The Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin has opened a new exhibition titled 'Coded: Art Enters the Computer Age, 1952–1982.' The show features over 100 works by 75 artists who used computers, algorithms, and data as creative tools, exploring the intersection of art and technology during a pivotal three-decade period.
Several galleries and a museum in Columbus's Short North arts district are opening new exhibitions for May 2026. Highlights include a women's group show at Sean Christopher Gallery Ohio, environmental abstract paintings by Annette Poitau at Marcia Evans Gallery, a spring-themed solo exhibition by Amy Adams at Sharon Weiss Gallery, and a salon exhibition at 24 Lincoln St. Gallery & Art Studios. The Columbus Museum of Art at the Pizzuti is presenting the first U.S. museum survey of Bahamian conceptual artist Tavares Strachan, featuring his 'Encyclopedia of Invisibility'.
The exhibition "Instructions for Unrest: Art Against Complacency" has opened at Art Produce Gallery in San Diego, featuring a group of artists who utilize their work as a tool for political and social disruption. Curated by Alessandra Moctezuma in collaboration with the nonprofit Space 4 Art, the show presents a diverse range of media aimed at addressing issues such as immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ protections, and environmental policy.
The Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, North Carolina, has announced its upcoming summer exhibition, "Fresh Air: Inflatable Sculptures," opening June 19. The show features large-scale, interactive works including Nick Cave’s "Augment," a vibrant installation made from repurposed lawn ornaments, and Andy Warhol’s historic 1966 floating installation "Silver Clouds." Other participating contemporary artists include Claire Ashley, Nicole Banowetz, Nancy Davidson, Tamar Ettun, and Momoyo Torimitsu.
Lehmann Maupin is set to present "The Open Window," an exhibition of new works by the renowned Brazilian twin artist duo OSGEMEOS, running from April 23 to June 6, 2026, in New York. The showcase features five new paintings that continue the artists' exploration of their surreal "Tritrez" universe, characterized by their signature yellow-skinned figures and intricate patterns. These works operate at a more intimate scale than their well-known large-format murals, focusing on material sensitivity and detailed narratives inspired by hip-hop culture and Brazilian folklore.
Expo Chicago 2026 concluded with a strategic downsizing of its floor plan at Navy Pier, a move that drew praise from dealers for increasing the quality and manageability of the fair. Significant market activity was reported, including six-figure sales of works by Robert Nava and Luftwerk, alongside the distribution of the Northern Trust Purchase Prize which gifted several artworks to institutions like the Denver Art Museum and The Phillips Collection. Beyond the fair, the Illinois Arts Council announced over $325,000 in grants for public art projects commemorating the U.S. semiquincentennial.
The Box in Plymouth has reported a record-breaking 2025/2026 season, attracting 356,000 visitors and surpassing its annual target by 18%. This surge represents a 44% increase from the previous year, contributing to a total of 1.1 million visitors since the institution opened in late 2020. The success is largely attributed to high-profile exhibitions, including a major retrospective of local artist Beryl Cook and a showcase featuring Sir Joshua Reynolds’ portrait of Mai.
EXPO CHICAGO 2026 has launched at Navy Pier with a streamlined, highly curated format that emphasizes quality over quantity. The fair’s opening days have been defined by robust institutional engagement, with several major museums acquiring works for their permanent collections. This year’s edition features a diverse array of artists and galleries, reinforcing its position as the premier contemporary art platform in the American Midwest.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is preparing for the public debut of its $724-million David Geffen Galleries, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor. Ahead of the April 19 member opening, public discourse has intensified following a series of reports detailing the building's architecture, the reinstallation of Alexander Calder’s "Three Quintains (Hello Girls)," and the project's massive budget. Reader reactions remain deeply polarized, reflecting a two-decade-long debate over the structure's unconventional design and its impact on the urban landscape.
Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 commenced against a backdrop of global economic uncertainty and geopolitical tension, yet the city's local scene demonstrated remarkable resilience. The week was characterized by a surge of grassroots activity, including the debut of three alternative art fairs and the opening of several new gallery outposts. Key highlights included the launch of GOLD, a cross-disciplinary salon in Wong Chuk Hang, and the expansion of Shanghai’s Antenna Space into the city, signaling a shift toward more flexible, community-oriented art spaces.
