Ax Swings Following Artsy/Artnet Consolidation as Top Reporters Are Laid Off

Major layoffs have hit Artnet and Artsy following their consolidation under the UK-based investment firm Beowolff Capital. The staff reductions occurred just one day after the merger announcement and include the departure of veteran Artnet News reporters Sarah Cascone and Eileen Kinsella, who both served the publication for over a decade. As part of the restructuring, Artnet will also shutter its German entity, while Andrew Russeth has been tapped to serve as interim editor.

European Commission Tells Venice Biennale to Ditch Russian Pavilion

The European Commission has formally accused the Venice Biennale of violating EU sanctions against Russia by planning to reopen the Russian Pavilion for the 2026 edition. In a letter to the Biennale's president, the Commission argues that hosting a government-funded national pavilion constitutes accepting indirect support from the Russian state during its ongoing war in Ukraine. The organization has threatened to withhold a $2.3 million grant intended for the 2028 edition unless the Biennale addresses these concerns by May 11.

Inaugural Medina Triennial in Western New York Will Include 39 Artists

The inaugural Medina Triennial has announced its artist lineup for its debut edition running from June to September in Western New York. Featuring 39 participants, the walkable exhibition will showcase site-specific works by international and local figures including Tania Candiani, Lina Lapelytė, and Asad Raza. Installations and performances will be integrated into the town's civic fabric, utilizing non-traditional venues such as a railroad museum, local churches, hospital corridors, and a century-old high school.

Knight Foundation Names 2026 Recipients of Its $50,000 Art + Tech Fellowships

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has announced the five recipients of its 2026 Arts + Tech Fellowships. Administered by United States Artists, the program awards $50,000 in unrestricted funds to artists LIZN’BOW, Miguel Novelo, Rhonda Holbertson, Taeyoon Choi, and Wesley Taylor. These creators, based in California, Detroit, and Miami, utilize diverse technologies including computer vision, game engines, and custom code to explore the intersection of digital systems and human experience.

Artist Pietro Roccasalva Without Respite: Genealogy of a Resilient Motif in the Milan Exhibition

L’artista Pietro Roccasalva senza tregua: genealogia di un motivo resiliente nella mostra a Milano

Italian artist Pietro Roccasalva presents a new body of work at MASSIMODECARLO’s Casa Corbellini-Wassermann in Milan, titled "Io ti saluto luce, ma con nervi offesi." The exhibition features a series of paintings characterized by dense stratification, featuring recurring motifs like a disheveled child, a bride with a tennis racket, and metamorphic animals. These works function as visual deposits where cultural references and personal iconography overlap, creating a theatrical dialogue with the gallery’s historic architecture.

Rare Winnie-the-Pooh Drawings Surface for the First Time

Two previously unseen preliminary drawings of Winnie-the-Pooh by illustrator E.H. Shepard have surfaced for the first time on the centenary of the children's classic. Brought forward by Shepard’s family, the pencil sketches depict scenes from A.A. Milne’s original 1926 book that were never fully realized or published. These rare works, along with several other preliminary sketches that did make it into print, are currently on display and for sale at Peter Harrington Rare Books in London before traveling to the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Anyone can say something against injustice. This group uses artwork to do that.

The exhibition "Instructions for Unrest: Art Against Complacency" has opened at Art Produce Gallery in San Diego, featuring a group of artists who utilize their work as a tool for political and social disruption. Curated by Alessandra Moctezuma in collaboration with the nonprofit Space 4 Art, the show presents a diverse range of media aimed at addressing issues such as immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ protections, and environmental policy.

Art Dealer Larry Gagosian Recalls Rare Misstep With San Francisco Gallery: ‘Nobody Showed Up’

Larry Gagosian, the mega-dealer, has candidly discussed the failure of his San Francisco gallery, which operated from 2016 to 2021. He stated the gallery simply failed because "nobody showed up" to openings, describing the experience as depressing. The closure was part of a broader reflection on his career, prompted by the opening of a new Gagosian gallery on New York's Upper East Side.

