The German government has established a new council, the Coordination Council for Returns of Cultural Property and Human Remains from Colonial Contexts, to oversee the restitution of artifacts acquired during the colonial era. The council will include representatives from federal, state, and municipal authorities and is intended to provide a structured, national approach to handling these complex returns.
Marcel Duchamp’s legacy continues to shape contemporary art through his pioneering use of readymades, conceptual rigor, and institutional critique. This analysis identifies eight modern and contemporary artists whose practices echo Duchamp’s subversion of traditional aesthetics, ranging from his early experiments with found objects to his later explorations of gender and mechanical desire.
A new documentary titled 'Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light' is set for release this spring, featuring actress Claire Danes as the voice of the iconic American Modernist. Narrated by Hugh Dancy, the film explores O’Keeffe’s life and artistic legacy, with digital distribution scheduled for June 1st and special screenings beginning on Mother's Day.
The Vatican has unveiled the roster for its Pavilion of the Holy See at the 2026 Venice Biennale, featuring a high-profile multidisciplinary lineup. Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers, the exhibition titled “The Ear is the Eye of the Soul” will showcase new works from 24 contributors, including FKA Twigs, Brian Eno, Devonté Hynes, Patti Smith, and Precious Okoyomon. The presentation aims to bridge the gap between contemporary art, music, and spirituality through a diverse array of creative mediums.
Major museums worldwide are launching a series of high-profile exhibitions this spring that challenge traditional art historical narratives. Highlights include a Marcel Duchamp retrospective at MoMA, a deep dive into Pop art's legacy at the Guggenheim, and significant surveys of icons like Frida Kahlo and Agnes Martin. Meanwhile, UCCA Beijing is presenting a major exhibition of Duan Jianyu, highlighting the evolution of Chinese painting in relation to Western influence.
Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama has spent nearly five decades developing his iconic "Sexy Robots" series. These chrome-plated female figures, rendered first with airbrush and later as polished metal sculptures, have evolved to include life-sized works created through digital modeling and engineering collaborations.
A new biographical drama film titled "Moss & Freud" is set to premiere in the UK, focusing on the portrait sessions between supermodel Kate Moss and painter Lucian Freud. The film stars Ellie Bamber as Moss and Derek Jacobi as Freud, and is directed by James Lucas, having first appeared at the London International Film Festival.
The article presents a curated list of seven contemporary artists whose work shares aesthetic or thematic connections with the painter Cecily Brown. It highlights artists like Jenna Gribbon, known for intimate, luminous portraits; Issy Wood, who blends Old Master techniques with contemporary malaise; and others such as Flora Yukhnovich, Doron Langberg, Louis Fratino, Maia Cruz Palileo, and Somaya Critchlow, each exploring figuration, sensuality, and painterly abstraction in distinct ways.
Artsy has released its 2026 AI Survey, capturing the perspectives of over 1,000 galleries worldwide on the integration of artificial intelligence into the art ecosystem. The report details how galleries are currently using AI tools for operations, marketing, and sales, while also revealing their cautious optimism and significant concerns about its impact on artistic authorship and market dynamics.
Congolese artist Jean Katambayi Mukendi presents his first solo exhibition in Germany, 'Ratio,' at the KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin. The exhibition features drawings, sculptural installations, and works made from recycled materials that examine technological systems, energy infrastructures, and mineral extraction.
German artist Thomas Bayrle presents a solo exhibition at dépendance in Brussels, running from March 14 through April 11, 2026. The presentation showcases the artist's signature exploration of patterns, industrial repetition, and the intersection of mechanical systems with human society through a series of new or significant works.
German artist Thomas Bayrle presents a solo exhibition at the Brussels-based gallery dépendance, running from March 14 through April 11, 2026. The presentation showcases a comprehensive selection of Bayrle’s work, documented through an extensive collection of 42 installation views and individual piece images that highlight his signature aesthetic of repetitive patterns and industrial motifs.
Christine Tien Wang and Rachel Youn presented a two-person exhibition titled "Factory Doomscroll" at Night Gallery in Los Angeles. The show ran from February 21 to April 4, 2026, and was documented extensively with 82 installation images.
Galerie Thomas Schulte in Berlin is presenting a two-person exhibition featuring works by Marieta Chirulescu and Fred Sandback. The show, titled "Phase," runs from February 28 to April 18, 2026, and includes 17 documented images of the installation.
Artist Mungo Thomson presented a solo exhibition titled "Fireplace" at the gallery Further Down the Line in Liverpool. The show ran from March 4 to April 4, 2026, and was documented with a series of images.
Timeshare in Los Angeles has opened a group exhibition titled "Candids at Timeshare," featuring works by artists William Leavitt, Alexandra Noel, Ludovic Sauvage, and Frances Stark. The show, curated by Fiona Vilmer, runs from February 27 to March 22, 2026, and is documented with 38 installation images on Contemporary Art Daily.
Artist Matt Mullican has opened a solo exhibition titled "Above and Below the Three Worlds" at Galerie Thomas Schulte in Berlin. The show, which runs from February 14 to April 18, 2026, features new work documented by 41 images on the gallery's site.
Artist Matt Mullican has opened a solo exhibition titled "The Universe" at Peter Freeman Inc. in New York. The show, which runs from February 28 to April 11, 2026, is documented with 38 installation photographs taken by Nicolas Knight.
The Center for Institutional Studies, Research, and Training (CERFI), a research cooperative co-founded by Félix Guattari in the wake of May 1968, sought to merge militant political practice with institutional psychotherapy. By adopting a model of 'analytical self-management,' the group utilized rotational roles and collective research to avoid the hierarchies and alienation typical of traditional academic and political organizations. This experimental structure was heavily influenced by the 'grid' system used at the La Borde psychiatric clinic, aiming to turn administrative labor into a tool for subjective liberation.
