, and crosshatch patterns—the show highlights Johns’s rejection of Abstract Expressionist spontaneity in favor of a deliberate, analytical process using encaustic and collage. The works document a transformation where familiar symbols are rendered into a complex visual language that bridges the gap between memory and physical presence.

How a Louise Bourgeois Print Inspired Eden Xu-Martinez’s Intimate Collection

Eden Xu-Martinez, a collector and art administration professional, has built a personal collection centered on the accessibility and intimacy of prints. Her journey into collecting was catalyzed by a lithography course at Columbia University and a profound encounter with a Louise Bourgeois print, which shifted her perspective on the medium from mere reproduction to a deeply personal form of artistic expression.

At the Guggenheim Bilbao, the Infinite Poetry of Ruth Asawa’s Aerial Sculptures

Au Guggenheim Bilbao, l’infinie poésie des sculptures aériennes de Ruth Asawa

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is hosting the first major European retrospective of American artist Ruth Asawa, showcasing her signature hand-woven wire sculptures. These delicate, organic forms, which challenge gravity and play with transparency, are presented in dialogue with the museum's monumental architecture. The exhibition traces her journey from a childhood spent in Japanese-American internment camps during WWII to her formative years at the legendary Black Mountain College under the mentorship of Josef Albers.

Is Hong Kong Back? The GRAND PRIX de Basel 2026

Hong Kong’s art scene experienced a massive surge of activity in March 2026, anchored by Art Basel Hong Kong and Art Central. The city hosted 240 galleries at the main fair, drawing over 91,000 visitors, alongside numerous boutique fairs, auction previews, and major institutional exhibitions. Highlights included a reassembled 1964 Yayoi Kusama installation at Art Intelligence Global, a lecture by Zhang Xiaogang at Asia Art Archive, and a poignant solo show by artist duo Chow and Lin at SC Gallery.

Guillaume Cerutti Departs Pinault Collection, Rediscovered Napoleon Hat on View, and More: Morning Links for March 27, 2026

Guillaume Cerutti has been dismissed from his role as president of the Pinault Collection, the vast private art collection of French billionaire François Pinault, after only 13 months in the position. The departure is sudden and unexplained, with the 89-year-old Pinault reportedly set to assume the duties himself. Separately, a long-forgotten bicorn hat belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte has been rediscovered in storage and will be displayed at the Musée Condé in France.

Giacometti Meets the Gods in the Met’s Temple of Dendur Show

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced a landmark exhibition titled "Giacometti in the Temple of Dendur," which will place the Swiss sculptor’s slender, modernist figures within the museum’s iconic 1st-century B.C.E. Egyptian temple. Opening in June, the show features fourteen loans from the Fondation Giacometti alongside works from the Met’s permanent collection, including the placement of "Walking Woman (I)" inside the temple’s offering hall to mimic ancient cult statuary.

The Untold Story of Peter Hujar and Paul Thek’s Intimate—and Complex—Bond

Andrew Durbin’s new dual biography, *The Wonderful World That Almost Was*, explores the profound and volatile relationship between photographer Peter Hujar and artist Paul Thek. Spanning from their meeting in the late 1950s to their deaths from AIDS-related complications in the 1980s, the book details how their shared experiences—most notably a 1963 visit to the Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo—fundamentally shaped their artistic trajectories. While Hujar captured the mummified remains in haunting photographs, Thek translated the encounter into his visceral "meat pieces" and wax effigies.

The Philosopher Who Predicted Our Post-Literate Art Moment

Art critic Martha Schwendener has released a new book titled 'The Society of the Screen: Vilém Flusser’s Radical Prescience,' exploring the prophetic theories of the late philosopher Vilém Flusser. Flusser, a Prague-born thinker who lived in Brazil and Europe, argued in the 1980s that society was transitioning from a text-based culture to one dominated by 'technical images,' a shift he believed would fundamentally alter human consciousness and the function of the 'apparatus' in daily life.

Inside the Fight to Keep a Trove of Frida Kahlo Works from Leaving Mexico

The Gelman Collection, featuring 11 essential masterpieces by Frida Kahlo, is at the center of a heated legal and cultural dispute following news of its transfer from Mexico to Spain. Acquired by the Zambrano family and managed by the Banco Santander Foundation, the collection is slated for a multi-year residency at the new Faro Santander cultural hub. Critics and historians argue the move potentially violates Mexico’s strict heritage laws, which designate Kahlo’s works as national monuments subject to permanent export bans.

Bettina Pousttchi Recasts Steel Barriers as Poetic Sculptures at Rockefeller Center

German artist Bettina Pousttchi has unveiled a monumental steel sculpture titled "Vertical Highways V03" at New York’s Rockefeller Center. Crafted from repurposed roadway guardrails that have been bent and colored, the vertical installation stands in dialogue with the surrounding Art Deco architecture. The work, which has previously been exhibited in Paris, Berlin, and Istanbul, will remain on public display in Midtown Manhattan through April 17, 2026.

Dallas Art Fair brings Texas's relationship-driven collecting community into focus

The Dallas Art Fair has returned for its 2026 edition, signaling a period of stability with approximately 90 exhibitors and a higher retention rate than previous years. The fair continues to serve as a vital hub for the North Texas collecting community, characterized by a deliberate, relationship-driven approach to acquisitions. Notable activity included the Dallas Museum of Art's acquisition of six works for its permanent collection, including pieces by Nicole Eisenman and Raymond Saunders, funded through a $100,000 partnership with the fair's foundation.

