The Philosopher Who Predicted Our Post-Literate Art Moment

Art critic Martha Schwendener has released a new book titled 'The Society of the Screen: Vilém Flusser’s Radical Prescience,' exploring the prophetic theories of the late philosopher Vilém Flusser. Flusser, a Prague-born thinker who lived in Brazil and Europe, argued in the 1980s that society was transitioning from a text-based culture to one dominated by 'technical images,' a shift he believed would fundamentally alter human consciousness and the function of the 'apparatus' in daily life.

The art of technology jostles for position in venues both new and historic

Canyon, a new 40,000-square-foot institution dedicated to moving image, sound, and performance art, is set to open this autumn on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Founded by entrepreneur Robert Rosenkranz and led by former Mass MoCA director Joe Thompson, the space aims to bypass the slow curatorial cycles of traditional museums by hosting international media-rich exhibitions with a faster 18-to-24-month turnaround. Unlike traditional collecting institutions, Canyon will focus on public accessibility and domestic-style hospitality rather than building its own permanent archive.

Our pick of the best museum and gallery shows to see in Chicago this spring

Chicago’s spring art season features a diverse array of exhibitions, highlighted by Dabin Ahn’s solo debut at Document, which explores memory and grief through fractured canvases and Korean ceramics. The Art Institute of Chicago is hosting a tribute to the late Lucas Samaras, showcasing his experimental Polaroid self-portraiture, while the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA) launches an ambitious group show examining the political and cultural impact of dancehall and reggaetón.

A renewed focus on rigour and connection at Expo Chicago

The 2026 edition of Expo Chicago marks a strategic shift under the leadership of new director Kate Sierzputowski, featuring a leaner roster of 130 galleries at Navy Pier. The fair has introduced a more spacious layout and a new curatorial role, filled by Essence Harden, to deepen institutional ties and scholarly rigor. Notable participants include local mainstays like Monique Meloche Gallery and Gray, alongside international exhibitors from South Korea, South Africa, and Nigeria, as well as high-profile New York newcomers like Karma.

Bettina Pousttchi Recasts Steel Barriers as Poetic Sculptures at Rockefeller Center

German artist Bettina Pousttchi has unveiled a monumental steel sculpture titled "Vertical Highways V03" at New York’s Rockefeller Center. Crafted from repurposed roadway guardrails that have been bent and colored, the vertical installation stands in dialogue with the surrounding Art Deco architecture. The work, which has previously been exhibited in Paris, Berlin, and Istanbul, will remain on public display in Midtown Manhattan through April 17, 2026.

melvin edwards sculptor dead

Melvin Edwards, the pioneering sculptor known for his powerful steel assemblages and "Lynch Fragments" series, has died at the age of 88 in Baltimore. Edwards was a trailblazer who reframed Minimalism by infusing it with political and cultural weight, becoming the first Black sculptor to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum in 1970. His work utilized industrial materials like chains and barbed wire to address histories of enslavement, anti-Black violence, and global conflict while maintaining a sophisticated abstract language.

Still Life Painter Poppy Jones’s Career Is on the Move

British artist Poppy Jones has seen a meteoric rise in market and institutional recognition over the past year. Her enigmatic still lifes, created by mono-printing photographic images onto found materials like silk and suede, have resonated with collectors, leading to a major jump in searches on the Artnet Price Database and auction results that have tripled estimates, with her record now over $60,000.

thaddeus mosley sculptor dead

Thaddeus Mosley, the acclaimed American sculptor known for his monumental wood abstractions, has died at the age of 99 in Pittsburgh. Throughout a career spanning seven decades, Mosley transformed salvaged walnut, sycamore, and cherry wood into curvaceous, gravity-defying forms that balanced immense weight with a sense of lightness. Though he was a long-standing pillar of the Pittsburgh creative community, he achieved widespread national recognition and major museum representation only in his 90s.

making the mark forum art market museum recap

The inaugural Making Their Mark forum convened 350 art world professionals at the National Museum of Women in the Arts to address systemic gender inequity. Organized by collector Komal Shah and the Making Their Mark Foundation, the event featured panels with artists, curators, and public figures like Chelsea Clinton and Ava DuVernay. The forum served as a call to action to dismantle the male-dominated art historical canon and reform the systems governing visibility and valuation.

new museum reopening expansion new humans review

The New Museum in New York has officially reopened following a two-year closure for a major expansion designed by OMA. The renovation doubles the institution's footprint to 60,000 square feet, introducing a central spiral staircase that seamlessly connects the original SANAA-designed building with the new structure. The reopening is marked by the massive group exhibition "New Humans: Memories of the Future," a sprawling survey featuring over 200 artists curated by artistic director Massimiliano Gioni.

agosto machado artist activist dead whitney biennial

Agosto Machado, a seminal figure in the Downtown New York art scene and a veteran of the Stonewall uprising, has died following a brief illness. Known as a 'pre-Stonewall street queen,' Machado transitioned from a community activist and archivist to a recognized artist whose intricate altar sculptures are currently featured in the 2024 Whitney Biennial. His work, which utilizes found objects and ephemera to create shrines for queer icons and AIDS victims, serves as a vital act of 'ancestor worship' and historical preservation for a community often marginalized by mainstream institutions.

