Venice Biennale opens without a jury amid strife over Russian and Israeli participation

The Venice Biennale, one of the world's most prestigious contemporary art exhibitions, opens its most contested edition in memory without a jury after the jury resigned in protest over the participation of Israel and Russia, both under investigation by the International Criminal Court for human rights abuses. Protests have erupted outside the Israeli and Russian pavilions, with demonstrators clashing with police, while feminist groups from Ukraine and Russia converged on the Russian Pavilion and Palestinians remembered artists killed in Gaza. The Biennale has replaced the jury with a public vote via email, with winners announced at the close on November 22.

Kathryn Williams lights a new creative spark

Kathryn Williams, a Liverpool-born singer-songwriter and visual artist based in Newcastle, opens her first solo North East exhibition, "Striking Image," at The Biscuit Factory in Ouseburn on May 8. The show features tiny, expressive portraits painted on matchboxes, reimagining historical miniatures on humble household objects. Williams, who has released 17 albums, written a novel, and hosted a podcast, approaches this exhibition as another strand of her lifelong creative practice, emphasizing freedom and process over product.

Iberdrola Celebrates 125th Anniversary With Major Art Exhibition At The Reopened Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

Iberdrola has opened the exhibition "Parallels and Meridians" at the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum to celebrate its 125th anniversary. The show features over one hundred works from the company's corporate art collection and coincides with the museum's reopening after a major expansion and refurbishment. The opening ceremony was led by Iberdrola Executive Chairman Ignacio Galán and Lehendakari Imanol Pradales, with attendance from regional officials including Ibone Bengoetxea, Amaia Arregi, Elixabete Etxanobe, Ana Otadui, and museum director Miguel Zugaza. The exhibition runs until 30 August.

Hessink’s to hold inaugural Georgian art auction in Tbilisi

Hessink’s Tbilisi Auction House has announced its inaugural international auction, "Contemporary Georgian Art," scheduled for April 27, 2026, at the Museum of Modern Art in Tbilisi. The sale will feature 90 works ranging from the late Soviet era to contemporary pieces, highlighting prominent figures such as Alexander Bandzeladze and Vera Pagava alongside emerging talents. To ensure global reach, the auction will be broadcast via digital platforms including Drouot and Invaluable, preceded by a week-long public preview.

Evanston History Center exhibit highlights local female artists

The Evanston History Center has launched "Unveiling Evanston Women Artists," a new exhibition dedicated to the historical contributions of female creators in the Illinois city. The show was sparked by a recent donation of works by the late artist Blanche Gildin, who rarely exhibited during her lifetime, and features approximately a dozen local artists including Lucile Roebuck Keeler and Rosemary Zwick. Spanning the early 20th century through the 1970s, the collection includes paintings, sculptures, and commercial illustrations that reflect the creative shifts of the civil rights era.

Guest Editorial: Croton’s Contemporary Art Scene -- What does it say about us?

The village of Croton-on-Hudson experienced a surge of artistic activity throughout March, highlighted by a series of events celebrating Women’s History Month. Key highlights included the "Women’s Viewpoints" exhibition at the Black Cow and the Croton Free Library, a retrospective of the late architect Ricardo Scofidio at the Artisans’ Gallery, and a sold-out performance by Denise Bessette. These events drew significant local crowds, showcasing a vibrant ecosystem of student artists, professional creators, and community supporters.

Sculpture of John Rhoden opens at Memorial Art Gallery

The Memorial Art Gallery has officially opened a major exhibition dedicated to the work of the late American sculptor John Rhoden. The opening reception, held on March 28, 2026, welcomed patrons and community members to explore a collection that highlights Rhoden’s unique ability to blend modernist sculpture with rhythmic, global influences.

Historic Attendance Elevates Korean Cultural Legacy as ‘Korean Treasures’ Exhibition Draws to a Close in Washington

The 'Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared' exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art in Washington D.C. concluded on February 1st after drawing an estimated 65,000 visitors. The show featured over 200 works from the vast personal art collection of the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee and was celebrated with a gala event hosted by Samsung Electronics and the museum, attended by the Lee family, U.S. politicians, and business leaders.

