Artist’s Choice: Arthur Jafa—Less Is Morbid

Arthur Jafa has curated a new exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) as part of the museum's ongoing Artist's Choice series. Titled "Less Is Morbid," the show runs through July 5 and features over 80 objects selected from MoMA's collection. Jafa, an artist and filmmaker known for his emotionally charged collages and installations, brings together works by figures such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Cy Twombly, Lygia Clark, Roy DeCarava, Piet Mondrian, and Lutisha Pettway. The exhibition challenges binary oppositions like minimalist/maximalist and sparse/dense, and critiques the historical hierarchies that have governed art institutions.

Art Institute’s Frida Kahlo-Themed Exhibit Highlights Artist’s Paris Years

The Art Institute of Chicago has opened "Frida Kahlo’s Month in Paris: A Friendship With Mary Reynolds," its first dedicated exhibition to the Mexican artist. The show explores Kahlo’s 1939 stay in Paris, where she lived with American bookbinder Mary Reynolds and artist Marcel Duchamp after being hospitalized with a kidney infection. Featuring 100 objects—including seven self-portraits, letters, photographs, and book bindings—the exhibition draws on the Art Institute’s own Mary Reynolds Collection and loans from public and private collections across the U.S., Mexico, and Europe. Curated by Caitlin Haskell, Tamar Kharatishvili, and Alivé Piliado, the display reveals new details about Kahlo’s recovery and creative re-inspiration in the avant-garde hub of Reynolds and Duchamp’s home.

Shirin Neshat: Born of Fire

The Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York, presents "Born of Fire," a major exhibition of Iranian-born artist Shirin Neshat running from April 20 to September 1, 2025. The show features three photographic series—"Women of Allah" (1993–97), "The Book of Kings" (2012), and "Land of Dreams" (2019)—alongside two double-channel videos and a full-length film. Neshat's work explores themes of alienation, repression, and identity, drawing on her experience of living between Iranian and American cultures after the 1979 Islamic Revolution prevented her from returning home.

Gotta Have Art: Scottsdale galleries have evolved over decades

The article explores the evolution of art galleries in Scottsdale, Arizona, over the past several decades. It traces how the local gallery scene has transformed from a small, desert-focused art community into a diverse and sophisticated hub for contemporary, Native American, and Western art, attracting both local collectors and international visitors.

Leading Indian artist Anita Dube accused of ‘intellectual theft’ after using protest poem in Delhi gallery show

Prominent Indian artist and curator Anita Dube has been accused of intellectual theft by poet-activist Aamir Aziz for using lines from his protest poem "Sab Yaad Rakha Jaayega" in a series of painted sculptures exhibited and offered for sale at her solo show "Three Storey House" at Vadehra Art Gallery in New Delhi (15 March–19 April). Aziz, who wrote the poem during the 2019 anti-CAA protests, publicly condemned Dube on social media for renaming, rebranding, and selling his work without permission or credit, calling it "theft" and "erasure." Dube acknowledged an "ethical lapse" in not seeking permission, removed the works from sale, and offered remuneration, but Aziz has sought legal counsel under India's Copyright Act of 1957.

Remembering Pope Francis, for 12 years head of the Catholic church and proprietor in trust of the Vatican's library and art collections

Pope Francis, the 266th pope and the first from the Americas and the Global South, has died. He was the spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics, head of state of the Vatican, and proprietor in trust of the Vatican's vast art and architectural collections. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, he was the first Jesuit pope and the first to take the name Francis, signaling a commitment to austerity and social justice. His papacy, beginning in 2013 after Benedict XVI's resignation, addressed theological controversies, church culture wars, interfaith relations, Vatican financial reform, the clergy sexual abuse crisis, and cultural restitution from the Vatican's holdings.

Conversation with Kent Monkman

Artist Kent Monkman (Fisher River Cree Nation) and curator John Lukavic will hold a conversation on April 19, 2025, at the Martin Building's Sturm Grand Pavilion, discussing Monkman's new exhibition *History is Painted By the Victors*. This marks the first time Monkman's work is presented on a grand scale in the United States, featuring his large-scale painting *mistikôsiwak (Wooden Boat People): Resurgence of the People* (2019), which is in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The event is sold out, with a waitlist available.

