Avignon becomes artist Jean-Michel Othoniel's gallery in his biggest ever exhibition

French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel has mounted his largest-ever exhibition across the city of Avignon, installing 270 artworks—140 of them new—in 10 locations including the Palais des Papes, city museums, public courtyards, building facades, and the medieval St Bénezet bridge. The show, commissioned to mark Avignon’s 25th anniversary as European Capital of Culture and 30th year as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2025, took nearly six weeks to install and involved a team of hundreds, including glassblowers, metalworkers, gilders, and dancers. Othoniel took the 14th-century Italian poet Petrarch as his thematic starting point, exploring different facets of love across the venues.

Crystal Bridges Museum and Art Bridges receive 90 works of contemporary Indigenous art in landmark acquisition

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and its Art Bridges Foundation have acquired 90 contemporary works by Indigenous artists from the John and Susan Horseman Collection. Art Bridges will receive 81 works for long-term loans across the U.S., while nine pieces will join Crystal Bridges' permanent collection. Artists include Kent Monkman, George Morrison, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, and Cannupa Hanska Luger. The acquisition is part of a broader strategy to expand the museum's holdings in Indigenous and craft art, with works set to debut in exhibitions starting November 2024.

In ‘A Natural History of the Studio,’ Many William Kentridges Add Up to One

William Kentridge's latest exhibition, 'A Natural History of the Studio,' at Hauser & Wirth in New York presents over 70 drawings from his nine-part film series 'Self-Portrait as a Coffee-Pot,' alongside new sculptures. The works, created during the pandemic, explore self-portraiture through charcoal, pastel, and collage, often featuring doppelgängers that argue and disagree, reflecting the artist's engagement with theater and the materiality of his forms.

New world record for Canaletto as view of Venice sells for £31.9m

A Canaletto painting, *Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day* (circa 1732), sold for £27.5 million (£31.9 million with fees) at Christie’s in London on July 1, setting a new auction record for the artist. The work, once owned by Britain’s first prime minister Robert Walpole, exceeded its $20 million estimate and was purchased by an anonymous phone bidder. The sale drew five bidders from Asia, Europe, and North America, and the painting was backed by a third-party guarantor.

New exhibit 'Ode to Dena' explores Altadena’s deep Black artistic legacy

The California African American Museum in Exposition Park has opened 'Ode to ’Dena: Black Artistic Legacies of Altadena,' a free exhibition celebrating the deep Black artistic heritage of the Altadena neighborhood. Curated by Dominique Clayton, the show features over 20 Black artists with ties to the area, including a wall of archival family photos, works by 98-year-old Betye Saar, and pieces by Kenturah Davis and her family. The exhibition was organized rapidly after the Eaton Fire, incorporating debris from the disaster, such as a scorched flugelhorn and a charred sound bowl, to reflect loss and resilience.

London’s Queen Elizabeth II memorial to feature contemplative Yinka Shonibare sculpture

A team led by architect Norman Foster and British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare has won the competition to design a national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II in St James’s Park, London. The winning proposal includes a series of royal gardens linked by a stone path, a new bridge inspired by the Queen Mary fringe tiara, and Shonibare’s Wind Sculpture as a contemplative centerpiece. The project also features figurative sculptures of the Queen and Prince Philip, a Prince Philip gate, and a main monument beside the Mall. The design will be developed with the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, which will select a sculptor for the figurative elements later this year; the final design is due in April 2026, with a provisional budget of £23m–£46m.

A natural history of the studio

William Kentridge presents his first exhibition with Hauser & Wirth in New York, titled "A natural history of the studio." The show features his acclaimed episodic film series "Self-portrait as a coffee-pot" (completed in 2024) alongside over seventy works on paper and sculptures. Spanning two floors at 542 West 22nd Street and extending to the gallery's 18th Street location, the exhibition includes charcoal drawings used in the film's animation, Paper procession sculptures, and the animated video "Fugitive words" (2024). The installation, designed by longtime collaborator Sabine Theunissen, evokes Kentridge's Johannesburg studio environment.

New museum of contemporary art, designed by David Chipperfield Architects, to open in Slovenian mountains

A new museum of contemporary art, Muzej Lah, will open in the Slovenian town of Bled next summer. Designed by David Chipperfield Architects, the 5,000 sq. m building will house the Fundacija Lah art collection, built over 30 years by Slovenia’s sixth richest family, Igor and Mojca Lah. The collection includes over 800 post-war works by artists such as Anselm Kiefer, William Kentridge, and Zoran Mušič, as well as pieces from the political art collective Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK). The museum will feature galleries, a library, research centre, restaurant, and spaces for performances and educational initiatives.

