Warhol Foundation supports UK Art Museum research on pioneering photographers

The University of Kentucky Art Museum has received a $38,000 Curatorial Research Fellowship Grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The grant will fund research on two African American photographers, Maurice W. Strider and William S. Dotson, who documented the Civil Rights Movement in Lexington during the mid-twentieth century. Curator Rachel Hooper will lead the research for a planned 2029 exhibition.

New documentary provides an inside look at the Harlem Renaissance

A new documentary, *Once Upon a Time in Harlem*, is screening at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, offering an intimate look at the Harlem Renaissance. The film is assembled from 28 hours of 16mm footage shot in 1972 by the late filmmaker William Greaves at Duke Ellington's home in Harlem, capturing a gathering of key figures from the movement. Greaves's son David, who was one of the original cameramen, completed the film after his father's death. The footage includes interviews and reflections from artists, writers, musicians, and activists such as Romare Bearden, Aaron Douglas, James Van Der Zee, Eubie Blake, and Arna Bontemps.

Book offers fresh perspectives on why Cubism came into being

Christopher Green, a leading scholar of Cubism, has published a new book titled *Cubism and Reality*, which reexamines the origins and intentions of early Cubism through the works of Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, and Juan Gris. The book focuses on the years immediately before World War I, arguing that Cubism was not a step toward abstraction but a deliberate reinvention of reality based on lived visual experience. Green draws on decades of research, including his own earlier works and the foundational 1959 study by John Golding, and contrasts the movement with mass-produced imagery in chapters on Roy Lichtenstein and Francis Picabia.

Model masterpieces by Eduardo Paolozzi to be auctioned this week

Several works by Scottish-Italian artist Eduardo Paolozzi, gifted to his longtime collaborator and model maker Ray Hardinge Campbell Watson, are being auctioned at Lyon & Turnbull in Edinburgh. The collection includes a bronze statue titled *Hermes/Mondrian Head – 1996* (estimate £10,000–£15,000), along with plaster sculptures, prints, and folio sets, many bearing personal inscriptions. The sale reflects a creative partnership that spanned over thirty years, during which Paolozzi and Watson collaborated on major projects such as the Tottenham Court Road murals for London Underground and a Pizza Express mural in the late 1960s.

Red Carpet Reception proves new home’s a winner for Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale | NONPROFIT REGISTER

The 34th Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale held its Red Carpet Reception on Thursday night, drawing over 1,000 guests to its new venue on the second floor of The Legacy, the recently completed $100 million headquarters of the National Western Stock Show. The 2026 show features 93 participating artists and 354 works, including wildlife, landscape, sculpture, and plastics, with a sales goal exceeding $1 million to benefit the National Western Scholarship Trust. Featured artist Logan Maxwell Hagege of Ojai, California, presents works such as "Springtime in the Rockies" ($85,000) and "Indigo Stripes" ($18,500), while his piece "Hopeless Dreamer" was purchased for the Stock Show's Permanent Collection.

BGSU Fine Arts Gallery Presents, “Italy In The Artist’s Imagination,” A Student-curated Exhibition

Bowling Green State University's Fine Arts Gallery presented "Italy In The Artist’s Imagination," a student-curated exhibition running from November 21 to December 10, 2025, at the Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery. The show featured nearly a hundred works from the university's permanent collection alongside student submissions, spanning Renaissance masters like Albrecht Dürer to contemporary artists, all exploring how Italy has inspired artistic creativity over centuries. Curated by students enrolled in Dr. Allie Terry-Fritsch's Professional Practices in Art History course, the exhibition highlighted pieces such as Dürer's woodcut "Christ Taking Leave of His Mother" (1511), Jessica Faber's screen print "Prospecttiva" (2024), and Jules Maidoff's "Lo Studio."