Long threatened, the Palais de la découverte will finally reopen in 2027 after a seven-year closure

Longtemps menacé, le Palais de la découverte va finalement rouvrir en 2027 après sept ans de fermeture

The Palais de la découverte in Paris will officially reopen in March 2027 following a seven-year closure for extensive renovations. Located in the Palais d’Antin wing of the Grand Palais, the institution faced the threat of permanent closure or relocation to the Cité des sciences due to economic constraints. However, a joint decision by the French Ministries of Research and Culture has secured its future at its historic site, where it will feature a shared entrance with the Grand Palais to foster a unique dialogue between art and science.

New Exhibit Gives You the Chance to Support SA Artists and Own Original Prints!

Johannesburg’s Artist Proof Studio (APS) is celebrating its 35th anniversary with a benefit exhibition and online auction hosted in partnership with Strauss & Co. Running through April 17, 2026, the event features original prints from a diverse roster of talent, ranging from world-renowned figures like William Kentridge to emerging students currently enrolled in the studio’s programs. The initiative includes a physical showcase at Strauss & Co’s Houghton gallery and a digital sale designed to engage both seasoned and first-time collectors.

Chiharu Shiota’s New Exhibition Invites Visitors Into a Cocoon of Red Thread

Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota has debuted her first Bay Area solo exhibition, "Two Home Countries," at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. The show features Shiota’s signature immersive installations of red thread, most notably the 88-foot-long work "Diary," which suspends handwritten journal pages from World War II soldiers and postwar civilians within a dense crimson web. The exhibition also includes sculptures, video, and performance-based works that explore themes of memory, displacement, and the psychological state of living between cultures.

'Two of Us' at Simchowitz, Hill House, Los Angeles, United States on 15 Feb–11 Apr 2026

Simchowitz Gallery is presenting "Two of Us," a dual exhibition featuring Ukrainian artists Andrey Samarin and Lera Derkach at Hill House in Pasadena. The show explores the creative dialogue between the two artists, who have lived and worked together in France for the past three years while maintaining distinct individual practices. Samarin’s work focuses on the physical gesture of painting, blending abstraction and figuration influenced by German Expressionism and medieval art, while Derkach’s canvases lean into dreamlike narratives, metamorphosis, and psychological tension.

Tokyo yokai immersive exhibition brings old legends alive

The "Yokai Immersive Experience Exhibition Tokyo" has opened at Warehouse Terrada, utilizing projection mapping and 3D technology to bring over 300 supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore to life. The exhibition features digital recreations of historical emaki scrolls and ukiyo-e prints by masters such as Utagawa Kuniyoshi and Katsushika Hokusai, alongside contemporary works from the Yokai Art Museum in Shodoshima.

World-class exhibition showcases the complete Rugby Collection of contemporary art

Rugby Art Gallery and Museum has launched "UNVEILED - The Rugby Art Collection in Full," a landmark exhibition featuring all 257 artworks from its permanent collection. This marks the first time in decades that the entire body of work has been displayed together, celebrating the 80th anniversary of the collection's founding in 1946. The show includes a prestigious roster of British masters such as L.S. Lowry, Lucian Freud, Barbara Hepworth, and Paula Rego, alongside Turner Prize winners Lubaina Himid and Gillian Wearing.

‘House of Galleries (Volume 11)’: Niquu Eyeta and Ghizlane Sahli in a Shared Field of Care, Memory, and Material Becoming.

Artists Niquu Eyeta and Ghizlane Sahli are featured in a dual presentation titled ‘House of Galleries (Volume 11),’ showcased by the gallery Sakhile&Me. The exhibition creates a dialogue between Eyeta’s organic compositions, which utilize plant pigments and clay, and Sahli’s intricate 'alveoli' structures made from silk and repurposed plastic. Both artists emphasize the concept of material as a living archive, focusing on themes of ecological consciousness, ritualistic repetition, and the reanimation of discarded matter.

