moma cryptopunks chromie squiggles acquisitions

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York has acquired eight CryptoPunks and eight Chromie Squiggles for its permanent collection, donated by multiple collectors including ARTnews Top 200 Collector Ryan Zurrer and others. The works, both generative NFT projects on the Ethereum blockchain, were added through MoMA's Media and Performance department and will be displayed alongside new media art. CryptoPunks, launched by Larva Labs in 2017, are considered the first major NFT collection, while Chromie Squiggles were created by Erick Calderon (Snowfro) as the first project on ArtBlocks.

sharon stone rogues gallery

Sharon Stone has created a new series of figurative paintings titled "Rogues Gallery," which she describes as channeling the spirits of historical figures from different eras and locations, including an enslaved individual who drowned in the East China Sea and Iranian freedom fighter Mahsa Amini. The works, made in 2025, mark a shift from her earlier abstracted landscapes and floral motifs, and were produced in her Los Angeles home studio. Stone, who began painting seriously around 2020 and has previously exhibited at C. Parker Gallery, Allouche Gallery, and Galerie Deschler Berlin, approaches the portraits as a medium for healing and confronting difficult histories, including her own family's potential involvement in enslavement.

sothebys sells york avenue hq weill cornell breuer move

Sotheby's has sold its longtime New York headquarters at 1334 York Avenue to Weill Cornell Medicine, marking the final step in a major real estate transformation. The auction house will lease back floors 7–10 under a long-term lease while relocating its global headquarters to the Breuer Building at 945 Madison Avenue, which opens November 8 with a blockbuster exhibition. Sotheby's also acquired Gantry Point, a 240,000-square-foot complex in Long Island City, in 2023. CEO Charles Stewart stated the sale proceeds will reduce debt and invest in core business.

manhattan das office returns over 30 antiquities to spain italy and hungary

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office, led by Alvin Bragg and the Antiquities Trafficking Unit under Matthew Bogdanos, has repatriated over 30 antiquities to Spain, Italy, and Hungary. The returned objects include a 1st-century CE marble head of Alexander the Great as Helios, a 1675 Jesuit manuscript stolen during World War II, and several 6th-century Visigoth pendants trafficked by Robin Symes and sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1990. The items were seized from traffickers including Giacomo Medici, Giovanni Franco Becchina, Robin Symes, Robert Hecht, Eugene Alexander, and Edoardo Almagià, who is awaiting extradition from Italy.

Designs for a Better Future

Entwürfe für eine bessere Zukunft

The Rimowa Design Prize has awarded its fourth edition to Samuel Nagel and Paul Feiler from the Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Applied Sciences for their bracelet "Nura," which translates sign language into spoken language and converts speech into written text. Other finalists include Jakob Schlenker's bird-shaped device to encourage movement in the elderly, Niklas Henning's harvesting system for restoring moors, Tobias Kremer and Yannick Stilgenbauer's inflatable cooling capsule for use without electricity, and Valerio Sampognaro's lightweight furniture that can both support and lift off. The exhibition runs until May 13 at the Berlin Kulturforum.

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.

Morad Montazami Named Artistic Director of 16th Dak’Art Biennial

Morad Montazami has been appointed as the artistic director for the sixteenth edition of the Dak’Art Biennial, scheduled to run from November 19 to December 19. Titled "(Anti)Fragility: Arts of Repair and Counter-Shock Strategies," the upcoming biennial will focus on themes of community, co-creation, and the transformation of vulnerability into artistic strength. Montazami, an esteemed art historian and curator known for his work on global modernism and postcolonial narratives, brings extensive experience from previous roles at Tate Modern and various international exhibitions.

gustav klimt the kiss why so important

The article examines Gustav Klimt's iconic painting *The Kiss* (1907–1908) within the turbulent sociopolitical context of Vienna before World War I. It describes the city as a hotbed of ethnic tensions, anti-Semitism, and artistic ferment, where Klimt, alongside figures like Sigmund Freud and Gustav Mahler, explored repressed sexuality and decadence. The painting is presented as a symbol of this era, blending Symbolism, Japanese art, and Art Nouveau, and reflecting Klimt's role as a co-founder of the Vienna Secession, which broke with traditional aesthetics to pioneer modernism.

gerrit dou headlines christies london old masters sale

Christie’s will offer Gerrit Dou’s "The Flute Player" (ca. 1636) as the leading lot in its Old Masters Evening Sale on December 2 in London. The painting, Dou’s first depiction of a musician, carries an estimate of £2 million to £3 million ($2.6 million–$4 million). It has been in an English collection for 125 years, previously owned by William Proby, Fifth Earl of Carysfort, and is appearing on the market for the first time in over a century.

inside peter paul rubenss secret life as a spy

Peter Paul Rubens, the renowned Baroque painter known for dramatic altarpieces and 'Rubenesque' figures, also led a secret career as a diplomat and spy for the Holy Roman Empire and Spanish Habsburgs. The article details his early life, education, and apprenticeship, and reveals how he used his artistic access to European courts to gather intelligence, including while working on commissions for Marie de' Medici in France. His diplomatic efforts helped broker peace between Spain and England, and he was appointed Secretary of the Flanders' Council.

