Surrey Art Gallery spotlights Expo 86 with In the Shadow of the Pavilions, April 18 to June 7

The Surrey Art Gallery is launching "In the Shadow of the Pavilions: Expo 86 and Contemporary Art," a multidisciplinary exhibition running from April 18 to June 7. Curated by Jordan Strom, the show features archival works and documentation from over 40 artists created between 1984 and 1988. It brings together official commissions from the world’s fair alongside unofficial, parallel art initiatives that emerged during Vancouver’s Centennial celebrations, covering media ranging from kinetic sculpture to performance art.

Nazir Tanbouli celebrates 35 years of exhibiting his work at Yassin art gallery

The Egyptian art scene is hosting a diverse array of exhibitions this April, headlined by the Egyptian debut of the global blockbuster "Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience" at District 5 in New Cairo. This digital spectacle, directed by Mathieu Saint-Arnaud, utilizes 360-degree projections to bring over 300 of Vincent van Gogh's masterpieces to life. Simultaneously, local institutions like the Sharjah Art Gallery at AUC and the Italian Cultural Institute are showcasing contemporary talent, including the graduating class of AUC and a solo exhibition by Italian-Egyptian artist Sarah Zaki.

These are the 30 best museum exhibits in NYC right now

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.

What’s on now at San Francisco museums, April 2026

San Francisco’s museum landscape is undergoing a significant shift this April, anchored by the major reinstallation "Reimagined: The Fisher Collection at 10" at SFMOMA. The exhibition marks a decade of the museum's partnership with the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection, featuring works by Alexander Calder, Sol LeWitt, and Roy Lichtenstein across multiple floors. While the city celebrates these high-profile openings and the announcement of SECA Art Award finalists, the local scene faces challenges as the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts has suspended operations due to institutional difficulties.

Houston's Own Opera Gallery Opens In River Oaks District — An International Art Coup Draws A-Listers

Opera Gallery has officially opened its latest international location in Houston’s River Oaks District, marking the occasion with a series of high-profile events including a collector's preview and a VIP opening. The new space debuted with an impressive inventory of modern and contemporary masterpieces, featuring works by blue-chip artists such as Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Yayoi Kusama, and Keith Haring. The opening festivities drew a significant crowd of Houston’s social and art elite, signaling a major addition to the city's luxury retail and art landscape.

Art exhibitions open across Istanbul, global museums in March 2026

The global art calendar for March 2026 features a surge of major openings, with Istanbul emerging as a significant hub alongside traditional art capitals. Key highlights in Istanbul include a retrospective of Ottoman painter Halil Paşa at the Pera Museum, Bedri Baykam’s dialogue with Picasso at Piramid Sanat, and a politically charged group show curated by Vahap Avşar at G-Art Gallery. Simultaneously, major European institutions are launching high-profile exhibitions, including a Nan Goldin retrospective at the Grand Palais and Jenny Saville’s large-scale figurative works in Venice.

Tomás Saraceno and Indigenous communities build art complex in Argentine salt flats

Artist Tomás Saraceno has begun construction on "El Santuario del Agua" (The Water Sanctuary), a monumental art complex in the Salinas Grandes salt flats of northern Argentina. Developed in collaboration with 11 Indigenous communities and the Red Atacama coalition, the project consists of five semicircular salt structures inspired by Andean cosmology. Scheduled to open in October, the site will function as a community-owned space where visitors can engage with the landscape through elevated viewing platforms while supporting a sustainable tourism model.

Five must-see works from Newcastle Art Gallery's $145 million collection

Newcastle Art Gallery has officially reopened following a four-year, $48 million expansion that more than doubles its exhibition space. The upgraded facility now features 13 galleries, allowing the institution to maintain a permanent display of its $145 million collection for the first time in its history. The reopening was marked by a massive community response, with 28,000 visitors attending the inaugural weekend festivities and the debut exhibition, "Iconic Loved Unexpected."

