Rome’s Colosseum Gets a New Pedestrian Plaza

Rome has unveiled a newly restored pedestrian plaza at the southern façade of the Colosseum following a four-year construction project. Led by Stefano Boeri Interiors, the renovation features a travertine-paved square that recreates the original floor level and footprint of the ancient amphitheater. The design uses stone plinths to mark the locations of long-lost columns, allowing visitors to visualize the massive scale of the structure as it appeared nearly 2,000 years ago.

Collaborative art exhibition at Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design explores the weight and wonder of ordinary things

A new collaborative exhibition titled *Tension & Tenderness: The Domestic Surreal* has opened at Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design (KCAD) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The show unites artists Michael Pfleghaar and Lisa Walcott, who explore the hidden forces within everyday domestic life. Pfleghaar’s paintings blend queer-coded interiors and still-life scenes with abstract elements, while Walcott’s kinetic sculptures repurpose household objects like brooms and drying racks to evoke gravity, breathing, and tension. The exhibition is curated by KCAD Exhibitions Director Michele Bosak and runs through November 15 in the KCAD FLEXgallery.

Collaborative art exhibition at Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design explores the weight and wonder of ordinary things

A new collaborative exhibition titled *Tension & Tenderness: The Domestic Surreal* has opened at Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design (KCAD) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The show unites artists Michael Pfleghaar and Lisa Walcott, who explore the hidden forces within everyday domestic life through painting and kinetic sculpture. Pfleghaar’s queer-coded interiors and still-life compositions blend flattened perspective with abstract elements, while Walcott repurposes household objects like brooms and drying racks into moving sculptures that evoke gravity, breathing, and repetition. The exhibition runs through November 15 in the KCAD FLEXgallery.

Colosseum Facelift Restores Ancient Southern Entrance to Its Former Glory

Rome’s Colosseum has unveiled a major four-year restoration of its southern entrance, a project led by Stefano Boeri Interiors in collaboration with the Colosseum Archaeological Park. The renovation lowered the surrounding piazza to its original Roman-era height, reintroduced travertine flooring sourced from ancient quarries, and installed seating blocks that mark the locations of long-lost marble columns. During the excavation process, archaeologists recovered a wealth of historical artifacts, including ancient coins, statues, and gold jewelry, while leaving a specific section untouched to showcase the arena's complex hydraulic foundations.

Light on the water

The Victoria Art Gallery in Bath has announced 'The Transience of Light,' the first posthumous exhibition dedicated to the celebrated British printmaker Norman Ackroyd CBE RA. Opening on May 22, the retrospective features over five decades of etchings, ranging from his early 1980s works to his final pieces. Co-curated by the gallery’s senior curator Nathalie Levi alongside Ackroyd’s family and studio manager, the show includes archival material and a diverse range of subjects including his iconic remote coastal landscapes, cityscapes, and interiors.

ASU Art Museum exhibit features Chicana artist Carmen Lomas Garza

The Arizona State University Art Museum is set to open "Carmen Lomas Garza: Picturing the Familiar" this May, a retrospective dedicated to the 76-year-old Chicana artist and author. The exhibition highlights Garza’s career-long commitment to documenting South Texas and Mexican-American life through paintings, prints, and children's book illustrations. Her work focuses on intimate, everyday scenes—from domestic interiors to community celebrations—that were heavily influenced by her involvement in the Chicano movement.

London National Gallery’s deficit bombshell, Simon Schama on birds and art, Vilhelm Hammershøi—podcast

The National Gallery in London has announced unexpected and significant budget cuts, including potential staff reductions, due to a projected deficit of £8.2 million for the upcoming year. This financial crisis comes as a surprise following the recent completion of a major building project and the announcement of another ambitious expansion planned for the 2030s.

Zen Crafart showcases Viveek Sharma’s solo exhibition Silence Please in New Delhi

Zen Crafart, an Indian art company, presents Viveek Sharma's solo exhibition 'Silence Please' at Bikaner House in New Delhi from November 20–30, 2025. The show features large-format paintings, intimate compositions, sculptural works, and limited edition art plates, exploring stillness and psychological interiors. Rashmin Majithia, Partner at Zen Crafart, and Chief Guest Jyoti Mayal, Chairperson of THSC, spoke at the opening. A second exhibition, 'Sacred Gestures,' is scheduled for December 2–8, 2025, at Jahangir Art Gallery in Mumbai, focusing on movement and expressive emotion.

