A distinctive bicorne hat belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte, worn during his final exile on Saint Helena, has been rediscovered after more than a century in storage at the Condé Museum. Curators found the beaver pelt hat, made by his official hat-maker Poupard, while preparing for an upcoming exhibition, and its provenance has been confirmed through extensive study.
The European Union has threatened to withdraw funding from the Venice Biennale if the organization proceeds with hosting a Russian national pavilion for the 2026 edition. EU commissioners Henna Virkkunen and Glenn Micallef issued a joint statement arguing that providing a platform for Russia is incompatible with the EU's response to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. While the Biennale Foundation maintains a policy of neutrality, stating it rejects the censorship of any country recognized by Italy, the EU warned that continued participation could result in the suspension or termination of active grants.
Leon Botstein, the longtime president of Bard College, is facing scrutiny following the release of emails with Jeffrey Epstein. The correspondence, reported by the New York Times, includes a 2012 note from Botstein thanking Epstein for a Caribbean trip and expressing admiration, suggesting a more personal relationship than Botstein's previous claims of purely transactional fundraising communications.
The article, presented as an advice column by consultants Chen & Lampert in ARTnews, addresses two anonymous letters from art-world professionals. The first letter is from a curator at a major museum who feels underpaid, invisible, and constrained by an ethics policy that prevents freelance work, while colleagues at smaller institutions enjoy more freedom. The second letter is from a veteran graphic designer and illustrator, active since the 1960s, who laments losing commercial clients to younger, cheaper talent using AI and smartphones. The consultants respond with sharp, critical advice: they tell the curator to consider collective action with colleagues to push for institutional reform, and advise the designer to leverage their legacy and experience rather than accept obsolescence.
81C in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, is presenting "Krankie II: Middle of the Food Chain," an immersive contemporary art exhibition by collaborative duo Emily Braswell (strawberriemilk) and Jenna Rees (warmmilkwithsugar). Opening on May 15, 2026, the show features painting, video, sculpture, and installation that construct a cinematic, psychologically charged world centered on a fictional 1980s movie star, offering absurdist commentary on fame in the pre-internet era versus today. The exhibition is a dual-location activation, also including a component at the XIIID Research and Strategy Innovation Center at the University of the Virgin Islands, with a free opening reception featuring DJ Carbar.
At the 2026 Venice Biennale, Somalia has established its first-ever national pavilion, commissioned by the Somali government to showcase the richness of Somali culture through the theme of Saddaxleey, a triadic form of Somali poetry and proverbs. The pavilion features works by Somali Swedish artist Ayan Farah, UK-based Somali Danish multidisciplinary artist Asmaa Jama, and Somali British poet Warsan Shire. However, a collective of queer Somali artists, curators, and culture workers called Warbixinta Cidda has publicly criticized the pavilion for overrepresenting the diaspora, selecting an all-male advisory board, and appointing an Italian co-curator instead of Somali curators, raising concerns about representation and neocolonialism.
The 61st Venice Biennale, scheduled to open on May 9, has been thrown into turmoil after its International Jury announced that national pavilions and artists representing countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court will not be eligible for prizes. This excludes Israel, represented by sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru, and Russia from competing for the Golden Lion. The decision follows an open letter signed by hundreds of artists and curators demanding Israel's exclusion over the war in Gaza, and comes amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, including Russia's absence from previous editions after its invasion of Ukraine. The Biennale's theme, 'In Minor Keys,' curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, aimed to focus on dignity and listening to marginalized voices, but the prize ban has sparked accusations that identity politics are overshadowing artistic merit.
CONDUCTOR, a new art fair curated by Adriana Farietta in collaboration with Powerhouse Arts, launches this week in Brooklyn, New York. The fair features individual artists and galleries from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, and Indigenous Nations, with a focus on the Global Majority. A key innovation is its onsite fabrication model, allowing some works to be produced locally at Powerhouse Arts' facilities, reducing shipping and customs issues. The fair also offers an exclusive preview of artists presenting at the Venice Biennale, including Annalee Davis, Tammy Nguyen, RojoNegro, Beya Gille Gacha, and Bugarin + Castle.
The Arts Council of Wales has announced a 19-strong team of early-career artists, curators, and students who will travel to Venice this summer to support Wales' presence at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, running from May 9 to November 22, 2026. As part of the Invigilator+ programme, participants will spend at least one month in Venice acting as ambassadors for the Wales in Venice exhibition, an official collateral event. The exhibition, titled Sownd, is led by artists Manon Awst and Dylan Huw, jointly organized by Oriel Myrddin in Carmarthen and Oriel Davies in Newtown, with Steffan Jones-Hughes as Curator and Catherine Spring as Exhibition Project Director. The invigilators include Lily Tonkin Wells, Robert Oros, Ophelia dos Santos, Grace Springer, Cerian Wilshire Davies, Megan Evans, Howl Hubbard, Temeka Davies, Llyr Evans, Chloe Goodwin, Abby Pouslon, and Niamh O'Dobhain, while student team members come from Cardiff Metropolitan University, University of Wales Trinity St David, Wrexham University, and Aberystwyth University.
