Au Louvre, l’ambitieuse restauration du cycle de Marie de Médicis

The Louvre Museum in Paris is undertaking an ambitious restoration of Peter Paul Rubens's monumental cycle of 24 paintings depicting the life of Marie de Médicis. The project, which will take four years and cost €4 million funded by the Société des Amis du Louvre, begins this autumn with the paintings being restored in situ in the Médicis Gallery. The gallery will close in May to prepare the space as a restoration workshop, where two teams of 10–15 restorers will work simultaneously on cleaning, relining, and filling gaps. The last major restoration of the cycle dates to the 1950s, and recent diagnostics revealed yellowed varnish, discordant repaints, and flaking paint layers that risk irreversible loss.

Bruno Bischofberger, gallerist to Warhol and Basquiat, 1940–2026

Bruno Bischofberger, the influential Swiss gallerist who founded his eponymous gallery in 1963, has died at age 86. He was best known for his decades-long relationship with Andy Warhol, securing right of first refusal on all of Warhol's new works after purchasing eleven early paintings in 1968. Bischofberger also represented Jean-Michel Basquiat internationally from 1982 and gave solo exhibitions to a generation of major artists including Julian Schnabel, David Salle, George Condo, and Francesco Clemente. In 2013, his gallery relocated to a former factory in Männedorf, Switzerland, redeveloped by his daughter and son-in-law.

For the 9th edition of Printemps Asiatique Paris, K-art in the spotlight

Pour la 9e édition du Printemps Asiatique Paris, le K-art à l’honneur

The 9th edition of Printemps Asiatique Paris, running from June 3 to 12, 2026, places Korean art (K-art) at center stage, celebrating Franco-Korean friendship. The event moves from its previous location to the refined spaces of Galerie Charpentier and includes a "Parcours galeries" route featuring around twenty Parisian galleries. Participating galleries include Louis & Sack with Lee Hyun Joung's memorial landscapes, Magna Gallery with Hoon Moreau's oak sculptures, and Françoise Livinec with works by Bang Hai Ja. Other highlights include Jean-François Cazeau gallery showing major Asian artists like Zao Wou-Ki, Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita, and Yayoi Kusama; Mingei gallery presenting Japanese bamboo basketry from the 8th century to today; Sinapango gallery with lacquer objects including a Ming-dynasty erotic incense box; and Jacques Barrère gallery with a large Goryeo-dynasty bodhisattva sculpture. The Musée national des Arts asiatiques – Guimet mounts complementary exhibitions on Silla civilization treasures and K-beauty.

Lee Miller at the Musée d'Art moderne de Paris: A Photographer Between War, Beauty and Chaos

Lee Miller au musée d’Art moderne de Paris : une photographe entre guerre, beauté et chaos

Lee Miller, the American photographer who transitioned from fashion modeling and surrealist experimentation to war photography, is the subject of a major retrospective at the Musée d'Art moderne de Paris. The exhibition covers her career from 1929 to 1955, highlighting her early work as a model for designers like Patou, Chanel, and Schiaparelli, her collaboration and romantic relationship with Man Ray, and her harrowing experiences documenting World War II. After the war, Miller abandoned photography and lived in obscurity until her death in 1977, when her archive was rediscovered and her significance to both history and art history was fully recognized.

In London, Churchill's astonishing talent as a painter celebrated by an unprecedented retrospective

À Londres, l’étonnant talent de peintre de Churchill célébré par une rétrospective inédite

The Wallace Collection in London is hosting the first major posthumous retrospective of Winston Churchill's paintings, titled "Winston Churchill: The Painter." Running until November 29, 2026, the exhibition features nearly 60 still lifes and landscapes, many from private collections rarely shown publicly. Churchill took up painting in 1915 after the Dardanelles disaster and used art as a therapeutic escape from the pressures of politics and war, producing luminous, impressionistic works inspired by Monet, Cézanne, and Renoir.

