Art News. Vasari Codex

article news schedule May 7, 2026 visibility 19 link 4 artists

An Unprecedented 24-Hour Strike Could Upend the Venice Biennale

An unprecedented 24-hour strike is set to interrupt the Venice Biennale's opening week on Friday, May 8, in protest of Israel's participation in the global art event. The action, organized by the activist group Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA), follows a letter signed by over 230 Biennale participants demanding Israel's exclusion. The strike has exposed divisions among participants, with some artists and pavilion teams weighing solidarity against the rare opportunity to platform their own political messages. The Slovenian pavilion, represented by Nika Grabar of the Nonument Group, has committed to the strike, while others like Ecuador's Tawna Collective remain undecided, balancing protest with their mission to highlight ecological crises in the Amazon.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 31 link 17 artists

First Impressions of a Venice Biennale Torn Apart by the Present

The 61st Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys," opens amid turmoil: its curator Koyo Kouoh died of cancer during planning, and the festival jury resigned after a controversial statement about excluding Israel and Russia from prizes, replaced by a Eurovision-style people's choice award. The main exhibition, completed by a team of five collaborators using Kouoh's plans, features over 110 artists and collectives, with highlights including works by Big Chief Demond Melanchon, Tammy Nguyen, Guadalupe Maravilla, Ayrson Heráclito, and a section focused on Michael Armitage's Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute.

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article news schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 24 link 2 artists

The Biennale Isn’t a Court. Tell That to the Protesters.

Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, president of the Venice Biennale, defended the decision to allow Russia to reopen its pavilion for the first time since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, stating that the Biennale is "not a court; it is a garden of peace." The move has sparked widespread backlash, including threats to pull €2.3 million in EU funding. Protests have erupted on the ground, with Pussy Riot and FEMEN staging a theatrical demonstration outside the Russian Pavilion, setting off smoke flares and chanting slogans. Separately, around 60 artists performed a "Solidarity Drone Chorus" to protest Israel's participation, and the Art Not Genocide Alliance has called for a 24-hour strike and rallies across Venice. The Russian Pavilion will be open only during press preview days due to EU sanctions, with video projections visible from outside for the rest of the Biennale's run.

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article news schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 21 link 6 artists

Major protests take place at Venice Biennale previews

Major protests erupted during the preview days of the Venice Biennale, with multiple demonstrations targeting the Israeli and Russian pavilions. On Wednesday, the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) held a large protest outside the temporary Israeli pavilion in the Arsenale, attended by over 200 people calling for its closure. Separately, the Solidarity Drone Chorus performed a sound composition by Gazan artist Ahmed Muin, with 60 artists wearing T-shirts bearing names of artists from Gaza. Meanwhile, Pussy Riot and FEMEN protested Russian participation, forcing the Russian pavilion to shut its doors. These actions follow the resignation of the entire Golden Lion jury days before the opening, after they stated they would not consider pavilions from countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the ICC—widely seen as a reference to Russia and Israel.

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article news schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 24 link 5 artists

Venice Biennale’s fierce pussy Group Says City Censored Posters About Queer and Trans People

The lesbian artist collective fierce pussy, comprising Nancy Brooks Brody, Joy Episalla, Zoe Leonard, and Carrie Yamaoka, claims that the city of Venice censored their posters for the Venice Biennale. The posters, which feature phrases like "Welcome queers and trans people" and "we are queers and trans people" alongside a list of occupations, were intended to be pasted across the city. After the city blocked the full-scale posting, the group created stickers and placed them on walls, windows, and advertising spaces. As a concession, La Biennale installed the original posters inside the Arsenale entrance.

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rate_review review schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 25 link 3 artists

Lubaina Himid’s British pavilion at the Venice Biennale review – alienation in a green and pleasant land

Lubaina Himid's installation at the British pavilion of the Venice Biennale presents monumental paintings and a wall of painted oars depicting tailors, cooks, architects, gardeners, and sailors—figures who shape Britain. The work is accompanied by an audio piece of bucolic country sounds, but the black figures in the paintings exchange sideways glances of discomfort, questioning whether they truly belong. The exhibition is anchored by 26 philosophical questions on the wall, such as "Can flies settle here?" and "Can poison taste delicious?"

