Lacma staff move to unionise as $720m new building nears completion

Staff at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Lacma) announced their intent to unionize as part of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The new union, Lacma United, will represent over 300 museum employees across curatorial, visitor services, education, and publications departments. Workers cite fairer compensation, expanded benefits, and increased transparency as key motivations, and have requested voluntary recognition by November 5. The effort joins AFSCME Cultural Workers United District Council 36, which has supported union campaigns at other Los Angeles institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Lina Ghotmeh: ‘Museums should go beyond conservation to foster exchange, reflection and critical thinking’

In February 2025, Beirut-born, Paris-based architect Lina Ghotmeh won the competition to oversee the remodelling of the Western Range of the British Museum, a series of galleries comprising one-third of the historic London institution. Her project team includes conservation specialists Purcell and engineers Arup. Ghotmeh, known for her human-centred, sustainable approach and her 'archaeology of the future' methodology, has previously designed the Stone Garden tower in Beirut and the 2023 Serpentine Pavilion in London. She also holds commissions for a contemporary art museum in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, a Venice Biennale pavilion for Qatar, and the Bahrain Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka.

Exhibition at Brown responds to University’s Haffenreffer Museum collection of Navajo objects

Diné (Navajo) artist Eric-Paul Riege has opened a new exhibition, “ojo|-|ólǫ́,” at Brown University’s David Winton Bell Gallery, on view through December 7. The show features large soft sculptures and weavings that engage with Diné mythology, Euro-American trading posts, and the concept of authenticity in Indigenous art. Riege also selected five objects from Brown’s Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, including a loom with an unfinished textile, which he recontextualized by separating the loom from the textile and adding handwritten notes. The exhibition is co-curated by Thea Quiray Tagle and Nina Bozicnik, and will travel to the Henry Art Gallery in 2026.

Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan's collection of Indian and Persian paintings to sell at Christie's for more than £8m

Christie's will auction 95 Indian and Persian paintings from the collection of Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan in London on 28 October, with estimates ranging from £2,000 to £1m and a total expected sale price exceeding £8m. The collection, formed between the 1960s and 1980s, includes Ottoman, Mughal, Deccani, and Rajput works, as well as pieces by artists such as Reza Abbasi, Ghulam Ali Khan, and Sheikh Muhammad Amir of Karraya, dating from the 16th to 19th centuries. Highlights include a page from the Fraser Album and an early Mughal painting of cheetahs attributed to Basawan.

A Rarely Seen Caravaggio Masterpiece Makes Its Way to Florida

A rarely seen Caravaggio masterpiece, *Boy Bitten by a Lizard* (1593–94), is traveling to the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida, for a new exhibition titled “In Caravaggio’s Light: Baroque Masterpieces from the Fondazione Roberto Longhi.” The show features 40 paintings by Caravaggio and his followers, the Caravaggisti, drawn from the collection of the Fondazione Roberto Longhi in Florence. The last time this painting was in the U.S. was in 2012 at the Kimbell Art Museum, and the Longhi collection has never before had a dedicated exhibition in America.

Upcoming art shows and festivals

The article highlights a series of upcoming art exhibitions and festivals in Springfield, Illinois, running from late August through September 2025. Key events include the Springfield Art Association's 37th Annual Edwards Place Fine Art Fair, the solo watercolor exhibition “Perceptions of Nature” by Donald Landry at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, and the “NOIR V: Resilience” exhibition at the Illinois State Museum. Other featured shows include “Confluence” and “PLEIADES” at the SAA Collective, and the “Statewide: Illinois Artist Showcase” at the M. G. Nelson Gallery. The Fae Folk Art Collective also presents its fourth festival, Mythical Creatures, at Union Square Park.

'Through the Veil' exhibition at Sarasota Art Museum an immersive labyrinth of mixed media hanging assemblages

Nassau-born, Atlanta-based artist Lillian Blades presents 'Through the Veil,' her first solo museum exhibition, at the Sarasota Art Museum. The show features suspended mixed-media assemblages called 'veils,' made from Plexiglas, wood, family photographs, and found objects, stitched together with a metallic knotting technique. Inspired by her mother, who was a quilter and died in childbirth, Blades creates immersive, tapestry-like works that envelop viewers and cast intricate shadows on the museum's walls and floors. The exhibition also includes earlier wall assemblages encrusted with three-dimensional materials like antique mirrors and empty picture frames.

