romania secures hold on stolen el greco painting

Romania has secured a 'long-term hold' on El Greco's painting *Saint Sebastian* (1610–1614), which was pulled from a Christie’s New York Old Masters sale in February after the Romanian government claimed the work was unlawfully taken from its national collection. The painting, valued at $7–9 million, was consigned by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, who acquired it in 2010 from Swiss dealer Yves Bouvier. Romania has initiated litigation through Paris to recover the work, arguing it was illegally removed in 1947 by King Michael I as he fled the Communist takeover.

2025 bienal de sao paulo artist list

The Bienal de São Paulo has announced the 120 artists for its 2025 edition, titled “Not All Travellers Walk Roads – Of Humanity as Practice,” opening September 6 at the Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion. Curated by Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, the selection was inspired by bird migration patterns and rivers, aiming to avoid nation-state classifications. Notable participants include Isa Genzken, Firelei Báez, Wolfgang Tillmans, Forensic Architecture, and 19 Brazil-based artists, alongside 20 deceased figures such as Bertina Lopes and Ernest Cole.

new institute of sexology celebrates history of erotic art film photography

The Wellcome Collection in London has opened a new exhibition titled "The Institute of Sexology," celebrating the history of erotic art, film, and photography. The show features a wide range of objects including archival material, ethnographic and medical artifacts, erotica, and works by contemporary artists such as John Stezaker, Sharon Hayes, Zanele Muholi, and Timothy Archibald. It highlights pioneers of sexology like Sigmund Freud, Alfred Kinsey, and Marie Stopes, and marks the first exhibition after the institution's £17.5 million expansion, inaugurating a new gallery for large, year-long shows.

bode galerie the woman in art muse and creator

Bode Galerie in Nuremberg has opened a new group exhibition titled “The Woman in Art – Muse and Creator,” running through July 5, 2025. The show traces the representation of women across the 20th and 21st centuries, featuring works by artists such as Henri Matisse, Ida Kerkovius, Alain Clément, and Elvira Bach. It begins with early 1900s works where women were primarily muses for male artists, then moves through decades of reclamation by women artists, culminating in contemporary autonomous depictions of the female form.

art bites illustrator marginel wright enright frank lloyd wright sister

Maginel Wright Enright, the youngest sister of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, is the subject of this article highlighting her career as a prolific children's book illustrator and commercial artist. Born in 1877, she studied at the Chicago Art Institute and worked for the engraving firm Barnes, Crosby Co. before illustrating 63 children's books, including works by L. Frank Baum (author of *The Wonderful Wizard of Oz*), Johanna Spyri's *Heidi*, and Clara Ingram Judson's *Flower Fairies* series. She also contributed to magazines such as *Woman's World* and *McClure's*, and created a World War I poster.

the art angle art frames

Artnet News published a podcast episode featuring writer and editor Katie White, who discusses her article "Bordercore: Why Frames Became the New Frontier in Contemporary Art." White explores how contemporary artists are reimagining picture frames as surreal, sculptural, and symbolic elements that actively comment on, disrupt, or extend the artwork beyond its traditional boundaries. She cites examples like Stephanie Temma Hier's 2021 work "Sparks and Tremors," which combines oil on linen with glazed stoneware sculpture, and notes that statement frames are increasingly appearing at art fairs and exhibitions after a long period of frameless display.

conductor art fair brooklyn powerhouse global majority artists

A new art fair called Conductor, backed by Powerhouse Arts, will debut in 2026 with a mission to center artists and galleries from the Global Majority—communities from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, and Indigenous Nations. A curated invitational preview runs May 7–11, 2025, at Powerhouse Arts' Gowanus space, featuring artists including Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, Khaled Jarrar, Modupeola Fadugba, and the Brazilian collective MAHKU. The fair aims to reduce barriers by focusing on young galleries and individual artists, and by fabricating work onsite to avoid shipping and customs costs.

Walter Price at David Zwirner

Artist Walter Price is presenting a solo exhibition titled "Pearl Lines" at David Zwirner’s Hong Kong gallery. Running from March 24 through May 9, 2026, the show features a new body of work that continues Price’s exploration of the boundaries between figuration and abstraction through his signature use of vibrant color and psychological depth.

