federal court rules gender ideology ban on art endowments unconstitutional

A Rhode Island federal court ruled on Friday that National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grants do not have to comply with President Trump’s executive order banning “gender ideology.” The order, introduced in February, prohibited federal funds from being used to promote the idea that males can identify as women and vice versa, and was applied to the NEA grant application process. The ACLU’s Rhode Island branch filed a lawsuit in March on behalf of several theaters, arguing the policy violated First Amendment rights by restricting the types of works that could receive funding. Judge William E. Smith, appointed by former President George W. Bush, found the policy unconstitutional, noting that the 1965 law establishing the NEA requires grants to be awarded solely on merit. A subsequent “final notice” allowing the NEA chair to review applications on a case-by-case basis was also struck down as a viewpoint-based restriction on artists’ speech.

trump administration violated law withholding institute of museum and library services funds

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a decision on Monday finding that the Trump administration violated the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 by withholding congressionally appropriated funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). In March, President Trump signed an executive order calling for the elimination of the IMLS, and in April the agency was gutted by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), placing its entire 75-person staff on leave. The GAO determined that the IMLS ceased performing its legal duties and withheld funds intended for museums and libraries, and that the administration could not justify the withholding.

lawmakers probe executive order targeting museum content

A group of 71 House Democrats, led by Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Paul Tonko, is urging the Smithsonian Institution's inspector general to investigate Executive Order 14253, issued by President Donald Trump in March 2025. The order mandates the removal of exhibits and materials deemed "divisive" or promoting "race-centered ideology" from federally funded museums, including the Smithsonian. The lawmakers argue that the directive threatens the Smithsonian's congressionally mandated independence and could breach federal law, as the institution is expected to remain nonpartisan and free from political interference.

house democrats urge jd vance to stop smithsonian

Four Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives—Joseph Morelle, Terri Sewell, Norma Torres, and Julie Johnson—sent a letter to Vice President J.D. Vance on Thursday urging him to reject an overhaul of the Smithsonian Institution. The letter responds to President Donald Trump's March 27 executive order, "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," which aims to eliminate "divisive" and "anti-American" content from Smithsonian exhibitions and restore removed monuments. The lawmakers argue that the order threatens the curatorial independence that has made the Smithsonian a globally respected cultural institution.

Fade to black: inside the US’s abandoned movie theatres

Photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre have documented abandoned early 20th-century movie theatres across the United States, capturing the haunting beauty of their decline. These once-grand cinemas, converted from 1920s music halls and theatres, have been left as hybrid ruins due to the rise of television, streaming platforms, and individualized media consumption. The work is exhibited at Kyotographie 2026 in Japan until 17 May.

art sagg napoli exhibition champ lacombe london

SAGG Napoli, a multidisciplinary artist who incorporates Naples into her name, presents her latest exhibition at Champ Lacombe in London from March 26 to May 16, 2025. For the first time, her own body is absent from the work; instead, she shows a new sculpture and a film juxtaposing volcanic eruptions of Mount Vesuvius with New Year's Eve celebrations in Naples. The article includes a studio visit interview where Napoli discusses her creative process, her training as a competitive archer, and her concept of 'South Aesthetics.'

art udo kittelmann julia stoschek los angeles

German curator Udo Kittelmann and leading time-based art collector Julia Stoschek have collaborated on "What a Wonderful World," an audiovisual poem on view at Los Angeles's Variety Arts Theater from February 6 through March 20. The project interweaves early film entries by Alice Guy-Blaché, Georges Méliès, and Walt Disney with contemporary video works from Stoschek's collection, featuring artists such as Lu Yang, Bunny Rogers, and Paul Chan. Kittelmann and Stoschek insist the work is not an exhibition but a "poem," designed to challenge how audiences consume art and moving images, urging viewers to move beyond entertainment toward a raw, emotional experience.

parties culture sam chermayeff stella roos wedding

Sam Chermayeff and Stella Roos are planning a day-long wedding party for 250 people in an abandoned Fascist-era villa in Rome, originally built as Olivetti offices. The couple, who live in Berlin but have no family there, decided on Rome for its festive appeal. They initially considered joining the Catholic Church to secure a venue but ultimately arranged to hold their ceremony in a ruined church on the Appia Antica, with artist Tacita Dean asked to officiate. The party venue, inherited by a friend of a friend, sits near the Baths of Caracalla and features overgrown gardens and dusty rooms. Invitations were designed by their friend Leo of Something Fantastic, and the couple's mood board includes whimsical details like an ice sculpture, tiny potatoes, and a flower chain.

art chicago mca queer artists

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago has organized a summer exhibition titled 'To Share a Garden,' bringing together over 30 artists in a decade-spanning review of queer art and activism. The show draws its theme from Chicago's historic motto 'urbs in horto' (city in a garden) and features works from the 1980s to the present, including pieces by Brendan Fernandes, Nick Cave, Mary Patten, and Doug Ischar. The exhibition acts as a visual archive of queer artistic expression, spanning from the AIDS crisis protests to contemporary movements.

