israel pavilion venice biennale belu simion fainaru protest 1234769500

Israel will officially participate in the 2026 Venice Biennale, two years after its pavilion closed amid protests. The pavilion will be located in the Arsenale rather than its usual Giardini site, which is under construction. Representing Israel is sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru, a Haifa-based artist and Israel Prize winner, who previously represented Romania at the 2019 Biennale. His pavilion, titled "Rose of Nothingness," will feature an installation about water inspired by poet Paul Celan's concept of black milk, with 16 pipes dripping black water into a pool. The pavilion is curated by Sorin Heller and Avital Bar-Shay. However, the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) has renewed its protest, calling the pavilion the "Genocide Pavilion" on Instagram and demanding Israel's exclusion from the Biennale.

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The nonprofit organization Artemisia Gold has announced a major restoration project for Plautilla Bricci’s 17th-century altarpiece, 'Birth of the Virgin' (ca. 1660), located in Rome’s Church of Santa Maria in Campo Marzio. Bricci, a rare female polymath of the Baroque era, was Italy’s first professional female architect as well as a prolific painter and sculptor. The restoration team, led by Jane Adams, aims to clean the darkened canvas and conduct X-ray analysis to potentially uncover a hidden signature and more details regarding its commission by Abbess Anna Maria Mazzarino.

The Left Side of History: On Haile Gerima’s Black Lions—Roman Wolves

The article is a critical essay analyzing Haile Gerima's 2026 film 'Black Lions—Roman Wolves: The Children of Adwa,' focusing on its exploration of Italy's colonial occupation of Ethiopia and the repression of this history. The author uses a scene from Gerima's earlier film 'Teza'—featuring children playing near a decaying fascist monument in Ethiopia—as a starting point to discuss how colonial memory and trauma are cinematically excavated.

Did Andrea Fraser’s Career Bloom Because Her Mother’s Career Died?

A New York Times article examines the complex relationship between artist Andrea Fraser's career and her mother's unfulfilled artistic ambitions. It details how Fraser's mother, a talented painter, largely abandoned her own practice to support her daughter's education and early career, a sacrifice that Fraser has grappled with both personally and within her institutional critique-focused artwork.

ArtReview Podcast | Episode 4: Delaine Le Bas

Artist Delaine Le Bas is the featured guest on the fourth episode of the ArtReview Podcast, where she discusses her practice and influences with senior digital editor Chiara Wilkinson. Le Bas selects three works as lenses for the conversation: her own large-scale mural "Un-Fair-Ground" created at Glastonbury Festival, her installation "Witch House" at the Whitworth, and the 1969 film "The Color of Pomegranates."

'Cursed!': Toledo Museum of Art to host exhibit exploring the power of ancient magic in the Mediterranean world

The Toledo Museum of Art will host a major exhibition titled 'Cursed! The Power of Magic in the Ancient World' from March 21 to July 5. The show features 75 objects spanning two millennia, including Egyptian artwork, Mesopotamian sculptures, and Greek and Roman relics, exploring themes like protective magic, communication with gods, and magic in daily life.

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Rome has introduced a €2.35 entry fee for the Trevi Fountain, one of the world's most famous monuments, effective February 1 during daylight hours (9am to 9pm). The measure, announced by Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, aims to curb overtourism by limiting viewership to 400 people at a time. The fountain currently welcomes up to 70,000 visitors per day, and the fee could raise an estimated $7.6 million annually for maintenance. Similar fees will apply to four other city sites, while Roman citizens retain free access.

Catalan Museum Has Yet to Follow Through on Court Order to Return Contested Murals to Aragon Monastery

The National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) in Barcelona has failed to comply with a May 2025 Spanish Supreme Court ruling ordering the return of 13th-century Romanesque murals to the Sijena Monastery in Aragon. Despite the legal mandate ending a decade-long dispute, the museum continues to house the works, citing significant technical and conservation risks associated with transporting the delicate canvases.

qubbet al hawa egypt tombs pottery discovered 1234774157

A research team from Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities has unearthed a significant cache of artifacts at the Qubbet Al-Hawa necropolis near Aswan. The discovery includes two chambers containing 160 well-preserved pottery vessels, many inscribed with text, alongside a courtyard filled with Middle Kingdom jewelry, bronze mirrors, and kohl containers. These finds were located within rock-cut burial shafts that served as resting places for ancient Egyptian elite.

looted artworks returned turkey met museum manhattan da 1234768114

On December 8, 2025, a repatriation ceremony in New York saw 43 looted antiquities returned to Turkey, including a 2nd-century marble head of Demosthenes from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a Roman bronze statue of an emperor from collector Aaron Mendelsohn, and 41 terracotta reliefs from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The returns resulted from a years-long investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit into networks that plundered archaeological sites in Turkey and sold items with forged provenance.

national museum of damascus heist missing artifacts search 1234761025

The National Museum of Damascus temporarily closed this week after a theft of artifacts from its classical department. Six gold ingots and six Hellenistic marble statues were reportedly stolen, with a broken door discovered Monday morning. Several employees and guards were detained and interrogated before being released. Damascus police chief Brig. Gen. Osama Atkeh confirmed the theft and stated an investigation is underway. The museum had only reopened in January after being closed since December 7, 2024, when anti-Assad forces approached the capital.

