fondazione dries van noten opens with inaugural exhibition at palazzo pisani moretta, venice

Fondazione Dries Van Noten has opened at Palazzo Pisani Moretta in Venice with its inaugural exhibition, "The Only True Protest Is Beauty," running from April 25 to October 4, 2026. Curated by Dries Van Noten himself, the show features over 200 works across twenty rooms, blending fashion, art, design, ceramics, glass, and photography. Highlights include archival pieces by Christian Lacroix and Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons, alongside works by emerging and established artists such as Ayham Hassan, Peter Buggenhout, Ritsue Mishima, and Misha Kahn. The exhibition avoids a fixed curatorial logic, instead using instinctive juxtapositions to explore beauty as tension and disruption.

‘Quality always rules’: VIP day sales at Frieze London 2025

Frieze London 2025 opened with VIP day sales reflecting a cautious but resilient market. Gallerists reported solid sales, including Michael Landy's 'Multi-Saint' (2013) sold to the Walker Art Gallery for €125,000, and blue-chip works at Frieze Masters such as René Magritte's 'Le domaine enchanté' (1953) for $1.6m and Gabriele Münter's 'The Blue Garden' (1909) for SFr2.4m ($3m). Dealers noted a shift from speculative frenzy to more considered buying, with collectors taking longer to decide but still investing in quality works. The fair saw strong attendance, including wealthy individuals who had left London due to UK tax changes returning to buy.

Where to go this weekend?

Wohin am Wochenende?

This week's art tips from Monopol magazine highlight exhibitions and events across Germany and Europe. In Berlin, the Helmut Newton Museum reopens with a new immersive film space and a fresh presentation of its collection, while the Neue Nationalgalerie showcases Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's iconic painting "Potsdamer Platz" in the exhibition "Ruin und Rausch. Berlin 1910-1930." In Bozen, Chinese artist Evelyn Taocheng Wang presents new works at Museion, blending painting, textiles, and installation. The Art Brussels fair returns with a reduced lineup of 138 galleries, focusing on Belgian and neighboring markets. In Duisburg, Anish Kapoor receives the Wilhelm-Lehmbruck Prize, accompanied by a solo exhibition at the Lehmbruck Museum.

Mapping the Invisible: Saudi Arabia’s A Necessary Fiction Unfolds in Venice

A new exhibition titled "A Necessary Fiction: Maps, Art, and Models of Our World" has opened in Venice, presented by the Saudi Ministry of Culture in tandem with the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Held at the Abbazia di San Gregorio from 6 May to 22 November 2026, the show is curated by Sara Almutlaq and Aurora Fonda, with associate curators Zaira Carrer and Amina Diab. It features historical maps and contemporary artworks by artists including Wael Shawky, Nasser Al Salem, Matilde Sambo, Monira Al Qadiri, Shilpa Gupta, Reena Saini Kallat, Manal AlDowayan, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Ibrahim Mahama, Trevor Paglen, Eva & Franco Mattes, Giorgio Andreotta Calò, and Yoko Ono, exploring cartography as an imaginative and ideological act rather than a neutral science.

Radiohead singer Thom Yorke opens Venice exhibition with Stanley Donwood.

Radiohead singer Thom Yorke and artist Stanley Donwood have opened their first-ever exhibition outside the UK at Castello 2432 in Venice. Titled "No Go Elevator (Not Without No Keycard)," the show features new ink drawings and a large-scale painting created in London earlier this year, timed to the start of the 61st Venice Biennale. The exhibition runs through June 7.

billionaire art collector ken griffin us eroding brand

Billionaire art collector and Citadel CEO Ken Griffin stated that the United States is “eroding” its brand due to economic policy changes during President Donald Trump’s first 100 days. Speaking at Semafor’s World Economy Summit on April 23, Griffin warned that the reputation and creditworthiness of US Treasuries are at risk, citing recent tariff-driven sell-offs of government bonds. He expressed concern about policy volatility undermining the goal of reshoring manufacturing and noted that investors using the euro as a reference have lost 20% of their value in four weeks. Griffin also voiced support for DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk, which has recommended cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Sex Dreams, Piss Takes, and Fake Trends: A Week in the NY Art World With Domenick Ammirati

Domenick Ammirati returns to New York after a year-long writing residency in Siena and Provincetown to cover the spring art fairs, including Frieze New York 2026. He observes a notably calm art week, attributing the subdued atmosphere to the fair's proximity to the Venice Biennale, which left key players exhausted. Highlights include a Rei Kawakubo installation at Independent, Gucci's Cruise show in Times Square, and MoMA PS1's 50th anniversary gala, where he mingles with curator Jody Graf and spots Klaus Biesenbach.