Friendship Along the Border: Art Galleries Collaborate in Presidio

Two art galleries, Galería Raíces and The Dreamers Gallery, have opened in the small border town of Presidio, Texas, and are collaborating rather than competing. Galería Raíces, owned by Yosdy Valdivia, opened in October 2024 in a building that once housed a clothing store run by the late Olivia Rohana de Spencer, a self-taught painter whose work was featured in the inaugural show. The Dreamers Gallery, owned by Adèle Jancovici, opened nearby. The galleries participate in a community event called Nocturnal Animals, which encourages residents to visit both spaces, located just two blocks apart.

Column | I road-tripped the Midwest’s best art museums. It was anything but an escape.

Art critic Sebastian Smee embarked on a summer road trip to visit seven major art museums across five Midwestern cities over five days. The column reflects on how the rapid succession of artworks and ideas from these institutions—ranging from the Art Institute of Chicago to the Cleveland Museum of Art—creates oblique connections and correspondences, both among the works themselves and between art and the outside world. Smee describes the experience as anything but an escape, as the art continually mirrors real-world events and emotions.

Toledo Museum of Art exhibition to explore landscape of digital and generative art

The Toledo Museum of Art will open "Infinite Images: The Art of the Algorithm," a special exhibition curated by Julia Kaganskiy that explores digital and generative art from the 1960s to the present. The show features works created using custom software, algorithms, and machine learning models developed by the artists themselves, emphasizing rule-based systems and automation as part of the creative process. Associate Curator Paige Rozanski notes that the exhibition contextualizes generative art within a longer tradition of analog algorithmic processes, distinguishing it from AI-generated images produced by large language models like ChatGPT.

Review | Walters Museum unveils 4,000-year tour of Latin American art

The Walters Art Museum has unveiled new Latin American galleries, opening with a work by Peruvian-born artist Kukuli Velarde titled "Wak'a del Agua" (2022-2023). The ceramic piece, inspired by the Inca tradition of stacking stones to mark sacred spaces, features five stacked forms painted in diverse styles that reflect different periods of Peruvian history, from ancient textile patterns to neon-colored figures.

“State Fairs: Growing American Craft” at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery Explores the Stories of Craft Artists at the Fairgrounds

The Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery will present 'State Fairs: Growing American Craft,' the first exhibition dedicated to artists' contributions to U.S. state fairs, from Aug. 22 to Sept. 7, 2026. Featuring over 240 artworks dating from the mid-19th century to the present, the show includes spectacles such as Big Tex's size 96 boots, a life-size butter cow by Iowa State Fair sculptor Sarah Pratt, and a pyramid of preserved fruits by canning champion Rod Zeitler. The exhibition is the result of five years of research involving visits to 15 state fairs, collaborations with artists in five states, and contributions from 43 states and tribal nations.

Early summer shows at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art: Out Loud 2025, 2025 Gala Art Exhibition: The Factory

The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) is presenting two early summer exhibitions: "Out Loud 2025" and the "2025 Gala Art Auction: The Factory." Out Loud 2025 features work by 17 young artists from Utah high schools who completed a 12-week workshop series, exploring themes of queer identity, childhood nostalgia, and coming-of-age through diverse media including painting, ceramics, collage, and video. The 2025 Gala Art Auction showcases works by 57 Utah artists available for purchase.

Latter-day Saint artists ‘Lift Up the Hands Which Hang Down’ in new exhibit

The Church History Museum in Salt Lake City has unveiled 150 artworks selected for the 13th International Art Competition of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, themed "Lift Up the Hands Which Hang Down" after Doctrine and Covenants 81:5. The exhibition opened on April 24, 2025, featuring works by 584 artists from 26 countries, including pieces like "Deposition" by Sarah Hawkes and "The Parable of the Gardner: The Garden of the Lord" by Pamela Salinas Bernal. Curator Laura Paulsen Howe and BYU art history professor James Swensen, a juror, highlighted how artists visualized themes of succoring the weak and strengthening others through diverse media and personal testimony.

design the winter show antiques preview

New York's art, design, and philanthropic leaders gathered at the Park Avenue Armory for the Winter Show's Opening Night Preview, marking the fair's 72nd edition and honoring Caroline Kennedy. The event featured 75 international exhibitors, with co-hosts including Executive Director Helen Allen, East Side House Settlement Executive Director Daniel Diaz, Honorary Co-Chair Wendy Goodman, and designers Noz Nozawa, Ben Pentreath, Jane Keltner de Valle, Giancarlo Valle, Michael Bargo, and CULTURED Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson. Attendees included fashion designer Cynthia Rowley, interior designers Reed and Delphine Krakoff, and architect Peter Marino, among others.