The Big Review: Rothko in Florence ★★★★★

The Palazzo Strozzi in Florence has launched a major exhibition exploring the profound influence of the Italian Renaissance on Mark Rothko. Co-curated by the artist's son, Christopher Rothko, the show spans three historic locations: the Palazzo Strozzi, the Museo di San Marco, and the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana. By placing Rothko’s abstract canvases in direct dialogue with Fra Angelico’s frescoes and Michelangelo’s architecture, the exhibition highlights how the artist’s visits to Italy in the 1950s and 60s shaped his spatial thinking and spiritual intensity.

Expo Chicago’s local focus pays off as Midwestern collectors, institutions buoy sales

The latest edition of Expo Chicago has reinforced its reputation as a curator-centric fair, with more than half of its booths dedicated to curated or thematic sections. Under the leadership of new director Kate Sierzputowski, the fair integrated institutional voices directly into the floor plan through sections like 'Embodiment,' curated by Louise Bernard of the Obama Presidential Center. This strategic focus on curation and local institutional ties resulted in strong early sales, including works by María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Torkwase Dyson, and Ambreen Butt, with several pieces acquired by American institutions.

George Costakis, collector and saviour of Soviet avant-garde art, celebrated with Athens exhibition

The National Gallery in Athens is hosting a major exhibition celebrating the legacy of George Costakis, the visionary collector who rescued thousands of Russian and Soviet avant-garde works from state-sponsored oblivion. Born in Moscow to Greek parents, Costakis spent decades acquiring pieces by artists like Kazimir Malevich and Liubov Popova at a time when such art was vilified by the Soviet regime. The new exhibition reinterprets these works through the lens of humanity's relationship with the environment, marking 30 years since the collection was first shown in Greece.

Exclusive | The world's 100 most visited art museums in 2025: new venues a big hit with visitors

The Art Newspaper's 2025 survey of the world's 100 most visited art museums reveals a strong but uneven recovery from the pandemic, with total visits reaching over 200 million. New museums in the Middle East, East Asia, and major Western cities have been major hits with the public, driving significant attendance.

LACMA’s New Building Invites You to Chart Your Own Path

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is set to open its long-awaited and highly debated new building, the David Geffen Galleries. Designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, the $720 million concrete structure spans Wilshire Boulevard and replaces several older buildings with a single, elevated exhibition level. The opening marks the culmination of a decade-long project spearheaded by Director Michael Govan, featuring a non-linear layout that integrates the museum's encyclopedic collection into thematic displays rather than traditional chronological or regional divisions.

What Is a "Post-Duchamp" Art World?

Scholar Thierry de Duve discusses the legacy of Marcel Duchamp in conjunction with a new exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) featuring seven of the artist’s “boîtes-en-valise.” These portable miniature museums, created decades before Duchamp’s first formal retrospective, are framed as evidence of his genius in anticipating the institutional logic of the modern museum. The conversation explores how Duchamp’s provocative works, such as the readymade "Fountain," fundamentally altered the trajectory of art history and defined the "post-Duchamp" era.

Mexico’s art community calls for greater transparency in management of treasured collection

Over 350 Mexican cultural professionals have signed an open letter demanding greater transparency from the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (INBAL) regarding the management and export of the Gelman Collection. The collection, recently acquired by the Zambrano family and rebranded as the Gelman Santander Collection, includes 18 works by Frida Kahlo and other major 20th-century Mexican artists, with 30 pieces designated as national artistic monuments requiring state oversight.

National Gallery picks Tokyo Olympic stadium architect to design new wing

The National Gallery in London has selected Japanese architect Kengo Kuma to design a major new wing as part of its ambitious £750m "Project Domani." Kuma, known for the Tokyo Olympic stadium and V&A Dundee, beat out high-profile competitors including Norman Foster and Renzo Piano. The expansion will occupy a site near Trafalgar Square currently housing a hotel and office complex, and is supported by record-breaking £150m donations from both the Julia Rausing Trust and the Crankstart foundation.

Glen Baxter obituary

Cartoonist and surrealist Glen Baxter has died at the age of 82. He was celebrated for his distinctive style, which blended deadpan captions with pop art-inspired scenes featuring characters like cowboys and spacemen in bizarre situations. His work appeared in major publications like the New Yorker and the Observer, and he was also a staple of humorous greeting cards.

Nature by the uncool YBA, armoured ceramics and dizzying Aussie abstraction – the week in art

The article is a weekly art roundup highlighting several major exhibitions opening in London and Cambridge. It spotlights a new show of nature-themed paintings by Cecily Brown at the Serpentine Gallery, ceramics by Phoebe Collings-James at Pitzhanger Manor, a career survey of Turner Prize-winner Veronica Ryan at the Whitechapel Gallery, a Frank Bowling retrospective at The Fitzwilliam Museum, and a presentation of Aboriginal Australian art at Edel Assanti. The piece also features a powerful war photograph from Iraq and includes brief news items on topics ranging from a Matisse retrospective to potential museum entry fees.

Para Site 30th Anniversary Programme: Q&A with Junni Chen

Para Site, a Hong Kong contemporary arts center, has launched a year-long 30th anniversary programme featuring exhibitions, performances, and residencies. The programme is structured around acts of response, pairing artists and fostering new collaborations, drawing inspiration from the organization's earliest experimental exhibitions.

Inside LACMA’s 2026 Reopening: What to Know About the New David Geffen Galleries

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has announced that its highly anticipated David Geffen Galleries will officially open to the public on April 19, 2026. Designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Peter Zumthor in collaboration with director Michael Govan, the new facility features a horizontal, elevated design that spans Wilshire Boulevard. The structure will house 26 galleries on a single level, representing the culmination of a nearly two-decade redevelopment project.