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article news schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 20 link 4 artists

BBC ‘Buried’ Footage of Banksy at NYC Mural Site, Former Reporter Claims

Former BBC New York correspondent Nick Bryant claims the BBC suppressed footage he captured of Banksy at a mural site in New York City in March 2018. In a Substack post, Bryant recounts being tipped off by Banksy's PR team about a new artwork at the Houston Bowery Wall, where he and his cameraman filmed the artist—described as a middle-aged man in a black beanie and grey coat—fleeing the scene with fresh paint on his fingers. Despite believing he had a world exclusive, Bryant says BBC editors in London decided not to air the footage, citing concerns about unmasking the artist and preserving the mystery for audiences, including a senior colleague's daughter who compared revealing Banksy's identity to telling children there is no Santa Claus.

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candle obituary schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 30 link 7 artists

‘In every drop of paint he slurped, you see the Holocaust’: the genius and torments of Georg Baselitz

Georg Baselitz, the German painter and sculptor known for his provocative confrontations with Nazi history, has died. Born in 1938, he was one of the last living artists with direct childhood memories of the Third Reich. His early works, such as *Die große Nacht im Eimer* (1961) and his upside-down German eagles, deliberately shocked postwar West Germany by depicting obscene, shameful images of a society trying to forget the Holocaust. He famously exhibited a zombie Hitler woodcarving at the 1980 Venice Biennale alongside Anselm Kiefer, insisting on confronting rather than ignoring the Nazi heritage of the German Pavilion.

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rate_review review schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 28 link 6 artists

Nancy Holt review – cosmic thrills as the universe’s hidden power is unleashed

The Guardian reviews a major UK exhibition of land artist Nancy Holt (1938-2014) at Goodwood in West Sussex, the largest show of her work to date. The exhibition features two large outdoor installations—Ventilation System, a metallic tubular structure resembling building lungs, and Hydra’s Head, six concrete pools arranged like the Hydra constellation in a chalk quarry—alongside indoor photographs, diagrams, and light works. The review praises the cosmic scale and bodily connection of the outdoor pieces but finds the indoor works less effective at conveying Holt’s themes of universal vastness and interconnectedness.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 20 link 7 artists

‘Sensitive, sexy and surreal’: Japan’s Kyotographie festival

Kyotographie, Japan's leading international photography festival, opened its 2025 edition with the theme 'Edge,' featuring 14 exhibitions across Kyoto. The festival includes a major retrospective of Daido Moriyama, the 86-year-old pioneer of the 'are-bure-boke' aesthetic, showcasing over 200 images, 400 magazines, and 100 books. Also featured are British artist Linder Sterling, known for her punk-era feminist photomontages and album art for Buzzcocks, and Kenyan photographer Thandiwe Muriu, this year's African artist in residence, who uses patterned kitenge fabric to explore identity and female empowerment.

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article culture schedule Apr 29, 2026 visibility 18 link 1 artist

Comment | The slopification of political art

The article critiques the rise of AI-generated political imagery, such as Donald Trump depicted as Jesus and viral Lego videos of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, arguing that these shallow, generic visuals fail to provide meaningful or lasting cultural commentary on current conflicts. The author contrasts this with the inventive, humorous resistance seen during the 2013 Gezi Park protests in Istanbul, which later influenced a generation of Turkish artists.

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trending_up market schedule Apr 28, 2026 visibility 25 link 5 artists

Wildenstein dispute over Monet work highlights art market opacity

A long-running dispute involving the Wildenstein art dynasty has resurfaced over a 2004 transaction for Claude Monet's *Adolphe Monet Reading in a Garden* (1867). The painting was acquired by Guy Wildenstein through a €4.5m deal that included works by Pierre Bonnard and Alfred Sisley, among them Monet's *Marine, Amsterdam* (1874). That work was later resold via Christie's, but a 2020 sale attempt revealed that the original canvas had been lost during a transfer process, significantly reducing its value. Court-appointed specialists concluded in 2024 that the alteration predated the transaction and that the gallery likely knew of the damage. The sellers have filed a claim alleging "vitiated consent" under French law, with a court date set for 7 May in Rouen. The disputed Monet now reportedly belongs to billionaire Larry Ellison.

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trending_up market schedule Apr 27, 2026 visibility 24 link 4 artists

Is A Random Unknown Artist More Valuable Than Picasso? AI Thinks So.

An experiment using a custom AI model to evaluate artistic value independent of market context found that the model assigned a seven-figure price to an unknown street artist's work while valuing a Picasso at under $1,000. The project, run by an art journalist with a data scientist and an AI expert, trained a Fine Art Large Vision Model on millions of images and price data. Without metadata like artist name or gallery affiliation, the model's predictions were technically interesting but commercially useless; only when those market signals were added did predictions align with real auction outcomes.