The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) in San Francisco recently celebrated the opening of two major exhibitions, "Diedrick Brackens: gather tender night" and "Conjuring Power: Roots & Futures of Queer & Trans Movements." The event drew over 1,000 attendees and featured leadership from the institution alongside the featured artists and curators.
The Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile (Chat) in Hong Kong has launched "Threading Inwards," an exhibition featuring 14 artists from across Asia who utilize fabric as a medium for spiritual exploration. Co-curated by Wang Weiwei alongside three regional curators, the show features diverse works ranging from Sang A. Han’s ink-stained cotton gates to Aziza Kadyri’s AI-integrated Uzbek folk dance installations. The exhibition emphasizes textiles not merely as material, but as portals to ancestral cosmology and sacred vessels linking the physical and metaphysical worlds.
Curators Maureen Ragalie and John Brogan have launched "The Art Thingy Part 1," a one-day experimental exhibition at Task Creative in Cudahy, Wisconsin. Featuring works by five artists—Heidi Parkes, Julie Brogan, Meg Lionel Murphy, Anita Ragusa, and Phoenix S. Brown—the show is framed as a "notes-app inspired experiment" that envisions an art market governed by creators rather than traditional institutional gatekeepers.
The Spruill Center for the Arts is expanding its footprint by converting the former Chamblee City Hall into a new creative hub called Spruill Studios. Scheduled to open in June 2026, the 6,796-square-foot facility will house 15 affordable artist studios and a dedicated exhibition space. The project is the result of a strategic partnership with the City of Chamblee, which is leasing the 2002 building to the nonprofit for just $1 per year.
The University of Texas at Austin abruptly closed an exhibition at its Visual Arts Center after a single day because it included a piece critical of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The artwork, a neon sign reading "Fuck ICE" by artist Tammie Rubin, was part of a group show curated by the university's own art faculty. The administration cited concerns about the work's "vulgarity" and potential to distract from the university's educational mission as reasons for the closure.
The final exhibition of 'Bowie and Friends,' a series of portraits by Sunnyside-based artist Gareth Doyle (dubhghaill.art), was celebrated at Aubergine Cafe in Queens, New York. The two-month show featured 13 original works inspired by music icons like David Bowie, Debbie Harry, Kurt Cobain, and John Lydon, with prints and original canvases available for sale.
The Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art has launched its 2026 spring season with three major exhibitions and a new program of free field trips for students. The exhibitions, which run from February 20 to June 13, include the traveling group show 'Actions for the Earth: Art, Care & Ecology,' a solo exhibition by Guatemalan American artist Jackie Amézquita titled 'El camino se traza al andar,' and a solo exhibition by Amy Elkins called 'Mourning Songs of Salt and Silt.' An installation by Ash Ferlito and Patrick Costello, 'Moth Ball,' is also on view. The museum is hosting a free opening reception and a series of public lectures and events for Black History Month.
The Gabba Gallery in Los Angeles will open a major exhibition titled 'Echoes of Gen X: The Art of the Fillmore (1980s–2000s)' on February 21. The show will feature a vast collection of deadstock gig posters and ephemera from the iconic San Francisco music venue, representing over 1,000 concerts from the late 1980s through early 2000s, with works by poster artists like Chuck Sperry, Frank Kozik, and Rex Ray.
The Michigan History Museum has opened a new exhibition titled “Black Velvet: A Rasquache Aesthetic,” which explores the cultural and historical significance of black velvet paintings within Latino and Chicano communities. The exhibit was developed by the museum's team in collaboration with three guest curators, who contributed works from their personal collections.
Dazed Club has partnered with The Gallery at Hackney Downs Studios to offer an aspiring curator the chance to stage an exhibition in East London for three weeks starting 12 March. The selected curator will receive a £1,000 fee, a £2,000 production budget, and support from the Dazed team, including a private view. Applications are open via the Dazed Club app until 10am on 29 January.
Texart Fair 3.0, a three-day art exhibition and cultural exchange, was held in Ibadan by BlackulHeritage Studios in collaboration with the National Museum of Unity, Ibadan. The event, themed “Tapping the Market Potential of Nigerian Art: Bridging the Gap,” brought together artists, collectors, curators, scholars, and students to discuss strengthening the visibility and economic value of Nigerian art. Highlights included a symposium, panel discussions, and Awards of Recognition presented to notable Nigerian art figures such as Tola Wewe, Prince Tunde Odunlade, and Tunde Kelani.
