Reclaiming the Self-Taught Artist’s Creative Identity

The American Folk Art Museum (AFAM) in New York will present "Self-Made: A Century of Inventing Artists" this spring, a major exhibition examining the historical definition of the "self-taught artist" through authorship, agency, and self-representation. Featuring over 90 works spanning the early 20th century to today, the show is organized around three strategies—self-portraiture, alter egos, and autobiography—and includes pieces by Henry Darger, Clémentine Hunter, Martín Ramírez, Aloïse Corbaz, Adolf Wölfli, Nicole Appel, Susan Janow, and Joe Coleman, many on view for the first time.

Whistleblower Complaint Alleges Misconduct at Palm Springs Art Museum, Where an Ex-Trustee Describes a ‘Shattered Moral Compass’

An anonymous whistleblower has filed a complaint alleging misconduct by leadership at the Palm Springs Art Museum, including improper movement of funds between accounts to address cash shortages, the forced resignation of a former director based on fabricated staff complaints, and a failure to properly interview external candidates for the director position. The complaint, forwarded to ARTnews, also references a $3 million discrepancy in the reported endowment value and the departure of several trustees, leaving the board below its required size. The museum has formed a special committee to investigate the allegations, which were first reported by the Los Angeles Times in November 2025.

Homecoming for local artist in new West Lothian exhibition

Artist Leo du Feu is returning to his hometown of Linlithgow, Scotland, for his largest solo exhibition to date, titled 'Homecoming,' at the Gallery at Linlithgow Burgh Halls. Running from 22 May to 17 September 2026, the show traces the evolution of his work across nature, landscape, wildlife, and storytelling, and includes new pieces inspired by fatherhood and emotional well-being. The exhibition also marks the 15th anniversary of the gallery's opening in 2011, and a free artist talk is scheduled for 17 June.

Exhibitions in May: our selection of Parisian outings

This article, published by La Rédac with photos by Audrey de Sortiraparis, presents a curated selection of exhibitions opening in Paris and the Île-de-France region in May 2026. Highlights include a Giovanni Segantini retrospective at the Marmottan Monet Museum, a porcelain exhibition titled "Sèvres, a Rothschild Passion" at the Mobilier National, a comparative show of Michelangelo and Rodin at the Louvre Museum, the return of the Colors Festival with a street-art exhibition called Colors Light, a historical tribute to Madame de Sévigné at the Carnavalet Museum, a major Lee Miller retrospective at the Musée d'Art Moderne, a family-friendly Lego brick exhibition by Dirk Denoyelle at Espace Champerret, and a video game music exhibition at the Philharmonie de Paris.

11 Art Shows to See in the Hudson Valley in May 2026

The article surveys 11 art exhibitions opening across the Hudson Valley in May 2026, highlighting a regional preoccupation with structure, materiality, and resistance to singular narratives. Featured shows include "Surface, Structure, String" at Hudson Hall, a textile survey curated by Richard Saja with artists like Portia Munson and Laleh Khoramian; "Jose Picayo: 35 Years in Photographs" at Robin Rice Gallery; "The Linda McCartney Retrospective: From the Light" at the Fenimore Art Museum; "Carol Seitz: Growth in Difficult Places" at Convey/er/or; and "Stephen Olivier: Hazmat" at ASK in Kingston, among others.

Art Notes, April 29

This article from the 'Art Notes' column covers several local art events in Ocean County, New Jersey. John Meehan's oil painting 'Enjoying the Sunshine from the Shadows' is featured as cover art for the LBI Artist Studio Tour map. Suzanne Pasqualicchio's exhibit 'That’s Life: Little by Little' is on display at the Lacey branch of the Ocean County Library through May, with a reception on May 2. The Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences (LBIF) is hosting a pottery course for beginners aged 55 and older, funded by a Creative Aging Initiative grant, along with an upcycled patchwork sweatshirt workshop and the 28th annual Works on Paper national juried exhibition juried by Joanna Sheers Seidenstein of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. A photography exhibit by Don Edwards titled 'Nature in Ocean County' is also showing at the Waretown library branch.

