Lost bunny paintings by JFK's photographer found in ABQ storage

A trove of paintings by Eddie Johnson, an obscure artist who photographed President John F. Kennedy in 1962 as assistant to Elaine de Kooning, has been discovered in a storage unit in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The archive, saved from disposal by the artist's estate, includes a major series of bunny-themed works created between 1972 and 1995, all based on a worn plush toy. Artist Matthan Cowart organized the exhibition "Hares on the Mountain" at his gallery Desert Mystery Center, pairing Johnson's bunny paintings with works by 11 living artists including David Altmejd and Ed Haddaway.

Picture gallery in transformation: recent gifts

MASP — Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand will present the exhibition "Picture gallery in transformation: recent gifts" starting May 15, as part of its Latin American histories series. The show features two sets of silkscreen prints recently added to the museum’s collection: 51 prints (2002–2007) by the Argentine collective Taller Popular de Serigrafía, which combined art and activism during the 2001 economic crisis, and the series "Ink and blood: 1968–2009" by Mexican artist Abraham Cruzvillegas, comprising 41 facsimiles of protest ephemera from Latin American social movements. The exhibition is curated by MASP artistic director Adriano Pedrosa, curator Regina Teixeira de Barros, and curatorial assistant Matheus de Andrade.

A new, monochromatic perspective on Alexander Calder at SAM

The Seattle Art Museum (SAM) has opened "Monochrome: Calder and Tara Donovan," a new exhibition in its Calder at SAM series that pairs two matte-black Alexander Calder sculptures with works by Brooklyn-based artist Tara Donovan. Curated by Donovan alongside SAM curator Catharina Manchanda, the show uses black as its sole color to highlight materials, texture, and form. Highlights include Calder's 1949 mobile "Jacaranda" and 1976 maquette "Mountains (1:5 intermediate maquette)," juxtaposed with Donovan's sculptures made from industrial materials like plastic stir sticks, slinkys, tar paper, and mylar. The exhibition runs through January 17, 2027.

Phillips Collection’s new ‘Miró and the United States’ exhibit focuses on transatlantic cultural exchange rather than conflict

The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., has opened a new exhibition titled 'Miró and the United States,' curated by Elsa Smithgall. The show features 75 works by Joan Miró alongside pieces by more than 30 other artists, including Alexander Calder, Rufino Tamayo, and Arshile Gorky. Rather than framing the relationship as a cultural clash between European modernism and American art, the exhibition emphasizes transatlantic artistic exchange during the mid-20th century, particularly in the shadow of World War II and the Spanish Civil War. Key works include Miró's 'Constellations' series and 'Still Life with Old Shoe' (1937), which are presented in dialogue with American contemporaries who responded to his visual language.

Venice Biennale 2026 Collateral Events Six Of The Best – Nico Kos Earle

The 61st Venice Biennale is described as the most contested and chaotic in recent history, marked by the absence of a curator following the death of Koyo Kouoh and overshadowed by global conflicts that made presentations in national pavilions fraught with difficulty. Amid this turmoil, standout collateral events include Michael Armitage's exhibition 'The Promise of Change' at Palazzo Grassi, curated by Jean-Marie Gallais and Hans-Ulrich Obrist, which uses softly painted scenes to address sociopolitical tensions and post-colonial identity. Another highlight is The Holy See Pavilion, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers, featuring a sonic prayer by Soundwalk Collective with contributions from contemporary composers including Patti Smith.

New Exhibition Explores Victor Vasarely’s Influence on Hungarian Neo-Avant-Garde Art

A major exhibition titled "Vasarely Don't Go Home!" opens at NEO Contemporary Art Space in Budapest, marking the 120th anniversary of Victor Vasarely's birth. Curated by Zsolt Petrányi, the show runs until 19 September and examines Vasarely's influence on Hungarian experimental and neo-avant-garde art of the 1960s and 1970s. Featuring over 60 works, the exhibition is organized around three themes—construction, grid structures, and illusion—and connects to parallel Vasarely shows at the Museum of Fine Arts and the Hungarian National Gallery. The title references a 1969 protest where artist János Major carried a sign reading 'Vasarely go home!' during Vasarely's exhibition at Műcsarnok.

Beauty by Volume: On the Art-Book Trail of Chicago

This article is a guide to finding art books in Chicago, tracing a walking trail that begins at the Chicago History Museum and continues to the Graham Foundation and the Newberry Library. The author reflects on beloved but now-closed art bookstores like Rizzoli's Water Tower Place, Prairie Avenue Bookshop, and Golden Age, then proposes a contemporary route for discovering art, architecture, and design books in the city's remaining cultural institutions and museum shops.