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article culture schedule Apr 26, 2026 visibility 16 link 3 artists

When archaeology was dominated by men | Letters

A reader named Elke Bachler writes a letter to The Guardian challenging a sentence in a review of Thomas Laqueur's book *The Dog's Gaze*. The review described a prehistoric scene as showing "a boy and a dog" standing together in wonder before cave art. Bachler argues there is no evidence the child was a boy, noting that archaeology has historically been dominated by men who interpreted evidence through contemporary gender roles.

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article news schedule Apr 24, 2026 visibility 15 link 3 artists

The Tabloids Are Fouling Mayor Mamdani Over His Knicks Art. Here’s the Story

Artist Tom Sanford loaned his hand-painted wooden "Knicks Cutout" portraits of legendary New York Knicks players to New York City Hall at the invitation of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, intended to celebrate the team's playoff run. Tabloid media, including the New York Post and New York Times, framed the gesture as a "curse" on the team, suggesting fans blamed the mayor for the Knicks' losses. Sanford defends the artwork as a sincere, community-driven tribute rooted in New York street-corner cutout traditions, not a cheap stunt.

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article culture schedule Apr 22, 2026 visibility 19 link 3 artists

Emma the joke-telling robot cracks up the care home: Paula Hornickel’s best photograph

Photographer Paula Hornickel captured a moment between an elderly care home resident named Waltraud and a social robot named Emma in Albershausen, Germany. The robot, designed for companionship in settings with staff shortages, engages residents in conversation, tells jokes, and discusses topics like favorite flowers, simulating social interaction.

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article policy schedule Apr 20, 2026 visibility 34 link 5 artists

Alma Allen’s US Pavilion Heads to Venice Amid Questions Over Selection Process

The selection of Alma Allen to represent the United States at the 2026 Venice Biennale has ignited controversy over the process. The U.S. State Department abandoned its traditional selection model, which involved a panel of experts convened by the National Endowment for the Arts, and instead handed control to a new nonprofit, the American Arts Conservancy, led by individuals with little museum experience. This shift has drawn criticism from prominent figures in the art world, with some artists declining to participate due to concerns over the political context and unfamiliar leadership.

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article policy schedule Apr 16, 2026 visibility 21 link 10 artists

Prominent German Art Foundation Accuses Top Culture Official of ‘Attempted Intimidation’

Jurors from the Kunstfonds Foundation, a major German contemporary art funding body, have accused Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer of attempted intimidation and political interference. The conflict erupted after Weimer requested the names of the independent jury members, a move the foundation views as a threat to artistic freedom. This follows a separate controversy where Weimer reportedly consulted domestic intelligence to exclude bookstores with left-wing leanings from a national award.

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trending_up market schedule Apr 1, 2026 visibility 25 link 5 artists

Veteran Advisor Patti Wong on How the Auction Market Is Recalibrating

Veteran art advisor Patti Wong, who left Sotheby's after three decades to start her own firm, analyzes a significant recalibration in the auction market. She notes a new discipline among auction houses and buyers following the frothy post-pandemic years, with houses becoming more selective, relying heavily on third-party guarantees, and facing greater buyer scrutiny on provenance and estimates. She also highlights the industry's expansion into new geographies like Saudi Arabia and new categories like luxury goods.

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museum exhibitions schedule Mar 25, 2026 visibility 28 link 2 artists

Yto Barrada Says France Had ‘Full Awareness’ of Her Views on Israel When It Chose Her for Venice Biennale

Artist Yto Barrada, selected to represent France at the Venice Biennale, has stated that the French government and pavilion organizers were fully aware of her political views when they chose her. This follows criticism from the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF), which denounced Barrada for signing an open letter calling for Israel's exclusion from the Biennale and suggested the government should force her to withdraw her signature.

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museum exhibitions schedule Mar 23, 2026 visibility 27 link 11 artists

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.

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person people schedule Mar 19, 2026 visibility 21 link 10 artists

‘The male ego is even more fragile than it ever was’: Kim Gordon on shyness, AI and Zohran Mamdani’s cool

Musician and artist Kim Gordon answered questions from Guardian readers, reflecting on her career with Sonic Youth, her solo work, and her approach to creativity. She discussed the band's initial aim to create something new, her intuitive process, and her recent acting role in Kristen Stewart's film adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch's memoir.

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gavel restitution schedule Feb 9, 2026 visibility 14 link 3 artists

political bribery investigation south korea lee ufan

A South Korean court acquitted former chief prosecutor Kim Sang-min of violating anti-graft laws by allegedly purchasing a painting attributed to artist Lee Ufan and gifting it to Kim Keon-hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, in exchange for political favors. The court found the prosecution's evidence insufficient to prove the painting was purchased or delivered as a bribe, citing a lack of documentation and the questionable credibility of a key witness.