Buzkashi horsemen battling for a headless goat: Todd Antony’s best photograph

Photographer Todd Antony discusses his black-and-white series capturing the Central Asian sport of buzkashi, in which horsemen compete to grab and control a headless goat carcass. He traveled to Tajikistan to document matches involving up to 300 riders, shooting from a pickup truck and later taking portraits of riders on farms. One striking image shows three horses and their riders against a snowy mountain backdrop, with fog rolling in—a moment that inspired him to channel Richard Avedon's style using artificial lighting.

Katherine El-Salahi, anti-apartheid activist, anthropologist and publisher, 1945–2026

Katherine El-Salahi, an anti-apartheid activist, anthropologist, and publisher, has died at age 81. Born Katherine Levine, she studied at Cambridge and SOAS before joining the clandestine group London Recruits in 1970, carrying out leaflet bomb propaganda and running guns into South Africa. She later became instrumental in the career of her husband, Sudanese painter Ibrahim El-Salahi, organizing his landmark 2013 retrospective at Tate Modern, building his archive, and securing gallery representation with Vigo Gallery.

Artists take a satirical look at the financial crisis in a new London show

Three emerging artists—Jenna Bliss, Buck Ellison, and Jasmine Gregory—present a multi-media exhibition titled 'Genuine Fake Premium Economy' at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA). The show satirically examines the societal and economic fallout of the 2008 financial crisis, using works that critique capitalism, inheritance, and art-world stereotypes. Gregory repaints Patek Philippe ads to expose class structures, Bliss films a fictional art fair that blurs reality and fiction, and Ellison creates lightboxes for a fictional private bank, manipulating corporate language and philosophy.

Linlithgow artist return home for summer exhibition

Artist Leo du Feu, a former Lowport Primary and Linlithgow Academy pupil, returns to his hometown for his largest solo exhibition to date, titled "Homecoming," at the Gallery at Linlithgow Burgh Halls. Running from 22 May to 17 September 2026, the show traces the evolution of his work across themes of nature, landscape, wildlife, storytelling, fatherhood, and emotional well-being, featuring large canvases, miniature wood engravings, and paintings created en plein air. The exhibition also marks the 15th anniversary of the gallery's opening in April 2011.

KUNĊETT announces an exhibition of Macedonian artist Sara Stanoeska’s work

The article announces an exhibition by Macedonian artist Sara Stanoeska, organized by KUNĊETT. The specific venue, dates, and details of the exhibition are not available due to a security verification page blocking the content.

Aristophil : Gérard Lhéritier reconnaît sa culpabilité et obtient une peine réduite

Gérard Lhéritier, founder of the art investment firm Aristophil, has pleaded guilty in a French court under a procedure known as comparution sur reconnaissance préalable de culpabilité (CRPC), effectively a plea bargain. On April 14, he admitted responsibility for fraud and deceptive commercial practices after more than a decade of denial. This late admission, made just before his expected incarceration, reduces his sentence from the five years of imprisonment handed down in December 2025 to two years under electronic monitoring. The case stems from Aristophil’s collapse, which involved selling shares in manuscripts and historical documents as attractive investments, leaving thousands of investors heavily impacted.

Star-Studded Doc on Auction Icon Simon de Pury Heads to Cannes

A new feature-length documentary titled "The Hammer" will premiere at this spring's Cannes Film Market, chronicling the five-decade career of Swiss auctioneer and art advisor Simon de Pury. Produced by Simon Wallon, who previously made a documentary on casting director Bonnie Timmermann, the film features cameos from artists Marina Abramović, Jeff Koons, Ai Weiwei, and Chloe Wise, and includes executive producer Catherine Quantschnigg. Filming took place in New York, Tokyo, London, Cannes, Miami, and Monaco between July 2023 and February 2025.

Yves Klein Research Grant 2026: A Funded Residency for Emerging Scholars

The Yves Klein Foundation has launched its first Research Grant for 2026, offering a CHF 6,000 stipend and a one-week funded residency in Paris to emerging scholars under 35 who hold a PhD or postdoctoral degree. The program invites original research projects that deepen understanding of Yves Klein’s work, ideas, and legacy, with access to archives and scholarly guidance provided. Applications are due by 15 June 2026, with selection based on originality, scientific quality, and feasibility.

