The Italian artist who sails from the Island of Elba to Saint Helena: talking about power and making a film

L’artista italiano che parte dall’Isola d’Elba in barca a vela per raggiungere Sant’Elena: si parla di potere e si gira un film

Italian artist Luca Vitone (born Genoa, 1964) has launched a project titled "Pro Tempore," which involves a two-month sailing journey from the Island of Elba—Napoleon Bonaparte's first place of exile—to the remote island of Saint Helena, where Napoleon died in exile. The voyage, aboard the boat Adriatica, includes four intermediate stops (Balearic Islands, Algeciras, Canary Islands, Cape Verde) and is funded by the 14th edition of the Italian Council grant, in partnership with the Fondazione Oelle. The project explores the concept of temporary power and uses Napoleon's biography and the sea as metaphors for control and instability.

Angus, Thongs and Imperfect Staging

The art collective MSCHF saved a cow named Angus from slaughter after a two-year project called 'Our Cow Angus'. The project allowed fans to preorder burgers or a leather bag made from Angus, but also provided a 'Remorse Token' to cancel orders. If 50% of tokens were used by the deadline, Angus would be spared and sent to a sanctuary. With ten hours remaining, the threshold was met, and the cow's life was saved.

Inside the Inaugural Edition of Art Cologne Palma Mallorca

The inaugural edition of Art Cologne Palma Mallorca took place from April 9–12, 2026, attracting 88 galleries from 20 countries and over 10,000 visitors to the Mediterranean island. The fair, held at the Palau de Congressos Convention Centre, reported strong sales and sold-out weekend days, with Artistic Director Daniel Hug praising the high level of engagement and positive response from both exhibitors and attendees. A second edition has already been scheduled for April 1–4, 2027.

Manet and Morisot: Game On | Susan Tallman

The article recounts an incident in 1870 when Berthe Morisot, a young painter, sought advice from Édouard Manet on a double portrait of her mother and sister for the Paris Salon. Manet, a friend and fellow artist, visited her studio and, after deeming the work "very good" except for the dress, took up brushes and extensively retouched the figure of Morisot's mother from hem to head, leaving Morisot mortified. This moment, described as "mansplainting," is framed as a pivotal point in their artistic relationship, which the exhibition "Manet and Morisot" explores through paintings that dialogue with each other, including Manet's *The Balcony* and Morisot's *The Artist's Sister at a Window*.

At the New Museum, Parallel Visions of Humanity’s Future Emerge

The New Museum's latest exhibition explores the evolving definition of humanity through the lens of technological advancement and ancestral wisdom. The show juxtaposes the anxieties of modern machine labor—exemplified by Simon Denny’s Amazon worker cage—with Indigenous epistemologies and animist traditions that offer alternative ways of inhabiting the world. By featuring artists like Jaider Esbell and Santiago Yahuarcani, the exhibition highlights how hybridity and relationality can resist the rigid hierarchies of Western modernity.

New Museum Reopens in Downtown New York With OMA Expansion

The New Museum has officially reopened its downtown New York campus following a significant expansion designed by the architectural firm OMA. The renovation introduces a massive internal staircase that connects all four floors, resolving long-standing circulation issues previously caused by a reliance on elevators. To mark the reopening, the museum debuted a site-specific facade sculpture by Tschabalala Self titled "Art Lovers" and a massive inaugural group exhibition, "New Humans: Memories of the Future," featuring over 150 international contributors.

From the RCA studio to the spotlight: Show-stopping women artists, then and now

A wave of major solo exhibitions by prominent women artists is taking place across the UK in 2025 and 2026, featuring Emma Talbot, Joy Gregory, Tracey Emin, and Caroline Walker. All four artists share a formative educational background, having studied at the Royal College of Art (RCA).

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.

