At 90, Rhona Hoffman Is Closing Her Chicago Gallery—but She Isn’t Retiring Yet

Rhona Hoffman, the 90-year-old Chicago gallerist, is closing her eponymous gallery at the end of May 2025 after nearly five decades in operation. The final group show, “Not Just A Pretty Picture,” ends April 26. Hoffman, who opened her gallery in 1976, gave early platforms to artists like Sol LeWitt, Mickalene Thomas, and Carrie Mae Weems, and is especially known for championing women artists such as Cindy Sherman, Barbara Kruger, and Jenny Holzer. She was also made an honorary member of the Guerrilla Girls after documenting her exhibition history of women artists. Hoffman plans to remain in Chicago, curating shows and working with artists, but will not use the term "pop-up" for her future activities.

Expo Chicago connects the Midwest to the global art market

Expo Chicago returns for its second edition under Frieze ownership from April 24-27, featuring over 170 galleries from 93 cities across 36 countries. The fair includes 50 new exhibitors, a new partnership with the Galleries Association of Korea bringing 20 South Korean galleries, and a curated sector called Contrast. Local stalwarts like Rhona Hoffman and Gray gallery are participating, balancing international growth with Midwestern roots.

All the new galleries and art spaces opening in Milan in 2025

Milan is experiencing a surge in new gallery and art space openings in 2025, signaling its emergence as a strategic destination for contemporary art. Notable developments include the arrival of Thaddaeus Ropac's gallery, announced in January 2025, alongside openings such as Scaramouche, Limbo, Una/Castiglioni, and Romero Paprocki. These spaces are establishing long-term investments in the city's urban fabric, with exhibitions featuring artists like James Brown, Ludovica Anversa, Federico Arani, Leilei Wu, Valentina Furian, Alessandro Carano, Kaï-Chun Chang, Max Coulon, and Jordan Madlon.

San Francisco Art Fair brings attention to Bay Area scene and sales for exhibitors from near and far

The San Francisco Art Fair opened on April 17 at the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, running through April 20. Rebranded from ArtMrkt San Francisco last year, the fair featured 88 exhibitors, including a strong contingent from the East Bay, such as Oakland-based galleries pt.2, Johansson Projects, and Good Mother Gallery. Notable moments included artist Marc Horowitz using DeBoer Gallery's stand as a live studio, selling paintings for $25,000 and up, and the Alternative Art School showcasing works by four artist-members. Dealers reported healthy sales, with works priced from a few hundred dollars to the lower five figures, and local galleries like Micki Meng donated proceeds to the environmental non-profit Art into Acres.

India

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Exhibition of Emirati art in Seoul becomes a relic of pre-war UAE life

An exhibition titled 'Proximities,' featuring over 110 works by 47 UAE-based artists, opened at the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) in December and closed on March 29. The show, co-curated by Maya El Khalil and SeMA's Eunju Kim, aimed to present nuanced, everyday perspectives of life in the UAE through sections organized by artist-curators like Farah Al Qasimi and Mohammed Kazem, moving beyond stereotypes of gilded excess.

istanbul biennial ends early curator resigns

The current Istanbul Biennial, titled "The Three-Legged Cat," will end prematurely after its first leg because curator Christine Tohmé resigned due to personal circumstances. The biennial was conceived as a three-part show spanning three years, with an academic program planned for 2026 and a second exhibition set for 2027. The first exhibition ran from September 20 to November 23 across eight venues in Istanbul, attracting over 600,000 visitors. The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV), which manages the event, announced the conclusion and stated that planning for the 19th Istanbul Biennial in 2027 will begin soon, with a curator announcement expected in 2026.

Across Venice, Artists Defy Censorship to Mourn and Memorialize Gaza

The 2026 Venice Biennale, titled “In Minor Keys,” features numerous artworks that mourn and memorialize the destruction of Gaza, despite censorship pressures. The main exhibition opens with a poem by slain Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer, and includes works by artists such as Theo Eshetu, Mohammed Joha, Manuel Mathieu, and Avi Mograbi that directly or indirectly address the conflict. Outside the official Biennale, South African artist Gabrielle Goliath’s performance series “Elegy” was censored by her country’s culture minister after she proposed a version honoring murdered Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada, leading her to present the work independently at a church in Venice.

