Italy’s Uffizi Hit by Cyberattack, Says Security Wasn’t Compromised

The Uffizi Galleries in Florence suffered a significant cyberattack in February, with hackers reportedly stealing access codes, internal maps, CCTV camera information, and the institution's entire photographic archive. The attackers issued a ransom demand to director Simone Verde. In response, the museum moved valuable jewels to the Bank of Italy, sealed emergency exits at the Palazzo Pitti with bricks, and closed a section of the palace, though it attributes some actions to planned renovations and fire-safety compliance.

Douglas Lees obituary

Douglas Lees, a dedicated architect and community figure, has died at the age of 94. Born in East London and overcoming the physical limitations of Erb’s palsy, Lees spent his career designing diverse structures across England, ranging from new town developments in Merseyside to prison facilities for the Home Office. In his later years, he became a fixture in the village of Hatfield Broad Oak, where he contributed to local planning and captured the local scenery through watercolor painting.

Where to see art in Houston now: 9 intriguing new exhibits opening in June

Houston's art scene is bustling in June 2025 with nine new exhibitions opening across the city. Highlights include Lawndale Art Center's annual "Big Show," juried by Dr. Phillip A. Townsend, featuring 88 works by 77 local artists; Sawyer Yards' "Be the Art: The Silos Selfie Experience," an immersive, social-media-friendly display; and three new shows at the Blaffer Art Museum, including "a way to mend" focusing on Gulf Coast artists and healing, "¡Cuidado!" by X Arriaga Cuellar and Adán Vallecillo about migrant healthcare workers, and Saif Azzuz's debut museum exhibition "Keet Hegehlpa’ (the water is rising)" addressing land and water privatization. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston also celebrates new acquisitions spanning luxurious historical works and AI-driven futures.

Unbound Narratives: Embodied Language at Atlanta Contemporary, Atlanta

The Atlanta Contemporary is presenting the group exhibition 'Unbound Narratives: Embodied Language,' curated by Karen Comer Lowe. It features works by artists February James, Bethany Collins, Gabi Madrid, and a’driane nieves across film, painting, and mixed media, focusing on how each translates personal and embodied experience into visual and linguistic forms. Key pieces include nieves's monumental painting on grief and rage, Collins's text-based interrogation of racial identity, James's debut stop-motion film exploring stillness, and Madrid's inscribed headboards addressing healing and cultural memory.

Simultaneous or Poly-Cinema

The Bauhaus artist László Moholy-Nagy proposes a radical departure from traditional filmmaking in his 1925 text, "Simultaneous or Poly-Cinema." He envisions a cinematic experience that moves beyond the static, rectangular screen, suggesting instead curved, spherical, or multi-planar surfaces that can accommodate multiple simultaneous projections. By utilizing rotating prisms and intersecting film strips, Moholy-Nagy describes a system where different narrative threads—such as the lives of multiple characters—can physically overlap and merge, creating a dynamic architectural arrangement of light and movement.

After Farce: Ubu, the Imperialist

The article examines the cultural and artistic response to Donald Trump's presidency, tracing how artists and critics initially invoked Alfred Jarry's absurdist character Ubu to make sense of Trump's first term. It argues that the second term has moved beyond farce into a normalized, active remaking of the international political order, with Trump pursuing overt imperial ambitions that exceed Jarry's original satire.

art alice bucknell young artist

Alice Bucknell, a 32-year-old artist based in Los Angeles, is featured in CULTURED's 2025 Young Artists list. Bucknell creates video games and films that explore ecological and political themes, such as a recent work examining Los Angeles from the perspective of its rivers and non-human inhabitants to critique drought politics. They have held residencies at CERN and the New Museum's NEW INC, and founded New Mystics, a digital platform blending magic and technology. Upcoming projects include the game "Earth Engine" and its film component "Ground Truthing," which uses climate data to shape an evolving game world where Earth is the main player.

The Nerve Center of This Art Fair Isn’t Painting. It’s Couture.

The Independent art fair in New York is featuring a significant presentation of designs by Rei Kawakubo and her label Comme des Garçons. The works, which include garments and sculptural objects, are being presented as a curated exhibition within the fair, challenging traditional art fair categories.

Tracking Down a Vase From ‘Bonjour Tristesse’

The New York Times has traced the whereabouts of a distinctive blue-and-white vase featured in the 1958 film 'Bonjour Tristesse,' directed by Otto Preminger. The vase, which played a prominent role in the film's set design, was discovered to be a piece by French ceramicist Georges Jouve and had been quietly residing in a private Los Angeles collection for decades.

Faig Ahmed on Representing Azerbaijan at the 61st Venice Biennale

Artist Faig Ahmed will represent Azerbaijan at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026 with a project exploring the intersections of mystical poetry and quantum physics. Located in the Campo de la Tana, the pavilion aims to create a contemplative space where technology and ancient oral traditions facilitate a personal dialogue for the viewer. Ahmed’s presentation responds to the Biennale’s overarching theme, 'In Minor Keys,' by focusing on subtle, often overlooked phenomena.