Cultural Institutions Warn Against AfD's Cultural Policy Plans

Kulturinstitutionen warnen vor AfD-Plänen zur Kulturpolitik

Nearly 30 cultural institutions in Saxony-Anhalt, including the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation and the Saxony-Anhalt Museum Association, have issued a joint warning against the AfD party's new government program. The political platform proposes a "patriotic cultural policy" that would prioritize funding for art contributing to "German identity" while criticizing the state's focus on modernism and the Bauhaus as a "sign of identity disorder." The institutions argue these plans threaten artistic freedom, pluralism, and the democratic culture of remembrance regarding Germany's Nazi past.

The Humboldt Forum is Already Under Fire

"Das Humboldt Forum wird schon beschossen"

The architectural firm J. Mayer H. and partners Jürgen Mayer H. and Hans Schneider have won the eighth 'Kunst-am-Bau' competition for Berlin’s Humboldt Forum. Their winning installation, titled "Südpfeil" (South Arrow), features a 3.6-meter-long abstract arrow embedded high in the building's facade. The work references the 19th-century discovery of 'Pfeilstörche'—migratory storks that returned to Europe with African arrows in their bodies—which provided the first scientific proof of global migration routes.

Emerging Practices and New Languages: This is How Pinta Lima 2026 is Shaped

EMERGING PRACTICES AND NEW LANGUAGES THIS IS HOW PINTA LIMA 2026 IS SHAPED

Pinta Lima has announced the details for its 13th edition, scheduled to take place from April 23 to 26, 2026, at Casa Prado. Under the artistic direction of Irene Gelfman, the fair will feature 45 galleries from 15 international cities, with nearly 70% of participants arriving from outside Peru. The event is structured into five specialized sections, including the Main Section, RADAR (curated by Ilaria Conti), NEXT (curated by Juan Canela), and dedicated spaces for video and special projects.

Chantana Tiprachart Wins Han Nefkens Foundation’s Southeast Asian Video Art Grant

Thai artist and filmmaker Chantana Tiprachart has been awarded the 2026 Southeast Asian Video Art Production Grant by the Han Nefkens Foundation. The prize provides $15,000 for the production of a new moving-image work over a nine-month period, which will subsequently tour several international institutions including the Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai and Nottingham Contemporary. The jury selected Tiprachart for her ability to locate social and political narratives within quiet, everyday spaces, praising her commitment to reflection in an era of information overload.

Jewelry artist Douriean Fletcher’s exhibition opens at Walters Art Museum this weekend

The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore is set to open "Douriean Fletcher: Jewelry of the Afrofuture," a major exhibition featuring over 100 works by the renowned jewelry artist. Fletcher, who gained international acclaim for her costume design work on Marvel’s "Black Panther" franchise, will see her contemporary Afrofuturistic pieces displayed alongside ancient artifacts from the museum's permanent collection, including items from Ancient Egypt and Ethiopia.

Exhibit at National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago is a call to climate action

Artist Ana Teresa Fernández has launched her solo exhibition "Under Pressure" at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, presenting a multi-disciplinary call to climate action. The exhibit features oil paintings, sculptures such as a silver-feathered Quetzalcoatl made from a hose, and performance-based works that use metaphors like expanding balloons to illustrate the planet's breaking point. A central component of the project involved a community-led "social monument" at Ohio Street Beach, where hundreds of participants used mirrors to flash an S.O.S. signal in Morse code toward the horizon.

Rocky statue-inspired exhibition to open at Philadelphia Museum of Art with public event

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is launching a new exhibition centered on the cultural legacy of the 'Rocky' film franchise and its iconic statue, which stands at the foot of the museum's famous steps. The show explores the intersection of cinema, public art, and Philadelphia's local identity, featuring a public event to celebrate the opening.