War in the Middle East, the Whitney Biennial, and a newly-discovered Rembrandt in Amsterdam—podcast

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has officially authenticated a previously dismissed painting, 'The Vision of Zacharias in the Temple' (1633), as a genuine work by Rembrandt van Rijn. Long considered a mere copy of a lost original, the piece has been upgraded following extensive research by the museum's scholarly team. Simultaneously, the 82nd Whitney Biennial has launched in New York, while the escalating conflict in the Middle East raises concerns regarding the stability of the burgeoning cultural tourism sector in the Persian Gulf.

‘There’s a bead connection to every place’: Wendy Red Star on exploring the real and symbolic currency of beads

Artist Wendy Red Star has launched a site-specific solo exhibition titled 'One Blue Bead' at Sargent’s Daughters in Tribeca, exploring the historical and symbolic weight of trade beads. The exhibition transforms the gallery into a simulated trading floor featuring monumental glass beads, over 100 watercolors, and Hudson’s Bay point blankets. The project originated from the artist's residencies at the Pilchuck School of Glass and the Tacoma Museum of Glass, where she researched the global circulation of glass beads from Europe to Africa and the Americas.

What’s on now at San Francisco museums, March 2026

San Francisco’s museum landscape is undergoing a significant seasonal shift with several high-profile openings and closings scheduled for Spring 2026. Major highlights include the de Young Museum’s 'Monet and Venice' exhibition, Chiharu Shiota’s debut at the Asian Art Museum, and a major rehang of the Fisher Collection at SFMOMA. However, the scene faces a somber note as the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts has suspended operations due to financial or structural difficulties, prompting calls for city intervention.

Frieze Los Angeles Diary: hockey hotties, roaming Rami and Simon sells

Frieze Los Angeles week kicked off with a flurry of high-profile events, celebrity sightings, and charitable initiatives across the city. Key highlights included the Felix Art Fair, where RF. Alvarez’s painting inspired by the queer hockey drama 'Heated Rivalry' drew significant attention, and a major benefit auction led by Simon de Pury that raised over $500,000 for natural disaster relief. The week also featured a prestigious gathering at a private James Turrell Skyspace to celebrate the Serpentine Americas Foundation.

Venice Biennale details revealed, Beatriz González and Tracey Emin in London—podcast

The 2026 Venice Biennale has unveiled the artist list and framework for its international exhibition, "In Minor Keys." The project, which was the final vision of the late curator Koyo Kouoh, is being realized by a collaborative team following her death last year. The exhibition aims to explore themes of minor histories and global narratives through a diverse roster of international artists.

DePaul Art Museum Closing In June: ‘It’s A Huge Loss’

DePaul University has announced the permanent closure of the DePaul Art Museum (DPAM), effective June 30, 2025. University leadership cited the need for long-term financial sustainability and ongoing budget planning as the primary reasons for the decision. The closure follows a period of significant financial strain for the institution, which has already resulted in over 100 staff layoffs and cutbacks to other campus facilities like the Loop library.

New Orleans Takes the Stage at the 2026 Venice Biennale

New Orleans artists Dawn DeDeaux and Demond Melancon have been selected to participate in the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026. Curated by Koyo Kouoh under the title "In Minor Keys," the exhibition marks a historic moment as two artists from the city receive simultaneous invitations to the prestigious international forum. DeDeaux, a veteran multimedia artist known for her "MotherShip Series" and environmental themes, will bring her focus on post-anthropocene landscapes to the global stage.

Comment | Time for a rethink: women artists were never meant to merely be canon fodder

Comment | Time for a rethink: women artists were never meant to merely be canon fodder

The art world is increasingly moving beyond simply adding women to the existing art historical canon, a practice long criticized by feminist historians like Griselda Pollock. Instead of merely 'expanding' the canon, new institutional approaches aim to 'difference' it by using the work of women to fundamentally re-evaluate and subvert established narratives. This shift suggests that the inclusion of previously marginalized artists should change how we perceive the masters they are often compared to.

Cosmos: The Art of Observing Space

The Royal West of England Academy in Bristol is hosting "Cosmos: The Art of Observing Space," an expansive exhibition curated by artist Ione Parkin. The show bridges the gap between hard science and artistic imagination, featuring works that range from Susan Derges’s lunar photography to Christopher Le Brun’s monumental 12-panel painting of the moon’s phases. By blending scientific inquiry with creative expression, the exhibition explores how celestial phenomena, NASA data, and planetary movements inspire contemporary visual art.