Billboards celebrating peace will arrive in L.A. as part of the Broad's Yoko Ono exhibit

Yoko Ono will install seven digital billboards across Los Angeles bearing peace messages like "THINK PEACE" and "IMAGINE PEACE," as part of her upcoming exhibition "Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind" at the Broad museum opening May 23. The billboards echo her 1969 "WAR IS OVER!" campaign with John Lennon. Ancillary programming includes re-creations of her performance works "Cut Piece" (1964) and "Sky Piece to Jesus Christ" (1965), plus a concert series "Yoko Only" guest-curated by Yuka Honda featuring Yo La Tengo, Nels Cline, Sleater-Kinney, and others.

Collaged Denim Sculptures by Nick Doyle Unravel American Mythology

Brooklyn-based artist Nick Doyle creates large-scale wall sculptures using layered and bleached denim, exploring American mythology and its contradictions. His solo exhibition "Collective Hallucinations" at Perrotin features works such as stylized cacti, landscapes, tarot cards, and a fortune teller's shop, all rendered in denim. Doyle's practice began after finding a discarded roll of denim in 2018, which he saw as a metaphor for the complexities of American history, including slavery, masculinity, and Manifest Destiny.

Julia Heyward “Voices of Many Voices” at Westfälischer Kunstverein, Münster

The Westfälischer Kunstverein in Münster is presenting "Voices of Many Voices," a significant exhibition dedicated to the pioneering work of Julia Heyward. The show highlights Heyward’s multidisciplinary practice, which emerged from the 1970s New York performance scene, blending vocal experimentation, monologues, and complex multimedia orchestrations. By juxtaposing music, image, and language, the exhibition captures the artist's unique ability to navigate emotional extremes and the "simultaneity of opposites."

Unbound Narratives: Embodied Language at Atlanta Contemporary, Atlanta

The Atlanta Contemporary is presenting the group exhibition 'Unbound Narratives: Embodied Language,' curated by Karen Comer Lowe. It features works by artists February James, Bethany Collins, Gabi Madrid, and a’driane nieves across film, painting, and mixed media, focusing on how each translates personal and embodied experience into visual and linguistic forms. Key pieces include nieves's monumental painting on grief and rage, Collins's text-based interrogation of racial identity, James's debut stop-motion film exploring stillness, and Madrid's inscribed headboards addressing healing and cultural memory.

Exhibitions set to open in Paris in May 2026: what's new to discover this month

A roundup of new art and cultural exhibitions opening in Paris and the Île-de-France region in May 2026 is announced. Highlights include the annual Rambolitrain toy train fair at Rambolitrain museum on May 1, free evening hours at the Bourse de Commerce on May 2, free entry to castles and museums in Yvelines and Seine-et-Marne on May 3, the Tour Auto classic car display under the Grand Palais glass roof on May 3-4, the Circle of Parisian Artists' 24th annual exhibition at Parc Floral from May 4-31, a new garden art exhibition "Jardin des Lumières" at the Grand Trianon in Versailles from May 5 to September 27, and a major Hilma af Klint exhibition at the Grand Palais.

Museum Storytellers: Three Art Scholars Curate Exhibitions at the North Shore’s World-Class Museum

The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem is highlighting the work of its curatorial team, specifically focusing on how Lydia Peabody, Lan Morgan, and Ruthie Dibble are revitalizing the institution's collections. A primary focus is the exhibition 'Edmonia Lewis: Said in Stone,' where Peabody integrated contemporary photography and video by artist Gisella Torres to create a dialogue with Lewis’s 19th-century neoclassical marble sculptures. Other initiatives include Lan Morgan’s 'Beyond the Broom' project, which uses short films to showcase a community-focused perspective of Salem beyond its 'witch city' reputation.

It Requires Getting Lost: Castlefield Gallery hosts opening night

Castlefield Gallery in Manchester hosted the opening night of "It Requires Getting Lost" on October 30, 2025, an exhibition running from November 1, 2025 to February 22, 2026. The show features projections, sound-works, and sculptural installations by three northern UK-based artists—Gregory Herbert, Malik Jama, and Jocelyn McGregor—alongside major works from the Roberts Institute of Art (RIA)/Indrė Roberts Collection, including pieces by Magdalena Abakanowicz, Noemie Goudal, Pierre Huyghe, Leon Kossoff, and Wolfgang Tillmans. The opening included a live activation in McGregor's sculptural installation, where performers used foot-pumps to push water through transparent tubes, while Jama's projections transformed the gallery's corridors into immersive zones.