Miami Advice: Nina Surel on the historic Villa Paula and its future

Nina Surel, a Buenos Aires-born, Miami-based artist and founder of Collective 62, discusses the historic Villa Paula in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood. Originally built in the late 19th century for Cuban consul Domingo Milord and his wife Paula, the Neo-Classical villa features imported Cuban materials, Tuscan columns, and hand-painted ceramic tiles. After years of disrepair, a civic-minded landlord transformed it into a cultural venue now hosting the design gallery the Future Perfect, with works by artists including Autumn Casey and Faye Toogood during Miami Art Week. Surel highlights the building's layered history, ghost stories, and its significance as a misplaced architectural gem.

Florida’s Indigenous Artists Take Center Stage at Miami Art Week

Two Florida museums, HistoryMiami Museum and the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, have organized an exhibition titled "Yakne Seminoli" ("Seminole World") for Miami Art Week, featuring works by over 25 Seminole artists. The show spans traditional crafts like beadwork and basketry alongside contemporary media including painting, photography, and AI-generated art, aiming to highlight Seminole creativity and resilience. It includes pieces by the late Jimmy Osceola, Gordon O. Wareham, and Hali Garcia, among others.

Trout Museum exhibit and lecture hall honor Li Hu’s legacy at UW-Oshkosh and beyond

The Trout Museum of Art in Appleton, Wisconsin, opened a retrospective exhibition and named a lecture hall in honor of Li Hu, the late UW-Oshkosh emeritus art professor. The event, titled "A Tribute to Li Hu: Celebrating a Visionary Legacy," included a ribbon cutting for the Li Hu Lecture Hall, a panel discussion featuring former students and colleagues, and an exhibition of Hu's sculptural and painted works spanning his career. Hu, who died in 2016, was born in Shanghai, survived the Cultural Revolution, earned a degree from Shanghai University Fine Arts College, and moved to the U.S. in the early 1990s before teaching at UW-Oshkosh for nearly two decades. The exhibition is on view through January 4, 2026.

At West Chelsea Contemporary, Two Artists Bring Classical Archetypes Into the Present

West Chelsea Contemporary in Austin, Texas, is presenting “LUX ÆTERNA,” a joint exhibition featuring more than 40 works by Swiss visual artist Simon Berger and British artist Gary James McQueen. Berger is known for portraits created from hammered laminated safety glass, while McQueen, nephew of the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen, works with lenticular prints that shift optically. The show includes two collaborative pieces that combine their respective mediums, exploring themes of classical mythology, perception, and the nature of light.

Maui art exhibit to showcase works by Satoru Abe

The Maui Arts & Cultural Center will present "Satoru Abe: Reaching for the Sun," a retrospective exhibition showcasing over seven decades of work by the late Hawaiʻi-based artist Satoru Abe (1926–2025). Running from September 16 to November 22, 2025, at the Schaefer International Gallery, the show features more than 70 paintings, sculptures, and works on paper drawn from the Honolulu Museum of Art’s permanent collection and private lenders. Co-curated by HoMA curators Katherine Love and Alejandra Rojas Silva, the exhibition traces Abe’s evolution from figurative works in the 1950s through abstract explorations of natural forms, marking his first solo exhibition on Maui.

Art Basel Miami Beach to welcome 41 new exhibitors

Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB) will return from December 5 to 7, 2025, with 285 galleries, including 41 first-time exhibitors—a significant increase from previous years. The fair will emphasize Latinx, Indigenous, and diasporic artistic currents, and will feature galleries from 44 countries, with over two-thirds operating in the Americas. New participants include New York galleries such as David Peter Francis, Candice Madey, and Margot Samel, as well as Erin Cluley Gallery from Dallas, Miami’s Nina Johnson, and Voloshyn Gallery, the first Ukrainian exhibitor at the fair. Returning mega-galleries include Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, David Zwirner, Pace Gallery, and White Cube. The fair will also debut the Art Basel Awards, with gold medalists announced on December 4.

