A True-to-Life Biennale

Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief of Hyperallergic, reflects on the 61st Venice Biennale after returning to New York, describing it as historical, political, and thrilling. He counters critics who claimed the Biennale imploded due to boycotts and resignations, arguing it was more alive than ever. The late Koyo Kouoh's main exhibition "In Minor Keys" is praised for reflecting global woes and joys. The article also highlights a major strike by artists and cultural workers that disrupted the pre-opening, the first cultural strike in the Biennale's 131-year history, with 54 artists in the international exhibition and 22 national pavilion teams withdrawing from awards consideration in solidarity with the jury's resignation.

The Kyrgyzstan Pavilion at the Venice Biennale Builds a Bridge Between Two Cultures

Il Padiglione del Kirghizistan alla Biennale di Venezia getta un ponte tra due culture

Alexey Morosov presents "BELEK" at the Kyrgyzstan Pavilion of the 61st Venice Biennale, a project inspired by the mountainous landscapes, glaciers, and brutalist dams of Kyrgyzstan. Combining video, sculpture, painting, and sound, Morosov explores water as a key resource for the future and a deep cultural memory of Central Asia, linking the region's hydro-engineering transformations with the nomadic heritage of the Kyrgyz people. The project centers on the traditional equestrian game Kok-Börü, which Morosov describes as constitutive of Kyrgyz identity, and features centaur-like figures made from raw earth used in local dwellings.

Remembering Georg Baselitz, Nicole Hollander, and Doris Fisher

Hyperallergic's weekly 'In Memoriam' column honors seven figures from the art world who recently passed away, including German Neo-Expressionist painter Georg Baselitz, feminist cartoonist Nicole Hollander, and arts patron Doris F. Fisher, co-founder of The Gap. Other notable figures remembered are photographer Stephanie Chernikowski, West Coast assemblage artist George Herms, Spanish artist and designer José María Cruz Novillo, and Bay Area muralist Dan Fontes. The article provides brief biographies and highlights of their contributions to visual art, photography, comics, and public art.

Pussy Riot Storms Russia Pavilion at Venice Biennale

Pussy Riot staged a dramatic protest at the Russia Pavilion during the Venice Biennale, releasing pink smoke and waving Ukrainian flags while chanting slogans like 'Blood is Russia’s art.' Around 50 protesters, including members of Femen, occupied the area. Pussy Riot founder Nadya Tolokonnikova called for the pavilion to be closed and given to oppressed peoples, challenging Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco to meet her. The protest lasted about 20 minutes, with performers climbing the pavilion and exposing political slogans on their chests.

Pussy Riot and FEMEN Join Forces in Punk Protest in Venice: ‘Russia Kills! Biennale Exhibits!’

On Wednesday morning, Pussy Riot and FEMEN led a protest outside the Russian Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, chanting slogans like “Russia kills! Biennale exhibits!” and “Blood is Russia’s art!” Dozens of protesters, some in pink balaclavas and others bare-chested with floral crowns, gathered in the Giardini under light rain, carrying guitars and blasting punk rock and hip-hop. The action was organized by Nadya Tolokonnikova and other Pussy Riot members alongside FEMEN, a Ukrainian-founded women’s movement. They released pink, yellow, and blue smoke, and Tolokonnikova criticized the Biennale for allowing Russian participation while artists who oppose the war in Ukraine are imprisoned. She proposed an alternative exhibition, “Resistance Imprisoned,” currently on view in Strasbourg, featuring incarcerated artists.

Met Gala Memes That Ate the Rich and Left No Crumbs

The article covers the 2026 Met Gala, sponsored by Jeff and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, and the intense online backlash it generated. Despite a dress code of "Fashion is Art," celebrities faced merciless mockery on social media for their looks, with particular scorn directed at Lauren Sánchez Bezos's Schiaparelli gown inspired by John Singer Sargent's "Madame X." The criticism was amplified by weeks-long protests against Amazon's labor practices and Bezos's involvement, as well as the museum's own unionized employees speaking out. The piece compiles the most inventive and cutting memes from X (formerly Twitter), targeting everything from fashion fails to political hypocrisy.

