Brush to canvas: News from the art community

The St. Petersburg and Gulfport art scenes are preparing for a busy spring season with several major installations and exhibition openings. Highlights include the unveiling of Yvette Mayorga’s 30-foot kinetic sculpture, "The Magic Grasshopper," at the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg, and the 10th anniversary of the "Fresh Squeezed" emerging artist exhibition at the Morean Art Center. Other notable events include Ali Banisadr’s solo show at the MFA, an environmentally-themed group exhibition at Soft Water Gallery, and a unique video game installation exploring Native Alaskan culture at the James Museum.

Peter Saul’s New Show Is a Lesson in ‘Art History'

Veteran American artist Peter Saul has debuted a solo exhibition at Gladstone Gallery in New York, marking his first show since joining the gallery last year. Titled "Peter Saul’s Art History," the exhibition features 20 works—both new and historic—that reinterpret iconic masterpieces by 20th-century titans such as Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, and Willem de Kooning. A centerpiece of the show is the 1973 painting "Little Guernica ‘Liddul Guernica’," which is being publicly displayed for the first time in four decades.

Ken Gun Min’s explosively colourful, densely layered work is showing in LA

Korean-born, Los Angeles-based artist Ken Gun Min is set to debut his third solo exhibition, 'Strange Days of a Quiet Sun,' at Nazarian/Curcio in Los Angeles. The showcase features a new body of work including a monumental double-sided folding screen and paintings that utilize Min's signature technique of combining embroidery, beading, and hand-applied materials with traditional pigments. The exhibition explores themes of sadness and estrangement through the astronomical metaphor of a 'quiet sun,' blending Western art history with East Asian traditions.

Ai Weiwei's first solo show in India features a Pichwai in his iconic toy-brick style

Globally renowned conceptual artist Ai Weiwei has opened his first solo exhibition in India at the Nature Morte gallery in New Delhi. The show, presented in collaboration with Galleria Continua, features his iconic toy-brick canvases, including new commissions inspired by Indian modernist painters like Raza and Gaitonde, and a unique LEGO-brick interpretation of a traditional Pichwai painting. Other works address themes of migration, history, and censorship through mediums like Neolithic stone axes, porcelain urns, and repurposed furniture.

Master Drawings New York marks 20th anniversary as both fair and market expand

Master Drawings New York (MDNY) marks its 20th edition this month, founded in 2006 by London dealers Crispian Riley-Smith and Margot Gordon and acquired in 2023 by dealer Christopher Bishop. The fair focuses on works on paper from the 15th century to today, also including painting, sculpture, and photography. This year features 36 dealers across two dozen Upper East Side gallery spaces, with ten new exhibitors from Europe, making it the most geographically diverse edition yet. Programming includes a highlights catalogue of 20 important works sold during previous editions that ended up in major collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Getty.

Gone too soon: A posthumous retrospective of the late Noah Davis at the Philadelphia Art Museum

The Philadelphia Art Museum (PAM) has opened "Noah Davis," the first solo retrospective of the late Los Angeles–based painter, who died at age 32 from a rare cancer. Davis's career spanned only six years, beginning with his first solo show at Tilton Gallery in New York in 2009. The exhibition, which originated at the Barbican in London, is the fourth and final stop of an international tour and the only North American venue. It features Davis's large-scale, abstract figurative paintings of Black life, including works like "You Are..." (2012) and "Untitled" (2015), and highlights his use of chemical solvents to degrade paint surfaces. The show also explores his role as founder of the Underground Museum in Arlington Heights, Los Angeles, a community-focused space where he once displayed fakes as "Imitations of Wealth."

Ai Weiwei’s first India solo exhibition to open in New Delhi

Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei will open his first solo exhibition in India this week at Nature Morte gallery in New Delhi, running from 15 January to 22 February. The untitled show spans four decades of his career, featuring large-scale Lego works based on famous artworks (including versions of Hokusai's 'Surfing' and Monet's 'Water Lilies'), new Lego pieces inspired by Indian Pichwai paintings and homages to modernist painters V.S. Gaitonde and S.H. Raza, plus installations such as 'Whitewashed Remnants of History of the State of Emerging Future Works' and 'F.U.C.K.' (2024). All works are for sale, with several pre-sold; the exhibition is a collaboration between Nature Morte and Galleria Continua.