What You (Maybe) Didn't Know About Édouard Manet

Ce que vous ne saviez (peut-être) pas sur Édouard Manet

Édouard Manet (1832–1883), a pivotal figure bridging realism and impressionism, is the subject of a feature article in Beaux Arts Magazine. The piece explores lesser-known aspects of his life and career, including his near-miss as a naval officer, his rivalry with Gustave Courbet, his refusal to join the impressionist exhibitions despite close ties to the movement, and his deep fascination with Spanish culture. It highlights his scandalous works like *Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe* (1863) and *Olympia*, the latter entering the Louvre after a subscription launched by Claude Monet in 1889.

JR: 'Reflecting on the cave is to look at our deep humanity, our origins, art in general'

JR : « Réfléchir à la caverne, c’est se pencher sur notre humanité profonde, sur nos origines, sur l’art en général »

French artist JR is transforming the Pont-Neuf in Paris into a giant inflatable cave structure, titled "La Caverne du Pont-Neuf," set to debut on May 23, 2026. The project, conceived with producer Vladimir Yavachev, pays homage to Christo and Jeanne-Claude's 1985 wrapped Pont-Neuf, using inflatable techniques inspired by Christo's unrealized designs. JR's team built a prototype in a hangar at Orly, and the work involves complex permissions from the French president, the Paris mayor, and local authorities.

On Île Seguin, the new art center Large unveils its spectacular building and a first exhibition focused on Renault's history

Sur l’île Seguin, le nouveau centre d’art Large dévoile son bâtiment spectaculaire et une première expo tournée vers l’histoire de Renault

On Île Seguin, the new contemporary art center Large unveiled its spectacular building designed by Catalan firm RCR Arquitectes during a press preview on May 21. The center, backed by real estate developer Emerige and its president Laurent Dumas, will open to the public on October 17. Its inaugural exhibition, curated by Cecilia Alemani, explores the history of the automobile and the island's industrial past as the site of Renault factories from 1929 to 1992, featuring works by 55 contemporary artists including Julio Le Parc, Nina Beier, Thomas Bayrle, Mohamed El Khatib, and Giulia Andreani.

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera at MoMA in New York in a Passionate Theatrical Dialogue

Frida Kahlo et Diego Rivera au MoMA de New York dans un dialogue théâtral plein d’ardeur

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York has opened a theatrical exhibition titled "Frida and Diego: The Last Dream," curated by Beverly Adams, the museum's curator of Latin American art. The show features around twenty paintings and drawings by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera from MoMA's collection, alongside photographic portraits. The exhibition's dramatic staging, designed by British set designer Jon Bausor—who also worked on the Metropolitan Opera's concurrent production of "El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego"—creates a tense dialogue between the artists' contrasting styles: Rivera's political murals and Kahlo's intimate, colorful self-portraits. Highlights include Kahlo's "Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair" (1940) and Rivera's "Zapata, Agricultural Leader" (1931).

À New York, le Metropolitan Museum of Art absorbe la Neue Galerie et sa collection de Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka…

On May 14, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Neue Galerie in New York announced a historic merger set for 2028. The Neue Galerie, founded in 2001 by billionaire Ronald Lauder in a Fifth Avenue mansion, will become part of the Met under the name The Met Ronald S. Lauder Neue Galerie, modeled after the Met's Cloisters. The transfer includes the historic building and a collection of 600 works valued at over $1.5 billion, featuring artists such as Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Ludwig Kirchner, Max Beckmann, and Oskar Kokoschka. Lauder and his daughter Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer are also donating thirteen works from their personal collection, and a $200 million endowment fund has been established.

In 1955, Calder brings his famous 'Cirque' to life in front of Jean Painlevé's camera

En 1955, Calder active son célèbre « Cirque » face à la caméra de Jean Painlevé

A 1955 film by Jean Painlevé captures Alexander Calder performing his famous "Cirque" (Circus), a handmade miniature circus he created between 1926 and 1931 in Paris. The film shows Calder manipulating fragile wire-and-wood figures—weightlifters, trapeze artists, clowns, and dancers—while a gramophone plays. The work, now preserved at the Whitney Museum of New York, is on loan for a major Calder retrospective at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (April 15–August 16, 2026). Painlevé's film is also the subject of a concurrent exhibition at the Musée de Pont-Aven (February 7–May 31, 2026).

