Damien Hirst's studio has been recreated in Seoul for a major exhibition dedicated to him (including the original floor)

Lo studio del celebre artista Damien Hirst è stato ricreato a Seoul per una grande mostra a lui dedicata (c’è pure il pavimento originale)

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) in Seoul has launched "Nothing Is True But Everything Is Possible," the largest retrospective of Damien Hirst’s work ever held in Asia. Spanning 35 years of his career, the exhibition features over 50 iconic works, including his formaldehyde-preserved animals, diamond-encrusted skull, and a recreation of his Pharmacy Restaurant. A unique highlight is the meticulous reconstruction of Hirst’s London studio, complete with the original paint-stained floor transported to South Korea and 30 previously unseen unfinished canvases from his new "River" series.

The extraordinary boom in modern Indian art

Despite a general art market downturn, modern Indian art auctions have seen extraordinary demand. Over the past two weeks, sales at Christie’s in New York, Saffron Art in New Delhi, Pundole’s in Mumbai, and Sotheby’s in London all sold out. Sotheby’s London sale raised £19 million, more than five times its estimate, led by record-breaking works from Francis Newton Souza, including *Houses in Hampstead* (1962) sold for £5.6 million and *Emperor* (1957) sold for £5.2 million. The article traces Souza’s rebellious career, from his expulsion from school in Mumbai for pornographic graffiti, to his founding role in the Progressive Artists’ Group, his struggles in England and the US, and his eventual death in 2002 with little recognition.

A Drama of Two Masters

A new documentary film titled "Turner & Constable" attempts to dramatize the artistic rivalry between the two iconic British landscape painters, J.M.W. Turner and John Constable. The film is based on a recent exhibition of the same name at Tate Britain in London.

Islamic Futurism Here and Now

Hyperallergic's daily newsletter highlights several key art world stories, including a protest by nearly 200 artists, curators, and staff at the 61st Venice Biennale calling for Israel's exclusion from the event. It also features a guide to New York's spring art fairs, a new exhibition on Frida Kahlo, a campaign against a Palestinian artist in Germany, and a profile on artists advancing Islamic Futurism through calligraphy and installation.

Thomas Gainsborough’s Portraits of Pride and Prejudice

A new exhibition at the Frick Collection, "Gainsborough: The Fashion of Portraiture," re-examines the 18th-century English painter's work. It focuses on how his portraits, from early Suffolk "conversation pieces" to later Bath society commissions, used landscape and lavish clothing to visually encode social status, ownership, and belonging.

Photographer Catherine Opie is everywhere all at once this spring

Photographer Catherine Opie is experiencing an extraordinary year in 2026, with multiple major exhibitions opening simultaneously across Europe and Los Angeles. A career-spanning survey at London’s National Portrait Gallery will travel to Edinburgh’s Royal Scottish Academy, while other shows appear in Kassel, Germany, and Trondheim, Norway. In Los Angeles, her new exhibition “Holding Blue” opens May 28 at Regen Projects, featuring 44 images of Norwegian mountain landscapes shot over 20 days in early 2024, accompanied by nine ceramic sculptures. Her work also appears in group shows at the Autry Museum of the American West, Hauser & Wirth, and David Zwirner. Opie, who retired from UCLA after serving as chair of the art department and teaching photography for more than 20 years, describes this period as the “Catherine Opie World Tour 2026.”

Let It Work If It Works. In Conversation with Rose Wylie by David Kohn

Rose Wylie, the first female painter to receive a solo exhibition at London's Royal Academy of Arts, discusses her career and the RA show in an interview with architect David Kohn. Wylie reflects on the historic nature of the invitation, crediting artist Cornelia Parker for championing the opportunity, but emphasizes that she wants her work to be judged as painting first, not through the lens of gender. She explains her choice of large-scale canvases as a response to the male-dominated art world when she returned to painting, and describes her decision to paint the RA's gallery walls white to maintain architectural coherence and avoid what she calls 'fashionable' colored interiors.

Salvador Dalí painting behind Schiaparelli’s “Tears Dress” to make London debut.

Salvador Dalí's 1936 painting 'Necrophiliac Spring' will be exhibited in the UK for the first time as part of the 'Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art' exhibition at London's Victoria and Albert Museum. The show, dedicated to designer Elsa Schiaparelli, runs from March 28th to November 8th.