Marc Chagall | Île Saint-Louis (1959) (1959) | For Sale

Marc Chagall's lithograph *Île Saint-Louis (1959)*, a limited-edition print in colors on Arches paper signed and numbered by the artist, is being offered for sale through an online auction hosted by LLB Auction on Artsy. The work, estimated at €10,000–€15,000, is part of a Contemporary Art Spring 2026 sale and carries a starting bid of €9,000. The listing includes provenance details, a condition report option, and a buyer's premium.

Best Bets: Rosemont hosts Spring Fun Fest and Anime Central

This article is a roundup of upcoming events in the Chicago area, primarily focused on the Rosemont suburb. It announces the annual Spring Fun Fest at Parkway Bank Park on May 16, featuring family activities and music, and the return of Anime Central, a major anime and Japanese pop-culture convention, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center from May 15-17. The article also lists several other cultural happenings, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's all-French program, a new exhibition at the Driehaus Museum titled "Ink & Outrage: 18th Century Satirical Prints in London & Dublin," an improv performance by Bluebird Improv at the Studebaker Theater, and a Chamber Blues concert by Corky Siegel at Space in Evanston.

The Cape Ann Museum’s Newest Exhibition, Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea, Coincides With the Reopening of the Museum’s Main Campus

The Cape Ann Museum has opened a landmark exhibition titled "Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea," featuring 82 works by Milton Avery, Adolph Gottlieb, and Mark Rothko. The show explores the artists' formative summers on Cape Ann in the 1930s and '40s, where they escaped New York City and developed a deep artistic camaraderie. The exhibition coincides with the reopening of the museum's main campus after 20 months of renovations, and will travel to The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. in October—the first time a Cape Ann Museum-organized exhibition tours to a national museum.

All New for 2026: The Greatest Exhibitions in Greater Philadelphia

Greater Philadelphia is launching a year-long Semiquincentennial celebration in 2026, featuring a series of major exhibitions across the region. Highlights include "A Nation of Artists" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the "What Now" festival by ArtPhilly, and "Bells Across PA," a statewide display of painted Liberty Bell replicas. Other notable shows include the Museum of the American Revolution's "The Declaration's Journey," The Franklin Institute's immersive theme park exhibit, The Academy of Natural Sciences' Indigenous re-examination of its Lewis and Clark collection, and the Independence Seaport Museum's look at early American commerce. The Clay Studio presents "Radical Americana" across 20 sites, the National Liberty Museum opens three exhibitions on the First Amendment, and a new show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art explores monuments, curated by Paul Farber.

Former Hornets player returns to Charlotte with new art exhi...

Former Charlotte Hornets player Elliot Perry and his wife Kimberly Perry have opened an exhibition of their abstract art collection at the Harvey B. Gantt Center in Charlotte. Titled "Beyond Boundaries: Black Abstraction in the Elliot and Kimberly Perry Art Collection," the show features 40 works by Black artists from the early 1920s to the present, including recent college graduates. The exhibition spans all three of the Gantt Center's galleries and runs through August 30. Elliot Perry, who played for the Hornets in the 1991-92 season, was introduced to art in 1996 by former NBA player Darrell Walker.

Summer 2026 Midnight Moment Program

Times Square Arts has announced the Summer 2026 Midnight Moment program, featuring three artists: Sonia Boyce (June), Tromarama (July), and Maia Chao (August). Boyce's 'Transform' presents a kaleidoscopic film of Andean ancestral movements, presented with the Queens Museum. Tromarama's 'Turn On #2' examines technology's impact on reality and the environment, presented with The Kitchen. Maia Chao's 'Studies for American Idle' draws from a 2025 site-specific performance in Times Square. The works will be shown nightly from 11:57 pm to midnight on nearly 100 electronic billboards.

Exhibition | RonNAGLE, 'Phantom Banter' at Gio Marconi, Milan, Italy

Gió Marconi Gallery in Milan, Italy, is presenting 'Ron Nagle. Phantom Banter,' the first solo exhibition in Italy dedicated to West Coast sculptor Ron Nagle. The show features eleven ceramic sculptures produced between 2024 and 2026, along with recent drawings, highlighting Nagle's refined small-scale works and his process of translating drawings into three-dimensional objects. Nagle, born in 1939 in San Francisco, apprenticed with Peter Voulkos in the 1960s and became a key figure in the California Clay Movement, influenced by artists like Ken Price.

