Archibald prize 2026 finalists: Virginia Trioli, Jan Fran, Ahmed al-Ahmed and more – in pictures

The Guardian has announced the finalists for the 2026 Archibald Prize, Australia's premier portraiture award, featuring 30 works including Loribelle Spirovski's 'Fingerpainting of Daniel Johns', Vincent Namatjira's self-portrait 'The Dust Bowl', and portraits of notable sitters such as Virginia Trioli, Jan Fran, Ahmed al-Ahmed, Layne Beachley, and Governor-General Sam Mostyn. The list also includes the Packing Room Prize winner, Sean Layh's 'The tragicall historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke', and works by artists like Mitch Cairns, Marikit Santiago, and Michael Zavros, with all finalist images published in a photo gallery.

Concrete sun tunnels and shimmering pools of water: the monumental land art of Nancy Holt

Nancy Holt (1938-2014), a pioneering land artist known for her monumental work *Sun Tunnels* (1976) in the Utah desert, is the subject of a new exhibition at the Goodwood Art Foundation in Sussex. Titled *MOONSUNSTAR EARTHSKYWATER*, the show is the first UK retrospective to bring together Holt's photographic works, films, poetry, indoor installations, and outdoor pieces, including *Hydra's Head*, a constellation-inspired installation of six circular pools in a chalk quarry. The exhibition highlights Holt's recurring motifs of circles and systems, tracing them from her early concrete poem to her large-scale cosmological works.

Zurbarán review – ecstatic visions, primitive surrealism … and the finest loincloths ever painted

The Guardian reviews a major exhibition of 17th-century Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán, highlighting his visionary and surrealist qualities. The show features works such as "The Apparition of Saint Peter to Saint Peter Nolasco" (1629), newly attributed paintings including a giant mask, and iconic pieces like "The Crucified Christ" and "Saint Serapion," all drawn from collections including the Prado and the National Gallery, London. The review emphasizes Zurbarán's ability to paint supernatural subjects with naturalistic conviction, his exquisite rendering of fabrics—especially loincloths—and his influence on modern artists like Salvador Dalí.

Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art Gets $490 M. from Powerful Real Estate Firm

The forthcoming Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art has received a $490 million construction grant from Diriyah Company, a real estate firm chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Designed by Dubai-based Godwin Austen Johnson, the museum will span 883,000 square feet—larger than the Louvre in Paris—and will be located in Diriyah, with additional exhibitions in Riyadh. The grant supports Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan to diversify the economy away from oil.

What Is the Venice Biennale? Everything You Need to Know

The Venice Biennale returns for its 61st edition, running from May 9 to November 22, 2026. The event, often called the Olympics of the art world, comprises a central exhibition curated by an artistic director, national pavilions from dozens of countries, and officially approved Collateral Events. This year's edition was to be curated by Koyo Kouoh, a celebrated Cameroonian-born curator, but she died at 57 in May 2025 before announcing the title and theme, “In Minor Keys.” The Biennale organization has moved forward with a team of five curatorial advisers executing her vision. The event is overseen by president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco and is expected to draw over 800,000 visitors.

Drawings Dominate at a Chicago de Kooning Exhibit

The Art Institute of Chicago is presenting an exhibition focused on the drawings of Willem de Kooning, marking a rare departure from the typical painting-centric blockbuster shows dedicated to the artist. The exhibition highlights de Kooning's mastery in drawing, offering a focused look at this often-overlooked aspect of his practice.

Venice Showcases an Array of Global Art Stars During the Biennale

During the 2024 Venice Biennale, museums and foundations across the city are presenting solo and group exhibitions featuring major international art figures, including Marina Abramović, Lorna Simpson, Arthur Jafa, Richard Prince, and a tribute to Peggy Guggenheim. These shows run concurrently with the main Biennale exhibition, drawing visitors to venues such as the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and other historic palazzos.

Tuguldur Yondonjamts’s Animalistic Realm

Mongolian artist Tuguldur Yondonjamts explores the habitat of the saker falcon through a series of accordion-style books titled *The Secret Mountain of Falcons* (2011–14), created during fieldwork across Mongolia. The drawings, presented in Perspex vitrines at his solo exhibition *Wolf Loving Princess* at Gallery Ver in Bangkok, depict the falcon's perspective as imagined by the artist, blending black-and-white film-like imagery with abstract textures. The work responds to the falcon trade, particularly to the Middle East, and the species' declining population, which led to its designation as Mongolia's national bird in 2012.

