Chile to get a new contemporary art museum

A new contemporary art museum, the New Museum of Santiago (NuMu), is set to break ground in Chile's capital in August 2025. Led by businessman and philanthropist Claudio Engel and his four children through the Engel Foundation, the museum will be built around the family's collection of over 1,000 works by more than 200 artists, including Alfredo Jaar, Paz Errázuriz, and Pilar Quinteros. Designed by architect Cristián Fernández, the 2,000 sq. m facility will feature exhibition spaces, a sound-art room, an auditorium, a library, a restaurant, and a museum shop. It will be the first large-scale contemporary art museum in Chile housed in a new structure, located in Vitacura's Bicentennial Park.

Untitled: Artist Takeover April 2025

The Denver Art Museum hosted 'Untitled: Artist Takeover' in April 2025, an evening event featuring performances, artmaking, and installations by Indigenous artists. Highlights included a fashion show by SunRose IronShell, drag tours of the Kent Monkman exhibition, poetry readings, dance performances, and a finale titled 'Planting Seeds' with Sarah Ortegon Highwalking. Drop-in experiences offered ledger art, yarn art, temporary tattoos, and frybread-making, alongside one-night-only installations by Sarah Ortegon Highwalking.

The Most Unique and Research-Focused Exhibitions to See in Brussels in Spring 2026

Le mostre più particolari e ricercate da vedere a Bruxelles nella primavera 2026

Brussels is hosting a series of niche and research-focused contemporary art exhibitions in spring 2026, coinciding with the 42nd edition of Art Brussels. Highlights include Jean-Michel Othoniel's "Diary of Happiness" at the Boghossian Foundation, Caroline Achaintre's "Extrazimmer" at La Verrière, a six-decade survey of the Art & Language collective at Fondation CAB, and a dialogue between Nassos Daphnis and Rita McBride titled "Abstract Constructions."

At the BnF, wonderful maps to imagine new worlds

À la BnF, des merveilles de cartes pour imaginer des mondes nouveaux

The Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) is presenting an exhibition of extraordinary maps that blend imagination with cartography, tracing the evolution of maps from ancient tools of navigation to fantastical creations that fueled exploration and myth. The show features rare works including Renaissance sea monsters, cosmological paintings, and literary maps from Tolkien's Middle-earth and George R.R. Martin's Westeros, alongside contemporary artists like Alighiero Boetti, Sergio Aquindo, and Michael Druks who use maps to express personal and political visions.

Urgent Request from Participating Artists and Curators of the 61st Venice Biennale

第61回ヴェネツィア・ビエンナーレ参加アーティストおよびキュレーターによる緊急要請

A group of 73 artists and curators participating in the 61st Venice Biennale, including Yoshiko Shimada and Bubu de la Madeleine, have issued an urgent demand to the Biennale's board to revoke Israel's participation. The collective specifically objects to the decision to relocate the Israeli pavilion to the Arsenale, arguing that its presence contradicts the curatorial vision of Artistic Director Koyo Kouoh, which emphasizes the dignity of all life. They contend that the military and police presence required for the pavilion introduces an atmosphere of violence and fear that undermines the exhibition's integrity.

art witt fetter young artist

Cultured magazine profiles 31-year-old artist Witt Fetter as part of its 2025 Young Artists list. Based in New York and originally from Los Angeles, Fetter is known for paintings that reimagine surreal American scenes—such as the White House Situation Room, a Titanic-shaped inflatable slide, and a false missile alert sign—bathed in a distinctive violet-blue haze. Her work has been featured at Fierman and Derosia galleries, and she describes her practice as motivated by grief, desire, and faith, often exploring the tension between personal mythology and broader cultural contexts. The profile includes her reflections on a self-portrait titled *Diana, 2022*, inspired by a photograph of Princess Diana, and her tribute to her grandfather, who taught her to paint and whose technique of using a violet undercoat she continues.

Johnson Lowe Gallery Opening Reception - Enco... | 09/26/2025 7:00 PM | CL

Johnson Lowe Gallery in Atlanta is opening two exhibitions on September 26, 2025: a solo show of works by the late American artist Todd Murphy (1962–2022) titled "Voyager," and a group exhibition called "Encounters" featuring artists including Ben Steele, Chip Moody, Daniel Byrd, Jamele Wright Sr., Judy Pfaff, and Sam Gilliam. "Voyager" explores Murphy’s engagement with nature as a sacred, animate force, while "Encounters" presents film, photography, sculpture, and painting that challenge passive viewing and demand active presence.

