‘Tide of Returns’: Ocean Space in Venice

The Repatriates Collective has launched 'Tide of Returns' at Ocean Space in Venice, an exhibition that redefines repatriation as a continuous process of spiritual and communal repair rather than a singular legal transaction. Set within the historic Church of San Lorenzo, the installation features immersive works such as 'From My Mother’s Country,' which utilizes thousands of handmade dolls from Namibia, and Verena Melgarejo Weinandt’s textile and video works exploring the symbolic power of water and braiding.

Paris’s Centre Pompidou to Welcome Seoul Outpost in June

The Centre Pompidou is expanding its global footprint with the opening of a new satellite museum in Seoul this June. Housed in a former aquarium within the Hanwha Group's headquarters in the Yeouido financial district, the Centre Pompidou Hanwha is the result of a four-year partnership between the French institution and the Hanwha Foundation of Culture. The renovated 108,000-square-foot space, designed by architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, will debut with an exhibition titled "The Cubists: Inventing Modern Vision," which explores the evolution of Cubism and its intersections with Korean art.

Kengo Kuma Architects Chosen to Design New Wing of London’s National Gallery

Kengo Kuma and Associates has been selected to lead the design of a massive £750 million extension to London’s National Gallery, titled Project Domani. The Tokyo-based firm won the commission over sixty-four other competitors and will collaborate with UK firms BDP and MICA to develop the new wing on land currently occupied by a hotel and office complex. The design features a dual-level approach, utilizing vaults and arches on the main floor to harmonize with existing galleries while introducing a modern geometric aesthetic on the upper level.

Keisha Scarville Awarded Brooklyn Museum’s $25,000 UOVO Prize

The Brooklyn Museum has named photographer and multimedia artist Keisha Scarville the winner of its sixth annual UOVO Prize. She will receive a $25,000 unrestricted grant, a public exhibition titled "Where Salt Meets Black Water" at the museum's Iris Cantor Plaza opening May 8, and a commission for a large-scale work on the façade of UOVO's Bushwick storage facility.

Laura Phipps Named Director of Gochman Family Collection

Laura Phipps has been appointed director of the Gochman Family Collection, a private collection focused on contemporary Indigenous art. She joins from the Whitney Museum of American Art, where she was an associate curator, and will oversee the collection's strategic direction and the opening of its new 10,000-square-foot exhibition space in Katonah, New York this fall.

Siri Aurdal, Artist Who Elevated Industrial Materials Into Visions of Shared Humanity, Dies at 88

Norwegian artist Siri Aurdal, known for her pioneering use of industrial materials to create socially-driven sculptures, has died at the age of 88 in Oslo. Born into a prominent artistic family, Aurdal rose to prominence in the late 1960s by repurposing materials like reinforced fiberglass and plexiglass—often sourced from Norway’s oil industry—into modular, interactive installations. Her work frequently bridged the gap between fine art and public utility, manifesting in monumental playground structures and politically charged pieces that responded to global events like the Vietnam War.

Art Collector and ‘Galerie’ Magazine Founder Lisa Fayne Cohen Fawned Over Jeffrey Epstein in Emails: ‘There Is No One Else Like You’

Newly released documents from the Justice Department's Epstein files reveal that New York art collector and Galerie magazine founder Lisa Fayne Cohen and her husband, real estate developer Jimmy Cohen, were in close contact with financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2015 and 2016. The emails show Cohen seeking Epstein's advice and arranging to photograph his Paris apartment for her magazine, which later featured the residence anonymously in its second issue.

This Watch Witnessed the Rise of the Empire State Building. Now It’s Up for Sale

A rare 1929 Patek Philippe wristwatch, originally owned by Paul Starrett—the chairman of the corporation behind the Empire State Building—is headed to auction at Phillips in New York. The Tiffany & Co. signed timepiece was purchased by Starrett during the construction of the iconic skyscraper and features unique floral engravings alongside his initials. It is expected to fetch between $15,000 and $30,000 during the June sale.

This French Castle Is Crowdfunding Its Own Restoration

The Château de Chambord, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the second-most visited castle in France, has launched a €30 million ($35 million) crowdfunding campaign to fund urgent structural restorations. Decades of flooding and drought in the Loire Valley have severely compromised the foundations of the François I Wing, leading to warped walls and a 2023 incident where 20 visitors fell through a collapsing floor. Director General Pierre Dubreuil has initiated a three-phase plan to shore up the masonry, modernize accessibility, and create new educational facilities.