New Art Center and Hidden Gems: A Weekend Full of Surprises in Bruges

Nouveau centre d’art et pépites cachées : un week-end plein de surprises à Bruges

Bruges, the Flemish city known for its medieval charm and UNESCO World Heritage status, has inaugurated a new art center called BRUSK in spring 2026. Located in the museum district, the building designed by Robbrecht en Daem and Olivier Salens features a monumental 350-square-meter fresco by French artist Laure Prouvost titled "The Whispering Walls Rêve," which references the city's past and present. The center also includes a conservation and research facility, with free access to the ground floor. The article proposes a weekend itinerary starting at the Grand-Place (Markt) and highlights Bruges as a hub for contemporary creation alongside its historic treasures.

At the Louvre Museum, ORLAN will give a free art history lecture this Friday

Au musée du Louvre, ORLAN donnera ce vendredi un cours d’histoire de l’art (gratuit)

French artist ORLAN will deliver a free art history lecture at the Musée du Louvre on Friday, May 22, 2026, as part of the fourth edition of the museum's "Leçons d'artiste" lecture series. Titled "Le musée et l'histoire de l'art cellules souches de nos nouvelles images," the talk will examine how museums like the Louvre shape art history—with its omissions, censures, and rewritings—and how new technologies, including artificial intelligence, feed on existing imagery. Two additional lectures will follow on June 12 (on body representation) and September 25 (on artists' responsibility in times of war and oppression).

Sheila Hicks en 2 minutes

Sheila Hicks, the American textile artist born in 1934, is profiled in a concise overview of her career. The article traces her journey from studying under Josef Albers at Yale and learning weaving from Andean artisans in Chile, to establishing her studio in Mexico and later Paris. It highlights her monumental commissions for hotels, embassies, and public spaces, as well as her intimate "Minimes" works. Key milestones include her 2014 piece "Pillar of Inquiry/Supple Column" at the Whitney Biennial, her 2017 installation at the Venice Biennale, and a major retrospective at the Centre Pompidou in 2018.

6 musées incontournables à visiter à Venise

Beaux Arts Magazine highlights six must-visit museums in Venice, including the Palazzo Ducale, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, and the Pinault Collection venues Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana. The article notes that during the Biennale, the city is filled with free pavilions, but the main museums have high entry fees, offset by passes like the Venice Museum Pass (€59) and Venice City Pass (€119). It also mentions a current Marina Abramović exhibition at the Gallerie dell'Accademia, marking her as the first living female artist honored there.

« La Boule » de Villeroy & Boch : l’art explosif et pop du pique-nique

Villeroy & Boch, the historic German porcelain manufacturer founded in 1748, launched "La Boule" ("Die Kugel") in 1971—a stackable 19-piece porcelain dinner service for four that compacts into a colorful decorative sphere. Designed by Helen von Boch, the eighth-generation family director, the set was part of a pop-design wave and came in original color variants that have since become collectors' items. The article also highlights related designs like the "La Bomba" picnic cutlery set (1968) and melamine set (1972), both held by MoMA, and notes Villeroy & Boch's collaborations with artists such as Keith Haring, Paloma Picasso, and Luigi Colani.

« Les artistes sont des fous, des enfants » : rencontre avec Annette Messager au cœur du bric-à-brac poétique de son atelier

French artist Annette Messager, 82, welcomes Beaux Arts Magazine into her Malakoff studio and home ahead of her exhibition at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris. The studio is a chaotic, poetic bric-à-brac filled with hybrid creatures, stuffed toys, anatomical objects, and textile works, including her iconic piece "Les Piques" (1992–1993). Messager, who won the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2005, discusses her playful yet serious approach to art, describing artists as "mad, like children" who play constantly, sometimes very seriously. Her upcoming shows include presentations at Centre Pompidou Málaga, Galería Albarrán Bourdais in Madrid, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, and the Kunsthalle Prague.