Chloë Sevigny, Hari Nef, and Mickalene Thomas Just Partied at the Brooklyn Artists Ball

The Brooklyn Museum hosted its annual Brooklyn Artists Ball on Tuesday evening, serving as the opening celebration for the "Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses" exhibition. The event drew a crowd of artists, patrons, designers, and downtown figures, including event hosts Fabiola Beracasa Beckman, Sylvana Durrett, Jordan Roth, Lizzie Tisch, and Amanda Waldron; co-chairs Regina Aldisert, Megan Brodsky, Victoria Rogers, and Carla Shen; CULTURED Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson; designers Iris van Herpen and Wes Gordon; musicians Peggy Gou and Swizz Beatz; artists Mickalene Thomas, Keisha Scarville, Paul Arnhold, and Miles Greenberg; writer Derek Blasberg; and gallerist Saam Niami. Highlights included a special performance by dancers from the New York City Ballet in winged costumes, an afterparty with DJs Swizz Beatz and Runna, and a site-specific photo booth by artist Keisha Scarville.

How Artist Iréne Norén Used Painting to Reclaim Her Relationship to Her Body

Artist Iréne Norén, who began painting just three years ago after a personal crisis, is now mounting her first solo gallery show in New York. Titled "Reliquary of the Body: Returning to Eden," the exhibition opens at Harper’s Chelsea and explores themes of shame, self-acceptance, and the female body, drawing on Catholic art historical imagery and Renaissance altarpiece structures. Norén started painting after an abortion while living in New York without a work visa, using art as a tool for emotional expression and confidence.

Fred Tomaselli Turns Newspaper Headlines Into Mulch at His New Show at James Cohan

Fred Tomaselli presents his new exhibition “Blooms Disrupted,” opening May 15 at James Cohan’s 48 Walker Street location in New York. The show features his signature densely layered resin paintings embedded with organic matter like leaves and pharmaceutical pills, alongside a new series of collages constructed from New York Times front pages. The anchor piece, *Month of August (evening)*, combines a geometric spiral of headlines with a photographic Mexican sunflower, while other works reference art-historical gardens such as Frederic Edwin Church’s estate. Tomaselli, a Brooklyn-based artist born in 1956, uses the garden as both subject and metaphor throughout the exhibition.

art georg baselitz artist venice death

Georg Baselitz, the influential German painter known for his inverted, upside-down artworks, has died at age 88 on April 30. The news was announced by his longtime gallery, Thaddaeus Ropac, via an obituary written by Robert Isaf. Baselitz gave his final spoken interview weeks before his death, discussing his upcoming exhibition “Eroi d’Oro [Heroes of Gold]” at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice, which opened May 6. The show features monumental gold-primed canvases with inverted portraits of himself and his wife Elke, which he described as a summary of his career and a reflection on art history.

art best new york show reviews

The article presents a speed round of one-sentence reviews for current art exhibitions in New York's Chelsea and West Village neighborhoods, curated by the Critics' Table. Featured shows include Édouard Vuillard's "Early Interiors" at Skarstedt, Ralph Lemon's "From Out of Space" at Paula Cooper, "Art (by) Dealers" at White Columns, Nicola Tyson's "NEED" at Petzel, Anne Truitt's "Waterleaf" at Matthew Marks, Paul Chan's "Automa Mon Amour" at Greene Naftali, and a Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition at Gladstone, all running through April 2025.

art cynthia hawkins painter black abstraction

Cynthia Hawkins, a 76-year-old Black abstract painter, discusses her latest work and career in an interview with Cultured. She describes her ongoing "Maps Necessary for a Walk in 4D" series, which began in 1979, and her current exploration of a new iteration called "Fielding Space" or "Maps Fielding Space." Hawkins will be featured in the upcoming "Hard Art" exhibition at MoMA PS1 opening November 5, which places her work alongside over 40 other Black abstract artists including Sam Gilliam and Carolyn Lazard. She reflects on her early art experiences, from learning to draw Mickey Mouse with her father to rejecting paint-by-numbers, and her enduring fascination with color, particularly orange and yellow.

art gordon veneklasen sigmar polke

Art dealer Gordon VeneKlasen, former longtime partner of Michael Werner, launched his own gallery at the start of 2025. The new VeneKlasen Gallery made its art fair debut at the inaugural Art Basel Qatar in Doha and will open twin shows of the late German artist Sigmar Polke at its New York and London spaces on March 3 and 12, respectively. In an interview, VeneKlasen discusses his career trajectory, from studying art history and working at the Ashmolean Museum to a stint with the U.S. Census Bureau, before joining Michael Werner and eventually striking out on his own. Several artists, including Florian Krewer, Issy Wood, and Sanya Kantarovsky, are following him to his new venture.

