This Week at LACMA

LACMA announces a week of programming from August 18–24, headlined by the opening of *Now Showing: Youssef Nabil’s I Saved My Belly Dancer*, an exhibition featuring the artist’s 2015 video starring Tahar Rahim and Salma Hayek, alongside related photographs and Egyptian movie posters. Member previews run August 21–23 before the public opening on August 24. Other highlights include a mindful evening with Buddhist art tied to the ongoing exhibition *Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art Across Asia*, plus concerts, workshops, and family programs.

A brush with… Jane and Louise Wilson—podcast

Jane and Louise Wilson, identical twin artists born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1967, are featured in a podcast interview where they discuss their collaborative practice since the late 1980s. Working primarily in video installation, photography, and sound, they explore duality and selfhood through loaded sites like abandoned military bases and borderlands. The podcast covers their early inspirations, including John Martin and Cindy Sherman, and the influence of filmmakers such as Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Jean Cocteau, and Stanley Kubrick. Their current exhibitions include 'Performance of Entrapment' at London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE (until 10 January 2026) and 'Dendrophiles' at Leadenhall Building as part of Sculpture in the City, London (until spring 2026).

‘You’re so close you can see how their toes grip the floor’: Wayne McGregor on his radical new immersive dance experience

Wayne McGregor, artistic director of the Biennale Danza in Venice, has created a new immersive dance installation titled 'On the Other Earth' in collaboration with artist Jeffrey Shaw and digital museologist Sarah Kenderdine. The work features a 360-degree 'nVis' environment with a massive 12K LED screen, allowing dancers from McGregor's company and the Hong Kong Ballet to perform in extreme close-up. The installation will travel to the Venice Film Festival, Stone's Nest in London as part of McGregor's exhibition 'Infinite Bodies' at Somerset House, and later to the Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Arts in Hong Kong.

Robert Wilson, experimental playwright, director and artist, has died, aged 83

Robert Wilson, the visionary experimental playwright, director, and visual artist known for his highly stylized theatrical productions, has died at age 83. He passed away at his home in Water Mill, New York, on July 31 following a brief acute illness, according to a statement from the Watermill Center, the arts organization he founded. Wilson's most famous works include the silent opera *Deafman Glance* (1970) and the epic collaboration with composer Philip Glass, *Einstein on the Beach* (1976). He was also a prolific visual artist, creating drawings, sculptures, and video portraits, including a series featuring Lady Gaga, Pope.L, and Isabella Rossellini, and his work was exhibited at institutions such as SFMoMA, the Centre Pompidou, and the Louvre.

London’s Tate Modern will stay open later on Fridays and Saturdays

Tate Modern in London will extend its opening hours on Fridays and Saturdays to 9pm starting September 26, following record attendance by young visitors at its Tate Lates events in 2025. The museum reported that 76,000 people visited over its 25th birthday weekend in May, with 70 percent under 35, prompting the decision to offer later access to free collections and paid exhibitions.

Seattle mural festival, shows that make you think and more visual arts

Seattle's visual arts scene remains vibrant after the Seattle Art Fair, with a packed schedule of exhibitions and events. Highlights include the politically charged "Latin American Land/Escapes" at SOIL Gallery, featuring 14 Mexican artists whose names were withheld due to immigration concerns; "Hugh Hayden: American Vernacular" at the Frye Art Museum, the artist's first solo museum show on the West Coast; a new mural by Charlene Liu at the Henry Art Gallery; and the ongoing "Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei" at the Seattle Art Museum. The Belltown Mural Festival also returns for a second year, with live painting performances starting Aug. 4.

Frye Art Museum opens three new summer exhibitions

The Frye Art Museum in Seattle has opened three new summer exhibitions: Hugh Hayden's 'American Vernacular,' Jamie Wyeth's 'Unsettled,' and the latest installment of the 'Boren Banner Series' featuring photography by Tarrah Krajnak. The exhibitions were launched with a summer reception on July 11. Krajnak's banner, which blends performance, art, and photography, is displayed on the museum's exterior wall until Sept. 28. Wyeth's indoor exhibit includes paintings and sculptures, notably pieces from his 'Screen Door Sequence,' and runs until Oct. 5. Hayden's show, a collection of mixed-media sculptures organized into thematic spaces like the nursery and the gym, is on view until Sept. 28.