Museum acquires massive Martin Wong triptych from Art Basel Miami Beach

Martin Wong's monumental 12-foot-wide triptych *Tai Ping Tien Kuo (Tai Ping Kuo)* (1982) sold for $1.6 million to a US museum during Art Basel Miami Beach. The work, shown publicly for only the second time ever, was displayed at the booth of New York gallery PPOW. It had previously been exhibited in 1987 at New York's Asian Arts Institute and remained in storage for decades. The painting will next travel to Wrightwood 659 in Chicago for a forthcoming Wong exhibition.

Comrades in art: meet the artists who fought against fascism

Andy Friend's book "Comrades in Art" chronicles the founding and first decade of the Artists International Association (AIA), a radical union of artists established in London in the 1930s. The AIA, born from a belief in art's power to revolutionize society, grew from a small group of mostly underemployed communist-affiliated commercial artists into a popular front against fascism and war, eventually including over 1,000 members such as Henry Moore and Paul Nash. The book focuses on lesser-known figures like Felicia Browne, the first British female combatant killed in the Spanish Civil War.

Comment | Exhibitions comparing artists can be problematic, but the Barbican brings Giacometti, Bhabha and Hatoum together with perfect judgement

The Barbican in London has opened two new exhibition spaces in a redesigned former restaurant, showcasing the work of Alberto Giacometti alongside contemporary artists Huma Bhabha and Mona Hatoum. Curated by Shanay Jhaveri and Émilie Bouvard, the shows pair Giacometti's sculptures with Bhabha's and Hatoum's works, drawing formal and thematic connections without forcing comparisons. The exhibitions highlight shared preoccupations with the human body, vulnerability, and resilience, while allowing each artist's distinct approach—Giacometti's figuration versus Hatoum's found-object manipulation—to remain clear.

Southampton Arts Center Celebrates Opening of "Second Skin" Exhibition

Southampton Arts Center has opened its "Second Skin" exhibition, curated by Latin American art scholar Estrellita B. Brodsky. The show explores clothing as a medium for identity, gender, cultural expression, and political activism, featuring approximately 30 works by international artists and designers, including prints from Martine Gutierrez's "Indigenous Woman" series and Andy Warhol works on paper from the Jordan D. Schnitzer Foundation. The exhibition runs through December 28.

Euan Uglow monograph offers a fresh perspective through memoirs, papers and contributions

Andrew Lambirth's new book, *The Uglow Papers*, takes an unconventional approach to the monograph on British painter Euan Uglow (1932-2000). Instead of a traditional narrative, Lambirth compiles around 30 personal memoirs, papers, and contributions from friends, students, and colleagues—gathered through interviews, phone calls, emails, and letters. These firsthand accounts, paired with a concise introduction and a glossary of names, offer intimate recollections of Uglow's rigorous studio practice, his teaching methods, and his social life, including details about his Sunday night open houses and shared meals. The book also traces Uglow's artistic development from his studies at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts and the Slade School of Fine Art, through his mentorship under William Coldstream, to his own distinctive geometric and emotionally charged works like *The Diagonal* (1971-77) and *Pyramid* (1993-96).

A century of Art Deco celebrated at Sarasota Art Museum

Sarasota Art Museum will present "Art Deco: The Golden Age of Illustration" from August 31, 2025, through March 29, 2026, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the style's debut at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris. The exhibition features 100 rare posters from the 1920s and 1930s drawn from the William W. Crouse Collection, one of the world's most important private collections of Art Deco posters, with works by artists including A. M. Cassandre, Leonetto Cappiello, and Paul Colin. Alongside the posters, the show includes sculptural pieces, vintage cocktail shakers, and furniture from The Wolfsonian-Florida International University, highlighting the luxurious materials and modern design of the Machine Age.