Contemporary art auction of Greek and international artworks

Kapopoulos Auction House will hold a live auction of over 80 works by Greek and international artists at Kapopoulos Fine Arts gallery in Nicosia, Cyprus, on Wednesday, May 28 at 19:00. The auction features works by artists such as Alecos Fassianos, Angelos Panayiotou, Opy Zouni, Mr. Brainwash, Costas Andreou, and Spyros Vassiliou, with starting prices set at unusually low levels. Preview days run from May 26 to May 28, and written offers are also accepted.

Wafaa Bilal: ‘I see democracy slowly eroding now’

The article profiles Iraqi American artist Wafaa Bilal through his survey exhibition "Indulge Me" at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, running until October 19. The show highlights his career-spanning works including the 2007 performance "Domestic Tension," where he lived in a gallery while online participants could shoot him with a paintball gun; "3rdi" (2010-11), featuring a camera surgically affixed to his head; and "Virtual Jihadi" (2008), a video game critiquing war's sanitization. Recent works like "Thumbsat Model" (2024), a golden bust of Saddam Hussein on a satellite to be launched into orbit, are also featured. Bilal, who fled Iraq in 1991 after arrest for anti-regime art, discusses his journey from refugee to NYU professor.

Alexandra Noel at Derosia

Alexandra Noel presents a solo exhibition of new works at Derosia in New York, running from March 14 through April 25, 2026. The exhibition showcases the artist’s signature small-scale paintings, which often utilize intimate dimensions to explore complex psychological landscapes and domestic tensions.

Alexandra Noel “999” at Derosia, New York

Alexandra Noel has opened a solo exhibition titled "999" at Derosia gallery in New York. The show features new work created during a period of personal and conceptual transition, as suggested by the artist's reflections on ownership, space, and displacement.

A Water Lily is a Water Lily is a Water Lily

Eine Seerose ist eine Seerose ist eine Seerose

Anonymous internet artist SHL0MS posted an image of a Monet water lily painting on X, falsely claiming it was AI-generated. Thousands of users criticized the image's aesthetics, after which SHL0MS revealed it was actually a real Monet. He then minted the image as an NFT, sold it for around $40,000, and framed the entire episode as a conceptual artwork titled "Inferior Image," claiming it critiques online disinformation and debate culture.

A snapshot of the photographer Raghu Rai | Brief letters

A letter to the editor from Gabrielle Palmer recounts her experience contacting photographer Raghu Rai in 1987 to request permission to use one of his photographs in her book "The Politics of Breastfeeding." Unable to afford the £200 fee, Palmer called Rai in India, who generously waived the fee entirely and wished her well. The letter is a brief tribute published in response to Rai's obituary in The Guardian.

After Five Years of Community Building, Social Practice CUNY Initiative to End in 2027

The Social Practice CUNY (SPCUNY) initiative, a major program fostering the intersection of art and social justice across the City University of New York’s 25 campuses, will officially sunset in February 2027. Co-directed by artists Chloë Bass and Greg Sholette, the program will conclude following its final 2025–26 fellowship cohort. The decision to end the project stems from the directors' personal transitions, including Sholette’s upcoming retirement and Bass’s shift away from full-time teaching to focus on her studio practice.

artist jacky tsais painting launches into space literally

Chinese artist Jacky Tsai has created a painting on an orbital rocket, produced in collaboration with commercial space company LandSpace. The artwork, titled ZQ-2E Y2 (Zhuque-2 Enhanced, Flight 2), was rendered in aerospace-grade paint using advanced methods coordinated with engineers, and launched into space earlier this year. Inspired by the Chinese folktale “Chang’e Flying to the Moon,” the design remained visible as the rocket approached the stratosphere, marking what Tsai calls the first fully art-painted rocket to enter Earth’s orbit.

