Beyond the Sagrada Família: These 6 Surprising Places in Barcelona Reveal a Lesser-Known Gaudí

Au-delà de la Sagrada Família, ces 6 lieux étonnants à Barcelone qui révèlent un Gaudí méconnu

Beaux Arts Magazine highlights six lesser-known architectural works by Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona, beyond his famous Sagrada Família. The article features Casa Vicens (1883–1885), his first private commission; Torre Bellesguard (1900–1909), a medieval-inspired tower with panoramic views; Casa Calvet (1897), a residential building with textile-themed details; and the Finca Güell and Palau Güell, experimental projects for his patron Eusebi Güell. These sites showcase Gaudí's organic style, fusion of nature and architecture, and influences from Japanese, Arabic, and Catalan Gothic traditions, with several recently opened to the public.

US-Israel Strikes Damage 17th-Century Chehel Sotoun Palace In Isfahan, Iran

Airstrikes conducted by the United States and Israel on Isfahan, Iran, have caused significant damage to the 17th-century Chehel Sotoun Palace and several other nearby cultural landmarks. The palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, suffered shattered windows, damaged vaulted ceilings, and cracked historic murals, likely due to shock waves from strikes on a nearby government building.

‘It’s a world heritage site, but it’s my home’: the last resident of Casa Milà on life in Gaudí’s masterwork

Ana Viladomiu, a 70-year-old writer, is the last remaining tenant of Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Milà (La Pedrera) in Barcelona, a UNESCO World Heritage site that receives about a million visitors annually. She has lived in the luminous apartment since 1988, originally moving in with her then-husband Fernando Amat, owner of the iconic design store Vinçon. Viladomiu holds a rare renta antigua (fixed-rent contract) that allows her to stay until she or Amat dies, after which the not-for-profit foundation managing the building will take ownership. The rest of the building now houses offices and cultural event spaces.

‘It has become a symbol of hope’: the epic journey of Ukraine’s origami deer to the Venice biennale

Ukrainian artist Zhanna Kadyrova's concrete origami deer sculpture, originally installed in Pokrovsk in 2018, has been evacuated from the war-torn Donetsk region and transported across Europe to become the centerpiece of Ukraine's national pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale. The sculpture, which replaced a Soviet fighter-bomber monument in a local park, was rescued in August 2024 by co-curator Leonid Marushchak amid intensifying Russian attacks, with the help of city authorities and museum staff.

pope francis art artists

Artnet News has compiled a selection of artworks created in anticipation of Pope Francis's first visit to the United States. The works include Anthony VanArsdale's portrait for the North American College in Rome, a new addition to the 'Franks' mural at Philadelphia's Dirty Franks bar, a massive photo-realistic mural by Van Hecht-Nielsen overlooking Madison Square Garden in New York, a large-scale mural by Caesar Viveros for the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, and a controversial, officially licensed portrait by Perry Milou. Other featured pieces include an illustration by Omkar Shivaprasad and a vandalized mural in Bolivia by William Luna and Guillermo Rodriguez.

casa batllo contemporary gaudi barcelona

Casa Batlló, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Barcelona designed by Antoni Gaudí, has opened a new exhibition space called Casa Batlló Contemporary dedicated to contemporary art. The program launched with a show by United Visual Artists (UVA), a London-based collective founded by Matt Clark, running from January 31 to May 17. The space, located on the second floor and restored by architecture studio Mesura, will host two annual exhibitions. This initiative expands on Casa Batlló’s existing "Mapping" series, which commissions artists to project audiovisual works onto Gaudí’s façade.

roman basilica fano vitruvius

Archaeologists in Fano, Italy, have unearthed the remains of a 2,000-year-old Roman basilica during redevelopment work on Piazza Andrea Costa. The rectangular structure, bordered by eight columns on the long side and four on the shorter sides, matches the precise measurements and layout described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book V of his treatise *De Architectura*. This is the first time a physical building has been attributed to Vitruvius, whose writings have long been studied but whose structures had never before been found.

tuan andrew nguyen 2026 high line plinth commission

The High Line in New York has selected Vietnamese artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen to create its next plinth commission, titled *The Light That Shines Through the Universe*, opening spring 2026. The 27-foot sandstone sculpture reimagines one of the Bamiyan Buddhas, destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, replacing the lost hands with melted brass artillery shells. The work is an "echo" meant to invoke memory of the lost cultural treasures.