August Book Bag: from a ‘behind-the-scenes’ studio book to artists joining in with the American Revolution

The article reviews four new art books released in August. It covers 'In the Studio: Jack Whitten' by Yinka Elujoba (Hauser & Wirth Publishers), a compact overview of the US artist's work and his Black Monoliths series; 'Selected Writings, Volume 1, Towards a New African Art Discourse' by the late Okwui Enwezor (Duke University Press), collecting his essays on decolonizing the art world; 'The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution' by Zara Anishanslin (Harvard University Press), examining three artists—Robert Edge Pine, Prince Demah, and Patience Wright—who contributed to the American War of Independence; and 'Beyond Blue and White: The Hidden History of Delftware and the Women Behind the Iconic Ceramic' by Genevieve Wheeler Brown (Pegasus Books), highlighting women like Barbara Rotteveel in the history of Delftware.

Capture the Senses: Attraction and Horror in Early Modern Art // Haggerty

The Haggerty Museum at Marquette University will present 'Capture the Senses: Attraction and Horror in Early Modern Art' from August 22 to December 20, 2025. The exhibition draws from the museum's own collection to explore how Early Modern artists combined aesthetic pleasure with terrifying subject matter, featuring works by Albrecht Dürer, Ferdinand Bol, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, and Francesco Solimena. Curated by Kirk Nickel, the show examines themes such as the end times, human sacrifice, imperial decay, and fate, using paintings, prints, and sculpture from Europe and the Americas between the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution.

Works by Stanley Spencer 'never been seen before' to be auctioned this week

A collection of previously unseen artworks and personal memorabilia from the Stanley Spencer family archives will be auctioned this week. The sale, titled 'Kindred Spirits: The Artistic World of Sir Stanley Spencer,' includes drawings, paintings, early sketchbooks, letters, and personal artefacts that have never been published or exhibited. The collection was consigned by the Estate of Sir Stanley Spencer and offered by his grandson John Spencer, the last direct descendant, following the deaths of Spencer's daughters. The auction takes place at Dreweatts' Modern & Contemporary Art sale on July 10, 2025, featuring works by Spencer, his wife Hilda Carline, and his brother Gilbert Spencer.

Annual art exhibit by incarcerated community raises $18K for scholarship

An annual art exhibition featuring works by incarcerated individuals in Arizona sold 200 pieces on May 16, raising over $18,000 for a scholarship at Arizona State University. The show, titled "{Ink}arcerated: Creativity within Confinement," displayed more than 400 artworks and drew approximately 600 visitors to a vacant retail space at the Arizona Center in downtown Phoenix. Organized by ASU criminology professor Kevin Wright, the event has raised a cumulative total of more than $70,000 since its launch in 2017, with this year's proceeds marking the largest single-show amount to date. A second public sale is scheduled for June 6 during Phoenix's First Fridays art walk.

UK government bans export of £10m Botticelli painting

The UK government has imposed an export bar on Sandro Botticelli's painting *The Virgin and Child Enthroned* (1470s), valued at £10.2 million. The work was sold at Sotheby’s London in December 2024 for £9.7 million (with fees). The export bar, effective until 8 August, gives a UK gallery or institution time to acquire the painting and prevent it from leaving the country. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has set a recommended price of £9,960,000 plus VAT. The painting, which had been kept at Betterton House in Berkshire since 1944, was previously owned by collector Harriet Sarah Jones Loyd (Lady Wantage) and has not been seen in public for nearly a century.

“Living Archive” Converge+Vertex: Traversing the Minor Gesture of Timeliness concludes exhibition at Barrett Art Gallery

Barrett Art Gallery at Santa Monica College held a closing reception for "Converge+Vertex: Traversing the Minor Gesture of Timeliness" on May 6, featuring DJ sets by artist Leah King, dinner from Alta Adams, and works by Black artists from Los Angeles. Curator Cole James described the exhibition as a "living archive" exploring positive Black representation in a post-racial environment. The show, which had been delayed after a shooting at SMC's media campus, marked the first gallery display for artist Cassidy Everage, recipient of the Otis College Charles White scholarship.

