Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule May 19, 2026 visibility 5 link 10 artists

Nicole Kidman's Billion-Dollar Breakfast at Christie's

Christie's held a record-setting evening sale on May 18, 2025, that generated over $1 billion, featuring a promotional video starring Nicole Kidman. Jackson Pollock's drip painting "Number 7A, 1948" sold for $181.2 million, nearly tripling the artist's previous auction record, while Constantin Brancusi's bronze bust "Danaïde" (c. 1913) fetched $107.6 million, becoming the second most expensive sculpture ever sold. The works came from the collection of late magazine magnate S.I. Newhouse, and a Rothko from Agnes Gund's collection also set a new artist record at $98.4 million.

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article culture schedule May 19, 2026 visibility 7 link 2 artists

In the new film Nagi Notes, art is a vessel for characters’ desires

Japanese writer-director Koji Fukada's new film *Nagi Notes* premiered on 13 May at the Cannes Film Festival. The story follows Yuri (Shizuka Ishibashi), who visits the remote town of Nagi to sit for a sculptor friend, Yoriko (Takako Matsu). The film explores how characters use art—from drawings to sculptural busts—as a medium to express unspoken desires, grief, and identity, with key scenes set at the Nagi Museum of Contemporary Art featuring a permanent installation by Arakawa and Madeline Gins.

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article news schedule May 19, 2026 visibility 9 link 25 artists

Art in America’s Summer “New Talent” Issue Names 20 Artists to Watch

Art in America, the sister publication of ARTnews, has announced its Summer 2026 "New Talent" issue, featuring 20 emerging artists selected by the magazine's editors. The list includes international artists working across various mediums, such as Joeun Kim Aatchim, Jenny Calivas, Kiah Celeste, Malo Chapuy, Mitchell Charbonneau, Isaiah Davis, Elizabeth Glaessner, Juliana Halpert, Craig Jun Li, Kinlaw, Koyoltzintli, Kyung-Me, Chyrum Lambert, Terran Last Gun, Satchel Lee, Claudia Pagès Rabal, Ren Light Pan, Emma Safir, Frank Wang Yefeng, and Alexa West. Profiles of each artist appear in the print edition and will be published online in the coming weeks.

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article culture schedule May 19, 2026 visibility 7 link 3 artists

Grayson Perry’s life story to be told in ‘outrageous’ musical

Grayson Perry’s life story is being adapted into a stage musical titled *Grayson the Musical*, co-created with Richard Thomas, composer of *Jerry Springer: The Opera*. The show follows Perry from his childhood in Chelmsford to his rise as a Turner Prize-winning ceramicist and tapestry-maker, featuring his iconic dresses and his teddy bear Alan Measles. Perry wrote the lyrics, with a book by screenwriter Sara-Ella Ozbek and direction by Sean Foley. A workshop production will run for five performances in July at Soho Theatre Walthamstow, the east London borough where Perry once kept a studio and which inspired his famous work *The Walthamstow Tapestry*.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 18, 2026 visibility 7 link 6 artists

‘It’s like a Ouija board – I listen to the painting’: the supernatural art of Sanya Kantarovsky

Russian-born, New York-based artist Sanya Kantarovsky presents his new exhibition "Basic Failure" at Venice's Institute of Sciences, Letters and Arts, timed to coincide with the Venice Biennale. The show features his signature dishevelled, otherworldly figures—including a pallid boy with a cigarette, a child spinning in innocence, and a glass bust of a young boy with a dead spider under its eye—that explore tension, alienation, and the supernatural. Kantarovsky describes his process as listening to the painting like a Ouija board, and the exhibition includes works that confound narrative expectations, such as a scruffy toy panda and a recreation of Antonello Gagini's 16th-century sculpture.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 14, 2026 visibility 9 link 4 artists

Photographer Giles Duley brings images of historic and current wars into dialogue in Manhattan pop-up show

British photographer Giles Duley has opened a pop-up exhibition titled "Distortion/Memory/Resilience" in a 77th-floor penthouse at Sutton Tower in Manhattan, running from 12 to 24 May. The show features haunting war photography alongside installations—Youth, Childhood, and Memory—that draw parallels between historic and current conflicts. Duley, who lost both legs and an arm after stepping on a landmine in Afghanistan, uses a camera obscura, children's art from war zones, and side-by-side images of injured children from the London Blitz and Beirut to create an immersive experience. The exhibition is presented by the luxury tower's developer and includes benefit dinners hosted by Duley.