M’barek Bouhchichi: Hands That Remember

Moroccan artist M’barek Bouhchichi presents 'Les mains des poètes' at Foundation H in Antananarivo, Madagascar, running until 17 October 2026. The exhibition stems from a residency in Madagascar where Bouhchichi collaborated with local artisans—blacksmiths, weavers, ceramists, and musicians—to create works that resist singular authorship. Central to the show is the revival of sorabe, the Arabico-Malagasy script, treated as an embodied, gestural practice rather than fixed writing.

KABARIN-JAVAKANTO: Speaking in Many Tongues

Fondation H in Antananarivo, Madagascar, presents 'Kabarin-javakanto: A Reading of the Fondation H Collection,' an exhibition curated by Abdellah Karroum that reinterprets the foundation’s international holdings through the Malagasy oratorical tradition of kabary. Rather than a conventional display, the show activates works from Africa and its diasporas across three galleries, emphasizing dialogue, community, and relational viewing.

Metropolitan Museum of Art: Ultimate 2026 Guide for Travelers

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is drawing record crowds in spring 2026 with its latest exhibitions, including newly restored ancient artifacts. The article, written by travel editor Elena Müller, positions The Met as a top cultural destination for American travelers, highlighting its location on Manhattan's Upper East Side, its Beaux-Arts architecture, and its proximity to Central Park. It also covers the museum's founding in 1870, its expansion into a neoclassical landmark on Museum Mile, and its role as a cornerstone of New York's cultural landscape.

Leeum's installation art exhibition explores women-led history of genre

The Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul will open the exhibition "Inside Other Spaces" on May 5, featuring 11 installation artists from Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The show reconstructs full-scale environments from 1956 to 1976, including Korean artist Jung Kang-ja's "Incorporeal Exhibition" (1970), which was forcibly dismantled by the Korean government and is being rebuilt for the first time. The exhibition previously appeared at Munich's Haus der Kunst, Rome's Maxxi, and Hong Kong's M+, with each venue expanding its scope.

EU imposes sanctions on Mikhail Piotrovsky, director of Russia's State Hermitage Museum

The European Union has imposed sanctions on Mikhail Piotrovsky, the director of Russia's State Hermitage Museum, as part of its 20th sanctions package adopted on 23 April. Piotrovsky, a vocal supporter of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, is cited for being a close associate of Vladimir Putin and for actively supporting the war, including justifying Russian cultural policies that incorporate Ukrainian museum items into Russia's State Museum Fund and enabling unauthorized archaeological excavations in occupied Crimea. The sanctions also target three other cultural officials involved in the Crimean digs. Meanwhile, Hermitage archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, arrested in Poland in December 2025 at Ukraine's request, was released in a prisoner exchange on 28 April.

At Alserkal Avenue’s Deja Vu, UAE galleries find strength in collaboration

Alserkal Avenue in Dubai has launched "Deja Vu," a multi-gallery exhibition bringing together 20 UAE-based galleries at the Concrete venue, running until May 8. Curated by Zaina Zaarour with co-curators Kevin Jones and Nada Raza, the show features works including German artist Michael Sailstorfer's installation of a car fuel tank, reflecting anxieties around fuel prices and geopolitical uncertainty. The exhibition emerged from urgent community meetings after the Iran war disrupted the spring art season, which typically includes Art Dubai and collector visits. Participating galleries include 16 from Alserkal Avenue, plus Nika Project Space, Total Arts at The Courtyard, Tabari Artspace, and Iris Projects, with many works priced under $10,000 to facilitate sales.

For Gayane Umerova, Art and Culture in Uzbekistan are ‘About Empowerment’

The article profiles Gayane Umerova, a cultural leader in Uzbekistan, who discusses how art and culture in the country are centered on empowerment. It highlights her role in promoting Uzbek art and heritage through various initiatives and exhibitions, aiming to elevate the nation's cultural profile on the global stage.

‘What Color is Your Sky Today?’: The Becoming of the Image

Armineh Negahdari, a Bordeaux-based artist, presents her first institutional solo exhibition in France at the Fondation Louis Vuitton's Open Space series. Titled 'What Color is Your Sky Today?': The Becoming of the Image, the show features a new body of drawings that use charcoal, pastel, and oil paint to explore unstable morphologies between human, vegetal, and animal forms. The works resist narrative closure, emphasizing drawing as an event rather than representation, with lines that accumulate, falter, and begin again. The exhibition is on view at Gallery 8 until 30 August 2026.