Bodies in Motion, Bodies at Rest: Ali Cherri in Conversation with Kaelen Wilson-Goldie

This article presents a conversation between artist Ali Cherri and writer Kaelen Wilson-Goldie, marking the second installment of a collaborative series between TextWork by Fondation Pernod Ricard and Mousse Magazine. The series features in-depth dialogues between artists from the TextWork program and magazine contributors, expanding on the traditional interview format, and is set to continue until 2027.

The Egyptian Modernist Inji Efflatoun gains international exposure with new biographical collection

The article profiles Egyptian Modernist artist and activist Inji Efflatoun, detailing her life from her birth in 1924 in Cairo to her political activism, arrest in 1959, and four-and-a-half-year imprisonment. It highlights a new biographical collection, *The Life and Work of Inji Efflatoun*, which includes her translated memoirs and critical essays, offering a comprehensive view of her art and revolutionary life.

All and Nothing review – inspiring tale of the Chinese artist who cultivated a grassroots scene in Cumbria

A new documentary film, 'All and Nothing,' profiles the life and legacy of Chinese artist Li Yuan-chia, who founded the influential LYC Museum and Art Gallery in rural Cumbria, England, in 1972. The film, directed by Liao I-ling and Chu Po-ying, uses his abstract art and archival materials to trace his journey from China and Taiwan to Italy and London, before he settled in Brampton.

Major collection of Indian paintings and calligraphy to be offered at Christie's

Christie's London will auction a major collection of Indian paintings and calligraphy from the Seattle-based collectors Mary and Cheney Cowles on April 28, with an estimated total exceeding £1.5 million. The sale is dominated by Mughal-era works from the 16th to 19th centuries, including a highlight piece from the Fraser Album estimated at £180,000, and features rare examples of "Mughal Occidentalism" where court artists incorporated European motifs.

British Museum Removed 'Palestinian' From Displays After Pressure From Pro-Israel Group

british museum removed palestinian uk lawyers for israel

The British Museum in London removed the word 'Palestinian' from certain display texts related to the ancient Middle East, replacing it with terms like 'Canaanite.' This action followed a letter from the pro-Israel advocacy group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) to the museum's director, Nicholas Cullinan, arguing that using 'Palestine' to describe the ancient region was historically inaccurate and erased the Kingdoms of Israel and Judea. The museum stated the changes were made last year, prior to receiving the letter, and that it uses UN terminology for modern maps and 'Palestinian' as a cultural identifier where appropriate.

robert burns portrait rediscovered

A long-lost portrait of Scottish poet Robert Burns, painted by Henry Raeburn in 1803, has been rediscovered after 200 years. The painting was found at a house clearance sale by Wimbledon Auctions in London, where it was estimated at just £300–£500 but sold for £68,000 after a bidding war. It has since been conserved and authenticated by the National Galleries of Scotland, and is now on public display in Edinburgh alongside the original 1787 portrait by Alexander Nasmyth, just in time for Burns Night celebrations.

sandra poulson moma ps1 venice biennale interview

Sandra Poulson, a 30-year-old Angolan artist, has opened her first museum exhibition at MoMA PS1 in New York, titled "Este quarto parece uma República!" ("This bedroom looks like a Republic!"). The show features sculptures that explore how everyday objects carry social and political meaning, including a work critiquing the influence of mega-churches in Angola. Poulson, who splits her time between Luanda, London, and Amsterdam, drew inspiration from her childhood, local furniture practices in Luanda, and colonial-era wood exploitation. The works were initially produced for Condo London and commissioned by Jahmek Contemporary Art.

ターナー賞2026最終候補

The Turner Prize 2026 shortlist has been announced, featuring four artists: Simeon Barclay, Kira Freije, Marguerite Humeau, and Tanoa Sasraku. The exhibition will be held at MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art) from September 26, 2026 to March 29, 2027, with the winner revealed on December 10, 2026. The jury includes Sarah Allen, Jo Hill, Suk-Kee Lee, Alona Pardo, and Alex Farquharson as chair.

