At 250, America Must Reframe Its Founding Icons

The Princeton University Art Museum has reopened after a five-year construction hiatus, returning Charles Willson Peale's iconic 1783 painting, *George Washington at the Battle of Princeton*, to public view. The painting, which had been on continuous display for 236 years prior to the closure, is being presented with a new interpretive framework that highlights the complex history of its ornate frame—originally made for a portrait of King George II, with its crown physically removed—and the painting's timing for the nation's 250th anniversary.

6 Objects That Capture Everything Brilliant and Strange About the Shakers

The Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia has opened a new exhibition titled "A World in the Making: The Shakers," which places the work of seven contemporary artists alongside over 100 historical Shaker objects. The show, a collaboration with the Vitra Design Museum and the Milwaukee Art Museum, draws heavily from the collection of the Shaker Museum in New York to explore the community's legacy of radical simplicity, order, and purpose.

Yves Saint Laurent’s Lalanne Mirrors Set for $15 Million Sale

Sotheby’s has announced the sale of a monumental set of 15 gilt-bronze mirrors by Claude Lalanne, originally commissioned by fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent for his Paris apartment. The mirrors are the centerpiece of a 123-lot auction from the collection of Jean and Terry de Gunzburg, scheduled for April 22 at the Sotheby’s Breuer building. Estimated to fetch between $10 million and $15 million, the mirrors represent a significant appreciation in value since the de Gunzburgs acquired them for approximately $2.4 million at the historic 2009 Saint Laurent estate sale.

Alex Heilbron at as-is

Artist Alex Heilbron presents a solo exhibition at the Los Angeles gallery as-is. The show is featured as a lead review in the February 2026 issue of Contemporary Art Review LA, highlighting Heilbron's continued exploration of painting and visual language within the Southern California art scene.

A Thomas J Price Bronze Opens Door to London’s V&A East

British artist Thomas J Price has unveiled a monumental bronze sculpture at the entrance of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s new outpost, V&A East, in Stratford, East London. The large-scale work depicts an anonymous Black figure, continuing Price's practice of utilizing the traditional language of monumental sculpture to celebrate everyday individuals who are often marginalized in public spaces.

Why Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s Go-Go Dancer Piece Remains Subversive

The New York Times examines the enduring power of Felix Gonzalez-Torres's 1991 performance piece "Untitled" (Go-Go Dancing Platform), in which a go-go dancer performs on a pedestal for a brief, scheduled period each day. The work, currently on view at the Art Institute of Chicago, uses the dancer's absence as a central component, creating a poignant metaphor for queer presence and loss.

First Details of the German Pavilion

Erste Details zum deutschen Pavillon

The German Pavilion at the upcoming Venice Biennale will present an exhibition titled "Ruin," featuring works by the late Henrike Naumann and artist Sung Tieu. Curated by Kathleen Reinhardt, the exhibition explores historical ruptures and the lingering effects of political and social voids following German reunification. Tragically, Naumann passed away shortly after completing her contributions, and her studio team is now working to realize her final artistic vision for the prestigious international stage.

Art as seen by… Louise Bourgoin

L’art vu par… Louise Bourgoin

French actress Louise Bourgoin discusses her deep-rooted connection to the visual arts, stemming from her studies at the Beaux-Arts de Rennes. She reflects on her first art purchase in the Czech Republic, her obsession with line drawing, and how the abstract works of Mark Rothko have informed her acting performances. Bourgoin also reveals her upcoming project: illustrating a children's book written by Arthur Dreyfus, set for release in September.

Gallery Openings This Week in Paris

Les vernissages cette semaine dans les galeries parisiennes

The Paris gallery scene is experiencing a surge of new activity this week with several high-profile openings across the city's major art districts. Highlights include Rosson Crow’s vibrant, chaotic landscapes at Galerie Nathalie Obadia, the inauguration of Galerie Sator’s new Marais space with sculptures by Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia, and a curated dialogue between historical avant-gardes and contemporary abstraction at Galerie Le Minotaure. Additionally, Gagosian is showcasing late works by Francis Bacon, while Esther Schipper presents the first Paris solo exhibition for Sojourner Truth Parsons.