Hometown Revival: Howard Gardiner Cushing at the Newport Art Museum

The Newport Art Museum will present "Howard Gardiner Cushing: A Harmony of Line and Color," the first major retrospective in decades of the Gilded Age artist, opening July 11. Guest curated by Ricardo Mercado in collaboration with Newport Curates, the exhibition features dozens of Cushing's full-length portraits and Asian-influenced decorative paintings, organized into two galleries that separate his two main genres: intimate depictions of family and friends, and semi-theatrical works. Cushing, who died in 1916 and was later dismissed as old-fashioned, is being restored to his place as an innovative artist who challenged academic conventions of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

LOOK25 Gala supports Contemporary Calgary and Butterfly Ball raises funds for Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre

The LOOK25 Gala in Calgary, held on May 31 and presented by MAWER, raised over $1.2 million for Contemporary Calgary. Themed “Noir Nouveau” after textile artist Simone Elizabeth Saunders, the event featured a VIP dinner by Holt Renfrew, performances by Justine Tyrell and Timothonius, and a live auction led by Heather Edwards that included works by Saunders, June Clark, Evan Penny, and a circa-1960 Jean-Paul Riopelle. An after party sponsored by Masters Gallery drew 600 guests. Separately, the Butterfly Ball in Toronto, now in its 26th year, raised $1.27 million for Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre, with co-chairs Claire MacNamara and Trish Del Sorbo, and an auction handled by Christie’s consultant Brett Sherlock.

Jean Tinguely’s 100th anniversary, migration museum opens in Rotterdam, Ben Shahn's social security mural—podcast

This episode of The Art Newspaper's podcast 'The Week in Art' covers three major stories. First, a host of exhibitions and events celebrating the 100th anniversary of Swiss kinetic artist Jean Tinguely, including shows at the Tinguely Museum in Basel, Lehmbruck Museum in Duisburg, Hauser & Wirth Somerset, and the Grand Palais in Paris. Second, the newly opened Fenix museum in Rotterdam, a museum dedicated to migration, featuring a dramatic stainless steel tornado staircase. Third, the episode's Work of the Week focuses on Ben Shahn's 1941 study 'Harvesting Wheat' for his mural 'The Meaning of Social Security,' discussed in conjunction with a major exhibition of Shahn's work at the Jewish Museum in New York.

New Exhibition Explores the 60 Artists At the Forefront of Contemporary Fiber Art

The Golden Thread 2, a new exhibition organized by Karin Bravin and John Lee of BravinLee Programs, showcases the work of 60 contemporary fiber artists at an 18th-century mercantile building in Manhattan’s South Street Seaport neighborhood. Running until May 16, 2025, the show features a wide range of techniques including weaving, crochet, knitting, embroidery, tufting, and quilting, with pieces by artists such as Julia Bland, Lucia Engstrom, Mark Fleuridor, Sammy Bennet, Ali Dipp, Ana Maria Hernando, and Ellie Murphy. This second iteration is larger and longer than the first, which coincided with Frieze New York in 2024.

È morto Paolo Masi. La lunga ricerca dell’artista fiorentino sulla trasformazione dei materiali poveri

Paolo Masi, the Florentine artist known for his lifelong exploration of poor materials and their transformation, died in Florence on Wednesday, May 6, just days before his 93rd birthday. His career spanned from informal experiments in the 1950s through a rigorous investigation of materials in the 1960s, including his first solo show at the Strozzina in 1960. He joined the aesthetic research group Centro F/Uno alongside Baldi, Lecci, and Nannucci, and later co-founded the collective spaces Zona (1974) and Base (1998) with Mario Mariotti and Maurizio Nannucci. Masi participated in the Venice Biennale (1978) and the Rome Quadriennale (1986), and his works are held by major museums and foundations internationally. His later years saw significant retrospectives at the Museo MAGA in Gallarate (2018) and at Le Murate in Florence (2018), as well as a 2023 solo show at Florence's Galleria Frittelli, which remembered him as an extraordinary artist and dear friend.

Exhibition Review & Studio Visit Feature: Don Porcaro and his “Lost Stories” at Westwood Gallery

Don Porcaro (American, b. 1950) presented his second solo exhibition at Westwood Gallery in New York, titled "Lost Stories," featuring two series of stone sculptures: towering polylithic pillars from the Lost Stories series and mysterious artifact-like objects from the Art or Fact series. Curated by gallery co-founder James Cavello, the show highlights Porcaro's lifelong practice of sourcing stones from diverse geographies and reconfiguring them into stacked, architecturally inspired forms that evoke prehistoric megaliths, ancient columns, and funerary urns.