The Museo Casa Natal Picasso rescues Marisol Escobar, the forgotten queen of pop art

The Museo Casa Natal Picasso in Málaga, Spain, has opened the exhibition "Ni Musas Ni Modelos" (Neither Muses Nor Models), which seeks to reclaim the legacy of Marisol Escobar, a Venezuelan-born pop artist who rose to fame in the 1960s but later fell into obscurity. The show features over forty works by Escobar—including her piece "Saco La Lengua" (I Stick Out My Tongue)—alongside works by thirty other artists such as Dorothea Tanning and Helen Frankenthaler, aiming to correct the historical sidelining of female artists.

The mysterious case of one of the most important British artists of the 1990s who is back with a bang after more than 25 years

Cathy de Monchaux, a prominent British artist from the 1990s known for her erotic and dystopic sculptures, has opened a major survey exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris titled 'Studio, Wounds and Battles, Desire is the Reiteration of Hope'. The show comes 26 years after her last major solo exhibition at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington DC, and includes a facsimile of her Hoxton studio, featuring intimate sketchbooks, maquettes, and early works. De Monchaux, who graduated from Goldsmiths in 1987 and was nominated for the Turner Prize, largely stepped away from the public exhibition circuit to raise her son, focusing instead on private commissions.

Meet Vanessa Liem, The Singaporean Artist Exploring The Surreal And Dreamlike

Singaporean artist Vanessa Liem, a 23-year-old recent graduate of the University of the Arts, London, creates surreal, dreamlike paintings that explore themes of performance, vulnerability, and the impact of the outside gaze on the human body. Her works, characterized by humanoid figures with smooth faces and unusual light effects, have been exhibited at the ArtScience Museum and won the top prize in the Emerging Category for UOB's 2019 Painting of the Year. She is preparing for a solo exhibition titled 'The Third Person in the Room' at Cuturi Gallery in Singapore, her first show in the city in three years, marking a homecoming and artistic maturation.

Gibraltarian artists exhibit in Margate in collaborative exhibition

A collaborative exhibition titled 'Traces of Humanity' has opened in Margate, England, organized by Gibraltar Cultural Services on behalf of the Ministry for Culture, in partnership with the Lloyds Group of London. The show features works by Gibraltarian artists, members of the Lloyds Art Group, and internationally renowned artists, drawing inspiration from the Gorham’s Cave complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The launch was hosted by the Mayor of Margate, Councillor Katie Pope, and attended by local dignitaries and visiting Gibraltarian artists. Curated by Philippa Beale, the exhibition will travel to the Noho Gallery in London's West End from 20th to 29th May before arriving in Gibraltar in June.

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.

HKMoA Showcases Local Artists at Venice Biennale with 'Fermata: Hong Kong in Venice' Exhibition

The Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) has organized 'Fermata: Hong Kong in Venice' as a Collateral Event of the 61st Venice Biennale, running from May 9 to November 22. The exhibition features artworks by Hong Kong artists Kingsley Ng and Angel Hui, curated under the musical symbol 'Fermata' in dialogue with the Biennale's theme 'In Minor Keys'. This marks the first time HKMoA has curated Hong Kong's exhibition at the Venice Biennale, with support from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.

미시시피미술관 '사진과 흑인미술운동, 1955-1985'(7/25-11/8) - Lounge

The Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA) presents "Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985," a landmark exhibition exploring the role of photography in fostering Black visual culture and identity during the civil rights and Black Arts Movement eras. The show features approximately 150 works by over 100 artists, including Dawoud Bey, Gordon Parks, and Carrie Mae Weems, drawn primarily from the National Gallery of Art's collection, and runs from July 25 to November 8, 2026, as the final stop on a national tour.

Ed Ruscha | Ed Ruscha Records 1971 (1st edition) (1971) | Art & Prints

This article presents Ed Ruscha's artist book "Records" (1971), a photographic survey of thirty vinyl records from his personal collection, offered by Lot 180 Gallery New York. It describes the work as a first edition offset printed book in good vintage condition, measuring 7 x 5.5 inches, from an edition of approximately 2,000 unsigned copies published by Heavy Industries Publications in Los Angeles.

'Echoes of Movement' Sets Crain Art Gallery in Motion

Alejandra Phelts presents her new exhibition 'Echoes of Movement' at the Crain Art Gallery in Crowell Public Library, opening with a free public reception on May 9, 2026. The show features paintings that explore the body as a space of transformation, drawing on Phelts' background in music, philosophy, and sewing. Phelts, a Mexican border artist, shifted from studying philosophy in France to fine arts after realizing art was a necessity, and her work has been shown internationally, including at the Venice Biennale and the Louvre.