Moving On Up: 24 Museum Curators and Art Leaders Who Took on New Appointments in First Half of 2025

Culture Type has published its annual list of new appointments among museum curators and arts leaders for the first half of 2025, highlighting two dozen hires and promotions at major institutions. Notable appointments include Deana Haggag as program director for arts and culture at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Ann Collins Smith as chief curator at the New Orleans Museum of Art (the first Black American in a full-time curatorial role there), and Vincent van Velsen as head of exhibitions at Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam. The list also features curators such as Alisa Chiles at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Brittany Webb at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

'The idea is to breathe new life into the space': Didier Fusillier, the president of the newly reopened Grand Palais, on his vision for the Parisian institution

Didier Fusillier, president of the newly reopened Grand Palais in Paris, outlines his vision for the historic venue in an interview. The reopening is marked by 'Grand Palais d’été,' a diverse program in partnership with the Centre Pompidou that includes talks, performances under the 'Fun Palace' banner, exhibitions of Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Pontus Hultén, Bruno Decharme’s Art Brut collection, contemporary tapestries, and 'Euphoria. Art is in the air.' Fusillier emphasizes a collaborative, eclectic approach, with free public access to new spaces and sponsorship from Chanel.

Arthur Jafa and Mark Leckey, Cecilia Alemani on SITE Santa Fe, Trisha Brown and Robert Rauschenberg—podcast

An exhibition opening at Conditions in Croydon, London, pairs two landmark video works: Mark Leckey's "Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore" (1999) and Arthur Jafa's "Love is the Message, the Message is Death" (2016). Ben Luke interviews both artists about the show. Separately, the 12th SITE Santa Fe International, titled "Once Within a Time," opens under artistic director Cecilia Alemani. The episode also features the Trisha Brown Dance Company's 1979 piece "Glacial Decoy," a collaboration with Robert Rauschenberg, now the subject of a Walker Art Center exhibition curated by Brandon Eng.

One Fine Show: “Ai, Rebel – The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei” at the Seattle Art Museum

The Seattle Art Museum has opened "Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei," the largest-ever U.S. survey of the Chinese artist and activist. Featuring over 130 works spanning performance, photography, sculpture, video, and installation from the 1980s to the present, the exhibition includes iconic pieces like *Sunflower Seeds* (2010) and *Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads (Gold)* (2010), as well as international debuts such as a LEGO recreation of the Mueller Report. The show runs through September 7, 2025.

Taste test: artist-made desserts will be shown (and eaten) in New York gallery’s one-night exhibition

On Saturday, June 28, the Lower East Side gallery Olympia will host CAKE, a one-night exhibition and feast featuring desserts donated by dozens of New York-based artists, including Hannah Beerman, Mie Yim, Wells Chandler, Robin F. Williams, Hein Koh, and Melissa Joseph. The event functions as a fundraiser for the gallery and a participatory performance art piece, with tickets priced at $45. The gallery's founder and director, Ali Rossi, conceived the show as a community-centric alternative to typical summer group exhibitions, and all desserts will be photographed before consumption to preserve documentation.

Nudes by Tamara de Lempicka and Jenny Saville lead quiet Sotheby’s Modern and contemporary sale

Sotheby’s June Modern and contemporary art evening sale in London netted £50.8m (£62.5m with fees) from 48 lots, with an 87% sell-through rate, falling below the pre-sale estimate of £55.2m to £81.1m and marking a 25% decrease from last year’s equivalent sale. The top lot was Tamara de Lempicka’s *La Belle Rafaëla* (1927), which sold for £6.1m (£7.4m with fees), while a Jenny Saville drawing *Mirror* (2011-12) achieved an auction record for the artist at £1.7m (£2.1m with fees). Several high-profile works were passed, including Egon Schiele’s *Portrait Study (Head of a Girl, Hilde Ziegler)* and Barbara Hepworth’s *Vertical Forms*, reflecting cautious bidding in a bearish market.

$10 million Tamara de Lempicka leads sales at Sotheby’s London modern and contemporary evening auction.

Sotheby’s modern and contemporary evening sale in London on June 25, 2025, achieved £62.43 million ($83.97 million), led by Tamara de Lempicka’s *La Belle Rafaëla* (1927) which sold for £7.47 million ($10.05 million). Other top lots included works by Pablo Picasso, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Claude Monet, Jenny Saville, and Elizabeth Peyton, with Saville setting a new auction record for a drawing. Eight lots failed to sell, including pieces by Egon Schiele and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Fort Worth’s 7 Must-See Museum Exhibits This Summer

Fort Worth's top museums are presenting seven must-see exhibitions this summer, ranging from a deep dive into the life of primatologist Jane Goodall at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History to a joint survey of abstract painters Aubrey Williams and Frank Bowling at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Other highlights include a hands-on exploration of indigenous knowledge in 'Roots of Wisdom,' a survey of pop-culture-infused paintings by Alex Da Corte, and a behind-the-scenes look at photographer Richard Avedon's process at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.

