David Hockney will create a monumental 22-by-32-foot window installation for the Sunley Gallery at Turner Contemporary in Margate, UK. The work, based on a 2020 iPad painting of a Normandy sunrise, will be illuminated at night and is scheduled to be on view from April 1 to November 1 as part of the gallery's 15th-anniversary celebrations.
guaridian art critic adrian searle steps down 1234773458
Chief art critic Adrian Searle is leaving his full-time role at the Guardian after nearly 30 years, with his final article scheduled for April 1. He will continue to contribute occasional pieces to the publication.
Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 will feature 240 galleries and an expanded program, including the Asia debut of the digital-focused Zero 10 section and a reimagined Encounters section. The Encounters section, curated by a team led by Mami Kataoka, will feature 12 large-scale works based on the Five Elements theme, with pieces by artists like Suki Seokyeong Kang and Parag Tandel. The Film section is under new curation by Ellen Pau, and the fair coincides with major exhibitions at institutions like M+.
Gagosian Gallery will open a new exhibition of Roy Lichtenstein's work titled "Painting with Scattered Brushstrokes" in March 2026. The show, drawing exclusively from the Lichtenstein family collection, will feature paintings, sculpture, and works on paper from the 1970s and '80s, focusing on his recurring brushstroke motif. It coincides with a major retrospective at the Whitney Museum and follows a period of intense market activity for the artist's work.
A new immersive exhibition titled "David Bowie: You're Not Alone" will open at Lightroom in London on April 22. The show, organized by creative director Mark Grimmer, will feature projected performance footage, interviews, film clips, and drawings, including newly recovered footage of Bowie's 1978 "Heroes" performance at Earl's Court.
A significant number of New York art galleries, including major players like Pace Gallery, David Zwirner, and Marian Goodman, will close on January 30 to join a nationwide general strike protesting expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. The strike is a response to allegations of federal overreach, including the use of deadly force against protestors and the detention of Native Americans, which have fueled widespread outrage.
London’s Courtauld Gallery will open two new contemporary art galleries at its Somerset House campus, funded by a £10 million ($13.8 million) gift from the Blavatnik Family Foundation. The top-floor spaces, originally built as a display area for the Royal Society in the 18th century, are expected to debut in 2029. The donation brings the foundation’s total support for the Courtauld to £20 million ($27.5 million), following earlier backing for the museum’s 2021 renovation. The new galleries will be programmed in part by students in the Courtauld’s curating master’s program and will host exhibitions connecting historical and contemporary art.
A group of 21 artists, including Antony Gormley, Brian Eno, and Mona Hatoum, have donated works to “Seeds of Solidarity,” an art auction organized by Health Workers 4 Palestine to support medical professionals in Gaza. The sale will take place on February 1 at The Savoy in London, with proceeds benefiting the Gaza Medics Solidarity Fund, which provides stipends for doctors, supports mobile clinics, and helps rebuild maternity wards. Separately, the Courtauld in London announced plans for two new contemporary art galleries and a reading room at Somerset House, funded by a £10 million donation from the Blavatnik Family Foundation, as part of an £82 million redevelopment set to open in 2029.
Seyni Awa Camara, a Diola sculptor from Bignona, Senegal, known for her totemic clay sculptures of stacked human bodies, has died. Her work, steeped in spirituality and inspired by a ram's horn she called a 'genie,' gained international recognition after being discovered by anthropologist Michèle Odeyé-Finzi and introduced to Europe by gallerist André Magnin. Despite her global following—including fans like Pharrell Williams and Louise Bourgeois—Camara remained largely unknown in her home country, relying on foreign buyers to sustain her practice.
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut, has announced a new recurring exhibition series called the Aldrich Decennial, which will take place every ten years. The inaugural edition, titled “I am what is around me,” runs from June 7, 2026, to January 10, 2027, and features 40 artists living and working in Connecticut who have not previously exhibited in the state. Organized by chief curator Amy Smith-Stewart and curatorial and publications manager Caitlin Monachino, the survey spans the museum’s entire campus and includes high-profile names such as Dominic Chambers, Tammy Nguyen, Em Rooney, Aki Sasamoto, and Julia Wachtel, with artists ranging in age from Lucy Sallick (born 1937) to Remy Sosa (born 1995).
The Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, South Carolina, is unveiling newly reconfigured collection galleries to cap its 75th anniversary and culminate a yearlong renovation. The museum will reopen its collection galleries following a gala on January 16, presenting a newly conceived display across 20 galleries. The reinstalled galleries draw from the museum’s American, Asian, European, and modern and contemporary holdings, including Italian Renaissance works from the Kress Collection, an Asian gallery anchored by Chinese art from the Tang dynasty, and thematic galleries focused on landscape, still life, and art and architecture. The renovation, which began in January 2025, included new lighting and ceilings, reinforced walls, and conservation work on pieces by Sam Gilliam, Teiji Takai, and Benjamin Wilson.