The Asian Market Carries Art Basel Hong Kong

Le marché asiatique porte Art Basel Hong Kong

Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 concluded with strong attendance and significant sales, demonstrating the fair's central role in the Asian art market. The event attracted over 91,000 visitors and featured 240 galleries, with a strong presence from the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, and the United States. Major international galleries like Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, and David Zwirner reported multimillion-dollar sales of works by artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Liu Ye, and Marlene Dumas, alongside notable transactions for works by Tracey Emin and Antony Gormley.

Elucidating the Esoteric with Hilma's Ghost

The feminist art collective Hilma’s Ghost, founded by artists Dannielle Tegeder and Sharmistha Ray, is reclaiming the role of alternative spiritualities and the occult within art history. Sparked by the 2018 Hilma af Klint retrospective at the Guggenheim, the collective emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic as a research-based project that bridges artmaking with esoteric practices like tarot, witchcraft, and neo-tantric cosmologies. Through workshops and collaborative paintings, the duo explores how women and queer artists have historically been erased from the canon due to their unconventional, mystical methods.

Max Levai Bets on Scale—and Himself—with New Chelsea Gallery

Max Levai, former president of Marlborough Gallery, is opening a new 7,000-square-foot flagship gallery in Chelsea this fall at 529 West 20th Street. This marks his first permanent New York space after years of operating through pop-ups and international projects. He is sharing the building with the gallery 47 Canal, run by Oliver Newton, in an arrangement where two independent galleries will coexist under one roof, sharing costs but maintaining separate programs.

'It was my job to create the view': US artist Liza Lou on making colourful works in her windowless warehouse

American artist Liza Lou discusses her recent shift in practice, moving from her famous large-scale bead installations to a new body of work that fuses oil painting with glass beads. After years of collaborative work in South Africa and focusing on monochrome tones, Lou has returned to a solitary studio practice in a windowless warehouse in the San Fernando Valley. This new phase is defined by a "headlong love affair with colour," inspired by the hallucinatory palette of the Mojave Desert and a transition from logical drawing to a more intuitive, freestyle process.

Artists respond to the continuing toll of colonialism in the Americas

The Chicago art space Wrightwood 659 is hosting a major survey titled "Dispossessions in the Americas: The Extraction of Bodies, Land, and Heritage from La Conquista to the Present." Featuring over 35 contemporary Latin American artists, including Regina José Galindo and the late Ana Mendieta, the exhibition serves as the culmination of a multi-year research project funded by the Mellon Foundation. The show explores the historical and ongoing impacts of colonial dispossession on Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and LGBTQ+ communities through diverse media ranging from performance art to installation.

Artists respond to the continuing toll of colonialism in the Americas

The Chicago art space Wrightwood 659 is hosting a major survey titled "Dispossessions in the Americas: The Extraction of Bodies, Land, and Heritage from La Conquista to the Present." Featuring over 35 contemporary Latin American artists, including Regina José Galindo and the late Ana Mendieta, the exhibition is the culmination of a multi-year research project funded by the Mellon Foundation. The show explores the historical and ongoing impacts of colonial dispossession on Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and LGBTQ+ communities through diverse media ranging from performance art to installation.

The best fashion exhibitions to see for spring 2026

Major museums across Europe are launching a series of high-profile fashion retrospectives for the Spring 2026 season. Highlights include the first official exhibition dedicated to Helmut Lang at MAK Vienna, a comparative study of Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Dior in Paris, and a comprehensive Vivienne Westwood retrospective at The Bowes Museum. Additionally, the V&A in London is hosting the UK’s first-ever Schiaparelli exhibition, while Charleston explores the literary influence of the Hogarth Press through a collaboration with designer Kim Jones.