‘What My Mother Gave Me’: Monuments of Flesh

Nona Faustine’s first retrospective, ‘What My Mother Gave Me,’ is on view at the Center for Photography at Woodstock until 10 May 2026. The exhibition gathers nearly three decades of the artist’s work, spanning series such as *Young Mothers*, *Mitochondria*, and *White Shoes*, to explore themes of matrilineal memory, the Black female body, and the afterlives of slavery in urban spaces. Faustine’s photographs range from intimate depictions of young motherhood to defiant nude self-portraits that transform sites of erasure into counter-monuments of presence.

Wakefield artist celebrates opening up his first international exhibition in New York

Wakefield-born artist Kyle Wilkinson has opened his first international exhibition in New York through his immersive art and design studio, Haus of Thrills (HoT). Founded in Sheffield in 2024, the studio has already secured commissions from major brands including Santander and Silverstone, and designed the 60th anniversary Mustang for Ford. The new exhibition, titled 'Metropolis in Motion', is on view at the Myria gallery in Tribeca, New York.

The Uzbekistan National Pavilion Counters Slow Violence with Relational Listening

The article previews seven must-see exhibitions during Art Brussels, highlighting Richard Tuttle's restless assemblages at Galerie Greta Meert and an expansive show of Lutz Bacher at WIELS. The guide, written by Emile Rubino, offers a curated selection for visitors navigating the fair.

Berlin in Art Spring

Berlin im Kunstfrühling

The Monopol podcast "Kunst und Leben" previews the upcoming Gallery Weekend Berlin, taking place from May 1 to 3. Editors Elke Buhr and Silke Hohmann share their personal watchlist of must-see exhibitions, including shows by Daniel Buren and Lawrence Weiner at Konrad Fischer, Candice Breitz at KOW, Heimo Zobernig at Nagel Draxler, and Jorinde Voigt at Mercator Höfe. The episode also covers performances, tattoo art on moving cars, tapestries, robot dogs, and tips for navigating the weekend.

Review: Manet-Morisot exhibition is a deep dive into artistic ways of seeing, making

The Cleveland Museum of Art's spring exhibition examines the artistic relationship between 19th-century French Impressionist painters Édouard Manet and Berthe Morisot, showcasing 36 paintings and seven works on paper. Organized by curator Emily Beeny of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the show is the first to closely analyze how the two artists influenced each other, correcting the historical record that long positioned Manet as the dominant figure while undervaluing Morisot's contributions. Through side-by-side juxtapositions, the exhibition reveals that Manet may have taken more from Morisot than she from him, highlighting their collaborative and competitive dialogue over 15 years.

Iberdrola Celebrates 125th Anniversary With Major Art Exhibition At The Reopened Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

Iberdrola has opened the exhibition "Parallels and Meridians" at the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum to celebrate its 125th anniversary. The show features over one hundred works from the company's corporate art collection and coincides with the museum's reopening after a major expansion and refurbishment. The opening ceremony was led by Iberdrola Executive Chairman Ignacio Galán and Lehendakari Imanol Pradales, with attendance from regional officials including Ibone Bengoetxea, Amaia Arregi, Elixabete Etxanobe, Ana Otadui, and museum director Miguel Zugaza. The exhibition runs until 30 August.

Who is Gladys Hynes? Show reinstates forgotten artist who once represented Britain at the Venice Biennale

The exhibition "Gladys Hynes: Radical Lives" opens this month at Charleston in Lewes, aiming to resurrect the career of Gladys Hynes (1888-1958), a forgotten artist who once represented Britain at the 1924 Venice Biennale. The show brings together 120 paintings, drawings, graphic designs, and sculptural pieces, including works by Hynes and her contemporaries, curated by Sacha Llewellyn. Hynes trained with Stanhope Forbes, Frank Brangwyn, and William Nicholson, worked with Roger Fry's Omega Workshops, associated with Wyndham Lewis and the Vorticists, and was commissioned by Ezra Pound to illustrate his Cantos. Despite her achievements, only one of her paintings is in a British public collection.

A Curator Died Suddenly. Could the Venice Biennale Be Saved?

Koyo Kouoh, the curator of the Venice Biennale’s centerpiece exhibition, died suddenly of cancer at age 57, just months into her tenure. She left behind a detailed plan for the exhibition, which her assistants are now working to realize in her absence.