manar abu dhabi

The second edition of Manar Abu Dhabi has launched under the theme “The Light Compass,” featuring 22 site-specific light-based installations across Abu Dhabi and Al Ain through January 4, 2026. Organized by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, the exhibition includes works by Emirati and international artists such as Pamela Poh, DRIFT, Shaikha Al Mazrou, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, and KAWS, with venues spanning Jubail Island, Al Jimi and Al Qattara oases, and Mina Zayed. A parallel performance program and educational lectures accompany the installations.

kaws drift rafael lozano hemmer artists participating abu dhabis public light art exhibition

Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism has organized the second edition of its public light art event, titled “The Light Compass,” for the 2025-26 season. Curated by a four-person team led by artistic director Khai Hori, the event features 15 installations by international and Emirati artists, including DRIFT, KAWS, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Shaikha Al Mazrou, Ammar Al Attar, and Christian Brinkmann. Works are displayed across multiple sites: Jubail Island and Souq Al Mina in Abu Dhabi, and Al Qattara Oasis and Al Jimi Oasis in Al Ain, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Highlights include DRIFT’s biometric dome and drone show, KAWS’s giant “Companion” figure holding a glowing orb, and site-specific pieces by Lozano-Hemmer and others.

casa batllo restores back facade courtyard

Casa Batlló, Antoni Gaudí’s iconic Barcelona landmark, has completed a €3.5 million ($4 million) restoration of its long-neglected back façade and courtyard. The project involved stratigraphic paint analysis to uncover original colors—revealing that the now-cream stucco was once deep gray and the windows originally green—along with restoration of trencadís mosaics, ironwork, wooden elements, and an 85,000-piece Nolla mosaic. The courtyard’s custom planters and parabola-shaped pergola were also rebuilt, returning the rear of the house to Gaudí’s original vision for the first time in over a century.

frank lloyd wright hollyhock house facing closure city cuts

Hollyhock House, Frank Lloyd Wright's Los Angeles masterpiece, faced potential closure after Mayor Karen Bass proposed a budget on April 21 that cut $283,000 in city funding and eliminated three of four staff positions, threatening its operations and UNESCO status. The Department of Cultural Affairs warned the cuts would make the property inoperable, but after advocacy from the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy and others, Bass fully restored funding, allowing the house to retain its two full-time staff and UNESCO designation.

Susanne Wenger “Àdùnní Olórìṣà” at HALLE FÜR KUNST Steiermark, Graz

The HALLE FÜR KUNST Steiermark in Graz is presenting "Àdùnní Olórìṣà," a major exhibition of Austrian-Nigerian artist Susanne Wenger. This marks a significant homecoming for Wenger's work, which has not been shown in depth in Austria for over two decades, and features her sculptures, paintings, drawings, prints, and batik textiles.

Venezia: Melissa McGill. Marea - Art Exhibition Contemporary art in Veneto

Artist Melissa McGill has announced "Marea," a large-scale public art intervention set to debut in Venice's Corte Nova during the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026. The project features approximately 100 paintings created on bedsheets, which will be hung from traditional laundry lines spanning the historic street. Developed in collaboration with local residents and students from Università Iuav di Venezia, the installation uses shades of blue and green to mirror the Venetian Lagoon and celebrate the city's enduring community spirit.

High Museum shines a light on an artist who protested, ‘I am not a designer’

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta has launched a major retrospective titled “Isamu Noguchi: ‘I am not a designer,’” exploring the prolific career of the Japanese-American artist. Curated by Monica Obniski, the exhibition features over 200 objects including sculptures, stage sets, furniture, and architectural models. A central highlight is the connection to Atlanta’s own Piedmont Park, which houses "Playscapes," the only artist-designed playground Noguchi completed in the United States, currently celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery Opens, Bolstering Penang’s Role As International Arts Hub

The Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery officially opened in George Town, Penang, on December 14, with a ceremony officiated by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and attended by former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin. Founded by 80-year-old artist and professor Lin Xiang Xiong, the eight-story, RM100 million gallery houses over 1,000 artworks and features a special inaugural exhibition titled "Picasso and Lin Xiang Xiong: A Dialogue Across Time." The gallery also hosted the Art for Peace International High-Level Art Forum, gathering leaders from UNESCO, France, Brazil, Japan, China, and Malaysia.

