Morpeth Contemporary presents “An Echo Familiar” paintings and sculpture

Morpeth Contemporary in Hopewell, New Jersey, is presenting “An Echo Familiar,” a solo exhibition of new paintings and sculptures by artist Mare McClellan, running from May 2 through May 24. The show features works inspired by McClellan's recent observations of caterpillars and moths, including mixed-media paintings with layered color and texture, as well as cocoon-like sculptures wrapped in wire and natural fibers. An opening reception will be held on May 2, followed by a Meet the Artist event on May 17.

Story of the designer who transformed MotoGP by designing Valentino Rossi's bikes and suits

Storia del designer che ha trasformato la MotoGP disegnando moto e tute di Valentino Rossi

Aldo Drudi, the influential designer who transformed the visual aesthetics of MotoGP, created a special site-specific livery for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team's presentation at The Edge in Hudson Yards, New York. The livery, unveiled on March 24, 2026 for the United States Grand Prix, is a complex graphic composition that references team history, Valentino Rossi, and American culture, elevating motorcycle design to a form of moving art.

Second senior art thesis exhibition to open Friday at Hastings College gallery

Five Hastings College seniors—Casper Campbell, Josie Cooley, Liam Sites, Tyesha Tynes, and Karson Weiss—will present their work in the second senior thesis art exhibition at the Jackson Dinsdale Art Center from April 24 to May 8, 2026. The show features a range of media and individual storytelling, with a lecture and reception scheduled for April 26. The galleries are free and open to the public.

Arles Drawing Festival: What Not to Miss at This Fourth Edition

Festival du dessin d’Arles : ce qu’il ne faut surtout pas rater pour cette quatrième édition

The fourth edition of the Arles Drawing Festival has opened, featuring over forty exhibitions across the city. The highlights include two major private drawing collections being publicly presented: Marin Karmitz's collection, displayed at the Sainte-Anne church under the title "Et la vie continue…", and the Collezione Ramo from Milan, showcased at the Museon Arlaten chapel as part of a focus on Italian art.

MIT List Visual Arts Center celebrates 40 years

MIT's List Visual Arts Center celebrated its 40th anniversary on April 10, 2026, with performances, receptions, and the opening of a new exhibition titled "Performing Conditions," which explores work, debt, and labor. Housed in the Wiesner Building designed by I. M. Pei, the museum manages public art across MIT's campus, including works by Olafur Eliasson and Sanford Biggers, and runs a Student Lending Art Program that loans about 700 works annually. An anonymous donor has launched a $1 million matching challenge grant for conservation of the public art collection.

Taiwan Strips National Prize from Sakuliu Pavavaljung After Sexual Assault Conviction

Taiwan’s National Culture and Arts Foundation has revoked the National Award for Arts from Indigenous Paiwan artist Sakuliu Pavavaljung, following his conviction for sexual assault. The Supreme Court upheld a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence for forcible sexual intercourse involving a female student in 2021. Pavavaljung, who received the award in 2018, must return the NTD 1 million prize. The case gained traction after artist Kuo Yu Ping disclosed it on social media in December 2021, leading to additional victims coming forward. His planned exhibition for Taiwan at the 59th Venice Biennale was canceled in 2022.

Local artist work on exhibit in Tulsa

Living Arts of Tulsa is presenting “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Decides?”, an exhibition by Kenneth and Isabelle Watson Reams, with support from JustArts Gallery. Kenneth Reams, a former Arkansas death row inmate now serving a life sentence, created over 50 works including paintings, drawings, sculptures, and poetry alongside his wife Isabelle. The show opened April 3 and runs through April and May, exploring themes of incarceration, capital punishment, and social justice through the lens of Reams’ 31 years on death row.

Lies, Virtual Reality, and Conceptual Art—Spring/Summer 2026 Exhibitions at PHI

PHI in Montreal presents two spring/summer 2026 exhibitions: "Come See, Lies Lies" by Paola Pivi and "Other Worlds" by Jakob Kudsk Steensen. Pivi's show features surreal installations including wall-mounted shoes, suspended velvet mattresses, and a metal house with TV screens broadcasting false statements, blending fairy tale and satire. Steensen's exhibition comprises six major works from the past decade, using virtual reality, video games, and sound installations to explore ecological themes and digitized environments like Bora Bora and volcanic seabeds. Both exhibitions open April 23, 2026, and run through September 13, 2026.

An Auction Without Bidding: Loïc Gouzer’s Latest Bet on How to Sell Art

Loïc Gouzer's auction app Fair Warning is launching a new sales format called "No Warning." The system eliminates bidding wars; a work is listed with a price, and buyers can either purchase it immediately or submit a single, binding offer. The highest offer is presented to the seller, who decides to accept or reject it, with no public record of the sale unless disclosed by the parties. The first test of the format is a 1999 Elizabeth Peyton watercolor priced at $400,000.