In pictures: a season for newcomers at Art Basel Miami Beach’s Meridians

Yasmil Raymond returns for her second year as curator of Art Basel Miami Beach’s Meridians sector, focusing on showcasing a more diverse group of artists and providing opportunities for newcomers. She highlights several works, including Huang Yong Ping’s political sculpture referencing a US spy plane incident, Stephanie Syjuco’s critique of Western culture through a photography-studio installation, Ward Shelley’s post-truth library, Jesús Rafael Soto’s immersive Pénétrable, Luisa Rabbia’s feminist reimagining of a labor strike painting, and Anne Samat’s woven family portrait made from thrift-store objects.

Art Basel Miami Beach Diary: big feet, big muscles and big voices descend on Miami

Art Basel Miami Beach 2024 has kicked off with a series of high-energy events, including a Japanese women's wrestling match at the Miami Beach Bandshell featuring the Sukeban league, where Ichigo Sayaka was crowned victor with a belt designed by Marc Newson. The fair also features a performance by Diana Ross at Alex Prager's Mirage Factory launch, a set by rapper 2 Chainz at Soho Beach House, and notable artworks such as Sadao Hasegawa's erotic paintings at Garth Greenan's stand and Pat Oleszko's 13ft-tall inflatable 'Big Foots' at the David Peter Francis stand.

A Husain horse painting, a portrait of Max Ernst’s soulful dog, and a Fini cat mask: our pick of the September auctions and fairs

The article highlights several notable artworks heading to auction and art fairs in September 2024. These include M.F. Husain's "Untitled (Horses)" (1971) at Christie's New York, estimated at $100,000–$150,000, following a record-breaking sale of another Husain work earlier this year. Also featured are Leonor Fini's embroidered cat mask (around 1960) at Weinstein Gallery during Independent 20th Century in New York, Dorothea Tanning's "Katchina and Her Soul" (1951) at Sotheby's London, and Alberto Giacometti's "Small Head of Elsa Schiaparelli" (around 1935) at FAB Paris.

Timely rediscoveries await at Independent 20th Century

The fourth edition of Independent 20th Century fair takes place at Casa Cipriani from September 4-7, featuring 31 exhibitors and works by around 40 overlooked 20th-century artists. Highlights include solo presentations of visionaries like Gertrude Greene, Jacci Den Hartog, and Judy Pfaff, alongside lesser-known works by icons such as Pablo Picasso and Edvard Munch. New exhibitors like Mariposa Gallery (devoted to queer icon Peter Berlin) and established names like Gmurzynska (showcasing Dan Basen) join the fair, which emphasizes self-taught artists and politically poignant themes.

Find UW alumni at art exhibits across Seattle (and beyond) this fall

This fall, the University of Washington (UW) is promoting a series of visual arts exhibitions featuring its alumni and faculty across Seattle and beyond. Notable shows include Carly Sheehan's "Call Me Superstitious" at Specialist Gallery (July 3–Aug. 17), Caryn Friedlander's "When Water Becomes Light" at ArtX Contemporary (Aug. 7–Sept. 20), Mary Ann Peters' "myself inside your story" at Whatcom Museum (Aug. 16–Jan. 25, 2026), and Whiting Tennis' "Refuge" at Greg Kucera Gallery (Sept. 4–Nov. 1). Each artist draws on personal history, cultural heritage, and experimental techniques such as shibori dyeing and mixed-media sculpture.

A hundred years on, Cork Street is the beating heart of London’s art scene once more

Cork Street in London's Mayfair district, a historic hub for commercial art, is celebrating its centenary with a collaborative group show involving 15 galleries. The exhibition is inspired by a controversial 1938 Jean Cocteau work, "La peur donnant des ailes au courage," which was deemed obscene by British authorities and only shown in a back office at Peggy Guggenheim's gallery, Guggenheim Jeune, after her petitions. Participating galleries include Stephen Friedman Gallery, Alon Zakaim Fine Art, and Goodman Gallery, with works by artists like Caroline Coon, Shirin Neshat, and others, curated by Tarini Malik.