60% of Sudan’s National Museum Looted, Report Says

60% of Sudan’s National Museum Looted, Report Says

Over 60% of the holdings of the Sudan National Museum in Khartoum have been looted during the country's ongoing civil war. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which controlled the capital for two years, deliberately targeted high-value portable objects like gold and jewelry, stripping storage areas while leaving less portable artifacts behind. Although the museum building remains standing, tens of thousands of antiquities from its collection of 150,000 objects were plundered, with some appearing for sale online.

Here's how Maurizio Cattelan's telephone confessions ended up

Ecco come sono finite le confessioni al telefono di Maurizio Cattelan

Maurizio Cattelan has launched a new performance project called "Hotline," a telephone confessional service running from April 2 to 22, where anyone could call a toll-free number or send a WhatsApp voice message to confess their sins directly to the artist. On April 23, Cattelan responded in a live-streamed event, symbolically absolving selected participants. The project coincides with the release of limited-edition reproductions of his iconic 1999 work "La Nona Ora" (depicting Pope John Paul II struck by a meteorite), sold through Avant Arte in an edition of 666 miniature resin sculptures priced at €2,310 each, with some given as gifts to participants.

Remembering Asher Remy-Toledo, Media Art Luminary

Asher Remy-Toledo, a Colombian-born cultural producer and a central figure in New York's media art scene, died on February 22 at age 62 from Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was the founder and director of Hyphen Hub, an international art organization, and previously ran the influential Remy Toledo Gallery in Chelsea, which showcased feminist and post-feminist artists.

At the Venice Biennale, Canada’s entry blooms with unease

Montreal artist Abbas Akhavan's installation "Entre chien et loup" transforms the Canadian pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale into a living climate system, featuring a humid, Amazon-like environment with a pond of Victoria water lilies. The seeds were sourced from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and germinated at the Orto Botanico di Padova, with the lilies growing and blooming over the course of the biennale.

Kapopoulos Fine Arts Presents Contemporary Art Auction in Nicosia

Kapopoulos Fine Arts will hold a Contemporary Art Auction on February 18, 2026, at its Nicosia Gallery. The sale features 82 works, with highlights including pieces by street artist Mr. Brainwash (Thierry Guetta), Greek painter Yiannis Mytaras, and sculptor Richard Orlinski, alongside works by Kostis Georgiou, Spyros Vassiliou, and others. Starting prices range from €300, with bidding available in person, by phone, or via absentee bids.

THE BIOMUSEO SCIENCE AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE FIRST LEVEL

The Biomuseo, a striking museum of biodiversity designed by architect Frank Gehry, stands on the Amador Causeway at the entrance to the Panama Canal. Its avant-garde, deconstructivist structure, featuring chaotic shapes and vivid colors, is designed to narrate the geological formation of the Isthmus of Panama and its impact on global biodiversity. Inside, it houses large sculptures, mineral exhibitions, and audiovisual projections about Panamanian ecosystems, alongside temporary science exhibitions like the current 'Eyes in Space' show about NASA technology.

From an Artist to His Dealer

D’un artiste à son marchand

A new book titled "Miró-Loeb. Correspondance. 1926-1936" has been published by Éditions Norma, presenting the previously unpublished correspondence between Spanish painter Joan Miró and his Parisian dealer Pierre Loeb from 1926 to 1936. The volume includes photographs, reproductions of artworks, an illustrated record of Miró's exhibitions at Galerie Pierre, a prologue by art historian Joan Punyet Miró (the artist's grandson), and contributions from Albert Loeb (Pierre's son) and Sonia Loeb (his granddaughter), contextualizing a decade of exchanges amid cultural ferment and rising tensions. The book also features sparser letters from 1945 until Loeb's death in 1963, tracing the evolution of their relationship.

Stano Filko “Painting” at Layr, Vienna

Stano Filko's exhibition "Painting" at Layr in Vienna challenges the persistent binary opposition between painting and conceptualism. The show presents Filko's work from around 1980, a period when debates over the merits of painting versus conceptual art were at their peak, offering a nuanced perspective that complicates this historical divide.

