Special Edition : The Photography Show presented by AIPAD

The Photography Show presented by AIPAD, the world's longest-running photography fair, takes place April 22-26, 2025 at the Park Avenue Armory in New York. The 2026 iteration features exhibitors from around the world, including new participants like Galerie Sophie Scheidecker, Ruiz-Healy Art, and Leica Gallery New York, alongside returning galleries such as Augusta Edwards Fine Art and IBASHO. The fair introduces a new solo presentation sector called Focal Point, designed by architecture firm Oficina.la, and will host the Aperture Portfolio Prize for the first time. Over a third of exhibitors are women-led or founded, and Latin American photography is prominently featured. Events include AIPAD Talks, the AIPAD Award, and the AIPAD Lifetime Achievement Award, with MUUS returning as Lead Cultural Partner.

Notre-Dame : les travaux commencent, le combat se poursuit

Work has begun on replacing the stained-glass windows at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, with scaffolding installed immediately after the work permit was posted. The project involves removing six ornamental windows created in 1864 by Alfred Gérente under Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and installing six new windows by artist Claire Tabouret and the master glassmakers Simon-Marq. The authorization, signed by the prefect, has sparked legal challenges from the heritage association Sites & Monuments, who argue the replacement is neither conservation nor restoration. The article details how the state's own authorization document inadvertently strengthens opponents' arguments by affirming that the entire cathedral, including Viollet-le-Duc's windows, is protected as a historic monument.

Views from Behind. A Figure Without a Portrait

Vu[e]s de dos. Une figure sans portrait

The exhibition "Vu[e]s de dos. Une figure sans portrait" at Les Franciscaines in Deauville, running from February 28 to May 31, 2026, explores the artistic motif of figures seen from behind. Curated by director Annie Madet-Vache, the show was inspired by a small painting from the museum's own collection, André Hambourg's *L'Enterrement de Poincaré*. Unable to secure loans of iconic works such as those by Friedrich, Delacroix, Ingres, or Vermeer, Madet-Vache instead displays large black-and-white reproductions of these masterpieces alongside contemporary works they inspired, turning the absence of the originals into a conceptual strength.

Nobody Can Handle Me: Brazil Rewrites the Pavilion as Living Memory.

Brazil's 2026 Venice Biennale pavilion, curated by Diane Lima, presents a radical, sensorial exhibition titled 'Comigo ninguém pode' featuring artists Adriana Varejão and Rosana Paulino. The show transforms the modernist pavilion into an active participant, where historical and new works by the two artists create friction and resonance, exploring themes of colonial violence, the Black female body as archive, and spiritual resistance.

The Cosmic Entanglements and Inner Transformations of ‘Metamorphosis’.

Isaac Julien has created a new site-responsive film installation titled 'All That Changes You. Metamorphosis' at The Cosmic House in London. The work, which features protagonists Lilith and Naomi, explores themes of transformation, cosmology, and interdependence through a non-linear narrative that moves from Californian redwoods to Renaissance interiors, using the postmodern architecture as an active participant in the dialogue.

A sonic tribute to the act of speech on New York City’s Roosevelt Island

Sound artist Hans Rosenström has launched a site-specific sound installation titled "Out of Silence" at Four Freedoms Park on New York City's Roosevelt Island, running until 21 June. The multi-speaker work features layered voices sung by the Estonian choir Vox Clamantis, arranged across four sections of the park as an homage to Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1941 Four Freedoms speech. Rosenström, a Finnish artist based in Stockholm, developed the project during an International Studio & Curatorial Program residency in New York in 2024, after being approached by Latvian curator Alina Girshovich to mark the 90th birthday of composer Arvo Pärt. The park's memorial to FDR was designed by architect Louis Kahn, who was born in Estonia and benefited from New Deal programs.

Ancient Greek and Roman Statues Found in Alexandria

An excavation in the Moharam Bek neighborhood of Alexandria, Egypt, has uncovered a significant trove of artifacts from the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine periods, including statues of deities such as Bacchus, Asclepius, and Minerva, as well as coins, lamps, ceramic vessels, a public bathhouse, mosaic flooring from a Roman villa, and advanced water systems. The discovery was announced by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and reported by Greek City Times, with officials from the Supreme Council of Antiquities highlighting the site’s comprehensive view of ancient residential and service architecture.