The National Gallery of Art Embraces New Role as Lending Library, Thanks to a Big Gift That Sends Artwork to Other Museums

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., has received a $116 million donation from the Mitchell P. Rales Family Foundation to fund its 'Across the Nation' lending program. The gift, the largest programming-related donation in the museum's history, will support shipping, installation, and other costs associated with sending artworks on two-year loans to smaller regional museums across the United States, from Alaska to Florida.

Dutch Commission Recommends New Guardianship for ‘Orphaned’ Nazi-Looted Art

A Dutch government-appointed committee has proposed transferring guardianship of thousands of unclaimed Nazi-looted artworks from a state agency to a Jewish foundation, preferably housed at the Jewish Museum in Amsterdam. The plan includes funding for exhibitions and explanatory labels to publicly display the so-called "orphaned" art from the Netherlands Art Property Collection.

‘Never in a million years.’ The Rocky statue’s long, unlikely road to acceptance inside the Art Museum

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has brought the iconic bronze statue of Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa inside its building for the first time, as the centerpiece of the exhibition 'Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments.' The statue, created as a movie prop for 'Rocky III' by artist A. Thomas Schomberg, had stood outside the museum for decades, its artistic merit debated while it became a major tourist attraction.

Seattle May art shows include speakeasy-style gallery attached to house

A series of diverse art exhibitions are opening across Seattle in May. Highlights include a show exploring the influence of Japanese woodblock prints on Northwest artists at the Cascadia Art Museum, a site-specific installation in a private garage gallery called Double Garage, and a large-scale display of drawings on sticky notes by Clare Johnson at Gallery 4Culture. Other featured shows include Emma Bergman's surreal multimedia installation at Specialist Gallery and a landmark retrospective of light artist Tom Lloyd at the Frye Art Museum.

Top Seattle art shows to see in May 2026

Seattle's art scene in May 2026 features six diverse exhibitions. Highlights include 'Influences: Japanese Prints and Northwest Art' at the Cascadia Art Museum, exploring the impact of Japanese woodblock printing on regional artists; a site-specific installation by Carly Sheehan at the appointment-only Double Garage Gallery; Clare Johnson's exhibition of over 6,000 artworks on sticky notes at Gallery 4Culture; Emma Bergman's surreal multimedia installation 'The World to Come' at Specialist Gallery; and a landmark retrospective of light-art pioneer Tom Lloyd at the Frye Art Museum.

Institutions Across the US to Benefit from Transformative $116 Million Gift to National Gallery

Billionaire collector and National Gallery of Art trustee Mitchell P. Rales has donated $116 million to the museum. The gift, the largest programming endowment in the institution's history, will fund the 'Across the Nation' initiative, which loans works from the National Gallery's permanent collection to small and midsize museums across the United States for two-year periods at no cost to the borrowing institutions.

Berlin Museum Oversees Digital Resurrection of Hundreds of Paintings Destroyed During World War II

Berlin's Gemäldegalerie is digitally reconstructing hundreds of Old Master paintings by artists like Rubens, Veronese, van Dyck, and Caravaggio that were destroyed in fires near the end of World War II. The project uses high-resolution scans of glass negatives, primarily photographed by Gustav Schwarz between 1925 and 1944, to create detailed online renderings that will be publicly accessible for viewing and download later this year.

Historic $116M Gift Endows Lending Program at National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art (NGA) has received a historic $116 million donation from the Mitchell P. Rales Family Foundation to permanently endow its 'Across the Nation' lending program. This initiative loans artworks from the NGA's collection to smaller regional museums across the United States, covering all associated costs. In its pilot year, the program reached an estimated 900,000 visitors at ten institutions, bringing works by artists like Georgia O'Keeffe, Rembrandt, and Mark Rothko to communities from Alaska to Michigan.

25/8 Art Gallery – when blue meets blue

Artist Joanna Tam's solo exhibition "when blue meets blue" opened at the 25/8 Art Gallery on April 13, 2026. The show, presented in partnership with the Harvard Square Business Association and Intercontinental Management, features photographic works and installations exploring the ocean and sky as motifs tied to migration, memory, and the complex duality of nature. Tam, who grew up in Hong Kong and moved to the US, draws from personal experience to create a space for meditation on comfort, freedom, trauma, and tension.

Photos: Paul Kroner showcases latest art, sculptures in exhibit

Sculptor Paul Kroner has opened a solo exhibition titled "What Have I Done?" at his own Studio Kroner in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. The show, which launched on April 16 and runs through May 23, marks the studio's fifth anniversary and is Kroner's first solo exhibition in the space since he founded it in 2021.

