Masters, women, and young voices: Egypt visual art scene in 2025 - Visual Art - Arts & Culture

Egypt's visual arts scene in 2025 saw significant growth, marked by the opening of new galleries and a surge in diversity of artistic approaches, aesthetics, and techniques, according to Ehab Ellaban, director of the Arts Complex in Zamalek, and artist Samir Abdelghany. The year featured major exhibitions honoring both established masters and emerging talents, including Mohamed Abla's participation in the 4th–7th Generation exhibition at Al Masar Gallery and his solo show In the Glow of the City, Ahmed Shiha's Egyptian Spirit at Picasso East Gallery, Salah Bisar's Glee at Ubuntu Art Gallery, and retrospectives for Esmat Dawestashy, Salah Abdel Kerim, Chafik Charobim, and Inji Efflatoun. Katherine Bakhoum's Between Sea and Sky at Safarkhan Gallery also highlighted the enduring relevance of Egyptian-French artists.

An Early Winter Gallery Guide

A guide lists galleries in Wellfleet and Provincetown, Massachusetts, that plan to remain open during December, some through New Year's, with winter hours and by-appointment visits. Featured galleries include AMZehnder Gallery, Farm Projects, Jeff Soderbergh Gallery, Left Bank Gallery, Wellfleet Preservation Hall, Alden Gallery, Bakker Gallery, Berta Walker Gallery, Four Eleven Gallery, and Gary Marotta Fine Art, each offering exhibitions of contemporary paintings, ceramics, photography, and works on paper. The Provincetown Art Gallery Association and Provincetown Business Guild are hosting gallery strolls every Saturday in December from 1 to 4 p.m.

“Daughter of the Stars” Opens in Front Royal, Showcasing 70+ Women Artists in Largest Exhibition of Its Kind

The "Daughter of the Stars" exhibition opens October 18 at the Melissa Ichiuji Studio Gallery in Front Royal, Virginia, featuring over 70 women artists from the Shenandoah Valley and greater DMV region. The show is part of the Women Artists of the DMV Survey Show, a regional collaboration conceived by curator Lenny Campello in partnership with the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, spanning 18 venues and approximately 400 women artists. The opening includes live music, refreshments, and artist meet-and-greets, and the exhibition runs through December 7, 2025.

Class Notes

Boston University's College of Fine Arts (CFA) published its 2025 alumni class notes, featuring updates from graduates spanning the 1950s to the 1980s. Notable entries include Mark Mobius (’58) releasing a book on wealth, Cynthia Close (’67,’69) completing a memoir about her time in an artists' commune, and Jane O’Hara (’78) exhibiting a 51-painting series on animal rights at the New Bedford Art Museum. Other alumni activities range from radio documentaries and theatrical performances to gallery shows, poetry albums, and consulting work.

On Arte and France Culture, all the secrets of the unicorn

Sur Arte et France Culture, tous les secrets de la licorne

The article discusses the enduring cultural presence of the unicorn, from churches to toy stores and LGBTQIA+ parades, coinciding with the exhibition "Licornes!" at the Musée de Cluny (through July 12, 2026), which centers on the museum's famed tapestry *La Dame à la licorne*. It highlights two complementary media programs: an episode of the radio show *Le Cours de l'histoire* on France Culture and a documentary on Arte, both exploring the mythical animal's many transformations across history.

Venice Biennale’s jury resigns

The entire jury of the 61st Venice Biennale, presided by Brazilian curator Solange Farkas and comprising four other curators, resigned just nine days before the exhibition's scheduled opening on 9 May 2026. The jury had announced it would not award prizes to countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, a move widely understood to target Israel and Russia. In response, the Biennale's organisers cancelled the prize-giving ceremony and will instead award Golden Lions via a popular vote among ticketholders. The row escalated further when the Israeli representative, sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru, accused the jury of discrimination and threatened legal action, prompting intervention from Italy's culture ministry.

The Carnegie International Tests What “We” Still Means in a Fractured World

The 59th edition of the Carnegie International, the oldest survey of contemporary art in the United States, opens at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, featuring 61 artists and collectives from around the world and 36 newly commissioned works. Curated by Ryan Inouye, Danielle A. Jackson, and Liz Park, the exhibition is titled “If the word we,” developed in collaboration with writer Haytham el-Wardany, and for the first time partners with local institutions including the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Kamin Science Center, Mattress Factory, and the Thelma Lovette YMCA to engage different segments of the city’s community.