The Revolt Art Fair is staging its second edition in Miami at Ice Palace Studios, featuring over 50 Black artists and digital creators. Titled "Dual Currency: Defiance by Design," the fair allows visitors to purchase works via QR code through the Ujamaa art-market app. Curators Amy Andrieux and Zindzi Harley have focused on celebrating Black art in 2025, with highlights including works by Chire “VantaBlack” Regans, Lex Marie, and Daveed Baptiste. A digital open call was announced for an LED presentation during the closing party, reflecting the fair's connection to hip-hop culture through its parent company Revolt.
An exhibition titled "Art Deco: A Modern Vision" has opened, featuring a series of social photographs capturing attendees at the event. The images show various pairs and groups of visitors, including Mary Abbott and Katie Abbott, Penelope Curtin and Janet Worth, and others, documenting the opening night's social scene.
A new group exhibition titled 'Grit' opened at Echo Contemporary Art in Atlanta's Echo Street West, featuring works by local artists in painting, illustration, sculpture, installation, tech-driven pieces, and a quilt by Evereman. Co-curated by Alfonso Alday Vergara of Alday Hunken Gallery, Melanie Shaw of ArtShare, and Kyle McNeill (BignPasty), the show explores the theme of perseverance in art-making. The opening night reception drew a crowd, and the week-long exhibition includes artist talks, live music, and a panel discussion with Hayley Smith of SCOPE Art Show and Plushette Ellis of Artistic Logistics.
Pepperdine University, a private Christian institution in Malibu, California, censored and closed an art exhibition titled "Hold My Hand in Yours" at its Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art. The exhibition, curated by museum director Andrea Gyorody, featured works centered on hands as symbols of labor, identity, care, and connection. On October 1, administrators Lauren Cosentino and Nicole Singer visited the museum, leading to the shutdown of artist Elena Mann's video "Call to Arms 2015-2022," which included references to Donald Trump's policies, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, and the George Floyd protests. Another work, "Con Nuestras Manos Construimos Deidades" by Natalie Godinez and the nonprofit AMBOS, was also censored after officials objected to text reading "Save the Children" and "Abolish ICE."
Ten youth curators aged 15 to 17 from Seattle's Fresh Perspectives program have organized a new art exhibition titled "You, Me, & Everything Between Us" at King Street Station. The show is presented by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture in collaboration with Seattle Public Utilities' 1% Art program. The teen curators—Audrey Mae Lumaguip, Billie Atkins, Bowie Logan, Bryan Emmanuel, Bunny Heminger, Cam Koga, Giselle Kalei Balansay, Max Santiago, Sammy Tewelde, and Nico Charbonneau—were mentored by artist and project manager Janet Nechama Miller. Seattle Public Utilities has set aside a budget to acquire works from the exhibition for the city's Civic Art Collection.
Three temporary art galleries are opening on the ground floor of the postmodern No.1 Poultry building in the City of London, near Bank tube station. Operated by arts charity Hypha Studios and supported by the Cheapside Business Alliance, the spaces will host 24 exhibitions over the course of a year, starting in September 2025. The first three exhibitions are free and open to the public from Thursday 25th September 2025. Gallery 2, in partnership with art and architecture platform recessed.space, will focus on exhibitions relating to the living environment, while Galleries 1 and 3 will feature a range of contemporary artists and curators. The initiative is part of a meanwhile use programme during a refurbishment of the building’s interior to reduce energy consumption.
JD Malat Gallery Dubai has launched 'Made in the UAE,' an open call for emerging contemporary artists across the UAE. Five artists working in painting, sculpture, photography, installation, or video will be selected for a group exhibition in December 2025 at the gallery's Downtown Dubai space. Submissions are open until October 15, 2025, and a selection committee of regional curators and international art professionals will choose the final participants.
Aspen Grove Fine Art will present “What is Real: The Echoes of Ashley Collins,” the most expansive collection of artist Ashley Collins’s work ever shown in the United States. The exhibition features large-scale mixed-media paintings and includes private and public opening receptions on August 1–2, 2025, with artist talks, live music, and cocktails sponsored by Aspen Vodka. A companion online viewing room, “UNBROKEN: The Art of Ashley Collins,” has also launched for remote collectors.
The Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts (LHUCA) in Lubbock, Texas, has launched an open call for exhibition proposals for its 2026 season. Individual artists, artist groups, and curators are invited to submit proposals across all visual media, including painting, sculpture, digital art, and video. Proposals must be submitted as a single PDF by September 1, 2025, to curator Taylor Ernst, with exhibitions running for two months and opening during the First Friday Art Trail, which draws over 5,000 attendees monthly.
The Austin Central Library has issued an open call for exhibition proposals from Texas-based artists, collectives, curators, and creatives for its fall 2026 and spring 2027 seasons. Selected works will be displayed in the library’s 2,700-square-foot gallery for 12-week periods, with opportunities for artists to lead workshops or demonstrations. Applications are due by August 31, 2025, and will be reviewed by juries of local artists, curators, educators, and community leaders, with selected applicants announced in fall 2025.