Federal Panel Considers Plan to Paint Granite Eisenhower Executive Office Building White

The Trump administration has proposed painting the granite Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., white. The National Capital Planning Commission met on May 7, 2026, to review the plan, which was also submitted to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts on April 16. That commission approved the idea conditionally, pending successful paint testing. The project, estimated to cost $7.5 million, has drawn over 2,000 public comments, most negative.

A Landmark Benjamin Franklin Collection Is Hitting the Auction Block

A landmark collection of Benjamin Franklin memorabilia assembled by sports and entertainment mogul Jay Snider is heading to Sotheby’s New York on June 24. The collection includes over 150 items—books, broadsides, letters, and manuscripts—tracing Franklin’s career from printer to scientist to diplomat. Highlights include a 1758 letter to Joseph Galloway (estimated $70,000–$100,000), a 1778 letter from George Washington introducing the Marquis de Lafayette (which sold for over $1 million in January), and a bound volume of Franklin’s electrical experiments ($75,000–$125,000). The full catalogue is valued at $3 million to $4.5 million, and 40 artifacts will be displayed at the Library Company of Philadelphia from May 5 to 7.

Morocco debuts at the Biennale with an exploration of its age-old craft traditions

Morocco is debuting its first national pavilion at the Venice Biennale with a monumental installation titled "Asetta" by artist Amina Agueznay. The 300-square-meter site-specific work, located in the Arsenale, draws on centuries-old Moroccan craft traditions, including weaving, beadwork, and embroidery. Agueznay conducted field research across Morocco and collaborated with over 130 artisans, mostly women, some of whom she has worked with for decades. The installation explores the transmission of traditional craftsmanship and shared memory, and incorporates the concept of the threshold (âatba) from Moroccan vernacular architecture, offering visitors both an immersive experience and functional seating.

Metal Detectorists Unearth Norway’s Largest-Known Viking Coin Hoard

Two hobbyist metal detectorists, Rune Sætre and Vegard Sørlie, discovered Norway's largest-known Viking Age coin hoard in a field in Østerdalen, east-central Norway. Starting with 19 silver coins on April 10, the find grew to over 3,250 coins dating from the 980s to the 1040s, surpassing the previous record of 1,800 coins found in the 1800s. The hoard includes coins minted under Æthelred the Unready, King Cnut, and Holy Roman Emperor Otto III, as well as early Norwegian coins from after Harald Hardråde's return from Byzantium. The coins have been transferred to the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo for expert analysis.

Historic Monument Honors New York's First Arabic-Speaking Community

New York City unveiled its first commemorative public artwork under Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration on April 30, honoring the historic "Little Syria" neighborhood in Manhattan's Financial District. The monument, titled "Al Qalam (The Pen): Poets in the Park," is a mosaic installation and sculpture by French-Moroccan artist Sara Ouhaddou, created over the past decade. It celebrates nine members of the enclave's literary community, including Lebanese-American poet Khalil Gibran, who co-founded the writers' association Pen Bond in 1920. The $1.6 million artwork sits in Elizabeth H. Berger Plaza, within the blocks where immigrants from Greater Syria settled in the late 19th century before being displaced by tunnel construction in the 1940s.

Ruins of a ‘Unique‘ Temple Complex Discovered in Northern Sinai

An Egyptian archaeological mission has unearthed a unique temple complex at Tell el-Farama, the site of the ancient city of Pelusium in northern Sinai. The discovery features a massive circular water basin, approximately 100 feet in diameter, surrounded by drainage channels and a central plinth likely intended for a statue. Initially mistaken for a civic building when first excavated in 2019, further study has revealed the site to be a sacred water installation used for religious rituals between the 2nd century BC and the 6th century AD.

Fade to black: inside the US’s abandoned movie theatres

Photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre have documented abandoned early 20th-century movie theatres across the United States, capturing the haunting beauty of their decline. These once-grand cinemas, converted from 1920s music halls and theatres, have been left as hybrid ruins due to the rise of television, streaming platforms, and individualized media consumption. The work is exhibited at Kyotographie 2026 in Japan until 17 May.

