Seeing Silence: The Paintings of Helene Schjerfbeck

This article introduces the work of Finnish modernist painter Helene Schjerfbeck (1862–1946), whose career spanned eight decades and evolved from naturalism to near abstraction. Born in Helsinki, she studied in Paris under French naturalist painters and initially gained recognition for history paintings celebrating Finnish heritage. Later, retreating to Hyvinkää to care for her mother, she abandoned naturalism, paring down her figure paintings and still lifes to simplified, materially intense compositions. The exhibition features key works such as 'View of St Ives' (1887) and 'Clothes Drying' (1883), highlighting her shift toward ethereal, boundary-testing imagery that early Finnish critics dismissed.

Giftex's Upcoming 'Modern and Contemporary Art Auction' Presents Masterworks of Modern and Contemporary Indian Art

Giftex is holding a 'Modern and Contemporary Art Auction' on November 27-28, 2025, featuring a curated selection of modern and contemporary Indian art. The sale includes works by modern masters such as Jamini Roy, Nandalal Bose, Krishen Khanna, and Himmat Shah, alongside contemporary artists like Paresh Maity, Baiju Parthan, and the duo Thukral & Tagra. Highlight lots include Paresh Maity's 'Life and Light II' (est. INR 10-15 lakh), Senaka Senanayake's 'Hornbills' (est. INR 10-15 lakh), and a bronze sculpture by Himmat Shah (est. INR 8-12 lakh). The auction will be conducted online via Giftex's website.

“100 Years of Creative Visions”: Mills College Art Museum celebrates a century of diversity and community

The Mills College Art Museum in Oakland, California, has opened "100 Years of Creative Visions," a centennial exhibition running through April 26 that showcases major works from its permanent collection. The show highlights the museum's long history of supporting diverse artistic communities, featuring pieces such as Hung Liu's "White Rice Bowl" and works by Diego Rivera, Alfredo Ramos Martinez, and members of the f/64 photography group including Imogen Cunningham, Ansel Adams, and Tina Modotti. The exhibition emphasizes creative friendships and the museum's role as a laboratory for risk-taking, with artists like Young Suh and Weston Teruya discussing how the institution encouraged experimental approaches.

George and Amal Clooney Are Teaming Up With Christie's For a Special Auction

Christie's will auction four contemporary artworks during its Fall Marquee Week on November 20, 2025, benefiting the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ), founded by George and Amal Clooney. Three works were donated by female artists—Caroline Walker, Flora Yukhnovich, and Ulala Imai—with estimates ranging from $20,000 to $50,000; a fourth piece by Roni Horn will be offered through Christie's private sales division. The auction takes place during the Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale, with a public viewing at Christie's Rockefeller Center starting November 7.

Philadelphia museum opens $20m expansion after winning back cancelled funding from Trump administration

Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia will unveil a $20 million expansion on November 1, adding the Frances M. Maguire Hall for Art and Education—a converted 19th-century mansion with 14 galleries and an education studio. The project, which also includes four acres of new green space, was funded in part by a gift from the Maguire Foundation and follows the museum's acquisition of the adjacent building in 2021. The expansion allows the museum to display more of its 8,000+ works by regional artists, including Pennsylvania Impressionists and Violet Oakley's preparatory sketches.

New City of West Hollywood ‘Moving Image Media Art’ Exhibition Series Artworks Debut October 1

The City of West Hollywood has announced the debut of the next exhibitions in its Moving Image Media Art (MIMA) program, featuring artworks by Isabel Beavers, Diana Thater, Maya Kell-Abrams and Adam Agostino, Sara Silkin, Nina McNeely, and Noper. Starting October 1, 2025, through January 31, 2026, these works will be displayed at the top of every hour on various digital billboards along Sunset Boulevard, with specific locations and schedules for each piece.

Work in progress: Martin Jennings chosen to create statue of Queen Elizabeth II

The UK government has selected sculptor Martin Jennings to create a statue of Queen Elizabeth II for St James’s Park in London, as part of a larger memorial designed by Norman Foster's architecture firm. The memorial will also include a figurative sculpture of the Queen alongside Prince Philip at Birdcage Walk and a Prince Philip gate. Jennings, known for his bust of the Queen Mother and his coin effigy of King Charles III, describes the project as a work in progress, with a provisional construction budget of £23m–£46m. Final design details are expected next year.

James Turrell Is Still Following the Light

James Turrell, the renowned American artist known for his immersive light installations, continues to explore the perceptual and spiritual dimensions of light in his latest works. The article highlights his ongoing projects, including the monumental Roden Crater in Arizona, a volcanic crater transformed into a naked-eye observatory, and recent exhibitions that showcase his signature use of light as a medium. Turrell, now in his 80s, remains deeply committed to his artistic vision, pushing the boundaries of how viewers experience space and illumination.