A new ‘anti-biography’ rips apart the myth of Leonardo as a solitary genius

Stephen J. Campbell, a professor of art history at Johns Hopkins University, has published a new book titled *Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life*, which he frames as an "anti-biography." The book aims to dismantle the mythology surrounding Leonardo da Vinci, arguing that the fragmentary archival record has led to speculative and often outlandish theories that portray him as a solitary genius ahead of his time. Campbell repositions Leonardo within the artistic and intellectual context of late 15th- and early 16th-century Europe, critiquing how media, the art market, and popular culture have commercialized his legacy.

Kemper Art Museum wins best monograph award

The Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis has won the 2024 best monograph award from the Midwest Art History Society (MAHS) for its exhibition catalog "Adam Pendleton: To Divide By." The catalog, published by the museum and distributed by the University of Chicago Press, was honored during the society's Outstanding Catalog Awards ceremony in Denver on April 4. Edited by Kemper curator Meredith Malone, the volume features essays by Malone, Joshua Chambers-Letson, Hal Foster, and a conversation between Pendleton and critic Isabelle Graw, along with transcripts of two film portraits by the artist.

Immersed in Pink: Christo’s Legacy Anchored in NSU Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale

The NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale has become the permanent home of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's "Surrounded Islands," featuring over 43 original preparatory drawings and collages by Christo, along with large-scale photo murals, photographs, engineering surveys, environmental reports, permits, personal correspondence, scale models, and actual fabric segments from the project. The exhibition is ongoing and includes rare archival materials gifted by the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation.

Heikki Marila's exhibition

The Sara Hildén Art Museum in Tampere, Finland, opens a major retrospective of Finnish painter Heikki Marila on February 8, covering thirty years of his career. The exhibition features both new and previously unseen works, tracing Marila's evolution from early 1990s paintings critiquing power, Finnish national identity, and social structures—such as *Parliament house* (1996)—to later series inspired by the Isenheim Altarpiece, 17th-century Dutch flower paintings, and Baroque celestial imagery. Highlights include his Carnegie Art Award-winning flower paintings from 2011, the *Jacob’s Wrestling* triptych (2014), and recent works like *The Bolt series* (2024) that address contemporary violence.

New exhibits start at Public Works Art Center

The Public Works Art Center in Summerville, South Carolina, opens five new exhibitions on May 21 with a reception from 5:30-8:30 p.m. The shows include "GODBODY: THE FEMME," a group exhibition celebrating Black women artists; Amy Stewart's "Intersections" exploring interconnectedness; Nick Cerrato's "Our Society Needs To…" featuring abstract works created with his feet; Sarah Mitchell's "Wildlife in Wool" with needle-felted animals; and the Summerville Artist Guild's annual "All Members Show." During the reception, guild members will create collaborative paintings for sale to benefit the Summerville Rocks Scholarship Fund.

Opening Reception | 21st Annual SDSU Art Council Scholarship Exhibition | Athenaeum Art Center

The Athenaeum Art Center in San Diego is hosting the 21st Annual SDSU Art Council Scholarship Exhibition from May 16 to July 3, 2026, with an opening reception on May 16. The exhibition features new work by five graduate and undergraduate students from San Diego State University's School of Art and Design: Andrea Mendoza, Tina Mardan, Todd Bradley, Ana Saad, and Isa Ybarra. Their works explore themes of the body as a site of history, resistance, and reinvention, addressing chronic pain, immigrant memory, queerness, and colonial boundaries through diverse media including painting, metalsmithing, photography, installation, clay, fiber, and printmaking.

Pinakotheke Cultural Opens Spacious New Gallery in São Paulo

Pinakotheke Cultural, founded by Max Perlingeiro in Rio de Janeiro in 1979, will open a new, significantly larger gallery space in São Paulo on May 16. Located on Rua Minas Gerais in the Higienópolis neighborhood, the venue nearly doubles the size of the gallery's previous São Paulo outpost. The inaugural exhibition, "Surrealisms: Art Beyond Reason," curated by Max Perlingeiro and Tadeu Chiarelli, will feature approximately one hundred works by sixty artists from Europe, Latin America, North America, and the Caribbean, offering a comprehensive overview of the surrealist movement.