Where to see art in Houston now: 9 fun new exhibits opening in July

Nine new art exhibitions are opening in Houston in July, spanning traditional paintings, sculptures, high-tech immersive shows, and textile works. Highlights include Nick Vaughan and Jake Margolin's "Town Meeting 1978-2028" at Art League Houston, which uses wind-drawing techniques to explore pre-Stonewall queer histories; Jeffly Gabriela Molina's "Fragmentos de un sueño que yo también soñé," focusing on immigrant experiences of home and memory; and Lin Qiqing's "Every Fiber of Their Bodies," weaving narratives of gender, immigration, and human relationships. The Menil Collection also re-installs René Magritte paintings after their return from a major retrospective in Sydney.

8 Art Films Worth Watching in May

8 Kunstfilme, die sich im Mai lohnen

Monopol magazine presents eight art films worth streaming in May, including a documentary featuring 40,000 slides from critic Jerry Saltz capturing the 1990s New York art scene, Shirin Neshat's film "Women Without Men" about women in 1953 Tehran, Christian Petzold's new film "Miroirs No. 3," and a documentary on the Shroud of Turin. The roundup also includes a politically charged drama directed by Yael Bartana and a Dada-metal film, offering a diverse selection of art-related cinema.

Venice Biennale Jury Bars Israel and Russia from Official Prizes

The international jury of the 61st Venice Biennale announced on April 23 that it will not consider the Israeli and Russian pavilions for official prizes, including the Golden Lion for national participation. The five-member, all-women panel—comprising Solange Farkas, Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi—said it would exclude countries whose leaders are currently charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, a criterion that applies to Israel and Russia due to ICC arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin. The decision comes amid mounting controversy over the Biennale's decision to host both pavilions, with Russia returning after its artists withdrew in 2022 over the Ukraine invasion and Israel reopening after its 2024 pavilion remained closed pending a Gaza ceasefire. The European Commission had also threatened to suspend a €2 million grant over the Russian pavilion's reopening.

Louise Bourgeois’s Body Clock

A new exhibition titled 'Louise Bourgeois: Echoes of the Morning' has opened at the PoMo museum in Trondheim. The show centers on a series of vibrant, visceral gouaches created by Bourgeois in the last four years of her life, presented in dialogue with major sculptural installations like 'Peaux de lapins, chiffons ferrailles à vendre' (2006) and 'Spider Couple' (2003). The exhibition offers an intimate, focused exploration of the artist's late work.

Art Collaboration Kyoto announces new leadership

The contemporary art fair Art Collaboration Kyoto (ACK) has announced a major leadership change, transitioning from a single director to a seven-member leadership committee. The new committee, effective April 1, includes Doi Miho, Hattori Yoko, Mine Keiko, Ohishi Masako, Suzuki Hidenori, Takamura Miwa, and Tezen Wakako. Current director Yamashita Yukako will step down and assume the role of chair of ACK Ambassadors. The fair's sixth edition is scheduled for November 7–9 at the Kyoto International Conference Center.

Berlin is the capital of contemporary performance. Here's why

Berlino è la capitale della performance contemporanea. Ecco perché

Berlino si conferma capitale della performance contemporanea, con musei e spazi non teatrali che diventano luoghi di azione e sperimentazione. L'articolo descrive quattro recenti performance: 'Glitch Choir – Vocal Variations' di Deva Schubert allo Schinkel Pavillon, dove il corpo e la voce esplorano il glitch come condizione fisica e politica; 'Roses Rising – The Movement' di Leila Hekmat al Gropius Bau, un rituale collettivo di danza e musica; e altre opere che trasformano istituzioni come l'Hamburger Bahnhof in dispositivi di produzione sensoriale. Anche il Bode Museum partecipa con 'The Healing Museum', uno spazio di meditazione interreligioso.

Must-See: Rosa Loy Finds a Durable Form of Togetherness

Rosa Loy, a German painter associated with the New Leipzig School, presents a new body of work at a solo exhibition that explores themes of togetherness, collaboration, and female solidarity through her signature figurative, dreamlike style. The show features large-scale paintings and works on paper that depict pairs or groups of women engaged in shared activities, rendered in muted earth tones with subtle surrealist undertones.

Must-See: Mirosław Bałka and the Fragility of Memory

Mirosław Bałka has opened a major solo exhibition at the Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan, featuring a new, large-scale installation titled 'CROSSOVER/S' (2026). The work, a monumental steel structure filled with salt, continues the Polish artist's decades-long exploration of memory, trauma, and the body, using industrial materials to evoke profound personal and historical narratives.