The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and Christie's Unveil 'The Meeting Ground: Scenes from the KNMA Collection' - Christie's

The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in New Delhi and Christie's London have announced a major institutional exhibition titled 'The Meeting Ground: Scenes from the KNMA Collection,' running from 16 July to 21 August 2026 at Christie's King Street. The show brings together modern and contemporary works alongside folk and indigenous art from South Asia, curated by Akansha Rastogi with a team of curators. It features artists such as M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, Zarina Hashmi, and Jangarh Singh Shyam, and is part of KNMA's ongoing international programme.

Christie's presents SLG Forever a special selling exhibition in partnership with the South London Gallery raising vital funds in its 135th anniversary - Christie's

Christie's is partnering with the South London Gallery (SLG) for a special selling exhibition titled 'SLG Forever,' running at Christie's London from 5 to 25 June 2026 and online until 30 September. Over 25 renowned artists—including Firelei Báez, Tracey Emin, Frank Bowling, Antony Gormley, and Yinka Shonibare—have donated works to raise funds for the SLG's 135th anniversary campaign, which aims to collect £2 million. The exhibition coincides with London Gallery Weekend and features artists with strong ties to the SLG, many of whom have had solo shows or studios nearby.

James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain: The Fleeting Nature of Light, and of Life

Tate Britain is hosting a major exhibition of James McNeill Whistler, exploring his mastery of light and atmosphere across paintings, etchings, and pastels. The show traces Whistler's career from his early realist works to his iconic nocturnes and portraits, emphasizing his radical approach to composition and color.

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts receives major gift of photography

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) announced a major gift of 1,986 photographs from Joy of Giving Something, Inc. (JGS), a nonprofit founded by financier Howard Stein. The donation includes works by over 450 artists, spanning the 19th century to the present, with highlights such as rare daguerreotypes by Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey, prints by Gustave Le Gray and Eugène Atget, and significant holdings in American documentary photography from figures like Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans. The gift follows an earlier 2023 donation of portfolios and series, and positions VMFA to open five new photography galleries in 2027 as part of its expansion.

Modern Art + Design Draw Active Bidders At Eldred’s

Eldred’s auction house held its Modern Art + Design sale on May 7, featuring 245 lots of art, furniture, decorative arts, rugs and collectibles. The sale achieved a total of $221,740 with an 81% sell-through rate, driven by active phone, online, and absentee bidding. Top lots included a Tiffany Studios Nautilus table lamp that sold for $23,040 (more than three times its estimate), a Handel reverse-painted glass table lamp that reached $10,880 against a $800–$1,200 estimate, and Frank Stella’s “Aiolio” from his “Imaginary Places III” series, which fetched $17,920. An abstract oil on canvas by Manabu Mabe also performed strongly, selling for $14,080.

Christie’s New York surpasses $1 billion

Christie’s New York kicked off its 20th and 21st Century Art sales week on 18 May 2026 with a record-shattering evening, generating over $1.12 billion across two sales: Masterpieces: The Private Collection of S.I. Newhouse and the 20th Century Evening Sale. The top lot was Jackson Pollock’s *Number 7A, 1948*, which sold for $181.2 million, setting a new auction record for the artist. Other artist records were set for Constantin Brancusi, Joan Miró, Alice Neel, and Mark Rothko. The S.I. Newhouse collection alone achieved $631 million, selling 100% of lots, and its cumulative total across four Christie’s sales reached $1.05 billion, making it the second-highest collection ever sold at auction after Paul Allen’s.

Stirling Art Collection awarded National Significance status

The University of Stirling's Art Collection has been designated a Collection of National Significance by Museums Galleries Scotland, joining four other collections receiving the honor on International Museums Day. The collection comprises over 800 prints, paintings, and sculptures, many displayed across the campus, particularly in the A-listed Pathfoot Building. Founded on a policy set by Principal Dr Tom Cottrell in 1967 to allocate 1% of building costs for art, the collection has grown through purchases and donations, including 14 works by Scottish Colourist J.D. Fergusson gifted by Margaret Morris. The collection team runs exhibitions, workshops, and an Artist in Residence programme to integrate art into university life.

Taipei Fine Arts Museum unveils 'Surrealism: The World in Dialogue'

Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM), in collaboration with the Institute for Cultural Exchange in Tübingen, Germany, has launched its major spring exhibition "Surrealism: The World in Dialogue." Featuring over 120 works by nearly 60 international artists, the exhibition marks a century since André Breton's 1924 "Surrealist Manifesto." It juxtaposes historical avant-garde works with contemporary practices, organized into sections such as "Collective Dreams," "Body of Desire," and "Absurd Play." Highlights include Yves Tanguy's dreamscapes, Lauren Moffatt's augmented reality installation, Max Ernst's scraping-method works, Patricia Piccinini's hybrid sculptures, and works by Man Ray, Meret Oppenheim, Sarah Lucas, Luis Buñuel, and Salvador Dalí.