A Journey Through the Work of Lucía Pizzani on the Occasion of Her First Institutional Exhibition in London

UN RECORRIDO POR LA OBRA DE LUCÍA PIZZANI A PROPÓSITO DE SU PRIMERA MUESTRA INSTITUCIONAL EN LONDRES

Venezuelan artist Lucía Pizzani presents her first institutional exhibition in the United Kingdom, titled "Faunal Succession," at Focal Point Gallery in London, running through May 30. The show features new works created in collaboration with artists Cecilia Bonilla, Jaime Gili, and Javier Weyler, as well as community groups and local schools, reimagining the Essex coastline through the concept of deep time. The exhibition links geological transformation with contemporary issues such as climate change, migration, and social change, as explored in an interview with curator Inês Costa.

London 20th/21st Century Frieze Week sales achieve a running total of £141.8m / $189.7m / €162.75m

Christie’s 20th/21st Century: London Evening Sale during Frieze Week 2025 achieved £106.9 million, up 30% year-on-year, with a 90% sell-through rate by value. The top lot was Peter Doig’s *Ski Jacket* (1994), sold for £14.27 million after intense bidding, part of the Ole Faarup Collection, which raised £27.3 million total for the Ole Faarup Art Foundation. Other notable sales included works by Lucian Freud, Paula Rego, Gerhard Richter, Pablo Picasso, and Suzanne Valadon, with more than half of all lots selling above high estimate.

Lubaina Himid and Magda Stawarska: Zanzibar

Lisson Gallery in London presents "Lubaina Himid and Magda Stawarska: Zanzibar," an immersive installation running from June 4 to August 22, 2026. The exhibition features nine diptychs painted by Himid in 1999, paired with a 38-minute multi-layered sound composition by Stawarska created in 2023. The works explore themes of memory, displacement, and belonging, drawing on Himid's birthplace in Zanzibar and her family's migration to London. The installation includes Taraab music, opera, archival BBC clips, and Himid's own voice, creating a multi-dimensional experience that reflects both artists' sense of loss and connection to their native countries.

Discover the quietly affecting artworks of Poppy Jones, a fashion-world favourite

Poppy Jones, a British artist known for her quietly affecting works on textiles like suede and silk, has opened her first institutional solo exhibition, 'Frozen Sun', at Towner Eastbourne (until 31 May 2026). The show follows her 2024 presentation 'Solid Objects' at Herald St gallery in London and a sold-out monograph with Zolo Press in 2025. Jones, who was commissioned by Bottega Veneta's Louise Trotter for two works that became the house's A/W 2026 show invitation, creates intimate pieces featuring eggs, flowers, glasses of water, and vintage apparel details, often framed in sleek aluminium. Her practice, which blends photography, lithography, and watercolour, was shaped by the birth of her first child in 2019 and the Covid-19 lockdowns, leading her to focus on domestic subjects and small-scale works.

Photo London Returns with a Global Perspective at Olympia

Photo London has opened its latest edition at Olympia London, marking a significant move from its previous home at Somerset House. The fair brings together international galleries from cities including New Delhi, Cologne, New York, Glasgow, Buenos Aires, Johannesburg, Zurich, Paris, Tokyo, Taipei, Munich, and London, creating a global conversation around photography. Highlights include Alfredo Jaar's installation 'Searching for Africa in LIFE,' which interrogates the absence of African voices in Western media, and presentations by Autograph, Leica Gallery London, and others that explore themes of migration, memory, identity, and representation.

The Top Gallery and Museum Exhibitions to see in late May in London

Tabish Khan, the London-based art critic, selects his top gallery and museum exhibitions to see in late May in London. Highlights include Christopher Page's illusionistic mirror paintings at Ben Hunter, Dirk Braeckman's chemically altered photographs at Grimm, a historical exhibition on Hawai'i's relationship with the UK at The British Museum, a pairing of James Capper's claw-like machines with Anthony Caro's metal sculptures, and a focused display of George Stubbs' horse portrait and anatomical drawings at The National Gallery.

Tracey Emin debuts intimate new prints at London art fair

British artist Tracey Emin has debuted a new series of six intimate lithographs titled "I Need tomorrow" at the London Original Print Fair, held at Somerset House in London. The prints, which include the work "You Never made me sad" (2026), are on display until Sunday and are published in editions of 50 by Counter Editions. Emin describes the series as a "gift" to herself, created spontaneously while working on a print for her major Tate Modern exhibition. The fair appearance coincides with her landmark retrospective "A Second Life" at Tate Modern, running until August 31, which spans 40 years of her career and features iconic pieces like the 1998 installation "My Bed."

