The Guide #237: Fab 5 Freddy, the street artist at the heart of New York’s creative zenith

A new memoir by Fred Brathwaite, known as Fab 5 Freddy, chronicles his life as a pivotal figure connecting the emerging hip-hop and graffiti scenes of 1970s and 80s Brooklyn with the downtown Manhattan art world. The book, "Everybody's Fly: A Life of Art, Music, and Changing the Culture," serves as an all-access pass to a transformative era, featuring encounters with icons like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, and Debbie Harry.

Yoko Ono launches playable online chess bot.

Chess.com has launched a digital chess bot inspired by Yoko Ono’s seminal 1966 conceptual artwork, Play It By Trust. The game features an all-white board and pieces, mirroring the original installation where players eventually lose track of their own pieces, forcing them to collaborate or abandon the competitive nature of the game. The release coincides with Ono’s 93rd birthday and the digital debut of the Oscar-winning short film War Is Over!, which draws from her and John Lennon’s peace activism.

Art Dealers Try Their Hand as Artists in This Unusual Exhibition

White Columns, New York’s oldest alternative nonprofit art space, has launched a unique fundraising exhibition titled “Art (by) Dealers.” The show features works created by over 90 art dealers and gallery professionals rather than the artists they represent. Organized by Kathy Huang and Will Leung, the exhibition presents uniform 12-by-9-inch works priced at $500 each, sold anonymously to benefit the nonprofit's programming.

‘Knoxville Girl’ Gets Her Revenge in Wayne White’s New KMA Exhibition

The Knoxville Museum of Art has debuted a major new exhibition by Chattanooga-born artist and puppeteer Wayne White titled "Revenge of the Knoxville Girl." The centerpiece of the show is a ten-foot-tall marionette of the titular character from the famous Appalachian murder ballad, depicted as having crawled out of the river to claim the severed head of her killer, Willy. The installation blends local folklore with references to Cormac McCarthy’s novel *Suttree* and Tennessee Volunteers football culture.

“Photography as a Way of Life” at PU Art Museum

The Princeton University Art Museum has unveiled "Photography as a Way of Life," an exhibition running from April 19 through September 7 that examines the interconnected careers of Minor White, Aaron Siskind, and Harry Callahan. Drawing heavily from the museum’s Minor White Archive, the show features unpublished color and black-and-white prints, rare slides, and archival materials that document how these three figures transitioned photography from a hobby or trade into a serious academic and artistic discipline.

Brooklyn Museum Plans $13 Million Overhaul for New African Art Galleries

The Brooklyn Museum has announced a $13 million renovation project to create new Arts of Africa galleries, set to open in Fall 2027. The 6,400-square-foot space on the museum's third floor will display 300 works from its 4,500-piece collection, spanning from antiquity to the present day. The project, led by architectural firm Peterson Rich Office, will repurpose latent storage space and reconnect galleries architecturally.

Showcasing lasting art

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater's Crossman Gallery recently hosted the BA & BSE Senior Show, a showcase of diverse artworks created by graduating students. The exhibition featured a wide range of mediums, including photography, painting, sculpture, and print design, highlighting the creative versatility of the senior class. The event served as a professional milestone for students, allowing them to navigate the gallery submission process and network with faculty and the community.

'Epic in scale': APY Lands exhibition opens at NGA after three-year delay

The National Gallery of Australia has officially opened 'Ngura Puḻka — Epic Country,' a landmark exhibition featuring 30 large-scale paintings by 49 First Nations artists from the APY Lands. The show, which features works predominantly measuring three-by-three meters, highlights the Tjukurpa (lore and ceremony) of the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara regions. The opening follows a significant three-year delay caused by an independent investigation into allegations of improper interference by non-Indigenous staff.

SA ‘white hands on black art’ controversy in court – and on national gallery walls

The National Gallery of Australia has officially opened the 'Ngura Pulka – Epic Country' exhibition, a major showcase of works by 52 artists from the APY Art Centre Collective. The show was originally postponed in 2023 following allegations published in The Australian that white staff members had improperly interfered with the creation of the paintings. After multiple investigations by government bodies and a review by the NGA cleared the artworks of creative interference, the collective is moving forward with the exhibition while pursuing a $4.4 million defamation lawsuit against the newspaper.

Artist Qualeasha Wood Says Viral ‘BedRot’ Performance Copied Her Work

Artist Qualeasha Wood has publicly accused another artist, known as Aphex Redditor, of copying her performance art piece. Wood staged a performance called 'Attention Economy' in March 2025 at London's Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, where she lay in bed scrolling through her phone for an extended period, a concept the gallery's release described as 'bed rotting.' A similar performance by Aphex Redditor, titled 'BedRot,' went viral on social media after she scrolled through Instagram Reels for 24 hours at Montreal's Eastern Bloc art center.