In pictures: Art Basel's Unlimited section offers visions of utopia

Art Basel's Unlimited section, curated by Giovanni Carmine, features monumental works and performances with themes of utopia, community, and being in sync. Highlights include Oscar Murillo's participatory drawing installation, David Owens' film on Lonnie Holley, Alia Farid's tapestries on Middle Eastern-Cuban migration, Taloi Havini's shell money piece, Atelier Van Lieshout's 160-sculpture march to utopia, Andrea Büttner's shame punishment prints, and Mario Merz's inhabitable igloo.

Art Basel gets go-going at Hauser & Wirth’s stand

At Art Basel's Unlimited section, Hauser & Wirth is presenting Felix Gonzalez-Torres's 1991 performance work "Untitled" (Go-Go Dancing Platform), in which a local go-go dancer performs a silent disco atop a small lit stage for five minutes at unspecified times. The piece, created shortly after the deaths of the artist's partner and father, explores themes of renewal, rebirth, and masculinity, according to Hauser & Wirth partner Cristopher Canizares.

New museum of contemporary art, designed by David Chipperfield Architects, to open in Slovenian mountains

A new museum of contemporary art, Muzej Lah, will open in the Slovenian town of Bled next summer. Designed by David Chipperfield Architects, the 5,000 sq. m building will house the Fundacija Lah art collection, built over 30 years by Slovenia’s sixth richest family, Igor and Mojca Lah. The collection includes over 800 post-war works by artists such as Anselm Kiefer, William Kentridge, and Zoran Mušič, as well as pieces from the political art collective Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK). The museum will feature galleries, a library, research centre, restaurant, and spaces for performances and educational initiatives.

Whitney Museum pauses Independent Study Program amid accusations of censorship

The Whitney Museum of American Art has suspended its prestigious Independent Study Program (ISP) for the 2025-2026 academic year, citing a leadership gap following the 2023 retirement of longtime director Ron Clark. The decision follows accusations of censorship after the museum canceled a performance titled "No Aesthetics Outside my Freedom: Mourning, Militancy and Performance" by Fadl Fakhouri, Noel Maghathe, and Fargo Tbakhi, which addressed the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. An open letter signed by over 360 alumni, faculty, and supporters, including philosopher Judith Butler and artists Andrea Fraser and Walid Raad, condemned the cancellation as an act of censorship and expressed solidarity with the current cohort.

Inside Denver’s Cookie Factory Turned Art Gallery

A former fortune cookie factory in Denver's Baker neighborhood has been transformed into a nonprofit art space called the Cookie Factory, opening this weekend. The 5,000-square-foot venue, founded by philanthropist and real estate developer Amanda J. Precourt, features a gallery, sculpture garden, and video-screening rooms. The inaugural exhibition, 'Nothing Without Nature,' presents site-specific works by Colorado-based artist Sam Falls, created using natural materials and processes. The space is free to the public and will also host fundraising events, performances, and community meetings.

‘Halo effect’ of powerful art dealers’ collections boosts Sotheby’s sale

Sotheby's held a successful three-part evening auction in New York on May 15, 2025, achieving a total of $154.2 million in hammer sales ($186.1 million with fees), within its pre-sale estimate. The sale included 12 lots from the estate of late dealer Barbara Gladstone, which sold 100% for $15.1 million, and 15 works from the collection of Daniella Luxembourg, which brought $33.6 million. The main event, Sotheby's The Now and Contemporary evening auction, featured 41 lots—including works from the Dorothy and Roy Lichtenstein collection and three deaccessioned by US museums—and achieved a 93% sell-through rate, hammering $105.4 million. A standout was Andy Warhol's 'Flowers' (1964) from the Gladstone estate, which sold for $3.1 million hammer, more than double its high estimate.

$70m Giacometti bombs at patchy Sotheby’s Modern art auction

Sotheby's Modern evening sale in New York on May 13 brought in $152 million ($186.4 million with fees), falling short of its presale estimate of $170 million to $248 million. Four lots were withdrawn before bidding began, including works by Winslow Homer, Wassily Kandinsky, Candido Portinari, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The sale's star lot, Alberto Giacometti's bronze bust 'Grande tête mince' (1954/55), estimated at over $70 million, failed to sell when bidding stalled around $64 million. Other notable results included strong sales for Jean Arp, František Kupka, and Robert Delaunay, but several high-profile works by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Edgar Degas, Pierre Soulages, and David Smith also failed to find buyers.

