A viral Instagram video by Emily Kaplan claims that two artworks stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990 appear in tax estate documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files. Kaplan suggests the Rembrandt etching and a painting attributed to Govaert Flinck were listed, potentially linking the infamous art heist to Epstein's financial network for money laundering.
Four major paintings by Claude Monet, Paul Signac, Edgar Degas, and Fernand Léger will be offered at Sotheby's Modern and Contemporary evening sale in London on March 4. The works have a combined high estimate of £24 million, led by Monet's rare Italian Riviera scene 'Maison de Jardinier' (1884) with an £8.5 million high estimate.
Emails released by the U.S. Department of Justice in January 2026 reveal that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein boasted to associates about securing a private after-hours visit to the Musée d'Orsay in Paris with filmmaker Woody Allen on March 18, 2012. In the correspondence, Epstein wrote to a recipient identified only as 'junkermann' that the French government would open the museum for him and Allen, and later messaged others including former girlfriend Eva Dubin, who responded with a 'King of the castle' quip. Epstein also made crude sexual references in connection with the visit, mentioning Edgar Degas's depictions of nude women.
A new TV series titled "The Artist" on The Network offers a chaotic, irreverent take on art history, centering on a widow (Janet McTeer) who may have murdered her robber-baron husband. The show features historical figures like Edgar Degas and Thomas Edison, blending campy soap-opera drama with accurate art-historical references, including real artworks by Monet, Manet, Cassatt, and Degas. The final episodes air December 25 on a free ad-sponsored platform created by director Aram Rappaport.
Swatch has announced a new collaboration with the Guggenheim, releasing a collection of watches featuring artworks from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. The collection includes designs based on works by Edgar Degas, Paul Klee, Claude Monet, and Jackson Pollock, and is part of Swatch's ongoing Art Journey series, which has previously partnered with institutions like the Museum of Modern Art and the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Timothy Martin, a climate activist with the group Declare Emergency, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for smearing paint on a glass vitrine protecting Edgar Degas's sculpture *Little Dancer, Age Fourteen* at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in April 2023. He was found guilty of conspiracy and injury to government property, and must also pay $4,062 in restitution, perform 150 hours of community service, and is barred from entering Washington, D.C. and its museums. His co-activist, Johanna Smith, had previously pleaded guilty and served a 60-day sentence.
America’s new ambassador to Britain, Warren Stephens, has transformed Winfield House, the official residence in Regent’s Park, into a private museum by installing works from his family’s art collection. The display includes several Cézannes, a Renoir, a Degas, and a centerpiece Monet painting, *Effet de soleil couchant sur la Seine à Port-Villez* (1883), hung above the drawing-room mantelpiece. Unlike most ambassadors who rely on loans from the State Department’s “Art in Embassies” program, Stephens draws directly on his own holdings, which were assembled in partnership with the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts.
A woman in Pennsylvania purchased a nude charcoal sketch for $12 at a local auction, later discovering it was a Pierre-Auguste Renoir drawing now potentially worth six figures. This fall, the Morgan Museum and Library will present "Renoir Drawings," the first exhibition dedicated to the artist's works on paper since 1921, bringing together over 100 drawings, pastels, watercolors, and prints. The show is organized thematically, covering Renoir's academic studies, sketches of modern life, and portraits, and will reunite finished works with preparatory drawings, including major loans from the Musée d'Orsay, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and other institutions.
On Thursday, an environmental activist from the group Last Generation Canada hurled bright pink paint at Pablo Picasso's 1901 painting *L’hetaire* at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The protester, identified as 21-year-old Marcel, was arrested and later released pending a court appearance; two accomplices who filmed the act were detained and released without charge. The group cited the record-breaking heat wave in Winnipeg and Manitoba as a motivation, arguing that art is meaningless on a dead planet.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has unveiled the renovated Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, dedicated to the art of Africa, Oceania, and the ancient Americas. Designed by Kulapat Yantrasast of WHY Architecture with Beyer, Blinder, Belle Architects, the 40,000-square-foot wing opened to the public on May 31, showcasing 1,800 objects from 663 cultures across 90 countries. The collection originated from Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller, who began acquiring non-Western art in 1930 and later founded the Museum of Primitive Art in 1957 after the Met initially declined his donation.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, closed since 2021, reopens after a $70 million renovation. The redesign by architect Kulapat Yantrasast transforms the previously dark and cramped galleries into airy, energizing spaces, with a major rehang that reconfigures the Oceania galleries. Notable changes include the repositioning of a Kwoma ceremonial house ceiling in collaboration with descendants of the original painters, the relocation of Asmat funerary poles to a dedicated gallery, and the addition of newly acquired works by Ömie artist Ilma Savari. The renovation also features revised wall texts that better contextualize the objects.
