Remembering Pope Francis, for 12 years head of the Catholic church and proprietor in trust of the Vatican's library and art collections

Pope Francis, the 266th pope and the first from the Americas and the Global South, has died. He was the spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics, head of state of the Vatican, and proprietor in trust of the Vatican's vast art and architectural collections. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, he was the first Jesuit pope and the first to take the name Francis, signaling a commitment to austerity and social justice. His papacy, beginning in 2013 after Benedict XVI's resignation, addressed theological controversies, church culture wars, interfaith relations, Vatican financial reform, the clergy sexual abuse crisis, and cultural restitution from the Vatican's holdings.

parties cult100 cultured magazine guggenheim

CULTURED magazine hosted its second annual CULT100 party at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, in exclusive partnership with Valentino and Valentino Beauty. The event celebrated the magazine's spring issue, a 400-page edition honoring 100 luminaries and rising talents across food, film, art, fashion, and more. Guests including Keke Palmer, Lena Dunham, Naomi Watts, Adam Scott, and Anne Imhof gathered in the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed rotunda for cocktails, a Valentino Beauty lounge, and a program that coincided with artist Carol Bove's ongoing museum survey exhibition at the Guggenheim.

Le Louvre choisit son entrée côté colonnade

Le Louvre has selected a joint proposal by Studios Architecture Paris and Selldorf Architects for its new entrance via the Perrault colonnade, part of the 'Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance' plan. The project, announced by Emmanuel Macron on January 28, 2025, aims to create a new eastern access to relieve overcrowding at the Pyramid, with two underground entrances, vegetated moats, new services, and a dedicated space for the Mona Lisa. The selection was announced by Culture Minister Catherine Pégard on May 18, despite controversies over funding, heritage constraints, a theft in the Galerie d'Apollon on October 19, 2025, and the departure of museum president Laurence des Cars.

Director of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum to depart in October

Janne Sirén, director of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, will step down in October after 13 years leading the institution. The museum announced his departure on April 29, noting that the board will begin a search for a new director this summer. Sirén oversaw a transformative period including a $230 million campus expansion completed in 2023, designed by OMA and Shohei Shigematsu, which added a new building and reconnected the grounds. During his tenure, the museum's collection grew, staff expanded from 62 to nearly 200, the endowment rose from $31.3 million to $79.3 million, and annual visitors reached 340,000. He also launched a public art department, the Innovation Lab, and the AKG Nordic Art and Culture Initiative.

A new wing to solve the problems of the Galleria Borghese in Rome. Beautiful challenge, tedious controversy

Una nuova ala per risolvere i problemi della Galleria Borghese a Roma. Bella sfida, stucchevoli polemiche

The Galleria Borghese in Rome, one of Italy's most extraordinary museums, faces significant accessibility and capacity issues due to its historic 17th-century structure. The museum is difficult for visitors with disabilities, overcrowded, and forces visitors to book far in advance—often waiting over a month for a time slot—while many masterpieces remain in storage. In 2025, the engineering firm Proger offered to sponsor a feasibility study for a new wing, contributing nearly 900,000 euros to fund an international architecture competition and a technical-economic feasibility plan. The study, currently underway, aims to explore whether a new annex can be built within the protected Villa Borghese park to create new entrances, exhibition spaces, and services.

In Toscana il borgo di Monte San Savino si apre all’arte contemporanea con una mostra itinerante e di genere

The Tuscan hill town of Monte San Savino launched a contemporary art exhibition titled "Art Gender Gap" on International Women's Day, featuring 40 female artists and 53 works across multiple historic venues including the GAS, Chiesa di Santa Chiara, Palazzo Ciocchi di Monte, and the Renaissance Cisternone. Curated by Giuseppe Simone Modeo, Nicoletta Castellaneta, and Domenico de Chirico, the show includes loans from the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington (via its Italian committee president Claudia Pensotti Mosca), the Christian Levett collection, and the FAMM Museum in Mougin, France—a museum dedicated exclusively to women artists. Participating artists range from historical figures like Louise Bourgeois, Carol Rama, and Sonia Delaunay to contemporary names such as Kiki Smith, Pipilotti Rist, Marlene Dumas, Tracey Emin, and Mona Hatoum.

The Château de Boutemont: An Architectural Gem to Discover in Normandy

Il Castello di Boutemont: un gioiello architettonico da scoprire in Normandia

The Château de Boutemont in Ouilly-le-Vicomte, Normandy, has reopened for its new season running through November. Now in its sixth year under owners Johanna Wistrøm-Monnier and Bruno Monnier, the property has seen steady growth in visitors thanks to investments in its gardens and the opening of three castle rooms. Bruno Monnier founded Culturespace in the 1990s, a private company that manages museums such as the Palais des Papes in Avignon and the Ateliers des Lumières immersive art centers. Johanna Wistrøm-Monnier, formerly director of the Dan Graham Foundation, now dedicates herself full-time to the estate, which features gardens designed by famed landscape architect Achille Duchêne.