Casa Batlló to open second-floor contemporary art gallery

Casa Batlló in Barcelona will open its second floor as a contemporary art gallery starting January 2026. The space, previously used as apartments, offices, and a maintenance workshop, has been redesigned by Barcelona-based studio Mesura with a curved metal ceiling echoing Gaudí’s forms, while preserving original woodwork and stained glass. The gallery extends the Casa Batlló Contemporary program, which commissions artists for two exhibitions per year, accessible with general admission or a standalone ticket.

museums in tehran and tel aviv move to safeguard their collections

Iran and Israel have taken urgent steps to protect their cultural heritage amid escalating military hostilities, including air strikes on Tehran and Tel Aviv. Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization transferred museum artifacts to secure storage and closed all museums and heritage sites, with deputy minister Ali Darabi directing custodians to follow crisis protocols. Israeli institutions, including the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, removed artworks from display to underground facilities and closed indefinitely, following Iran's retaliatory strikes on Tel Aviv.

Museum Moves 24 – 30 April 2026

This article is a weekly roundup of museum news from 24–30 April 2026, covering openings, closures, and exhibitions across the UK. Highlights include the permanent closure of Blackpool's Tramtown museum due to structural unsafety, the reopening of Sibsey Trader Windmill after a five-year restoration, and several new exhibitions: 'Vennels: Perth’s Little Streets' at Perth Museum, 'The 90s: Art and Fashion' at Tate Britain, 'Regeneration' at Hull's Streetlife Museum, 'Inspiration' at Stockport Station, 'Our Story with David Attenborough' at Outernet London, and 'Lynn Chadwick at Houghton Hall' in Norfolk.

Isamu Noguchi was never a designer, affirms High Museum of Art, Atlanta

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta presents "Isamu Noguchi: 'I am not a designer'," the first design retrospective of the Japanese-American sculptor in 25 years. Co-curated by Monica Obniski and Marin R. Sullivan, the exhibition features nearly 200 objects, including sculptural models, furniture for Herman Miller and Knoll, Akari light fixtures, and large-scale installations like Martha Graham's stage set for "Seraphic Dialogue" (1955). The show challenges Noguchi's own resistance to categorization by framing his multidisciplinary practice—spanning sculpture, design, architecture, and public art—through a design lens.

Bruges inaugurates BRUSK art hall with major exhibitions and festival weekend

Bruges, Belgium, will open a new art gallery called BRUSK on May 8, 2026, designed by Robbrecht en Daem architecten. The launch features two major exhibitions: 'Latent City', a digital art experience by Turkish-American artist Refik Anadol (his first solo show in Belgium), and 'Bigger Picture. Connected worlds of Bruges 900-1550', a cultural-historical exhibition examining Bruges as a medieval metropolis. A three-day city festival, BRUSK FEST, will accompany the opening weekend with free performances, workshops, and music.

Best Exhibitions Starting in May 2026

Tokyo Art Beat has curated a selection of the best art exhibitions opening across Japan in May 2026, with a heavy concentration in Tokyo. Highlights include a retrospective of nihonga painter Kawai Gyokudō at the Yamatane Museum of Art, a Gaudí exhibition at 21_21 Design Sight, the third edition of the Tokyo Architecture Festival, a solo show of illustrator Mizumaru Anzai at Play! Museum, painter Yoko Matsumoto's first large-scale museum solo at Fuchu Art Museum, a Hiroko Koshino retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, a Van Gogh exhibition at Ueno Royal Museum, and a qipao fashion history show at the Japan-China Friendship Center Art Museum.

Lima’s historic city centre to be restored after years of earthquake damage and abandonment

The Metropolitan Municipality of Lima has launched an ambitious revitalization project called Lima 2035 to restore the city's historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. Decades of neglect, earthquakes, and urban flight have left many buildings abandoned and damaged, particularly those made of adobe and quincha. The project, led by architect Luis Martín Bogdanovich Mendoza, involves over 500 professionals working since 2019 to rehabilitate the area, with completion timed for Lima's 500th birthday in 2035.