art emerging artists to watch frieze los angeles

Cultured magazine highlights three emerging artists to watch during Frieze Los Angeles: Katelyn Eichwald, Nevine Mahmoud, and Casey Bolding. The article features interviews with each artist, discussing their upcoming presentations in LA, their creative processes, and how their life experiences inform their work. Casey Bolding, for example, discusses his exhibition "Bloodstream" at Karma Los Angeles and how his background in graffiti and faux finishing influences his paintings.

art international artists to watch 2026 biennials

Cultured magazine has published a preview of artists to watch in 2026, focusing on the upcoming biennial season. The article features insights from a dozen industry insiders, including Diya Vij of Powerhouse Arts, who highlights Guadalupe Maravilla's healing-focused practice; Allan Schwartzman, who champions Yoko Ono's underrecognized legacy; Hans Ulrich Obrist, who anticipates Koo Jeong A's multisensory exhibitions; and Victoria M. Rogers, who spotlights Akinsanya Kambon's politically charged ceramics. Major events in 2026 include the 61st Venice Biennale (opening after the death of commissioner Koyo Kouoh), new Art Basel and Frieze fairs in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, and expansions at LACMA and the New Museum.

art jonathas de andrade brazilian artist studio

Brazilian artist Jonathas de Andrade discusses his collaborative, research-driven practice in a studio visit feature for CULTURED magazine. He describes working with actors, cart drivers, carrier pigeon racers, and zoo employees to create installations, photographs, and films that examine the architecture, labor, and history of northeast Brazil. This month, a Vatican-commissioned video installation about Brazilian activist nuns opens at MACRO in Rome, while a series of flags developed with canoeists on the São Francisco River is on view at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. De Andrade shares his daily rituals, inspirations, and the expansive definition of his studio—a sanctuary in Recife filled with collected magazines, images, and objects.

art bunker artspace queer exhibition

The Bunker Artspace in Palm Beach, Florida, has opened "Beyond the Rainbow," a major exhibition of LGBTQ+ art curated by Laura Dvorkin and Maynard Monrow, along with 19 other artists, curators, gallerists, architects, and writers. The show draws from the collection of patron Beth Rudin DeWoody and features works by Catherine Opie, Andy Warhol, Nicole Eisenman, Lyle Ashton Harris, and others, running from December 7 through May 1, 2026. The exhibition was inspired by a visit to the Centre Pompidou's "Over the Rainbow" show in Paris.

parties miami art week social playbook fashion culture nightlife

Cultured's 'Parties Miami Art Week Social Playbook' provides a curated guide to the social and cultural events surrounding Miami Art Week 2024. It lists key art fairs including NADA (Dec. 2-6), Untitled Art (Dec. 3-7), Satellite Art Show (Dec. 4-7), and the Open Invitational (Dec. 1-6), alongside parties, fashion collaborations, and talks. Highlights include a Jimmy Choo installation with Harry Nuriev, a fireside chat with ECOLOGIES moderated by Julia Halperin, and a celebration at MOCA North Miami featuring artists Hiba Schahbaz, Diana Eusebio, and Magnus Sodamin.

art pulled from print joyce pensato ica miami exhibition

The ICA Miami has organized a major posthumous survey of the late painter Joyce Pensato, opening December 2 and running through March 15. The exhibition brings together over 65 works spanning five decades, from early Batman sketches to her signature enamel paintings that transform cartoon icons like Mickey Mouse, The Simpsons, and South Park characters into grotesque, emotionally charged images. The show is curated by artistic director Alex Gartenfeld, curator Stephanie Seidel, and ICA Art + Research Center Director Gean Moreno, and is the most comprehensive presentation of Pensato's work to date.

design guide openings events exhibtions

This article from Cultured magazine highlights several notable art and architecture openings and exhibitions around the world. Key events include the reopening of Donald Judd's Architecture Office in Marfa, Texas, after a seven-year closure and a devastating 2021 fire; the opening of the Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture in Almaty, Kazakhstan, designed by British architect Asif Khan; and the debut of "Chiharu Shiota: Two Home Countries" at Japan Society in New York, marking the artist's first solo museum exhibition in the city. Other featured shows include "Dream Rooms: Environments by Women Artists 1950s-Now" at M+ Museum in Hong Kong, "Vacant Futures" at VI PER Gallery in Prague, and "Four Five Six" by OFFICE KGDVS at A83 in SoHo, New York.

art vaginal davis moma ps1

A major survey of the work of Vaginal Davis, spanning five decades of her contributions to drag, queercore, experimental film, and fine art, is opening at MoMA PS1 in New York on October 9. Titled "Vaginal Davis: Magnificent Product," the exhibition debuted at Moderna Museet before traveling to New York. In an interview, Davis discusses her lifelong performance practice, the blurring of her public persona and private self, and the unlikely survival of her archive, much of which was preserved by a high school student in the 1980s.