First US Survey of Mexican Artist Teresa Margolles Coming This Fall

MoMA PS1 in New York City will host the first United States survey of Mexican artist Teresa Margolles this fall. Trained as a forensic pathologist, Margolles creates works using organic and bodily materials from homicide victims, morgues, and crime scenes. The exhibition will feature pieces confronting murder and violence along the US-Mexico border, including a 2026 evolution of her ongoing series "Air" (2003–), where a gallery will be humidified with water carrying degradable material from homicide sites. The Museum of Modern Art will also present a new experiential installation, "Aproximación al lugar de los hechos (Approaching the Scene)" (2026), starting September 17, which drips water carrying evidence of violent death onto heated steel plates.

The great Anselm Kiefer arrives in Valencia for an exhibition. There is a rare work for the first time in Europe

Il grande Anselm Kiefer arriva in mostra a Valencia. C’è un’opera rara per la prima volta in Europa

German artist Anselm Kiefer is coming to Valencia for the first time, inaugurating the temporary exhibition program at the CAHH – Centro de Arte Hortensia Herrero. The show, curated by Javier Molins, will run from April 29 to October 25 at the Palacio de Valeriola, featuring Kiefer's works in dialogue with the permanent collection. A highlight is "Danaë," a monumental painting over 13 meters wide that depicts the interior of Berlin's Tempelhof airport and references the myth of Danaë; this work has only been shown once before, in New York in 2022, and is now on view in Europe for the first time.

The Revolutionary Tapestry of Nigerian Modernism

The exhibition "Nigerian Modernism" at Tate Modern in London is the first show of its kind in the UK, surveying how Nigerian artists forged a postcolonial identity across the 20th century. It features works by pioneers such as Aina Onabolu, Benedict Enwonwu, and members of the radical Zaria Art Society, including Uche Okeke, Jimo Akolo, and Clara Etso Ugbodaga-Ngu, highlighting their break from British artistic traditions and embrace of local visual heritage.

Can an Artwork Have Personhood?

The article explores a growing trend in contemporary art where artists like Pierre Huyghe, Nina Katchadourian, and Marge Monko create works that blur the line between art objects and sentient beings. These works incorporate human performers, animals, AI, and smart devices, prompting viewers to question whether these entities possess or simulate personhood, and forcing an examination of our instinct to anthropomorphize.

Remembering Agosto Machado, Keeper of Queer Histories

Agosto Machado, a seminal performer, archivist, and fixture of New York’s downtown queer arts scene, has passed away. Known as a "keeper of secrets" and a vital connector within the avant-garde community, Machado was a muse to filmmaker Jack Smith and a lifelong friend to Warhol superstar Mario Montez. His life spanned the height of the East Village performance era, where he transitioned from a quiet observer to an essential participant in the preservation of underground history.

Remembering Nathan Farb, Thomas Zipp, and Christine Ruiz-Picasso

The art world mourns the loss of several influential figures, including photographer Nathan Farb, known for his large-format captures of the Adirondacks and 1960s Manhattan, and Christine Ruiz-Picasso, who was instrumental in establishing the Museo Picasso Málaga. Other notable passing include German interdisciplinary artist Thomas Zipp, prolific art forger William "Billy The Brush" Mumford, and Hassen Soufy, the last living member of the L'École de Tunis movement.

‘The subject demanded a more restrained approach’: Carlos Rolón on revisiting the 1966 uprising in Chicago's Humboldt Park

Chicago-based artist Carlos Rolón has unveiled a new body of work at 65Grand titled 'The Division Street Riots,' which explores the 1966 Puerto Rican uprising in Humboldt Park. Moving away from his signature vibrant, crystal-embellished installations, Rolón utilizes graphite, charcoal, and dye sublimation prints to interpret archival imagery of the three-day unrest sparked by a police shooting. The exhibition marks a stylistic shift toward a more somber, documentary-style realism that emphasizes historical witnessing over spectacle.

Juan Uslé’s Childhood Shipwrecks

The Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid has opened a major retrospective of Spanish painter Juan Uslé, titled "That Ship on the Mountain." The exhibition features approximately 100 works spanning four decades, tracing the artist's journey from his childhood in Cantabria to his established career in New York City. It notably uses the traumatic shipwreck of the Elorrio, which Uslé witnessed as a boy, as its conceptual starting point.

Taking a Seat at Robert Therrien’s Table

The Broad museum in Los Angeles has opened a major retrospective, "Robert Therrien: This is a Story," dedicated to the late artist Robert Therrien. The exhibition, featuring over 120 works from five decades, aims to move beyond Therrien's most famous piece—the monumental "Under the Table" sculpture—to present the full scope of his obsessively iterative practice, which transformed personal memories into universal forms.

