Art News. Vasari Codex

article news schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 22 link 2 artists

The Biennale Isn’t a Court. Tell That to the Protesters.

Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, president of the Venice Biennale, defended the decision to allow Russia to reopen its pavilion for the first time since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, stating that the Biennale is "not a court; it is a garden of peace." The move has sparked widespread backlash, including threats to pull €2.3 million in EU funding. Protests have erupted on the ground, with Pussy Riot and FEMEN staging a theatrical demonstration outside the Russian Pavilion, setting off smoke flares and chanting slogans. Separately, around 60 artists performed a "Solidarity Drone Chorus" to protest Israel's participation, and the Art Not Genocide Alliance has called for a 24-hour strike and rallies across Venice. The Russian Pavilion will be open only during press preview days due to EU sanctions, with video projections visible from outside for the rest of the Biennale's run.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 20 link 7 artists

Pussy Riot protest at Venice Biennale forces Russian pavilion to briefly close

On the second day of the Venice Biennale preview, the activist group Pussy Riot staged a chaotic protest at the Russian pavilion, forcing it to temporarily close. Wearing pink balaclavas and carrying flares, about 40 activists—including members of Femen—gathered outside the pavilion, shouting slogans like "Blood is Russia's Art" and attempting to enter before being pushed back by police. Founding member Nadya Tolokonnikova led the protest, condemning Europe for allowing Russian participation despite the war in Ukraine. Separately, the Art Not Genocide Alliance (Anga) demonstrated outside the Israeli pavilion, which was locked from inside, over Israel's war in Gaza.

newspaper The Guardian open_in_new Read original

gavel restitution schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 28 link 12 artists

Malaysia Showcases Recovered 1MDB Artworks, From Picasso to Miró

Four artworks recovered from the 1MDB scandal—by Picasso, Miró, Balthus, and Maurice Utrillo—have gone on public display for the first time at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission headquarters in Putrajaya. The paintings were repatriated from New York after being traced through Sotheby’s and shipped back to Malaysia on April 14. They are part of a broader art trail linked to the massive financial fraud, with Malaysian officials framing the display as an act of restitution rather than an art event.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 19 link 6 artists

Major protests take place at Venice Biennale previews

Major protests erupted during the preview days of the Venice Biennale, with multiple demonstrations targeting the Israeli and Russian pavilions. On Wednesday, the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) held a large protest outside the temporary Israeli pavilion in the Arsenale, attended by over 200 people calling for its closure. Separately, the Solidarity Drone Chorus performed a sound composition by Gazan artist Ahmed Muin, with 60 artists wearing T-shirts bearing names of artists from Gaza. Meanwhile, Pussy Riot and FEMEN protested Russian participation, forcing the Russian pavilion to shut its doors. These actions follow the resignation of the entire Golden Lion jury days before the opening, after they stated they would not consider pavilions from countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the ICC—widely seen as a reference to Russia and Israel.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 21 link 10 artists

In Protest of Israeli Pavilion, Activists and Unions Plan Strike on Venice Biennale’s Opening Day

The Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) has announced a 24-hour strike and rally on May 8, the day before the 2026 Venice Biennale opens to the public, in protest of the Israeli Pavilion. ANGA, formed in opposition to Israel's inclusion in the 2024 Biennale, refers to the current Israeli presentation—featuring Haifa-based artist Belu-Simion Fainaru—as the "Genocide Pavilion." Over 200 artists, curators, and culture workers have signed an open letter demanding Israel's exclusion, and a separate action called Solidarity Drone Chorus involved 60 artists. ANGA is collaborating with local labor and culture organizations including Biennalocene, Vogliamo Tutt'altro, S.a.L.E. Docks, and Mi Riconosci.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 23 link 7 artists

A Pavilion of Ruins: Germany Reconsiders Its Past in Venice

The German Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale features a dual presentation exploring the country's layered political history. Artist Sung Tieu has cloaked the pavilion's fascist-era facade with a mosaic reconstruction of a GDR housing estate for Vietnamese contract workers, where she lived as a child. Inside, the late Henrike Naumann's immersive installation 'The Home Front' uses furniture and design to stage a confrontation between East and West German domestic and political ideologies. Naumann died in February 2025 at age 41, but her fully realized concept was completed collaboratively by her partner and curator Kathleen Reinhardt.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 21 link 7 artists