Lost Cecil Beaton and Lee Miller Photos Turn Up in Old Scrapbook

A previously unknown scrapbook containing over 150 unseen photographs by Cecil Beaton and Lee Miller has been acquired by the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Library. Compiled between 1943 and 1949 by Roland Haupt, a darkroom assistant who processed film for both photographers during World War II, the album includes rare war reportage, portraits, and personal mementos. Among the highlights is an unpublished alternative shot of Miller in Adolf Hitler’s bathtub and Surrealist-inflected images of the conflict's aftermath.

Long-Lost Photos of Chelsea Hotel Resurface, Revealing a Vanished New York

A collection of over 100 photographs by German photographer Albert Scopin, taken while he lived at New York's legendary Chelsea Hotel from 1969 to 1971, has been rediscovered and published in a new book. The images, long thought lost after being sent to a German magazine in the 1970s, were unexpectedly recovered by a gallerist in 2016 and capture the hotel's eclectic residents and vibrant countercultural scene.

The Antwerp Six at 40: A New Show Revisits Fashion’s Most Mythic Cohort

The Antwerp fashion museum MoMu is launching the first major exhibition dedicated to the Antwerp Six, the legendary group of Belgian fashion designers who rose to international fame in the 1980s. The show, titled "The Antwerp Six," marks the 40th anniversary of their pivotal debut at London Fashion Week and features never-before-seen archival material, including drawings, collages, and photographs, to trace their individual yet interconnected creative journeys.

What the Art Market Still Gets Wrong About Next-Gen Collectors

Art market expert Georgina Adam's new book, 'NextGen Collectors and the Art Market,' analyzes the industry's struggle to attract and retain younger buyers like millennials and Gen Z. She examines the difficulty in defining this demographic, their shifting tastes away from traditional blue-chip artists, and their volatile, less loyal market behavior.

British artist Simon Fujiwara’s new Luxembourg exhibition tackles Guernica, syphilis and the death of a Japanese pornstar

British artist Simon Fujiwara has opened a major career survey, 'A Whole New World,' at Mudam Luxembourg. The exhibition features a reinterpretation of Picasso's *Guernica* using his cartoon character Who the Baer, alongside works addressing his personal experience with syphilis and a commemorative installation for Japanese gay porn star Koh Masaki. The show is structured as a thematic 'theme park' exploring contemporary issues.

Meet the ‘Bop Artist’ Who Was Inspired by Dreams and Hosted Some Surreal Salons in Her Chicago Brownstone

Gertrude Abercrombie, a self-taught Chicago painter dubbed the "bop artist" by jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie for translating the spirit of bebop into visual art, is receiving her largest-ever traveling retrospective. The exhibition, "Gertrude Abercrombie: The Whole World Is a Mystery," organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum, highlights her dream-inspired, surrealist paintings and celebrates her role as a bohemian salon hostess who brought together iconic jazz musicians and writers in her home.

Screening and Conversation with Sophie Calle

Art21 hosted an advance screening of Sophie Calle's segment from the upcoming Season 12 of "Art in the Twenty-First Century" at the SAG-AFTRA Robin Williams Center in New York. Following the first public showing of the documentary, which follows Calle preparing exhibitions in Paris, Arles, and Minneapolis, the artist participated in a conversation with filmmaker Bette Gordon. They discussed the influence of 1980s New York and themes of identity and vulnerability in her work.

Historic Architecture Emerges from Stone in Matthew Simmonds Ethereal Sculptures

Historic Architecture Emerges from Stone in Matthew Simmonds Ethereal Sculptures

Sculptor Matthew Simmonds meticulously carves miniature, hyper-realistic architectural interiors—including gothic cathedral arches, vaulted ceilings, and stairwells—directly into hunks of Carrara marble and limestone. His recent works, often based on real sites like Bamberg Cathedral or Tuscan cities, reveal ornate, smooth interiors that contrast with the stone's raw exterior, and he is currently using a quieter period to experiment with how light and space within the sculptures can express a sacred quality.

‘Occasionally a picture can change the course of history’: 33 scandalous photos that shocked the world

The article presents a curated collection of 33 photographs deemed to have caused public scandal, ranging from political and royal controversies to celebrity missteps and historical moments of defiance. It analyzes how these images, from Prince Andrew with Virginia Giuffre to Lee Miller in Hitler's bathtub, have exposed hidden truths, shattered carefully managed public images, and sometimes altered public perception or the course of events.

Frank Bowling: Seeking the Sublime review – shipwrecked Ophelia points the path to freedom

A new exhibition of Frank Bowling's work traces the artist's early struggle to find his voice within the rigid artistic categories of the 1960s. The show features paintings from his student days in London, where he grappled with expectations to be either a political 'Black artist' or a formalist 'artist' free from identity constraints, resulting in works that felt derivative of figures like Francis Bacon.