Right royal style: 90 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s fashion to go on show at Buckingham Palace

The Royal Collection Trust will mount an exhibition titled "Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style" at the King's Gallery at Buckingham Palace in London in spring 2026, marking the centenary of the late monarch's birth. The show will feature around 200 pieces, including the dresses she wore at her 1947 wedding and 1953 coronation, both designed by Norman Hartnell, along with diplomatically significant gowns, everyday attire, and never-before-exhibited colorful prints from the 1970s by Ian Thomas. Sketches and correspondence with her couturiers will also be on display.

“Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art” at the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth

The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth presents "Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art," co-organized with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, marking the first major Maya exhibition in the U.S. in a decade. Featuring 95 works, the show includes 50 objects never before seen in the U.S. and 17 recent archaeological discoveries, with contributions from 23 lenders including the Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología in Guatemala and the INAH – Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City. The exhibition is organized thematically around Creations, Day, Night, Rain, Maize, Knowledge, and Patron Gods, and highlights recent scholarship in Maya glyph decipherment, archaeology, and art interpretation.

Holy ground: why Persian carpets played an important symbolic role in the funeral of Pope Francis

Persian carpets from northwest Iran were used in the funeral proceedings of Pope Francis, placed beneath his casket in St. Peter's Basilica and later in St. Peter's Square. The article traces this tradition back over 600 years, explaining how carpets from Islamic lands—first Anatolia, then Iran, Egypt, and the Levant—were depicted in Renaissance religious paintings as markers of sacred space, appearing at the feet of the Virgin Mary and other holy figures.

Hamburg Gallerist Jenny Falckenberg Dies Unexpectedly

Hamburger Galeristin Jenny Falckenberg unerwartet gestorben

The Hamburg art world is mourning the sudden passing of gallery owner and art agent Jenny Falckenberg, who died in her sleep at the age of 45. The daughter of the late legendary collector Harald Falckenberg, she had established herself as a significant force in the German contemporary art scene, known for her ability to bridge the gap between established figures and emerging talent.

Vittoria Matarrese new director of the Magasin in Grenoble

Vittoria Matarrese nouvelle directrice du Magasin de Grenoble

Vittoria Matarrese has been appointed as the new director of the Magasin, the National Center for Contemporary Art in Grenoble. The Italian architect and curator, who previously held positions at the Villa Medici in Rome, the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, and the Bally Foundation in Lugano, and most recently led the first Art Week Riyadh, succeeds Céline Kopp. Her appointment comes as the institution seeks a new direction after a prolonged period of crisis.

Chuck Connelly Masterpiece “Coliseum” Comes Out of Storage for First Time in 21 Years

Chuck Connelly's monumental 1994 painting "Coliseum" has been unveiled at One Art Space in Tribeca, New York, after spending 21 years in storage. The 90-by-108-inch oil on canvas, a signature work of the late American artist known for his fiercely expressive style, is now on public view for the first time since 2005. The May 2, 2026 unveiling was attended by family members including Adrienne Connelly, as well as notable figures such as MaryAnn Giella McCulloh, Mei Fung, and others.

Why We Need Corporate Art Collections

The article traces the history and significance of corporate art collections, beginning with Deutsche Bank's acquisition of 57 early drawings by Joseph Beuys in the late 1970s, which led to the formal launch of its collection in 1980. Today, the Deutsche Bank Collection comprises over 57,000 objects displayed in 500 locations across 40 countries, and the bank sponsors events like the Frieze Art Fair. The piece also highlights the role of American banker David Rockefeller, who inaugurated Chase Manhattan Bank's Art at Work program in 1959, and notes that corporate collecting has deep roots in Renaissance banking, with institutions like Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena commissioning art for their offices.

Hanwha Culture Foundation hosts Lim Young-Joo solo show in New York

The Hanwha Culture Foundation is hosting a solo exhibition by artist Lim Young-Joo, titled 'The Late故', from May 15 to July 25 at Space Zero One in New York. The show features video and installation works that reinterpret themes of faith, anxiety, life, and death, including a centerpiece piece that reconfigures her previous major works and research from her residency. Lim Young-Joo won the 2025 Frieze Artist Award and was selected for the Korea Artist Prize by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea.