‘I waited half an hour for one of Hong Kong’s iconic red taxis to pass by’: William Shum’s best phone picture

William Shum captured a photograph of a red taxi passing through Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong, using an iPhone 13 Pro Max. He waited half an hour for the taxi to align perfectly with a dense residential building in the background, creating a contrast between the simple vehicle and the layered architecture. The image earned him a win in the 2025 Mobile Photography awards.

Ada: My Mother the Architect review – illuminating profile of brilliant builder balances work and family

Architect-turned-filmmaker Yael Melamede directs a documentary portrait of her mother, Israeli architect Ada Karmi-Melamede, who co-designed the Supreme Court of Israel building in Jerusalem in the early 1990s with her brother Ram Karmi and later created Ben Gurion Airport. The film explores Karmi-Melamede's architectural philosophy of "architecture of the ground and of the sky," her departure from her brother's brutalism, and a painful family split when she left her husband and children in New York after being denied tenure at Columbia University.

Births, deaths and a first kiss: life near the frontline in Ukraine – in pictures

British-Iranian artist Aria Shahrokhshahi's long-term photographic project "Wet Ground" captures daily life in Ukraine during Russia's full-scale invasion, focusing on moments of youth, subculture, and fragile continuity rather than traditional war imagery. The series, developed through repeated stays and volunteering since 2019, includes scenes from teenage discos, hospital wards, a birth during a missile attack, and a first kiss near the frontline, all shot in stark black and white.

‘It’s a huge, futuristic space with massive skylights’: Ali Zolghadri’s best phone picture

Ali Zolghadri, a Tehran-born fine art photographer, captured a composite image of the central atrium of the Iran Mall in Tehran—the world's largest shopping mall—which was shortlisted in the creative category of the 2026 Sony World Photography Awards. The photograph, taken four months before the US and Israel launched their war on Iran, depicts the mall's futuristic architecture with sweeping curved lines, metallic surfaces, and massive skylights, and includes a lone passerby to emphasize scale. Zolghadri emphasizes that his process involves manual editing in Photoshop without AI, blending three frames and removing unnecessary elements to construct meaning.

The Condé M. Nast Galleries Open at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Condé M. Nast Galleries have opened at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, a 12,000-square-foot space designed by architecture firm Peterson Rich. The galleries feature white granite floors, classic pedestals, and recessed uplighting to protect fragile fabrics, creating a seamless integration with the museum's existing architecture.

How a Remote California Artists’ Retreat Inspired Vhernier’s Latest Ring Collection

Italian jewelry maison Vhernier has collaborated with artist Pae White to create a 10-design limited-edition ring collection inspired by White's childhood memories of Sea Ranch, a remote artists' retreat in Sonoma County, California. The collection translates the architecture of crustaceans and abalone into precious materials, using sapphires, diamonds, and rock crystal set in white or rose gold, with only two versions of each design produced.

fashion chanel coco game chess jewelry

Chanel has unveiled the Coco Game chess set, a one-of-a-kind luxury object that doubles as a high-jewelry timepiece, presented at the brand's watch and jewelry boutique on Place Vendôme. The set features 32 pieces crafted from ceramic and gold, adorned with over 9,000 diamonds totaling approximately 110 carats, with each queen concealing a detachable watch. The collection also includes 13 watch designs and is part of Chanel's Haute Horlogerie line for 2026, designed by Arnaud Chastaingt, director of the Chanel Watch Creation Studio.

The Many Sheddings of Valie Export

Die vielen Häutungen der Valie Export

Valie Export, the Austrian media and performance artist known for using her body as a site of social critique, has died at age 85 in Vienna. Her final works include a black-and-white photo series of her forearm resting on a stone snake sculpture at the University of Vienna, exploring themes of skin, transformation, and mimesis. From the 1970s onward, she created iconic "Body Configurations" in which she placed her body on streets and against buildings along Vienna's Ringstrasse, tracing architectural forms to expose institutional power and patriarchal authority.