The Chateau Show offers a stylish exhibition full of surprises for artistic insiders

Each October, the Chateau Show takes over the historic Aldredge House on Swiss Avenue in Dallas, a Gilded Age home built in 1915-17. Founded by artists Joel Murray and Clint Bargers, the four-year-old exhibition invites a select crowd of curators, museum directors, and art world insiders to view envelope-pushing works by emerging, mid-career, and established artists. This year’s edition features 21 participants, including Alicia Eggert, Luke Harnden, Virginia L. Montgomery, and Arthur Peña, with installations ranging from site-specific pieces to more commercial works. The show is free and open by appointment from Oct. 19-25.

The Chateau Show offers a stylish exhibition full of surprises for artistic insiders

Each October, the Chateau Show transforms the historic Aldredge House on Swiss Avenue in Dallas into an innovative exhibition space. Founded by artists Joel Murray and Clint Bargers, the four-year-old show invites a select crowd of curators, museum directors, and art world insiders to view envelope-pushing works that juxtapose with the Gilded Age home's classic interiors. The 2025 edition features 21 artists including Alicia Eggert, Luke Harnden, Virginia L. Montgomery, and Arthur Peña, with past participants like Rachael Henson, Sheryl Anaya, and Brent Birnbaum. The altruistic curators allow 100% of proceeds to go directly to the artists.

Let Your Home Be

The article explores the aesthetic philosophy of embracing untidiness and natural decay within domestic spaces as a form of beauty. It presents the idea that a home's character can be enhanced by allowing it to remain "ungroomed," challenging conventional norms of interior design and order.

I wanted to hate the new LACMA. Then I went back

The article describes the author's evolving impression of the newly opened David Geffen wing at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), designed by architect Peter Zumthor. Initially visiting at 11am, the author found the $724 million, 110,000 sq ft building to be a "dismal, dated, inelegant brute," with thick bronze windows, dark concrete slabs, and bunker-like galleries. However, returning at 4pm, the author experienced a transformation: golden afternoon light warmed the concrete, illuminated the interiors, and revealed the building as a "brilliant innovation and true gift to the city." The article details the building's 20-year design evolution, challenges including fossil discoveries on site, and Zumthor's public frustrations with the compromised details.

Vintage & Antique Fine Art Gallery to open in Whigham

Cellar Door Interiors, an antique and vintage decor store serving South Georgia and North Florida, is opening a new vintage and antique fine art gallery in downtown Whigham. The grand opening celebration will take place on Saturday, December 13, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 116 W. Broad Avenue, coinciding with the city's annual Christmas in Whigham event. The gallery will offer a curated collection of original artworks from the 1800s to the present, including oils and watercolors acquired from private collections. Owner Rachel Farrell, who has a background in the arts, plans to eventually feature installations by local artists.

November 2025 Opportunities: Open Calls, Residencies, and Grants for Artists

This article compiles a list of open calls, residencies, and grants for artists in November 2025, featuring opportunities such as the Hopper Prize offering $4,500 and $1,000 artist grants, the Biafarin Awards with $4,000 CAD in cash grants and global exposure, and the GLEAM public art exhibition at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Other calls include the Contemporary Reflection exhibition in London, an open call for exhibitions at Municipal Gallery dlr LexIcon in Ireland, the INteriors show at Glen Arbor Arts Center, Sight/Geist film and performance series in New York, and a main gallery commission at Locust Projects in Miami, among others.

October 2025 Opportunities: Open Calls, Residencies, and Grants for Artists

This article compiles a list of open calls, residencies, and grants for artists in October 2025, including opportunities such as the Hopper Prize offering $4,500 and $1,000 artist grants, the Abbey Harris Mural Fund in the UK providing up to £7,000 for public murals, and the 2026 Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry. Other listings include the Contemporary Reflection Art Exhibition in London, an open call for exhibitions at Municipal Gallery dlr LexIcon in Ireland, the Glen Arbor Arts Center's INteriors show, the Sight/Geist Film & Performance open call in New York City, a creative commission for the Sycamore Gap tree by the National Trust, and the Discovery Art Fair Frankfurt.

