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The Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, a historic Edwardian Baroque building constructed in 1905, requires nearly £4 million ($5.4 million) for extensive repairs to its roof, windows, doors, and facade. A committee report cited by the BBC describes the museum as being in "poor condition" with "major defects" to its exterior. The Bristol City Council, which owns and operates the museum, plans to apply to the Arts Council England for funding, noting that the financial pressure makes external funding essential.

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The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has announced funding cuts to arts organizations across the U.S. as part of broader government spending reductions under the Trump administration. These cuts disproportionately affect Black-led art institutions, including the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art (MoCADA), Museum Hue, and the Billie Holiday Theatre, which rely heavily on federal grants for programming and operations. While some organizations received final payments or avoided returning funds, they face an uncertain future as critical funding streams are terminated or made ineligible for renewal.

Kiss and Tell! In Venice, Nude Tino Sehgal Work Is Talk of the Town

Laurent Asscher's AMA Venezia foundation in Venice is showcasing Tino Sehgal's live performance piece "Kiss (Clean Version)" during the 61st Venice Biennale. The work features a nude couple reenacting famous kisses from art history, performed by rotating dancers over hours. Asscher acquired the piece after meeting Sehgal, having previously bought a different Sehgal work at a charity auction. The performance has become a standout attraction amid the Biennale's crowded opening week.

Inside ‘Prince of Prints’ Jordan Schnitzer’s Sprawling Collection

Jordan Schnitzer, the Portland-based philanthropist often called the 'Prince of Prints,' recently provided a rare tour of his massive 50,000-square-foot art warehouse. The facility utilizes a sophisticated 'floating bin' logistics system, similar to those used by major retailers, to manage over 22,000 works, including extensive holdings by Andy Warhol, Joseph Beuys, and Richard Prince. Schnitzer’s foundation operates as a lending library, frequently shipping works to museums and hosting educational tours for students from districts where arts funding has been eliminated.

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Yu Nishimura, a Japanese painter born in 1982, is experiencing a rapid rise in the art world, marked by major gallery shows in New York and Paris in 2025, a record auction price of $711,200 for his work "thicket" (2020) at Sotheby's, and an upcoming institutional exhibition at Lafayette Anticipations Foundation in Paris in 2026. His paintings, which blend landscape, still life, and figuration with layered washes and melancholic tension, have attracted representation from David Zwirner, Sadie Coles HQ, and Galerie Crèvecoeur, with collectors and institutions increasingly drawn to his quiet, introspective style.

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Es Devlin, the renowned set designer behind iconic pop culture moments for Beyoncé, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, and Miley Cyrus, is shifting focus from large-scale commercial spectacles to more personal artistic projects. A new monograph and retrospective at the Cooper Hewitt, titled "An Atlas of Es Devlin," catalogues her three-decade career, while her latest installation "Surfacing," commissioned by BMW and unveiled at Art Basel 2024, marks a turn toward fine art. Devlin, now 50, describes this phase as a liberating new chapter where she feels "nothing to lose."

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Blum gallery, a powerhouse with locations in Los Angeles and Tokyo, is closing its brick-and-mortar operations after 31 years. Founded as Blum and Poe in 1994, the gallery laid off most of its staff and will transition to a flexible studio model with no permanent public space or formal artist roster. The gallery represents high-profile artists including Yoshitomo Nara and Mark Grotjahn, whose works have sold for over $10 million. Co-founder Jeff Poe left the partnership two years ago, leaving Tim Blum in control alongside managing partner Matt Bangser.

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Bay Area pastry chef Caitlin Freeman has accused the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) of copying her art-themed cakes after the museum replaced her Blue Bottle café with a new vendor, McCalls Catering. Freeman, who operated the café on SFMOMA's fifth floor from 2009, created pastries inspired by artworks by Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, and Roy Lichtenstein, including a signature Piet Mondrian cake, and published a cookbook titled *Modern Art Desserts* in 2013. After SFMOMA's renovation, the contract was awarded to McCalls Catering, which Freeman claims is now producing similar desserts.