The Great Shitshow

Die große Shitshow

Florentina Holzinger has transformed the Austrian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale into a radical performance installation titled "Seaworld Venice." The piece features naked performers suspended from meat hooks, a performer ringing a bell while dangling upside down from a crane, a woman on a jetski circling inside a flooded pavilion, and a system where visitors are invited to urinate into portable toilets, with the waste processed and recirculated into the water. The work combines extreme physical stunts, nudity, and bodily fluids to create a visceral, immersive experience that has drawn long queues and stunned reactions from the art world.

Shit has the power to destabilize systems of order

"Scheiße hat die Kraft, Ordnungssysteme zu destabilisieren"

Aline Bouvy, the artist representing Luxembourg at the Venice Biennale, has created a film essay titled "La Merde" that centers on excrement as its main character. Originally conceived as a performance, the work explores themes of bodily circulation, transformation, and the grotesque, using feces to challenge societal taboos and systems of order. Bouvy discusses the film's development with curator Stilbé Schroeder, noting that the Biennale provided the resources and time to realize the project, which will later travel to the Kunstverein in Salzburg.

History Made Material

Material gewordene Geschichte

The German Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale has been transformed by artist Sung Tieu, who clad its Nazi-era facade with millions of small marble tiles to replicate the look of a prefabricated East German apartment block—specifically the Gehrenseestraße housing complex in Berlin where she spent part of her childhood. Inside, the exhibition features glass casts of her mother's limbs, aluminum beams evoking cramped living quarters, and works by the late Henrike Naumann, all curated by Kathleen Reinhardt to explore bureaucracy, migration, and systemic violence.

Andreas Angelidakis on Representing Greece at the 61st Venice Biennale

Artist Andreas Angelidakis will represent Greece at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026 with a project titled 'Escape Room'. He plans to split the Greek Pavilion in two, referencing the National Schism in Greek history, and will create an immersive experience that explores the building's dual identities as a national symbol and an exhibition space, set to the soundtrack of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's 'Relax'.

The Musée d’Ixelles at the Crossroads of Different Perspectives

Le Musée d’Ixelles à la croisée de différents regards

The Musée d’Ixelles in Brussels, closed for eight years for expansion and renovation, is nearing completion of its architectural transformation with a reopening scheduled for spring 2027 (March 19). Founded in 1892 in a former slaughterhouse, the museum has grown through successive donations and a continuous acquisition policy, now holding over 15,000 works spanning Belgian art from the 19th century to the contemporary period. Director and curator Claire Leblanc, who has led the institution since 2006, emphasizes a participatory approach that integrates diverse public perspectives, including a project called "Musée comme chez soi" during the closure where locals hosted artworks in their homes.

LACMA inaugurates its new building

Le Lacma inaugure son nouveau bâtiment

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has inaugurated its new David Geffen Galleries building, a massive horizontal structure spanning Wilshire Boulevard. Designed by architect Peter Zumthor, the $720 million project features 32,000 square meters of exhibition space across 90 non-hierarchical galleries, a free public park level, and a radical departure from traditional museum departmental organization.

À Marseille, l’installation textile monumentale d’Adrien Vescovi déploie ses couleurs

Artist Adrien Vescovi has installed a monumental textile work titled "Dormir comme le soleil" at the Vieille Charité in Marseille. The installation features over 600 dyed sheets suspended across 108 arches of the former hospice, using natural pigments from plants, spices, and ochres. The fabrics, dyed in a labor-intensive process involving large wooden spoons and cauldrons, are designed to fade and evolve over the eight-month exhibition, responding to wind, humidity, and Mediterranean light.

La Rocabella : une résidence d’artistes paradisiaque qui croise les disciplines près de Toulon

La Rocabella, a Belle Époque villa near Toulon, France, has been transformed into an interdisciplinary artist residency by Jean-Baptiste Rudelle, co-founder of Criteo. Built in 1898 by architect Hans-Georg Tersling, the estate now hosts ceramic sculptors, comic artists, documentary filmmakers, and musicians in two-month sessions, with themes like 'Les Gardiennes de la mer' linking their work. The residency, funded entirely by Rudelle, aims to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration in a serene Mediterranean setting.