artists auction palestine charity london eno devlin goldin

A group of high-profile artists including Es Devlin, Brian Eno, Nan Goldin, and Grayson Perry are donating works for a London-based charity auction to support humanitarian aid in Palestine. Organized by Choose Love, Gideon Berger Studio, Hope 93 Gallery, and dealer Zayna Al-Saleh, the sale will benefit the Together For Palestine Fund. The auction features a diverse range of media, from Grayson Perry’s ceramics to Nan Goldin’s photography, and will be accompanied by a public exhibition at Hope 93 Gallery from March 26 to April 9.

picasso global raffle alzheimers research christies

A charity raffle organized by France's Fondation Recherche Alzheimer offers participants the chance to win a Pablo Picasso painting valued at €1 million ($1.2 million) for a €100 ticket. The work, a 1941 gouache on paper titled *Tête de femme*, will be drawn on April 14, 2026, at Christie’s Paris. The raffle is the third of its kind involving a Picasso to support charitable causes, following previous editions in 2013 and 2020 that each raised €5 million for different organizations. The initiative was spearheaded by French TV host Péri Cochin, with the support of the artist's late son Claude Picasso.

art toronto 2025 showcasing indigenous art

Art Toronto, Canada's oldest and largest international fair for modern and contemporary art, opens to the public on Friday with a strong focus on Indigenous artists. Over half of the fair's 100-plus booths feature works by Indigenous makers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin America. The fair includes a mix of Canadian, European, Latin American, and US galleries, with a dedicated 'Arte Sur' section highlighting Mexican and Central and South American art. Notable exhibitors include Ceremonial Art, Fazakas, Feheley Fine Arts, and N. Smith Gallery, showcasing works by artists such as Ningiukulu Teevee, Shuvinai Ashoona, Gerardo Ramírez, and Manuel Mathieu.

edgar davids art collection theft

A London court heard that Edgar Davids, the former Netherlands soccer star known as “the Pitbull,” was defrauded by a trusted friend who allegedly stole his $255,000 art collection. Nabila Habiby, who had keys to Davids’ mansion, removed 37 artworks—including 33 pieces by Paul Insect and two by Ron English—and pawned them for loans totaling just $42,800. When she failed to repay, pawnbrokers sold the works at auction. Davids only discovered the theft in 2017 after a buyer in Hong Kong contacted him via Instagram. Habiby admitted to two counts of fraud and faces up to 34 months in prison.

athens emst why look at animals lin may saeed

The National Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens has opened "Why Look at Animals: A Case for the Rights of Non-Human Lives," a major exhibition curated by Katerina Gregos that spans seven floors and features over 60 artists. The show confronts animal exploitation through works such as Ang Siew Ching's video "High-Rise Pigs" (2025), depicting a 26-story factory farm in China, and Art Orienté Objet's charcoal map of endangered species slowly erased by a robotic arm. Other artists include Sue Coe, Igor Grubić, and Janis Rafa, with the exhibition taking its title from a John Berger essay.

agustina ferreyra joins mexico city gallery omr

Agustina Ferreyra, a prominent Mexico City-based dealer known for championing young Latin American artists, has been appointed director of OMR, a leading gallery in Mexico City. Ferreyra founded her own gallery in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2013 before relocating it to Mexico City, and will shutter that eponymous space on April 30. She previously collaborated with OMR during Mexico City Art Week in February through Bodega, a joint initiative that featured a solo exhibition by Argentine artist Ad Minoliti. In her new role, Ferreyra will continue to lead Bodega as artistic director.

Some cry censorship, others cry antisemitism

"Die einen schreien Zensur, die anderen Antisemitismus"

A constitutional law scholar, Christoph Möllers, warns in an interview with Die Zeit about the dangerous escalation of cultural policy conflicts, sparked by Documenta 15, where accusations of censorship and antisemitism collide. In Poland, Adam Budak was removed as director of MOCAK in Krakow after just a few months, facing 79 allegations including mobbing and problematic leadership. Meanwhile, the New York spring auctions have launched, and Jason Farago's review of the Venice Biennale in the New York Times criticizes the shift from aesthetic innovation toward identity-driven art. Robin Pogrebin also reports on the merger of the Met and the Neue Galerie, described as a rare convergence of two museum models.

Because the Ego Suddenly Dissolves

"Weil das Ego sich plötzlich auflöst"

The art world is facing significant structural and political shifts, highlighted by the merger of Artnet and Artsy which has resulted in mass layoffs, particularly within the Artnet News editorial team and its Berlin operations. Simultaneously, tensions are rising in German cultural policy as gallery owner Rupert Pfab raises concerns over government interference in the Stiftung Kunstfonds jury selection, reflecting a broader climate of unease that includes recent controversies at the Berlinale.