David Zwirner Gallery now represents New York-based artist Amy Sillman, whose colorful paintings and drawings bridge figuration and abstraction. She previously worked with Gladstone Gallery, where her 2018 show “Mostly Drawing” was praised by critic Phyllis Tuchman. Sillman continues her relationships with Thomas Dane Gallery in London and Capitain Petzel in Berlin, and will participate in a three-person exhibition at Chantel Crousel in Paris this summer. Her first show at Zwirner is scheduled for 2027.
High Line Art and the Chanel Culture Fund have launched a partnership to co-commission rising artists working in digital and time-based media for High Line Originals, a film series hosted at the High Line Channel in Manhattan. The fourth cycle begins September 10 with the premiere of Frank Wang Yefeng's "Groundless Flower – ཨ" (2025), and the program shifts from a biannual to an annual commissioning cycle. Additional U.S. premieres by Cao Fei, Lu Yang, and Jakob Kudsk Steenson will screen on September 8 and 9, with a group show featuring Petra Cortright in November 2025.
Brown University terminated both curators at the David Winton Bell Gallery—Kate Kraczon, director of exhibitions and chief curator, and Thea Quiray Tagle, associate curator—on December 4, as part of broader layoffs and austerity measures amid a financial crunch. The university eliminated 55 vacant positions and laid off 48 staff across campus, but has not publicly commented on the curators' terminations, which were confirmed via an internal message shared with ARTnews. Faculty members expressed surprise and frustration, saying they received no clear explanation beyond budget cuts, and it remains unclear who will handle future programming at the gallery.
The Philadelphia Art Museum is organizing a 2026 exhibition titled “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments,” centered on the famous Rocky Balboa statue that sits atop the museum's steps. Curated by Paul Farber, co-founder of Monument Lab, the show will feature over 150 works by more than 50 artists, spanning 2,000 years of artifacts, and explore the role of monuments in fine art, sports, and popular culture. The exhibition coincides with the 50th anniversary of the original Rocky film and includes works by Keith Haring, Rashid Johnson, Kara Walker, and Andy Warhol, among others.
The International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA) is expanding its annual print fair to include drawings dealers, rebranding as the International Fine Prints & Drawings Association. The 2026 edition, running April 9–12 at New York's Park Avenue Armory, will feature 77 exhibitors, including new drawings-focused member Sigrid Freundorfer Fine Art and returning dealers like Crown Point Press and Hauser & Wirth. The change follows a membership vote and legal restructuring, driven by record attendance of over 21,000 visitors at the 2025 fair and a 57% jump in VIP registrations, fueled by Gen Z and millennial collectors.
The chairman of Abu Dhabi's department of cultural tourism, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, revealed at a recent briefing that the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, designed by Frank Gehry and set to open in 2026 on Saadiyat Island, will feature Western masters like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Andy Warhol alongside lesser-known contemporary artists from Asia, Africa, and the Arab world. The museum, originally announced two decades ago and delayed multiple times, will also incorporate augmented reality and artificial intelligence to enhance visitor engagement, and will include music, food, and dance as part of its civic space concept.
Art Basel Hong Kong has announced its exhibitor list for the 2026 edition, featuring 240 galleries from 42 countries and territories, nearly matching last year's 242. The fair runs March 27–29 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, with preview days on March 25–26. There are 32 first-time exhibitors from regions including Australia, Japan, Turkey, France, Germany, and the US, while 33 galleries from the previous edition will not return due to closures, acquisitions, or non-participation. New sectors include Echoes, showcasing works created in the last five years, and the Encounters sector will be curated by a team led by Mami Kataoka. Pakistani-American artist Shahzia Sikander will create a public artwork for the M+ Museum facade, co-commissioned by Art Basel and M+ with UBS support.
Art Basel Hong Kong has announced its exhibitor list for the 2026 edition, featuring 240 galleries from 42 countries and territories, roughly the same size as last year's 242 galleries. The fair runs March 27–29 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, with preview days on March 25–26. New additions include 32 first-time exhibitors from Australia, Japan, Turkey, France, Germany, and the US, while 33 galleries from the previous edition are absent—some due to closures (Blum, Clearing, Kasmin) or acquisitions (Millan bought by Almeida & Dale). A new sector called Echoes will showcase works created in the last five years, and the Encounters sector will be curated by a team led by Mami Kataoka. Media artist Ellen Pau will oversee the film program for the first time, and Shahzia Sikander has been commissioned to create a public artwork for the M+ Museum facade.
The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., plans to auction major works by Georgia O'Keeffe, Arthur Dove, and Georges Seurat at Sotheby's New York on November 20, sparking controversy. Director Jonathan Binstock says proceeds will support commissions from living artists and new acquisitions, but the decision has drawn intense opposition from longtime supporters and museum members. A last-minute agreement allows the sale to proceed while imposing tighter limits on future deaccessioning. Separately, the Vatican has returned 62 artifacts from its Anima Mundi ethnographic collection to Indigenous peoples in Canada, including an Inuit kayak, as part of ongoing reconciliation efforts.