Internet Goes Wild for The Met’s Newly Acquired Mannerist Painting

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's acquisition of a newly identified Mannerist painting, Rosso Fiorentino's "Madonna and Child with Saint John the Evangelist" (1512–13), has sparked a viral, irreverent reaction on social media. Commenters on the museum's Instagram post have described the muscular infant Jesus using contemporary slang like "baddie," "yasssified," and "caked up," drawing parallels to modern beauty trends.

Sarah Lucas Unveils VENUS VICTORIA at the New Museum’s Bowery Plaza

The New Museum has unveiled "VENUS VICTORIA," a new public sculpture by British artist Sarah Lucas, inaugurating the museum's outdoor plaza at the junction of Bowery and Prince Street in downtown Manhattan. The sculpture, which features Lucas's signature Bunny figure seated atop a giant washing machine, was selected by an all-artist jury including Teresita Fernández, Joan Jonas, Julie Mehretu, Cindy Sherman, and Kiki Smith. It opens on May 12, 2026, and will remain on view for two years as the first of five commissions dedicated to public sculpture by women artists.

Lubaina Himid has been busy ‘Predicting History: Testing Translation’

Lubaina Himid has been selected to represent the United Kingdom at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2026 with a major solo installation titled 'Predicting History: Testing Translation' at the British Pavilion. The exhibition, running from May 9 to November 2026, features a new series of large, multipaneled paintings in dazzling colors, surreal settings, and a soundscape created in collaboration with artist Magda Stawarska. Himid, a Turner Prize-winning pioneer of the Black British Art Movement and Emeritus Professor at the University of Central Lancashire, explores themes of belonging, migration, and making a home in a new place.

‘I rely heavily on instinct’: entertainment mogul Hassan Smith on the art he collects and why

Entertainment executive and art collector Hassan Smith, manager to John Legend and advisory board member for the Atlanta Art Fair, shared insights into his collecting philosophy ahead of Frieze Los Angeles. His extensive collection spans art history from Rembrandt and Picasso to contemporary Black masters like Sam Gilliam, Rashid Johnson, and Deborah Roberts. Smith recently added a large-scale painting by Patrick Eugène to his holdings, noting that he relies on a mix of instinct and professional networking to make quick acquisition decisions.

The House of Pikachu: Art, Anime, and Pop Culture

Asia Society Texas (AST) in Houston announces its upcoming exhibition "The House of Pikachu: Art, Anime, and Pop Culture," opening October 17, 2025, and running through March 15, 2026. The show features 25 artists from Japan, Brazil, China, Mexico, Côte d'Ivoire, Texas, and beyond, exploring the influence of Japanese animation on contemporary art. Highlights include works by Yoshitaka Amano, Gao Hang, and Monsieur Zohore, with nods to classics like Astro Boy, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, and an immersive homage to Pikachu.

Embrace the Sparkle at 7 Jewelry-Themed Museum Exhibitions Across the Globe

Seven jewelry-themed museum exhibitions are on view globally in 2025, showcasing pieces from Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, and artist-designed adornments by Man Ray and Pablo Picasso. Highlights include "Cosmic Splendor" at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, featuring astronomically inspired Van Cleef & Arpels creations, and "Cartier" at the V&A in London, displaying over 350 objects including royal commissions and iconic panther jewels. Other shows feature contemporary and vintage designs, emphasizing jewelry as a wearable art form.

National Gallery London's 200th anniversary

The National Gallery in London is celebrating its 200th anniversary, marking two centuries since its founding in 1824. The milestone is being commemorated with a series of special exhibitions, events, and public programs throughout the year, highlighting the museum's collection of over 2,300 paintings and its role as a cornerstone of British cultural heritage.

Watching the Great Form Shatter

Der großen Form beim Zerbrechen zuschauen

Marc Brandenburg, a Berlin-based artist born in 1965, is the subject of a comprehensive survey exhibition titled "20th Century Debris" at the Berlinische Galerie. The show presents his meticulous pencil drawings on paper, which invert light and dark and are viewed under blacklight to create ghostly, dissolving images. Brandenburg's works fragment urban spaces, faces, and everyday objects into shimmering, unstable forms, drawing on photography and photocopying to produce a sense of eerie stillness and motion. The exhibition also includes his first films, tracing his stylistic evolution from early 1990s fragmented portraits to large-scale panoramic works with metallic surfaces.