Contemporary art auction of Greek and international artworks

Kapopoulos Auction House will hold a live auction of over 80 works by Greek and international artists at Kapopoulos Fine Arts gallery in Nicosia, Cyprus, on Wednesday, May 28 at 19:00. The auction features works by artists such as Alecos Fassianos, Angelos Panayiotou, Opy Zouni, Mr. Brainwash, Costas Andreou, and Spyros Vassiliou, with starting prices set at unusually low levels. Preview days run from May 26 to May 28, and written offers are also accepted.

NYC Public Schools Teacher Art Show: The Art of the Educator

MoMA's Young Learners team, in collaboration with the New York City Art Teachers Association/United Federation of Teachers (NYCATA/UFT), is presenting "The Art of the Educator" at the Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Education and Research Building. The exhibition celebrates the artistic talents of NYC public school teachers, showcasing how their personal art practice enriches their teaching. Organized by David Rios and Larissa Raphael, the show features works selected by a panel including Jackie Cruz, Albert Justiniano, Lisa Kaplan, and Jacob Rhodes.

"Geschichtspolitisch fatal und realitätsblind"

A German media roundup reports on a planned restructuring of the Stiftung Flucht, Vertreibung, Versöhnung (Foundation Flight, Expulsion, Reconciliation), which would shift its focus toward German expellees and reduce the influence of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. The reform, criticized by FAZ commentator Andreas Kilb as a fundamental cultural-political intervention, would detach the foundation from the German Historical Museum and give greater weight to the Federation of Expellees in its board. Separately, the roundup covers a review of a legal study on artistic freedom sparked by the antisemitism debate around Documenta Fifteen, and a speech by Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer warning of democratic backsliding and rising antisemitism.

Brooklyn Museum Plans $13 Million Overhaul for New African Art Galleries

The Brooklyn Museum has announced a $13 million renovation project to create new Arts of Africa galleries, set to open in Fall 2027. The 6,400-square-foot space on the museum's third floor will display 300 works from its 4,500-piece collection, spanning from antiquity to the present day. The project, led by architectural firm Peterson Rich Office, will repurpose latent storage space and reconnect galleries architecturally.

Wen Wu: The Body Thinks in Colour

Wen Wu's exhibition "The Body Thinks in Colour" opens at Paul Smith's Westbourne House in Notting Hill, London, running from 14 May to 28 September 2026. Curated by Virginia Damtsa and Katie Heller, the show presents Wu's paintings that explore the body as a site of consciousness, memory, and emotional intelligence, using gesture and color to create psychological space within a fashion retail environment.

Former Sotheby's chairman recounts the birth of the London art market as we know it

James Stourton, former chairman of Sotheby's UK, has written a book titled "Rogues and Scholars" that chronicles the rise of London's art market after World War II. The article highlights key moments such as Sotheby's 1958 sale of the Goldschmidt collection of Impressionist art, which transformed auctions into glamorous evening events, and the introduction of the buyer's premium in 1975, which Stourton calls "the Big Bang of the art world." It also profiles influential dealers and galleries like Marlborough Gallery, Robert Fraser, Christopher Gibbs, and Robin Symes who shaped global tastes from London.

"Gesundheitseffekt der Künste auf biologischer Ebene"

A roundup of art news covers multiple stories: Stefan Trinks criticizes Berlin's 'MuseumsMeileMitte' as a symptom of urban and cultural misdevelopment, where museums are co-opted by real estate marketing. At the Venice Biennale, the German Pavilion by Henrike Naumann and Sung Tieu explores East German identity and post-reunification trauma, while Patti Smith performed a 'sonic prayer' at the Vatican Pavilion curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers. A study from University College London suggests regular arts engagement may slow biological aging.

What We Throw Away Does Not Disappear

Was wir wegwerfen, verschwindet nicht

The Museum Ostwall at the Dortmunder U in Dortmund has opened a new exhibition titled "Müll – die globalen Wege des Abfalls" ("Waste – The Global Paths of Garbage"), curated by Christina Danick and Michael Griff. Featuring around 50 international artworks from the 20th and 21st centuries, including two newly commissioned pieces, the show uses art to explore waste as material, motif, and aesthetic strategy. Key works include Kader Attia's "Los de Arriba y Los de Abajo," which addresses power imbalances through the lens of garbage in Hebron, and historical pieces by César Baldaccini, Arman, and HA Schult. The exhibition also highlights contemporary issues such as e-waste, global waste trafficking, and the environmental impact of industrial nations on the Global South.