M.F. Husain | Untitled (Head of a Horse) (Circa 1969) | Available for Sale

Grosvenor Gallery has announced the availability of a significant 1969 oil painting by M.F. Husain titled "Untitled (Head of a Horse)." The work, which features the artist's signature equine subject matter with bared teeth and exaggerated features, was recently showcased at Frieze Masters 2024 as part of the "South Asian Modernists in Paris" exhibition. The painting has a documented provenance involving the Vadehra Art Gallery and has been held in a private London collection since 2007.

The Met’s Renovated Galleries for British Decorative Arts and Design to Open on March 2, 2020

The Metropolitan Museum of Art will open its newly renovated British Galleries on March 2, 2020, as a highlight of the museum's 150th-anniversary year. The suite of 10 galleries, spanning 11,000 square feet, features nearly 700 works of British decorative arts, design, and sculpture created between 1500 and 1900, including new acquisitions and three meticulously conserved 18th-century interiors. The galleries have been completely renovated for the first time since their establishment in the late 1980s, with a new entrance and a re-erected 17th-century staircase from Cassiobury House.

Reverend Joyce McDonald: ‘Art was like therapy for me’

Reverend Joyce McDonald, a 74-year-old artist and minister, is the subject of her first museum survey, 'Ministry: Reverend Joyce McDonald,' at the Bronx Museum. The exhibition showcases her ceramic sculptures, which she began creating after an HIV diagnosis in 1995 while struggling with heroin addiction and sex work. McDonald discovered ceramics through an art therapy program with the Jewish Board of Family Services and later connected with Visual Aids, a New York organization supporting HIV-positive artists. Her works, often depicting figures praying or embracing, are held in collections including the Hammer Museum, Brooklyn Museum, and CCS Hessel Museum of Art.

Russian Pavilion Will Be Closed to the Public During Venice Biennale: Report

The Russian Pavilion will be closed to the public for most of the 2025 Venice Biennale, opening only during the pre-opening vernissage (May 5–8) for live performances tied to the exhibition “The Tree Is Rooted in the Sky.” After May 9, the pavilion will remain closed, with digital documentation displayed in the windows. The compromise follows weeks of pressure from European cultural and political figures—including Italy’s culture minister—to shutter the pavilion due to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Plans were confirmed via email correspondence between Biennale Foundation president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, general director Andrea Del Mercato, and Russian Pavilion commissioner Anastasia Karneeva, as reported by Italian outlets Open and La Repubblica.

vaillancourt fountain will be dismantled san francisco 1234760284

The San Francisco Arts Commission board of directors voted eight to five on November 3 to dismantle the controversial Vaillancourt Fountain, a brutalist concrete sculpture by Armand Vaillancourt at Embarcadero Plaza. The city's recreation and parks department plans to spend $4.4 million on a disassembly consultant to take apart the fountain and store its pieces for three years, citing disrepair and safety hazards including corrosion, asbestos, and lead hazards. Critics, including the Cultural Landscape Foundation, dispute these claims, arguing the city deliberately neglected maintenance to justify removal.

Art Cologne heads to the beach with revived Mallorca edition

Art Cologne is relaunching its satellite fair in Mallorca nearly two decades after a brief, unsuccessful attempt in 2007. Scheduled for April 9–12 at the Palau de Congressos de Palma, the revived Art Cologne Palma Mallorca will feature 88 galleries, with a significant emphasis on Spanish and local Balearic participants rather than just German exports.

Stephan Balkenhol New Bronze Sculptures 2026 - Man in a White

German sculptor Stephan Balkenhol has unveiled two new hand-painted bronze editions, "Man in a White Shirt and Black Pants 2026" and "Venus 2026." Released in editions of 30 and standing 68 cm tall, the works are being showcased and sold through Frank Fluegel Galerie across its Nuremberg and Kitzbühel locations. The release coincides with the artist's participation in the Art Cologne Palma de Mallorca Fair and precedes his 70th birthday in 2027.

william monk pace frieze london 2025 1234757216

British painter William Monk is presenting a new series of paintings at Pace Gallery's solo booth at Frieze London 2025. The works, created during a residency at the Neuendorf House in Mallorca, feature obsessive cactus forms and a sentinel figure evolving from his earlier Ferryman series. Monk's studio visit reveals his meticulous process of controlling every detail, with paintings that recall Seurat and Bonnard in their dense, rhythmic brushwork.