Local talent shines: Rust-en-Vrede Portrait Awards exhibition at KZNSA Gallery

Two KwaZulu-Natal artists, Senzelw’umusa Mathe and Gary McIver, are among the top 40 finalists in the Rust-en-Vrede Portrait Awards, a biennial South African competition. Their works, along with those of other finalists and winner Malik Mani, will be exhibited at the KZNSA Gallery in Durban from February 11 to March 1, 2026, as part of a national tour. Mathe's entry, "Bazali Bami," is a tapestry crochet portrait of her parents, while McIver's "At the Louvre" is an oil painting inspired by his students' reenactment of a neoclassical artwork.

Hastings Museum launches ‘Portraits in a Chinese Studio’ exhibition

Grace Lau's exhibition 'Portraits in a Chinese Studio' opens at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery on January 13, 2025. The show features photographs taken in Hastings and St Leonards between 2005 and 2025, depicting local people posed on mock traditional Chinese furniture with modern items like mobile phones and plastic bags, creating a contrast between past and present. The project was funded by Arts Council England and supported by John Hansard Gallery, and runs until March 29, 2026.

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery launches special events to celebrate its 140th anniversary

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery will host a weekend of special events from November 28 to 30 to mark its 140th anniversary. Activities include a birthday cake-cutting, live poetry by Bradley Taylor, a performance by the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Trumpet Club, behind-the-scenes 'hidden spaces' tours, a party hat trail, and 'my first museum' tours for young children. The museum originally opened on November 28, 1885, by the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), and has welcomed an estimated 100 million visitors since. After closing in March 2020 for pandemic-related essential maintenance, it reopened in phases starting October 2024, with new galleries, displays, and full access to the Staffordshire Hoard by October 2025.

Finland’s political leadership to retract from Venice Biennale over Russian Pavilion

Finland's Minister of Science and Culture, Mari-Leena Talvitie, announced that the country's political leadership will not participate in the upcoming Venice Biennale if Russia's national pavilion is allowed to take part. This decision follows a joint letter signed by Talvitie and 21 other European ministers in March, which deemed Russia's return to the Biennale since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine as 'unacceptable'. Finnish public officials and cultural representatives, however, will still attend to support Finnish artists.

‘As If’ by Isabel Waidner, Reviewed

Isabel Waidner’s latest novel, 'As If', follows the surreal intersection of two actors, Lewis and Korine, who share an uncanny resemblance and wives with the same name. After meeting in a Central London sublet, the pair decide to swap lives: the younger Korine takes over a high-stakes audition for the grieving Lewis, while Lewis assumes Korine’s domestic and financial burdens. Set against the brutalist backdrop of London’s Barbican and Golden Lane estate, the narrative uses this identity swap to explore the thin line between performance and reality.

The Musée d’Ixelles at the Crossroads of Different Perspectives

Le Musée d’Ixelles à la croisée de différents regards

The Musée d’Ixelles in Brussels, closed for eight years for expansion and renovation, is nearing completion of its architectural transformation with a reopening scheduled for spring 2027 (March 19). Founded in 1892 in a former slaughterhouse, the museum has grown through successive donations and a continuous acquisition policy, now holding over 15,000 works spanning Belgian art from the 19th century to the contemporary period. Director and curator Claire Leblanc, who has led the institution since 2006, emphasizes a participatory approach that integrates diverse public perspectives, including a project called "Musée comme chez soi" during the closure where locals hosted artworks in their homes.

D'Ette Nogle at Kunstverein Braunschweig

Kunstverein Braunschweig is presenting 'Let it R.I.P.', a solo exhibition by American artist D'Ette Nogle, curated by Junia Thiede and running from March 21 to May 31, 2026. The exhibition features 69 images documenting Nogle's work, with press releases available in both English and German, along with a booklet and venue website links.

Resisting Death: Glitches and Ornaments at CASTLE

An exhibition titled "Resisting Death: Glitches and Ornaments" is on view at CASTLE in Los Angeles from March 21 to May 2, 2026. Curated by Oriane Durand, the show features works by artists Ull Hohn, Bod Mellor, and Bruno Pélassy, presenting 22 images and no videos in the documentation.

Reba Maybury at Secession

Reba Maybury presents her solo exhibition "I Come in Peace" at Secession in Vienna, running from March 6 to May 31, 2026. The show features a press release, floor plan, and venue website, documented through 10 images and photographs by Lisa Rastl, courtesy of Secession.

Ethical Managers Make Their Own Rules at Bodenrader

Bodenrader in Chicago is currently hosting a group exhibition titled "Ethical Managers Make Their Own Rules," featuring works by Jessica Diamond, Hélène Fauquet, and Jason Hirata. The exhibition, which runs from March 21 through May 2, 2026, presents a curated selection of contemporary works documented through an extensive digital archive of installation views.