In Conversation: Arch Hades and Fi Churchman

Arch Hades will hold a breakfast conversation with ArtReview editor Fi Churchman on May 8, 2026, at the Scoletta Battioro e Tiraoro di Venezia in Venice. The event coincides with the opening of Hades's solo exhibition 'Return | Ritorno,' a major presentation of large-scale paintings, immersive sculptures, and installations supported by the Erarta Foundation during the Venice Biennale preview week.

Santa Monica Events: New Art Gallery, Kids Club & More

Santa Monica is launching its first-ever municipal art gallery at the Bergamot Station Arts Center, debuting with the inaugural exhibition "Case Study: Adapt." The opening ceremony on April 10 will feature remarks from California for the Arts Executive Director Julie Baker and a commendation for State Senator Ben Allen in recognition of Arts Month. The launch is part of a broader weekend of community programming including the Venice Street Fair and sound art workshops at the Camera Obscura Art Lab.

Giorgio Vasari beyond the Lives: what the exhibition at the Capitoline Museums in Rome looks like

An exhibition titled "Vasari and Rome" has opened at the Capitoline Museums in Rome, running until July 19, 2026. Curated by Alessandra Baroni and promoted by Roma Capitale, the show features over seventy works—including drawings, prints, engravings, letters, medals, sculptures, and paintings—that trace Giorgio Vasari's relationship with 16th-century Rome. Sixteen autograph works and seven drawings are among the highlights, arranged in four sections that follow the chronology of Vasari's Roman sojourns, from his arrival in 1532 under Cardinal Ippolito de' Medici to his later engagements with patrons like Bindo Altoviti and Cardinal Alessandro Farnese. The exhibition is staged in an intimate, chamber-like setting on the top floor of Palazzo Caffarelli, contrasting the small space with the vast theme of Vasari's role in papal Rome's political and cultural life.

Modern Art + Design Draw Active Bidders At Eldred’s

Eldred’s auction house held its Modern Art + Design sale on May 7, featuring 245 lots of art, furniture, decorative arts, rugs and collectibles. The sale achieved a total of $221,740 with an 81% sell-through rate, driven by active phone, online, and absentee bidding. Top lots included a Tiffany Studios Nautilus table lamp that sold for $23,040 (more than three times its estimate), a Handel reverse-painted glass table lamp that reached $10,880 against a $800–$1,200 estimate, and Frank Stella’s “Aiolio” from his “Imaginary Places III” series, which fetched $17,920. An abstract oil on canvas by Manabu Mabe also performed strongly, selling for $14,080.

Memorial Art Gallery admission will become free starting in 2027

The Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) in Rochester, New York, announced on May 13 that admission will become free for all visitors starting in 2027, eliminating its current $20 entry fee permanently. The museum, part of the University of Rochester, raised over $9 million through its "Free for All, Forever" campaign, surpassing its original target faster than expected. Key donations included a $1 million gift from Dr. Alexander A. Levitan and his wife Lucy K. Levitan, a $3 million donation from UR trustee Doug Bennett, his wife Abby, and the Sands Family Foundation, and $2 million from Mary Ellen Burris. Additional support came from anonymous donors, Kitty and Nick Jospé, and Sandy Hawks Lloyd and Justin Hawks Lloyd.

John Hitchcock’s sonic and cultural rhythms

The New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut will present "John Hitchcock: We are Defined by the Beat" from May 16 to November 29, 2026, marking the artist's first mid-career retrospective. John Hitchcock, an enrolled member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma with Comanche and Northern European ancestry, has spent over three decades transforming the sonic and cultural rhythms of his homeland into a distinct visual language. The exhibition explores his integration of visual and sonic forms across printmaking, neon, textiles, sound, video, and installation, featuring series such as "Flatlander" (2011-18), "Bury the Hatchet" (2019-2020), "Blanket Songs" (2022-2023), "Soundscapes" (2021-2024), and "Celebration" (2025). Hitchcock's work pays homage to his ancestors, confronts histories of Indigenous displacement and trauma, and celebrates community, resilience, and survival, drawing on the sounds and landscapes of his ancestral home in Medicine Park, Oklahoma.