The Price Points Powering the Art Market

The article, part of the Artnet Intelligence Report: Year Ahead 2026, analyzes art market performance by price bracket in 2025. The $1 million-to-$10 million range was the strongest segment, with sales totaling $3.5 billion—a 20.8% increase from 2024. Sales above $10 million rose 36.1% to $2.3 billion, boosted by high-priced masterpieces at New York's November auctions. The $100,000-to-$1 million bracket saw $3.2 billion in sales, up 6%. Meanwhile, works under $10,000 and in the $10,000-to-$100,000 range grew less than 1%, indicating cautious buyer behavior.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 28 link 9 artists

Dark clouds, protests and resignations dampen start of 61st Venice Biennale

The 61st Venice Biennale opened under grey skies and rain, with political tensions overshadowing the art world's premier event. The Russian pavilion, absent for two editions due to the Ukraine war, reappeared with a party atmosphere, though the Italian ministry of culture confirmed it would not be open to the public. The Ukrainian culture minister called Russia's symbolic presence powerful. The Iranian pavilion withdrew without explanation, and a protest by 60 artists from the In Minor Keys show marched through the Giardini humming in solidarity against Israel's participation. Over 200 artists, including Lubaina Himid and Alfredo Jaar, signed an open letter demanding the Israeli pavilion's cancellation. The event also proceeded without its curator, Koyo Kouoh, who died in May 2025; her curatorial team delivered the exhibition following her plans.

newspaper The Guardian open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 25 link 13 artists

Venice Diary Day 1: At the Giardini, Artists Refuse to Make Fascism Cozy

Henrike Naumann's posthumous installation at the German Pavilion, which retains its 1938 Nazi-era fascist architecture, refuses to make the space 'cozy' by adorning windows with violently ripped domestic fabrics. The 2026 Venice Biennale is the first under president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, associated with neo-fascist politics, and is overshadowed by controversy over his 'neutrality' policy allowing all countries to participate despite human rights concerns. The exhibition jury initially announced it would not consider pavilions from countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity, then abruptly quit, leaving the situation unresolved. The US Pavilion features unimpressive blobs by Alma Allen, while the Russian Pavilion offers cut flowers and free vodka, and Andreas Angelidakis responds to fascist aesthetics at the Greek Pavilion.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

rate_review review schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 19 link 9 artists

Pleasure, parody and propaganda: rethinking the art of illustration in a new history of the genre

D.B. Dowd's new book "Reading Pictures" offers a sweeping 400-page history of illustration, tracing the genre from the Diamond Sutra frontispiece in Tang China (AD868) to Molly Crabapple's Gaza reports in 2015. The book examines key works such as Jules Chéret's 1891 poster for the Alcazar d'Été Club, Stuart Davis's caustic covers for The Masses, and Duong Ngoc Canh's Vietnamese propaganda poster, arguing that illustrations are meant to be "read" rather than admired like museum paintings.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 30 link 11 artists

May Book Bag: from a guide on entering the art world to a publication about artists influenced by Ovid’s Metamorphoses

The May Book Bag article from The Art Newspaper reviews four new art-related publications. It covers "Metamorphoses: Ovid and the Arts," edited by Francesca Cappelletti and Frits Scholten, which examines Ovid's influence on Western art through works by artists like Titian, Caravaggio, and Louise Bourgeois. Other featured books include Hettie Judah's "How to Enter the Art World," a practical guide for emerging artists; "Derrick Adams: Prints," showcasing the artist's printmaking from 2019-2025; and "Whistler's Legacy" by Daniel Sutherland, which explores the legacy of James Abbott McNeill Whistler through his close associates.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

gavel restitution schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 20 link 2 artists

David Nahmad maintains that his Modigliani was not looted by the Nazis

David Nahmad is continuing his legal battle to prove that his Modigliani painting, *Seated Man with a Cane* (1918), was not looted by the Nazis from the Jewish dealer Oscar Stettiner. Despite a recent New York ruling against him, Nahmad’s lawyers have filed a motion to review the case based on new eyewitness testimony. Two witnesses claim the painting they saw in the Van der Klip family—which bought the Nazi-looted work in 1944—is completely different from Nahmad’s painting, lacking a seated man or a cane. Nahmad’s legal team also cites a 1946 French bailiff report and a recent catalogue raisonné by Marc Restellini to argue that Mondex, the restitution firm working for Stettiner’s heirs, misidentified the work.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

gavel restitution schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 19 link 4 artists