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Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania, is quietly selling off the Freedman Gallery collection, which includes works by Romare Bearden, Salvador Dalí, Jasper Johns, and Robert Rauschenberg, to address a budget shortfall that recently reached $23 million. Art preparator Rich Houck discovered the storage space emptied without notice and was fired after reporting the move; the college has cut 53 positions, canceled academic majors, and considered selling real estate as part of a broader cost-cutting campaign. Former gallery staff are no longer employed, and major donors were not informed of the sale.

Remembering Bruno Bischofberger, Manuela Hoelterhoff, and Steven Durland

This week's In Memoriam column from Hyperallergic honors seven figures from the art world who recently passed away, including Swiss collector and dealer Bruno Bischofberger (1940–2026), Pulitzer-winning arts critic Manuela Hoelterhoff (1949–2026), and artist-editor Steven Durland (1951–2026). Other notable losses include British painter Ray Burgoyne, iconographer Christina Dochwat, German gallerist Jenny Falckenberg, realist painter Ward Nichols, and MoMA preparator Pamela A. Popeson. Each entry provides a brief biography and highlights their contributions to visual art, criticism, and cultural organizing.

A Venice Biennale in Protest

Hundreds of protesters, led by the Art Not Genocide Alliance, blocked the entrance to the Israeli pavilion at the Venice Biennale on May 6, waving Palestinian flags and accusing Israel of operating a "genocide pavilion." Activists from Pussy Riot and FEMEN also staged a pink smoke-filled protest against Russia's participation. Meanwhile, the Biennale jury suddenly resigned, and Israeli pavilion artist Belu-Simion Fainaru made legal threats against the Biennale alleging antisemitism and discrimination. The article also covers exhibitions in Upstate New York, a tribute to Beat Generation icon Jack Kerouac, and obituaries for performance art champion Steven Durland, artist Georg Baselitz, cartoonist Nicole Hollander, and arts patron Doris Fisher.

The US Pavilion Is Taking Online Donations

The American Arts Conservancy (AAC), the nonprofit tasked with executing Alma Allen's 2026 US Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, is soliciting online donations from the public after receiving no corporate or foundation funding. Unlike previous pavilions backed by major foundations like Ford and Mellon, AAC's fundraising relies on private citizens, with a minimum $100 donation requested via its website. The State Department provided $375,000 but requires additional funding, and AAC's Executive Director Jenni Parido, a former pet food store owner, declined to name specific donors, though Instagram posts suggest wealthy Trump allies attended benefit events. Perrotin Gallery, which represents Allen, is providing operational support but not funding.

Despite Uncertainty, Gulf Art World Projects Normalcy

Galleries and museums in Gulf states like the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are reopening and projecting normalcy despite the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, which has entered its fourth week. Major events like Art Dubai have been postponed, and institutions like the Sharjah Art Foundation have delayed gatherings, but many cultural venues are operating with adjusted formats or by appointment.

Why I Wanted to Meet Thaddeus Mosley

The author recounts their personal journey to meet the self-taught sculptor Thaddeus Mosley, driven by a profound impression left by his 2004 New York debut exhibition. After a late-night phone call revealed Mosley's vibrant spirit, the author reflects on the artist's decades-long practice of carving salvaged wood into towering, abstract sculptures in Pittsburgh, inspired by jazz, African visual culture, and modernist art, yet operating largely outside the mainstream art world.

Art Paris 2026: 10 Booths for Great Discoveries

Art Paris 2026 : 10 stands pour faire de belles découvertes

The 28th edition of Art Paris has opened at the Grand Palais, marked by a vibrant and optimistic atmosphere. The fair features a diverse array of works ranging from Fabrice Hyber’s monumental inflatable bears at the entrance to a curated selection of contemporary ceramics, textiles, and innovative paintings. A central highlight is the "Reparation" thematic itinerary curated by Alexia Fabre, which connects various artists through the concept of healing and transformation.

