The Beautiful Renaissance of the [mac] in Marseille

La belle renaissance du [mac] à Marseille

The [mac] (Musée d’Art Contemporain) in Marseille is undergoing a significant revival following years of stagnation and underfunding. Under the new leadership of Stéphanie Airaud, who was appointed in 2023, the museum has completed major renovations including updated storage facilities, a new rooftop terrace, and a reorganized gallery layout. The institution is leveraging its impressive but previously underutilized collection of over 1,000 works—featuring masters like Basquiat, Klein, and Saint Phalle—while actively working to correct historical gender imbalances and strengthen ties to Mediterranean contemporary art.

Gods, emperors and eagles restored in Blenheim Palace roof-rescue mission

Blenheim Palace is nearing the completion of a £12m conservation project, the most extensive in the 300-year history of the UNESCO World Heritage site. Led by Donald Insall Associates, the initiative involved a massive logistical effort, including the construction of 31 miles of scaffolding and a one-acre protective tent to repair rotting timbers, crumbling stonework, and leaking roofs. The restoration also addressed the palace's iconic Baroque skyline, featuring statues of gods, emperors, and a 30-tonne marble bust of Louis XIV.

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced that the rooftop of the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building in Manhattan will open for free public tours starting in June. The initiative, part of a $6 million improvement project, will allow visitors to access the cupola directly beneath the building's iconic 25-foot-tall gilded statue, Civic Fate, and enjoy panoramic views of the city.

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Three Jewish groups issued an open letter to the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, a prominent German art school, calling for the cancellation of a lecture by Palestinian artist and filmmaker Basma Al-Sharif, scheduled for January 21. The groups alleged, without providing proof, that Al-Sharif's past events and social media posts—including one referring to Israel as a "Zionist entity" and stating "The lie of #neveragain is over"—trivialized terrorism and constituted antisemitism. The Kunstakademie Düsseldorf declined to cancel the event, affirming its commitment to free dialogue and noting that Al-Sharif was invited based on her CV, while also condemning the Hamas terrorist attack as a grave crime.

water leaks from louvres roof and misses prized cimabue painting 1234740831

A powerful hailstorm caused water to leak through the Louvre's roof into the Salle Rosa room, where the exhibition "A New Look at Cimabue: At the Origins of Italian Painting" is on view. The water narrowly missed Giovanni Cimabue's unprotected "Maestà" panel painting (circa 1280), but drips hit the base of Nicola Pisano's "Three Acolytes" (1264-67) on loan from Florence's Museo Nazionale del Bargello. Another near miss occurred near Duccio di Buoninsegna's "Madonna of the Franciscans" (1285-88), which was protected by glass. The museum closed the exhibition early for firefighter inspection, identified a damaged glass seal as the cause, and reopened the next morning after repairs.

Leaky Berlin Modern Museum’s Opening Delayed Until 2030

The opening of the Berlin Modern Museum, a planned extension of the Neue Nationalgalerie, has been delayed until 2030 due to significant moisture damage and microbial contamination in its foundation, floors, roof coverings, and exterior walls. Originally laid in February 2024 with a projected 2027 opening, the museum's construction costs have surged from 200 million to 507 million euros, according to Monopol. A spokesperson for the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation stated that repairs are underway but will push completion back by approximately eight months.

Spring 2026 to Feature New Documentaries, Screenings, Artist Talks, and a New Episode of Art in the Twenty-First Century

Art21 has announced its spring 2026 programming lineup, which includes new documentary premieres, film screenings, artist talks, and the second episode of the 12th season of its flagship series 'Art in the Twenty-First Century.' The season features artists such as Tomás Saraceno, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Camille Henrot, and Ragnar Kjartansson, and coincides with the series' 25th anniversary.

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.

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An owner of a pawn shop in Los Angeles, Glenn Steven Bednarsh, has been indicted on federal charges of conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen goods for allegedly conspiring to sell a stolen Andy Warhol trial proof print of Vladimir Lenin. The print, a unique 1987 screenprint from an edition of 46, was purchased by Bednarsh for $6,000 in February 2021. He then enlisted co-conspirator Brian Alec Light to help sell it through Heritage Auctions. The scheme unraveled when a gallerist identified the work as stolen, leading to FBI involvement. Light has already pleaded guilty, and Bednarsh faces arraignment in the coming weeks.

What Every Collector Should Know About Buying Performance Art

Artsy Editorial explores the complexities of collecting performance art, explaining that ownership typically involves acquiring documentation, scores, or rights to reactivate a performance rather than the live event itself. The article outlines how artists, dealers, and collectors navigate transactions for this ephemeral medium, addressing the challenges of preservation, display, and market value.

Georg Herold at Capitain Petzel

German artist Georg Herold has opened a new solo exhibition at the Capitain Petzel gallery in Berlin. The show, which runs from February 27 to April 11, 2026, features a significant body of new work, documented extensively through 33 images.