LACMA to inaugurate David Geffen Galleries with gala

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is set to inaugurate its long-awaited David Geffen Galleries with a gala and ribbon-cutting ceremony. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor, the 900-foot-long horizontal structure spans Wilshire Boulevard and features a single-level exhibition space elevated 30 feet above the ground. The inaugural installation, curated by a team of 45, moves away from traditional chronological and geographical silos in favor of thematic, interconnected narratives that reflect the diversity of modern Los Angeles.

Artist Ana Teresa Fernandez exhibit, 'Under Pressure,' now on display at National Museum of Mexican Art, a call to climate action

The National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago is currently hosting "Under Pressure," a solo exhibition by Mexican-born artist Ana Teresa Fernández. The show features a diverse range of media, including oil paintings, sculptures like a silver-feathered Quetzalcoatl made from a hose, and performance-based works that use metaphors like expanding balloons to illustrate the fragility of the environment. A central component of the project involved a community-led "social monument" at Ohio Street Beach, where hundreds of participants used mirrors to signal an S.O.S. in Morse code toward the horizon.

Rowan University’s Museum of Contemporary Art hosts final exhibition focusing on black resilience

The Rowan University Museum of Contemporary Art is hosting "The Spectrum of Resilience," a solo exhibition by New Jersey-based artist and educator Jazlyne Sabree. The showcase features works that explore the tenacity and authenticity of the African Diaspora, drawing from Sabree’s extensive research and residencies in West Africa, Brazil, and Liberia. The exhibition highlights everyday moments—such as washing hair or embracing children—elevating them into profound artistic statements on ancestral lineage and survival.

Heemin Chung in AMOR EX MACHINA | Group Exhibition at Seoul Museum of Art

The Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) has launched 'AMOR EX MACHINA,' a major group exhibition marking the 20th anniversary of its Nanji Residency program. Featuring over 60 works by 17 alumni, including prominent artist Heemin Chung, the show occupies two floors of the museum’s Seosomun Main Branch. The presentation includes a diverse range of media, from traditional painting and sculpture to video and installation art, highlighted by a new large-scale painting by Chung that explores the intersection of digital textures and physical landscapes.

The Museums That Helped Power Atlanta’s Rise Are Still Pushing Ahead

Atlanta’s cultural landscape is undergoing a significant transformation as its major museums spearhead ambitious expansions and programming shifts. Institutions like the High Museum of Art, the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, and the Atlanta Contemporary are leveraging the city's economic growth and its status as a hub for Black culture to redefine their roles within the community. These developments include physical renovations, record-breaking acquisitions, and a renewed focus on local and diverse artistic voices.

Sanctus Artem Hosts “The MET MU” Art Exhibition

The Sanctus Artem club at Manhattan University recently hosted "The MET MU," a formal art exhibition held in Smith Auditorium. Designed to emulate the high-end atmosphere of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the event showcased a diverse array of student and alumni work, including 2D and 3D art, digital media, and fashion-related projects. The exhibition featured contributions from over a dozen artists and offered a professional gallery experience complete with formal attire and refreshments.

BmoreArt’s Picks: April 14-20

Baltimore’s art scene is hosting a dense schedule of events from April 14–20, 2026, featuring major lectures, exhibition openings, and multimedia performances. Highlights include a talk by Dr. Denise Murrell at the Baltimore Museum of Art regarding Matisse’s time in Martinique, a lecture on Afrofuturism by Dr. Myers Perry at Goucher College, and the opening of Douriean Fletcher’s jewelry exhibition at the Walters Art Museum. Other notable events include the "More Than Trust" group show at Design Distillery and the Baker Artist Award Finalist Showcase at Current Space.

Reception Held for NBMAA Exhibit "The Museum of the Old Colony" by Pablo Delano

The New Britain Museum of American Art (NBMAA) recently hosted a community reception for Pablo Delano’s exhibition, "The Museum of the Old Colony." This conceptual, site-specific installation utilizes archival imagery and objects to examine the enduring impact of U.S. colonial rule in Puerto Rico since 1898. The event was attended by local dignitaries, including Mayor Bobby Sanchez, marking a significant moment for the museum's engagement with the local Puerto Rican community.