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco will present "Manet and Morisot," the first major museum exhibition dedicated to the artistic exchange between French Impressionists Édouard Manet and Berthe Morisot. Opening October 11 at the Legion of Honor, the show traces their relationship from 1868 to 1883, pairing works to reveal mutual influence. Lenders include the National Gallery of Art, Musée d'Orsay, J. Paul Getty Museum, and Cleveland Museum of Art, where the exhibition will travel next year.
The article highlights Medardo Rosso, an Italian sculptor largely overlooked despite his pioneering role in modernist sculpture. A new exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Basel, "Medardo Rosso: The Invention of Modern Sculpture," showcases 50 of his works alongside pieces by over 60 artists including Rodin, Degas, and Brancusi, aiming to reassert his influence. Rosso's radical approach rejected monumentality for materiality and process, embracing subjects from society's fringes and anticipating 20th-century art developments. The show also revisits his bitter rivalry with Rodin, whom Rosso accused of borrowing his signature tilting effect.
This year marks the 150th anniversary of Impressionism, which began in 1874 when 31 artists including Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet, and Berthe Morisot staged a groundbreaking exhibition in Paris. To commemorate the sesquicentennial, international institutions are hosting exhibitions such as the Musée d'Orsay's "Paris 1874: Inventing Impressionism," while Artnet and Morgan Stanley have collaborated to analyze auction data from 2014 to 2023, examining the market for works by approximately 120 Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists. Despite perceptions that Impressionism has lost its luster, the number of lots offered at auction has remained steady, averaging 6,091 annually over the decade.
The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., has received a $116 million gift from billionaire art collector Mitchell P. Rales. This donation will fund a new program to send the museum's collection on long-term loans to smaller institutions across the United States in perpetuity, significantly expanding its national reach.
The Getty Center in Los Angeles will close for a full year starting March 15, 2027, to undergo its first major renovation since opening in 1997. The "modernization initiatives" include updates to the galleries, a redesign of the Welcome Hall with a new café, and the replacement of the iconic tram system to increase passenger capacity. During the closure, the Getty Villa in Malibu will remain open and display highlights from the Center’s permanent collection, while additional programming will be held at a temporary space on Sepulveda Boulevard.
Beaux Arts Magazine presents a detailed dossier analyzing ten iconic masterpieces of Impressionism, including works by Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, Auguste Renoir, Gustave Caillebotte, Claude Monet, and Mary Cassatt. The article explores the technical innovations, modern subjects, and revolutionary spirit of the movement, which began in 1874 and was initially rejected by critics. Each featured painting—such as *Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe*, *Impression, soleil levant*, and *Le Bal du moulin de la Galette*—is examined by art historians and journalists to reveal its composition, historical context, and lasting impact.
The Bunker Artspace in Palm Beach, Florida, has opened "Beyond the Rainbow," a major exhibition of LGBTQ+ art curated by Laura Dvorkin and Maynard Monrow, along with 19 other artists, curators, gallerists, architects, and writers. The show draws from the collection of patron Beth Rudin DeWoody and features works by Catherine Opie, Andy Warhol, Nicole Eisenman, Lyle Ashton Harris, and others, running from December 7 through May 1, 2026. The exhibition was inspired by a visit to the Centre Pompidou's "Over the Rainbow" show in Paris.
The article reports on the state of the art market at the end of 2025, noting that while it has been a difficult year with three years of contraction, there are signs of improvement. Recent sales in Miami and $2.2 billion in marquee auctions in New York last month have boosted optimism. Factors such as lower interest rates and easing geopolitical tensions are contributing to a slightly rosier outlook for 2026, though the article warns that some sectors will recover while others may not for some time.
A digital cover story profiles New York City's rogue project spaces—artist-run venues like U-Haul Gallery, Desnivel, Spielzeug, Catbox Contemporary, and 95 Gallon Gallery—that operate in unconventional locations such as trash bins, moving trucks, bodegas, laundromats, buses, and cat towers. The article features interviews with founders including Maria De Victoria (Desnivel), James Sundquist and Jack Chase (U-Haul Gallery), and others, highlighting how these spaces counter the bureaucracy of institutional exhibitions by prioritizing artist freedom, intimacy, and community engagement.
An exhibition titled 'Café Society: Art and Sociability in Belle Epoque Paris' is opening, featuring over 50 paintings that explore the role of cafés in late 19th-century Parisian social and artistic life. The show will travel from the Ordrupgaard museum in Copenhagen to two venues in the United States: the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis and the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha.
The article highlights the most exciting art exhibitions across the Asia-Pacific region in late 2025. Key shows include a survey of women photographers in Melbourne, a Lee Bul retrospective in Seoul, a Robert Rauschenberg exhibition in Hong Kong, and a Lucie Rie ceramics show in Kanazawa, Japan. Additionally, a new museum opens in Taiwan, and the National Palace Museum in Taiwan hosts a loan exhibition of 81 works from the Robert Lehman Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, featuring artists like Cézanne, Gauguin, and Renoir. Other notable events include 'Prism of the Real' at the National Crafts Museum in Kanazawa, examining Japanese art from 1989 to 2010, and a Kim Tschang-Yeul exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in South Korea.