Galle Facing

Colombo’s skyline has undergone a radical transformation into a forest of glass and steel towers, epitomized by projects like the Lotus Tower and Port City. This rapid urbanization, driven by a state ambition to create a 'world-class city' following decades of civil war, has resulted in the displacement of local neighborhoods and the burial of historical layers under new infrastructure.

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."

Artist Pietro Roccasalva Without Respite: Genealogy of a Resilient Motif in the Milan Exhibition

L’artista Pietro Roccasalva senza tregua: genealogia di un motivo resiliente nella mostra a Milano

Italian artist Pietro Roccasalva presents a new body of work at MASSIMODECARLO’s Casa Corbellini-Wassermann in Milan, titled "Io ti saluto luce, ma con nervi offesi." The exhibition features a series of paintings characterized by dense stratification, featuring recurring motifs like a disheveled child, a bride with a tennis racket, and metamorphic animals. These works function as visual deposits where cultural references and personal iconography overlap, creating a theatrical dialogue with the gallery’s historic architecture.

Venice Biennale Swamped in Protests Ahead of Planned Strike

The Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) has announced a 24-hour strike for Friday, May 8, coinciding with previews of the 2026 Venice Biennale, alongside a protest rally organized by local group Biennalocene and Italian trade unions. Earlier this week, sixty artists staged a sonic protest at the Giardini entrance to draw attention to the plight of those affected by genocide and war in Palestine and elsewhere. The Latvian pavilion has also encouraged attendees to wear a design by artist Krišs Salmanis reading “Death in Venice – Russia go home!” Meanwhile, dissident artists Pussy Riot stormed the Russian pavilion waving Ukrainian flags, and the entire 2026 Biennale jury resigned after the decision to exclude countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court from competing for top prizes.

Helen Legg appointed artistic director of Royal Academy

Helen Legg has been named the new artistic director of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, starting in June. She joins from Tate Liverpool, where she served as director since 2018, and brings prior leadership experience from Spike Island in Bristol and curatorial work at Ikon Gallery in Birmingham.

food ruthie rogers austin butler paul mccartney

Ruthie Rogers, the chef behind London's Michelin-starred River Cafe, has launched a digital podcast called "Ruthie's Table 4," where guests like Tina Fey, Austin Butler, and Paul McCartney discuss their lives through food. The conversations have been compiled into a new book, "Table 4 at The River Cafe." Rogers reflects on her career, her socially active upbringing, and the restaurant's role as a cultural hub where artists such as Cy Twombly, Ellsworth Kelly, and Damien Hirst have contributed menu illustrations.

Arsenale Review: Where Voices Resist Erasure

At the 2026 Venice Biennale's Arsenale, critic Andrew Durbin reviews national pavilions, finding the US presentation vacuous and lacking meaning, while praising the British and German pavilions for their incisive and moving installations that resist erasure. The review highlights a stark contrast in curatorial ambition and political engagement among the participating nations.

Anne Frank exhibit debuts Friday with rare artifacts in Chicago

A new exhibition titled "Anne Frank The Exhibition" opens Friday, May 1 at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. It features 130 collection items from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, including artifacts from the Secret Annex where Anne Frank and her family hid during the Nazi occupation. Some of these items have never been displayed in the United States before. The exhibition offers a personal look at the Frank family's life in hiding, including a board game that helped pass the time.

MSU Entomology Partners With Artist Jan Tichy for Darkness Exhibit at Broad Art Museum

Chicago-based artist Jan Tichy has created a new exhibition titled 'Darkness' at Michigan State University's Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum. The project is the result of a nearly nine-month collaboration with four MSU labs, most prominently the Department of Entomology, where Tichy worked with researchers and students to incorporate insects and scientific methods like blacklight sampling into the artwork.

Miami Advice: Mikhaile Solomon on the immersive Artists in Residence in Everglades programme

Mikhaile Solomon, founder of Prizm art fair, discusses the Artists in Residence in Everglades (Airie) program, which has hosted around 200 artists over 25 years. Founded in 2001 by artist Donna Marxer and park ranger Alan Scott, Airie invites about 14 artists per year to live and work for one month in Everglades National Park, producing work that responds to the subtropical wilderness. The program's exhibitions have traveled to venues like the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and the Venice Biennale, with recent projects including Miami-based artist Germane Barnes' sound installations.

nanjing museum artifacts sale corruption investigation report 1234772930

A major investigation into China's Nanjing Museum has uncovered decades of systemic corruption and mismanagement that led to the secret sale of national treasures into the private art market. The scandal erupted after five paintings from a 1959 donation by the Pang family were found missing, with one, a Ming dynasty painting by Qiu Ying titled 'Spring in Jiangnan,' appearing at auction in 2025 valued at $12.7 million. The probe found that former vice-director Xu Huping authorized illegal transfers of donated works to a state-run cultural relics store for sale, where they were drastically undervalued and sold to private collectors.