The Italian Way of Symbolism in the Exhibition at the Fondazione Magnani-Rocca

La via italiana del Simbolismo nella mostra alla Fondazione Magnani-Rocca

The Fondazione Magnani-Rocca in Mamiani di Traversetolo, Parma, recently made headlines due to a dramatic theft targeting its permanent collection. Despite the incident, the museum's temporary exhibition spaces remain unaffected, and the show "Simbolismo in Italia" (Symbolism in Italy), curated by Francesco Parisi, continues without disruption. The exhibition aims to update critical discourse on Symbolism, a movement that spread across Europe from the 1880s to the early 1900s and arrived in Italy with a distinct, often tradition-rooted character. It features works by artists such as Cesare Saccaggi, Giulio Aristide Sartorio, and Adolfo Wildt, organized into thematic sections exploring literary sources, mythological landscapes, and the dual nature of femininity.

Inside a Black Panther Family Album

Scholar Leigh Raiford examines the personal family archives of Black Panther Party leaders Kathleen and Eldridge Cleaver, specifically focusing on photographs taken during their period of exile in the 1970s. The analysis centers on how domestic objects, such as a zebra-print carver chair and various African artifacts, transitioned from private household items to iconic symbols of Black Power and cultural nationalism in the public sphere.

In Lucca, the Perfect Exhibition to Rediscover the Talent of Painter Emilio Malerba

A Lucca c’è la mostra perfetta per riscoprire il talento del pittore Emilio Malerba

The Fondazione Ragghianti in Lucca is hosting a major retrospective dedicated to Emilio Malerba, a key member of the Novecento Italiano movement who died a century ago. Curated by Paolo Bolpagni and Elena Pontiggia, the exhibition marks the first solo presentation of Malerba’s work since 1931. The showcase spans his early career in commercial advertising for brands like Amaro Ramazzotti to his mature paintings that lean toward Magic Realism, featuring intimate portraits that prioritize psychological depth over narrative.

Sound Archives Open in Ravenna: The Best of National and International Performing Arts Now Available

A Ravenna aprono gli Archivi Sonori: a disposizione il meglio delle arti performative nazionali e internazionali

The city of Ravenna has officially inaugurated the Archivi Sonori (Sound Archives) at Palazzo Malagola, a new international center dedicated to vocal and sonic research. Founded by actress Ermanna Montanari and scholar Enrico Pitozzi, the archives offer public access to a vast collection of audio and video materials documenting the experimental work of 33 influential Italian and international performers, including Demetrio Stratos, Joan La Barbara, and Alvin Curran. The facility features specialized listening and viewing rooms, including an immersive sonic chamber and a cinema hall, all navigated via touchscreens featuring anatomical heart motifs designed by artist Stefano Ricci.

LMU’s Laband Art Gallery Presents “Seeing Chicanx: The Durón Family Collection,” a Visual History of L.A.’s Chicanx Art Scene

Loyola Marymount University’s Laband Art Gallery is presenting “Seeing Chicanx: The Durón Family Collection,” a fall 2025 exhibition on view from September 25 to December 6. Curated by scholar Karen Mary Davalos, the show features nearly 50 works by Chicanx artists from Southern California, drawn from the private collection of alumni Armando Durón and Mary Salinas Durón. The exhibition spans the 1970s to the present, including paintings, drawings, photography, and sculptures by artists such as Roberto Gutierrez, Judy Baca, Chaz Bójorquez, Gilbert “Maju” Luján, and Shizu Saldamando. Originally shown at the Monterey Museum of Art in 2024, the traveling exhibition aims to challenge stereotypes and provide a visual history of the Chicanx art scene in Los Angeles.