Art Basel’s Parent Company Plans New ‘Ideas Festival’—and More Art Industry News

MCH Group, the parent company of Art Basel, is launching a new global ideas festival called the Futurific Institute in Basel in 2028, backed by billionaires James and Kathryn Murdoch. Art Dubai has postponed its 20th edition due to regional conflict, while several galleries are opening, closing, or changing locations, including Brooke Benington in London and Timothy Taylor in New York. Additionally, Mexico is demanding eBay remove listings for pre-Columbian artifacts, and institutions like the Royal Academy of Arts and MCA Chicago are announcing key leadership changes.

Gullah artist Sam Doyle’s narrative portraits shine at Outsider Art Fair in New York

A series of 20 paintings by self-taught Gullah artist Sam Doyle are a highlight of this year's Outsider Art Fair in New York. The works, priced from $35,000 to $85,000, are presented by The Gallery of Everything and come from the collection of publisher and Intuit Art Museum co-founder Bob Roth.

stephen friedman exits tribeca

Stephen Friedman Gallery has announced it will close its New York location in Tribeca by the end of February 2026, less than 30 months after its high-profile opening. The gallery framed the decision as a "strategic evolution" intended to consolidate resources at its London headquarters while maintaining a presence at major international art fairs. Despite the closure, the gallery maintains that its artist roster remains unchanged and its influence in the U.S. will continue through institutional exhibitions.

making their mark forum

The Making Their Mark Forum recently convened 350 women in the arts—including artists, curators, and over 20 museum directors—at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C. Organized by collector Komal Shah alongside Cecilia Alemani and Loring Randolph, the invitation-only conference coincided with a traveling exhibition of Shah’s collection at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The event featured high-profile speakers like Chelsea Clinton and Ava DuVernay, focusing on dismantling structural gender inequities and celebrating the foundational contributions of women to art history.

The Art Market Returns to Growth

Confidence in the art market is rising, with a significant increase in dealers expecting sales growth in 2026 according to the latest Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report. The report, authored by economist Clare McAndrew, notes that 43% of dealers anticipate improvement, a 10-point jump from the previous year, though recovery remains uneven due to high costs and trade barriers.

Comment | Cow in MSCHF project survives, but should the project have happened at all?

The Brooklyn-based art collective MSCHF concluded its two-year project 'Our Cow Angus,' in which the fate of a live cow was determined by token holders. Purchasers of tokens representing future hamburgers and leather had the option to return them via a 'remorse portal'; when over 50% were returned by the March 13 deadline, the cow was sent to a sanctuary instead of a slaughterhouse.

indira cesarine the untitled space

Indira Cesarine, the founder of The Untitled Space in Tribeca, reflects on a decade of operating her gallery as a platform for marginalized voices and feminist-driven programming. The gallery grew out of Cesarine’s work as an editor and curator, specifically following the success of her 2009 publication, The Untitled Magazine, and early exhibitions that highlighted the lack of representation for women in the art market.

thomas j price tallest sculpture va east

British artist Thomas J Price has unveiled his largest sculpture to date, an 18-foot bronze titled 'A Place Beyond', outside the forthcoming V&A East in London. The monumental work depicts a fictional woman in everyday attire, continuing Price’s practice of using unidealized figures to critique the traditions of classical sculpture and challenge viewer biases. The installation serves as a public precursor to the museum's official opening on April 18, 2025.

Art Oscar Picks, Whitney Biennial Star Pat Oleszko, Wet Paint

art oscar picks whitney biennial star pat oleszko wet paint

This installment of the Wet Paint gossip column reports on several high-profile developments within the New York and Los Angeles art scenes. Key highlights include internal museum deliberations at the Whitney Museum regarding Precious Okoyomon’s provocative installation for the upcoming Biennial, which features dolls hanging from nooses, and sightings of former Artforum editor David Velasco meeting with Whitney director Scott Rothkopf. Additionally, the column tracks celebrity sightings at Frieze Los Angeles and confirms Lotus L. Kang as the artist for Bvlgari’s pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