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A cyberattack targeted the Dresden State Art Collections (SKD), a network of 15 museums in eastern Germany, on Wednesday. The attack disrupted large parts of the digital infrastructure, including the online shop and visitor services, but the museums remain open and physical security is intact. IT specialists and forensic experts are working to clean up and rebuild systems, with no timeline yet for full restoration. The SKD is cooperating with the Dresden Police and State Criminal Police Office, as confirmed by the Saxon State Minister for Culture and Tourism.

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A new arts institution called Canyon is set to open on Manhattan's Lower East Side in 2026, occupying a 40,000-square-foot former commercial space at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge. Founded by philanthropist and art collector Robert Rosenkranz and Joe Thompson, the founding director of MASS MoCA, Canyon will focus on video art, sound art, and performance art. The venue will include 18,000 square feet of exhibition space, a 60-foot-tall performance area, and a 300-seat performance hall. Early programming plans include a retrospective of Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda and an expanded iteration of the video game-themed group exhibition "Worldbuilding," curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist. The architecture firm New Affiliates is redesigning the space, and Sam Ozer has been appointed curator-at-large. Admission will be $30, with free access for school groups and library cardholders.

Works by Renoir, Cézanne, and Matisse Snatched in Major Italian Art Heist

Four hooded thieves stole three valuable paintings from the Magnani-Rocca Foundation in Parma, Italy, in a swift nighttime heist. The stolen works include Paul Cézanne's 'Still Life with Cherries,' Henri Matisse's 'Odalisque on the Terrace, 1922,' and Pierre-Auguste Renoir's 'Les Poissons (Fish), 1917,' collectively worth millions of euros. The operation, described as highly structured and organized, took less than three minutes.

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Estonian rapper and provocateur Tommy Cash sparked controversy at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, with lyrics that parodied Italian stereotypes, leading Italy to call for his disqualification. Despite finishing third, the incident has drawn renewed global attention to Cash, who has long been a boundary-pushing figure in European art and music. Artnet News resurfaced a 2022 interview with Cash, born Tomas Tammemets in 1991, who describes himself as an artist working across music, fashion, and installation projects, blending post-Soviet visual language with high and low culture references.

Sculptor Thaddeus Mosley dies at 99.

Sculptor Thaddeus Mosley dies at 99.

Sculptor Thaddeus Mosley, a self-taught artist renowned for his monumental abstract wood sculptures, has died at the age of 99. Working for decades in his Pittsburgh basement, Mosley used locally sourced felled trees and traditional hand tools to create dynamic, asymmetrical forms that channeled both modernist principles and African artistic traditions. His prolific career, which began in his 30s, gained significant institutional recognition only in his later decades, culminating in a major 2022 solo exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

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Sculptor Alma Allen has officially joined Galerie Perrotin, a major international blue-chip gallery, ahead of his representation of the United States at the upcoming Venice Biennale. The move follows a period of representation turnover, as Allen was recently dropped by Olney Gleason and Mendes Wood DM after accepting the prestigious commission. Perrotin will provide essential logistical and operational support for the U.S. Pavilion, with Allen’s first solo exhibition at the gallery’s Paris location scheduled for this fall.

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The Barnes Foundation has promoted Will Cary to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, where he will oversee new revenue initiatives, the Calder Gardens partnership, and a newly formed Brand department. Bukia Vakhania Gallery (formerly Gallery Artbeat) is opening a Berlin location on January 15 with a solo show by Nina Kintsurashvili. Heritage Auctions reported $2.2 billion in sales for 2025, its highest-ever annual total, driven by coins, comics, sports memorabilia, and illustration art. Antenna Space will open a Hong Kong outpost in March 2026, directed by Jeff Li. A Deloitte Private and ArtTactic report reveals that 50% of non-bank art lenders experienced loan defaults in 2024, up from 17% in 2023.