L.A.’s New D Line Stations Have Transformed Into Enormous Underground Art Galleries Ahead Of Next Month's Opening — Here's A Look At The Mesmerizing Large-Scale Murals

Los Angeles Metro is set to unveil three new stations on the D Line Extension on May 8, 2026, featuring massive site-specific art installations. The Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax, and Wilshire/La Cienega stations have been transformed into underground galleries showcasing large-scale murals, mosaics, and photographic works by prominent Los Angeles-based artists including Karl Haendel, Eamon Ore-Giron, and Ken Gonzales Day.

wes anderson rebuilds joseph cornell's legendary studio inside gagosian paris

Wes Anderson has recreated Joseph Cornell's legendary studio inside Gagosian Paris for an exhibition titled 'The House on Utopia Parkway: Joseph Cornell’s Studio Re-Created by Wes Anderson.' The show, curated by Jasper Sharp and running from December 16, 2025, to March 14, 2026, reconstructs the artist's basement workspace in Queens, New York, complete with over three hundred objects from Cornell's own collection, alongside iconic box constructions such as 'Pharmacy' (1943) and 'A Dressing Room for Gille' (1939). Exhibition design is by Cécile Degos.

56 participating artists, duos and collectives revealed for 2026 Whitney Biennial

The Whitney Museum of American Art has announced the 56 artists, duos, and collectives participating in the 2026 Whitney Biennial, the 82nd edition of the landmark U.S. contemporary art survey. Co-curators Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer have chosen not to give the exhibition a thematic title, instead letting conversations with artists guide the selection. The roster includes well-known figures like Andrea Fraser, Kamrooz Aram, Precious Okoyomon, Pat Oleszko, and Julio Torres, alongside emerging talents and historical or overlooked figures such as Carmen de Monteflores, José Maceda, and Kimowan Metchewais. The exhibition opens March 8, 2026, occupying most of the Whitney's Manhattan building with performances, public events, and online programming.

Museum of the African Diaspora caps 20th anniversary celebration

The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a public celebration on December 13 and two exhibitions: “Continuum: MoAD Over Time” and “UNBOUND: Art, Blackness and the Universe.” Since opening in 2005, MoAD has been defined by Chester Higgins’s photomosaic “The Girl from Ghana,” which features over 3,000 stamp-sized images from contributors worldwide. Under executive director Linda Harrison (2013–2019) and current CEO Monetta White, the museum shifted from a focus on historical and anthropological narratives to centering contemporary Black artists, hiring its first full-time staff curator, Key Jo Lee, in 2023.

Review: Art museum’s big fall fashion show is captivating, sexy and fun, albeit with glitches

The Cleveland Museum of Art has opened a major fall exhibition titled "Renaissance to Runway: The Enduring Italian Houses," featuring roughly 80 garments and accessories from top Italian fashion houses such as Gucci, Pucci, Armani, Versace, Valentino, Ferragamo, Max Mara, and Missoni. The show juxtaposes these modern and contemporary designs with over 40 Renaissance, Mannerist, and Baroque artworks from the museum's collection, exploring how Italian couture has drawn inspiration from art history. A digital video installation by filmmaker Francesco Carrozzini and photographer Henry Hargreaves, using AI technology, humorously depicts models "invading" the museum, underscoring fashion's disruptive cultural power. Despite some pacing and spatial choreography issues, the exhibition makes a compelling case for fashion as high art.

The Big Review | Fra Angelico at Palazzo Strozzi and Museo di San Marco, Florence ★★★★★

A major two-venue exhibition dedicated to early Renaissance master Fra Angelico (c. 1395-1455) has opened at Palazzo Strozzi and Museo di San Marco in Florence. The show, four years in the making, features unprecedented loans from over 70 museums and 28 newly conserved works, including the Fiesole Altarpiece (c. 1420-23) and the San Marco Altarpiece (1438-43). It reunites dispersed predella panels and decorative components looted during the Napoleonic era, presenting the most complete picture of Fra Angelico to date while challenging the notion that his work was archaic.