Must-See Art Installations in NYC, June 2025

This article highlights several must-see art installations and events in New York City for June 2025. Highlights include "Van Gogh's Flowers" at the New York Botanical Garden, featuring floral displays inspired by van Gogh's paintings; Photoville, a citywide pop-up photography festival with over 80 international exhibits; Pigeon Fest on the High Line, celebrating Iván Argote's pigeon sculpture "Dinosaur"; AMPLIFIED, an immersive rock 'n' roll experience at ARTECHOUSE NYC presented by Rolling Stone; and Lily Kwong's living installation "Gardens of Renewal" in Madison Square Park.

A biography of Turner and Constable that goes beyond the stereotypes

Nicola Moorby, curator of British art 1790-1850 at Tate, has published a new book titled *Turner & Constable: Art, Life, Landscape*, which examines the lives and careers of J.M.W. Turner and John Constable side by side for the first time in such depth. Published in the 250th anniversary year of Turner's birth and ahead of Constable's in 2026, the study uses a thematic approach within a chronological framework to compare their approaches to landscape painting, including their treatment of rivers like the Thames and the Stour, their differing paths to success, and famous flashpoints at Royal Academy exhibitions.

June Book Bag: from the cool influence of Ice Age art to the story of Arshile Gorky’s early years in the US

This article presents a roundup of six new art books released in June, covering a diverse range of topics. Titles include a monograph on Arshile Gorky's early years in New York, a collection exploring interspecies consciousness from the Serpentine Galleries, a book accompanying a British Museum exhibition on Ice Age art, a lavish Taschen monograph on Salvador Dalí, and a three-volume photographic study of the American West by Maryam Eisler and Alexei Riboud.

Inside Denver’s Cookie Factory Turned Art Gallery

A former fortune cookie factory in Denver's Baker neighborhood has been transformed into a nonprofit art space called the Cookie Factory, opening this weekend. The 5,000-square-foot venue, founded by philanthropist and real estate developer Amanda J. Precourt, features a gallery, sculpture garden, and video-screening rooms. The inaugural exhibition, 'Nothing Without Nature,' presents site-specific works by Colorado-based artist Sam Falls, created using natural materials and processes. The space is free to the public and will also host fundraising events, performances, and community meetings.

Lionel Messi names his favourite ever goal

Lionel Messi has revealed his favorite goal from his 860 career scores—a 2009 UEFA Champions League final goal for Barcelona against Manchester United—as part of a collaboration with media artist Refik Anadol. Anadol will transform the goal into an AI-powered data sculpture, which will be auctioned online at Christie's New York from June 11 to July 25, with proceeds supporting educational charities in Latin America and the Caribbean through the Inter Miami CF Foundation and Unicef.

Philadelphia’s “Cardboard Genius” Takes Center Stage in a New Exhibition

A new exhibition titled "Cardboard Genius: The Architectural Marvels of Kambel Smith" has opened at Historic Germantown in Philadelphia, running through June 29. The show features large-scale, intricate replicas of architecturally significant buildings—such as Philadelphia's Police Administration Building and the Georgia State House—all constructed from salvaged cardboard by self-taught artist Kambel Smith, who is autistic. Smith's father, Lonnie, coined the term "Autisarians" to describe his sons' super-human abilities and has been a key supporter of Kambel's creative journey, which has included solo shows in New York, London, and Atlanta since 2019.

Technology, art and sculptures of fog: LUMA Arles kicks off the 2025/26 season

LUMA Arles has launched its 2025/26 season with three exhibitions, including 'Sensing the Future: Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.)', which explores the 1960s collaboration between artists and engineers from Bell Labs, featuring works by Andy Warhol, Jean Dupuy, and Forrest Myers. The season also includes 'Maria Lassnig: Living with art stops one wilting!', examining the Austrian artist's 'Body Awareness' concept and her connection to curator Hans Ulrich Obrist. The exhibitions are bookended by fog and cloud-themed works, including a fog sculpture by Fujiko Nakaya.

The best museum shows to see during Tefaf New York 2025

The article highlights several major museum exhibitions opening during Tefaf New York 2025. At the Brooklyn Museum, "Solid Gold" (through July 6) traces the material's historical and cultural significance across fine art, fashion, jewelry, and design, featuring works from ancient Coclé gold plaques to pieces by Agnes Martin, Louise Nevelson, and Alexander Calder. The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents "Sargent and Paris" (through August 3) for the centenary of John Singer Sargent's death, reuniting his scandalous "Portrait of Madame X" with preparatory sketches and exploring his formative decade in Paris. The Jewish Museum offers "The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt" (through August 10), examining the biblical story's influence on 17th-century Dutch art through works by Rembrandt and his contemporaries.