The art world saw several major developments this week, headlined by a significant legal ruling regarding Amedeo Modigliani’s 'Seated Man with a Cane' (1918). A judge ruled against a holding company controlled by billionaire dealer David Nahmad, moving the Nazi-looted masterpiece closer to reclamation. Meanwhile, institutional expansions took center stage with Kengo Kuma being selected to design a new wing for London’s National Gallery, and the Centre Pompidou Hanwha in Seoul confirming a June 4 opening date.
Denver’s art scene is preparing for a busy spring and summer season with a series of exhibition openings, market events, and institutional announcements. Key highlights include the selection of six fellows for the 2026 Clyfford Still Museum Institute Residential Fellowship, a nationwide open call for the Dairy Arts Center’s 2027 season, and several new gallery shows featuring artists such as Stacey Steers, Kim Dickey, and Deanne Gertner. Local advocacy is also in focus as the RiNo Art District supports Colorado Senate Bill 26-133, which aims to establish a formal legal structure for artist-led companies.
The historic mansion at 1040 East Broad Street in Columbus’s Olde Towne East neighborhood is being transformed into a new fine art photography gallery. Spearheaded by local photographer and developer Matthew Barnes, the space aims to provide a dedicated venue for high-end photographic works within a restored architectural landmark.
Sundaram Tagore Gallery is expanding its international footprint with the opening of a new 310-square-meter flagship space in London’s St James’s district this May. Located in a renovated Edwardian building on Pall Mall, the multi-level gallery will feature exhibition areas, a private viewing room, and dedicated spaces for live performances and screenings. The inaugural exhibition, titled "Hybridity and Belonging in Contemporary Art," will showcase a diverse roster of artists including Hiroshi Senju, Tayeba Lipi, and Sohan Qadri, focusing on themes of displacement and cross-cultural identity.
Dr. Ionit Behar has been appointed as the Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago, effective February 9, 2026. Born in Israel and raised in Uruguay, Behar brings a global perspective shaped by her upbringing in an academic environment and her experience as an immigrant in the United States. Her curatorial philosophy emphasizes the museum as a space for intellectual discovery and emotional resonance rather than a mere repository of information.
The annual Artexpo New York returns to the city's cultural calendar this week, serving as a major highlight among a diverse array of local events. The fair joins other significant spring activations including the New Directors/New Films festival at Lincoln Center and MoMA, the Big Umbrella Festival, and the seasonal reopening of major outdoor markets like Smorgasburg.
New York City’s cultural landscape is undergoing a significant transformation with the reopening of the New Museum in its expanded 60,000-square-foot building designed by OMA. The inaugural exhibition, "New Humans: Memories of the Future," features over 200 contributors exploring the intersection of technology and humanity. Simultaneously, major institutions are launching landmark shows, including a massive Raphael retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the 2026 Whitney Biennial, which focuses on artificial intelligence and climate grief.
The Hayward Gallery in London is hosting a special after-hours event on April 1, 2026, titled 'Hayward Gallery Lates.' The evening offers exclusive night-time access to two major solo exhibitions: Chiharu Shiota’s 'Threads of Life' and Yin Xiuzhen’s 'Heart to Heart,' accompanied by live poetry performances from the New Poets Collective, creative activations, and guided tours.
Pace Prints, the storied New York-based print publisher and gallery, has announced it will open its first West Coast location in Hollywood this autumn. The new facility will feature a fully equipped printmaking workshop alongside a gallery space, allowing Los Angeles-based artists to produce technically ambitious works—including etching, woodcut, and large-format printing—without traveling to New York.
London’s art scene sees a surge of activity this week with five notable openings across the city. Highlights include a rare exhibition at Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert featuring Rachel Whiteread’s drawings alongside her sculptures, breaking her long-standing rule of keeping the two mediums separate. Other significant shows include LA Timpa’s UK solo debut at Cell Project Space, Hannah Lim’s exploration of cultural heritage at Wilder Gallery, and a group exhibition at Woodbury House featuring Los Angeles street art pioneers like RETNA and Chaz Bojórquez.
Los Angeles is hosting a series of high-profile gallery openings and experimental activations in the lead-up to Frieze Los Angeles 2026. Highlights include David Salle’s first solo exhibition in the city since 1997 at Sprüth Magers, a massive artist-run flea market organized by The Hole in a shuttered 99-cent store, and Rob Pruitt’s charitable flea market with James Fuentes. The week also features a performance by Ryan Trecartin and a solo show of decorative arts by Ingrid Donat at Carpenters Workshop Gallery.
The Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University will present 'Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary,' a major exhibition opening in February 2026. The show centers on the U.S. debut of Shonibare's monumental installation, *Sanctuary City* (2024), which features 18 illuminated, scaled-down replicas of historical and contemporary refuge buildings, each lined with the artist's signature Dutch wax textiles.
A series of gallery openings are taking place across London this week, featuring solo exhibitions by a diverse group of artists. Cristine Brache's "Centerfolds" at Bernheim explores persona and omission through the lens of Dorothy Stratten's poetry. Ella Wright presents new paintings at Cedric Bardawil, Dylan Doe's "Muscle Memory" opens at Mandy Zhang Art, Isaac Julien's film installation premieres at Victoria Miro, and Paul Winstanley's "Bringing It All Back Home" debuts at Anthony Wilkinson.
Mexico City Art Week's satellite fairs, Salón Acme and Feria Material, drew large crowds during VIP previews on February 5, with Material reporting its biggest opening-day attendance ever after moving to the expansive Maravilla Studios venue. The fairs feature over 70 exhibitors, with a strong contingent of Mexico City galleries and around half of participating galleries from Latin America. Notable presentations include Rajni Perera's works on paper and sculptures addressing environmental exploitation and colonial control, Gala Berger's hybrid works on amate paper referencing the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, and Miguel Harte's enamel and resin pieces depicting nature overwhelmed by synthetic materials.
Several major Los Angeles institutions are opening new exhibitions in February. Highlights include the Academy Museum's interactive "Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo" show, the Autry Museum's "Desert Dreams and Coastal Currents" exhibition on Southwestern art, a performance by Wild Up at The Broad, the Getty Center's "Photography and the Black Arts Movement" survey, LACMA's display of modern masterpieces from the Pearlman collection, and the Marciano Art Foundation's Bruce Conner retrospective.
A flurry of gallery activity is scheduled for the week of February 2-8, 2026, in New York City. Numerous exhibitions are opening, including "Interstice: Whirled Music" at Kiang Malingue, "Everything She Touches" by Alix Vernet at Eric Firestone Gallery, and "Anima" by Felipe Baeza at Print Center New York. Concurrently, many shows are in their final days, such as "A Retrospective by Ruth Asawa" at the Museum of Modern Art, "FDR Drive Musel, 1984" by Keith Haring at Martos Gallery, and "West Coast Women of Abstract Expressionism" at Berry Campbell.
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The Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art has opened "Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art," the largest-ever exhibition dedicated to LGBTQ+ African art. The show, curated by Kevin Dumouchelle and Serubiri Moses, features nearly 60 works by 30 artists from across Africa and its diasporas, spanning photography, painting, tapestry, collage, and sculpture.
Two new winter exhibitions open February 11, 2026 at the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University: “Photorealism in Focus” and “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary.” The first brings together pioneering Photorealists like Richard Estes, Charles S. Bell, Audrey Flack, and Ralph Goings alongside contemporary artists, exploring the blurred line between painting and photography. The second features the U.S. debut of Yinka Shonibare’s installation “Sanctuary City” (2024), comprising 18 illuminated miniature buildings that served as historical refuges, lined with the artist’s signature Dutch wax textiles. Both shows are curated by Gannit Akori, the museum’s director and chief curator.
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark is opening "Basquiat: Headstrong," the first comprehensive exhibition dedicated to Jean-Michel Basquiat's depictions of the human head, focusing on works from 1981 to 1983. These early drawings on paper, many made with oil sticks and bearing traces of studio debris, were largely hidden in his studio during his lifetime and only reached a wider audience after his death, notably through a 1990 show at Robert Miller Gallery in New York. The exhibition includes a single painting, Untitled (1982), which sold for $110.5 million at Sotheby's in 2017.
January brings a full slate of exhibitions across the Bay Area timed to San Francisco Art Week, headlined by the 12th edition of FOG Design+Art at Fort Mason Center (January 21-25). Galerie highlights nine must-see shows, including "100 Candleholders" at Blunk Space, where international artists create candleholders inspired by JB Blunk; "New Work: Sheila Hicks" at SFMOMA, featuring fiber installations tied to personal places; "The Houses Are Haunted By White Night-Gowns" at The Future Perfect, a furniture-and-bowls installation by Studio Ahead; and "Auudi Dorsey: What’s Left, Never Left" at Jonathan Carver Moore, where the painter excavates histories of African American leisure sites.