Lily Stockman “A Grass Roof” at MASSIMODECARLO, Hong Kong

MASSIMODECARLO gallery in Hong Kong is presenting "A Grass Roof," the first solo exhibition of American artist Lily Stockman in the city. The show features new oil paintings inspired by the eighth-century Zen poem "Song of the Grass Roof Hermitage" by Shitou Xiqian, exploring themes of interior refuge and infinite expanse through collapsed perspective and dissolved boundaries.

artist solange pessoa aspen art museum

Cultured magazine interviews Brazilian artist Solange Pessoa about her new exhibition "Catch the sun with your hand" at the Aspen Art Museum, on view through October 26. The conversation explores parallels between Aspen's mining history and her home region of Minas Gerais, Brazil, her use of organic materials like blood and hair, her stone collection, and the sense of incompleteness in her process-based work. The exhibition features carved soapstone sculptures on the museum's roof and works inside that engage with crystals and silver.

HOPE Outdoor Gallery Makes Its Long-Awaited Return

The HOPE Outdoor Gallery, a beloved open-air graffiti art space in Austin, is preparing to reopen after six years of closure. Founder Andi Scull announced that the new site, located on an 8-acre plot near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, is purpose-built with four distinct sectors including a courtyard, a roofless circular structure, a garden, and a village of shipping containers. The layout is designed to spell out "HOPE" when viewed from planes landing or departing. The original location on Baylor Street closed in 2018, and the team has been working since then to secure a new home, with the goal of opening before the end of the year, pending permits.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Announces Its MetLiveArts Fall and Winter 2025–26 Season

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced its MetLiveArts fall and winter 2025–26 season, featuring world premiere performances and commissions created specifically for the museum's galleries, as well as concerts in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium. The season highlights a significant number of new works by female artists, including composers and musicians Gabriela Ortiz, Wu Man, Hanzhi Wang, Emily Wells, Layale Chaker, and Leilehua Lanzilotti. Performances will draw inspiration from the Met's collection and special exhibitions like 'Man Ray: When Objects Dream,' with events beginning September 9, 2025, featuring Wu Man and The Knights. The season also includes the JACK Quartet as the museum's 2025–26 Quartet in Residence and the appointment of Sarah Jones as Head of Live Arts.

Billionaire Collector Fred Eychaner Sued Over Chicago Museum Expansion

Billionaire philanthropist Fred Eychaner, founder of the private exhibition space Wrightwood 659 in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, is being sued by Lisa Berron, a condo owner who claims the museum's planned expansion will block natural light and skyline views from her top-floor home. Berron filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court in March, alleging that the expansion would rise above her roofline and sit just feet from her windows. Eychaner's team has already purchased two of the three units in her building and argues the project complies with existing zoning laws, while Berron reportedly rejected settlement offers and demanded nearly $4 million for her condo, which was appraised at around $1.2 million.

Major News from International Museums: London's National Gallery Expands and Pompidou Opens in Seoul

Le grandi novità dei musei internazionali: cresce la National Gallery di Londra e il Pompidou apre a Seoul

The National Gallery in London has selected a design team led by Kengo Kuma and Associates, alongside BDP and MICA, to lead its massive £750 million expansion project titled 'Project Domani.' Chosen from 65 international entries, the winning proposal will transform the St Vincent House site into a new museum wing featuring a stepped Portland stone facade, public roof gardens, and light-filled galleries. The project coincides with the institution's bicentenary and has already secured half of its required funding through private and anonymous donations.

Everything to know about David Geffen Galleries as a new LACMA emerges

The Los Angeles Times reports on the upcoming David Geffen Galleries, a new building that will become the centerpiece of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) as it undergoes a major transformation. Designed by architect Peter Zumthor, the structure is part of a long-delayed, multi-billion-dollar renovation project that aims to modernize the museum's campus and consolidate its collection under one roof. The article details the timeline, design features, and the controversies surrounding the project's cost and scope.

NJCU Visual Arts Gallery presents "Formidable Women, Dangerous Times"

New Jersey City University Visual Arts Gallery is presenting a solo exhibition by Johanna Foster titled "Formidable Women, Dangerous Times," running from May 14 to 28, 2026. The show features a series of figurative oil paintings that depict fierce women from Foster's communities, both real and imagined, exploring themes of resistance, courage, and perseverance in difficult times. Foster, a professor of sociology at Monmouth University, began her MFA at NJCU in 2022 and has exhibited widely across New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and California, including a digital exhibition at Newark Liberty International Airport and the Montclair Art Museum.

Metropolitan Museum of Art: Spring Exhibitions in New York

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is unveiling renewed galleries and special exhibitions for spring 2026, including a reinstallation of its American Wing and exhibitions focused on Renaissance portraiture and contemporary responses to classical themes. The museum, which houses over 1.6 million artworks spanning five thousand years, is highlighted as a key destination for US travelers planning summer visits, with May weather ideal for exploring both the museum and nearby Central Park.

Hunterdon Art Museum presents three new exhibitions: Claybash, Emily Strong, and Bascha Mon

The Hunterdon Art Museum in Clinton, New Jersey, will open three new exhibitions on May 17, 2026: 'Claybash,' a triennial juried ceramics exhibition; a solo show of figurative paintings by Emily Strong; and 'Mindscapes,' a solo exhibition of works by 93-year-old artist Bascha Mon. Emily Strong's show features large-scale realist oil paintings that explore themes of cultural identity, gender, and human relationships, with QR codes linking to interviews with her models. 'Claybash' includes 40 artists selected by curator Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy, with cash prizes awarded. Bascha Mon's exhibition highlights her six-decade career of imaginative, color-driven work.