The British Museum's exhibition "Hiroshige: Artist of the Open Road" (through September 7) showcases over 100 prints by the Japanese master Utagawa Hiroshige, including rare loans that highlight his influence on European avant-garde artists. A key display is Vincent van Gogh's own copy of Hiroshige's "The Plum Garden at Kameido" (1857), on loan from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, along with Van Gogh's squared-up tracing used for his painting. New research by British Museum senior scientist Capucine Korenberg reveals a short pencil line on the print that confirms Van Gogh used this exact copy as a guide for his tracing and subsequent painting.
Two former U.S. ambassadors to the UK, John Hay Whitney (1957-61) and Walter Annenberg (1969-74), displayed Van Gogh masterpieces from their personal collections in Winfield House, the official residence in London's Regent's Park. Whitney hung Van Gogh's *Self-portrait* (September 1889) above the mantelpiece in the family dining room, while the Annenbergs placed *La Berceuse* (February 1889) and *Olive Trees* (November 1889) in the green room, alongside works by Gauguin, Degas, Cézanne, Monet, and Renoir. Both ambassadors later donated their Van Goghs to major U.S. museums—Whitney's to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Annenbergs' to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Le Musée Langmatt de Baden rouvre ses portes
The Langmatt Museum in Baden, Switzerland, has reopened after a two-year, €21 million renovation of its Art Nouveau villa, which required urgent structural intervention. The project was co-financed by the city of Baden and the canton of Aargau, with the city contributing CHF 10 million. To secure the museum's endowment fund, the Langmatt Foundation controversially sold three Paul Cézanne masterpieces at Christie's New York in November 2023 for a total of CHF 40.32 million, sparking ethical debate in museum circles. The renovation covered all 75 rooms, including new fire protection, an elevator, accessibility upgrades, a glass pavilion, and restoration of the historic park, while preserving the villa's character.
The article recaps the most memorable Denver art exhibitions of 2025, highlighting five standout shows from Front Range galleries and museums. Featured exhibits include Kent Monkman's provocative retrospective "History is Painted by the Victors" at the Denver Art Museum, Bruce Price's "Harmonious Dissonance" at Redline Art Center, Black Cube Nomadic Museum's tenth-anniversary show "What We Hold On To," the textile group exhibition "Rosas y Revelaciones" at Museo de las Américas, and Melissa Furness's mid-career retrospective "Embedded" at the Arvada Center. Several of these exhibits remain on view through early January 2026.
Greater Boston's fall art exhibitions feature a range of shows that reflect on social issues and artistic traditions. Notable exhibits include Jean Shin's "Fabricated Imaginaries: Crafting Art" at the Rose Art Museum, which explores textile consumption and Asian stereotypes; "Sketch, Shade, Smudge: Drawing from Gray to Black" at Harvard Art Museums, showcasing monochromatic works; "Andrew Gn: Fashioning the World" at the Peabody Essex Museum, highlighting the designer's blend of Eastern and Western aesthetics; and "List Projects 33: Every Ocean Hughes" at MIT List Visual Arts Center, examining the process of dying through video installation.
On May 4, 2026, a small but spirited protest organized by the advocacy group Rise and Resist erupted near the Metropolitan Museum of Art during the Met Gala. Dozens of costumed demonstrators gathered on a makeshift "Resistance Runway" to denounce billionaire Jeff Bezos, who co-chaired the event with his wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos. Participants held signs addressing trans rights, fascism, and wealth inequality, and danced to ABBA's "Money, Money, Money." The protest highlighted Bezos's role as co-chair, with activists criticizing his company Amazon's profits from immigration crackdowns and layoffs at the Washington Post. Bezos reportedly did not attend the gala, while his wife walked the red carpet alone.
The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), housed in a Beaux-Arts building within City Park, is profiled as a cultural cornerstone of the city. Founded in 1911 as the Isaac Delgado Museum of Art, it now holds over 50,000 works spanning global artifacts, Japanese ceramics, Egyptian relics, and modern pieces by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Edgar Degas, and Wangechi Mutu. The museum also features the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, a 12-acre free-admission outdoor space with works by Rodin, Moore, and Oldenburg. Upcoming 2026 programming includes Japan Fest, an Edo-period Rinpa exhibition, and a long-term show of French porcelain from the Thomas B. Lemann collection.
The Musée d'Orsay in Paris has opened a new dedicated gallery, Room 10b, to display works from its MNR (Musées nationaux Récupération) collection—artworks looted or acquired under dubious circumstances during the Nazi era. The room features detailed labels and educational texts, with some works shown verso to reveal provenance labels. The initiative is funded by the American Friends of the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée de l'Orangerie with €1 million over four years, and includes a fake Monet, a Degas subject to a restitution claim, a Rodin sculpture, and a debated Cézanne. The museum's provenance research team, led by Inès Rotermund-Reynard, collaborates with the French Ministry of Culture's M2RS mission.