Affordable Art Fair Hampstead Returns

The Affordable Art Fair is returning to Hampstead Heath in London from May 6th to 10th, featuring over 100 galleries and more than 1,000 artworks. A key highlight is the inaugural 'Ceramics Unbound' exhibition, curated by Caroline Jackman, showcasing 27 boundary-pushing ceramic artists, including featured programme artist Sara Dodd. The fair also includes curated displays like 'Heath & Heart' and 'Finds Under £500,' outdoor painting workshops, evening 'Summer Lates' events with music, and family-friendly activities including a children's art competition.

Displaying the gallery

The Los Medanos College Art Gallery is preparing for its spring student exhibition, which opened April 15. Gallery director Sarah Lee oversees the installation process, working with student workers and volunteers like Jordan Castro, Dasha Shevchenko, and Eric Sanchez to arrange artworks—including paintings, sculptures, and ceramics—into a cohesive display. A guest juror selected the pieces, and this year's show features an interactive element created by senior lab coordinator Cesar Reyes and Nick Nabas, inviting visitors to engage directly with the exhibit.

More than 160 artists selling their work to raise funds for medical, humanitarian aid in Gaza

More than 160 artists have donated works to an online charity auction called "100 Artists for Gaza," with all proceeds going to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) for humanitarian aid in Gaza. Organized by artists Mai-Thu Perret, Vidya Gastaldon, Sarah Benslimane, and art specialist Anne Lamunière, the sale features works by notable figures including Kara Walker, Wolfgang Tillmans, Peter Doig, and Olafur Eliasson. The pieces, each roughly 8 by 12 inches, have been exhibited at the organization's Geneva headquarters since November 11, with a live auction concluding on December 2.

Sex, beauty and the body: how Helen Chadwick shaped British contemporary art

A new critical biography, "Helen Chadwick: Life Pleasures," has been published, marking the first comprehensive study of the British artist Helen Chadwick (1953-96). Edited by Laura Smith, director of collections and exhibitions at the Hepworth Wakefield, the book includes contributions from historian Marina Warner, curator Katrin Bucher Trantow, and artist Maria Christoforidou. A touring exhibition of Chadwick's work opens at the Hepworth Wakefield on 17 May and runs until 27 October. The article highlights Chadwick's provocative, punky, and perverse body-focused works, such as "Untitled (Eat Art)" (1973), where she cast her face in jelly for viewers to consume, and "Piss Flowers" (1991-92), made from snow she urinated on. It also recounts the infamous 1986 incident at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, where her sculpture "Carcass"—a glass tower of rotting vegetables—leaked and collapsed.

alaska art student arrested eating ai generated art protest

A University of Alaska Fairbanks undergraduate, Graham Granger, was arrested for eating AI-generated artwork created by MFA student Nick Dwyer. The artwork, titled *Shadow Searching: ChatGPT psychosis* (2025), was part of the exhibition “This Is Not Awful” at the UAF Art Gallery. Granger allegedly destroyed at least 57 of 160 Polaroid-style images in protest of AI-generated art, and was charged with criminal mischief, a class B misdemeanor.

Eye on Art: Whistler House hosts 200th Anniversary of Lowell Exhibition

The Whistler House Museum of Art is launching a special exhibition to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Lowell, Massachusetts. Running from April 18 to June 20, the show features a diverse array of media—including painting, sculpture, and photography—created by members of the Lowell Art Association, Inc. The works focus on the city’s identity as the cradle of the American Industrial Revolution, capturing its historic textile mills, urban landscapes, and cultural heritage.

How UK museums are embracing citizens’ assemblies to help frame their futures

UK museums are increasingly turning to citizens' assemblies to involve the public in shaping institutional policy and direction. The National Gallery in London launched its NG Citizens panel in 2024, following Birmingham Museums Trust's 2024 citizens' jury of 26 local residents. The Imperial War Museum and London's Migration Museum have also announced plans for similar assemblies. The National Gallery's panel, formed through a civic lottery of 15,000 invited households, will meet from November 2025 to March 2026 to develop recommendations on the gallery's purpose, priorities, and public value—though it will not directly select exhibitions or acquisitions.

The Flaten Art Museum presents Gateway to Himalayan Art, a traveling exhibition from the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art

The Flaten Art Museum at St. Olaf College is presenting "Gateway to Himalayan Art," a traveling exhibition from the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art that introduces the forms, concepts, and traditions of Himalayan art and cultures. The exhibition features objects from the Rubin Museum's collection along with multimedia elements from its educational initiative, Project Himalayan Art, and will be on view from September 12 to December 7, 2025. A companion exhibition, "Tashi Delek, Minnesota! (Auspicious Blessings, Minnesota!)," curated by Thor Anderson and Karil Kucera with the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota, will run concurrently, highlighting the public life of Tibetan Minnesotans through photographs and videos.