25th Biennale of Sydney Review: From the Margins

The 25th Biennale of Sydney, titled "Rememory" and curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, features 143 works by 83 artists and collectives from 37 countries across five venues. The exhibition explores marginalized, fragmented, and repressed histories, drawing on Toni Morrison's concept of 'rememory' as a space between remembering and forgetting. Key works include Tuan Andrew Nguyen's film on Vietnam War trauma, Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme's immersive installation on Palestinian displacement, Khalid Albaih's photographs of Sudan, and Massinissa Selmani's drawings on Algerian socialist building projects.

Keith Haring and Louis Vuitton collaboration launches at the Frick Collection.

Louis Vuitton debuted its Cruise 2027 collection at the Frick Collection in New York, drawing heavy inspiration from artist Keith Haring. The collection was sparked by a leather Louis Vuitton suitcase that Haring embellished in 1984, which the house acquired in 2020. Haring’s signature motifs appeared throughout the runway show, which also referenced the gritty energy of New York City’s 1980s downtown art scene.

Abbiamo visto tutte le mostre del Roma Gallery Weekend: ecco le 10 migliori

The third edition of the Roma Gallery Weekend has concluded, with around thirty galleries forming an official association with legal status and a dedicated budget. The event featured a VIP program of breakfasts, guided tours, and performances, aiming to attract collectors, curators, and local audiences. While the quality of exhibitions was high—28 out of 33 shows were reviewed—logistical challenges remain, including Rome's sprawling layout, limited public transport, and taxi availability. The article highlights 10 standout shows, such as Petra Feriancová's archaeological-inspired installation at Gilda Lavia and Elisa Montessori's exhibition at Monitor.

Our Summer Art Reading List

Hyperallergic's summer art reading list features a curated selection of art books, including Kory Stamper's 'True Color' about the Merriam-Webster color definer, Megan O'Grady's essay collection on art as necessity, and 'O'Keeffe-isms' drawn from Georgia O'Keeffe's writings. The list also highlights art detective mysteries like 'The Case of the Disappearing Gauguin' by Stephanie Brown and provenance stories from the San Antonio Museum of Art, alongside upcoming Yale University Press titles on Anni Albers, Dorothea Tanning, and Edward Steichen. Additional coverage includes an exhibition of Jack Kerouac's letters and photographs in NYC, and the Printed Matter art book fair in Los Angeles.

Still in Sound

The Clyfford Still Museum in Denver, Colorado, has opened a new exhibition titled "Still in Sound," which pairs abstract paintings by Clyfford Still with original sonic interpretations by contemporary sound artists. Co-curated by Bailey Placzek, the museum's curator of collections, and British multidisciplinary artist Ben Coleman, the exhibition features works by artists Maria Chávez, Maya Dunietz, Kalyn Heffernan, Matana Roberts, and Michael Schumacher. Each artist selected a Still painting and composed a sound piece in response, with the compositions playing in shuffled order to create a non-linear, immersive experience. A digital guide offers full recordings, and Denver artist Phillip David Stearns designed an interactive component based on Still's pastel drawings. The exhibition runs through February 2027.

Rare Early Basquiat Works Return to Brooklyn After HBCU Tour

An intimate collection of early Jean-Michel Basquiat works and ephemera, titled "Our Friend, Jean," is returning to Brooklyn's The Bishop Gallery starting May 16, 2026. The exhibition draws primarily from the archive of Alexis Adler, Basquiat's former roommate and partner from 1979–80, and includes paintings on sweatshirts, postcards, writings, and photographs Adler took of the artist. Originally presented in 2019, the show traveled to six historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) between 2022 and 2024, attracting 10,000 visitors and involving students in the installation process.

With more than 3,000 participating institutions, the European Night of Museums returns this Saturday, May 23

Avec plus de 3 000 institutions participantes, la Nuit européenne des musées revient ce samedi 23 mai

The 22nd edition of the European Night of Museums returns on Saturday, May 23, with over 3,000 institutions across France and Europe opening their doors free of charge from late afternoon. Many museums are offering special activities such as concerts, performances, games, guided tours, and walks. The youth program "La classe, l'œuvre!" will again involve primary, middle, and high school students acting as mediators for artworks they studied throughout the year. Highlights include exhibitions at the Centre Pompidou-Metz dedicated to François Morellet and Louise Nevelson, a concert at Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle's Cyclop in Milly-la-Forêt, a dance performance by Korean artist Eun-Me Ahn at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, and exhibitions at museums in Tours, Vernon, Rouen, and Sète, as well as a Brazilian ball at the Château des ducs de Bretagne in Nantes.

Radiohead singer Thom Yorke opens Venice exhibition with Stanley Donwood.

Radiohead singer Thom Yorke and artist Stanley Donwood have opened their first-ever exhibition outside the UK at Castello 2432 in Venice. Titled "No Go Elevator (Not Without No Keycard)," the show features new ink drawings and a large-scale painting created in London earlier this year, timed to the start of the 61st Venice Biennale. The exhibition runs through June 7.