Photos: Opening reception kicks off QCC Art Gallery’s 2026 Juried Student art exhibit

Queensborough Community College Art Gallery held an opening reception for its 2026 Juried Student art exhibit on April 21. The annual show, which began in 2011, features between 87 and 100 works selected as the "best of the best" from students in the Art and Design Department, with the pieces remaining on view through May 29.

'Under Pressure': San Francisco artist's exhibit in Chicago is an SOS to save the planet

San Francisco-based artist Ana Teresa Fernández has opened a solo exhibition titled 'Under Pressure' at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. The exhibition, a four-year project, features works including oil paintings and a sculptural piece made from a transformed hose, all centered on themes of water and environmental fragility. A key installation involves a white balloon pressed by a stiletto heel, symbolizing human activity pushing the planet to a breaking point.

Beyoncé, Bezos, baubles and bustiers: What to know about the 2026 Met Gala

The 2026 Met Gala, scheduled for May 4, will serve as the fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, with a theme inspired by the new exhibition "Costume Art." The event is co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour, with lead sponsorship from Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, and will inaugurate the museum's new Conde M. Nast Galleries.

New Gallery Exhibit at CU Anschutz Honors Son's Legacy

A new photo exhibition and speaker series titled "Love, Anything: 28 Expressions for 28 Luminous Years" has opened at the Fulginiti Pavilion for Bioethics and Humanities on the University of Colorado Anschutz campus. The show features 28 photographs and journal entries by the late photographer Ryyan Chacra, who died by suicide in May 2024 at age 28 while struggling with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The opening reception on April 10 drew over 120 attendees, including family, friends, and university faculty.

The Photography Show fair’s 45th edition explores medium’s full history from its origins to AI

The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (Aipad) has opened the 45th edition of The Photography Show at New York's Park Avenue Armory. The fair features around 65 exhibitors in its main section, with a new Focal Point sector highlighting 13 solo presentations by boundary-pushing artists. Returning participants include major New York photography galleries, alongside first-time exhibitors and galleries returning after an absence.

A Think Tank and a Foundation Team Up On $1 M. in Accelerator Grants for Museum and Performing Arts Leaders—Timothée Chalamet Be Damned

A think tank and a philanthropic foundation have launched a $1 million accelerator grant program for museum and performing arts leaders. The initiative, a partnership between Remuseum (an initiative of Crystal Bridges Museum) and the Doris Duke Foundation, will award up to ten $100,000 grants and provide a year-long residency program to help leaders develop innovative strategies to boost relevance and financial stability.

San Francisco artist Ana Teresa Fernandez's Chicago exhibit, 'Under Pressure,' is a call to climate action

San Francisco-based artist Ana Teresa Fernández has opened a solo exhibition titled 'Under Pressure' at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. The four-year project features a range of works, including detailed oil paintings and a sculptural piece, all centered on the theme of water and climate change. A key performance element involved Fernández leading hundreds of participants on Chicago's lakefront to form a giant S.O.S. signal using mirrors, a 'social monument' she previously staged in California.

From texture to 3D and optical illusion, Jack Lockhart invites the public to experience art differently

A solo exhibition titled "Beyond Imagination" by Canadian artist Jack Lockhart is on view at the Alex Dufresne Art Gallery in Callander. The show features roughly 35 paintings spanning 60 years of Lockhart's career, highlighting his evolution from traditional watercolour, acrylic, and oil painting to innovative 3D works created using ChromaDepth glasses.

Bikaner House to host Japanese artist Mari Ito’s first solo exhibition in India, Origin of Desire

Japanese artist Mari Ito will hold her first solo exhibition in India, titled 'Origin of Desire,' at Bikaner House in New Delhi. The week-long show, presented by the gallery GEEK/ART, opens on April 25 and features new paintings and a special installation, introducing Ito's botanical, surreal, and Nihonga-influenced work to a new audience.

Art for art’s sake, but for people’s health too | Letter

Art Fund director Jenny Waldman responds to a philosophical article about art's intrinsic value, arguing that while art should be enjoyed for its own sake, promoting its measurable health benefits can serve as a crucial entry point for new audiences. She cites the organization's National Art Pass adverts and recent research with King's College London, which demonstrated immediate physiological responses to viewing original art, as tools to invite people who might otherwise feel excluded from cultural institutions.

Director’s Notes with Adam Golfer | “Camille Henrot: In Movement”

Adam Golfer, the director of the short film "Camille Henrot: In Movement," reflects on the process of creating the documentary. He describes following the artist Camille Henrot over a full year in New York and Paris, capturing her wide-ranging creative process from sketches to paintings, model-making to large-scale sculptures, and the evolution of her film work.