Blood, skeletons and syphilis: the story of Edvard Munch’s obsession with health

An exhibition at the Munch Museum in Oslo, titled "Lifeblood," explores Edvard Munch's lifelong obsession with health and medicine by juxtaposing his paintings, drawings, and prints with historical medical objects. The show opens with Munch's painting "On the Operating Table" (1902-3), inspired by a bullet removal surgery after a dispute with his fiancée Tulla Larsen, paired with an early x-ray of his injured hand. It features works like "The Sick Child" (1885-6) alongside tuberculosis-related artifacts such as stethoscopes, sputum bottles, and a jar of arsenic, drawing from Munch's personal experiences with illness and his family's medical background—his father and brother were doctors.

Crystal Bridges Museum and Art Bridges receive 90 works of contemporary Indigenous art in landmark acquisition

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and its Art Bridges Foundation have acquired 90 contemporary works by Indigenous artists from the John and Susan Horseman Collection. Art Bridges will receive 81 works for long-term loans across the U.S., while nine pieces will join Crystal Bridges' permanent collection. Artists include Kent Monkman, George Morrison, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, and Cannupa Hanska Luger. The acquisition is part of a broader strategy to expand the museum's holdings in Indigenous and craft art, with works set to debut in exhibitions starting November 2024.

Uffizi director to ‘limit’ selfies after posing visitor damages 18th-century painting

The director of the Uffizi Galleries in Florence announced plans to restrict selfies after a tourist damaged an 18th-century portrait while posing for a photograph. The visitor was mimicking the pose of Ferdinando de' Medici in a 1712 painting by Anton Domenico Gabbiani when he stumbled backward, tore the canvas, and left a hole near the prince's boot. The painting has been removed for repair, and the tourist will be prosecuted. The incident follows a similar event at Palazzo Maffei in Verona, where a visitor damaged a crystal-studded sculpture by Nicola Bolla.

Comment | The greatest failure of PST Art: its successes are not travelling

The article critiques PST Art (formerly Pacific Standard Time), a $20 million Getty-funded initiative in Southern California, as its current edition wraps up. It highlights the closure of key exhibitions like "For Dear Life: Art, Medicine and Disability" at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego before major art events like Frieze Los Angeles, and notes that only 7 of the 72 exhibitions are traveling to other institutions. The piece questions the initiative's purpose and effectiveness in reaching broader audiences.

Indigenous Identities: Here, Now & Always

The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, is presenting "Indigenous Identities: Here, Now & Always," on view from February 1 through December 21, 2025. This exhibition is the largest and final show organized by the late Native artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, featuring over one hundred works by ninety-seven artists representing some seventy Nations and communities. The show is organized around four thematic sections—Political, Tribal, Social, and Land—and includes a separate gallery of Quick-to-See Smith's own prints, notably the "Survival Suite" (1996). The exhibition is intergenerational, with artists ranging from their eighties to those born at the end of the twentieth century, and most works date from the twenty-first century.

Philadelphia Museum of Art has canceled The Philadelphia Show for 2026

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has canceled the Philadelphia Show for 2026, an annual antique, art, and design exhibition and fundraiser that has run since 1962. The museum confirmed the pause on Tuesday, citing the need to prioritize resources for its 150th anniversary and participation in the national America 250 commemoration in 2026. The 2025 edition featured over 40 dealers from Philadelphia, New York, London, France, Portugal, and across the U.S., showcasing decorative arts, antiques, fine arts, and jewelry. Exhibitors were informed in April that the 2026 dates were in jeopardy, and the museum has not committed to the show returning in 2027.

Did Zurbarán Believe What He Painted?

An exhibition of Francisco de Zurbarán's 17th-century religious paintings at London's National Gallery prompts a critic to question whether the artist's personal faith influenced his artistic skill. The show features monumental works from Spanish churches and monasteries, displayed dramatically against black walls, including crucifixion scenes, monks, and saints. The critic notes that no personal records of Zurbarán survive—only contracts—leaving his beliefs unknown, and compares him to Agnolo Bronzino, who painted pious scenes but wrote obscene verses. A small painting of a crucified Christ with a painter, possibly a self-portrait of Bronzino, is presented as ambiguous evidence of faith.

In Pol Taburet’s New Show, Being Paranoid Is the Point

French artist Pol Taburet has opened a solo exhibition titled *Paranoia as Method* at Villa Medici in Rome, on view through July 15. The show features sculptures, large-format paintings, and charcoal drawings created during his spring residency at the institution, transforming the villa’s gardens, loggias, and salons into tense psychic landscapes. Taburet’s figures drift between human and animal, evoking transformation, mortality, and spiritual tension, drawing on his Caribbean roots, voodoo traditions, contemporary culture, and classical painting.