What’s on now at San Francisco museums, February 2026

Several San Francisco museums are experiencing a period of transition and challenge in February 2026. Key exhibitions are closing soon, including "Manet and Morisot" at the Legion of Honor and Suzanne Jackson's first career retrospective at SFMOMA, both ending March 1. New shows are opening, such as "Video Craft" at the Museum of Craft & Design and "Echoes in the Small Mountain: Park Dae-sung and the West Coast" at the Asian Art Museum. Meanwhile, the city's cultural landscape faces strain, with the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts suspending operations, representing a significant loss of community programming.

What happens to the art market when humanity stops mattering?

The article examines the resilience of the high-end art market amid rising geopolitical tensions and shrinking public funding for culture. It notes that while sales at major auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's have rebounded, political forces in the US and Europe are increasingly prioritizing military spending and exerting pressure on cultural institutions, drawing parallels to the rise of fascism in the early 20th century.

Museum wall texts are an art in their own right—but will they survive the digital age?

The article explores the debate over museum wall texts, examining whether they enhance or hinder the visitor experience. It highlights contrasting approaches: Calder Gardens in Philadelphia has eliminated wall text entirely, branding itself as "open to interpretation," while institutions like the Frick Pittsburgh and the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) continue to use carefully crafted labels, often with strict word limits and multiple languages. The Frick Pittsburgh invites guest "labelists" from the local community to write labels, and the ROM focuses on making text shorter and more scannable to hold visitors' limited attention.

What’s on now at San Francisco museums, January 2026

A roundup of current and upcoming exhibitions at San Francisco museums in January 2026 highlights several shows closing soon, including "Manet and Morisot" at the Legion of Honor and "Suzanne Jackson: What is Love" at SFMOMA, both ending March 1. New exhibitions opening include "The art of Cece Carpio" at SOMArts on Jan. 30, and "Trina Michelle Robinson: Open Your Eyes to Water" at 500 Capp Street and Root Division in February. The de Young Museum features "Boom and Bust: Photographing Northern California" and artist Rose B. Simpson's show "LEXICON," part of the newly opened galleries dedicated to Arts of Indigenous America. The Museum of the African Diaspora presents "Unbound: Art, Blackness and the Universe" and "Continuum: MoAD Over Time," while the Asian Art Museum hosts "Jitish Kallat: Covering Letter (Terranum Nuncius)."

The Brooklyn Museum Presents North American Debut of Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses

The Brooklyn Museum will present the North American debut of "Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses" on May 16, 2026, timed with the annual Brooklyn Artists Ball where Van Herpen will be honored. The exhibition features over 140 haute couture creations alongside contemporary art, design pieces, and scientific artifacts, exploring the designer's fusion of craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology, sustainability, and natural phenomena. Previously shown at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, QAGOMA, ArtScience Museum Singapore, and Kunsthal Rotterdam, the show is curated by Cloé Pitiot and Louise Curtis, with the Brooklyn Museum presentation organized by Matthew Yokobosky and Imani Williford.

‘Rubens with jokes’: UK exhibitions place Beryl Cook in the art historical canon

Two concurrent exhibitions in Plymouth, England, are re-evaluating the work of the late British artist Beryl Cook, long dismissed by critics for her popular, humorous paintings of plump, joyful people. The Box gallery presents "Beryl Cook: Pride and Joy" (until 31 May), which places Cook within the Western art canon by tracing her influences from Peter Paul Rubens and Pieter Brueghel the Younger to Stanley Spencer and Edward Burra. The show features over 80 paintings, sculptures, textiles, and a personal archive, and is curated by Terah Walkup. A parallel exhibition at Karst gallery, "Discord and Harmony" (until 18 April), pairs Cook's legacy with contemporary artists like Olivia Sterling, Rhys Coren, and Flo Brooks, who similarly champion overlooked communities.