art samsung frame tv cultured collection

Cultured magazine has partnered with Samsung to launch a "CULTURED Collection" on the Samsung Art Store, available exclusively to owners of Samsung's The Frame and QLED TVs. Starting in October, 60 artworks by contemporary artists including Adam Pendleton, Dominique Fung, Oscar yi Hou, Chris Martin, and Emma Webster will be displayed in the TV's art mode. A temporary pop-up gallery, the Samsung Art Store Gallery, will open to the public on Oct. 9–10 at 545 W 23rd St in New York, offering a preview of the collection.

art criticism contemporary art crisis trump gaza

The article, written by an art critic for Cultured, opens by describing recent U.S. government actions under Executive Order 14253, including the National Park Service's restoration of a monument to Confederate General Albert Pike and a White House letter to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III ordering a review of Smithsonian programming to align with a directive to "celebrate American exceptionalism." The critic notes Bunch's balancing act of cooperating while asserting the Smithsonian's independent authority. The piece then pivots to the state of art criticism, referencing Domenick Ammirati's essay on the perpetual "crisis in criticism," and highlights Marco Brambilla's exhibition "Limit of Control" at bitforms gallery as the year's most under-appreciated show, praising its use of AI to explore political violence and protest.

amy sillman dia bridgehampton show abstract painting

Amy Sillman, a 69-year-old abstract painter based in New York, is preparing for a new solo exhibition titled "Alternate Side (Permutations #1–32)" at Dia Bridgehampton, opening June 28. The show will feature a series of recently completed silkscreen and painted works, which Sillman describes as being like Sol LeWitt's line forms but less structured. She plans to paint the gallery walls herself, creating an improvised backdrop for the works. The article also discusses her recent institutional survey "Oh, Clock!" at the Kunstmuseum Bern and Ludwig Forum Aachen, where she curated selections from their collections and painted the walls on a whim.

salman toor paintings luhring augustine

Salman Toor's largest exhibition to date, "Wish Maker," opened May 2 across Luhring Augustine's Chelsea and Tribeca galleries in New York. The Chelsea space features new paintings, while the Tribeca show is the artist's first dedicated presentation of works on paper. The two-venue presentation is Toor's first major New York showing since his solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 2020, which launched him to art stardom. The article includes an interview conducted by CULTURED contributor Adam Eli, where Toor discusses his creative process, his attachment to finished paintings, and how his need to come out as queer through painting drove the development of his distinctive style.

The Met’s blockbuster Raphael exhibition looks beyond the artist’s idealised Madonnas

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has opened "Raphael: Sublime Poetry," the first comprehensive exhibition of the Renaissance master in the United States. The ambitious show gathers 237 works, including 33 paintings and 142 drawings, spanning Raphael's entire career and featuring major loans like *The Alba Madonna* from the National Gallery of Art in Washington and *Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione* from the Louvre.

New Museum unveils new OMA-designed building ahead of March 21st reopening.

The New Museum in New York has unveiled its major 60,000-square-foot expansion, designed by the architectural firm OMA, specifically Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas. The project, which took a decade from architect selection to completion, required a two-year closure and doubles the institution's gallery space. It debuts with new commissions by artists Tschabalala Self and Klára Hosnedlová ahead of its public reopening on March 21st.

How JR Transformed Paris’s Oldest Bridge Into a Massive Grotto

French artist JR has transformed Paris's Pont Neuf, the city's oldest bridge, into a massive inflatable grotto titled *La Caverne du Pont Neuf* (2026). The installation measures 120 meters long, 20 meters wide, and up to 18 meters tall, and will be open to the public from June 6 to June 28. It incorporates sound design by Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk, augmented reality via Snap Inc., and a Bloomberg Connect guide. Over 800 people helped realize the project, which was fabricated from 18,900 square meters of fabric and 20,000 cubic meters of pressurized air by French firm Air Toiles Concept. The work concludes a five-year series of large-scale trompe l'oeil pieces by JR and pays homage to Christo and Jeanne-Claude's *The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris* (1975–85), with the blessing of their foundation.

M+ in Hong Kong and Centre Pompidou in Paris Plan New Five-Year Partnership

M+ in Hong Kong and the Centre Pompidou in Paris have announced a new five-year partnership beginning next year. The agreement, announced at M+ on May 15, includes lending artworks for exhibitions, collaborative research and commissions, curator exchanges, and a four-year postdoctoral fellowship. A major exhibition focusing on visual culture in France and Greater China will debut at the Pompidou when it reopens in 2029 or 2030, then travel to M+.