Nahmad Seeks to Reopen Modigliani Restitution Case With New Witnesses

David Nahmad's lawyers are asking a New York court to reconsider its April 3 decision in the restitution case over Amedeo Modigliani's *Seated Man with a Cane* (1918), which awarded the painting to the estate of dealer Oscar Stettiner. They cite new eyewitness testimony from Frédéric Allain, who recalls a different Modigliani—smaller, darker, and without a seated man or cane—hidden by the Van der Klip family in Paris during World War II, suggesting the wrong painting may have been the focus of the case. The filing also references a 1946 report describing the missing work as a self-portrait and a new catalogue raisonné by Marc Restellini that finds no link between the painting and Stettiner. Mondex, representing Stettiner's heirs, rejects the claims, asserting that *Seated Man with a Cane* bears Stettiner's name and was in the family's possession from 1944 to 1996.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 19 link 5 artists

Treasures From Matthew Perry’s Estate Head to Auction for a Good Cause

Heritage Auctions will sell a trove of artifacts from Matthew Perry's estate starting June 5, including scripts and memorabilia from the sitcom *Friends*, artworks by Banksy and Mel Bochner, and personal items like a 3D portrait of his invented superhero "Mattman." Proceeds benefit the Matthew Perry Foundation, a nonprofit focused on ending addiction stigma and expanding access to evidence-based care, founded after the actor's death in 2023.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 18 link 1 artist

‘She had a fresh, informed eye’: mural depicting late Venice Biennale curator Koyo Kouoh displayed in lagoon city

A mural honoring Koyo Kouoh, the late curator of the 2025 Venice Biennale, has been unveiled in Venice. Created by US artist Derrick Adams, the collage titled "Heavy is the head that wears the crown" adorns the facade of the Palazzetto dello sport Giobatta Gianquinto near the Arsenale. Kouoh died on 10 May 2025 at age 57 after a cancer diagnosis. The tribute was organized by curator Francesco Bonami, who had invited Kouoh to join the jury for the 50th Venice Biennale in 2003.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 21 link 5 artists

Venice Biennale’s fierce pussy Group Says City Censored Posters About Queer and Trans People

The lesbian artist collective fierce pussy, comprising Nancy Brooks Brody, Joy Episalla, Zoe Leonard, and Carrie Yamaoka, claims that the city of Venice censored their posters for the Venice Biennale. The posters, which feature phrases like "Welcome queers and trans people" and "we are queers and trans people" alongside a list of occupations, were intended to be pasted across the city. After the city blocked the full-scale posting, the group created stickers and placed them on walls, windows, and advertising spaces. As a concession, La Biennale installed the original posters inside the Arsenale entrance.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

rate_review review schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 23 link 3 artists

Lubaina Himid’s British pavilion at the Venice Biennale review – alienation in a green and pleasant land

Lubaina Himid's installation at the British pavilion of the Venice Biennale presents monumental paintings and a wall of painted oars depicting tailors, cooks, architects, gardeners, and sailors—figures who shape Britain. The work is accompanied by an audio piece of bucolic country sounds, but the black figures in the paintings exchange sideways glances of discomfort, questioning whether they truly belong. The exhibition is anchored by 26 philosophical questions on the wall, such as "Can flies settle here?" and "Can poison taste delicious?"

newspaper The Guardian open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 30 link 2 artists

How the adoption of canvas in Venice changed the way artists painted

Art historian Cleo Nisse has published a new book, *Venetian Canvas and the Transformation of Painting*, examining how 16th-century Venetian painters such as Titian, Veronese, and Tintoretto pioneered the use of canvas as a painting support. Nisse reveals that canvas was not a uniform material—artists experimented with different weaves, including tabby and herringbone patterns, and even repurposed sailcloth and tablecloth-quality fabrics to achieve specific visual effects. The book argues that canvas was already familiar in the late Middle Ages for banners and alternatives to tapestry, and that Vittore Carpaccio was the first master of the medium, varying canvas types for expressive purposes in his *Legend of St Ursula* series.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 20 link 4 artists