A century of Art Deco celebrated at Sarasota Art Museum

Sarasota Art Museum will present "Art Deco: The Golden Age of Illustration" from August 31, 2025, through March 29, 2026, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the style's debut at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris. The exhibition features 100 rare posters from the 1920s and 1930s drawn from the William W. Crouse Collection, one of the world's most important private collections of Art Deco posters, with works by artists including A. M. Cassandre, Leonetto Cappiello, and Paul Colin. Alongside the posters, the show includes sculptural pieces, vintage cocktail shakers, and furniture from The Wolfsonian-Florida International University, highlighting the luxurious materials and modern design of the Machine Age.

New Alden B. Dow Home and Studio exhibition to highlight acclaimed graphic designer Tim Lewis

The Alden B. Dow Home and Studio in Midland, Michigan, will host a new exhibition titled “A New Vision: The Graphic Art of Tim Lewis” from September 4 to December 31, 2025. The show celebrates the life and career of Tim Lewis, a Midland native and acclaimed graphic designer and illustrator who worked from the 1960s through the 1990s, creating commercial illustrations for major U.S. magazines, album covers for artists like Peter, Paul and Mary, Gordon Lightfoot, and Chuck Berry, and posters for Barbra Streisand’s TV specials. The exhibition includes original artwork and prints, many available for purchase, and opens with a public reception on September 4.

Tenorio defies the stereotypical with monochrome art exhibition

Merc Tenorio, a self-taught artist, poet, former teacher, and veteran, presents her eighth solo exhibition titled “/liminal/” at the Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency (CAHA) Gallery. The show features acrylic paintings exclusively in monochrome, stripping away color to challenge both herself and viewers to focus on texture, shape, light, and shadow. Tenorio draws inspiration from Vincent van Gogh and describes her limited palette as emancipating, emphasizing that her intent is not commercial viability but emotional expression and personal evolution.

Art and Soul: Inside Madagascar’s Burgeoning Creative Scene

The article explores Madagascar's burgeoning contemporary art scene, centered on Hakanto Contemporary, a non-profit art space in Antananarivo founded by artist Joël Andrianomearisoa. It highlights the group exhibition "Lamba Forever Mandrakizay," featuring 21 Malagasy artists reflecting on the traditional lamba textile, and the innovative culinary-art fusion by chef Lalaina Ravelomanana. The piece also mentions the Musée de la Photo, founded in 2018, which preserves Malagasy photographic heritage.

Remembering Sebastião Salgado, world builder, photographer of collective humanity and prophet of possibility

Sebastião Salgado, the legendary Brazilian photographer known for his monumental documentary projects capturing collective humanity and environmental activism, has died. Born in 1944 in Aimorés, Brazil, Salgado studied economics at the University of São Paulo and was exiled to France for political activism before turning to photography in the 1970s. He joined Magnum Photos in 1979 and went on to create epic, multi-year projects such as "Workers" (1986-93), "Migrations" (1993-99), "Genesis" (2005-13), and "Amazônia" (2011-19), which redefined documentary practice through total immersion and scale. His work earned him the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador role, and numerous awards including the W. Eugene Smith Grant and the Royal Photographic Society’s Centenary Medal.

Gaudi’s original vision for Casa Batlló has been restored

Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Batlló in Barcelona has undergone a €3.5 million restoration that returns the building’s rear façade and private courtyard to their original 1906 design. Led by architect Xavier Villanueva, the year-long project employed local artisans to rebuild Gaudí’s vaulted balcony support system, reinstate lost features such as planters and a pergola, and restore original colors using 85,000 Nolla mosaic pieces, ironwork, stucco, and trencadís. The work coincides with the 20th anniversary of the building’s UNESCO World Heritage designation.

Augmented reality enjoys growing appeal as a tool for the art trade

Augmented reality (AR) headsets like the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest II are gaining traction as tools for the art trade, according to experts interviewed in this article. Gallerists Will Shott and Hal Bromm see potential for virtual tours, studio visits, and previewing artworks in situ, while adviser India Price notes that seeing works at scale in one's own space could boost buyer confidence. However, Martin Murphy of Ringling College of Art and Design argues that practical barriers—such as device personalization and generational divides—may limit adoption among traditional collectors.

'Ryan Gander: You Complete Me' at The Pola Museum of Art, Japan

The Pola Museum of Art in Japan will host 'Ryan Gander: You Complete Me' from 31 May to 30 November 2025, showcasing the latest works of British artist Ryan Gander. The exhibition features pieces such as 'You Complete Me, or I see things you can’t see (A Frogs Tale)' (2025), an animatronic installation with audio and artificial plants, alongside other works exploring themes of absence, invisibility, death, and potential through intellectual playfulness and humor.