Here is the first and for now only interview with the curators of the 2026 Venice Art Biennale

Ecco la prima e per ora unica intervista ai curatori della Biennale d’Arte di Venezia 2026

The team of the late curator Koyo Kouoh has completed the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys," which opens to the public on May 9, 2026. In an exclusive interview, curators Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo, Marie Helene Pereira, Rasha Salti, Siddhartha Mitter, and Rory Tsapayia discuss the challenges of realizing Kouoh's vision after her death, including fundraising, installation design by Wolff Architects of Cape Town, and the use of cardboard as a non-invasive material to create thresholds between spaces.

Beyond the prompt: when the medium is generative AI, the artist becomes a systemic director

Oltre il prompt: quando il medium è l’AI generativa l’artista diventa regista sistemico

The article argues that as AI-generated images become more spectacular, the role of the artist is often misunderstood as merely writing prompts. Instead, the author contends that the most significant generative artworks are systems—predetermined rule-based environments where the artist designs the conditions for images to emerge. Works like Hans Haacke's "Condensation Cube" (1963-1965) and Refik Anadol's "Unsupervised" (2022) exemplify this shift from object to process, where the artwork is the behavior or architecture itself.

"There are no minor or feminine arts." Domitilla Dardi explains this in her new book

“Non esistono arti minori o femminili”. Ce lo spiega Domitilla Dardi nel suo nuovo libro

Domitilla Dardi's new book "Cucire Universi" (published by Einaudi) presents a counter-history of design, focusing on techniques traditionally dismissed as "feminine" and "minor"—such as sewing, ceramics, cooking, and knitting. The book argues that these practices have been systematically undervalued by official art histories, yet have contributed significantly to technologically advanced research fields. Dardi uses real historical figures like Emily Dickinson to illustrate how women's creative and scientific talents were channeled into these marginalized domains, and she calls for overcoming the dualistic view that separates art from craft.

In Barcelona, the Joan Miró Foundation celebrates 50 years. All the planned initiatives

A Barcellona la Fondazione Joan Mirò festeggia 50 anni. Tutte le iniziative in programma

The Joan Miró Foundation in Barcelona is celebrating its 50th anniversary with an extensive program of exhibitions, concerts, performances, and public initiatives. The festivities begin on June 11 with the exhibition "Poetry Has Just Begun: 50 Years of the Miró," a retrospective tracing the foundation's history and its role in the international art system. Other highlights include "Miró and the United States" in autumn, exploring the artist's dialogue with post-war American avant-garde figures like Louise Bourgeois, Helen Frankenthaler, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko, organized in collaboration with the Phillips Collection in Washington. In March 2026, the foundation will unveil a new permanent collection layout based on Miró's creative processes and open the Garden of the Cypresses, a previously inaccessible historic area on Montjuïc.

The Poetics of Error Between Art and Architecture

La poetica dell’errore tra arte e architettura

This essay challenges the historical obsession with perfection in architecture and art, rooted in Hegelian philosophy where beauty is equated with truth and flawlessness. It argues that the pursuit of the 'ideal' is a cognitive bias that ignores the value of complexity and structural failure. By reframing the 'error' not as a mistake but as a generative method, the text suggests that imperfection is often what elevates a work to the status of a masterpiece.

Major News from International Museums: London's National Gallery Expands and Pompidou Opens in Seoul

Le grandi novità dei musei internazionali: cresce la National Gallery di Londra e il Pompidou apre a Seoul

The National Gallery in London has selected a design team led by Kengo Kuma and Associates, alongside BDP and MICA, to lead its massive £750 million expansion project titled 'Project Domani.' Chosen from 65 international entries, the winning proposal will transform the St Vincent House site into a new museum wing featuring a stepped Portland stone facade, public roof gardens, and light-filled galleries. The project coincides with the institution's bicentenary and has already secured half of its required funding through private and anonymous donations.

Residencies, Exhibitions, and Events: Here are the Programs for the New Società delle Api Foundation in Rome

Residenze, mostre ed eventi. Ecco i programmi della nuova fondazione Società delle Api che ha aperto a Roma

The Società delle Api foundation, established by collector Silvia Fiorucci in 2018, has officially inaugurated its new permanent headquarters in Rome on Via Gregoriana. The move marks a strategic shift for the organization, which previously operated across a decentralized network of locations in Monaco, France, and Greece. The 2026-2027 program focuses on artistic production as a shared process, featuring residencies and exhibitions by artists such as Pol Taburet, Chiara Camoni, and Francis Offman, alongside multidisciplinary public programs covering poetry and architecture.

