Pallets, not plinths: the V&A opens its vast storehouse to the public

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London will open its V&A East Storehouse on 31 May, a vast open-access working store at the 2012 Olympics site in Stratford. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the 16,000 sq. m space holds over 250,000 objects and 1,000 archives, allowing visitors to browse collections without glass cases via a self-guided route and an 'Order an Object' booking service. Deputy director Tim Reeve compares the experience to shopping at Ikea, emphasizing flexibility and public access.

Gustave Caillebotte: Painting His World

The Art Institute of Chicago announces "Gustave Caillebotte: Painting His World," a major exhibition running from June 29 to October 5, 2025. Featuring over 120 works—including paintings, drawings, photographs, and documents—the show offers a fresh perspective on the Impressionist artist, highlighting his intimate focus on family, friends, sportsmen, and neighborhood life, in contrast to his peers. Key loans include the Musée d'Orsay's recent acquisition "Boating Party" and the Louvre Abu Dhabi's "The Bezique Game," alongside the Art Institute's own "Paris Street; Rainy Day." The exhibition is organized collaboratively by the Art Institute of Chicago, the Musée d'Orsay, and the J. Paul Getty Museum.

A rebuke to Modernism: the Venice Architecture Biennale imagines new ways of building to cope with climate change

The 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, curated by Carlo Ratti, opens with immersive installations that confront climate change, including a film on civilizations rising and collapsing, a reflective pool installation by Michelangelo Pistoletto symbolizing humanity-nature reconciliation, and a non-functional air conditioner display by Transsolar Klima Engineering. Ratti issued the Biennale's first open call, selecting over 300 multidisciplinary teams—engineers, scientists, artists, and architects—to explore new building methods that reject Modernist materials like steel and concrete in favor of natural and Indigenous approaches.

In a new exhibition, the Getty Centre uncovers the mysterious world of medieval codes

The Getty Center in Los Angeles has opened a new exhibition titled "Symbols and Signs: Decoding Medieval Manuscripts," which runs from May 20 to August 10. The show features illuminated manuscripts from the 9th to 17th centuries, including the Rothschild Pentateuch, a 700-year-old Hebrew manuscript with over 1,000 pages. Curator Orsolya Mednyánszky explains that the exhibition aims to demystify the codes—words, images, and schematic symbols—that medieval readers would have understood intuitively, pairing the manuscripts with modern photographs from the Getty’s collection to highlight parallels in visual communication.

Kent Monkman's Miss Chief

Kent Monkman's exhibition "History is Painted by the Victors" is on view at the Denver Art Museum (DAM) through August 17, before traveling to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts on September 27. The show centers on Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, a fictional narrator who appears throughout Monkman's work to disrupt false narratives about Indigenous history and colonization. The article excerpts a catalog essay explaining how Monkman created Miss Chief as a campy, humorous, and empowering figure who infuses Indigenous perspectives into art history, often inserting her into iconic artworks to subvert colonial tropes.

11 New Artist Auction Records Set in May 2025

During New York's spring auction week starting May 12, 2025, major houses Sotheby's, Christie's, Phillips, and Bonhams collectively brought in $1.27 billion, slightly above the estimated $1.25 billion but down 17% from the previous year. The top lot was Piet Mondrian's *Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue* (1922) at $47.56 million, but the mood was tense as trophy works like Andy Warhol's *Big Electric Chair* (1967–68) were withdrawn and several top lots, including Alberto Giacometti's *Grande tête mince* (1955), failed to sell. Amid this volatility, 11 new artist auction records were set, five of which were for women artists, notably Marlene Dumas's *Miss January* (1999) selling for $13.65 million—the most expensive work by a living woman artist at auction.

Veronica Ryan: Unruly Objects

The Pulitzer Arts Foundation and the Wexner Center for the Arts have co-organized an exhibition titled "Veronica Ryan: Unruly Objects," curated by Tamara H. Schenkenberg with curatorial assistant Molly Moog. At the Wexner Center, the presentation is further organized by Schenkenberg and Julieta González, head of Visual Arts. The exhibition is supported by a range of funders including ENGIE, the American Electric Power Foundation, and the Mellon Foundation, among others.