Queer Saints, Big Egos

Queere Heilige, große Egos

Andrew Durbin's new biography examines the intertwined lives of artists Peter Hujar and Paul Thek, focusing on their art, desire, and self-staging. The review notes that while the book covers their creative circles—including figures like David Wojnarowicz, Divine, John Waters, and Susan Sontag—it loses sight of the urgent political and social context that animated their work, particularly the AIDS crisis and Reagan-era repression.

Valie Export en 2 minutes

Valie Export (1940–2026), the Austrian avant-garde artist known for radical feminist body art and video, has died at age 85. Born Waltraud Lehner in Linz, she studied design in Vienna before adopting her iconic pseudonym from a Canadian cigarette brand in 1967. Export rose to prominence with her 1969 performance *Genitalpanik*, which critiqued the male gaze and women's societal roles. She became a key figure in body art alongside the Vienna Actionists, later expanding into film and photography. Her first feature *Unsichtbare Gegner* (1976) screened at the Berlinale, and she won the Golden Bear in 1985 for *Die Praxis der Liebe*. She taught in Cologne from 1995 and participated in Documenta 6.

Major new Jean-Michel Basquiat collector’s book, priced at $1,400, released from Assouline.

Assouline has released a new collector's book titled "Basquiat: The World of Jean-Michel," a 348-page volume featuring over 200 artworks and archival photographs of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Priced at $1,400, the book is part of the publisher's Ultimate Collection of large-format, hand-bound volumes, and is organized thematically into six chapters covering Basquiat's depictions of heads, New York City's influence on his work, his use of silkscreens, and spiritual themes.

Jay Heikes, J. Parker Valentine at David Petersen Gallery

David Petersen Gallery in Minneapolis is presenting a two-person exhibition featuring artists Jay Heikes and J. Parker Valentine, titled "Salvador Dalí’s Birthday Party." The show runs from March 6 to April 26, 2026, and is documented with 40 installation images.

Venice Biennale’s Visitor Lions Face Artist Boycott

Gallery of Peter Zumthor’s LACMA David Geffen Galleries Open in Los Angeles - 4

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has opened its new David Geffen Galleries, a major building designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor. The structure, which replaces four older buildings on the museum's campus, is a single-story, concrete-and-glass pavilion spanning Wilshire Boulevard, designed to create a more unified and accessible visitor experience.

Would you sit on this? Australian designers take on the humble chair – in pictures

For the 10th edition of Melbourne Design Week, over 100 chairs by Australian designers are on display in an exhibition titled '100 Chairs', curated by Friends & Associates. Selected from an open call, each chair had to be made in Australia and functional for sitting. The designs range from traditional timber dining chairs to experimental pieces, including a chair that transforms into a table, a horse-shaped chair, and one with a satanic theme. The exhibition is held at South Magdalen Laundry, Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne until 24 May 2026.

From men on dog leads to public breast-fondling, Valie Export’s art demanded a total feminist revolution

Valie Export, the pioneering Austrian feminist artist known for her provocative and confrontational performances from the 1960s onward, is the subject of a reflective essay by writer and academic Hettie Judah. The article revisits Export's radical works such as *Hyperbulia* (1973), where she crawled naked through electrified wires; *From the Portfolio of Doggedness* (1968), in which she led a man on a dog lead through Vienna; and *Action Pants: Genital Panic* (1969), where she walked through a cinema with exposed genitals. Judah draws on her own interviews with Export, who died in 2023, and discusses the artist's manifesto demanding that women use art to reshape consciousness and achieve liberation.

‘It takes an entire museum to do it justice’: the Smithsonian celebrates America in 250 objects

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington DC is marking the 250th anniversary of US independence with a major exhibition titled "In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness," opening on 14 May. The show displays 250 objects spanning all three floors of the museum, ranging from a Revolutionary War-era gunboat (the Philadelphia) to a Donald Trump "Make America great again" hat. Seventy-six rarely seen objects are concentrated in entry hall cases, while the rest are embedded throughout existing galleries, connected by a "ribbon" design. Director Anthea Hartig frames the exhibition as a commemoration of moments where individuals and communities fought for recognition and identity, pairing each object with an action verb to emphasize democracy as participatory.