National Museum of Bucovina to host Stefan Luchian painting exhibition as first

The National Museum of Bucovina in Suceava will open a major exhibition of works by Romanian painter Ștefan Luchian, marking 110 years since the artist's death. The exhibition, titled 'Ștefan Luchian - a universal artist,' will feature 42 works showcasing his flowers, landscapes, portraits, and still lifes, and is presented by gallerist and curator Damian Florea.

Objekt/Object—An Order of Things and the Construction of the World

Malmö Konstmuseum has announced its annual seminar, "Objekt/Object: An Order of Things and the Construction of the World," scheduled for April 16, 2026. The event features a series of lectures and panel discussions involving international scholars, curators, and artists, including philosopher Roman Krznaric and professor Ariella Aïsha Azoulay. The seminar uses the museum's current exhibition, "An Order of Things," as a case study to examine how historical classification systems and contemporary curatorial choices shape collective memory and societal values.

Caravaggio portrait of influential patron—and future Pope Urban VIII—purchased by Italy for €30m

The Italian government has acquired a rare Caravaggio portrait of Maffeo Barberini, the future Pope Urban VIII, for €30 million following a year of negotiations with private owners. The 17th-century masterpiece, which depicts one of the artist's most influential patrons, will join the permanent collection of the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica at Palazzo Barberini in Rome. It represents one of the largest sums ever paid by the Italian state for a single work of art.

Show on fantastical neoclassicist Johan Tobias Sergel heads to Stockholm and New York

A major exhibition dedicated to the 18th-century Swedish neoclassical sculptor and draughtsman Johan Tobias Sergel is opening in two parts. 'Fantasy and Reality' premieres at Stockholm's Nationalmuseum this month, featuring nearly 400 works, before traveling to the Morgan Library & Museum in New York in the autumn for the artist's first US monographic show.

17th-century jewels, historic photographs focus of Kimbell museum’s 2026 exhibitions

The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth has announced two major exhibitions for 2026. From March 15 to June 28, the museum will host "The Holy Sepulcher: Treasures from the Terra Sancta Museum, Jerusalem," featuring over 60 silver, gold, and bejeweled objects gifted by Holy Roman Emperors and European monarchs to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. In the fall, from October 4, 2026, to January 17, 2027, the Kimbell will present "Photography's First Century: Masterworks from the Bibliothèque nationale de France," its first-ever photography exhibition, showcasing more than 150 early images from pioneers like Henri Le Secq, Gustave Le Gray, and Félix Tournachon.

In John Constable’s Hometown, a Trio of Shows Marks His 250th Birthday

A series of three exhibitions in Suffolk, England, celebrates the 250th anniversary of John Constable's birth. The program, hosted at Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich, includes "Constable: A Cast of Characters," focusing on his personal life and circle; "The Hay Wain: Walking Constable's Landscape," featuring his iconic paintings including *The Hay Wain* displayed in its depicted county for the first time; and "Constable to Contemporary," examining his ongoing influence on modern artists.

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Archaeologists have unearthed the Roman Empire's second-largest olive oil processing complex in the Kasserine region of Tunisia, near the Algerian border. Co-directed by Ca' Foscari University of Venice, the excavation at the 33-hectare site called Henchir el Begar revealed a monumental torcularium with twelve beam presses, a second eight-press facility, oil mills, cisterns, and a water collection basin. The team also found artifacts including a copper-and-brass bracelet, a limestone projectile, and architectural elements dating from the modern to Byzantine periods. A Latin inscription confirms senatorial approval for a bimonthly market on the land in 138 AD, indicating the site was a hub for social, political, and religious life.

estruscan exhibition legion honor san francisco 2712304

San Francisco's Legion of Honor museum will present "The Etruscans: From the Heart of Ancient Italy" in May 2026, the first major U.S. exhibition on Etruscan civilization since 2009. The show features 180 antiquities from 30 international museums, many never before seen in the United States, and culminates a decade of research led by curator Reneé Dreyfus. Highlights include objects from the Regolini-Galassi tomb, a recently unearthed bronze sculpture from San Casciano dei Bagni, and the longest known Etruscan inscription making its U.S. debut.

Recalling When Lower Manhattan Was New Amsterdam

The New-York Historical Society has launched a major exhibition exploring the 17th-century origins of New York City during its era as the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam. The show utilizes a diverse array of artifacts, maps, and historical documents to trace the colony's development from a fur-trading outpost to a diverse maritime hub, highlighting the complex interactions between Dutch settlers, Indigenous populations, and enslaved Africans.

The City That Inspired Rothko (It’s Not New York)

A major exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, "Mark Rothko: The Artist's Museum," presents a significant collection of the artist's monumental works, including the rarely seen Harvard Murals and the Seagram Murals. The show focuses on Rothko's late-career shift towards creating immersive, chapel-like environments intended for deep, meditative viewing.