The New Victoria & Albert Museum Opens in April: Once Again in East London

Ad aprile inaugura il nuovo museo del Victoria&Albert. Ancora una volta nell’East London

The Victoria & Albert Museum has announced the official opening date for the V&A East Museum, a new five-story cultural landmark in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Designed by architects O’Donnell + Tuomey, the museum will debut on April 18, 2026, featuring two permanent galleries titled "Why We Make" that showcase over 500 objects ranging from Renaissance paintings to contemporary fashion by Vivienne Westwood. The entrance will be anchored by a monumental bronze sculpture by Thomas J Price, marking the start of a robust contemporary commission program.

Everything to know about David Geffen Galleries as a new LACMA emerges

The Los Angeles Times reports on the upcoming David Geffen Galleries, a new building that will become the centerpiece of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) as it undergoes a major transformation. Designed by architect Peter Zumthor, the structure is part of a long-delayed, multi-billion-dollar renovation project that aims to modernize the museum's campus and consolidate its collection under one roof. The article details the timeline, design features, and the controversies surrounding the project's cost and scope.

Meet Ese Onojeruo: the exciting new talent behind the Venice Biennale’s British Pavilion

Ese Onojeruo has been appointed the Shane Akeroyd associate curator for the British Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Biennale, working with Turner Prize-winning artist Lubaina Himid on her exhibition 'Predicting History: Testing Translation'. The show features Himid's paintings—including 'Boatbuilders', 'Architects', 'Chefs', 'Tailors', and 'Gardeners'—which depict two figures negotiating belonging in a place they did not originally come from. Onojeruo, who previously held roles at South London Gallery, Chisenhale, and Tate, describes the collaboration as a 'full circle moment', having discovered Himid's work only after her formal art education.

Crystal Bridges to host panel on museum expansion May 29

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, will host a ticketed panel discussion on May 29, 2026, to celebrate its upcoming expansion. The conversation, titled "By Design: A Conversation on the Crystal Bridges Expansion," will feature museum founder Alice Walton, board chair Olivia Walton, and architect Moshe Safdie, moderated by Vanity Fair's Nate Freeman. The event takes place at the Heartland Whole Health Institute on the museum campus ahead of the formal expansion opening on June 6-7, which includes free programming and the debut of "Keith Haring in 3D," the first exhibition focused on the artist's three-dimensional work.

Beauty by Volume: On the Art-Book Trail of Chicago

This article is a guide to finding art books in Chicago, tracing a walking trail that begins at the Chicago History Museum and continues to the Graham Foundation and the Newberry Library. The author reflects on beloved but now-closed art bookstores like Rizzoli's Water Tower Place, Prairie Avenue Bookshop, and Golden Age, then proposes a contemporary route for discovering art, architecture, and design books in the city's remaining cultural institutions and museum shops.

LACMA Director Michael Govan ’85 talks museum architecture, public art, mounds of dirt

Michael Govan, director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and a 1985 graduate of Williams College, discussed his career and philosophy in an interview with the Williams Record. Govan reflected on his early work at the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA), where he helped install pieces in Lawrence Hall after an expansion by architect Charles Moore, and his subsequent collaborations with Frank Gehry on the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Zaha Hadid at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. He also highlighted his recent oversight of LACMA's new David Geffen Galleries, a $720 million project that has drawn significant attention.

Controversial Costumes at the Met’s Newest Galleries

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has opened the new Conde M. Nast Galleries, designed by the Brooklyn-based firm Peterson Rich Office (PRO). The inaugural exhibition, titled "Costume Art," features 200 pieces from various museum departments and will run until January 10, 2027. The 12,000-square-foot space, located off the Great Hall, incorporates historic structural elements and uses subtle lighting and materials to create a quiet backdrop for the display of fragile costumes and art objects.

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.

A World-Class Art Museum Arrives in the Texas Hill Country

A new museum called Arthouse is opening in Marble Falls, Texas, on April 25, 2026, during the town's Paint the Town Festival. Its inaugural exhibition, "Words Matter," features text-based artworks by artists including Faith Ringgold, Ed Ruscha, Terry Allen, and Jenny Holzer, drawn from the collection of oil and gas entrepreneur Mickey Klein and his wife Jeanne, who are longtime art collectors named to ARTnews' Top 200 Collectors list. The building, designed by Lake Flato, is a limestone and metal structure on Main Street that will serve as both a public gallery and an office.