Artist Kader Attia Will Organize 2027 Edition of India’s Top Biennial

Artist Kader Attia, known for his work addressing colonial violence and a winner of France's Prix Marcel Duchamp, has been selected to curate the 2027 edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, India's premier biennial. Attia, who previously curated the 2022 Berlin Biennale, was chosen by a committee led by prominent Indian artist Jitish Kallat. His appointment continues the biennial's tradition of artist-curators, following Nikhil Chopra (2024) and Anita Dube (2018).

At 90, Printmaker Mohammad Omer Khalil Gets His Due

Mohammad Omer Khalil, the 90-year-old Sudanese-born printmaker based in New York, is the subject of a multi-city retrospective titled "Common Ground." The anchor exhibition runs through May 31 at the Blackburn Study Center in Manhattan, with satellite events at venues including Twelve Gates Arts in Philadelphia, the Arab American National Museum in Michigan, the New York Public Library, and Anthology Film Archives. Curated by Amina Ahmed and Jenna Hamed, the show spans Khalil's entire career, from his first etching made in Florence in 1964 to large-scale works inspired by Bob Dylan songs, poetry by Adonis, and films such as "The Chalk Garden."

First US Survey of Mexican Artist Teresa Margolles Coming This Fall

MoMA PS1 in New York City will host the first United States survey of Mexican artist Teresa Margolles this fall. Trained as a forensic pathologist, Margolles creates works using organic and bodily materials from homicide victims, morgues, and crime scenes. The exhibition will feature pieces confronting murder and violence along the US-Mexico border, including a 2026 evolution of her ongoing series "Air" (2003–), where a gallery will be humidified with water carrying degradable material from homicide sites. The Museum of Modern Art will also present a new experiential installation, "Aproximación al lugar de los hechos (Approaching the Scene)" (2026), starting September 17, which drips water carrying evidence of violent death onto heated steel plates.

​​​​Art Movements: Curators Named for El Museo's Latine Art Survey

El Museo del Barrio has announced the curatorial team for the 2027 edition of La Trienal, its landmark survey of Latine contemporary art. The show will be organized by Susanna V. Temkin, interim chief curator at the museum; Zuna Maza, assistant curator; and guest curator Kaitlin Garcia-Maestas, formerly of Socrates Sculpture Park. In other biennial news, Amanda Carneiro and Raphael Fonseca were named chief curators of the 37th Bienal de São Paulo, the jury of the 61st Venice Biennale resigned after omitting Russia and Israel from awards consideration, and Marcello Dantas was appointed senior curator of the Vancouver Biennale. Hedwig Fijen will step down as director of Manifesta, with Emilia van Lynden and Catherine Nichols taking over in a new co-leadership model. Janne Sirén will resign as director of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Kate Kraczon was named chief curator at the Montclair Art Museum, and Charlie White was appointed dean of WashU’s Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. Marina Abramović has designed wine labels for the Ornellaia estate, with limited-edition bottles to be auctioned by Bonhams to benefit the Guggenheim Pop exhibition.

Édouard Glissant’s Museum-as-Archipelago

The article reviews the exhibition "The Earth, the Fire, the Water, and the Winds: For a Museum of Errantry with Édouard Glissant" at the Center for Art, Research and Alliances (CARA) in New York, the first U.S. showing of works from the personal collection of Martinician philosopher and writer Édouard Glissant. Curated from his archive, the exhibition features artists such as Roberto Matta, Wifredo Lam, Etel Adnan, Irving Petlin, Antonio Seguí, Öyvind Fahlström, Jack Whitten, and Mel Edwards, reflecting Glissant's friendships and intellectual exchanges across Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Highlights include Antonio Seguí's large pastel works from his Titanic series.

Can the V&A’s New Museum Fulfill Its Democratic Promise?

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) has opened its new V&A East museum and V&A East Storehouse in Stratford, East London. This expansion, part of a £660 million redevelopment, presents the museum's collection with a focus on community co-design, social justice themes, and local artists, aiming to be more accessible and democratic than its imposing South Kensington flagship.