Exhibition | Paul P., 'The Fugitive Marvels of Sunset' at Maureen Paley, London, United Kingdom

Maureen Paley presents *The Fugitive Marvels of Sunset*, the fifth solo exhibition of Canadian artist Paul P. at the gallery. The show features his signature portraits of anonymous young men, sourced from gay erotic magazines from the late 1960s to early 1980s, alongside paintings of bats, laundry, and seascapes that explore twilight and threshold moments. The exhibition draws on coded visual languages from Victorian-era dandies and post-Stonewall culture, with works also included from a recent two-person show at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin.

Art in Chicago: A Guide for Collectors, Curators and the Curious

This article introduces a comprehensive guide to Chicago's art world, published by a local outlet. The guide features multiple sections exploring the city's art history, key institutions, and lesser-known venues, including feature stories on the Hyde Park Art Center, the Arts Club of Chicago, the National Museum of Mexican Art, the South Side Community Art Center, the Renaissance Society, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It also includes a massive 22-page "Art Geography" directory of museums, nonprofits, galleries, and alternative spaces, written by seasoned art critics. The editor, Brian Hieggelke, acknowledges the daunting task of covering a hometown art scene after forty years, but aims to provide both a resource for newcomers and fresh insights for longtime locals.

Exhibition | Paula Rego, 'Drawing from Life' at Galerie Lelong, 38 Avenue Matignon, Paris, France

Galerie Lelong in Paris is presenting 'Paula Rego, Drawing from Life,' an exhibition focused on the artist's intense three-year period from 2005 to 2007, during which she devoted herself almost exclusively to drawing and lithography in her London studio. The show features works inspired by literary sources such as 'Jane Eyre,' 'Peter Pan,' and the sixteenth-century tale 'The King of Pigs,' as well as her connection with playwright Martin McDonagh. Key pieces include 'Shakespeare’s Room,' 'Scarecrow,' and 'Turtle Hands.' The exhibition is made possible with the support of Nick Willing, the artist’s son, and Cristea Roberts Gallery in London.

Exhibition | Kiki Smith, 'Flight' at Galerie Lelong, 13 Rue de Téhéran, Paris, France

Kiki Smith presents her tenth solo exhibition at Galerie Lelong in Paris, titled 'Flight'. The show features bronze sculptures, two large stained-glass windows, drawings, and an imposing print, all exploring themes of continuity and unity across humans, animals, and plants. Birds such as eagles, doves, and owls carry symbolic weight, reflecting the artist's fears, desires, and dreams.

Serpentine to stage major solo exhibition by Amar Kanwar

Serpentine has announced a major solo exhibition by Amar Kanwar, opening at Serpentine North on 23 September 2026 and running until 31 January 2027. The show will feature landmark works from Kanwar's career, including the feature-length film *Such a Morning* (2017), the seven-screen installation *The Peacock's Graveyard* (2023), and the world premiere of a new multi-screen work, *The Charcoal Man* (2026), commissioned by Serpentine. Kanwar, based in New Delhi, is known for poetic, politically charged moving-image works that explore decolonisation, the Partition of India and Pakistan, displacement, violence, justice, ecology, and memory.

Sheila Hicks’s Cosmic Art Jewelry Comes To The Venice Biennale

Artist Sheila Hicks is presenting a new collection of jewelry, titled "Cosmic Jewelry," at the Venice Biennale, developed with Elisabetta Cipriani Gallery, London. The collection debuted on May 6 at the Monaco & Grand Canal Hotel during the opening of the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, alongside works by other artists such as Giorgio Vigna and Michele Oka Doner. Known for her monumental textile-based works, Hicks has translated her signature use of thread and fiber into wearable art, creating brooches and necklaces that incorporate gemstones and minerals, produced with Atelier L & L. The pieces draw from her larger-scale "Boules" and "memory bundles," reflecting a two-year process of rethinking proportion and movement for bodily adornment.

Why our country needs the artist Lubaina Himid right now: "I had to figure out how to represent Britain"

Lubaina Himid has been selected to represent Great Britain at the Venice Biennale, taking over the British Pavilion. The announcement came just before Christmas 2024, shortly before the opening of her first solo exhibition in China at the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing, which features major works including 'Naming the Money' (2004). Himid, who was born in Zanzibar and raised in London, is a Turner Prize-winning artist known for centering Black narratives and marginalized histories through theatrical, life-size cut-out figures.