The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, plans to auction major works by Georgia O'Keeffe, Arthur Dove, and Georges Seurat at Sotheby's New York on November 20, sparking controversy. Director Jonathan Binstock says proceeds will support commissions from living artists, new acquisitions, and care of the permanent collection, but longtime supporters and museum members oppose the sale. A last-minute agreement allows the sale to proceed while imposing tighter limits on future deaccessioning. Separately, the Vatican has returned 62 artifacts from its Anima Mundi ethnographic collection to Indigenous peoples in Canada, marking a significant step in the Catholic Church's efforts to confront its historical role in suppressing Indigenous cultures. The artifacts, including an Inuit kayak, will be delivered to Indigenous communities via the Canadian Museum of History.
Christie’s opened New York’s fall marquee auctions with a $690 million evening sale across 79 lots, surpassing the pre-sale low estimate of $534.7 million. The doubleheader included the Robert and Patricia Ross Weis collection, featuring works by Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian, and Rothko, followed by a 20th-century sale. The auction achieved a 97% sell-through rate by value and a 96% by lot, marking a 41% increase from May’s auctions. Separately, Sperone Westwater gallery announced it will close after 50 years, and Art Basel Hong Kong revealed details for its 2026 edition featuring 240 galleries.
Christie’s opened New York’s fall marquee auctions with a $690 million evening sale across 79 lots, surpassing the pre-sale low estimate of $534.7 million. The doubleheader included the Robert and Patricia Ross Weis collection and a 20th-century sale, with works by Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian, Rothko, and others. The sell-through rate was 97% by value and 96% by lot, marking a 41% increase from May’s auctions. Separately, Sperone Westwater, a New York gallery that championed artists like Bruce Nauman and Francesco Clemente, announced it will close after 50 years. Art Basel Hong Kong also revealed its 2026 edition will feature 240 galleries from 42 countries.
Sperone Westwater, a pioneering New York gallery that launched artists like Bruce Nauman, Richard Long, and Francesco Clemente, will close on December 31 after 50 years. Co-founders Angela Westwater and Gian Enzo Sperone are pursuing separate endeavors. The gallery’s final show is a current exhibition for Long, and it will still participate in Art Basel Miami Beach next month. Founded in 1975 in SoHo, the gallery was known for championing Neo-Expressionism and transavanguardia, and later diversified its roster with artists like Joana Choumali and Gamaliel Rodriguez. Its eight-story Bowery building, designed by Norman Foster, faces an uncertain future.
Sperone Westwater, a pioneering New York gallery that launched artists like Bruce Nauman, Richard Long, and Francesco Clemente, will close on December 31 after 50 years. Co-founders Angela Westwater and Gian Enzo Sperone are pursuing separate endeavors. The gallery's final show is a current exhibition for Long, and it will still participate in Art Basel Miami Beach next month. Founded in 1975 in SoHo, the gallery was known for championing Neo-Expressionism and transavanguardia, and later diversified its roster with artists like Joana Choumali and Gamaliel Rodriguez. Its eight-story Bowery building, designed by Norman Foster, faces an uncertain future.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute announced its spring 2026 blockbuster exhibition, "Costume Art," which will explore the relationship between fashion and the dressed body across visual art history. Curator Andrew Bolton explained that the show aims to correct the long-held belief that fashion must be disembodied to be considered art. The exhibition will inaugurate the new 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast galleries and will pair historical and contemporary garments with paintings, drawings, and objects spanning 5,000 years from the Met's other curatorial departments.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced its spring 2026 Costume Institute exhibition, titled "Costume Art," which will explore the relationship between fashion and the dressed body within the context of visual art history. Curator Andrew Bolton explained that the show aims to correct the longstanding tendency to separate fashion from the body in order to elevate it to art. The exhibition will inaugurate the new 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast galleries and will pair historical and contemporary garments with paintings, drawings, and objects from across the museum's 16 curatorial departments, spanning 5,000 years.
Jenny Saville will have her first solo exhibition in Venice at the International Gallery of Modern Art at Ca’ Pesaro, running from March 28 to November 22, 2026, coinciding with the 2026 Venice Biennale. The show, supported by Gagosian, will feature 30 paintings curated by Elisabetta Barisoni. Separately, former Sotheby’s CEO Tad Smith expressed optimism about blockchain art ahead of Robert Alice’s NFT sale at Sotheby’s New York, and Ed Ruscha created a limited-edition chocolate bar shaped like California’s Central Valley. Other news includes the upcoming auction of Kirk Hammett’s Frank Frazetta painting and the closure of San Francisco’s Rena Bransten Gallery.
The International Gallery of Modern Art at Ca’ Pesaro in Venice will host a major solo exhibition of works by British painter Jenny Saville in 2026, coinciding with the Venice Biennale. The show, curated by Elisabetta Barisoni, will run from March 28 to November 22 and feature around 30 paintings spanning Saville's career from the 1990s to the present, including a new series inspired by Venice. Mega-gallery Gagosian, which represents Saville, is supporting the exhibition.
London-based gallery White Cube has announced representation of German artist Katharina Grosse, with her first exhibition scheduled for April 2026 at its Bermondsey space. The gallery will also feature a new painting by Grosse at Art Basel Miami Beach next month. Grosse will continue to share representation with Gagosian, Galerie Max Hetzler, and Galerie nächst St. Stephan. White Cube founder Jay Jopling, who first worked with Grosse in 2002, expressed admiration for her evolving practice.