Robert Rauschenberg and Asia @ M＋

M+ museum in Hong Kong has announced a major exhibition titled "Robert Rauschenberg and Asia," scheduled to run from November 2022, 2025, through April 26, 2026. Curated by Russell Storer, the show explores the American master's deep engagement with the region, featuring his own works alongside pieces by Asian contemporary artists like Huang Yong Ping and Sui Jianguo.

Madrid: Hypnotic Laugh Track by Manga Ngcobo

Writer Manga Ngcobo reflects on the architectural and cultural landscape of Madrid in early 2025, juxtaposing the city's historic art institutions with its rapid technological and commercial evolution. Drawing on Ben Lerner’s novel 'Leaving the Atocha Station', the piece explores the growing disconnect between the profound emotional experiences promised by masters like Velázquez and Goya and the reality of a city increasingly designed for content creation, retail aesthetics, and digital consumption.

Same is More: Parisian Architecture à l’identique by Octave Perrault

Paris is undergoing a wave of architectural preservation and renovation that prioritizes the "à l’identique" (identical) approach, most notably seen in the reconstruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral following its 2019 fire. This trend extends to other major cultural landmarks, including the renovation of the Bourse de Commerce by Tadao Ando and the upcoming multi-year closure of the Centre Pompidou for technical upgrades. The author uses the critical lens of 19th-century writer Joris-Karl Huysmans to question whether this obsession with restoring buildings to a previous state stifles contemporary architectural evolution.

Artist in Focus: Louis Pohl Koseda. Constructing the City as Memory.

British artist Louis Pohl Koseda is gaining attention for his intricate works that blend drawing, painting, and architectural theory to explore the city as a psychological structure. His practice, which he terms 'metafictionism,' utilizes fine-line drawing to create layered compositions where figures navigate unstable, theatrical urban environments. Influenced by his upbringing in an East London Hare Krishna community, Koseda’s work focuses on how belief systems and social fabrics are mapped onto the physical and imagined spaces of the city.

Artist Kasper Eistrup Maps the Human Condition on Canvas

Danish artist Kasper Eistrup (b. 1973) presents his first solo exhibition in Germany, titled "Bridges Over Magma," at Galerie Schimming in Hamburg. The show features a new body of work created during a recent artist-in-residence program in Hamburg, where Eistrup drew inspiration from the city's famous bridges and his ongoing exploration of painting and drawing. The compositions blend meticulously rendered figures with architecture, flora, fauna, handwritten text, and abstract textures, exploring themes of human connection and resilience.

arar gallery

ARAR Gallery in Utrecht, Netherlands, is championing contemporary Armenian art on the global stage. Founded by Ashot Khalafyan, the gallery presents a diverse roster of artists who synthesize Armenian cultural heritage with avant-garde practices, refusing to treat the art as an isolated category. The gallery's program includes painters like Hasmik Khalafyan and Anahit Mirijanyan, photographer Aram Khalafyan, and extends to limited-edition wearable art based on original paintings.

ronnie wood rolling stones prints 50th year

Ronnie Wood, guitarist for the Rolling Stones, has released a new series of artworks titled "Paint It Black" to mark his 50th anniversary with the band. The paintings, which depict Wood and his bandmates Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and the late Charlie Watts, went on view at Redhouse Gallery in Harrogate, U.K. Signed, personalized prints are available in limited editions of 100, priced at £1,250 each. The release coincides with a reissue of the album "Black and Blue" (1976), Wood's first as an official band member.

inside the kitchen spring gala party

The Kitchen, a storied avant-garde arts institution in New York, held its Spring Gala at City Winery on Pier 57 despite rainy weather. The evening featured performances by A.I.M by Kyle Abraham dancer Alysia Johnson and musician serpentwithfeet, with actor and choreographer Angela Trimbur serving as MC. Chief Curator and Executive Director Legacy Russell opened the night with a spirited speech, and honorees included dance legend Lucinda Childs, philanthropists Jamie Singer Soros and Robert Soros, and artist-filmmaker Wu Tsang, who recalled first performing at The Kitchen 20 years ago.