Art and politics clash at Venice Biennale, as world conflicts upstage exhibition's opening

The 61st Venice Biennale, the world's most prestigious art exhibition, opens under unprecedented turmoil. For the first time, its vision was shaped by the late Cameroonian curator Koyo Kouoh, who centered artists from Africa and its diaspora. However, political conflicts over Russia and Israel have overshadowed the art. All five jurors resigned after the Italian culture minister investigated their decision to withhold prizes from Russia and Israel over alleged crimes against humanity. Protests erupted at the Russian pavilion, with Pussy Riot activists denouncing Russia's participation, while the Israeli pavilion artist threatened legal action over the jury's snub. The Biennale will proceed without a jury, with visitors voting for two awards, and the fate of the Golden Lion remains uncertain.

A Tribute to Asher Remy-Toledo

Asher Remy-Toledo, a visionary gallerist, curator, and collector, has passed away after a career spanning over three decades. He founded influential initiatives including Remy Toledo Gallery in Chelsea (2004), Hyphen Hub (2013), No Longer Empty (2009), and Yuanfen Gallery in Beijing, the first new media gallery in mainland China. Remy-Toledo was a tireless champion of women artists, supporting figures such as Carolee Schneemann, Judy Chicago, Mary Beth Edelson, and Ana Mendieta, as well as emerging international artists. He also amassed significant private collections, including works by the article's author and Schneemann's Infinity Kisses series.

Ruminations on Rashid Johnson’s “A Poem for Deep Thinkers”

The article is a reflective review of Rashid Johnson's exhibition "A Poem for Deep Thinkers" at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The author describes standing before Johnson's work "Falling Man" (2016), a piece incorporating broken mirrors, burned wood, and personal objects like a copy of Harry Haywood's "Black Bolshevik" and shea butter, which prompts meditations on visibility, identity, and Frantz Fanon's "Black Skin, White Masks." The review also examines Johnson's large-scale installation "Antoine's Organ" (2016/2026), which fills a gallery typically reserved for Ellsworth Kelly's minimalist canvases, transforming the space with scaffolding, plants, books, and video monitors.

'Art is just about making trouble': Inside Auckland Art Gallery's bold new show

Auckland Art Gallery is preparing to open "Forever Tomorrow: Chinese Art Now," a major exhibition of contemporary Chinese art curated by Hutch Wilco. The show features works from the White Rabbit Collection in Sydney, including a massive 7-meter-high stone sculpture by Xu Zhen, paintings by Shang Liang, and photography by Pixy Liao, who recently won a 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship. Wilco spent three years organizing the exhibition, which includes playful sculptures, paintings, and multimedia works, with significant logistical challenges in transporting large pieces from China.

Exhibition | Haegue Yang, 'Leap Year' at Hayward Gallery, London, United Kingdom

The Hayward Gallery in London is presenting 'Leap Year', the first major UK survey of internationally celebrated artist Haegue Yang. The exhibition spans Yang's career from the early 2000s to the present, featuring key works from her Light Sculptures and Sonic Sculptures series alongside three new commissions. Yang's practice incorporates a vast range of media—from paper collage and performative sculpture to immersive sensory installations—using household and industrial objects such as drying racks, light bulbs, metal-plated bells, and hanji (Korean paper) to explore themes of labour, migration, and displacement.

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.

What else is happening

Was sonst noch geht

Ahead of the Gallery Weekend Berlin (May 1–3), the city is buzzing with parallel exhibitions that extend far beyond the official gallery circuit. The fourth edition of the Sellerie Weekend opens over 75 independent Off-Spaces from April 30 to May 3, featuring performances, curated tours, and a kickoff event with artist Sophia Süßmilch at the Spoiler project space. The Paper Positions art fair returns to Tempelhof Airport (April 30–May 3) with 70 international galleries specializing in works on paper, including artists like Annegret Soltau, Una Ursprung, and Stefanie Moshammer. Meanwhile, the art initiative House presents the group show "Gravity Ease Contract" in the Berghain heating plant hall (May 1–24), curated by David Douard, with works by Susan Philipsz, Julia Scher, and others. Finally, collectors Karen and Christian Boros unveil "Berlin Bunker #5" in their bunker-turned-museum, featuring recent acquisitions by Pol Taburet, Sung Tieu, and Jill Mulleady.