Vânia Quintão | Cold Afternoon (2023) | For Sale

Brazilian artist Vânia Quintão is offering her 2023 painting "Cold Afternoon" for sale through Inn Gallery. The acrylic-on-canvas work, sized 70 × 100 cm, depicts a suspended, cool-toned landscape under a diffuse blue sky. Quintão, a self-described cultural producer and fundraiser based in Belo Horizonte, has exhibited internationally including at the Louvre Museum in Paris and won prizes at The Holly Art Exhibition (London) and Art Connects Women (Dubai). The work is hand-signed, includes a certificate of authenticity, and is priced at US$1,500.

Europe: China’s censorship of cultural institutions must be challenged - ARTICLE 19

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London has reportedly removed maps and images from exhibition catalogues on multiple occasions following pressure from its Chinese publisher, C&C Offset Printing. The publisher cited directives from China's General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP), which enforces the Chinese Communist Party's official narratives on sensitive topics like territorial borders.

Roar materials: the ‘uncanny’ art of dinosaur puppetry – in pictures

The Australian puppetry company Erth is preparing for a new immersive dinosaur show at the Sydney Opera House. The article provides a behind-the-scenes look at their workshop in Marrickville, where a team of artists and designers hand-craft highly realistic, large-scale dinosaur puppets using animatronics, 3D printing, and traditional craftsmanship.

Turkey’s heritage power grab: new law threatens Istanbul’s opposition-run cultural sites

The Turkish government has enacted a new law allowing the central state to seize historic properties from local municipalities, specifically targeting sites originally endowed to Ottoman-era foundations. This legislation directly impacts Istanbul, where Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s administration has spent years restoring nearly 1,000 heritage sites and converting neglected spaces into vibrant museums, libraries, and contemporary art venues. Critics argue that the state-run General Directorate of Foundations lacks the expertise to manage these cultural hubs and may instead lease them out or close them entirely.

Climate report from Getty’s PST Art programme urges cultural organisations to confront exhibitions’ impacts

The Getty has released a comprehensive climate impact assessment of its PST Art initiative, titled Art & Science Collide (2024-25), based on its inaugural Climate Impact Program (CIP). Developed with climate adviser Laura Lupton and artist Debra Scacco, the program provided webinars, guidance, and networking to participating institutions, with over two-thirds completing a climate impact report. Key findings show that air travel and air freight of art are the most carbon-intensive activities, and shifting to sea freight could reduce total emissions by 18%. Many institutions reduced waste through simple, low-cost changes, with some committing to permanent sustainability practices.

UNM Art Museum pauses gallery exhibitions for ‘Collections Year’

The University of New Mexico Art Museum (UNMAM) has paused its gallery exhibitions to launch a "Collections Year" project, prompted by a major gift of over 100 photographs from collectors Daniel Greenberg and Susan Steinhauser. The museum's galleries are now temporary workspaces where staff and 12 collections apprentices are cataloging, condition-reporting, and processing hundreds of new artworks, including prints and drawings dating back to the 15th century. Study rooms remain open for visitors and classes during this period.

McMichael Canadian Art Collection picks architect for museum expansion

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, Ontario, has selected Toronto-based Hariri Pontarini Architects (HPA) to lead a transformative redevelopment of its campus, the first major investment in the museum in over 40 years. The announcement was made during the opening night of the Art Toronto fair, where the museum hosted a fundraiser. The project, which includes expanded exhibition, education, and public programming spaces, is backed by up to C$50 million from the Ontario government (contingent on matching funds) and a previous C$25 million federal investment, though additional funding is still being sought.

On View in the RSM Art Gallery: The Gleanings by Joetta Maue

RSM Gallery is presenting "The Gleanings," a solo exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Joetta Maue featuring photography, installation, and embroidery. The show runs from October 16 to November 25, 2025, with an artist talk and opening reception on October 16 and a Reading Room Event on November 4 where visitors are invited to share books and excerpts. Maue's work explores the sublime within everyday life, focusing on overlooked fragments, ephemeral light, and the traces of the body across space and time, with embroideries that transcribe her research notations and a large wall installation titled "Sojourn" mapping geographies of artist residencies.

These artists want your help distracting fossil fuel executives

The Brooklyn non-profit space Pioneer Works is hosting an exhibition titled "How to Get to Zero" by artists Tega Brain and Sam Lavigne, featuring climate-focused interactive installations. The centerpiece, "Cold Call" (2023), invites visitors to don headsets and call fossil fuel executives, following a script designed to keep them on the line as long as possible to disrupt their productivity. Another work, "Offset" (2023-25), parodies carbon offset markets by allowing visitors to purchase credits for dissident acts like deflating SUV tires, with proceeds going to activists. The exhibition also includes "Perfect Sleep" (2021), an anti-productivity phone app that encourages rest to reduce carbon footprints, and "Synthetic Messenger" (2021), where cell phones click on climate news ads to boost journalism engagement.