'Georg Baselitz' at White Cube, Bermondsey, London, United Kingdom on 10 Jun–1 Aug 2026

White Cube Bermondsey is set to host a major exhibition of new large-scale paintings and works on paper by the renowned German artist Georg Baselitz in the summer of 2026. The showcase features his signature upside-down compositions across diverse themes, including Indian deities, portraits of his wife Elke, and the symbolic eagle motif, often set against luminous gold or sky-blue backgrounds. This presentation follows his successful 2024 show at the gallery and highlights the artist's continued exploration of human and animal forms through a raw, expressive lens.

The Art World This Week: Nazi-Looted Modigliani Reclaimed, Kengo Kuma to Design National Gallery Wing, Seoul’s Centre Pompidou to Open in June, and More

The art world saw several major developments this week, headlined by a significant legal ruling regarding Amedeo Modigliani’s 'Seated Man with a Cane' (1918). A judge ruled against a holding company controlled by billionaire dealer David Nahmad, moving the Nazi-looted masterpiece closer to reclamation. Meanwhile, institutional expansions took center stage with Kengo Kuma being selected to design a new wing for London’s National Gallery, and the Centre Pompidou Hanwha in Seoul confirming a June 4 opening date.

In Paris, the Picasso Museum is dedicating an exhibition to Henry Taylor — our photos

The Musée National Picasso-Paris has launched a major exhibition dedicated to American artist Henry Taylor, running from April 8 to September 6, 2026. The showcase features approximately 100 works, including portraits, sculptures, and installations that explore African American social realities, collective memory, and urban struggles. Developed in collaboration with the artist, the exhibition spans 13 galleries and places Taylor’s expressive, human-centric practice in direct dialogue with the legacy of Pablo Picasso.

Brilliant Things to Do This April

April 2026 marks a significant month for global art exhibitions, featuring major retrospectives and site-specific installations across Rome, Seoul, London, and Paris. Highlights include Gagosian Rome’s exploration of Francesca Woodman’s surrealist photography, a homecoming retrospective for video-art pioneer Nam June Paik in Seoul, and Senga Nengudi’s performance-based sculptures at London’s Whitechapel Gallery. Additionally, Isaac Julien will debut a new moving-image work at The Cosmic House, while the Fondation Louis Vuitton prepares a large-scale exhibition dedicated to Alexander Calder’s kinetic sculptures.

Berlin Art: What Exhibitions Are on Now?

Berlin’s spring art season features a diverse array of exhibitions ranging from established international names to local prize winners. Key highlights include Yalda Afsah’s spiritual film installation at CCA Berlin, Jim Lambie’s psychedelic vinyl floor works at Konrad Fischer Galerie, and the 10th Neukölln Art Prize exhibition at Galerie im Saalbau, which honors artists like Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi. The city's programming spans non-profit institutions, commercial galleries, and experimental spaces, covering themes from folk traditions to gender identity.

Locating Luigi Ghirri

Fashion photographer Alessio Bolzoni and film director Luca Guadagnino have collaborated on 'Felicità', a new book and exhibition at Thomas Dane Gallery featuring 45 previously unseen color photographs by the late Italian master Luigi Ghirri. The project is divided into two portfolios: the first focuses on intimate, abstract details of found objects and surfaces in Modena, while the second expands into larger vistas and populated spaces across Italy during the 1980s.

Morad Montazami appointed artistic director of 2026 Dakar Biennale

Morad Montazami has been named the artistic director for the 16th edition of the Dakar Biennale, scheduled to run from November 19 to December 19, 2026. Titled "(Anti)Fragility: Arts of Repair and Counter-Shock Strategies," the exhibition will explore themes of community-led restoration and the transformation of vulnerability into collective strength. Montazami, a former Tate Modern curator and founder of the platform Zamân Books & Curating, brings an extensive background in postcolonial art histories and global modernisms to the prestigious African forum.