May Book Bag: from a comic compendium inspired by MoMA to a turning point in the history of photography

The article reviews three new art-related book releases. It highlights 'Edward Weston: The Flame of Recognition', a 60th-anniversary reissue of Aperture's first monograph, which pairs Weston's photographs with excerpts from his Daybooks and letters, marking a milestone in photography criticism. It also covers 'Drawn to MoMA: Comics Inspired By Modern Art', an anthology of 25 graphic artists exploring the intersection of comics and museum experiences, and 'The Fatal Scroll: A Herculaneum Mystery', a thriller about the antiquities trade and ancient papyrus scrolls.

First look: the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ rehang at London's National Gallery

On May 10, London's National Gallery will unveil its first full rehang of the collection since the Sainsbury Wing opened in 1991. The wing has been closed for over two years to create a larger entrance foyer. Christine Riding, the director of collections and research, oversaw the rehang, which she calls a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity. Nearly 40% of the collection—1,045 paintings—will be displayed, including 919 from the collection and 126 on loan. The rehang is sponsored by Hong Kong-based property developer C C Land and is called "C C Land: The Wonder of Art." Works by female artists have been given greater prominence, and some paintings were conserved or reframed. The chronological arrangement from west to east remains similar, but many pictures have been repositioned to highlight artistic influences across generations.

Spiders of Paradise to open at Tweed Regional Gallery

Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre will present 'Maria Fernanda Cardoso: Spiders of Paradise' opening on May 9, 2025. The exhibition, developed and toured nationally by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA Australia), features Colombian Australian artist Maria Fernanda Cardoso's photographic project on the Australian Maratus spider. It includes 17 large-scale digital photographic portraits created with scientific imager Geoff Thompson and entomologist Andy Wang, plus an immersive projection of Cardoso's video 'On the Origins of Art I-II' (2016), co-owned by MCA Australia and Tate.

Humanitas Bong Joon Ho in conversation, new student art, and beach photos

Oscar-winning filmmaker Bong Joon Ho will visit Yale University on May 5-6 for a public conversation with photographer Gregory Crewdson about filmmaking, followed by a Schwarzman Session for students and the community. The visit coincides with a film retrospective of Bong's work organized by Marc Francis, including screenings of "Parasite," "The Host," and "Mickey 17." Separately, the Schwarzman Center has launched a virtual Storyboard exhibition titled "over time," featuring artworks by 10 Yale students responding to a prompt about the future, curated by Airi Gavan. The article also notes an upcoming summer exhibition of photographs by Yale School of Art professor emeritus Tod Papageorge.

Fragility, resilience and humour: Wolfgang Tillmans and Boris Mikhailov to open photography show in war-torn Kharkiv

A major photography exhibition pairing Wolfgang Tillmans and Boris Mikhailov opens today at the Yermilov Centre in Kharkiv, Ukraine, despite ongoing Russian attacks on the city. Titled "Pairs Skating" (April 25–September 28), the show is organized by the non-profit RIBBON International and curated by Maria Isserlis and Tatiana Kochubinska. It features Mikhailov's never-before-shown Crimean seascapes from the 1990s alongside Tillmans's works including "The State We’re In" (2015), with all prints produced specially for the venue, which is a certified bunker allowing public access during the war.

Native artist Mary Sully gets her due at Minneapolis Institute of Art

The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) has opened "Mary Sully: Native Modern," a solo exhibition featuring the intricate "personality prints" of Yankton Dakota artist Mary Sully (born Susan Mabel Deloria). The show includes 18 triptychs, drawings, memorabilia, and a film clip, highlighting her abstract vertical designs that blend Dakota heritage with 1920s–1940s celebrity culture. Sully, who died in obscurity over 60 years ago, was rediscovered by her great-nephew, Harvard professor Philip Deloria, after he found her work in a basement. Her art was previously included in the groundbreaking exhibition "Hearts of Our People" at Mia, and she also had a solo show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2024.

Inuk artist launches first solo exhibition in U.K. gallery

Inuk artist Laakkuluk Williamson has opened her first solo exhibition, titled *Nuliaminik Neqilik*, at Mimosa House gallery in London. The show draws on a Greenlandic tale of a cannibal and his seventh wife, Masaannaaq, as a metaphor for Inuit resistance against colonial powers. It features beadwork, photography, film, vocal performances, and enlarged replicas of historic Inuit objects from the British Museum. The exhibition opened with an immersive performance at the British Museum and was curated by fellow Inuk artist Taqrilik Partridge. After its London run, the show will travel to the Nuuk Art Museum in Greenland and then to Ottawa.