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article culture schedule May 13, 2026 visibility 12 link 4 artists

A woman with a bull costume exuding masculine energy: Marisol Mendez’s best photograph

Marisol Mendez, a Bolivian photographer based in Paris, describes the creation of her striking 2019 photograph featuring Marta Salinas, a theatre actor, holding a bull costume in a field. The image is part of Mendez's series "Madre," which explores womanhood and challenges traditional feminine depictions in Bolivia. Mendez explains that the bull costume, inspired by the Bolivian dance waka tokori, symbolizes masculinity, and the photograph aims to portray a woman comfortable with her masculine energy. The work was inspired by a dream and executed with the help of Mendez's mother, who scouted the location. Mendez is the winner of this year's Saltzman-Leibovitz prize, and her work is featured at Photo London.

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article news schedule May 12, 2026 visibility 16 link 2 artists

Venice Biennale’s Russian Pavilion and Pussy Riot Spar Over Usage of Protest Footage

The Russian Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale has become embroiled in a new controversy after accusing the anti-Putin art collective Pussy Riot of censorship. The pavilion posted on Instagram that Pussy Riot demanded the removal of footage featuring them from a documentary film about the pavilion's project, labeling the request as self-censorship. Pussy Riot responded sarcastically, questioning the pavilion's use of Instagram given Russia's 2022 ban of the platform. The dispute follows earlier protests at the pavilion's opening, led by Pussy Riot and FEMEN, against Russia's participation in the Biennale amid its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

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article culture schedule May 12, 2026 visibility 17 link 5 artists

Basquiat’s Former Dealer on the Making of an Art World Icon

Bruno Bischofberger, who served as Jean-Michel Basquiat's exclusive worldwide dealer from 1982 until the artist's death in 1988, reflects on Basquiat's life and legacy in an excerpt from the forthcoming book *Basquiat: The World of Jean-Michel*, published by Assouline. Bischofberger contrasts Basquiat's raw, politically charged approach with Andy Warhol's detached, commercial style, and recounts personal memories of Basquiat's visits to Switzerland, where he absorbed everything from visual art to folk art and design.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 12, 2026 visibility 16 link 10 artists

Close encounters: the new wave of women photographers – in pictures

The Saltzman-Leibovitz photography prize, founded in 2025 by Lisa Saltzman and Annie Leibovitz, announces its winners and runners-up for 2026. Bolivian photographer Marisol Mendez wins for her series 'MADRE,' which challenges patriarchal representations of women in Bolivia through portraits of matriarchs and references to the Inca moon goddess. Runner-up Miranda Barnes documents African American debutante cotillions in Detroit, while other featured photographers include Bettina Pittaluga and Cole Ndelu, whose works explore body diversity and the fusion of Zulu cosmology with Catholicism. The exhibition runs at Photo London, Olympia, 13–17 May 2026.

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article news schedule May 11, 2026 visibility 14 link 13 artists

Political Fallout Rocks Venice Biennale Prize System

Dozens of artists participating in the 2026 Venice Biennale have withdrawn from consideration for the newly created Visitor Lion awards, replacing the traditional Gold and Silver Lion prizes. A total of 57 artists from the main exhibition and 22 national pavilions signed a statement published on e-flux on May 9, acting in solidarity with the five-person prize jury that resigned on April 30 over the continued participation of Russia and Israel. The jury had objected to awarding prizes to artists from countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court charges, including Russian president Vladimir Putin and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In response, the Biennale organizers postponed the awards ceremony to November 22 and introduced visitor voting, a move they described as consistent with openness and dialogue. Meanwhile, the Russian Pavilion, which returned after lending its space to Bolivia in 2024, faced protests, closure after previews, and a €2 million funding pull by the European Union for the 2028 Biennale.

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article news schedule May 11, 2026 visibility 21 link 3 artists

Putin ‘Won’ the Venice Biennale, Quips Italian Culture Minister

Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin "won" the 2024 Venice Biennale, criticizing Russia's controversial return to the event. Giuli, who repeatedly denounced Russia's presence, told Corriere della Sera that Russian artists in the pavilion cannot express dissent against their regime. The Biennale faced widespread calls to remove Russia, with the EU threatening to withhold a €2 million grant, but organizers argued they lacked legal authority to exclude the country. Protests by Pussy Riot and FEMEN marked the pavilion's opening, while the Biennale's jury resigned en masse after announcing that nations charged with crimes against humanity would be ineligible for Golden Lions.