Tokyo’s latest Godzilla art exhibition is a roaring tribute to the 70-year-old icon

The Mori Arts Center Gallery in Tokyo is hosting 'Godzilla The Art Exhibition', running until June 29, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the iconic monster. Featuring over 25 artists from Japan and abroad, including Tadanori Yokoo, Sachiko Kazama, Kikuji Kawada, and actor-artist Tadanobu Asano, the exhibition presents original works in sculpture, painting, photography, diorama, and performance. Designed by the creative team Cekai, the immersive environment simulates Godzilla's destruction with cracked walls and shattered floors, while thematic chapters explore the monster as a symbol of modern anxieties, historical trauma, and cultural evolution.

Winterthur’s ‘Almost Unknown’ offers immersive look at Black history and art

Winterthur Museum in Delaware has opened a new exhibition titled "Almost Unknown: The Afric-American Picture Gallery," which brings to life a fictional gallery imagined in 1859 by Black writer and schoolteacher William J. Wilson, writing under the pseudonym Ethiop. In a series of columns for the magazine "The Anglo-American," Wilson described an imaginary museum of Black history and art, featuring works like a depiction of a slave ship, a bust of poet Phillis Wheatley, and images of Crispus Attucks and Haitian Revolution heroes. Curator Jonathan Square has transformed Wilson's fantasy into an immersive, haunted-attraction-style exhibition using objects from Winterthur's collection, with dark lighting, sound effects, and false walls that evoke a carnival ride inspired by Jordan Peele films and "The Shining."

Immersed in Pink: Christo’s Legacy Anchored in NSU Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale

The NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale has become the permanent home of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's "Surrounded Islands," featuring over 43 original preparatory drawings and collages by Christo, along with large-scale photo murals, photographs, engineering surveys, environmental reports, permits, personal correspondence, scale models, and actual fabric segments from the project. The exhibition is ongoing and includes rare archival materials gifted by the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation.

And the (Senior Show and URECA Art Exhibition) Winners Are …

The Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery at Stony Brook University hosted the opening reception of the ninth annual combined Senior Show and URECA Arts Exhibition on April 29, drawing about 300 attendees including students, faculty, staff, university leaders, and local museum curators. The Senior Show, a nearly 50-year tradition, features works by senior studio art majors and minors, while the URECA exhibition highlights undergraduate research-based art selected by faculty. This year's exhibition is noted for its diversity in subject matter and materials, from chalk painting to digital media, and runs through May 22.

Vibrant Victorian-Era Transparencies Illuminate a Host of Microscopic Creatures

Osh Gallery in London is exhibiting 'The Hudson Transparencies,' a collection of 58 original illustrations by Charles Thomas Hudson, a 19th-century educator and amateur scientist. Created for his lectures, these large-scale transparencies (37.8 by 29.5 inches) combine painted paper and perforated pinholes to depict microscopic creatures such as rotifers, algae, protozoa, and marine organisms. When back-lit, the dark, seemingly unfinished images transform into vivid, detailed visions of life invisible to the naked eye, showcasing the intersection of Victorian-era optical innovation and scientific discovery.

Participatory Design or Processual Formalism? Frei Otto, the Ökohaus, and the Ökohäusler by Matthew Kennedy

The Ökohaus (Eco-House) project in Berlin stands as a radical experiment in participatory architecture, born from the 1987 Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA) urban renewal program. Designed by Frei Otto, the complex features three residential buildings characterized by a 'double informality' where dense foliage and a patchwork of diverse cladding materials—ranging from timber and metallic shingles to exposed concrete—create a ruin-like yet meticulously resolved aesthetic. The project challenged traditional housing models by allowing residents, or 'Ökohäusler,' to engage in a collective and individualized construction process.

Local artist featured in exhibition in Italy

Medicine Hat artist Poul Nielsen, 78, is exhibiting his work in Venice, Italy, as part of the exhibition 'Anima Mundi (Rituals)' held in conjunction with the Venice Biennale. Nielsen, who has shown his art in around 100 solo and collaborative exhibitions across decades, began his international career with a show in Copenhagen in 2000 and has since exhibited in England, the United States, and China. His current series, 'Atmospheric Possibilities,' was started around 2015 after his retirement from teaching at Medicine Hat College, where he helped develop a pioneering program merging fine art and graphic design.

Venice Biennale previews in chaos as war follows art into world's oldest exhibition

The Venice Biennale previewed its 61st edition in chaos on Tuesday, marked by the unprecedented resignation of its jury over the participation of Israel and Russia. Ukrainian artists displayed a statue of an origami deer from the war-torn eastern front, while Russian pavilion participants danced to house music and Palestinians marched wearing the names of artists killed in Gaza. The jury had stated it would not award prizes to countries under International Criminal Court investigation, singling out Russia and Israel, and its resignation has thrown the exhibition's structure into question.