After reopening, Joslyn Art Museum breaks visitor records, earns national acclaim

The Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska, has broken visitor records and earned national acclaim in its first full year after reopening with a 42,000-square-foot addition. The new Rhonda & Howard Hawks Pavilion, designed by Snøhetta and Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture, opened in September 2024 and added 16,700 square feet of gallery space, 15,400 square feet of public gathering space, and new gardens. Through September 2025, the museum welcomed 159,420 visitors, on track to surpass 200,000—a milestone only reached a few times before, typically due to blockbuster traveling exhibitions like the Tutankhamun Treasures or Dead Sea Scrolls shows.

KAWS to take centre stage at second edition of Manar Abu Dhabi

The second edition of Manar Abu Dhabi, a public art initiative focused on light-based works, will launch on 1 November 2025, featuring 23 installations across four locations including Jubail Island and Al Ain. High-profile street artist KAWS will present a large-scale work showing his signature COMPANION figure reclining while lifting a lit moon. Other participating artists include Emirati sculptor Shaikha Al Mazrou, Dutch duo DRIFT, Maitha Hamdan, Ammar Al Attar, and Hamburg-based Christian Brinkmann, who will debut an interactive audio-visual piece called Floral Resonance.

Berlin Atonal, the first biennial rooted in music and sound, pushes the boundaries of what ‘art’ can mean

Berlin Atonal, recently recognized by the Biennial Foundation as the first biennial rooted in music and sound, defies conventional categories of festival and exhibition. Held in the decommissioned Kraftwerk power station, the event prioritizes sound as a central art form, with artists like Billy Bultheel, Anne Imhof, and Basma al-Sharif creating immersive, site-specific works. The festival sold out on Resident Advisor, reflecting growing demand for experimental sound in visual culture settings.

Magnum Photos agency’s first exhibition, lost for a half-century, to make its North American debut

The Image Centre in downtown Toronto will stage the North American debut of Magnum Photos' first-ever exhibition, originally titled 'Gesicht der Zeit' (Face of Time) and shown in Austria in 1955-56. The show, lost for half a century, was rediscovered in 2006 in the basement of the Institut Français in Innsbruck, Austria, along with its original poster and hanging instructions. It features 83 original gelatin-silver prints by legendary Magnum photographers including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, Inge Morath, Ernst Haas, and Marc Riboud. The exhibition will run concurrently with 'Chim’s Children of Europe,' a show devoted to Magnum co-founder David 'Chim' Seymour's 1949 Unesco project on postwar European children.

Avignon becomes artist Jean-Michel Othoniel's gallery in his biggest ever exhibition

French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel has mounted his largest-ever exhibition across the city of Avignon, installing 270 artworks—140 of them new—in 10 locations including the Palais des Papes, city museums, public courtyards, building facades, and the medieval St Bénezet bridge. The show, commissioned to mark Avignon’s 25th anniversary as European Capital of Culture and 30th year as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2025, took nearly six weeks to install and involved a team of hundreds, including glassblowers, metalworkers, gilders, and dancers. Othoniel took the 14th-century Italian poet Petrarch as his thematic starting point, exploring different facets of love across the venues.

Kew Gardens to host largest-ever open-air Henry Moore show

Kew Gardens in London will host the largest-ever open-air exhibition of Henry Moore's sculptures from May to September 2026, titled "Henry Moore: Monumental Nature." Thirty works, including major bronzes like "Large Two Forms" and "Oval with Points (1968-70)," will be displayed across the 320-acre Unesco World Heritage site, with additional pieces in the Temperate House. The Henry Moore Foundation is lending most works, while 90 more pieces—including prints and drawings—will be shown indoors at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery, with loans from Tate and the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts. Four sculptures will also be exhibited at Kew's Wakehurst botanic garden in Sussex alongside contemporary commissions.

Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art and Saudi Arabia strike deal to collaborate on exhibitions, conservation and more

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art (NMAA) has signed a partnership agreement with Saudi Arabia's Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) to collaborate on exhibitions, conservation, research, and staff exchanges. The deal, signed on May 14 by NMAA director Chase Robinson and RCU CEO Abeer AlAkel, focuses on the ancient site of Dadan, a capital of the Lihyanite and Dadanite civilizations. The partnership covers joint conservation and research projects, exhibition loans, and professional development over four years.