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Comment | Flourishing markets beyond the big three will benefit the art ecosystem—and the planet

The article analyzes the shifting dynamics of the global art market, reporting that regions outside the traditional 'big three' hubs of the US, UK, and China have increased their market share from 17% in 2015 to 24% in 2025. This shift is driven by nationally protective regulations like Brexit and tariffs, which have stifled the free circulation of contemporary art. While the US market remains dominant at 44%, countries such as South Korea, Switzerland, Japan, and Australia have seen growth, and emerging cultural energy is noted in places like Bangkok, Warsaw, Margate, and Qatar.

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article culture schedule May 11, 2026 visibility 14 link 2 artists

Artist Bouke de Vries creates sculptural porcelain bottles for Dries Van Noten perfume

Artist Bouke de Vries has created five unique sculptural porcelain bottles for Dries Van Noten's unisex perfume Soie Malaquais, which launched in 2022. The bottles, priced at £6,000 each, are sold at the designer's London and New York stores, with a limited-edition series also available online. De Vries, known for reassembling broken china fragments into dynamic objects, designed the bottles to reflect the fragrance's warm notes of chestnut, rose, blackcurrant, and cardamom, developed by perfumer Marie Salamagne.

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article news schedule May 9, 2026 visibility 25 link 8 artists

Venice Biennale Artists Decline Consideration for Golden Lions Chosen by Public Vote

Nearly half of the artists in the main exhibition of the Venice Biennale have signed a statement declining consideration for the Golden Lion awards, in solidarity with the jury that resigned last month. The statement, published by e-flux, includes prominent names such as Alfredo Jaar, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Otobong Nkanga, and Walid Raad, as well as national pavilion representatives from France, Lithuania, and the Netherlands. The Biennale had planned to replace the jury-selected Golden Lions with "Visitor Lions" decided by public vote, but the artists' refusal marks an unprecedented protest within the exhibition.

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article news schedule May 8, 2026 visibility 16 link 1 artist

Former Korean Prosecutor Convicted in Alleged Lee Ufan Painting Bribery Scheme

A former senior South Korean prosecutor, Kim Sang-min, has been convicted on appeal for allegedly gifting a painting by renowned artist Lee Ufan to former first lady Kim Keon Hee in exchange for political support ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections. The Seoul High Court overturned an earlier acquittal, sentencing Kim to two years in prison (suspended for three years) for bribery, plus a separate suspended sentence for illegal political donations. The case took a strange turn when Kim's defense argued the artwork, titled *From Dots (No. 800298)* and valued at 140 million won ($95,500), was a forgery worth less than $700—a claim the court rejected after physically examining the piece and consulting experts.

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article news schedule May 8, 2026 visibility 22 link 4 artists

Several Venice Biennale pavilions shut in protest over inclusion of Israel

Several national pavilions at the 2026 Venice Biennale shut down during the final preview day in a strike organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (Anga) protesting Israel's inclusion due to its war in Gaza. Pavilions from Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Japan, Macedonia, and Korea closed entirely, while others like Britain, Spain, France, Egypt, Finland, and Luxembourg partially closed or reopened later. Artists in the main exhibition added Palestinian flags and posters reading "Palestine is the future of the world." The Israeli pavilion was closed for a private event, and earlier in the week Pussy Riot staged a protest at the Russian pavilion.

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rate_review review schedule May 7, 2026 visibility 20 link 4 artists

Keith Haring Before the End of the World

The article reviews Keith Haring's early work from 1980 to 1983, currently on view at the Brant Foundation in New York. The author reflects on initially dismissing Haring's graffiti-inspired style as trite and playful, but now sees darker, prophetic themes in pieces featuring apocalyptic imagery, UFOs, nuclear power, and mindless obedience to higher powers. The exhibition, curated by Dieter Buchhart and Anna Karina Hofbauer, runs through May 31.