Architectures, Projects and Visions: The Story of Santa Maria della Scala Goes on Show in Siena

Architetture, progetti e visioni. La storia del Santa Maria della Scala va in mostra a Siena

The Fondazione Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala in Siena has launched a new regeneration project for the historic complex, 40 years after it ceased functioning as a hospital. The foundation, led by president Cristiano Leone and director Chiara Valdambrini, commissioned Luca Molinari Studio to analyze the original design by Guido Canali and coordinate a collaborative masterplan involving three international architecture firms: LAN Architecture, Odile Decq with Pangalos Feldmann Architectes, and Hannes Peer Architecture. An exhibition titled "Santa Maria della Scala. Architetture, progetti e visioni" will open on May 30, 2026, curated by Luca Molinari, showcasing the architectural plans and visions for the site.

Two photographers tried to tell Tuscany beyond the usual clichés

Due fotografi hanno provato a raccontare la Toscana oltre i soliti cliché

The article profiles photographers Gioconda Rafanelli and August Kaciuruba, who are contributing to the "How Italy Feels" project curated by Marina Serena Cacciapuoti and Cesare Cacciapuoti of Italy Segreta. The project involves twenty local photographers capturing Italy beyond stereotypes. In the Tuscany chapter, Rafanelli and Kaciuruba present a lived, off-duty vision of the region, blending fashion, architecture, and cinematic influences. They discuss their collaborative process, their shared gaze, and how their work shifts between the fast pace of Milan and the slower rhythms of Tuscany, drawing inspiration from filmmakers like Wong Kar-wai, Stanley Kubrick, Luchino Visconti, and Michelangelo Antonioni.

A giugno 2026 a Pietrasanta apre il Museo Igor Mitoraj. Opere dell’artista ma anche mostre

The article announces the opening of the Museo Igor Mitoraj in Pietrasanta, Italy, scheduled for June 6, 2026, after several years of delays. The museum is the first space entirely dedicated to the Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj, who died in 2014 and was known for transforming Tuscan marble into works blending classical forms with fragmented, contemporary themes. Designed by OBR, Politecnica, and Studio Lumine, the museum results from collaboration between the Italian Ministry of Culture, the Municipality of Pietrasanta, and the artist's heirs, united in the Fondazione Museo Igor Mitoraj. Frank Boehm, director of the foundation, envisions the space as a research-oriented center that will engage with different artistic languages and contemporary issues, not limited to Mitoraj's work alone.

Interview with Nina Wakeford of the Swiss Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale

Intervista a Nina Wakeford del Padiglione Svizzero alla Biennale di Venezia 2026

Nina Wakeford, artist and curator of the Swiss Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, discusses the pavilion's project "The Unfinished Business of Living Together." The exhibition draws on two Swiss television broadcasts from 1978 and 1984—Telearena and Agora—in which gay, lesbian, and trans individuals spoke on national television. Rather than treating these as historical artifacts, Wakeford and her team (Gianmaria Andreetta, Luca Beeler, Miriam Laura Leonardi, Lithic Alliance, and Yul Tomatala) reactivate them as points of tension, creating a multimedia environment that explores unresolved issues of coexistence, visibility, and social difference.

Annalee Davis at the 2026 Venice Art Biennale. Landscape as mourning, archive and resistance in the Barbados Pavilion

Annalee Davis alla Biennale Arte di Venezia 2026. Il paesaggio come lutto, archivio e resistenza nel Padiglione Barbados

Annalee Davis, an artist from Barbados, will represent her country at the 2026 Venice Biennale with an installation titled "Let this be my Cathedral" within the exhibition "In Minor Keys." The work addresses ecological grief, colonial memory, and the possibility of care without erasing conflict, using suspended plants and organic materials to create a threshold where loss, vulnerability, and wonder remain in tension. Davis discusses the influence of curator Koyo Kouoh, whose vision shaped the Biennale, and the importance of research as an integral part of her artistic process.

The Austrian Pavilion at the Biennale brings performances and installations around the Venice Lagoon

Il Padiglione Austria in Biennale porta performance e installazioni in giro per la Laguna di Venezia

Austrian artist and choreographer Florentina Holzinger (Vienna, 1986) will represent Austria at the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale with a project titled "SeaWorld Venice." Curated by Nora-Swantje Almes, the interdisciplinary initiative combines a permanent installation at the Austrian Pavilion with a series of site-specific performances and actions spread across Venice and its lagoon. The project explores the body, water, and the tensions between nature and technology, drawing on mythological and classical imagery populated by aquatic creatures. It includes "Études," performative formats developed by Holzinger since 2020, which activate urban spaces through participatory and immersive experiences, engaging both spectators and citizens.