Haroutiun Galentz: The Form of Colour
A new English-language monograph, *Haroutiun Galentz: The Form of Colour*, repositions the Armenian-Lebanese painter as a major cosmopolitan modernist. The book assembles his work from international collections, arguing his career—spanning formative years in Beirut's pre-war art scene and a later period in the Soviet Union—must be understood beyond national art historical frameworks.
Wes Gordon, creative director of Carolina Herrera, presented the brand's Fall 2026 collection in New York. The runway show featured a cast of prominent artists and art-world figures, including photographer Ming Smith, painter Amy Sherald, gallerist Hannah Traore, and artists Anh Duong, Eliza Douglas, and Rachel Feinstein, who modeled the collection. The presentation venue was adorned with murals by artist Sarah Oliphant, creating a cohesive, studio-like environment.
SCOPE Miami Beach 2024 features a playful, pop-culture-infused atmosphere with works ranging from a plane-crash installation by Brazilian artist Marcos Amaro at Andrea Rehder Gallery to a marble sculpture by Matthias Contzen at Callan Contemporary. British artist Lucy Sparrow presents a fully stocked fabric deli at Lawrence Alkin Gallery, while other highlights include beaded sculptures by Jan Huling at Duane Reed Gallery and thread paintings by Chris Roberts-Antieau at Heron Arts. The fair also showcases embroidered-style paintings by Joan Salo at Michele Mariaud and a hyperrealistic bust of Picasso by Jamie Salmon at Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts.
Art Toronto, Canada's oldest and largest international fair for modern and contemporary art, opens to the public on Friday with a strong focus on Indigenous artists. Over half of the fair's 100-plus booths feature works by Indigenous makers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin America. The fair includes a mix of Canadian, European, Latin American, and US galleries, with a dedicated 'Arte Sur' section highlighting Mexican and Central and South American art. Notable exhibitors include Ceremonial Art, Fazakas, Feheley Fine Arts, and N. Smith Gallery, showcasing works by artists such as Ningiukulu Teevee, Shuvinai Ashoona, Gerardo Ramírez, and Manuel Mathieu.
The article previews the spring 2026 visual arts season in San Diego County, highlighting a diverse range of exhibitions and events. It announces the return of Art Gallery Month, a collaborative effort involving 11 local galleries aimed at boosting the visibility of the commercial gallery ecosystem and encouraging local art collecting. Key exhibitions featured include Ruben Ulises Rodriguez Montoya's first California solo museum show, 'In the Garden of Earthly Delights: I Bend to Paradise,' at the Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego, and the La Jolla Historical Society's 'Space Maker,' which explores the intersection of art and architecture. The preview also notes Richard Allen Morris's work at R.B. Stevenson Gallery and lists numerous participating commercial galleries.
Don LePan, a novelist, book publisher, and painter, argues that public art galleries across Canada are failing to display their permanent collections, using the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina as a prime example. During a visit in early March, LePan found that none of the gallery's extensive permanent collection—which includes works by Group of Seven artists, European masters like Picasso and Gauguin, and modernists such as Agnes Martin—was on view. Instead, the entire exhibition space was devoted to three special shows: a photographic and conceptual art exhibition by Plains Cree artist Joi T. Arcand, a selection of works by 2025 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts recipients, and an Indigenous art exhibition. LePan praises these exhibits but criticizes the gallery's decision to completely exclude its permanent collection.
German painter Harald Metzkes has died at the age of 97 in Wegendorf, Brandenburg, surrounded by his family. His son, sculptor Robert Metzkes, confirmed the news to the German Press Agency. Metzkes, who grew up in East Germany, was a leading figure of the Berlin School of painting and resisted the official doctrine of socialist realism, instead creating a personal "world theatre" of harlequins, circus scenes, and theatrical figures inspired by Rembrandt, Velázquez, and Paul Cézanne. His best-known work includes "Der Abtransport der sechsarmigen Göttin." After training as a stonemason and studying at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts, he worked as a freelance artist in Berlin, supporting himself with book illustrations. His work gained international attention when one of his paintings was sent to the Venice Biennale in 1984, and after the fall of the Berlin Wall he built connections with Western collectors.
Christie's London will host 'Close Encounters: Figuration, Painting and Landscape in the Arts Council Collection' from 3 to 23 June 2026, in partnership with the Arts Council Collection to mark its 80th anniversary. The exhibition brings together historical works by artists such as David Hockney, Sonia Boyce, Peter Doig, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Michael Armitage, and Claudette Johnson alongside new acquisitions by Christina Kimeze and Vanessa Raw, exploring themes of gender, sexuality, landscape, and Black British women's representation.