Fort Worth's Gallery at Bowie House to Present New Art Exhibition Featuring Carly Allen Martin and Erik Skoldberg

The Gallery at Bowie House in Fort Worth is launching a new exhibition titled "Memory Lane," featuring abstract works by artists Carly Allen Martin and Erik Skoldberg. Since opening in December 2023 within the luxury Auberge Resorts Collection hotel, the gallery has integrated fine art into every guest room and public space, selling hundreds of works ranging from $30,000 to several hundred thousand dollars. The upcoming show marks a shift for the space, moving from its typical figurative Western aesthetic toward contemporary abstraction.

Stephan Balkenhol New Bronze Sculptures 2026 - Man in a White

German sculptor Stephan Balkenhol has unveiled two new hand-painted bronze editions, "Man in a White Shirt and Black Pants 2026" and "Venus 2026." Released in editions of 30 and standing 68 cm tall, the works are being showcased and sold through Frank Fluegel Galerie across its Nuremberg and Kitzbühel locations. The release coincides with the artist's participation in the Art Cologne Palma de Mallorca Fair and precedes his 70th birthday in 2027.

London’s Art Market Rebound: Sotheby’s Spring 2026 Recap

Sotheby’s London kicked off its Spring 2026 marquee season with a series of high-energy auctions, totaling £154 million across its Modern & Contemporary sales. The week was highlighted by a "white-glove" evening auction that achieved a 100% sell-through rate, led by Francis Bacon’s 1972 Self-Portrait which sold for £16 million. Significant records were set for British masters, most notably Leon Kossoff, whose painting "Children’s Swimming Pool" shattered estimates to reach £5.2 million.

Exhibition Review and Studio Visit Feature: Contemporary Color Field Painter Vanessa Johansson

Contemporary painter Vanessa Johansson recently debuted her solo exhibition at the Sky Garden Penthouse in Gramercy Park, New York. Curated by Jenny Mushkin Goldman of Agency Esta, the show featured Johansson’s large-scale acrylic on canvas works, which utilize fluid, transparent layers to evoke the spiritual and visual language of mid-20th-century Color Field abstraction. Pieces such as the triptych 'Windows' and the diptych 'Flow State' demonstrate her intuitive approach to motion, buoyancy, and orbital forms.

The Burlington Magazine - No. 1477 Vol. CLXVIII - April 2026

The Burlington Magazine - n°1477 vol CLXVIII - April 2026

The April 2026 issue of The Burlington Magazine presents a wealth of new scholarship, highlighted by significant discoveries regarding the 'Rainbow' portrait of Queen Elizabeth I and a previously unpublished portrait of Sarah Churchill by Godfrey Kneller. The edition spans centuries of art history, featuring research on 18th-century color theorist Mary Gartside, the pottery windows of William Bell Scott, and newly identified drawings by Marcellus Laroon the Younger.

Jamie Robertson’s soft heat at Houston Center for Photography, Houston

Jamie Robertson’s solo exhibition, "soft heat," at the Houston Center for Photography presents a series of infrared photographs documenting Southern wetlands, including Caddo Lake and the Great Dismal Swamp. Using archival pigment prints and a zine titled "Alligatorwatergreen," Robertson utilizes thermosensational imagery to transform dense marshlands into ethereal, snow-like landscapes. The work incorporates archival figures, such as a liberated formerly enslaved man named Osman, to highlight the historical role of swamps as sites of maroonage and Black resistance.

Homework till midnight and ‘one breakdown a week’: the mysterious art school keeping a forgotten style alive

The École Van der Kelen-Logelain, a unique and mythologized painting school in Brussels founded in 1892, continues to operate under strict, traditional methods. Students endure a rigorous six-month winter course, adhering to rules like mandatory white lab coats, silence, and no phones, to master specialized decorative painting skills, most notably the art of trompe l'oeil, or illusionistic painting.

Meet the Gallerists Trading White Cubes for Unconventional Architecture

A growing number of gallerists are moving away from the traditional 'white cube' gallery model, opting instead for spaces with unconventional architecture and distinct character. These include locations in repurposed industrial buildings, historic structures, and uniquely designed new constructions that actively shape the visitor's experience of the art.

Croissant, pigeon… At Nothing Serious gallery, artist Paa Joe transforms Parisian clichés into pop coffins

Croissant, pigeon… À la galerie Nothing Serious, l’artiste Paa Joe transforme les clichés parisiens en cercueils pop

Ghanaian artist Paa Joe has transformed iconic Parisian symbols into vibrant "fantasy coffins" for his solo exhibition, "From Paa Joe to Paaris," at Galerie Nothing Serious. The show features 25 large-scale sculptures, including a Café de Flore cup, a croissant, a Renault 4L, and a bottle of Pouilly-Fumé, all handcrafted in the tradition of Ga burial customs. Created alongside his son Jacob Tetteh-Ashong, these works reinterpret French clichés through a playful yet surreal lens, marking the gallery's return after a four-year hiatus.

‘One simple gesture says it all’: the world in black and white – in pictures

Photographer Marina Sersale has released a new monograph titled 'Liminal Space,' published by Gost, which compiles over a decade of monochrome photography. The collection features dramatic black-and-white images captured between 2013 and 2021 across diverse locations including Italy, Japan, Iran, and the United States. Sersale, a former documentary filmmaker, focuses on the interplay of light and shadow to document fleeting, everyday moments—from sunbathers in Positano to commuters in Naples.