Recommissioned Rebels

The exhibition "Monuments," co-organized by The Brick and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), features ten former Confederate monuments removed from public spaces across the American South. Highlights include Kara Walker's reconfigured "Unmanned Drone" (formerly Charlottesville's Stonewall Jackson monument), Richmond's toppled Jefferson Davis statue, and a graffitied Matthew Fontaine Maury statue. Co-curator Hamza Walker explains the show began after the 2015 Charleston church shooting and gained urgency following George Floyd's murder in 2020, involving complex negotiations with city governments and stewards to secure the politically charged pieces.

Exhibitions set to open in Paris in May 2026: what's new to discover this month

A roundup of new art and cultural exhibitions opening in Paris and the Île-de-France region in May 2026 is announced. Highlights include the annual Rambolitrain toy train fair at Rambolitrain museum on May 1, free evening hours at the Bourse de Commerce on May 2, free entry to castles and museums in Yvelines and Seine-et-Marne on May 3, the Tour Auto classic car display under the Grand Palais glass roof on May 3-4, the Circle of Parisian Artists' 24th annual exhibition at Parc Floral from May 4-31, a new garden art exhibition "Jardin des Lumières" at the Grand Trianon in Versailles from May 5 to September 27, and a major Hilma af Klint exhibition at the Grand Palais.

adjaye-designed studio museum in harlem opens as new home for black art and culture

The Studio Museum in Harlem officially opens its purpose-built new home on West 125th Street on November 15, 2025, marking the first time the institution has had a building designed specifically for its program. Designed by Adjaye Associates with architect Pascale Sablan, the 82,000-square-foot museum features a double-height street-level window, a 'reverse stoop' entrance, expanded exhibition and public spaces, artist-in-residence studios, and a roof terrace. The facade uses dark-grey precast concrete and bronze-toned glass to reference Harlem's masonry architecture while signaling a refined contemporary presence.

Under the Bridge, Beyond the Gloss: DUMBO’s Art Scene Defies Its Gentrified Image

The article reports on the First Thursday Gallery Walk in DUMBO, Brooklyn, a monthly event where galleries, artist studios, and creative spaces stay open late for exhibitions, artist talks, and performances. The author attended the latest iteration, starting with a rooftop cocktail party at the Jay 20 building, which houses nearly 200 artists and programs like the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program. The walk highlighted over 20 galleries and 170 artist studios, including Smack Mellon and A.I.R. Gallery, as well as public art initiatives like the Dumbo Projection Project.

Theaster Gates’ Smart Museum Show Marks a Historic Moment for His Hometown Legacy

Theaster Gates is presenting a major exhibition at the Smart Museum of Art in Chicago, marking a historic moment for the artist’s legacy in his hometown. The show brings together his multidisciplinary practice spanning sculpture, installation, performance, and urban intervention, reflecting his deep engagement with Chicago’s South Side communities and histories of race, labor, and urban renewal.

‘Step Outside’ packs Philly’s street art scene into one unique gallery space

Philadelphia's underground street art scene is stepping into the spotlight with a two-day pop-up exhibition titled 'Step Outside' at Huddle gallery in Fishtown. Organized by street artists Doomed Future and Red Hound Heavy Hammer, the show features over 75 outdoor and graffiti artists, including works by the anonymous artist Blur. The event includes live wheat-pasting, installations, and a large submission wall, aiming to replicate the subversive energy of creating art outdoors within a gallery setting.

Sargent and Paris

The article announces an exhibition titled "Sargent and Paris" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, focusing on John Singer Sargent's formative decade in Paris from his arrival in 1874 through the mid-1880s. It traces his rapid rise as a young American art student who studied under Carolus-Duran at the École des Beaux-Arts, immersed himself in Parisian cultural life, and produced daring portraits of cosmopolitan subjects. The exhibition highlights key works including his scandalous success "Madame X" and other canvases that captured Parisian society, culminating in his reputation as the era's greatest portrait painter.

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The article reports on a new European Union regulation, Regulation 2019/880, set to take effect on June 28, which will impose stricter import requirements on antiquities and artworks over 200 years old and valued above €18,000. Importers must now prove that such objects were legally exported from their country of origin, even if the export occurred decades ago. This comes amid ongoing tariff confusion in the U.S., adding another layer of complexity for the international art trade. The article also teases a rediscovered J.M.W. Turner painting bought for $500 that could sell for $500,000, and highlights upcoming art hot spots for summer.

Lost Parthenon Piece Unearthed From Lord Elgin’s Shipwreck

A small marble fragment from the Parthenon has been recovered from the wreck of the Mentor, a ship owned by Lord Elgin that sank in 1802 while transporting sculptures from the Acropolis to Britain. The fragment, discovered off the Greek island of Kythira by the Greek Ministry of Culture's underwater antiquities unit, is a decorative gutta likely from the temple's entablature or roof edge.