At the Galleries for April 9, 2026

The Hamptons art scene is entering the spring season with a diverse array of gallery openings across Montauk, East Hampton, Sag Harbor, and Bridgehampton. Key highlights include Timothy Tibus’s abstract retrospective at The Lucore Art, a Matisse-centered group show at The Drawing Room featuring rare etchings, and Kristy Gordon’s myth-inspired "Primavera" at Grenning Gallery. Other notable exhibitions include a showcase of artists from the Cold Castle collective at Keyes Art and a curated group show titled "Connections" at Dan Welden Studio/Gallery.

THE IMMA SHOWCASES THE DEEP REFLECTION OF CECILIA VICUNA

The Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) is presenting "Reverse Migration, a Poetic Journey," the first solo exhibition in Ireland by Chilean artist Cecilia Vicuña. The show features a diverse range of works including her signature 'precarios' and 'quipus'—ancient Andean-inspired textile structures—alongside early paintings and sound installations. Central to the exhibition is Vicuña’s personal connection to Ireland, explored through a 2006 pilgrimage to archaeological sites and new collaborations with local artisans using Irish wool.

The international gallery bridging contemporary artists and art history masters reopens in Milan: The Interview

Riapre a Milano la galleria internazionale che mette in dialogo artisti contemporanei e maestri della storia dell’arte. L’intervista

The artist-run space Octagon is set to establish a permanent home in Milan at Via Maroncelli 12, officially opening on April 15, 2026, during the city's Art Week. Founded by artist Jacopo Mazzetti in 2018, the gallery is transitioning from a nomadic model that saw recent collaborations in Paris and Athens to a fixed physical presence. The inaugural exhibition will feature works by the French Symbolist master Odilon Redon, maintaining the space's signature curatorial approach of bridging historical art with contemporary perspectives.

huxley parlour lisa sanditz

American artist Lisa Sanditz presents a suite of nine new works in her solo exhibition “Big Boy” at Huxley-Parlour in London, on view through May 31, 2025. The show, her third with the gallery, explores power dynamics within families and across generations through formal devices such as exaggerated scale, vibrant color, and playful imagery. Key works like "Big Boy/Big Gulp" (2025) and "Big Cat" (2025) use a hierarchy of scale rooted in medieval and ancient art traditions to reflect emotional and psychological tensions, while also commenting on broader societal and political shifts in America amid climate change.

10 Must-See Museum Exhibitions This Spring

Major museums worldwide are launching a series of high-profile exhibitions this spring that challenge traditional art historical narratives. Highlights include a Marcel Duchamp retrospective at MoMA, a deep dive into Pop art's legacy at the Guggenheim, and significant surveys of icons like Frida Kahlo and Agnes Martin. Meanwhile, UCCA Beijing is presenting a major exhibition of Duan Jianyu, highlighting the evolution of Chinese painting in relation to Western influence.

Artist Kasper Eistrup Maps the Human Condition on Canvas

Danish artist Kasper Eistrup (b. 1973) presents his first solo exhibition in Germany, titled "Bridges Over Magma," at Galerie Schimming in Hamburg. The show features a new body of work created during a recent artist-in-residence program in Hamburg, where Eistrup drew inspiration from the city's famous bridges and his ongoing exploration of painting and drawing. The compositions blend meticulously rendered figures with architecture, flora, fauna, handwritten text, and abstract textures, exploring themes of human connection and resilience.

“Voglio porre domande che non avranno mai risposte”. Intervista all’artista Ndayé Kouagou in mostra a Reggio Emilia

Ndayé Kouagou, an artist from Montreuil (1992) based in Paris, presents his first solo exhibition in Italy, "Heaven's truth," at Collezione Maramotti in Reggio Emilia, running until July 26, 2026. The show features his video installation "A coin is a coin" (2022) and is part of the 21st edition of Fotografia Europea 2026, themed "Fantasmi del quotidiano." During the opening, Kouagou performed with poet and actress Salber Lee Williams, composing and deconstructing phrases into the expression "Please Be Yourself." The exhibition will travel to Heidelberger Kunstverein from September 3, and new works co-produced with the institution will appear at the 18th Lyon Biennale (September 19 – December 13, 2026). In an interview, Kouagou discusses his background as a self-taught visual artist and performer, having worked as a motion designer in advertising and as a DJ, and emphasizes writing as his central expressive medium, comparing himself more to a writer than a visual artist.