The latest issue of Le Journal des Arts (No. 677, May 15, 2026) leads with the opening of the Venice Biennale amid a tense climate. Other top stories include the final adoption of a French law on the restitution of cultural property looted during colonization, the V&A East museum's strategy to attract younger audiences, tensions in Giverny over the uneven economic benefits of Monet's legacy, and a market analysis showing the structuring of the Nabis art market.
Jacques Gairard, a figure in the French art world, has died. The announcement appears in Le Journal des Arts, which also covers the opening of the Venice Biennale amid controversy, the final adoption of a law on the restitution of cultural property looted during colonization, the V&A East's focus on young audiences, the uneven economic impact of Monet's legacy in Giverny, and the structuring of the Nabis art market.
Le V&A East vise les jeunes
The Victoria and Albert Museum has opened a new branch called V&A East in Stratford, east London, within the former Olympic Park. The £135 million (€155.8 million) building, designed by O'Donnell and Tuomey, features 479 sand-colored concrete panels and houses around 500 objects from the V&A's collection across two permanent galleries titled "Why We Make." The museum opened on April 18 and is part of the East Bank cultural complex supported by the London municipality. It prioritizes local engagement and mediation tailored to attract younger audiences, with exhibitions addressing social justice and environmental themes.
The Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in London has opened 'Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific', a landmark exhibition drawn from the collection of the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA). Featuring over 70 works by more than 40 artists from 25 countries, the show is organized in three thematic sections—Re-Visioning History, Enduring Knowledge, and Evolving Faith—and includes sculpture, photography, painting, ceramics, weaving, and body adornment. Many works are on view outside their home region for the first time. The exhibition runs until 10 January 2027.
Photographer and storyteller Giles Duley has opened a two-week exhibition titled “Distortion / Memory / Resilience” at Sutton Tower on the Upper East Side of New York. The show features his powerful images documenting life during war, alongside artistic touches such as wooden school desks filled with artwork by Ukrainian children. Duley, who lost two legs and one arm after an I.E.D. injury in Afghanistan in 2011, continues to work actively in war zones including Sudan, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. Proceeds from the exhibition support his NGO, the Legacy of War Foundation, which has raised over $4 million since 2017 to help communities rebuild after conflict.
A major exhibition dedicated to the pioneering fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli has opened at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London. The show explores Schiaparelli's innovative designs, her collaborations with surrealist artists like Salvador Dalí, and her lasting influence on fashion and visual culture.
Laura Freeman, chief art critic for The Times, shares her personal list of nine favorite UK museums and galleries, ranging from London institutions like Sir John Soane’s Museum and the V&A to smaller venues such as Pallant House in Chichester and Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge. She emphasizes character and collection over flashy renovations, noting that her picks are based on decades of visits, family outings, and emotional resonance.
The New Museum in New York has opened "New Humans: Memories of the Future," an exhibition curated by Chief Curator Massimiliano Gioni that explores a century of art predicting the fusion of humans and machines. The show features works by artists including Anicka Yi, Francis Picabia, Constantin Brancusi, and Marcel Duchamp, alongside robots and technological artifacts that blur the boundaries between bodies and technology. The exhibition is housed within OMA's newly expanded museum space on the Bowery.
An all-women exhibition titled 'Making Her Mark: A Celebration of Women in Art' has opened at Penlee House Gallery & Museum in Penzance, Cornwall, as the first stop on a three-part UK tour. The show features over 60 works by female artists from the 19th century to the present day, including Tracey Emin, Barbara Hepworth, Elizabeth Forbes, and Laura Knight. It is a collaboration between Penlee House, Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum, and Kirkcaldy Galleries, curated jointly by the three venues with local leadership from Penlee House deputy director Katie Herbert. The exhibition is part of Art Fund's £5.36 million Going Places programme and will travel to Worcester and Kirkcaldy in 2026 and 2027.
A new exhibition, 'Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia, and the Pacific,' opens this weekend at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. It features over 70 works by more than 40 artists from 25 Asia Pacific countries, including sculpture, painting, photography, ceramics, and textiles, many never before exhibited outside the region. The show is presented in partnership with the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) in Brisbane and co-curated by Daniel Slater, the V&A's director of exhibitions.
Jewellers are creating a new wave of sculptural, nature-themed pieces inspired by the surrealist artist Salvador Dalí. These dreamlike works draw on Dalí's iconic motifs—melting clocks, fantastical creatures, and organic forms—reimagined in precious metals and gemstones by contemporary designers and luxury houses.
Bow Arts has announced an open call for the 2027 edition of the East London Art Prize, now entering its third cycle. The prize will support 12 shortlisted artists with exhibitions, mentoring, and career development, awarding one artist £15,000 and a solo exhibition at Nunnery Gallery, and another a year-long studio residency. The judging panel includes Brendan Cormier, Alex Needham, Marine Tanguy, and artist Michelle Williams Gamaker, with submissions open from 14 May to 16 August 2026.
The Denver Art Museum (DAM) held its annual Luncheon by Design fundraiser, celebrating the 60-year career of costume designer Bob Mackie as a prelude to the upcoming DIVA exhibition opening in fall 2026. The event featured a conversation between Joe McFate, Mackie's long-time design director, and Jill D'Alessandro, DAM's director and curator of the Avenir Institute of Textile Arts, sharing stories behind Mackie's iconic costumes worn by Cher, Tina Turner, and P!NK. Funds raised support the DIVA exhibition, which will run from October 4, 2026, to January 31, 2027, at the museum.
A major new exhibition titled *Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery* will make its UK debut at the V&A Dundee in March 2027. Curated by the Westwood team, the show spans four decades of archival runway jewelry, exploring the subversive design language behind the iconic Saturn orb motif. It will feature graphic wall collages, catwalk videos, and a dialogue between jewelry and garments, with a special focus on Scotland, including traditional textiles and creative director Andreas Kronthaler's 'MacAndreas' tartan.