Artist Michelangelo Pistoletto sends message of 'preventive peace' on digital billboards around the world

Italian Arte Povera pioneer Michelangelo Pistoletto has launched a global public art project titled "Three Mirrors," broadcasting digital works across major cities including London, Los Angeles, Seoul, and Milan. Organized by the digital art platform Circa, the series features three filmed performances of the artist drawing on mirrors, illustrating his "Third Paradise" philosophy. The works appear daily at 20:26 local time on prominent advertising screens, transforming commercial spaces into sites for artistic reflection.

A historic section of the Eiffel Tower's original staircase is set to go up for auction

Un tronçon historique de l’escalier d’origine de la tour Eiffel s’apprête à s’envoler aux enchères

The auction house Artcurial is set to auction a 2.75-meter-tall section of the original spiral staircase from the Eiffel Tower on May 21. This specific segment, consisting of fourteen riveted steel steps, was part of the structure connecting the second and third floors until it was dismantled in 1983 to make way for modern elevators. Estimated between €120,000 and €150,000, the piece holds significant historical value as it is the inaugural 'Lot No. 1' from the original 1983 dispersal sale.

Lost Joan Miró Drawings Reemerge at Auction

Three previously unknown drawings by Joan Miró have been discovered among the possessions of his friend, the artist and designer Edmond Vernassa. The works include a 1972 promotional drawing for Mallorca and two large-scale designs for interior balcony railings, created for the influential art dealers Aimé and Marguerite Maeght. The drawings are now set for auction in Antibes with estimates reaching up to €400,000 each, following a public showcase during Paris Drawing Week.

The best looks from the 2026 Met Gala

The 2026 Met Gala, themed 'Costume Art,' took place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, honoring the Costume Institute's spring exhibition on the role of the dressed body in art history. Co-chaired by Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, Anna Wintour, and Beyoncé, the event featured A-list celebrities, pop stars, and tech titans on the museum's grand staircase, with a dress code of 'Fashion Is Art' encouraging guests to treat the body as a canvas. Notable attendees included Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Rosé, Gigi Hadid, Katy Perry, and Charli XCX, with many wearing custom designs from houses like Marc Jacobs, Saint Laurent, Thom Browne, and Jean Paul Gaultier.

coumba samba abstractions intimacy lost in translation 1234745070

Coumba Samba, an artist born in Harlem and raised in Senegal, presented a 2024 exhibition titled "Dress Code" at Empire, a small gallery near the United Nations in New York. The show featured painted poles referencing national flags, green carpeting, and livestreams of UN General Assembly meetings, exploring how color and power intersect in international diplomacy. Samba also exhibited works at Arcadia Missa in London, including painted radiators that evoke Russian Suprematism while commenting on global energy politics and supply chains.

At the Tuileries, the PAD Paris Fair Celebrates Design with Elegance This Weekend

Aux Tuileries, le salon PAD Paris célèbre le design avec élégance ce week-end

The PAD Paris (Pavillon des Arts et du Design) returns to the Jardin des Tuileries, showcasing 75 French and international galleries specializing in vintage and contemporary collectible design. Highlights of the 2025 edition include the debut of Gallery Gaïa & Romeo with mid-century Italian ceramics, a contemporary reimagining of Claude Monet’s studio by Amélie du Chalard, and a strong focus on international female designers at Maria Wettergren. Parallel to the main fair, the third edition of the Sustainable Design Biennale is presenting plastic-free material innovations and eco-friendly furniture solutions.

A Piece of the Eiffel Tower Is Heading to Auction

A historic section of the original Eiffel Tower staircase is set to be auctioned by Artcurial in Paris on May 21. The nearly nine-foot-tall segment consists of 14 spiral steps that once connected the monument's second and third levels before being dismantled in 1983 to make way for elevators. Estimated to fetch between $140,000 and $175,000, the piece has been held in a private collection for over forty years.

Morag Keil at Arcadia Missa

The London-based gallery Arcadia Missa is currently hosting a solo exhibition by artist Morag Keil titled "With You For Life." Running from March 5 through April 25, 2026, the presentation features a new body of work documented through a series of installation views captured by photographer Tom Carter.