‘In Minor Keys’: discover the themes that define the 61st Venice Biennale exhibition

The 61st Venice Biennale's main exhibition, 'In Minor Keys', curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, has opened after her sudden passing in 2025. Kouoh had fully planned the exhibition before her death, and a team of seven realized her vision. The show features 110 artists, including Wangechi Mutu, Nick Cave, Alfredo Jaar, and emerging talents like Ranti Bam. It opens with a poem by Refaat Alareer and an installation by Khaled Sabsabi, setting a contemplative tone amid themes of mourning, grief, and healing. The exhibition also highlights minority perspectives, including Caribbean and Central American artists, and confronts colonial histories through works like Florence Lazar's film on a hurricane-exposed necropolis.

Venice Biennale in crisis: The controversies explained

The Venice Art Biennale's official awards ceremony, scheduled for May 9, has been canceled after the entire five-member jury resigned days before the event. The jury had previously announced they would not consider countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court charges, directly impacting Russia and Israel. Instead of jury-selected prizes, visitors will vote throughout the Biennale's run, with "Visitor Lions" awarded on November 22. The event, running from May 9 to November 22, features 100 national participations, including seven first-time countries, and a posthumous main exhibition titled "In Minor Keys" curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, the first African woman to lead the show. Iran withdrew on May 4 amid Middle East tensions, while Russia's return to the Biennale in 2026 has sparked EU threats to cut funding.

Unpacking the Venice Biennale controversies and highlights

The 2026 Venice Art Biennale is proceeding with a posthumous main exhibition, "In Minor Keys," curated by the late Cameroonian-born artistic director Koyo Kouoh, who died in May 2025. The event features 100 national participations, including seven first-time countries, and has reinstated Russia's pavilion after its voluntary withdrawal following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Soyinka, Obi of Onitsha for Onobrakpeya art exhibition

A major retrospective and group exhibition titled “The Gregorian Art Exhibition” is set to take place at St. Gregory’s College in Lagos, Nigeria, from April 25 to 27, 2026. The event honors the legendary Nigerian modernist Bruce Onobrakpeya and will feature works by him alongside other notable alumni and artists including the late Victor Uwaifo and David Dale. The opening is expected to draw high-profile figures such as Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka and the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe.

'Is This Art?': Mulberry Art Studios' newest exhibition features cryptic art from telephone poles

Mulberry Art Studios in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has launched a posthumous exhibition titled "Is This Art?: The Collected Works of Donald Shoffstall." The show features a collection of photocopied signs and posters that Shoffstall, a local figure who experienced homelessness, stapled to telephone poles throughout the city during the late 20th century. Curated by Steve Sylvester and Jerry Greiner, the exhibition presents these stream-of-consciousness writings and abstract graphic works as significant pieces of outsider art.

Vanderbilt Artists Showcased at Prestigious Venice Biennale

Vanderbilt University has announced its inaugural participation in the Venice Biennale, marking a major milestone for the institution's arts program. Faculty artists Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons and Kamaal Malak have been selected to present works in the 61st International Art Exhibition, curated by the late Koyo Kouoh. To complement the exhibition, the university will launch "Resonance: Vanderbilt University in Venice," a two-month public program series featuring sonic inquiries, performances, and scholarly convenings.

In A State Of Flux: Tumi Magnússon’s Exhibition Is A Meditation On Movement And Change

Contemporary artist Tumi Magnússon has opened a solo exhibition titled "Herefrom Thereto Therefrom Hereto" (Héðan þangað þaðan hingað) at the Reykjanes Art Museum in Keflavík, Iceland. Curated by Gavin Morrison, the show marks a significant return for both the Copenhagen-based artist and the U.S.-based curator to the Icelandic art scene. The exhibition features a dialogue between Magnússon’s early post-conceptual paintings from the late 1990s and his more recent explorations in video, sound, and digital imagery.

Ruth Asawa’s family to open new San Francisco gallery for centennial celebration

The family of the late pioneering sculptor Ruth Asawa has announced the opening of a dedicated gallery space in San Francisco to coincide with the artist's centennial celebration in 2026. This new venue will serve as a permanent home for her legacy, featuring rotating exhibitions of her signature wire sculptures, drawings, and archival materials that have not been widely seen by the public.