“A Milano Fondazione Elpis sarà luogo di sorpresa e di comunità”. Intervista alla nuova direttrice Marcella Ferrari

Fondazione Elpis in Milan has appointed Marcella Ferrari as its new director, effective April 2026, marking a new phase for the foundation founded by Marina Nissim in 2020. Ferrari plans to expand the foundation's spaces in Porta Romana with the addition of Villa and Atelier Elpis alongside the existing Lavanderia, creating a constellation of venues for residencies, production, education, and public programs. She emphasizes listening to staff, artists, curators, and the local community, while strengthening international relations and developing projects that connect artistic production with public space and contemporary research.

Finally, Culture Minister Giuli visited the Italy Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale and made peace with President Buttafuoco

Finalmente il Ministro della Cultura Giuli ha visitato il Padiglione Italia alla Biennale di Venezia 2026 e ha fatto pace con il Presidente Buttafuoco

Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli finally visited the Italy Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale alongside Biennale President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, marking their first public appearance together after earlier tensions led Giuli to skip the opening ceremony. During the visit, Buttafuoco proposed that the work of artist Chiara Camoni, whose exhibition "Con te con tutto" is curated by Cecilia Canziani, should find a permanent home after the Biennale ends, sparking discussion about the future of pavilion artworks.

A Rediscovered Beato Angelico Takes Center Stage at Pandolfini's Old Masters Auctions in Florence

Un Beato Angelico riscoperto protagonista alle aste di arte antica di Pandolfini a Firenze

Pandolfini auction house in Florence will auction a rediscovered fragment of Beato Angelico's *Tebaide* on May 20, 2026, after it had been missing for fifty years. The attribution was confirmed by comparison with the version held at the Museo di San Marco and formerly at the Galleria degli Uffizi. The auction house's Old Masters department, led since 2025 by young director Nicolò Pitto, has achieved strong results, including over €5 million in total revenue for the year, with top lots such as Artemisia Gentileschi's *Cleopatra* (€595,600) and a French School *Saint Catherine of Alexandria* (€620,000).

Mimmo Jodice in mostra al nuovo Museo del Tesoro di San Gennaro a Napoli. Rare foto ‘barocche’ a colori

Mimmo Jodice, the renowned Italian photographer who died in October 2025 at age 91, is being honored with a new exhibition at the Museo del Tesoro di San Gennaro in Naples. The show, curated by former Capodimonte director Sylvain Bellenger, presents Jodice's rare color photographs from the 1980s—his only color project—which focus on 17th-century Neapolitan Baroque paintings by artists such as Caravaggio, Jusepe de Ribera, and Artemisia Gentileschi. The exhibition runs until January 10, 2027, and also marks the inauguration of newly renovated welcome spaces at the museum, designed by Vanni del Gaudio.

Giuli Buys Everything! The Ministry of Culture Also Wants to Take Over Rome's Teatro delle Vittorie and Venice's Palazzo Labia?

Giuli compra tutto! Il Ministero della Cultura vuole prendersi anche Il Teatro delle Vittorie di Roma e Palazzo Labia a Venezia?

Italian Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli is pursuing an aggressive acquisition campaign for cultural properties. After high-profile purchases including Antonello da Messina's *Ecce Homo* and Caravaggio's *Portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini* (€30 million), the Ministry has now expressed interest in acquiring Rome's Teatro delle Vittorie and Venice's Palazzo Labia—both part of a real estate portfolio being sold by state broadcaster Rai. The Ministry also recently bought Verona's historic Cinema Astra (with a €7.5 million restoration plan) and Naples' Teatro Sannazzaro after a fire.

The AfD Rehearses the Seizure of Power

Die AfD probt die Machtergreifung

The article reports that in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the far-right party AfD could achieve an absolute majority in the upcoming September election—a first in postwar German history. The state government has preemptively introduced a cultural funding law to protect the arts. The AfD's platform includes a "new patriotic cultural policy" under the slogan "#deutschdenken," which explicitly targets the Bauhaus and modernist art as symbols of an "identity disorder" they promise to "heal."

Arghavan Khosravi Brings Diasporic Narratives to ‘What Remains’

Uffner & Liu in New York is presenting 'What Remains,' a solo exhibition by Iranian artist Arghavan Khosravi, running through July 2, 2026. The show features multi-paneled sculptural canvases, a freestanding sculpture, and intimate mixed-media works, including the debut of her 'Altar Series,' which reimagines medieval devotional altarpieces through a contemporary political and psychological lens.