Professors share art, science, culture via Smithsonian exhibits

Two East Carolina University professors have contributed to Smithsonian museum exhibits this summer. Photography professor Daniel Kariko from the School of Art and Design has a photograph titled "Last Camp on Isle Dernieres" (2017) on display in the Art x Climate exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. The image documents a recreational fishing camp in South Louisiana that was completely gone by 2019, part of Kariko's ongoing 25-year project "Impermanence" capturing landscape changes in the Barataria-Terrebonne region. Additionally, Dr. Aleia Brown from the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences curated a collection of quilts by Black artists at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Liliana Moro “| senza | soluzione di continuità” at Platea | Palazzo Galeano, Lodi

Liliana Moro presents a new installation titled “| senza | soluzione di continuità” at Platea | Palazzo Galeano in Lodi. The work is described as a powerful yet subtle artistic gesture that renegotiates the function of the shop window as a public space, emphasizing responsibility and generosity.

Hopkins Bloomberg Center exhibition to explore American art as cultural diplomacy

The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center is set to launch a new exhibition titled 'Artistic Generosity and the American Artist Abroad,' showcasing four decades of American art commissioned for U.S. embassies. Opening April 7 at the Irene and Richard Frary Gallery, the show features works from the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (FAPE) by renowned artists including Sam Gilliam, Ellsworth Kelly, Julie Mehretu, and Martin Puryear. Highlights include never-before-seen maquettes by Don Gummer and the late Frank Stella, alongside a replica of the Declaration of Independence donated by David M. Rubenstein.

Hopkins Bloomberg Center exhibition to explore American art as cultural diplomacy

The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center is launching a new exhibition titled "Artistic Generosity and the American Artist Abroad," showcasing four decades of American art commissioned for U.S. embassies worldwide. Opening April 7 at the Irene and Richard Frary Gallery, the show features site-specific commissions, prints, and photographs from the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (FAPE) collection, including works by Frank Stella, Ellsworth Kelly, and Julie Mehretu.

Roksana Pirouzmand’s Dual‑Site Meditation on Loss

Roksana Pirouzmand’s dual-site exhibition in Los Angeles, hosted at OXY ARTS and JOAN, features performance-based sculptures and installations that utilize literal erosion to explore themes of loss and displacement. The works include anatomical clay casts of the artist and her mother, which are subjected to water, vibration, and physical interaction, causing them to crack and deteriorate over the course of the show. At OXY ARTS, a kinetic metal floor involves the viewer directly, as their footsteps cause clay hands to collide and break, illustrating the physical impact of movement and presence.

In the heart of Trastevere, an exhibition by an artist paying homage to an ancient Roman goddess

Nel cuore di Trastevere la mostra di un artista che omaggia un’antica dea romana

Diego Gualandris presents 'Floralia,' a solo exhibition at ADA gallery in Rome's Trastevere district, running until May 24, 2026. The show blends painting and music to create a modern homage to Flora, the ancient Roman goddess of spring and fertility. Gualandris displays a series of medium- and small-scale canvases from 2026 alongside a 1970s gramophone playing two original tracks—'The world in a flowerbed' improvised by the artist on piano with saxophonist Francesca Pegurri, his mother. The exhibition also references Hermann Nitsch through works like 'Prinzendorf,' and features playful, erotic botanical compositions that invite viewers to lie down and experience the space through sound and imagery.

New Orlando Museum of Art exhibit journeys through time and space

The Orlando Museum of Art has unveiled a new solo exhibition by artist Dennis Scholl titled 'A Day of Four Sunsets.' The collection features works heavily inspired by NASA and space exploration, blending celestial themes with personal memories to create a narrative journey through time and space. The exhibition, which held its media preview on March 19, 2026, is scheduled to remain on public view through June 14.

Weekender: Student Art in Library; UC Arts Exhibition in Bay Area; Music; Square Dance

The UC Davis Library has unveiled new student-acquired artwork in its study rooms, aiming to transform traditionally drab academic spaces into vibrant environments through a student art competition. Additionally, the TANA community art center in Woodland is hosting the opening reception for the Sacramento Poderosas Mural Project, featuring a mural by Ruby Chacon and Isabel Martinez that honors the legacy of the Royal Chicano Air Force (RCAF) and Xicana/o/x activism.

