The car park that changed British art: Bold Tendencies at 20

Bold Tendencies, the pioneering arts organization that transformed a multi-storey car park in Peckham, London, into a vibrant cultural venue, is celebrating its 20th summer season. Founded by gallerist Hannah Barry in 2007, the project has hosted over 3 million visitors, commissioned dozens of new artworks, and built an auditorium and concert hall within the concrete structure. It began as a low-budget experiment in using derelict urban spaces for art, featuring sculptures, performances, and a rooftop bar that predated the experiential art boom.

A Joan Mitchell diptych and a rare stack by Donald Judd: our pick of the May auctions

The Art Newspaper highlights five major lots from New York's May 2025 auctions. Phillips offers Joan Mitchell's diptych 'Plain' (1989), estimated at $5-7 million, from the collection of late Miami art patron Tina Hills. Christie's presents Donald Judd's rare copper and red Plexiglas 'Untitled (Stack)' (1969), estimated at $10-15 million, from the Minimalist collection of the late Henry S. McNeil Jr. Sotheby's leads with Jean-Michel Basquiat's 'Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown)' (1983), estimated above $45 million, and Mark Rothko's 'Brown and Blacks in Reds' (1957), estimated at $70-100 million from the collection of late dealer Robert Mnuchin.

‘This is the place of dreams’: Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo’s Venetian island venue opens to public

Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo opened San Giacomo, a Venetian lagoon island she and her husband bought in 2018, to the public on May 7 during the Venice Biennale. The former military site now houses exhibition spaces in converted munitions storehouses, featuring a solo show by Matt Copson curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, selections from the Sandretto collection with works by Michael Armitage, Sarah Lucas, Victor Man, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, and outdoor installations by Pamela Rosenkranz, Claire Fontaine, Hugh Hayden, and Goshka Macuga. The island also includes a chapel-like structure by Hayden and a rocket sculpture by Macuga.

How Painter Akira Ikezoe Became This Spring’s Breakout Star in New York

Japanese-born painter Akira Ikezoe has become a breakout star in New York this spring, appearing simultaneously in two prestigious exhibitions: the Whitney Biennial and MoMA PS1's Greater New York. His absurdist, diagrammatic paintings—featuring naked figures, skeletons, and dairy-centric narratives—have drawn significant attention from curators and critics. Despite lacking a New York gallery, Ikezoe is represented by Proyectos Ultravioleta in Guatemala City and was also included in the 2025 Sharjah Biennial, positioning him for rapid ascent in the art world.

Mom, I'm Gonna Be an Artist!

Hyperallergic's Saturday newsletter, edited by Valentina Di Liscia, rounds up a week of art-world activity marked by protests and resistance. Staff Writer Isa Farfan asked 15 artists to share advice from their mothers for Mother's Day, featuring responses from Pat Oleszko, whose work is in the Whitney Biennial. The newsletter also covers editor-in-chief Hakim Bishara's report on a historic strike for Palestine and workers' rights at the Venice Biennale, where dozens of national pavilions shut down, and Editor-at-Large Hrag Vartanian's review of the central exhibition "In Minor Keys." Additional stories include Damien Davis on artists and consignment agreements, Matt Stromberg on the LA Art Book Fair, a protest against Jeff Bezos at the Met Gala, MoMA PS1's upcoming Teresa Margolles survey, and a picket at the American Folk Art Museum.

Alma Allen Flops in Venice

Hyperallergic reports on the 2026 Venice Biennale, with Editor-in-Chief Hakim Bishara criticizing the U.S. pavilion's exhibition of Alma Allen's work as a disappointing departure from the previous editions' profound explorations of Indigenous life and Black sovereignty. Editor-at-Large Hrag Vartanian offers a positive review of the main exhibition "In Minor Keys," while Greta Rainbow covers a poetry procession honoring the late artistic director Koyo Kouoh. Additional stories include a review of the film "The Christophers" about an artist and forger, and news of workers at the American Folk Art Museum picketing for higher wages.