10 Highlights You Shouldn't Miss in Venice

10 Highlights, die Sie in Venedig nicht verpassen sollten

The article presents ten must-see highlights of the 61st Venice Biennale, curated by the editors of Monopol magazine. It covers the main exhibition at the Arsenale, national pavilions, and collateral events, including Sandra Knecht's beehouse installation, Isabel Nolan's Irish Pavilion exploring dreams and late medieval humanism, Chiara Camoni's Italian Pavilion blending ceramics and found materials, and Asim Waqif's bamboo construction in the Indian Pavilion. Other featured works include a church filled with surveillance cameras and the new Fondazione Dries Van Noten.

Behind All Beautiful Things Lies Suffering

"Hinter allen schönen Dingen liegt ein Leiden"

The art market is undergoing a profound structural transformation as a new generation of collectors shifts focus away from traditional blue-chip masters like Cy Twombly and Mark Rothko. These 'NextGen' buyers, socialized through the internet and Instagram, prioritize identity-building over status, favoring streetwear, digital art by figures like Refik Anadol, and music memorabilia over classical painting. Meanwhile, institutional shifts are occurring globally: Greece has introduced specific legislation to criminalize the production of art forgeries, and LACMA director Michael Govan is defending the $724 million Peter Zumthor-designed expansion as a necessary 'magnet' for attracting major donations.

One of the Greatest Photographic Documents of the 20th Century

"Eines der größten fotografischen Dokumente des 20. Jahrhunderts"

A New York court has concluded an eleven-year legal battle by awarding Amedeo Modigliani’s 'Seated Man with a Cane' to the heirs of Jewish art dealer Oscar Stettiner. The ruling rejected the claims of the powerful Nahmad family, with the judge determining that Stettiner never voluntarily relinquished the work during the Nazi era. Additionally, a significant photographic archive belonging to darkroom technician Roland Haupt has surfaced, containing previously unseen World War II images by Lee Miller and Cecil Beaton.

La Biennale de Venise s’ouvre dans un climat houleux

The 61st Venice Biennale opened amid intense controversy after its president, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, announced the return of the Russian pavilion, which had been absent since the start of the Ukraine war. The European Commission suspended its €2 million subsidy for the 2028 edition, and the entire Biennale jury resigned on April 30. Buttafuoco later declared the Russian pavilion would remain closed, but protests erupted during the pre-opening days (May 6–8), drawing 28,000 professionals. Pussy Riot members, Femen activists, and the Free Nations League staged demonstrations, while the Israeli pavilion remained open despite a letter signed by nearly 200 artists calling for its exclusion.

La nature morte : une exposition novatrice

Le Journal des Arts reports on a new exhibition titled "La nature morte" (Still Life), presented by a gallery as a continuation of its previous monographic shows on Boetti and Burri and the thematic exhibition "On Fire." The exhibition focuses on the classical genre of still life, positioning it as a field of experimentation that accompanies the renewal of painting in the 20th century. It brings together three artists—Picasso, Morandi, and Parmiggiani—who, though not from the same school or direct lineage, each explore the subject through distinct artistic languages: Picasso asserts the presence of the object, Morandi delves into its meditative and silent dimension, and Parmiggiani pushes the reflection toward a form of disappearance. The show is curated by Cécile Debray, president of the Musée national Picasso-Paris, and involves collaborations with institutions such as the Museo Morandi.

Vanités contemporaines

The article explores the enduring relevance of still life and vanitas in contemporary art, tracing their evolution from the biblical proclamation "Vanity of vanities; all is vanity" through modern masters like Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, and Giorgio Morandi to contemporary practitioners such as Claudio Parmiggiani. It highlights how artists continue to use everyday objects—compotes, skulls, pitchers, apples—as vehicles for formal experimentation and philosophical reflection, with still life serving as a minimalist device that allows infinite plastic research.

Who are the members of the Venice Biennale jury?

Qui sont les membres du jury de la Biennale de Venise ?

The 61st Venice Biennale, opening May 9, 2026, has announced its international jury, which is composed entirely of women. The five members are Solange Oliveira Farkas (president), Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi, hailing from Brazil, Thailand, Spain, the United States, and Switzerland. Their backgrounds span the Global South, feminist studies, and transnational curatorial practices.