The Kenyan artist who was a revelation at the last Biennale is on show at Masaccio's house in Tuscany

L’artista del Kenya rivelazione all’ultima Biennale è in mostra alla casa di Masaccio in Toscana

Kenyan artist Agnes Waruguru, a breakout star of the most recent Venice Biennale, is presenting her first solo museum exhibition in Italy. Titled 'From What We Are,' the show is curated by Alessandro Romanini and is on view at the Centro per le arti contemporanee Casa Masaccio in San Giovanni Valdarno, Tuscany.

An exhibition in Milan tells the story of the legendary Elisabetta Catalano, the great photographer and friend of artists

A Milano una mostra racconta la mitica Elisabetta Catalano, grande fotografa amica degli artisti

The Viasaterna gallery in Milan is hosting a comprehensive exhibition titled "Elisabetta Catalano: Cinema, Moda e Performance," curated by Laura Cherubini. The show explores the prolific career of the Roman photographer, featuring her iconic portraits of film stars on the sets of Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti, her high-fashion photography for Vogue, and her deep collaborations with avant-garde artists like Fabio Mauri and Michelangelo Pistoletto.

Art Historian Paolo Baldacci Has Died; His Studies on Giorgio de Chirico and Metaphysical Art Were Fundamental

È morto lo storico dell’arte Paolo Baldacci. Fondamentali i suoi studi su Giorgio de Chirico e sulla Metafisica

Renowned art historian, critic, and professor Paolo Baldacci has passed away in Milan at the age of 81. Originally a scholar of ancient history and Roman epigraphy, Baldacci transitioned into a leading authority on 20th-century Italian art, specifically focusing on Futurism and Metaphysical painting. He was widely recognized for his monumental 1997 monograph and catalogue raisonné on Giorgio de Chirico, as well as his extensive research into the work of Alberto Savinio.

Andrea Romano “All The Synecdoches And Metonymies In The World Make Up One Great Metaphor” at Federica Schiavo Gallery, Rome

Andrea Romano presents a new body of work at Federica Schiavo Gallery in Rome, titled “All The Synecdoches And Metonymies In The World Make Up One Great Metaphor.” The exhibition explores the intersection of the artist’s private life and professional practice through a series of fragmented forms, residues, and reflections. By utilizing linguistic concepts as a framework, Romano investigates how individual parts of an experience attempt to coalesce into a unified whole, even when that totality remains elusive.

An important Italian relief for Nuremberg

Un important relief italien pour Nüremberg

The Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg has acquired and publicly unveiled a previously unknown masterpiece: a large silver relief depicting the Lamentation of Christ, created in the workshop of Luigi Valadier in 1786. The work, purchased from a private collector in 2024 with support from several foundations, is now on temporary display and will later join the museum's permanent collection.

Ruins of a ‘Unique‘ Temple Complex Discovered in Northern Sinai

An Egyptian archaeological mission has unearthed a unique temple complex at Tell el-Farama, the site of the ancient city of Pelusium in northern Sinai. The discovery features a massive circular water basin, approximately 100 feet in diameter, surrounded by drainage channels and a central plinth likely intended for a statue. Initially mistaken for a civic building when first excavated in 2019, further study has revealed the site to be a sacred water installation used for religious rituals between the 2nd century BC and the 6th century AD.

lebanese ministry of culture urges unesco to grant enhanced protections to cultural property 1234776038

Lebanon’s Ministry of Culture has formally petitioned UNESCO to secure enhanced protections for the nation’s cultural heritage sites as regional conflict intensifies. Culture Minister Ghassan Salamé urged the UN agency to intervene with belligerent parties to ensure the safety of irreplaceable landmarks, including the National Museum of Beirut and the Roman ruins of Baalbek. UNESCO confirmed it has shared the coordinates of these World Heritage sites with all involved parties to prevent accidental or intentional targeting during military operations.

michelangelo sculpture reattributed rome 1234775993

A marble bust of Jesus Christ located in Rome’s Basilica of Sant’Agnese fuori le mura has been reattributed to Michelangelo. Independent researcher Valentina Salerno, a member of the Vatican committee for Michelangelo’s 500th anniversary, used archival records and inventories to trace the sculpture back to the Renaissance master, reversing a 19th-century dismissal of its origins. Simultaneously, a private owner in Belgium is claiming a recently acquired Pietà painting is also a work by Michelangelo, supported by carbon dating and stylistic analysis from art historian Michel Draguet.

rome new metro stations mini museums 1234767572

Rome has opened two new subway stations on Line C—Colosseo/Fori Imperiali and Porta Metronia—that double as mini museums, showcasing over 500,000 artifacts unearthed during two decades of excavation. The stations, located 100 feet underground, feature displays of ancient ceramics, frescoes, mosaic floors, and the remains of a Roman military compound and thermal baths, curated by the Colosseum Archaeological Park and Sapienza University. Commuters can view the artifacts without a ticket in the station atriums, and future stations on the line will incorporate additional archaeological finds.