Contemporary US Art is Sick with Problems

"Die zeitgenössische US-Kunst ist von Problemen krank"

Artist Josh Kline has sparked a heated debate with a scathing critique of the American art scene, particularly targeting New York City as an unsustainable hub driven by market logic and inequality. Kline argues that contemporary art is "sick with problems" and urges young artists to abandon the city, calling for a shift from institutional critique to a broader industry-wide analysis of class and power. Meanwhile, the German art world sees significant movement with the upcoming auction of Georg Kolbe’s "Tänzerinnen-Brunnen" following a Nazi-looted art settlement, and the Berlin State Museums announcing a phased reopening of the Pergamon Altar starting in 2027.

One of the Greatest Photographic Documents of the 20th Century

"Eines der größten fotografischen Dokumente des 20. Jahrhunderts"

A New York court has concluded an eleven-year legal battle by awarding Amedeo Modigliani’s 'Seated Man with a Cane' to the heirs of Jewish art dealer Oscar Stettiner. The ruling rejected the claims of the powerful Nahmad family, with the judge determining that Stettiner never voluntarily relinquished the work during the Nazi era. Additionally, a significant photographic archive belonging to darkroom technician Roland Haupt has surfaced, containing previously unseen World War II images by Lee Miller and Cecil Beaton.

Brian Eno, FKA Twigs, Jim Jarmusch Among Sound Artists Commissioned for Vatican Pavilion at Venice Biennale

The Vatican has announced a star-studded lineup of musicians and artists for its pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "The Ear Is the Eye of the Soul." Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers in collaboration with Soundwalk Collective, the exhibition features commissioned sound works from figures including Brian Eno, FKA Twigs, Patti Smith, and the late Alexander Kluge. The project is inspired by the 12th-century mystic Saint Hildegard of Bingen and will be staged across two historic Venetian locations: the Mystical Garden of the Discalced Carmelites and the Complesso di Santa Maria Ausiliatrice.

Maurizio Cattelan’s Latest Work is Hotline for People to Confess Their Sins… to Him

Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan has launched a new project: a hotline and WhatsApp service inviting the public to confess their sins. The project, timed to coincide with the Easter period and the 21st anniversary of Pope John Paul II's death, will culminate in a livestream on April 23 where Cattelan will offer a form of symbolic absolution to selected participants. Alongside the hotline, he is releasing a limited edition of 666 small-scale replicas of his controversial 1999 sculpture, *The Ninth Hour*, which depicts the late pope struck by a meteorite.

Jeff Koons Designs Two Bottles for Evian’s 200th Anniversary

Jeff Koons has designed two limited-edition glass bottles for Evian's 200th anniversary. The still water bottle features a pink top and an image of his iconic pink stainless-steel balloon dog, while the sparkling version uses a blue iteration of the same motif, both wrapped with a silver ribbon.

MoMA Plans a Retrospective for Marcel Duchamp, the Dada Artist Who Was Unimpressed With His Own Masterpieces

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York will open a major retrospective of Marcel Duchamp in April 2026, marking the first U.S. retrospective for the artist in over 50 years. The exhibition will feature more than 200 works, including a 1968 replica of his infamous 'Fountain,' spanning his experiments in Cubism, Futurism, film, photography, and his pioneering readymades.

Muriel Hasbun, Artist Whose Work Poignantly Recounted the Salvadoran Diaspora and the Fraughtness of Memory, Dies at 64

Muriel Hasbun, a multidisciplinary artist known for exploring themes of memory, migration, and the Salvadoran diaspora through photography, video, and installation, died on May 13 from ovarian cancer in Silver Springs, Maryland, at age 64. Born in El Salvador in 1961, she left during the country's civil war in 1979 and settled in Washington, D.C. Her work, including series like "Santos y sombras / Saints and Shadows" (1990–97) and the 2023 survey "Tracing Terruño" at the International Center of Photography, poignantly combined archival family photos with new imagery to examine loss, exile, and the complexities of identity.

Zohran Mamdani Visited MoMA PS1’s Greater New York—and Loved It

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited MoMA PS1's recurring survey exhibition "Greater New York" alongside New York State Representative Claire Valdez. PS1 director Connie Butler shared the news on Instagram, posting images of the politicians smiling and raising their arms near an installation by Palestinian American photographer Dean Majd. Majd's work features photographs of communities in New York and the West Bank, including a portrait of Mahmoud Khalil, an Algerian Palestinian activist detained by ICE. The exhibition, which runs through August 17, includes 53 artists and focuses on themes of urban decay, infrastructural failure, and survival.