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article news schedule May 7, 2026 visibility 18 link 2 artists

Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian Pavilions Stage Pro-Ukraine Procession During Venice Biennale

On May 6, 2026, the Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian pavilions at the Venice Biennale organized a procession in solidarity with Ukraine, walking approximately one and a half miles from the Lithuanian Pavilion in the Fucina del Futuro to the Estonian pavilion. The action honored Ukrainian cultural workers creating under war conditions and those who have died. It is one of several political protests at the contentious 2026 Biennale, including demonstrations by Pussy Riot and FEMEN at the Russian pavilion, a "Solidarity Drone Chorus" opposing Israel's inclusion, and a planned 24-hour strike by the Art Not Genocide Alliance.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 7, 2026 visibility 18 link 11 artists

Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo’s New Art Island Made a Sunny Splash in a Rainy Venice Vernissage Week

Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, an ARTnews Top 200 collector, inaugurated a new art site on the island of San Giacomo in Venice’s Northern Lagoon during the rainy preview week of the Biennale. The island, purchased in 2018, features two Napoleonic-era powder magazines transformed into exhibition spaces: one hosting the group show “Don’t have hope, be hope!” from the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Collection, and the other presenting “Fanfare/Lament,” a solo exhibition by Matt Copson curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist. The site also includes permanent installations by artists such as Claire Fontaine, Mario Garcia Torres, Hugh Hayden, Goshka Macuga, Pamela Rosenkranz, and Thomas Schütte, and will serve as a venue for exhibitions, performances, and residencies.

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article news schedule May 7, 2026 visibility 17 link 4 artists

An Unprecedented 24-Hour Strike Could Upend the Venice Biennale

An unprecedented 24-hour strike is set to interrupt the Venice Biennale's opening week on Friday, May 8, in protest of Israel's participation in the global art event. The action, organized by the activist group Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA), follows a letter signed by over 230 Biennale participants demanding Israel's exclusion. The strike has exposed divisions among participants, with some artists and pavilion teams weighing solidarity against the rare opportunity to platform their own political messages. The Slovenian pavilion, represented by Nika Grabar of the Nonument Group, has committed to the strike, while others like Ecuador's Tawna Collective remain undecided, balancing protest with their mission to highlight ecological crises in the Amazon.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 7, 2026 visibility 18 link 5 artists

Arch Hades Turns a Venetian Palazzo Into an Emotional Landscape

British artist Arch Hades has transformed the Scoletta Battioro e Tiraoro di Venezia, a historic palazzo on Venice's Grand Canal, into an immersive solo exhibition titled “Arch Hades: Return | Ritorno,” timed to the 61st Venice Biennale. The show features site-specific paintings, sculptures, and a soundscape, anchored by the monumental 22-panel painting *Return* (2025), which draws on Greco-Roman sculpture, Symbolism, Surrealism, and Romanticism, and echoes Gustav Klimt's lost “Faculty Paintings.” New works from Hades's “Confessions” series and the mirrored chrome piece *Sphinx* (2026) further explore themes of memory, connection, and existentialism.

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article news schedule May 7, 2026 visibility 25 link 5 artists

‘Exclusion can only satisfy the ego’: Venice Biennale president hits out at critics amid Russia and Israel controversy

Venice Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco defended the institution against critics at a conference on May 6, three days before the public opening, amid controversy over Russia's return to the event for the first time since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine and ongoing disputes over Israel's participation. He accused critics of “narcissism” and “censorship,” while Italian culture minister Alessandro Giuli sent inspectors to investigate whether Russia's involvement breached sanctions; a report was submitted to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office. Meanwhile, the Biennale faces legal threats from the artist representing Israel over alleged discrimination, and protests have erupted, including a demonstration by Art Not Genocide Alliance and a Pussy Riot action at the Russia pavilion.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 7, 2026 visibility 16 link 11 artists

Parasol Unit returns with a showcase of women from Central Asia and beyond

Parasol Unit, the London non-profit exhibition space that closed in 2020 after 16 years, has relaunched with a new exhibition titled "Turandot: To the Daughters of the East" as an official collateral event of the Venice Biennale. Held at the historic Palazzo Franchetti, the show features 11 female artists from Central Asia and surrounding regions, curated by founder Ziba Ardalan. The exhibition spans video, installation, sculpture, painting, textile, and sound works by artists including Lida Abdul, Huma Bhabha, Mona Hatoum, and Tala Madani, and runs from 9 May to 31 October.

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article news schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 22 link 2 artists

The Biennale Isn’t a Court. Tell That to the Protesters.

Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, president of the Venice Biennale, defended the decision to allow Russia to reopen its pavilion for the first time since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, stating that the Biennale is "not a court; it is a garden of peace." The move has sparked widespread backlash, including threats to pull €2.3 million in EU funding. Protests have erupted on the ground, with Pussy Riot and FEMEN staging a theatrical demonstration outside the Russian Pavilion, setting off smoke flares and chanting slogans. Separately, around 60 artists performed a "Solidarity Drone Chorus" to protest Israel's participation, and the Art Not Genocide Alliance has called for a 24-hour strike and rallies across Venice. The Russian Pavilion will be open only during press preview days due to EU sanctions, with video projections visible from outside for the rest of the Biennale's run.

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article news schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 20 link 7 artists

Pussy Riot protest at Venice Biennale forces Russian pavilion to briefly close

On the second day of the Venice Biennale preview, the activist group Pussy Riot staged a chaotic protest at the Russian pavilion, forcing it to temporarily close. Wearing pink balaclavas and carrying flares, about 40 activists—including members of Femen—gathered outside the pavilion, shouting slogans like "Blood is Russia's Art" and attempting to enter before being pushed back by police. Founding member Nadya Tolokonnikova led the protest, condemning Europe for allowing Russian participation despite the war in Ukraine. Separately, the Art Not Genocide Alliance (Anga) demonstrated outside the Israeli pavilion, which was locked from inside, over Israel's war in Gaza.

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gavel restitution schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 28 link 12 artists

Malaysia Showcases Recovered 1MDB Artworks, From Picasso to Miró

Four artworks recovered from the 1MDB scandal—by Picasso, Miró, Balthus, and Maurice Utrillo—have gone on public display for the first time at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission headquarters in Putrajaya. The paintings were repatriated from New York after being traced through Sotheby’s and shipped back to Malaysia on April 14. They are part of a broader art trail linked to the massive financial fraud, with Malaysian officials framing the display as an act of restitution rather than an art event.

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article news schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 19 link 6 artists

Major protests take place at Venice Biennale previews

Major protests erupted during the preview days of the Venice Biennale, with multiple demonstrations targeting the Israeli and Russian pavilions. On Wednesday, the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) held a large protest outside the temporary Israeli pavilion in the Arsenale, attended by over 200 people calling for its closure. Separately, the Solidarity Drone Chorus performed a sound composition by Gazan artist Ahmed Muin, with 60 artists wearing T-shirts bearing names of artists from Gaza. Meanwhile, Pussy Riot and FEMEN protested Russian participation, forcing the Russian pavilion to shut its doors. These actions follow the resignation of the entire Golden Lion jury days before the opening, after they stated they would not consider pavilions from countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the ICC—widely seen as a reference to Russia and Israel.

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article news schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 21 link 10 artists

In Protest of Israeli Pavilion, Activists and Unions Plan Strike on Venice Biennale’s Opening Day

The Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) has announced a 24-hour strike and rally on May 8, the day before the 2026 Venice Biennale opens to the public, in protest of the Israeli Pavilion. ANGA, formed in opposition to Israel's inclusion in the 2024 Biennale, refers to the current Israeli presentation—featuring Haifa-based artist Belu-Simion Fainaru—as the "Genocide Pavilion." Over 200 artists, curators, and culture workers have signed an open letter demanding Israel's exclusion, and a separate action called Solidarity Drone Chorus involved 60 artists. ANGA is collaborating with local labor and culture organizations including Biennalocene, Vogliamo Tutt'altro, S.a.L.E. Docks, and Mi Riconosci.

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article news schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 28 link 9 artists

Dark clouds, protests and resignations dampen start of 61st Venice Biennale

The 61st Venice Biennale opened under grey skies and rain, with political tensions overshadowing the art world's premier event. The Russian pavilion, absent for two editions due to the Ukraine war, reappeared with a party atmosphere, though the Italian ministry of culture confirmed it would not be open to the public. The Ukrainian culture minister called Russia's symbolic presence powerful. The Iranian pavilion withdrew without explanation, and a protest by 60 artists from the In Minor Keys show marched through the Giardini humming in solidarity against Israel's participation. Over 200 artists, including Lubaina Himid and Alfredo Jaar, signed an open letter demanding the Israeli pavilion's cancellation. The event also proceeded without its curator, Koyo Kouoh, who died in May 2025; her curatorial team delivered the exhibition following her plans.

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