Gianni Motti at Galerie Mezzanin

Gianni Motti presents a solo exhibition titled "Au-delà de tout doute raisonnable" at Galerie Mezzanin in Geneva. Running from March 13 through May 14, 2026, the show continues Motti’s career-long exploration of conceptual interventions and socio-political commentary.

Gino De Dominicis at Sant'Andrea de Scaphis

Sant'Andrea de Scaphis in Rome is hosting a solo exhibition of works by the late Italian artist Gino De Dominicis, curated by Luca Lo Pinto. The presentation, titled "1975+27," runs from March 13 through April 18, 2026, and features a selection of the artist's enigmatic works within the atmospheric setting of a deconsecrated 9th-century church.

Group Show at Fanta-MLN

A group exhibition featuring works by Alessandro Agudio, Edie Duffy, Gina Folly, Jason Hirata, and Josephine Pryde opened at the Milan gallery Fanta-MLN. The show ran from February 19 to March 28, 2026, and was documented with 20 installation photographs by Roberto Marossi.

An Hoang at Halsey McKay

An Hoang at Halsey McKay

An Hoang has opened a solo exhibition titled "Garden Poems" at Halsey McKay Gallery in East Hampton. The show, running from February 7 through March 29, 2026, features a collection of new works, documented by 33 images in the announcement. This presentation marks a continued collaboration with the gallery, highlighting Hoang's latest artistic developments.

Aileen Murphy at Deborah Schamoni

Aileen Murphy at Deborah Schamoni

Aileen Murphy has opened a solo exhibition titled "We must go under the wallpaper" at the Deborah Schamoni gallery in Munich. The show, running from January 9 through March 21, 2026, features new works by the artist, documented extensively with twenty installation photographs.

Valentina Bartolini at Callirrhoë

Valentina Bartolini at Callirrhoë

Valentina Bartolini has opened a solo exhibition, "Belly of the Fish," at the Callirrhoë gallery in Athens. The show, which runs from January 22 through March 21, 2026, presents a new body of work from the artist, documented extensively with 24 images on the platform.

Tania Willard “Photolithics” at The Polygon Gallery, North Vancouver

The Polygon Gallery in North Vancouver is presenting a major solo exhibition titled "Photolithics" by artist, curator, and scholar Tania Willard. The show, on view from March 7 to May 24, 2026, is a decade-long survey featuring new and existing works that demonstrate Willard's innovative use of photographic printing and presentation techniques.

Room 412 in Birmingham, Alabama

Chandler Jones founded Room 412, a small, appointment-only gallery in a Birmingham, Alabama loft, in March 2022. The space functions as an intimate, immersive exhibition environment, described as a cross between a gallery and a mystical hotel room, designed to showcase Alabama artists and foster community connection. Jones, a musician, was motivated by a desire to create a visually and energetically compelling gathering place after being inspired by the historic Chelsea Hotel in New York.

This Day in History: Van Gogh paintings shown in first retrospective exhibit

On March 15, 1901, the Bernheim-Jeune gallery in Paris opened the first major retrospective exhibition of Vincent van Gogh's work, featuring 71 paintings. Organized by gallery owners Joseph and Gaston Bernheim-Jeune, the exhibition marked a pivotal turning point in Van Gogh's posthumous recognition, transforming him from an obscure artist who sold only one painting in his lifetime into a globally celebrated master. The article details Van Gogh's life and career, from his early dark works like 'The Potato Eaters' to his vibrant Post-Impressionist period in Arles, where he painted masterpieces like his 'Bedroom' series and 'Sunflowers'. It notes his struggles with mental health, his death in 1890, and emphasizes that the 1901 retrospective was the crucial event that cemented his fame, long after the gallery itself closed in 2019.

Ccucu Gall-Art – The Brickell Key Gallery aka B K G -Makes History as the First Art Gallery on Brickell Key, Opening on March 13th with a Solo Exhibition by Ricardo Garcia… Inspired by the Old Masters

The Brickell Key Gallery (BKG), also known as Ccucu Gall-Art, is set to make history as the first art gallery to open on Miami’s Brickell Key. The inaugural event, scheduled for March 13th, features a solo exhibition by artist Ricardo Garcia, whose contemporary works are heavily influenced by the techniques and aesthetics of the Old Masters.

Upcoming Exhibition Celebrates Artwork of Lois Dodd

The Art Gallery at Brooklyn College will present “Lois Dodd: A Radiant Simplicity,” a major exhibition celebrating the work of painter and former faculty member Lois Dodd, who taught at the college from 1971 to 1992. This is Dodd’s first solo show in a noncommercial gallery in the United States in 20 years, running from February 3 through March 25, with an opening reception on February 10.