The Future of Museums Is a Dance Floor

Museums and art institutions are increasingly incorporating nightlife and rave culture into their programming, treating the dance floor as a site of cultural and political significance. Exhibitions like Steve McQueen's 2024 Dia Beacon show, the 2018 'Elements of Vogue' in Madrid, the Swiss National Museum's 2025 'Techno' exhibition, and the author's own 2025 curatorial project 'Rave into the Future: Art in Motion' at the Asian Art Museum demonstrate this institutional turn.

LACMA Got a Makeover

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has unveiled its new David Geffen Galleries, featuring an unconventional open-plan design that encourages non-linear exploration. The building's layout, which eschews traditional chronological narratives in favor of free-floating associations, has sparked debate among critics regarding its navigability and the restoration of key works like Alexander Calder’s "Three Quintains (Hello Girls)."

Michaelina Wautier Finally Known by Her Name

The Royal Academy of Arts in London has launched a monographic exhibition dedicated to Michaelina Wautier, a 17th-century Brussels-based painter whose work was misattributed to male contemporaries for centuries. Despite her mastery across diverse genres—including portraiture, floral still lifes, and large-scale history paintings typically reserved for men—her identity was obscured by patriarchal societal norms and a lack of biographical documentation. The show highlights her technical brilliance, notably in works like "The Triumph of Bacchus," which was long credited to male artists due to the era's restrictions on women studying nude models.

Josh Kline Misses the Mark

Critic Aruna D’Souza responds to a viral essay by artist Josh Kline regarding the extreme financial pressures of living and working in New York City. While Kline suggests that artists should abandon the city due to the affordability crisis, D’Souza argues that leaving is not a viable long-term solution and calls for a more proactive approach to systemic change within the urban art ecosystem.

Nine Lessons on My Path From Engagement to Leadership

The article is an excerpt from the forthcoming field resource 'Curating Engagement,' featuring a first-person reflection by an arts professional. The author outlines nine lessons learned over two decades of practice, moving from engagement-focused roles to institutional leadership. Key lessons emphasize curiosity as a foundational practice, engagement as a form of service to communities rather than extraction, and the importance of site and history as collaborators in curatorial work.

Taking a Seat at Robert Therrien’s Table

The Broad museum in Los Angeles has opened a major retrospective, "Robert Therrien: This is a Story," dedicated to the late artist Robert Therrien. The exhibition, featuring over 120 works from five decades, aims to move beyond Therrien's most famous piece—the monumental "Under the Table" sculpture—to present the full scope of his obsessively iterative practice, which transformed personal memories into universal forms.

What Makes a Good Protest Sign?

The article's main feature is a guide on creating effective protest signs for the upcoming No Kings protest, compiled by comic artist Steven Weinberg with input from artists, writers, and curators including Hyperallergic's Editor-at-Large Hrag Vartanian. It offers practical advice for crafting visually and rhetorically powerful signs that challenge authority.

Brian Eno and 200+ Artists Urge British Museum to “Stop Erasing Palestine”

Brian Eno and 200+ Artists Urge British Museum to “Stop Erasing Palestine”

Over 200 artists and cultural groups, led by musician Brian Eno, have published an open letter demanding the British Museum stop what they call the "erasure of Palestine." The letter accuses the museum of altering wall texts in its Middle East Galleries, such as replacing "Palestinian descent" with "Canaanite descent," following pressure from the pro-Israel group UK Lawyers for Israel. The signatories also criticize the institution's past ties to the Israeli embassy and sponsor BP, issuing demands for an expert review of labels and an apology for hosting an Israeli embassy gala.

agustina ferreyra joins mexico city gallery omr

Agustina Ferreyra, a prominent Mexico City-based dealer known for championing young Latin American artists, has been appointed director of OMR, a leading gallery in Mexico City. Ferreyra founded her own gallery in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2013 before relocating it to Mexico City, and will shutter that eponymous space on April 30. She previously collaborated with OMR during Mexico City Art Week in February through Bodega, a joint initiative that featured a solo exhibition by Argentine artist Ad Minoliti. In her new role, Ferreyra will continue to lead Bodega as artistic director.