Art Rotterdam focuses on photography

The 27th edition of Art Rotterdam took place at the Rotterdam Ahoy, featuring over 150 galleries with a heavy emphasis on the Dutch art scene. This year’s fair was marked by a strategic integration with the photography fair Unseen and coincided with major local developments, including the relocation of the Nederlands Fotomuseum to its new 'Santos' home and the opening of the Fenix Museum of Migration. Notable presentations included Sakir Khader’s poignant photography of Palestinian resistance at No Man's Art Gallery and Shimon Kamada’s atmospheric oil paintings at Diez Gallery.

New book digs into the little-known gallery that brought Modern art to America

Researcher Julia May Boddewyn has published a new book, 'The Valentine Gallery: The Forgotten Story of Valentine Dudensing, Matisse, Picasso, and the US Market for Modern Art (1926-1947)', which unearths the history of a pivotal but overlooked New York gallery. Founded a century ago, the F. Valentine Dudensing Gallery was responsible for introducing European Modernism to America, hosting the first US solo shows for icons like Joan Miró and Piet Mondrian, and organizing the American debut of Picasso’s 'Guernica'.

‘The sky’s the limit’: Newcastle Art Gallery unveils its ‘divisive’ $48m expansion with a blockbuster opening show

The Newcastle Art Gallery (NAG) has officially reopened following a $48 million expansion, more than doubling its exhibition space to become the largest public gallery in New South Wales outside of Sydney. The project, which was over 16 years in the making, features 13 gallery spaces and a new street-fronting cafe, marking a significant infrastructure milestone for the regional Australian art scene. The reopening is celebrated with the blockbuster exhibition 'Iconic Loved Unexpected,' showcasing 500 works from the institution's $145 million permanent collection.

Studio house museum

Hillsboro Fine Art in Dublin announces 'Studio house museum', a solo exhibition by Irish artist Eamon O’Kane, running from 5 February to 7 March 2026. The show features new paintings from his ongoing Ideal collection series, inspired by residencies and visits to iconic studios and houses of artists, collectors, and architects, including Francis Bacon’s Reece Mews studio, Eileen Gray’s E-1027, the Edith Farnsworth House, Philip Johnson’s Glass House, and others. O’Kane explores creative spaces as living archives, reconstructing environments that blend Modernist aesthetics, architectural clarity, and painterly intuition, mapping networks of influence across generations.

Thai pharma dynasty opens doors to 1,000-piece contemporary collection

The Dib Bangkok museum, housing a 1,000-piece contemporary art collection amassed by the late Thai businessman and musician Petch Osathanugrah, opened this month in a converted 1980s warehouse in Bangkok. The project was completed by his son Purat 'Chang' Osathanugrah, president of Bangkok University and CEO of Zipcode, with inaugural director Miwako Tezuka (formerly of Asia Society Museum) leading the institution. The 7,000 sq. m space, designed by architect Kulapat Yantrasast of WHY Architecture, features 11 galleries, a courtyard, sculpture garden, and a satellite project space called Dib26.

The US Venice Biennale saga, Queer Islamic art in Oslo, Duane Linklater in Ottawa—podcast

The US has finally appointed artist Alma Allen to represent the country at next year's Venice Biennale, following a delayed application process and an aborted initial commission. The Art Newspaper's Ben Sutton discusses the saga with Ben Luke. Additionally, the National Museum of Norway in Oslo opens 'Deviant Ornaments,' an exhibition exploring queerness in Islamic art over a millennium, curated by Noor Bhangu. The podcast also features Duane Linklater's work 'wintercount_215_kisepîsim' (2022), part of 'Winter Count: Embracing the Cold' at the National Gallery of Canada, which addresses the deaths of First Nations children in the Residential School system.

What’s on now at San Francisco museums, November 2025

San Francisco museums are presenting a wide array of exhibitions in November 2025, with several closing soon and others opening in the coming months. At SFMOMA, major shows include "Alejandro Cartagena: Ground Rules" (through April 19), "KAWS: Family" (through May 3, 2026), the photography exhibition "(Re)Constructing History" featuring Carrie Mae Weems, Nona Faustine, Carla Williams, and Dawoud Bey, and "Suzanne Jackson: What is Love," the artist's first retrospective. The Institute for Contemporary Art hosts "Midnight March" by Masako Miki and "stay, take your time, my love" by David Antonio Cruz, both closing Dec. 7. The Asian Art Museum presents "Rave into the Future: Art in Motion" closing Jan. 12, and the Legion of Honor will open "Drawn to Venice" from Jan. 24 to Aug. 2, 2026. The Murphy and Cadogan Contemporary Art Awards Exhibition, a collaboration with the San Francisco Foundation and SOMarts, closes Dec. 7.