Malo Chapuy Reimagines Medieval Art on the Cover of our New Talent Issue

Malo Chapuy's painting *Virgin with Codex* (2025) appears on the cover of Art in America's new talent issue. In an interview from his Paris studio, Chapuy explains how he reinterprets medieval and early Renaissance Flemish painting by mixing its motifs with contemporary and sci-fi elements, such as gothic cathedral spaceships and QR codes designed to function like medieval manuscripts for future postapocalyptic monks. He describes his process as making "forgeries," using traditional techniques like oil on wood panels, homemade lead white, and self-carved frames to mimic aged Old Master works while addressing themes of ecological collapse, apocalyptic anxiety, and planetary exile.

Sotheby’s Launches Museum Partnership Series, Starting with Exhibition by New York’s Hispanic Society Museum & Library

Sotheby's has launched a new exhibition initiative called 'In Residence' at its Breuer building on Madison Avenue, starting with a presentation of three paintings by Spanish master Joaquín Sorolla from the collection of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library. The inaugural show, titled 'In Residence: The Hispanic Society Sorollas,' opened Monday and runs through June 1, featuring works including 'Sea Idyll' (1909), 'Louis Comfort Tiffany' (1911), and 'Señora de Sorolla in a Spanish Mantilla' (1902). This marks the first partnership between Sotheby's and the Hispanic Society, and the first edition of a broader program inviting museums to stage focused exhibitions inside the Breuer building, which previously housed the Whitney Museum and the Met Breuer.

A Rare Blue-Green Diamond Ring Sold for Over $17 M. At Christie’s Geneva

A rare 5.5-carat blue-green diamond ring, named Ocean Dream, sold for over $17 million at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction in Zurich on May 13, 2026. The triangular-cut stone, estimated at $9–12 million, is set in an 18-karat white gold band with pink and white diamonds. The buyer was an unnamed private client, and the ring took 20 minutes to sell. It had previously fetched nearly $10 million at Christie’s Geneva in 2014.

The Best Booths at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, From Surrealist Fantasias to Afro-Brazilian Imaginings

The 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair has returned to the Starrett-Lehigh Building in Chelsea, New York, featuring over 20 galleries from Africa and the diaspora, with a special focus on Brazil and Afro-Brazilian perspectives. The fair, running through Sunday, includes first-time participants from Lagos, São Paulo, Nassau, and New York, and highlights five standout booths: Sulette van der Merwe's surrealist paintings at Blond Contemporary, Modou Dieng Yacine's Senegalese wrestler-inspired works at 193 Gallery, Ekene Ijeoma's Black Forest Library community project, Rommulo Vieira Conceição's aluminum works at Aura, and the curated section "Brazil Beyond Brazil" featuring 10 artists selected by Igor Simões.

Frick Inks Three-Year Partnership with Louis Vuitton, with Support for Exhibitions and Free Fridays

The Frick Collection in New York has announced a three-year partnership with Louis Vuitton, under which the fashion house will sponsor three upcoming exhibitions, a curatorial research associate position, and a year of the museum's free First Fridays program. The partnership launches with Louis Vuitton's Cruise 2027 collection show, designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, held in the Frick's first-floor galleries on May 20. The sponsored exhibitions include “Siena: The Art of Bronze, 1450–1500” (fall 2025), “Painting with Fire: Susanne de Court and the Art of Enamel” (spring 2027), and a third exhibition on 19th-century paintings (late 2027). The Louis Vuitton Curatorial Research Associate will be Yifu Liu, currently a curatorial fellow at the Frick, who will research Asian porcelain and cross-cultural exchange between Europe and China.

Artist Alleges Hair Dress in the Met’s ‘Costume Art’ Show Copies Her Design

London-based artist Anouska Samms has accused the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute and curator Andrew Bolton of displaying a garment in the spring 2026 exhibition "Costume Art" that she claims is a counterfeit of her collaborative work. Samms says the piece, titled Corpus Nervina 0.0, was inspired by a 2023 hair dress she co-created with fashion designer Yoav Hadari for his label Psycheangelic. Despite a contract giving Samms sole ownership of the hair-based textile's intellectual property, the museum's wall label credits only Hadari and states Samms's textile was not used. Samms's lawyer, Jon Sharples, says the museum initially expressed interest in acquiring the original dress but later shifted to a remake after Hadari reported water damage, then stalled entirely before the exhibition opened.

A Lucas Cranach the Elder Masterpiece Once Hung in Hitler’s Munich Apartment

A Lucas Cranach the Elder painting, *Cupid complaining to Venus* (1526–27), once hung in Adolf Hitler's Munich apartment, according to a report by the Art Newspaper. The work was identified in a 1940s photograph published in a 1978 furniture catalog and later in a 2023 article by art historian Birgit Schwarz, who confirmed Hitler's ownership via a 2006 discovery of an album at the Library of Congress. After World War II, American journalist Patricia Lochridge took the painting from a warehouse in Berchtesgaden and smuggled it to the US. The National Gallery in London acquired it in 1963 from A. Silberman Galleries, which falsely claimed it came from the 1909 auction buyer's heir; it had actually been purchased from Lochridge.