October 2025 Opportunities: Open Calls, Residencies, and Grants for Artists

The article lists numerous open calls, residencies, and grants for artists in October 2025, including the Hopper Prize offering $4,500 and $1,000 artist grants, the Abbey Harris Mural Fund in the UK providing up to £7,000 for public murals, and the 2026 Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry. Other opportunities include the Contemporary Reflection Art Exhibition in London, an open call for 2027-29 exhibitions at Municipal Gallery, dlr LexIcon in Ireland, the Glen Arbor Arts Center's INteriors exhibition, the Sight/Geist Film & Performance open call in New York City, and a creative commission for the Sycamore Gap Tree by the National Trust. Deadlines range from October 10 to November 17, 2025.

experts believe hidden tunnel in new york museum was used as safe house by slaves during civil war 1234773196

Archaeologists and historians have discovered a hidden tunnel and concealed space within the Merchant's House Museum in Manhattan. The small opening, found beneath a built-in dresser on the second floor, leads to a 2x2-foot area with a ladder, suggesting the 1832 home was used as a safe house on the Underground Railroad, aiding people escaping slavery before and during the Civil War.

Console Tables That Fit In Anywhere

The article highlights a trend in contemporary furniture design, focusing on console tables that blend sculptural aesthetics with functional design. These pieces are characterized by their use of mixed materials and artistic lines, positioning them as versatile objects suitable for diverse interior spaces.

Echo of Dreams: Symbolism in Brussels

Écho des songes. Le Symbolisme à Bruxelles

The Maison Hannon in Saint-Gilles, Brussels, has opened a major exhibition titled "Écho des songes" dedicated to Belgian Symbolism. Following an extensive restoration that removed scaffolding from its 1904 Art Nouveau facade, the historic residence designed by Jules Brunfaut is now fully accessible to the public. The show utilizes the building's restored interiors, including its famous staircase hall and Paul Baudoüin frescoes, to provide a contextual backdrop for the Symbolist movement.

Hugo the Decorator

Hugo décorateur

An exhibition and accompanying book explore Victor Hugo's lesser-known role as an interior decorator, focusing on the elaborate interiors he created for his homes in Paris and during his exile on the island of Guernsey. Curator Gérard Audinet conducted extensive research to reconstruct these lost environments, which were filled with eclectic objects, artworks by friends, and prestigious gifts.

What You Need to Know About Buying Large Wall Art

The article provides a practical guide for prospective buyers considering the purchase of large-scale wall art, defined as pieces typically measuring 30 by 40 inches or larger. It outlines the unique logistical challenges involved, from transportation and installation to ensuring the piece fits and functions within a living space.

Popular sculptor Jago sets his sights on Capri with an exhibition that is also a territorial enhancement project

Il popolare scultore Jago punta su Capri con una mostra che è anche un progetto di valorizzazione territoriale

The Italian island of Capri has announced a major solo exhibition by the sculptor Jago, scheduled to open in June at the historic Villa Lysis. This ambitious project will feature the artist's works distributed across the villa’s eclectic spaces, including its Art Nouveau interiors, the Chinese-style opium den, and its panoramic terraces. The initiative is a strategic move by the local administration to revitalize the site, which, despite its architectural significance, suffers from its remote location on Monte Tiberio.

Inside the new David Geffen Galleries at LA County Museum of Art

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has opened its new David Geffen Galleries, a $724 million building designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. The structure features a floating floor, floor-to-ceiling windows, and minimalist concrete interiors that create a calm, light-filled space. The inaugural exhibition presents 26 interconnected galleries with no set path, displaying artworks from ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs to contemporary installations like Do Ho Suh's "Jagyeong Hall, Gyeongbok Palace" (2026), aiming to eliminate hierarchies of time, place, or genre.

Emma Donnersberg to open Paris gallery

Interior designer Emma Donnersberg will open her first Paris gallery on 20 October 2025 in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The inaugural exhibition will feature paintings by Mexican artist Ileana García Magoda alongside new furniture pieces by Donnersberg, including the Marigold sofa and chairs from her Cloud and Rainbow collections. Donnersberg, who studied at Tulane University and Parsons School of Design, began her career at Christie’s in New York and Paris before founding E. Donnersberg Interiors in Manhattan in 2008.