7 Artists to Watch at the New York Fairs This Weekend

The article highlights seven artists and presentations to watch at the New York art fairs this weekend, including Frieze, TEFAF, Independent, and NADA. Key highlights include Comme des Garçons' sculptural fashion display at Independent, Danish painter Eva Helene Pade's U.S. debut at Thaddaeus Ropac's TEFAF booth, and sold-out booths for Kelly Sinnapah Mary at James Cohan and Rachel Youn at G Gallery during Frieze. The piece notes that while no single viral spectacle dominates this fair week, a quieter but compelling mix of works and sales is drawing attention across venues.

Here’s What You Missed at MoMA PS1’s 50th Birthday Bash

MoMA PS1 held its annual gala on Tuesday night, celebrating the institution's 50th anniversary and honoring founding director Alanna Heiss and former MoMA Director Glenn D. Lowry. More than 500 guests attended the Surrealist-themed event, which featured artistic direction by the fashion and art collective Women’s History Museum, with stilt walkers, custom posters, performances, and DJ sets. Notable attendees included artists Wolfgang Tillmans and Camille Henrot, dealers Jeffrey Deitch, and musicians Swizz Beatz, along with museum leadership and collectors.

Chloë Sevigny, Hari Nef, and Mickalene Thomas Just Partied at the Brooklyn Artists Ball

The Brooklyn Museum hosted its annual Brooklyn Artists Ball on Tuesday evening, serving as the opening celebration for the "Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses" exhibition. The event drew a crowd of artists, patrons, designers, and downtown figures, including event hosts Fabiola Beracasa Beckman, Sylvana Durrett, Jordan Roth, Lizzie Tisch, and Amanda Waldron; co-chairs Regina Aldisert, Megan Brodsky, Victoria Rogers, and Carla Shen; CULTURED Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson; designers Iris van Herpen and Wes Gordon; musicians Peggy Gou and Swizz Beatz; artists Mickalene Thomas, Keisha Scarville, Paul Arnhold, and Miles Greenberg; writer Derek Blasberg; and gallerist Saam Niami. Highlights included a special performance by dancers from the New York City Ballet in winged costumes, an afterparty with DJs Swizz Beatz and Runna, and a site-specific photo booth by artist Keisha Scarville.

How Artist Iréne Norén Used Painting to Reclaim Her Relationship to Her Body

Artist Iréne Norén, who began painting just three years ago after a personal crisis, is now mounting her first solo gallery show in New York. Titled "Reliquary of the Body: Returning to Eden," the exhibition opens at Harper’s Chelsea and explores themes of shame, self-acceptance, and the female body, drawing on Catholic art historical imagery and Renaissance altarpiece structures. Norén started painting after an abortion while living in New York without a work visa, using art as a tool for emotional expression and confidence.

Lucy Liu Paints the ‘Emotional Truth’ of Family Memories

Lucy Liu, best known for her acting career in films like "Kill Bill" and the TV series "Elementary," is currently presenting a new exhibition of paintings titled "Hard Feelings" at Alisan Fine Arts in New York. The show features works that explore family memory and personal history, including pieces like "Family Portrait" (2016) and newer, more gestural paintings such as "What Stays" (2023) and "Hourglass" (2026). Liu, who studied at the New York Studio School from 2004 to 2007, uses layered and obscured imagery to reflect the unstable, fragmentary nature of memory, drawing on family photographs and her own childhood experiences following her father's death.

‘It smells like my ranch!’ Diva of dirt Delcy Morelos and her amazing 30-tonne earthworks

The article profiles Colombian artist Delcy Morelos and her immersive earthwork installations, focusing on two major works: 'The Womb Space' in Mexico City, which has drawn over 60,000 visitors in its final month, and 'Origo', a new 24-metre-wide outdoor pavilion opening at the Barbican in London. Morelos creates vast soil sculptures sourced from specific regions, evoking sensory experiences of smell, touch, and memory, and invites visitors to contemplate their connection to the earth. The piece includes her reflections on Andean cosmovision, the sacredness of nature, and her 14-year artistic inquiry into soil as a humble yet life-sustaining material.

Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Abstract Painter Who Refused to Conform, Dies at 84

Mary Lovelace O’Neal, an abstract painter known for her gestural, unruly works that defied categorization, died on Sunday in Mérida, Mexico, at age 84. Her galleries, Jenkins Johnson and Marianne Boesky, announced her passing. O’Neal produced sprawling paintings characterized by tangles of drippy strokes, often using lamp black pigment to create intensely black canvases. She rejected labels like Abstract Expressionist or Minimalist, insisting she was simply a painter. Her series "Whales Fucking" (1979) and a 2020 exhibition at Mnuchin Gallery revived her profile, leading to inclusion in the 2024 Whitney Biennial.