AI Helps UK Researchers Identify Unknown Subject in Hans Holbein Drawing as Anne Boleyn

Researchers Karen L. Davies and Hassan Ugail used artificial intelligence facial recognition to analyze two Hans Holbein drawings from the Royal Collection Trust. Their study, published in npj Heritage Science, suggests that a portrait previously labeled as Anne Boleyn actually depicts her mother, Elizabeth Howard, while a drawing cataloged as an unidentified woman is the true likeness of Anne Boleyn. The findings challenge long-held identifications based on 18th-century inscriptions and align more closely with contemporary descriptions of Boleyn as slender with dark hair.

Chanel and Guggenheim Launch Transatlantic Curatorial Fellowship

Chanel and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation have announced a new transatlantic curatorial fellowship, set to launch in 2027. The Chanel Culture Fund Fellowship is a one-year program for MA- and PhD-level scholars, who will begin at the Guggenheim Museum in New York before moving to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. The announcement coincides with the start of the Venice Biennale, and the open call for fellows will begin this fall. The fellowship includes a stipend and travel support, and is designed to complement the Peggy Guggenheim Collection's existing International Fellowship.

Henrike Naumann Stared Down a Divided Germany’s Past While Eyeing Our Troubled Present

Henrike Naumann, a German artist known for using secondhand furniture and design to explore political extremism and consumer capitalism, is profiled in ARTnews. The article recounts her first US exhibition, “Re-Education” at SculptureCenter in New York in 2022, where she created installations referencing the January 6 Capitol attack, juxtaposing Federal-style office furniture with a Flintstonian mancave and chairs arranged by ideological subtext. The show gained unexpected attention when German media covered it, linking her small hometown of Zwickau with New York, and she later visited Thomas Hart Benton’s murals at the Met to understand American power and aesthetics.

In Venice to Install Work for the Biennale, Artist Guadalupe Maravilla Alleges Racial Profiling by Police

New York–based artist Guadalupe Maravilla, in Venice to install his work for the 2026 Venice Biennale, alleges he was racially profiled by police after leaving the Arsenale venue. Two officers demanded his documents, called backup, and attempted to handcuff him before he de-escalated the situation and left. Maravilla, known for his 'Disease Thrower' sculptures that address migration and healing, shared the incident on Instagram and provided a statement to ARTnews.

Natasha Tontey to Unveil Major New Immersive Installation Exploring Indigenous Resistance During Venice Biennale

Artist Natasha Tontey will unveil a major immersive installation titled "The Phantom Combatants and the Metabolism of Disobedient Organs" during the Venice Biennale at the Ateneo Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti. Jointly commissioned by Berlin’s LAS Art Foundation and Helsinki’s Amos Rex, the work combines video, sound, light, and sculpture to reimagine the story of Len Karamoy, a combatant in the CIA-supported Permesta movement that fought the Indonesian government from 1957 to 1961 in North Sulawesi. Tontey, a Minahasan Indigenous artist, uses LiDAR, quantum ghost imaging, and other technologies to explore Indigenous identity, ecology, and the blurring of history and myth.

Judge Orders Prado to Hold Disputed Velázquez Painting in Divorce Case

A Spanish judge has ordered the Museo del Prado in Madrid to take custody of a painting attributed to Diego Velázquez, which is at the center of a divorce dispute between steel magnate José María Aristrain and his ex-wife Gema Navarro. The work, a portrait of Philip IV linked to Velázquez’s early years in Madrid, was removed from Aristrain’s residence on March 17 and transferred to the Prado’s storage after Navarro filed a complaint alleging it had been wrongly withheld from her. The Ministry of Culture, acting with court and prosecutorial support, designated the museum as custodian until ownership is resolved. The painting had previously surfaced at auction, failing to sell in 2007 amid attribution doubts, before being acquired by Navarro in 2015 for €878,000.

An Art Historian’s Riotous Novel Melds Medieval Art with Monica Lewinsky

Julia Langbein's new novel *Dear Monica Lewinsky*, published by Doubleday, follows translator Jean Dornan as she revisits a traumatic relationship with a professor from her youth, set against the backdrop of the 1998 Monica Lewinsky scandal. The story interweaves medieval art, particularly the 13th-century *Golden Legend*, with Lewinsky's public shaming, as Jean prays to Lewinsky for guidance and is visited by a haloed version of her. Langbein, an art historian with a PhD from the University of Chicago, draws on her expertise to explore themes of humiliation, self-estrangement, and collective experience.