Extended from one volume to three, the new ‘Taste and the Antique’ expands on four centuries of interactions with sculpture

A new, expanded edition of the seminal art-historical reference work 'Taste and the Antique' has been released, growing from one volume to three. Originally published in 1981 by Francis Haskell and Nicholas Penny, the book traced the reception history of ancient Greek and Roman statues from 1500 to 1900. This updated version features full-color photography of all 95 canonical works, including multiple angles and detail shots, overcoming the original edition's criticized monochrome images. A third volume illustrates copies, prints, casts, and reproductions of the statues across media and centuries, from Renaissance drawings to modern advertisements and photographs.

Artist Alison Saar wins High Museum’s 20th annual Driskell Prize

Alison Saar, a Los Angeles-based artist known for sculptures exploring Black American experience through historic and symbolic imagery, has won the 20th edition of the David C. Driskell Prize from the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. The annual prize, which alternates between honoring an artist and a curator, comes with $50,000 and was announced during a reception at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York on 9 May. Saar succeeds 2024 winner Naomi Beckwith, and past honorees include Ebony G. Patterson, Amy Sherald, Mark Bradford, and Rashid Johnson.

Comment | The greatest failure of PST Art: its successes are not travelling

The article critiques PST Art (formerly Pacific Standard Time), a $20 million Getty-funded initiative in Southern California, as its current edition wraps up. It highlights the closure of key exhibitions like "For Dear Life: Art, Medicine and Disability" at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego before major art events like Frieze Los Angeles, and notes that only 7 of the 72 exhibitions are traveling to other institutions. The piece questions the initiative's purpose and effectiveness in reaching broader audiences.

Comment | Muted grey, bloody red, or dark blue—here’s why the colour of museum walls matters more than you might think

The article explores the often-overlooked significance of color in museum spaces, prompted by a conversation with architect Annabelle Selldorf about her $220 million renovation of New York's Frick Collection. Selldorf describes the new auditorium's muted grey as creating a calm, meditative environment, contrasting sharply with Tate Modern's Starr Cinema, which architect Jacques Herzog painted shocking red to symbolize the space as the museum's "brain." The piece traces historical approaches to gallery wall colors, from Charles Eastlake's advocacy at the National Gallery in London—informed by Goethe's color theory—to the enduring orthodoxy of reds and greens, and a notable departure with deep Prussian blue for a Gainsborough exhibition at Tate Britain. It also recounts Henri Matisse's 1946 project in Paris, where he covered his room's grimy beige walls with cut-paper forms, creating the screens "Océanie, Le Ciel" and "Océanie, La Mer."

The Big Review | The reopening and rehang of the Sainsbury Wing, National Gallery, London ★★★★★

The National Gallery in London has reopened its Sainsbury Wing after a renovation led by architect Annabelle Selldorf, designed to create a more welcoming entrance. The wing, originally designed by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown in 1991, now features a transformed ground floor with double-height spaces, improved lighting, and a new piazza linking to Trafalgar Square. The reopening coincides with the gallery's bicentenary and a major collection rehang titled "C C Land: the Wonder of Art," sponsored by a Hong Kong property developer. Old favorites like the chapel-like space for Piero della Francesca's works are restored, and new commissions, including Richard Long's "Mud Sun," greet visitors.

‘I derive a lot of inspiration from paintings and fibre art’: clothing designer Ulla Johnson on the art she collects and why

Fashion designer Ulla Johnson, founder of her eponymous clothing line, discusses her art collection in an interview with The Art Newspaper. She shares details about her first major purchase—Kathleen Ryan's sculpture *Diana* (2017)—and her most recent acquisition, a Gilbert Poillerat mirror. Johnson reveals her long-term search for a work by Olga de Amaral and expresses regret over not buying a set of Afra and Tobia Scarpa chairs. She also names upcoming New York exhibitions she plans to see, including the textile show at MoMA and Caspar David Friedrich at the Met.