Eva Helene Pade Paints the Thin Line Between Ecstasy and Violence

Danish painter Eva Helene Pade, born in 1997, has been working in a borrowed London studio while her Paris home undergoes renovations. Three of her new monumental paintings—Jagt (Hunt), Nærmere (Closer), and Opstand (Surge)—will debut with Thaddaeus Ropac at TEFAF New York this week. Known for tempestuous, large-scale nocturnal scenes filled with writhing naked female bodies, Pade draws on influences from Edvard Munch, James Ensor, and Gustav Klimt, though she now works more intuitively. She signed with Thaddaeus Ropac in 2024 as the gallery's youngest represented artist and was featured in Artnet's Intelligence Report 'Zero to Hero' list for a major spike in search interest.

Tuan Vu Paints Vietnam Through the Haze of Memory and Imagination

Self-taught Vietnamese artist Tuan Vu presents his solo exhibition "Annam" at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery in Berlin, featuring paintings that blend memory, imagination, and history. The show includes works such as *Tranquil South* (2026), *A Usual Day* (2026), and *The Official Portrait* (2026), which explore Vu's childhood recollections of Vietnam and the country's colonial past. Vu, who relocated from Ho Chi Minh City to Quebec, Canada, for his studies and now resides there, uses the exhibition's title to reference the term used for Vietnam during Chinese and French colonial periods, highlighting the distance and interpretive nature of memory.

‘This is an opportunity that will never happen again’: Syrian artist Sara Shamma on rebuilding her country

Syrian artist Sara Shamma has been selected to represent Syria at the 2026 Venice Biennale, marking the country's return to the event with a single-artist national pavilion for the first time. Her immersive installation, 'The Tower Tomb of Palmyra,' curated by Yuko Hasegawa and commissioned by Syria's ministry of culture, combines painting, architecture, light, sound, and scent. It draws on the ancient funerary towers of Palmyra destroyed by Islamic State in 2015, addressing cultural loss and the possibility of reconstruction. Shamma, who returned to Syria in September 2024 after eight years abroad, describes living through the fall of the Assad regime and the country's rebirth as a transformative personal and national moment.

Shirin Neshat's Venice exhibition explores identity, exile and a social media tragedy

Shirin Neshat presents a new film trilogy, *Do U Dare!*, at the 16th-century Palazzo Marin in Venice alongside the Biennale. The work explores exile, fractured identity, and power through a female protagonist whose public isolation transforms into empowered expression in private. The trilogy is directly inspired by the story of Nasim Aghdam, an Iranian American known as the 'YouTube Shooter,' who in 2018 attacked YouTube's headquarters before taking her own life. Neshat interprets Aghdam's double life as a recluse and a social media star, focusing on the unstable boundary between self and performance in digital culture.

Alma Allen’s US Pavilion Is One of the Emptiest Shows at the Venice Biennale

Alma Allen represents the United States at the 2026 Venice Biennale with a subdued, apolitical exhibition inside the US Pavilion. The show features roughly 25 sculptures—mostly in bronze, wood, and stone—many titled "Not Yet Titled," and deliberately avoids overt political messaging. This marks a stark departure from the previous two US pavilions, curated by Simone Leigh (2022) and Jeffrey Gibson (2024), which directly confronted colonialism and empire. The Trump administration’s call for proposals explicitly asked for work that "reflects and promotes American values," and Allen’s presentation has been criticized as safe, unremarkable, and lacking the incisive edge of contemporary American art.

Lévy Gorvy Dayan Bets on Urgency With New LGD Hammer Sales Platform

Lévy Gorvy Dayan has launched LGD Hammer, a new sales platform that blends gallery exhibition with auction-style urgency. The first work offered is Willem de Kooning's *Milkmaid* (1984), estimated at $10–$15 million, which will be on view by appointment from May 2 until the sale on May 16. Gallery cofounder Dominique Lévy will serve as auctioneer, drawing on her Christie's experience, while bidding occurs by phone with online observation. Cofounder Brett Gorvy emphasized the platform is not a market overhaul but a response to slowed private sales and cautious collectors who still respond to competitive pressure.

Isabel Nolan’s Work Challenges Everything We Think We Know About Creativity

Artist Isabel Nolan recently discovered she has aphantasia, a rare neurological condition that prevents her from visualizing mental images. Despite this, Nolan has built a successful career creating abstract sculptures, drawings, and tapestries, and her work is featured in the Irish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Her exhibition, "Dreamshook," explores themes of imagination versus reality and draws inspiration from late medieval history and the printer Aldo Manuzio.