Boston had Isabella Stewart Gardner, and Fitchburg had Eleanor Norcross

The Fitchburg Art Museum is celebrating its 100th anniversary with the exhibition “Kaleidoscope: 100 Years of Collecting for our Community.” The show honors the legacy of founder Eleanor Norcross, a Victorian-era artist and collector who studied under William Merritt Chase and exhibited in Parisian salons. Although Norcross died in 1923 before the museum opened, her estate and personal collection of paintings and decorative arts provided the foundation for the institution, which officially opened in 1929.

Exhibition | 'Goodman Gallery x Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier' at Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

Goodman Gallery is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a high-profile collaborative exhibition at Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier in Paris. Running from April 17 to August 29, the showcase features major works by leading artists from the African continent and the diaspora, including El Anatsui, William Kentridge, and Kapwani Kiwanga. The presentation places contemporary African art in direct dialogue with the high-end furniture and interior architecture of Pierre Yovanovitch, marking the start of a series of international events for the gallery this summer.

Theaster Gates: Contending with the Past and Present

Theaster Gates has transformed the Smart Museum of Art into a personal sanctuary for his first major solo institutional exhibition in Chicago, titled "Unto Thee." The immersive installation features vast archives from Gates's personal collections, including African artifacts, funerary objects, and a significant vinyl record collection that provides a continuous sonic backdrop to the space. Key works on display include the monumental "Black Still Life #3" and the ongoing series "Walking Prayer," which consists of black books embossed with golden phrases that explore the complexities of Black identity and collective memory.

Why this Minneapolis feminist art collective still matters 50 years later

The Women’s Art Registry of Minnesota (WARM), one of the oldest feminist art collectives in the United States, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Founded in 1973 in Minneapolis, the collective emerged as a grassroots response to the systemic exclusion of women from mainstream galleries and museums, eventually establishing its own gallery space and a robust mentorship program that continues to support female-identifying artists today.

Exhibition | OSGEMEOS, 'The Open Window' at Lehmann Maupin, 501 West 24th Street, New York, United States

Lehmann Maupin is set to present "The Open Window," an exhibition of new works by the renowned Brazilian twin artist duo OSGEMEOS, running from April 23 to June 6, 2026, in New York. The showcase features five new paintings that continue the artists' exploration of their surreal "Tritrez" universe, characterized by their signature yellow-skinned figures and intricate patterns. These works operate at a more intimate scale than their well-known large-format murals, focusing on material sensitivity and detailed narratives inspired by hip-hop culture and Brazilian folklore.

Godfried Donkor: It’s a Numbers Game

Ghanaian-British artist Godfried Donkor is set to debut his first UK institutional solo exhibition, "It’s a Numbers Game," at Firstsite in Colchester. The exhibition features a diverse array of media including collage, painting, embroidery, and installation, highlighted by a gallery transformed into a boxing ring to symbolize migration and endurance. Donkor utilizes materials like Financial Times pages and Adinkra symbols to explore the "triangle of commerce" between Britain, West Africa, and the Caribbean, while specifically linking the local history of Boudicca to the resistance of Ashanti leader Yaa Asantewaa.

'Joan Semmel' at Xavier Hufkens, Rivoli, Brussels, Belgium on 22 Apr–27 Jun 2026

American painter Joan Semmel is debuting a dual-continent exhibition titled "Continuities," presented simultaneously at Xavier Hufkens in Brussels and Alexander Gray Associates in New York. The show features recent large-scale paintings, including works like "Here I Am" (2025) and "Red Breast" (2025), which utilize saturated hues and layered compositions to explore the artist's own aging body from her own perspective. By presenting related works across two cities, the exhibition mirrors the internal logic of Semmel’s paintings, which often employ doubling and shifting imagery to represent the body as a site of active presence.