Frida Kahlo: Making of an Icon

frida kahlo making of an icon

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has launched a major exhibition titled "Frida Kahlo: Making of an Icon," which explores the artist's transformation from a relatively unknown figure during her lifetime into a global cultural phenomenon. Curated by Mari Carmen Ramírez, the show features over 200 objects related to "Frida mania" alongside works by 80 contemporary artists who have been influenced by her legacy. The exhibition traces her life from her childhood in Mexico City and her tumultuous relationship with Diego Rivera to her emergence as a symbol for various social movements.

frank diaz escalet

Hollis Taggart is hosting a retrospective of Frank Diaz Escalet, a Puerto Rican-born artist whose unique practice involved creating intricate figurative compositions from inlaid leather. Raised in New York and later based in Maine, Escalet transitioned from a master leather craftsman catering to celebrities like the Rolling Stones to a fine artist focused on the lives of everyday people. The exhibition showcases his self-taught technique of cutting, dyeing, and conjoining leather shapes to create vibrant scenes of Puerto Rican culture and urban life.

jackie saccoccio van doren waxter

Van Doren Waxter in New York is hosting "Portraits," a solo exhibition dedicated to the late American abstract painter Jackie Saccoccio. The show features five paintings and seven works on paper that showcase Saccoccio’s mature style, characterized by a physically demanding process of dragging, pressing, and dripping paint. These works bridge the gap between gestural abstraction and the psychological depth of traditional portraiture, drawing inspiration from both Abstract Expressionism and Roman Baroque aesthetics.

Comment | Beryl Cook UK retrospective shows there is much more to the artist than amazing bums

A major retrospective of Beryl Cook's work, titled "Pride and Joy," is on view at The Box in Plymouth, UK. The exhibition showcases the self-taught artist's vibrant paintings of plus-sized, joyful women in social settings, challenging the long-held art-world snobbery that previously excluded her work from major institutions like the Tate.

d lan galleries tefaf maastricht

D Lan Galleries is returning to TEFAF Maastricht in 2026 following a landmark debut that generated nearly $1.4 million in sales. The Melbourne and New York-based gallery will showcase 13 masterworks by prominent First Nations Australian artists, including Emily Kam Kngwarray, Sally Gabori, Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula, and Gordon Bennett. The presentation spans works from the 1970s to the present, highlighting the evolution of Indigenous Australian art on the global stage.

uk government slaps export ban on howard hodgkin work after bonhams sold it for a record 1 7 m

The UK government has issued a temporary export ban on Howard Hodgkin’s painting "Mrs Acton in Delhi" (1967–71) following its record-breaking £1.7 million sale at Bonhams. The Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) intervened after the buyer applied for an export license, triggering a deferral period that allows British museums or galleries until June 4 to match the auction price and keep the work within the country.

golestan palace tehran damaged us israel bombing

The Golestan Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Tehran, has sustained damage following US-Israeli airstrikes targeting the Iranian capital. According to Iran’s cultural heritage minister, Reza Salehi-Amiri, the Qajar-era complex suffered damage to its historic windows, doors, and mirrors due to blast shockwaves and debris. The escalation of the regional conflict has further impacted cultural hubs across the Middle East, with debris falling near Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island and major institutions in Qatar and the UAE temporarily closing their doors.

ludovic nkoth flag art foundation

Ludovic Nkoth is the latest artist featured in the FLAG Art Foundation’s “Spotlight” series, which showcases a single, previously unexhibited work paired with a commissioned text. The featured painting, "Stars under the border" (2026), depicts figures in a quiet, mundane moment of rest or labor, exploring the tension between aspiration and systemic limitation. Nkoth’s practice, rooted in his Cameroonian heritage and New York base, utilizes nuanced brushwork and color to investigate the psychological complexities of the Black diasporic experience.

Cosima von Bonin Loewe Paris

cosima von bonin loewe paris

German artist Cosima von Bonin collaborated with Loewe for its Fall/Winter 2026-2027 womenswear show at the Château de Vincennes during Paris Fashion Week. The artist’s signature plush sculptures, including oversized octopuses and bug-eyed scallops, occupied front-row seats and populated the runway set. Beyond the scenography, von Bonin’s zoomorphic motifs were integrated directly into the collection as jewelry, charms, and minaudières.

carmen de monteflores whitney biennial

At 92 years old, Puerto Rican artist Carmen De Monteflores has emerged as a breakout star of the 2026 Whitney Biennial. Her inclusion in the prestigious exhibition was facilitated by her daughter, renowned performance artist Andrea Fraser, who urged curators to view her mother's vibrant, shaped canvases that had been sitting in storage for decades. De Monteflores, who studied at the Art Students League and the École de Beaux-Arts, abandoned her painting career in 1969 due to the lack of opportunities for women, eventually becoming a psychologist and novelist.