Besser Museum hosts Dr. Kelly Bushey for final Gallery Talk in Divine Comedy Series

Dr. Kelly Bushey will deliver the final Gallery Talk titled “The Agnostic and The Atheist” at the Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan on May 28, as part of a four-part lecture series accompanying the museum's exhibition *Divine Comedy Reenvisioned*. The talk explores Salvador Dalí's transition from surrealism to neo-classicism, influenced by his encounter with Sigmund Freud and his renewed spiritual perspective, offering insight into his illustrations of Dante Alighieri's *Divine Comedy*. The exhibition remains on view through July 18.

Peggy Guggenheim in London: The Making of a Collector

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice has opened "Peggy Guggenheim in London: The Making of a Collector," the first major museum exhibition focused on Guggenheim's brief but influential 18-month tenure as a gallerist in pre-war London. From January 1938 to June 1939, her gallery Guggenheim Jeune at 30 Cork Street mounted twenty exhibitions, including Vasily Kandinsky's first UK solo show, the first British group collage exhibition, and a controversial sculpture show debated in Parliament. Organized by Gražina Subelytė and guest curator Simon Grant, the show brings together approximately one hundred works—paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, puppets, and archival material—many reunited for the first time since their original presentation.

At this year's Venice Biennale, a clash of politics and art exposes the need for a rethink

The 2026 Venice Biennale is plagued by controversy and structural issues. Curator Koyo Kouoh died of cancer in 2025, leaving her team to execute the main exhibition "In Minor Keys" without her. The Biennale's jury resigned after refusing to judge entries from countries charged with war crimes, and media coverage during preview week focused on protests against the Israeli and Russian pavilions rather than the art. The sprawling exhibition features 96 national pavilions and 110 artists, with works ranging from Daniel Lind-Ramos's found-material figures to María Magdalena Campos-Pons's tribute to Toni Morrison and Kouoh.

Edward Hopper Exhibition in Seoul Breaks Attendance Record

An exhibition of Edward Hopper's work at the Seoul Museum of Art has broken attendance records, drawing 330,000 visitors—the highest for any exhibition that year. The show marks the first solo exhibition of the American painter in South Korea, where Hopper was virtually unknown until the 1990s. The article traces Hopper's growing recognition in the country, from his first appearance in Korean media in 2002 to the 2011 co-hosted exhibition 'This Is American Art' at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, which introduced his work 'Railroad Sunset' (1929) to local audiences.

The pioneer of organic textile sculptures, Magdalena Abakanowicz, is taking over Helsinki Art Museum

Helsinki Art Museum (HAM) presents "Magdalena Abakanowicz: Crossing Boundaries," the first Finnish exhibition of the Polish artist's monumental fiber works, running from May 6 to August 30, 2026, at the Tennis Palace. The show features 58 works spanning six decades, including her iconic Abakans—suspended woven forms—and headless burlap figures, along with documentary screenings and a new Finnish-language publication.

UES Galleries Open Their Doors For Free Event This Weekend

45 galleries along Madison Avenue on Manhattan's Upper East Side will open their doors for the free Madison Avenue Spring Art Walk on Saturday, May 13, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Participating spaces include the newly opened Gagosian gallery, which is showing a Marcel Duchamp exhibition, as well as Di Donna (featuring Salvador Dalí works) and Acquavella Galleries (featuring Henri Matisse works). Several galleries will host artist talks, including Luxembourg + Co. on motorized technologies in 20th-century art and D Lan Galleries on Australian First Nations art. The event is co-hosted by the Madison Avenue Business Improvement District and ARTnews, and has been held every May and October since 2008.

(BPRW) Getty Awards $1.8M to Increase Access to Black Visual Arts Archives

The Getty Foundation has awarded $1.8 million in grants to eight institutions through its Black Visual Arts Archives initiative, a multi-year program aimed at increasing access to archival collections related to Black artists and arts organizations. The grants will support processing, digitization, and public programming at venues including Afro Charities, Auburn Avenue Research Library, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Charles H. Wright Museum, Morgan State University, South Side Community Art Center, the University of Chicago's South Side Home Movie Project, and the David C. Driskell Center. This brings Getty's total funding for the initiative to $4.5 million since 2022, supporting 20 grants nationwide.

Interview. Max Goelitz

In an interview marking the sixth anniversary of his gallery, Max Goelitz reflects on the founding and evolution of his two-location operation in Munich and Berlin. He discusses how his decade at Häusler Contemporary, where he served as director, prepared him for the unpredictable nature of running his own gallery. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a strategic pivot from international ambitions to a focus on the local German market, which proved unexpectedly sustainable. Goelitz also addresses the current challenges facing galleries, including generational shifts and a more difficult art market, while advocating for an "old-school" reconsideration of what defines a gallery in times of transition.