BBC ‘Buried’ Footage of Banksy at NYC Mural Site, Former Reporter Claims

Former BBC New York correspondent Nick Bryant claims the BBC suppressed footage he captured of Banksy at a mural site in New York City in March 2018. In a Substack post, Bryant recounts being tipped off by Banksy's PR team about a new artwork at the Houston Bowery Wall, where he and his cameraman filmed the artist—described as a middle-aged man in a black beanie and grey coat—fleeing the scene with fresh paint on his fingers. Despite believing he had a world exclusive, Bryant says BBC editors in London decided not to air the footage, citing concerns about unmasking the artist and preserving the mystery for audiences, including a senior colleague's daughter who compared revealing Banksy's identity to telling children there is no Santa Claus.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 15 link 4 artists

‘We are complicit’: Austrian artist Florentina Holzinger’s immersive Venice Biennale pavilion brings apocalypse to the city

Austrian artist Florentina Holzinger has created 'Seaworld Venice,' an immersive and confrontational installation for the Austrian Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale. The work explores climate change, technology, and a dystopian flooded future, drawing comparisons to the 1995 film 'Waterworld'—though neither Holzinger nor curator Nora-Swantje Almes had seen it. Known for extreme performance art involving nudity, blood, live piercing, and heavy machinery, Holzinger's previous works have caused audience members to faint or require medical treatment. The pavilion marks a significant platform for her radical, hybrid practice that blends theatre, dance, opera, and performance art.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 17 link 8 artists

Seen a ghost? The eeriest images from Fotografia Europea – in pictures

Fotografia Europea, the international photography festival in Reggio Emilia, Italy, has opened with 20 exhibitions and related events under the theme 'ghosts of the moment'. The festival features works by artists including Tania Franco Klein, Giulia Vanelli, Felipe Romero Beltrán, and Salvatore Vitale, exploring themes of memory, migration, identity, and the unseen forces shaping contemporary life. The festival runs until 14 June 2026.

newspaper The Guardian open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 18 link 2 artists

Women behind the lens: ‘After state massacres, I began burning the prints as an act of mourning’

Iranian-Canadian visual journalist and artist Parisa Azadi describes her process of creating protest photographs during the 2022 Iranian revolution from exile in Dubai. Unable to return to Iran, she used open-source protest footage from social media, isolating frames and printing them with a Fujifilm instax camera to transform ephemeral digital images into physical objects. In January 2026, after state massacres and executions, she began burning these prints as an act of mourning, scarring their surfaces to echo the violence they depict.

newspaper The Guardian open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 4, 2026 visibility 22 link 4 artists

Anish Kapoor says US’s ‘politics of hate’ should exclude it from Venice Biennale

Anish Kapoor has called for the United States to be excluded from the Venice Biennale, citing the country's "abhorrent politics of hate" and "incessant warmongering." His comments follow the resignation of the five-member international jury, who stepped down in protest over the inclusion of Israel and Russia. Kapoor praised the jury's decision as "courageous" but argued they should have also targeted the US. The US pavilion, featuring artist Alma Allen and his exhibition "Call Me the Breeze," has faced scrutiny over perceived Trump administration interference and a delayed selection process. Meanwhile, the Israeli and Russian pavilions remain flashpoints, with over 200 participants signing a letter demanding the cancellation of the Israeli pavilion, and the Russian pavilion closed to the public but viewable through windows.

newspaper The Guardian open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 4, 2026 visibility 18 link 9 artists

What It Takes to Build the Venice Biennale

Three weeks before the Venice Biennale opens on May 5, the city remains a construction site, with the Giardini closed and parts of the Arsenale requiring special access. Artist Faustin Linyekula rehearses his performance *The Galeazze Project* in a 16th-century roofless complex, working with the existing gravel, natural light, and lagoon acoustics rather than imposing a structure. Geopolitical conflicts, supply chain disruptions, and the sudden resignation of the Biennale’s international jury via Instagram add pressure to the already challenging logistics of mounting the global exhibition.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule May 4, 2026 visibility 36 link 5 artists

‘It’s a world heritage site, but it’s my home’: the last resident of Casa Milà on life in Gaudí’s masterwork