Vincent in Brixton review – a radiant portrait of the artist as a young romantic

A revival of Nicholas Wright's 2002 play "Vincent in Brixton" is receiving a tender production directed by Georgia Green at the Orange Tree Theatre. The play dramatizes a speculative romantic episode from the young Vincent van Gogh's life when he lived as a lodger in south London, focusing on his relationship with his widowed landlady, Ursula.

Candidates Announced for the 2026 Cannes Film Festival (Again No Italians, Just Like at the Biennale)

Annunciati i candidati al Festival di Cannes 2026 (pure qui niente italiani, come alla Biennale)

The 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival has unveiled its official selection for 2026, scheduled to run from May 12 to 23. Led by President Iris Knobloch and General Delegate Thierry Frémaux, the festival will open with Pierre Salvadori’s 'La Vénus électrique,' a romantic comedy set in 1928 Paris centered on a painter who loses his inspiration. The competition lineup features a global array of heavyweights, including new works by Pedro Almodóvar, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Asghar Farhadi.

How did a 16th-century European basin end up as a sacred object in West Africa?

The Aya Kese, a massive 16th-century northern European brass basin, is currently on display at the British Museum while its complex history remains under scrutiny. Looted by British officer Robert Baden-Powell in 1896 from the Asante kingdom’s royal mausoleum in present-day Ghana, the object was long sensationalized by colonial accounts as a vessel for human sacrifice. Recent scholarship and historical records from Asante King Prempeh I contest these claims, asserting the basin’s sacred role as a spiritual repository for the souls of the Asante people.

Michael Clark’s Controlled Movements

Choreographer Michael Clark's 2003 work *Satie Studs* was revived as part of the live event programme for Peter Doig's exhibition *House of Music* at London's Serpentine Galleries. Dancer Jules Cunningham performed the minimalist solo, set to Erik Satie's piano preludes, showcasing controlled, precise movements that distilled ballet and yoga poses into a stark, deliberate sequence.

Angus, Thongs and Imperfect Staging

The art collective MSCHF saved a cow named Angus from slaughter after a two-year project called 'Our Cow Angus'. The project allowed fans to preorder burgers or a leather bag made from Angus, but also provided a 'Remorse Token' to cancel orders. If 50% of tokens were used by the deadline, Angus would be spared and sent to a sanctuary. With ten hours remaining, the threshold was met, and the cow's life was saved.

Meet Me in New York: Alix Vernet

The Chicago art scene takes center stage with a curated guide to six essential exhibitions coinciding with the EXPO Chicago 2026 art fair. Highlights include Josh Brainin’s immersive two-channel video installation at Tala and a thematic exploration of Chicago’s urban infrastructure hosted at the Chicago Cultural Center, showcasing a diverse range of media from digital video to architectural critique.

Work in Progress: Akinsanya Kambon

Akinsanya Kambon’s work is featured as a highlight in a curated guide of six must-see exhibitions during the EXPO Chicago 2026 art fair. The selection spans a diverse range of media and venues, including Josh Brainin’s frantic two-channel video installations at Tala and a thematic exploration of urban infrastructure hosted at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Frieze Breakout Stars in the 2026 Whitney Biennial

The 2026 Whitney Biennial features a notable contingent of artists who first gained significant attention through their presentations at Frieze art fairs. Artists like Precious Okoyomon and Jordan Strafer, whose work was showcased at Frieze events, are now included in this prestigious survey of contemporary American art.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater Has a New, Waterproof Roof

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has completed a comprehensive three-year, $7 million restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpiece, Fallingwater. The project focused on critical structural vulnerabilities, including moisture degradation of interior finishes, leaking windows and doors, and the installation of a new waterproof roof. Experts addressed specific design flaws inherent to Wright’s original 1935 construction, such as the lack of through-wall flashing and the use of river pebbles in concrete aggregate, which had exacerbated the building's battle against the elements.

Steve DiBenedetto’s Cosmic Sense of the Absurd

Artist Steve DiBenedetto presents a new body of work in his solo exhibition, "Spiral Architect," at Derek Eller Gallery. The show features 17 paintings ranging from large-scale canvases to intimate works, all characterized by a restless movement between abstraction and figuration. DiBenedetto utilizes a process-heavy technique of adding, scraping, and reworking oil paint to create dense, visionary landscapes filled with octopi, cellular forms, and Rube Goldberg-esque machinery.

Who Do Chicago’s Art Fairs Serve?

Expo Chicago and its satellite fairs serve as a complex barometer for the Midwestern arts ecosystem, highlighting both the successes of local representation and the tensions of institutional growth. While galleries like Andrew Rafacz and Corbett vs. Dempsey demonstrate viable career paths for Chicago-based artists like Melissa Leandro and Gabrielle Garland, the fair's shifting structure reveals a narrowing field for smaller nonprofits.