Art Movements: New Museum Names Its First Artist Studio Residents

The New Museum has named Yun Choi, Alison Kuo, and Korakrit Arunanondchai as the first artists-in-residence for its new Artist Studio, a 730-square-foot space created by the museum's OMA-designed expansion. The residencies will run from spring 2025 through winter 2027, with each artist developing new work, onsite exhibitions, and public programs. Separately, Forge Project announced its 2026 fellows—six Indigenous artists including Jay Bellis, Heidi Brandow, and Tiare Ribeaux—who will each receive $25,000 and a three-week residency. In other news, the Robert Therrien Estate has left Gagosian for David Zwirner Gallery, Laurel Nakadate won the Maud Morgan Prize, and Frieze New York revealed a staff uniform designed by artist Reika Takebayashi.

Biennale di Venezia 2026. Le grandi mostre da non perdere in città

The article previews major exhibitions in Venice during the 2026 Biennale, highlighting a rich lineup of shows across the city's museums and foundations. Key highlights include a retrospective for Marina Abramović at the Gallerie dell'Accademia, a Peggy Guggenheim exhibition at her former home, and dual shows at Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana featuring artists like Michael Armitage, Amar Kanwar, Lorna Simpson, and Paulo Nazareth. Other notable venues include Fondazione Prada, Ca' Pesaro, and the Museo Correr, with artists ranging from Joseph Kosuth to Jenny Saville.

Pittsburgh’s burgeoning gallery community readies for its moment in art world spotlight

Pittsburgh's commercial gallery scene is experiencing a resurgence as the Carnegie International, the country's longest-running recurring exhibition, prepares to open its largest edition yet with 61 artists. Since the pandemic, several young gallerists with experience in New York and Los Angeles have opened spaces in the city, including Romance gallery (2023) by former Whitney curator Margaret Kross, and april april gallery (2024) relocated from Brooklyn by Patrick Bova and Lucas Regazzi. Longer-established galleries like Concept, Zynka, and James Gallery have welcomed these newcomers, with local figures such as collector Evan Mirapaul noting that Pittsburgh's robust arts ecosystem—including museums, universities, and nonprofits—has long lacked a strong commercial gallery presence.

Digital Art Pioneer Nancy Burson Collapses the Border Between Mysticism and Quantum Physics

Nancy Burson, a pioneering digital artist, presents her latest solo exhibition "Light Matter" at Heft Gallery in New York, featuring "Quantum Entanglement" paintings that appear as white dots on black canvases but reveal jittering forms and depth when viewed through a phone camera. The 78-year-old artist, known for her 1980s composite portraits blending faces of businessmen and movie stars, continues her exploration of perception and technology, claiming a special gift to perceive the universe's emergent energy grid. The exhibition runs through May 2.

Colleen Barry Wants You to Believe in Pictures Again

Artist Colleen Barry presents her exhibition “Iconophilia” at Half Gallery in the East Village, featuring 14 recent paintings that explore motherhood, tenderness, and the complexity of image-making. The works include mythological references like the Capitoline Wolf and juxtapositions of ancient and modern imagery, such as a portrait of Grace Jones combined with the Roman god Janus. Barry, who grew up working class in New York and learned painting from her father, aims to counter contemporary distrust of images—especially among her children—by offering a reverent, iconophilic approach to visual culture.

French Engineer Snags $1 Million Picasso With $116 Raffle Ticket

French engineer Ari Hodara has won a 1941 Pablo Picasso painting titled 'Tête de Femme' through a charity raffle after purchasing a single €100 ticket. The draw, held at Christie’s Paris, sold 120,000 tickets globally and raised €12 million for the Alzheimer’s Research Foundation. The artwork was sourced from the Opera Gallery, which will receive approximately €1 million of the proceeds.

Counterpublic Triennial Names 47 Artists and Collectives for Upcoming Third Edition, Including Glenn Ligon, Rebecca Belmore, Rirkrit Tiravanija

The St. Louis-based triennial Counterpublic has unveiled the artist list for its third edition, titled "Coyote Time," scheduled to run from September 12 to December 12, 2025. The exhibition features 47 artists and collectives, including major figures such as Glenn Ligon, Rebecca Belmore, and Rirkrit Tiravanija, alongside posthumous presentations of works by Juanita McNeely and Benjamin Patterson. Curated by a five-person international team, the triennial will activate various sites across the city, including the Mississippi Riverfront and the historically Black neighborhood of The Ville.