Curators Announced for 16th Baltic Triennial

The Contemporary Art Center (CAC) Vilnius has appointed artist Nikita Kadan and curator Natalia Sielewicz as curators of the 16th Baltic Triennial, scheduled for 2027. Kadan is a Kyiv-based artist, while Sielewicz is chief curator at Warsaw's Museum of Modern Art. The duo has proposed "grief and resurrection" as the triennial's theme, framing despair and mourning as spaces for careful listening and potential renewal.

The must-see exhibitions of 2026: from Duchamp in New York to Baldessari in Beijing

The article previews major art exhibitions scheduled for 2026, highlighting two standout shows. At Basel's Fondation Beyeler, a Cezanne exhibition from January to May will focus on the artist's later works, featuring around 60 oil paintings and 20 watercolours, half from private collections. Highlights include a privately owned oil study of 'The Bathers' (around 1902-06) and 'The Boy in the Red Vest' (1888-90), with curator Ulf Küster emphasizing Cezanne's fragmentary, radical perspective. Separately, the traveling exhibition 'Edmonia Lewis: Said in Stone' will premiere at the Peabody Essex Museum in February, showcasing 30 sculptures by the 19th-century Black and Indigenous artist, organized after a 2016 acquisition by the Georgia Museum of Art spurred curators to track down her works.

Wem die Glocke schlägt

The Kunsthalle Wien has revived its recurring exhibition format "Lebt und arbeitet in Wien" (Lives and Works in Vienna) for the fifth time since 2000, presenting 56 artists selected from a pool of 700 local practitioners. Curated by Daniel Baumann, Monika Georgieva, and Michelle Cotton, the show spans two venues—the Museumsquartier and Karlsplatz—featuring works in painting, sculpture, installation, film, and video that reflect the city's diverse artistic landscape. The exhibition marks a return after a decade-long hiatus, filling gaps left since the previous edition under the curatorial collective WHW.

Überraschende Begegnungen

The ninth edition of the "Various Others" festival in Munich brings together institutions, off-spaces, and galleries for a city-wide series of exhibitions in May. Highlights include Walter Storms Galerie presenting Anselm Reyle's first Munich solo show with Istanbul's Dirimart; Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler collaborating with Rome's T293 to show Simon Denny's tech-critical works; Max Goelitz pairing Lukas Heerich and Rindon Johnson with Eva Hesse in dialogue with Hauser & Wirth; Lohaus Sominsky and Paris's Mennour featuring Ilit Azoulay and Alicja Kwade; and Rüdiger Schöttle hosting Milena Muzquiz and Elif Saydam. A new parcours exhibition, "Vectors," inspired by Jan Hoet's "Chambres d'Amis," places contemporary art in tech company offices across Munich.

Fondation Beyeler: Freier Eintritt im Bikini

The Fondation Beyeler in Riehen, Switzerland, invited visitors to enter the museum for free if they came wearing swimwear, as part of a "Bathing Day" promotion. The event was inspired by Paul Cézanne, whose famous paintings of bathers are the subject of a current exhibition at the museum. The museum reported strong attendance and stated that the unusual setting brings art and visitors closer together, changing perception and reducing distance.

Monopol gives away 5 × 2 tickets for Peter Hujar and Liz Deschenes at the Gropius Bau

Monopol verlost 5 × 2 Tickets für Peter Hujar und Liz Deschenes im Gropius Bau

Monopol magazine is giving away 5 × 2 tickets to the exhibition "Peter Hujar / Liz Deschenes: Persistence of Vision" at the Gropius Bau in Berlin. The show pairs Hujar's iconic black-and-white photographs of New York's downtown scene—featuring figures like Susan Sontag, Divine, and David Wojnarowicz—with Liz Deschenes' abstract, material-focused works on glass and photosensitive paper. To enter, readers must email their name with the subject line "Hujar" by May 30.

The 25th Biennale of Sydney: “Rememory”

The 25th Biennale of Sydney, titled "Rememory," opened in March 2026 across multiple venues in Sydney, including the prominent White Bay Power Station. Curated by Hoor Al-Qasimi, the exhibition features 83 artists and collectives from around the world, presenting works that demand slow, immersive engagement rather than spectacle, with highlights including large-scale textile installations by Edgar Calel and Nikesha Breeze.