Artist Jan Tichy plans to plunge MSU's Broad Art Museum into darkness

Artist Jan Tichy has created a major exhibition titled "Darkness" at the Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University, opening January 30, 2026, and running through late July. The exhibition transforms the museum's main floor galleries by blacking out Zaha Hadid's iconic angular windows and entrances, using projections and modulated lights to simulate a 24-hour day-night cycle. Tichy, who previously worked with the museum on a Flint water crisis project in 2017, collaborated with MSU researchers—including the Department of Entomology—to create works inspired by academic studies, such as photographic prints made from insects collected on the museum grounds over a year.

5* Art Openings in London this week.

Five major art openings are taking place in London this week, headlined by museum-scale gallery shows featuring Joseph Beuys, Nan Goldin, and Richard Avedon. Thaddaeus Ropac presents 'Bathtub for a Heroine,' the first UK exhibition focusing on Beuys' monumental sculpture, while Gagosian shows all 126 photographs from Goldin's 'The Ballad of Sexual Dependency' and Avedon's 'In the American West' series. The weekend culminates with Condo London, a city-wide collaborative exhibition linking 50 galleries across 23 spaces.

How much should art cost? The pitfalls and paradoxes of pricing works

The article examines the current state of the art market, which is in its third consecutive year of contraction. It traces how low interest rates fueled speculative price inflation, leading to a boom in ultra-contemporary art that has now burst, with collectors shifting toward Old Masters. Dealers like Larry Gagosian are now advocating for lowering primary market prices, while private sales stall due to sellers' 'anchoring' to peak valuations. The piece highlights the disconnect between high prices and long-term value, using examples such as auction records being manipulated (e.g., Patrick Drahi's anonymous bidding on a Francis Bacon triptych) and the reality that most artworks in even celebrated collections depreciate.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art to Present First Museum Survey of Lorna Simpson’s Paintings

The Metropolitan Museum of Art will present "Lorna Simpson: Source Notes" from May 19 to November 2, 2025, the first museum survey dedicated entirely to the New York-based artist's painting practice. Featuring over 30 works, the exhibition traces Simpson's shift from conceptual photography to paintings that explore gender, race, identity, and history, including pieces from her 2015 Venice Biennale debut and her "Special Characters" series, alongside recent sculptures and collages. The show is funded by the Ford Foundation and supported by Jim and Irene Karp and John and Amy Griffin.

Local arts council executive director Tania Blanich reflects on 2025

Tania Blanich, executive director of The Arts Partnership in Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo, reflects on her favorite arts experiences from 2025. Highlights include a jazz concert by The Kicks Band featuring Ted Nash's "Portrait in Seven Shades," the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra's "Music from Within" concert, the Plains Art Museum's exhibition "Women Artists: Four Centuries of Creativity," local downtown art galleries, youth theater groups Trollwood and Gooseberry, the F-M Visual Artists annual Studio Crawl, and Theatre B's "Fridays in September" series.

19 New Exhibits Coming to the Smithsonian Museums in 2026

The Smithsonian Institution has announced 19 new exhibitions opening across its museums in 2026, including shows at the African American History and Culture Museum, African Art Museum, Air and Space Museum, American Art Museum, American History Museum, and Asian Art Museum. Highlights include Nick Cave's immersive installation "Mammoth" at the American Art Museum, a photography survey of the U.S. Bicentennial, and a major reopening of the Air and Space Museum's final seven galleries after eight years of renovations. Several exhibitions tie into the nation's 250th anniversary, while others explore LGBTQ+ African art, HBCU collections, salsa music history, and contemporary water-themed paintings by Hiroshi Senju and Bingyi.

Al Park’s picks of 2025 - local and international artists all make the cut

Al Park, a longtime music impresario in Lyttelton and Christchurch, shares his personal cultural highlights of 2025 in an end-of-year feature for The Press. His picks span books, films, music, poetry, and visual art, including the exhibition "Whāia te Taniwha" at Christchurch Art Gallery, which features works like Piri Cowie's bronze sculpture "Te Wheke – Aro Hā Series 2024." Park also looks ahead to 2026, noting his weekly event 'Al P and his P.A.Ls' and the upcoming "The Art of Banksy" exhibition at Christchurch Convention Centre Te Pae.