Segregation stories: Gordon Parks in the US south – in pictures

Jackson Fine Art in Atlanta is hosting a significant exhibition of Gordon Parks’ color photography, titled "The South in Colour." Curated by photographer Dawoud Bey, the show features over 30 works from Parks’ 1956 "Segregation Story" series, including previously unshown images and a new portfolio from The Gordon Parks Foundation. The collection documents the daily lives of the Thornton, Causey, and Tanner families in Alabama, capturing the quiet dignity of Black Americans living under the oppressive Jim Crow laws of the postwar era.

Musician Jack White will debut his artwork at Damien Hirst’s gallery this May.

Musician Jack White will debut his first major solo art exhibition, "The Problem of Color," at Damien Hirst’s Newport Street Gallery in London this May. The exhibition will feature over 40 works, including paintings, sculpture, and furniture, primarily in a monochromatic palette, exploring themes of constraint and creativity. This marks a significant public foray into the visual arts for the former White Stripes frontman, who has long engaged with art and design through his music projects and Third Man Records.

Hospital Rooms Announces 10-Year Programme and National Artist Edition Launch

The arts and mental health charity Hospital Rooms has announced a comprehensive year-long program for 2026 to celebrate its 10th anniversary. The initiative features a nationwide artist edition project titled "10 Posters for 10 Years," involving ten world-renowned artists including Antony Gormley. Key events include a launch at White Cube in July, followed by a major exhibition at Victoria Miro and a fundraising auction at Bonhams in September, all aimed at supporting the charity's Future Fund for mental health environments.

Yamamoto Masao’s Otherworldly Portraits Introduce Us to Expressive Owls

Photographer Yamamoto Masao is presenting a solo exhibition titled 'Ten Owls' at Yancey Richardson gallery in New York. The show features intimate, small-scale gelatin silver prints of owls, creatures that inhabit the forests near his Japanese home, with the works intended for close viewing to foster a connection with the elusive birds.

Inside the Studio of Abdelkader Benchamma, Cartographer of Invisible Worlds

Dans l’atelier d’Abdelkader Benchamma, cartographe des mondes invisibles

French-Moroccan artist Abdelkader Benchamma is preparing for his upcoming solo exhibition, "Signs and Wonders," at Galerie Templon in Paris. Working from his sun-drenched studio in Montpellier, Benchamma has transitioned from his signature black-and-white ink drawings to large-scale canvases that incorporate celestial blues and earthy mineral tones. The new body of work draws inspiration from 15th and 16th-century manuscripts, specifically the Kitab al-Bulhan and the Book of Miracles, creating a "giant book" of visual narratives that blur the lines between abstraction and figuration.

New MCASD exhibit of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys' personal collection showcases Black art

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) has launched "Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys," a major traveling exhibition showcasing the couple's extensive collection of Black diasporic art. The show features monumental works from 37 artists, including a 164-foot painting by Meleko Mokgosi and an 8,000-pound sculpture by Arthur Jafa that required structural reinforcement of the museum floor. To create a more inclusive atmosphere, the exhibition replaces traditional white gallery walls with bold colors and includes a curated musical playlist by Swizz Beatz.

'Park Seo-Bo' at White Cube, Paris, France on 15 Apr–30 May 2026

White Cube Paris is hosting a major retrospective of Park Seo-Bo’s 'Ecriture' paintings, covering five decades of the artist’s career. The exhibition notably features the debut of his 'Newspaper Ecritures' in Paris—a series he originally conceived in the city during the late 1970s—presented alongside the final works completed before his death in 2023.

Tour LACMA’s new David Geffen Galleries – a radical departure

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has unveiled the first look at its new David Geffen Galleries, a radical horizontal structure designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor. Scheduled to open to the public in May 2026, the sinuous concrete and glass building is elevated thirty feet above the ground, spanning Wilshire Boulevard. The interior departs from the traditional "white cube" museum model, featuring 27 non-linear galleries that utilize natural light and custom-designed metallic curtains to showcase the museum's encyclopedic collection in a fluid, interdisciplinary environment.

“Photography as a Way of Life” at PU Art Museum

The Princeton University Art Museum has unveiled "Photography as a Way of Life," a major exhibition running from April 19 through September 7. The show examines the interconnected careers of Minor White, Aaron Siskind, and Harry Callahan, three titans of mid-20th-century American photography. Drawing heavily from the museum’s Minor White Archive, the exhibition features unpublished color and black-and-white prints, archival documents, and a reconstruction of White’s slide projection piece, "Slow Dance."

White Girls and the Global South

The article is a curated list of art books for spring reading, featuring a diverse range of subjects. It highlights two main critical reviews: one critiques a new novel, *Flat Earth* by Anika Jade Levy, as another navel-gazing story about disaffected white women, while the other praises a scholarly work, *Non-Aligned: Art, Decolonization and the Third World Project in India* by Atreyee Gupta, which examines the international solidarity networks of Indian modernist painters long before the term "Global South" became popular.