Left at the altar: Luc Tuymans's paintings to replace Tintoretto works at Venetian church

Belgian artist Luc Tuymans has created two new paintings, "Heat" and "Musicians" (2025), for the altar of the Abbey of San Giorgio Maggiore, a 16th-century church on a Venetian island. The works temporarily replace two canvases by Jacopo Tintoretto—"The Last Supper" and "The People of Israel in the Desert"—which are undergoing restoration funded by the Save Venice conservation charity. The commission was organized by Benedicti Claustra Onlus and the Draiflessen Collection, and the paintings will be on view from May 9 to November 23.

Canada’s art market takes a nationalist turn amid trade war with US

At the opening of "Riopelle: Crossroads in Time" at the Vancouver Art Gallery, philanthropist and collector Michael Audain gave a patriotic speech praising Quebecois modernist Jean Paul Riopelle. Amid US President Donald Trump's trade war and annexation threats, a wave of Canadian nationalism has boosted the domestic art market. Heffel Fine Art Auction House reports record online sales of Canadian art, with Riopelle works especially sought after due to major bequests to a new museum wing in Quebec, removing key pieces from the market. Collectors like Felix Tetu note rising prices and increased interprovincial buying, while the Riopelle Foundation's centennial promotions are bridging Canada's Anglophone-Francophone cultural divide.

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.

Court Decision Ends Dispute Over Who Actually Bought Beeple’s Everydays: The First 5000 Days for $69.3 M.

A federal judge in New York has approved a final settlement in a lawsuit between the two pseudonymous figures behind the record-breaking $69.3 million purchase of Beeple's NFT "Everydays: The First 5000 Days." The agreement legally prohibits Anand Venkateswaran (Twobadour) from claiming any involvement in the 2021 Christie's purchase, confirming that Vignesh Sundaresan (Metakovan) was the sole buyer. Venkateswaran must also pay an undisclosed sum, dissociate from related online profiles, and correct third-party biographical information.

Christie’s to hold its first South Asian Modern art sale in London in seven years

Christie's auction house is launching a major sale titled 'Sublime Shadows' in London on June 11, featuring 93 works of South Asian Modern and contemporary art from an anonymous private collection. This marks the auction house's first dedicated South Asian Modern art sale in London since 2019, highlighting a surge in market activity and curatorial interest for the category.

cats medieval manuscripts walters art museum

The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore has opened an exhibition titled "Paws on Parchment," exploring the depiction of cats in medieval manuscripts from Europe, Asia, and the Islamic world. The show was inspired by a 15th-century Flemish manuscript that still bears the inky paw prints of a cat that walked across the pages while they were drying. Curator Lynley Anne Herbert assembled the exhibition after discovering the manuscript in the museum's collection, researching medieval poetry, bestiaries, and encyclopedic works to understand historical attitudes toward cats. The exhibition runs through February 22, 2026, and is the first of three shows dedicated to animals in art.

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.

The Tiny Brooklyn Project Space Resisting the Gallery Machine

The Tiny Brooklyn Project Space Resisting the Gallery Machine

Subtitled NYC, a small non-commercial project space in Brooklyn's Greenpoint, is hosting the exhibition 'On Other Terms' by artists Pap Souleye Fall and Char Jeré. The immersive, multi-sensory installation, filled with intricate assemblages, analog objects, and digital elements, creates an overwhelming environment that mimics the friction and complexity of urban life.

7 artists to have on your radar at Gallery Weekend Berlin 2026

Gallery Weekend Berlin returns for its 22nd edition from May 1 to 3, 2026, featuring 50 galleries across 66 locations throughout the city. The event showcases both established and emerging artists from over 30 countries, with highlights including Martine Syms's pop-up boutique at Sprüth Magers, Göksu Kunak's performance-based exhibition at Ebensperger, and a new sector called Perspectives featuring James Turrell. Other notable presentations include Wynnie Mynerva's exploration of love and colonialism at Société, Monty Richthofen's city-wide performance at Dittrich & Schlechtriem, and Hanna Stiegeler's intimate screenprinted canvases at Sweetwater.