World Famous Buffalo Bill Western Art Show And Sale Opens For 44th Year

The 44th Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale opened at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, with over $20,000 in art sold on the first evening. The show features 104 paintings from 104 artists, valued at over $1.25 million, displayed until the live auction on September 19. A Buy-It-Now Sale offers 63 smaller pieces donated by artists, providing immediate purchasing opportunities alongside the main exhibition of contemporary Western art.

Amid crackdowns on dissent, Russia’s private museums are threatened

Russia's private art museums, once symbols of post-Soviet integration into Western elite culture, are now struggling to survive amid increasing state repression and the war in Ukraine. The Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, founded by Roman Abramovich and Dasha Zhukova, was raided by security services in 2024 and visited by right-wing activists demanding pro-war messaging; its founding director was replaced. Other institutions have closed entirely: the Institute of Russian Realist Art shut in 2019 after its founder Aleksei Ananyev fled embezzlement charges, and Art4.ru, Russia's first private contemporary art museum, closed in 2024 after a nationalist raid. The GES-2 House of Culture, financed by gas magnate Leonid Mikhelson, lost its visionary director shortly after opening and now operates under a lawyer.

A Washington Museum Zeros In on the Watergate Scandal

A Washington Museum Zeros In on the Watergate Scandal

The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., has opened a new exhibition titled "Break the News: Watergate and the American Presidency." The show features over 60 objects, including photographs, political cartoons, and artifacts like the infamous tape recorder used by President Richard Nixon, to explore the scandal's impact on media, politics, and public trust.

Students curate the past and look toward the future: SVAD centennial exhibition showcases 100 years of art at USC

Students at the University of South Carolina curated "Generations: 100 Years of Art at USC," a centennial exhibition at the McKissick Museum celebrating the School of Visual Art and Design (SVAD). Developed in an exhibition design course taught by museum director Lana Burgess and professor Susan Felleman, the show traces the art department's history from its founding in 1925 by Katherine Heyward to its current status as the state's largest art program. Junior art history major Agostina Mercado and her classmates researched archives, conducted oral histories with former faculty like Philip Mullen, and uncovered themes of mentorship and community that have defined the school for a century.

The regeneration of Rome's former barracks begins, where the Museum of Science will also rise. Objectives and timeline of the construction site

Parte la rigenerazione delle ex caserme di Roma, dove sorgerà anche il Museo della Scienza. Obiettivi e tempi del cantiere

The Italian government, through Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) and COIMA Sgr, has launched the regeneration of the former Guido Reni military barracks in Rome's Flaminio district. The 5-hectare site, abandoned since 2019 and located opposite the MAXXI museum, will be transformed into a mixed-use urban district including housing, retail, a hotel, green spaces, and a new Museum of Science. Demolitions are set to begin in October 2026, with the project expected to be completed by 2029. The museum will be designed by Rome-based studio ADAT, which won an international competition in 2023.

Intervista all’artista italiano che ha riempito la città di Stoccolma di sculture-animali

Italian artist Davide Rivalta has installed thirteen monumental bronze sculptures of lions, buffalo, and rhinoceroses across Stockholm, Sweden, in a project titled "Blowing Figures into Space." Organized by the Italian Cultural Institute of Stockholm, the works are placed in strategic locations including Mynttorget, Gamla Stan, Ladugårdsgärdet, and Hagaparken, with installations rolling out from April 2025 through summer 2027. The first sculpture was unveiled near the Swedish Parliament during Stockholm Art Week, and additional animals will appear in public parks on August 29.

What is the international exhibition of the Venice Biennale like? Review of "In minor keys" by Koyo Kouoh

Com’è la mostra internazionale della Biennale di Venezia? Recensione di “In minor keys” di Koyo Kouoh

The 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "In minor keys" and curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, opens to the public on May 9 amid controversies including the absence of the president's name in the colophon at the Arsenale entrance. The exhibition, organized by Kouoh's team (Rory Tsapayi, Siddharta Mitter, Marie Helene Pereira, Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo, and Rasha Salty), unfolds across the Giardini and the Arsenale's Corderie, featuring works that balance strength and beauty with a harmonious mix of voices and themes. The Giardini section is particularly compelling, with a non-linear, polycentric layout that feels like a living organism, while the Arsenale offers further depth.