‘Drift’ Invites Reverie at the Parrish

Sanford Biggers's first major solo exhibition on the East End, "Drift," opens at the Parrish Art Museum on Sunday and runs through September 13. The show features new works and site-responsive installations, including the monumental "Unsui (Cloud Forest)" (2025), a series of illuminated cloud sculptures suspended from the museum's arched ceiling. Co-curated by Corinne Erni and Scout Hutchinson, the exhibition spans Biggers's multidisciplinary practice—painting, sculpture, video, performance, and textile works—drawing on influences from Buddhism to graffiti culture and Gee's Bend quilts. Highlights include examples from his "Codex" series, made from repurposed antique quilts with spray-painted cloud forms, and a new sand installation inspired by prayer rugs and Japanese Buddhist mandalas.

Akron Art Museum transforms church’s stained glass windows into exhibit

The Akron Art Museum is presenting "Transfiguration: Rachel Libeskind and the Tiffany Window," an exhibition centered on a 137-square-foot stained glass window crafted by Frederick Wilson of Tiffany Studios in 1917. The window, originally installed at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, was rescued after a 2018 fire destroyed the church. Developer Tony Troppe purchased the property in 2022, and Whitney Stained Glass Studio restored the panels. New York-based artist Rachel Libeskind created accompanying works that reframe the window as art rather than a devotional object, with the show running through July 5.

Koyo Kouoh’s Venice Biennale Looks to Ancient Wisdom to Mend a Fractured Present

Koyo Kouoh's Venice Biennale, titled after ancient wisdom, opens with a focus on healing and historical reimagination. The exhibition features works by artists such as Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka, Khaled Sabsabi, Daniel Lind-Ramos, Guadalupe Maravilla, Kennedy Yanko, and Ayrson Heráclito, alongside a strong emphasis on artist-led schools and institutions like Denniston Hill, blaxTARLINES KUMASI, and RAW Material Company. During the opening, the Koyo Kouoh Foundation was announced, set to launch in Basel to support Pan-African cultural infrastructure. The show includes Refaat Alareer's poem "If I Must Die" and addresses political realities, blending spiritual, ecological, and technological themes to explore collective care and restoration.

Best Products lives on as art in new Branch Museum exhibit

The Branch Museum of Design in Richmond, Virginia, has opened a new exhibition titled “Imagining Best Products,” which revisits the radical architectural and graphic designs of the defunct catalog showroom retailer Best Products. Founded in 1957 by Frances and Sydney Lewis, the company commissioned experimental storefronts from architect James Wines and the firm SITE, creating iconic “anti-buildings” that challenged commercial architecture. The show features architectural drawings, models, photographs, sketches, and printed materials, and runs through June 21, 2026.

Exhibition commemorates Frederic Church 200th

The Olana Partnership opens "Frederic Church: Global Artist" on May 17 at Olana State Historic Site in Hudson, New York, commemorating the 200th anniversary of Frederic Church's birth (1826–1900). The exhibition brings together monumental oil paintings, drawings, oil sketches, and photographs from Church's global travels, with loans from major institutions including the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, The New York Historical, and the Terra Foundation for American Art. It is organized by Elizabeth Kornhauser, Tim Barringer, and Jennifer Raab, and is part of the broader Frederic Church 200 initiative.

At this art show, kids make the rules

The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto is hosting 'Colourful Parachutes: Imagining Alternative Futures Through the Power of Play,' a group exhibition that centers children as active participants rather than passive observers. Curated by Frances Loeffler, the show features interactive works by artists including Temitayo Ogunbiyi, Leisure (Meredith Carruthers and Susannah Wesley), Claire Greenshaw, Rivane Neuenschwander, Harold Offeh, Sassa Linklater, Tobias Linklater, and Robin Rhode, with installations that invite climbing, drawing, playing, and touching. The exhibition draws inspiration from a 1968 show at Moderna Museet in Stockholm that transformed the museum into an adventure playground.

WA’s Maryhill Museum of Art has ties to royalty, celebrates milestone

The Maryhill Museum of Art in Goldendale, Washington, is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its dedication by Queen Marie of Romania. Founded by entrepreneur Samuel Hill in 1907, the museum houses an eclectic collection including over 80 works by Auguste Rodin, French haute couture fashions, and thousands of Indigenous art objects. To mark the centennial, the museum has opened three new exhibitions highlighting Queen Marie's contributions: Russian icons, Romanian embroidery, and folk pottery, alongside her personal items like coronation gowns and gilded furniture.