Ana Viladomiu, a 70-year-old writer, is the last remaining tenant of Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Milà (La Pedrera) in Barcelona, a UNESCO World Heritage site that receives about a million visitors annually. She has lived in the luminous apartment since 1988, originally moving in with her then-husband Fernando Amat, owner of the iconic design store Vinçon. Viladomiu holds a rare renta antigua (fixed-rent contract) that allows her to stay until she or Amat dies, after which the not-for-profit foundation managing the building will take ownership. The rest of the building now houses offices and cultural event spaces.

newspaper The Guardian open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 19 link 3 artists

‘It has become a symbol of hope’: the epic journey of Ukraine’s origami deer to the Venice biennale

Ukrainian artist Zhanna Kadyrova's concrete origami deer sculpture, originally installed in Pokrovsk in 2018, has been evacuated from the war-torn Donetsk region and transported across Europe to become the centerpiece of Ukraine's national pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale. The sculpture, which replaced a Soviet fighter-bomber monument in a local park, was rescued in August 2024 by co-curator Leonid Marushchak amid intensifying Russian attacks, with the help of city authorities and museum staff.

newspaper The Guardian open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 22 link 8 artists

After His Untimely Death, Rutherford Chang’s Survey Rewrites What a Square Can Do

Rutherford Chang, who died last year at age 45, is the subject of a posthumous survey at UCCA Center for Contemporary Art Beijing titled "Hundreds and Thousands." The exhibition centers on Chang's socially engaged works that explore value, circulation, and systems through the deceptively simple form of the square. His best-known piece, "We Buy White Albums" (2013–25), involved amassing roughly one percent of the first pressing of the Beatles' "White Album," highlighting how objects accrue personal and economic worth through use and history. Other works include melting 10,000 copper pennies into a cube and assembling Wall Street Journal portraits from 2008 into a grid that captures a year of crisis and change.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 22 link 4 artists

Texas Man Who Orchestrated $20 M. Crypto Scam Based on Fictitious Van Gogh and Picasso Masterpieces Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison

A Houston man, Robert Dunlap, was sentenced to 23 years in federal prison for orchestrating a $20 million cryptocurrency scam. Between 2018 and 2023, Dunlap defrauded nearly 1,000 investors by promoting a digital asset called “Meta-1 Coin,” falsely claiming it was backed by a $1 billion art collection featuring works by Salvador Dalí, Vincent van Gogh, and Pablo Picasso, as well as $44 billion in gold. He used forged legal and insurance documents to conceal that he owned neither the art nor the gold. A federal jury in the Northern District of Illinois convicted him on mail fraud charges in 2025, and US District Judge LaShonda A. Hunt imposed the sentence, also ordering restitution.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

candle obituary schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 28 link 7 artists

‘In every drop of paint he slurped, you see the Holocaust’: the genius and torments of Georg Baselitz

Georg Baselitz, the German painter and sculptor known for his provocative confrontations with Nazi history, has died. Born in 1938, he was one of the last living artists with direct childhood memories of the Third Reich. His early works, such as *Die große Nacht im Eimer* (1961) and his upside-down German eagles, deliberately shocked postwar West Germany by depicting obscene, shameful images of a society trying to forget the Holocaust. He famously exhibited a zombie Hitler woodcarving at the 1980 Venice Biennale alongside Anselm Kiefer, insisting on confronting rather than ignoring the Nazi heritage of the German Pavilion.

newspaper The Guardian open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 26 link 15 artists

Lucas Museum Aims to Tell the History of Storytelling via 1,200 Objects

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles has announced details of its inaugural exhibitions, set to open on September 22, 2026. Founded by filmmaker George Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson, the museum will feature over 1,200 objects across 30 galleries, tracing the history of visual storytelling from ancient sculptures to Renaissance paintings, photography, comics, and manga. The collection draws from Lucas's personal trove of more than 40,000 works of illustrator art, including pieces by N.C. Wyeth, Norman Rockwell, Frank Frazetta, Beatrix Potter, and Jack Kirby, as well as large-scale murals and photography by artists like Judy Baca and Dorothea Lange. The museum, designed by Ma Yansong of MAD Architects, also includes archives of Lucas's film sets, props, and costumes.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original