In ‘Door to Life,’ Pacita Abad Evokes Traditional Yemeni Architecture

The article reports on 'Door to Life,' the third solo exhibition of works by the late Filipino artist Pacita Abad (1946-2004) at Tina Kim Gallery in New York. The show focuses on a body of work Abad created after her 1998 visit to Yemen, where she was inspired by the country's traditional architecture and decorative arts, particularly its ornate doors and qamariya (semicircular stained-glass windows). The works, executed in her signature trapunto style—a technique of stitched, padded canvas—layer geometric patterns, botanical motifs, and vibrant colors to evoke Yemeni design. The exhibition runs through June 20.

브루클린뮤지엄: 패션디자이너 아이리스 반 페르펜전 'Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses'(5/16-12/6)

The Brooklyn Museum will present the North American debut of "Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses" from May 16 to December 6, 2026. The exhibition features over 140 haute couture creations by Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, displayed alongside contemporary art, design objects, and scientific artifacts. It explores her fusion of traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology, sustainability, and themes from nature and science. The show first opened at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2023 and has traveled to QAGOMA, ArtScience Museum Singapore, and Kunsthal Rotterdam. The Brooklyn presentation coincides with the museum's annual Brooklyn Artists Ball, where Van Herpen will be honored.

Art Gallery of NSW to unveil landmark exhibition exploring the many forms of Vishnu

The Art Gallery of New South Wales will open 'Avatar: Forms of Vishnu' in June, its largest exhibition of South and Southeast Asian art in over two decades. Featuring more than 200 works spanning 1,500 years, the show includes ancient sculptures, paintings, textiles, photography, and contemporary installations from institutions such as the British Museum, Ashmolean Museum, and National Museum of Cambodia. Curated by Melanie Eastburn and Chaitanya Sambrani, the exhibition explores artistic interpretations of Vishnu and his avatars across cultural, political, and spiritual contexts, with new commissions by Desmond Lazaro and Sumakshi Singh, and works by Nalini Malani, Pushpamala N, Gulammohammed Sheikh, and Jumaadi.

Take a Look Inside This Year's 2026 Met Gala 'Costume Art' Exhibition

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced its spring 2026 Costume Institute exhibition titled "Costume Art," along with the accompanying Met Gala fundraiser scheduled for May 4, 2026, with a "Fashion is Art" dress code. The exhibition will debut in the newly designed 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast Galleries, featuring nearly 400 objects that juxtapose historical garments with fine art across thematic bodily categories such as the "Classical Body" and "Pregnant Body." Curated by Andrew Bolton, the show includes standout pairings like a Glenn Martens suit with an ancient marble statue and a Comme des Garçons ensemble with a Max Weber painting, with mannequins featuring polished steel heads by artist Samar Hejazi.

Exclusive | Met Gala 2026 and ‘Costume Art’ brashly transform flesh, bones and guts into too-cool couture

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute will debut its spring 2026 exhibition, “Costume Art,” on May 10, preceded by the Met Gala on May 4. The exhibition explores the dressed body in all forms—nude, pregnant, plus-size, disabled, aging, and internal—and features fashion designer Renata Buzzo’s hand-stitched “Corset Anatomia” from her 2024 collection “The Body.” Buzzo was personally selected by curator Andrew Bolton and donated her pieces. The exhibition will be housed in the new Condé M. Nast Galleries, an 11,500-square-foot space that will make fashion galleries the first thing visitors see upon entering the Great Hall. The Met Gala, co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour, raised a record $31 million in 2025 and will follow the dress code “Fashion is Art.”

Cambodian Artist Sopheap Pich Shares in an Exhibition how He Conceives Sculptures

Cambodian artist Sopheap Pich is presenting an exhibition at Meta House in Phnom Penh that reveals his creative process, showing how he conceives sculptures from initial drawings and woodblock prints to works in bamboo and metal. Born in Battambang, Pich survived the Khmer Rouge regime as a child and later immigrated to the U.S., earning an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago before returning to Cambodia in 2002. The exhibition includes early rattan pieces and recent metal sculptures, reflecting his intuitive, memory-infused approach to making art with a team of ten assistants in his Phnom Penh studio.

LACMA's David Geffen Galleries invites visitors to get lost and move through art without a set path.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has opened its new David Geffen Galleries building to the public. Designed by architect Peter Zumthor, the 900-foot-long structure features a non-linear, single-level layout with abundant natural light, intentionally encouraging visitors to wander without a set path. The inaugural exhibition, organized by 45 curators, abandons traditional art historical categories in favor of a thematic presentation centered on major bodies of water and global trade routes.