The Best and Worst of the Stars at the 2026 Met Gala Inspired by Art History

Le meilleur et le pire des stars au Met Gala 2026 inspiré par l’histoire de l’art

On May 4, 2026, the Met Gala brought together 450 guests at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York under the theme "Fashion is Art," tied to the exhibition "Costume Art." Attendees were asked to draw inspiration from specific artworks, resulting in standout looks: Madonna channeled Leonora Carrington's "The Temptation of Saint Anthony" (1945) in a Saint Laurent gown, Kim Kardashian wore a custom piece by Allen Jones extending his "Cover Story 4/4" (2021), Hunter Schafer embodied Gustav Klimt's portrait "Mäda Primavesi" (1912-1913) in Prada, and Tessa Thompson referenced Yves Klein's "Anthropométries" in Valentino. Gracie Abrams also paid homage to Klimt's "The Kiss."

Au musée Marmottan Monet, la peinture de Giovanni Segantini hisse la modernité au sommet des Alpes

The Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris is hosting the first retrospective in France of Giovanni Segantini (1858–1899), a major but little-known figure of Symbolism. The exhibition traces his career through the lens of his geographical ascent into the Alps, from his early success with "Ave Maria à la traversée" (1886–1888) to his final triptych "La Vie, La Nature, La Mort," which he was working on when he died at age 41. Segantini's divisionist technique, which Vassily Kandinsky considered a precursor to abstraction, is highlighted as a means of expressing a dematerialized vision of the world.

The invisible worlds of Hilma af Klint, pioneer of abstraction, finally revealed at the Grand Palais

Les mondes invisibles d’Hilma af Klint, pionnière de l’abstraction, enfin révélés au Grand Palais

The article reveals the long-overlooked story of Hilma af Klint (1862–1944), the Swedish artist who created abstract paintings years before Kandinsky, Mondrian, and Malevich, yet kept her work secret until 20 years after her death. Her monumental output—1,600 abstract paintings and 124 notebooks—was first publicly shown in 1986 at the Los Angeles exhibition 'The Spiritual in Art, Abstract Painting, 1890–1985'. A 2019 retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum in New York drew 600,000 visitors, a museum record. Now, the Grand Palais in Paris presents the first-ever French exhibition of her work, focusing on her 'Paintings for the Temple' cycle (1906–1915), a series of 193 works that synthesize her spiritual quest.

Fascinante artiste des Années folles, Sarah Lipska remise en lumière dans une exposition à Poitiers

The Musée Sainte-Croix in Poitiers, France, is hosting a new exhibition reviving the legacy of Sarah Lipska, a Polish-born artist who thrived in 1920s Paris as a costume designer, decorator, and fashion creator. Once a celebrated figure with her own boutique on the Champs-Élysées, Lipska collaborated with Léon Bakst and designed for the theater, including the operetta 'Annabella' (1922), before falling into obscurity. The museum, which holds the world's largest collection of her work, has built this through decades of acquisitions and a major donation from Lipska's daughter.

Georg Baselitz, grande figure de l’art allemand, est mort à l’âge de 88 ans : retour sur sa vie et son œuvre

Georg Baselitz, one of Germany's most significant post-war artists, has died at age 88. Born Hans-Georg Kern in 1938, he grew up in Nazi-era Saxony and later rejected his father's ideology, fleeing to West Berlin in 1957. Known for his provocative, expressionist works and signature upside-down paintings, Baselitz challenged artistic conventions with brutalist techniques—attacking wood with chainsaws and axes—and created scandalous pieces like "Die große Nacht im Eimer" (1962–1963), which was banned from exhibition. His career included major retrospectives at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (2011) and Centre Pompidou (2021), and commissions for the Reichstag.

Immersive exhibitions and visits not to miss from spring to summer in France

Les expos et visites immersives à ne pas rater du printemps à l’été en France

The article from Beaux Arts Magazine highlights a selection of immersive art exhibitions and experiences across France for spring and summer 2026. Featured attractions include "Passion Japon" at Parc de la Villette in Paris, a journey through Japanese culture with Hokusai and Hiroshige projections; "L'Odyssée Céleste" at Église Saint-Eustache, a 3D light spectacle with live choral music; "Frissons" at the Musée d'Orsay, an interactive light installation by artist Adrien M responding to visitors' movements; and a Picasso immersive experience at Les Baux-de-Provence.

Venice Biennale 2026: What are the major trends that will mark the 99 national pavilions?