How the New Deal Treated Art as Essential to Democracy

The United States government transformed the role of the artist during the Great Depression by treating art as a vital public resource rather than a private luxury. Between 1933 and 1943, New Deal programs like the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) commissioned hundreds of thousands of works for schools, libraries, and hospitals, providing 'plumbers' wages' to struggling creators. This federal patronage supported a generation of then-unknown figures, including Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Alice Neel, while focusing on the 'American scene' to make culture accessible to the general public.

Performance Artist Crackhead Barney Moves From the Streets to the Stage: ‘Art Should Be Going Insane’

Performance artist Crackhead Barney, known for her viral street interventions and ambush interviews at protests and public events, is transitioning her work to the formal stage. Her new play, GOD IS RAPING ME, is having sold-out dates at the Pageant performance space in Brooklyn, marking a significant shift from her guerrilla-style, social media-driven practice to theatrical production.

Remembering Glen Baxter, Pat Steir, Melvin Edwards

The art world mourns the recent deaths of several significant figures. British absurdist cartoonist Glen Baxter, known for his work in The New Yorker and exhibitions at Flowers Gallery, has died. American sculptor Melvin Edwards, renowned for his welded steel Lynch Fragments addressing racist violence, and pioneering feminist painter Pat Steir, celebrated for her conceptual, process-based works, have also passed. The article additionally notes the deaths of Lebanese painter Ali Sbeity, killed in an airstrike; Mexican folk artist Josefina Aguilar; British heritage leader Neil Cossons; British painter Charles Debenham; and Cypriot painter Andreas Karayian.

tefaf fair maastricht edition undaunted global unrest 2026

The 2025 edition of TEFAF Maastricht has opened with 277 dealers from 24 countries, showcasing 7,000 years of art history despite significant geopolitical instability in the Middle East. While the fair remains a premier destination for Old Masters and high-end antiques, exhibitors are navigating logistical hurdles caused by regional conflicts and airport closures in major transit hubs like Dubai.

Never-Before-Seen Paintings Reveal Anthony Van Dyck’s Formative Italian Period

A major new exhibition at Genoa's Palazzo Ducale, "Van Dyck: The European. The Journey of a Genius from Antwerp to Genoa and London," presents a comprehensive survey of Anthony van Dyck's formative years in Italy. Featuring around 60 works, including loans from the Louvre, Prado, and National Gallery, the show reveals how his six-year Italian sojourn was a period of intense experimentation and emancipation from his master Rubens, leading to his signature theatrical portrait style.

Vera Molnár: Venice Biennale 2022

vera molnar venice biennale

Vera Molnár, a 98-year-old pioneer of computer art, is receiving renewed international attention as her work is featured in a dedicated gallery at the Venice Biennale's main exhibition, "The Milk of Dreams." The article profiles Molnár at her Paris home, tracing her journey from childhood experiments with systematic pastel drawings in Hungary to her 1947 move to Paris, where she transitioned from classical training to geometric abstraction and co-founded the influential GRAV collective.

dylan doe muscle memory

British artist Dylan Doe explores the physical manifestations of digital saturation in his solo exhibition, "Muscle Memory," at Mandy Zhang Art in London. The body of work focuses on "bodily glitches"—involuntary physical actions, such as attempting to zoom in on a physical drawing, that stem from repetitive interactions with technology. Through a surrealist lens, Doe’s paintings depict disembodied limbs and futuristic armatures that reflect a synthesis of sentient and non-sentient elements.

a wake up call for the whitney biennial

The Yams Collective, a group of African American artists, has withdrawn from the 2014 Whitney Biennial in protest. Their departure centers on the inclusion of Joe Scanlan, a white artist whose long-running project involves hiring Black women to portray a fictional artist named Donelle Woolford. The collective argues that Scanlan’s work, which is listed in the biennial under the fictional artist's name rather than his own, is a form of racial drag that is particularly offensive within an exhibition already criticized for its lack of diversity.