A Visit to Tomás Saraceno’s Berlin Studio Delves into a Deeply Empathetic Practice
A new documentary from Art21 offers an inside look into artist Tomás Saraceno's Berlin studio, highlighting his collaborative and interdisciplinary practice. The film explores several of his projects, from large-scale suspended installations to community-focused works, all centered on how humans inhabit space and relate to other species.
"Ich habe mich schon immer zum Verachteten hingezogen gefühlt"
Irish artist Alice Maher discusses her ongoing exploration of patriarchal structures, mythology, and the symbolic power of female hair in her practice. Her current work focuses on large-scale drawings of Sibyls—ancient female prophets—whose excessive hair serves as a metaphor for identity, power, and the 'monstrous feminine.' Maher reflects on her career-long engagement with Irish history, from collecting hair during the Troubles to her collaborative textile masterpiece, "The Map," which reclaims the legacy of Mary Magdalene from Catholic institutional narratives.
Die Minimalistin, die keine sein wollte
The Kunstsammlung NRW in Düsseldorf is hosting a major retrospective of American artist Anne Truitt, marking the first comprehensive survey of her work in Europe. The exhibition at K20 features approximately 120 works, including her signature hand-painted wooden columns, drawings, and the late "Pith" series, tracing her unique trajectory from the early 1960s until her death in 2004.
Kunsthalle Mainz vor dem Aus?
The Kunsthalle Mainz is facing potential closure by the end of the year following the withdrawal of funding by the Mainzer Stadtwerke. The crisis is compounded by the departure of director Stefanie Böttcher, who is moving to the Kunsthalle Kiel, and the fact that her position has not been advertised for replacement. Despite its international reputation and successful recent exhibitions, such as the current Britta Marakatt-Labba retrospective, the institution lacks a secured financial future and a leadership succession plan.
Wie viel Veränderung hält die Gesellschaft aus?
Artist Julius von Bismarck and SPD politician Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter engaged in a deep dialogue about the societal transition from a fossil-fuel-based to a post-fossil society. During a live podcast hosted by Monopol editor-in-chief Elke Buhr at the BMW Foundation in Berlin, von Bismarck challenged traditional notions of environmental protection, arguing that the very concept of "nature" should be abolished to foster a new relationship with the world. The discussion bridged the gap between artistic radicalism and political pragmatism, touching on existential threats, global inequality, and the role of technology like AI.
"Sonne, Meer und Sicherheit"
The Art Cologne Palma Mallorca art fair has emerged as a strategic hub for wealthy German collectors, positioning the Mediterranean island as a safe and accessible alternative to more volatile global markets. While sales have been strongest in the lower price segments, the fair's revival highlights a trend toward 'lifestyle' art events that prioritize security and leisure. Simultaneously, the German art market faces a broader crisis of regionalization, where galleries are increasingly focusing on local buyers despite declining overall sales and a lack of transformative economic growth.
Was darf die Kunst?
German Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer has sparked a heated debate over artistic freedom after excluding three bookstores from the German Bookstore Prize due to undisclosed intelligence reports. The controversy has escalated into a broader confrontation with cultural institutions, highlighted by the Berlin Volksbühne's public criticism and Weimer's subsequent refusal to participate in a scheduled panel discussion. This incident follows a string of high-profile disputes regarding political expression in the arts, particularly concerning the Berlinale and documenta fifteen.
"Seide trägt Geschichten von 3000 Jahren"
Renowned artist Ai Weiwei has collaborated with the historic Italian textile house Rubelli to create a series of silk objects for Milan Design Week. The installation features intricate silk patterns incorporating the artist's signature political motifs, including handcuffs, surveillance cameras, and the Twitter bird. Despite his vocal criticism of the modern design industry as a profit-driven machine lacking ethics and philosophy, Ai was persuaded by Rubelli’s commitment to craftsmanship and their shared respect for the historical weight of the material.
Geschichten in Kupfer und Vinyl
The UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing is hosting "Hundreds and Thousands," the first institutional retrospective of the late American conceptual artist Rutherford Chang. The exhibition showcases Chang’s career-long obsession with collecting and cataloging mass-produced objects, most notably featuring his collection of over 3,700 first-pressings of the Beatles’ "White Album." Other significant works include a 31-kilogram copper cube created from 10,000 pre-1982 pennies and a digital archive of over 2,000 of the artist's own Game Boy Tetris sessions.
99 Variationen eines Vulkans
Julian Charrière has released a new artist's book titled "After the Smoke Cradle," documenting a series of 99 lithographs originally exhibited at the Verein für Originalgraphik in Zurich. The project features 33 variations of three different volcanoes, created using a unique process where the artist transformed collected lava, ash, obsidian, and sulfur into printing pigments. This material-focused approach ensures that the physical essence of the volcanic sites is literally embedded into the photographic imagery.
Annette Messager entre avec tout son bestiaire au musée de la Chasse et de la Nature
The Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris is hosting a major exhibition dedicated to the animal-themed works of Annette Messager. Titled "Une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps," the show integrates Messager’s diverse practice—including drawings, sculptures, and her signature use of plush toys—into the museum’s permanent collection of taxidermy and hunting artifacts. Curated by Colin Lemoine, the exhibition spans three floors and features works ranging from a ceramic cat from the artist's own kitchen to provocative installations like a taxidermied dachshund wearing a surgical mask.