Biennale de Venise 2026 : quelles sont les grandes tendances qui vont marquer les 99 pavillons nationaux ?

The article previews the 2026 Venice Biennale, highlighting key trends across its 99 national pavilions. Major themes include the hybridization of theater, dance, and performance, particularly in pavilions from Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Lithuania, where artists like Florentina Holzinger, Aline Bouvy, Miet Warlop, and Eglė Budvytytė use radical, body-centric works. Geopolitical engagement is also central, with the Ukrainian pavilion featuring Zhanna Kadyrova's work on resistance and the British pavilion exploring themes of exile and migration. Other notable pavilions include Spain's focus on imagery, a sound installation for the Vatican, a polyphonic piece for Romania, and a film on sign language song for Poland.

Au boulot ! 10 œuvres qui célèbrent le travail

Beaux Arts Magazine presents a feature on ten artworks that celebrate labor, from ancient Egyptian frescoes to modern depictions of workers. The article highlights pieces such as Pieter Brueghel the Elder's "The Harvesters" (1565), Diego Velázquez's "The Spinners" (c. 1657), and Johannes Vermeer's "The Milkmaid" (c. 1660), examining how artists have elevated peasant, artisan, and domestic work from background detail to central subject. The feature coincides with the Musée d'Orsay's nationwide initiative "100 œuvres qui racontent le travail" (100 Works That Tell the Story of Work), which explores the history and representation of labor in art.

Which museums are free on the first Sunday of the month in Paris and Île-de-France?

Quels musées sont gratuits ce 1er dimanche du mois à Paris et en Île-de-France ?

This article from Beaux Arts Magazine lists museums in Paris and Île-de-France that offer free admission on the first Sunday of each month, including the Musée de l'Orangerie, Musée national Picasso-Paris, Musée des Arts et Métiers, Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Musée Carnavalet, Musée Cognacq-Jay, Crypte archéologique de l'île de la Cité, Maison Victor Hugo, and Musée de Cluny. It also notes that municipal museums in Paris are free year-round, and provides practical tips such as booking online and taking advantage of free entry for visitors under 18 or 26.

Rothko Sells for $85.8 Million, Almost Surpasses Auction Record

Sotheby’s New York sold Mark Rothko’s painting *Brown and Blacks in Reds* (1957) for $85.8 million on Thursday, making it the second-highest price ever achieved for the artist at auction. The work, part of Rothko’s postwar Color Field series, was offered from the private collection of the late art dealer Robert Mnuchin, whose estate also included works by Willem de Kooning. The Mnuchin sale totaled $166.3 million, with de Kooning’s *Untitled* (1970) fetching $8.8 million and *Untitled XLII* (1983) reaching $10.2 million. Bidding lasted about four minutes, with the winning bid placed via phone with Helena Newman, chairman of Sotheby’s Europe.

JR to cover Paris’s Pont Neuf in homage to Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

French artist JR has begun installing a monumental trompe-l’oeil work titled *La Caverne du Pont Neuf* (2026) on Paris’s Pont Neuf, transforming the city’s oldest bridge into an immersive cave. The project reimagines the bridge as a limestone quarry cave, referencing the stone from which the bridge and many Parisian buildings were constructed. The work pays homage to Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s iconic *The Pont Neuf Wrapped* (1985) and will be visible both day and night throughout the summer.

National Portrait Gallery to stage landmark Marilyn Monroe exhibition.

The National Portrait Gallery in London will open a landmark exhibition this June celebrating Marilyn Monroe's 100th birthday. The show features portraits by artists including Andy Warhol, Pauline Boty, and Marlene Dumas, alongside works by over twenty major 20th-century photographers such as Cecil Beaton, Richard Avedon, and Eve Arnold. Monroe's personal effects, including books, scripts, and clothing, will also be displayed.

The Story Behind Tschabalala Self’s Met Gala Dress by Brandon Blackwood

Artist Tschabalala Self will co-chair the 2026 Met Gala, marking her first attendance at the event, which launches the Costume Institute's new exhibition “Costume Art.” She collaborated with designer Brandon Blackwood, a friend, to create her gown and style her look for the evening.