dear ivanka trump moving protest

The activist collective Halt Action Group (HAG) organized a second 'Dear Ivanka' protest in New York City as Ivanka Trump prepared to move to Washington, D.C. Protesters marched from Grand Army Plaza to Trump’s Park Avenue residence, carrying symbolic moving boxes labeled with social and political concerns such as women's rights, affordable healthcare, and freedom of the press. The event featured prominent art world figures and utilized visual metaphors, including a disavowed Richard Prince artwork, to urge Trump to act as a moderate influence on her father’s administration.

varvara roza galleries

London-based gallerist and advisor Varvara Roza has established a unique business model that merges commercial representation with strategic artist development and collector education. Drawing from her background as a second-generation collector, Roza’s eponymous gallery focuses on mid-career and established international artists, prioritizing long-term career sustainability over short-term market trends. Her approach emphasizes a dual perspective, acting as both a mediator of cultural value and a strategic manager for her roster.

ACA Galleries Presents 100 Years of Black Art

aca galleries 100 years of black art

ACA Galleries in New York is hosting "Continuum: Over 100 Years of Black Art," an expansive group exhibition running through March 7, 2026. The show features a diverse array of media—including painting, sculpture, textiles, and collage—by more than a dozen pioneering Black artists. Spanning from the 19th century to the present day, the exhibition highlights key figures such as still-life painter Charles Ethan Porter, collagist Romare Bearden, and contemporary textile artist Helen McBride Richter.

phillips reveals lineup for its march sales in london including scandinavian masterworks and 800 k emin painting

Phillips has unveiled the lineup for its upcoming Modern and Contemporary art sales in London, scheduled for March 5 and 7. The auctions are headlined by a significant group of Scandinavian masterworks from the collection of former US Ambassador John L. Loeb, led by Vilhelm Hammershøi’s "Interior of Woman Placing Branches in Vase on Table" (1900), estimated at up to £2 million. Other major highlights include a rare Andy Warhol "Mao" painting, a Banksy work formerly owned by Robin Williams, and pieces by Tracey Emin, El Anatsui, and Donald Judd.

Louvre Robbery: Security Overhaul and Investigation Update

louvre robbery

The Louvre Museum has announced a massive €80 million ($92 million) security overhaul following a brazen daytime heist on October 19, where thieves stole imperial jewels valued at €88 million. The investigation revealed significant institutional failures, including outdated software and weak passwords like "Louvre," allowing local thieves to enter via a movers' lift and escape on scooters in under seven minutes. While four suspects from the Paris suburbs have been charged, the majority of the stolen items remain unrecovered.

vefa gallery andy scott

Scottish sculptor Andy Scott, renowned for his massive 300-ton steel horse heads known as The Kelpies, is the subject of a new solo exhibition titled “Monumental” at VEFA Gallery in Torrance, California. The show shifts the focus from his colossal public landmarks to a more intimate human scale, featuring maquettes, sketches, and a ten-foot steel horse head. By showcasing the evolution of his work from initial drawings to complex engineering feats, the exhibition highlights the technical precision and emotional depth behind Scott’s animal forms.

women in abstract expressionism

The Denver Art Museum is hosting "Women of Abstract Expressionism," the first major museum exhibition dedicated exclusively to female painters of the movement. Curated by Gwen Chanzit, the show features over 50 works by artists including Helen Frankenthaler, Jay DeFeo, Elaine de Kooning, and Mary Abbott. The exhibition highlights how these women were integral to the first internationally influential American art movement but were historically sidelined in favor of male peers like Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.

rediscovered andy warhol films moma

A trove of previously undeveloped films shot by Andy Warhol and his team has been recovered and processed. The hour-long collection includes eight new Screen Test portraits, unused footage for known films, and significant pornographic footage predating his famous 'Blue Movie.' The films will premiere in a one-night-only screening at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

photorealism in focus the rose art museum

The Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University has opened a survey exhibition titled 'Photorealism in Focus.' The show brings together works by more than 30 artists, including early pioneers like Robert Cottingham and Ralph Ladell Goings, as well as artists such as Audrey Flack and Joyce Stillman-Myers, to trace the movement's history from the late 1960s to its contemporary expansions across painting and sculpture.