Legendary Looks: My Ballroom Story Felix Rodriguez

Filmmaker Felix Rodriguez's archival work is featured in "Legendary Looks: My Ballroom Story," a multi-site exhibition running across Pioneer Works, ArtsWestchester, and City Lore throughout summer 2025. Co-curated by prominent ballroom leaders Jonovia Chase Lanvin, Twiggy Pucci Garçon, and Michael Roberson Maison-Margiela, the exhibition explores the artistry and cultural legacy of the house ballroom community. Rodriguez has documented this community since 1991, amassing an encyclopedic archive of New York's ballroom figures, and his multimedia installation at Pioneer Works highlights the role of commentators who live-narrate balls, presented along a red carpet evoking ball runways.

Alice Peach “Still Curly” at Iowa, New York

Alice Peach’s solo exhibition "Still Curly" at Iowa, New York, features a series of new sculptures constructed from popsicle sticks. These humble, mass-produced materials are transformed into modular, skeletal forms that mimic biological structures such as spines and torsos. The works are displayed in various states of tension, either splayed against the gallery walls or suspended from the ceiling to create a sense of precarious movement.

Rediscovering Jorge Luis Borges as an Architectural Critic. 40 Years After His Death

Riscoprire Jorge Luis Borges come critico d’architettura. A 40 anni dalla morte

The article commemorates the 40th anniversary of Jorge Luis Borges's death, reflecting on his legacy as a writer and his lesser-known role as an architectural critic. It highlights a 2025 book by Estela Canto, a close friend, which reveals Borges's personal fragility and contradictions, such as his love for popular cinema over classical music. The piece also explores Borges's fictional architectural criticism, particularly his 1967 work *Cronache di Bustos Domecq* co-written with Adolfo Bioy Casares, where he satirized functional architecture through invented pioneers like Adam Quincey and Alessandro Piranesi.

Qatar's Pavilion at the Venice Biennale Is Not Yet Built. But It Takes Shape Under a Tent in the Giardini with a Rich Cultural Program

Il Padiglione del Qatar alla Biennale di Venezia ancora non c’è. Ma prende forma sotto una tenda ai Giardini con un ricco programma culturale

Qatar's national pavilion at the Venice Biennale, designed by architect Lina Ghotmeh, is still under construction in the Giardini. For the 2026 Venice Art Biennale, Qatar Museums and Rubaiya Qatar have commissioned artist Rirkrit Tiravanija to present "Untitled 2026 (a gathering of remarkable people)" under a tent structure on the site. The project, curated by Tom Eccles and Ruba Katrib, will feature a film by Sophia Al-Maria, live performances by Tarek Atoui, a culinary program by chef Fadi Kattan, and a large-scale sculpture by Alia Farid, bringing together artists, musicians, and chefs from the Arab world.

The Milan fair dedicating an entire day to reflecting on the state of Italian art: 8 straight hours of conversations

A Milano la fiera che dedica un’intera giornata per riflettere sullo stato dell’arte italiana: 8 ore filate di conversazioni

The debut edition of Paris Internationale in Milan, scheduled for April 2026 at Palazzo Galbani, will feature a marathon eight-hour symposium titled "Aperto Italia." Organized in collaboration with the Fondazione Nicola Trussardi and curated by Massimiliano Gioni, the event brings together 35 international galleries and a significant roster of Italian artists. The program is designed as a continuous cycle of conversations to address the current state of contemporary art in Italy, paying tribute to the late Flash Art publisher Giancarlo Politi.

Even exhibition catalogues can become manga: The case of Yuko Mohri

Pure i cataloghi delle mostre possono diventare manga. Il caso Yuko Mohri

The Pirelli HangarBicocca has released a unique exhibition catalogue for Japanese artist Yuko Mohri following her solo show, 'Entanglements,' in Milan. The publication distinguishes itself by including a 24-page manga titled 'Yuko and the Unnamed' by artist Ran Kurumi, tucked into the book's jacket. This graphic insert serves as a biographical narrative, tracing Mohri’s journey from her formative years in Tokyo’s Akihabara electronics district to her recent representation of Japan at the 2024 Venice Biennale.

Gallery openings and exhibits in Central Oregon this week

Central Oregon’s art scene is hosting a diverse array of exhibitions this week across Bend, Sisters, Sunriver, and Redmond. Notable highlights include Jana Charl’s mixed-media showcase "This is not a Love Story" at Art Adventure Gallery, Hilary Baker’s moth-themed "Prophets" at the High Desert Museum, and a collection of literary-inspired quilts at the Deschutes Historical Museum. The offerings span various mediums, from nomadic woven macramé and custom jewelry to volcanic science explorations and historic cartography.