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article news schedule Feb 6, 2026 visibility 16 link 7 artists

claire tabouret criticism notre dame cathedral commission

French figurative painter Claire Tabouret has been awarded the commission to create new stained glass windows for Notre-Dame Cathedral, replacing 19th-century works by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and Jean-Baptiste Lassus that survived the 2019 fire. Her designs, featuring multiethnic, multigenerational worshipers during Pentecost, were unveiled in the exhibition "Claire Tabouret: In a Single Breath" at the Grand Palais. The project, chosen by President Emmanuel Macron and Archbishop Laurent Ulrich from 110 candidates, has drawn criticism as an act of vanity and a possible violation of heritage guidelines, though Tabouret and Macron remain undeterred.

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article news schedule Jan 30, 2026 visibility 11 link 2 artists

yet to be built frida kahlo branded apartments in miami hit the market

A luxury condominium development in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood, branded with Frida Kahlo's name and image, has begun selling units despite construction not yet starting. The project, called the Frida Kahlo Wynwood Residences, features a 14-story tower designed by architect Carlos Ott with a massive portrait of the artist on its facade and plans for 244 furnished units priced from $500,000 to $1.6 million.

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article news schedule Jan 26, 2026 visibility 15 link 1 artist

ai generated egon schiele twitter

An AI-generated image falsely attributed to Austrian Expressionist Egon Schiele has gone viral on X, posted by the account @lovedropx. The image, which mimics Schiele's style and borrows the title of a real 1917 watercolor, has garnered hundreds of thousands of views. Art-world readers quickly pointed out anachronisms—such as the model's modern makeup, hair, and nails—and the image's six-fingered hand, as well as its lack of Schiele's characteristic provocativeness. This is not an isolated incident; Art Detective flagged similar AI fakes on Facebook in December, warning that undisclosed AI-generated images are becoming common.

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article news schedule Jan 26, 2026 visibility 16 link 2 artists

jaume plensa sculpture university of notre dame museum

A 36-foot-tall stainless steel sculpture by Jaume Plensa, titled *Endless*, collapsed outside the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame on December 10, 2024. The work was found broken into two pieces after standing for nearly three years; no injuries occurred and only minor damage to the surrounding concrete was reported. Museum director Joseph Becherer stated the cause remains unknown, with no evidence of external force, and the remaining portion was dismantled as a precaution. The sculpture, installed in 2023 as a permanent outdoor commission, was donated by alumnus Charles Hayes and reflects Plensa's signature motif of letters exploring language and shared humanity.

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article news schedule Jan 26, 2026 visibility 13 link 2 artists

ai weiwei returns to china 10 years

Artist Ai Weiwei returned to his native China after 10 years in exile, making a quiet three-week trip to Beijing last month. It was his first visit since authorities returned his confiscated passport in 2015, allowing him to leave China and live in Europe. During the trip, Ai was briefly interrogated at the airport but otherwise faced no interference. He shared photos and videos on Instagram, and told CNN the visit felt like a reconnection after a decade-long disconnection. The trip was partly motivated by a desire for his 17-year-old son and 93-year-old mother to meet.

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gavel restitution schedule Jan 23, 2026 visibility 15 link 4 artists

gelman collection of mexican art surfaces at santander with plans to bring it to spain

Banco Santander has announced it will manage roughly half of the Gelman Collection, one of the most significant collections of 20th-century Mexican art, which disappeared from public view in 2008. The Madrid-based bank now oversees 160 of approximately 300 works amassed by patrons Jacques and Natasha Gelman. The collection will anchor the new Faro Santander cultural center in Spain, set to open in June, through a long-term loan agreement with the Zambrano family, the prominent Mexican business family revealed to own the once-lost collection. The collection's whereabouts had been largely unknown, with only sporadic sightings in foreign institutions, after it was divided by executor Robert R. Littman despite the will's stipulation that it be shown intact in a private museum in Mexico.

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article news schedule Jan 18, 2026 visibility 9 link 4 artists

boston midtown hotel ai art warhol

Boston's Midtown Hotel has sparked outrage after decorating its newly renovated space with AI-generated artwork that mimics Andy Warhol's style to depict local celebrities like David Ortiz and Barbara Walters. Guest Alex Steed publicly criticized the hotel on social media, noting the art's uncanny valley quality and the placard proudly stating the works were entirely created by artificial intelligence. The complaint went viral, drawing thousands of views and comments condemning the hotel for choosing AI over hiring local artists in a city known for its art schools and museums.

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