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Nadine Khoury, a Dubai-based collector, curator, and art adviser, founded the Young Collectors Circle in 2023 to engage Millennial and Gen Z professionals in the Gulf region with the local art scene. The initiative offers free events such as studio visits, suppers with established collectors, and group outings to exhibition openings, aiming to make art collecting accessible and educational. Khoury, who previously worked at Green Art Gallery, started the circle with friends and grew it through social media and word-of-mouth, limiting attendance to 15 people to foster a friendly, barrier-free environment.

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Ten years after London dealer Vanessa Carlos launched the gallery sharing initiative Condo in the East End, the collaborative model has become a key survival strategy for galleries of all sizes, especially smaller ones. The latest edition of Condo London runs from Saturday to February 14. Brunette Coleman, a photography-forward gallery launched in 2023 by Anna Eaves and Ted Targett in Bloomsbury, exemplifies this trend: it has grown quickly through cooperative exhibitions rather than costly fairs, participating in Condo for the second time this year by hosting Milan’s Zero gallery. The gallery represents six international artists, and its artist Nat Faulkner won Frieze London’s Emerging Artist Award in 2024, with a solo show opening at Camden Art Centre.

art guide to paris art week basel

The Louvre was forced to close on Sunday after a daylight heist of jewelry that Napoleon III had given to his wife, Eugenie, an operation that took under 10 minutes. The incident has highlighted ongoing issues at the world's most-visited museum, including understaffing and a shortage of surveillance cameras, with commentators linking the problems to French political turmoil. Meanwhile, the fourth edition of Art Basel Paris is set to open at the Grand Palais, featuring 206 galleries (63 with locations in France), serving as the centerpiece of a packed Paris Art Week with exhibitions, public programs, and gallery events.

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Pace Prints is expanding its operations to Los Angeles, with plans to open a new production facility and small gallery space this fall. Unlike a standard gallery expansion, the Hollywood location will prioritize providing West Coast artists with a dedicated environment for long-term experimentation in printmaking. The move coincides with the publisher's debut at Frieze Los Angeles, featuring a roster of local and international artists including Jonas Wood and Hilary Pecis.

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Michael Werner and Gordon VeneKlasen, partners at Michael Werner Gallery for 35 years, are dissolving their partnership at the start of next year. Werner will continue operating Galerie Michael Werner in Berlin, while VeneKlasen will launch a new international gallery called VeneKlasen, taking over the current New York, London, and Los Angeles locations. The changes take effect in February, with VeneKlasen announcing his program early next year.

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London's Stephen Friedman Gallery is facing serious financial difficulties, with its 2024 financial reports overdue and its 2023 accounts revealing a loss of £1.7 million. The gallery, which recently expanded with a large new London space and a New York outpost, is reliant on external financing and negotiations with creditors to continue operating, casting significant doubt on its future viability.

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Jack Hanley, a beloved and idiosyncratic New York gallerist, announced he would close his gallery after 37 years in business. In a conversation with Artnet News co-host Kate Brown, Hanley reflects on his career as a disruptor who followed instinct over market logic, giving early shows to now-iconic artists like Günther Förg, Christopher Wool, Sophie Calle, and Christian Marclay, and even hosting Beeple's first gallery show. Hanley, a former Grateful Dead roadie and avid orchid grower, also founded an art fair and ran galleries in multiple cities.

‘Harlem has always been evolving’: inside the Studio Museum’s $160m new home

The Studio Museum in Harlem is set to inaugurate its new $160 million, purpose-built home on Manhattan’s 125th Street. Designed by Adjaye Associates in collaboration with Cooper Robertson, the 82,000-square-foot facility nearly doubles the museum's previous exhibition space and replaces a repurposed 1914 bank building that lacked essential infrastructure like loading docks and large elevators. This milestone marks the first time in the institution's history that it will operate out of a structure specifically designed to support its mission of championing artists of African descent.