Denver Art Museum Announces Mexican Modernism Exhibition with Artworks by Celebrated Artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera

The Denver Art Museum announced an upcoming exhibition titled "Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection," featuring over 150 artworks by Kahlo, Rivera, and their contemporaries including Lola Alvarez Bravo, Gunther Gerzso, María Izquierdo, and Carlos Mérida. Organized by MondoMostre and curated locally by Rebecca Hart, the show will run from October 25, 2020, to January 17, 2021, in the museum's Anschutz and Martin & McCormick Galleries, highlighting the role of art and indigenous culture in forging national identity after the Mexican Revolution.

New Ringling Museum exhibit asks if you believe in magic

The Ringling Museum in Sarasota has opened a new exhibition titled "Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Magic, and Mediums," which explores the art and artifacts of the Spiritualist movement. The show is structured in two acts, first providing historical context and then displaying images, posters, and objects that spiritualists used to promote their work and communicate with the spirit world.

With a cut and a caress: Italian exhibition explores Rebecca Horn’s legacy

Castello di Rivoli near Turin is hosting "Rebecca Horn: Cutting Through the Past," the first major Italian exhibition dedicated to the German artist since her death in September 2024 at age 80. The show, co-organized with Munich's Haus der Kunst, centers on Horn's kinetic installation of the same name and explores her six-decade career through kinetic sculptures, early performance videos, and drawings. Chief curator Marcella Beccaria emphasizes a focus on Horn's spiritual concerns and the motif of circularity, with works displayed in the museum's narrow Manica Lunga corridor.

Untitled: Artist Takeover April 2025

The Denver Art Museum hosted 'Untitled: Artist Takeover' in April 2025, an evening event featuring performances, artmaking, and installations by Indigenous artists. Highlights included a fashion show by SunRose IronShell, drag tours of the Kent Monkman exhibition, poetry readings, dance performances, and a finale titled 'Planting Seeds' with Sarah Ortegon Highwalking. Drop-in experiences offered ledger art, yarn art, temporary tattoos, and frybread-making, alongside one-night-only installations by Sarah Ortegon Highwalking.

Here's how Maurizio Cattelan's telephone confessions ended up

Ecco come sono finite le confessioni al telefono di Maurizio Cattelan

Maurizio Cattelan has launched a new performance project called "Hotline," a telephone confessional service running from April 2 to 22, where anyone could call a toll-free number or send a WhatsApp voice message to confess their sins directly to the artist. On April 23, Cattelan responded in a live-streamed event, symbolically absolving selected participants. The project coincides with the release of limited-edition reproductions of his iconic 1999 work "La Nona Ora" (depicting Pope John Paul II struck by a meteorite), sold through Avant Arte in an edition of 666 miniature resin sculptures priced at €2,310 each, with some given as gifts to participants.

Inuk artist launches first solo exhibition in U.K. gallery

Inuk artist Laakkuluk Williamson has opened her first solo exhibition, titled *Nuliaminik Neqilik*, at Mimosa House gallery in London. The show draws on a Greenlandic tale of a cannibal and his seventh wife, Masaannaaq, as a metaphor for Inuit resistance against colonial powers. It features beadwork, photography, film, vocal performances, and enlarged replicas of historic Inuit objects from the British Museum. The exhibition opened with an immersive performance at the British Museum and was curated by fellow Inuk artist Taqrilik Partridge. After its London run, the show will travel to the Nuuk Art Museum in Greenland and then to Ottawa.

7 artists to have on your radar at Gallery Weekend Berlin 2026

Gallery Weekend Berlin returns for its 22nd edition from May 1 to 3, 2026, featuring 50 galleries across 66 locations throughout the city. The event showcases both established and emerging artists from over 30 countries, with highlights including Martine Syms's pop-up boutique at Sprüth Magers, Göksu Kunak's performance-based exhibition at Ebensperger, and a new sector called Perspectives featuring James Turrell. Other notable presentations include Wynnie Mynerva's exploration of love and colonialism at Société, Monty Richthofen's city-wide performance at Dittrich & Schlechtriem, and Hanna Stiegeler's intimate screenprinted canvases at Sweetwater.

THE IMMA SHOWCASES THE DEEP REFLECTION OF CECILIA VICUNA

The Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) is presenting "Reverse Migration, a Poetic Journey," the first solo exhibition in Ireland by Chilean artist Cecilia Vicuña. The show features a diverse range of works including her signature 'precarios' and 'quipus'—ancient Andean-inspired textile structures—alongside early paintings and sound installations. Central to the exhibition is Vicuña’s personal connection to Ireland, explored through a 2006 pilgrimage to archaeological sites and new collaborations with local artisans using Irish wool.