The international gallery bridging contemporary artists and art history masters reopens in Milan: The Interview

Riapre a Milano la galleria internazionale che mette in dialogo artisti contemporanei e maestri della storia dell’arte. L’intervista

The artist-run space Octagon is set to establish a permanent home in Milan at Via Maroncelli 12, officially opening on April 15, 2026, during the city's Art Week. Founded by artist Jacopo Mazzetti in 2018, the gallery is transitioning from a nomadic model that saw recent collaborations in Paris and Athens to a fixed physical presence. The inaugural exhibition will feature works by the French Symbolist master Odilon Redon, maintaining the space's signature curatorial approach of bridging historical art with contemporary perspectives.

hugo galerie reco sturgis lawsuits debts

A number of artists have accused art dealer Reco Sturgis, founder of the now-closed Hugo Galerie in New York, of withholding artworks, failing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in owed funds, and making violent threats. Sturgis has been named in legal proceedings by artists seeking unpaid sales proceeds, and has been sued by his landlord and multiple companies for outstanding debts exceeding $1 million. Artists including British sculptor Beth Carter, Joseph Paxton, and French artist Patrick Pietropoli report that Sturgis owes them significant sums, sold works without payment, and refused to return pieces.

more artists claim owed money london arusha gallery

Ten artists issued a joint statement accusing London's Arusha Gallery of failing to pay nearly $700,000 in long overdue payments. The artists—Pippa Young, Anna Rocke, Plum Cloutman, Ilona Szalay, Megan Rea, Kate Walters, Gail Harvey, Morwenna Morrison, Helen Flockhart, and Charlotte Keates—claimed they faced extreme difficulty obtaining payment for sold work, often waiting months or years. Charlotte Keates, represented by lawyer Jon Sharples, said she is owed £430,000 ($580,000) from sales dating back to 2023, though the gallery's owner, Bella Arusha Collins King, disputed the amount. Additional artists, including Beth Carter, Andrei Pokrovskii, Fiona Finnegan, and the trust of Norman Gilbert, also came forward with claims of non-payment. The gallery acknowledged that some payments are missing and expressed regret.

総合開館30周年記念「ルイジ・ギッリ 終わらない風景」@ 東京都写真美術館

The Tokyo Photographic Art Museum is hosting "Luigi Ghirri: Endless Landscapes," the first Asian museum solo exhibition dedicated to the Italian photographer Luigi Ghirri (1943–1992), running from July 3 to September 28, 2025. The exhibition presents a wide range of Ghirri's work, from his early masterpieces to his late pieces, including his famous series on Giorgio Morandi's studio. It also features works and materials by his wife, graphic designer Paola Borgonzoni (1954–2011), highlighting her crucial role in his career. Related events include a symposium with Ghirri's daughter Adele Ghirri and curator Ilaria Campioli, gallery talks, and the Japanese premiere of the documentary film "Infinito."

Ambiguity Reigns in Olaf Hajek’s Mysterious Illustrations

Berlin-based illustrator Olaf Hajek creates dense, uncanny compositions that blend nature, culture, and magic, drawing inspiration from Surrealist icons like Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. His work emphasizes ambiguity, using superimposed florals and figures, dramatic scale shifts, and a tension between decay and renewal to develop a universal visual language from diverse cultural influences.

Required Reading

This week's cultural roundup connects diverse stories from art conservation to literary analysis. Novelist Karma Brown draws parallels between restoring artworks and revising novels, inspired by visits to the Art Gallery of Ontario, while an interview with Namwali Serpell examines the complex "monumentalization" of Toni Morrison's legacy. The column also includes a poignant image from Tehran—a framed artwork hanging in a bomb-damaged apartment—and touches on topics ranging from celebrating Eid in Gaza to discussions about "girl games" and the Lindy West drama.

Total Warfare. A Conversation with Luigi Alberto Cippini  by ANY

Architect Luigi Alberto Cippini, founder of Armature Globale, engages in a provocative dialogue with Michael Abel and Nile Greenberg regarding the stagnation of contemporary architecture. Cippini calls for a radical departure from traditional disciplinary boundaries, advocating for a "punk" approach that embraces low-resolution aesthetics, hyper-specialized research, and a rejection of the pedantic communication standards that currently dominate the field.