On View: 'Danielle McKinney: Tell Me More' at Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University is Painter's First U.S. Solo Museum Exhibition

Danielle McKinney's first solo museum exhibition in the United States, 'Danielle McKinney: Tell Me More,' has opened at the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. The show features 13 intimately scaled paintings created between 2021 and 2025, depicting Black women in dimly lit domestic interiors—lounging, reading, or smoking—often nude or in robes, with saturated colors and cinematic compositions. McKinney, born in Montgomery, Alabama, and based in Jersey City, began her career as a photographer and earned an MFA from Parsons School of Design before turning to painting in 2020 during the pandemic. The exhibition is curated by Gannit Ankori, the museum's director and chief curator, and runs from August 20, 2025, to January 4, 2026.

Art exhibitions to explore in the UAE this September

This September, the UAE is hosting a diverse array of art exhibitions across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, ranging from group shows to solo presentations and digital art showcases. Highlights include 'Summer Collective: Wavering Hope' at Ayyam Gallery, featuring 12 Syrian artists; Colombian artist Ana Escobar Saavedra's first solo show at 421 Arts Campus; 'To Know Malaysia Is To Love Malaysia' at the Cultural Foundation, presenting works by NYU Abu Dhabi MFA graduates; 'History Encoded' at kanvas, tracing digital art from algorithmic works to AI and blockchain; and Marwan Bassiouni's 'New Western Views' at Lawrie Shabibi, exploring mosque interiors in Western landscapes.

Tour the Museum-Quality Art Exhibition Inside the Megayacht Carinthia VII

The luxury megayacht Carinthia VII, owned by the Austrian billionaire Heidi Goëss-Horten and designed by Tim Heywood, has been transformed into a floating museum this summer. Curated by Florencia Cherñajovsky, the yacht features approximately forty museum-quality works from her family's collection of around 500 artworks, including pieces by Tracey Emin, Wolfgang Tillmans, Rosemarie Trockel, Lutz Bacher, Petrit Halilaj, Louise Nevelson, Carol Rama, Sarah Lucas, and Brazilian women artists like Ana Maria Maiolino. The exhibition spans photography, painting, drawing, and sculpture, arranged to create dialogues between artists and the yacht's interiors, which include reclaimed 17th-century parquet floors and custom rugs from Cherñajovsky's brand Lalana Rugs.

Shellburne Thurber: Full Circle

Shellburne Thurber's retrospective exhibition "Full Circle" runs from October 24, 2025 to March 21, 2026 at the Bates Museum of Art. The show surveys Thurber's decades-long photographic investigation of interior spaces—from her grandmother's home in southern Indiana in the 1970s to psychoanalytic offices published as a book in 2023 by Kehrer Verlag. Curated by Bates curator Samantha Sigmon, the exhibition traces how Thurber has consistently explored the relationship between constructed space and human energy, focusing on private, domestic, and psychological interiors that blur the line between public and private.

100 Years of Leighton House

Leighton House in London has announced a year-long centenary program for 2026, marking 100 years since the house opened as a museum. The centerpiece is "The Arab Hall: Past and Present" (21 March – 4 October 2026), featuring three site-specific installations by artists Ramzi Mallat, Kamilah Ahmed, and Soraya Syed, a short film by Syrian filmmaker Soudade Kaadan, and an exhibition of original designs by George Aitchison, William De Morgan, and Walter Crane, alongside new research by Dr. Melanie Gibson published in a fully illustrated book. The museum is also collecting public memories and memorabilia for a Centenary Archive, and has formed an Advisory Panel to inform the exhibition.

marie antoinette style exhibition va 2658788

London's V&A Museum will open "Marie Antoinette Style" in September, the first U.K. exhibition focused on the French queen's influence on fashion and design. Featuring 250 objects including historical artifacts from Versailles, court dresses, jewels, and contemporary pieces, the show explores how Marie Antoinette's lavish personal style—from pastel gowns and towering wigs to rococo interiors—reshaped 18th-century aesthetics and continues to inspire artists and designers like Alexander McQueen and Sofia Coppola. The exhibition is sponsored by shoemaker Manolo Blahnik and includes immersive scent recreations of the queen's favorite perfume.