Berlin's cultural senator Sarah Wedl-Wilson resigned on Friday after the Berlin Court of Auditors ruled that millions in funding for antisemitism prevention projects were illegal. The resignation has sparked a political debate, with CDU general secretary Ottilie Klein defending governing mayor Kai Wegner against opposition criticism, while Franziska Stoff of the Berlin Culture Conference demands stability and a reversal of budget cuts. Thomas Fehrle, director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, expressed personal regret over Wedl-Wilson's departure, praising her competence and engagement.
The article surveys recent art-world commentary, focusing on a critical review of the Turner Prize shortlist in The Guardian, where Eddy Frankel calls the selection "timid, anxious, safe" and laments a self-perpetuating, elitist system. It also covers a Hyperallergic essay by Lisa Siraganian questioning whether artworks can possess personhood, sparked by Pierre Huyghe's Venice exhibition. Additionally, it reports on controversy at the Venice Biennale, where the jury preemptively excluded countries whose leaders are sought by the International Criminal Court—namely Russia and Israel—drawing sharp criticism from Die Welt's Marcus Woeller. A podcast interview with US sculptor Alma Allen, selected for the US Pavilion, rounds out the coverage.
Der unterschätzte Architekt der Avantgarde
The Fondazione Antonio Dalle Nogare in Bolzano is hosting a comprehensive retrospective dedicated to Ilja Sdanewitsch, known as Iliazd, a Georgian-Russian-French avant-garde polymath. The exhibition, titled "Toutité Iliazd. Die Erforschung der Form," showcases his diverse output as a writer, designer, and publisher who viewed the book as a primary art object. The display includes architectural reliefs, textile designs for Coco Chanel, and his significant collaborations with icons like Picasso and Duchamp.
"Weil das Ego sich plötzlich auflöst"
The art world is facing significant structural and political shifts, highlighted by the merger of Artnet and Artsy which has resulted in mass layoffs, particularly within the Artnet News editorial team and its Berlin operations. Simultaneously, tensions are rising in German cultural policy as gallery owner Rupert Pfab raises concerns over government interference in the Stiftung Kunstfonds jury selection, reflecting a broader climate of unease that includes recent controversies at the Berlinale.
Singapore is currently hosting a wide array of kid-friendly art exhibitions and museum installations across major cultural venues. Key highlights include the immersive 'Van Gogh Inside: Love Vincent' at Parkview Square, David Hockney’s 'Bigger & Closer' at the newly opened IMBA Theatre, and various interactive digital experiences at the revamped Keppel Centre for Art Education. These offerings range from high-tech multimedia nature zones like Exploria to traditional art museum settings tailored for younger audiences.
APC ART has announced the exclusive sale of a rare 1984 Andy Warhol screenprint titled "Kiku Flowers." The work originates from a limited edition of 1,500 produced for a landmark exhibition at the Gendai Hanga Center in Tokyo and is being offered as a comprehensive historical package. The sale includes the original cloth-bound exhibition catalog and primary source documents, such as the original "edition club" order forms used for the Kiku suite.
A limited edition 30th-anniversary exhibition poster for the historic Warhol/Basquiat collaboration is currently being offered for sale. The work, an offset lithographic poster published by the Tony Shafrazi Gallery in 2015, commemorates the iconic 1985 exhibition that brought together the king of Pop Art and the rising star of Neo-Expressionism. Signed by the publisher Tony Shafrazi, the piece is part of an edition of 300 and is being shipped from Hong Kong.
Kunst als Versuchsanordnung
The influential Berlin-based artist and professor Thomas Zipp has passed away unexpectedly. Known for his immersive installations that blurred the lines between art, science, and madness, Zipp created complex "experimental setups" involving painting, sculpture, and performance. His work often explored dark parallel worlds, notably evidenced in his haunting 2013 Venice Biennale project that transformed a palazzo into a derelict psychiatric ward.
Christie’s Paris has announced two major contemporary art auctions scheduled for late 2023, consisting of a live sale on December 6 and an online sale running from November 28 to December 8. The auctions feature over 200 lots with a combined global estimate of €8.5 million to €12.3 million, highlighted by two previously unseen paintings by Pierre Soulages and works by Jean Dubuffet and Georges Mathieu. A significant portion of the online sale is dedicated to "A Lifetime Collection," a prestigious private Parisian collection featuring works by David Hockney, Sol LeWitt, and Robert Combas.
This comprehensive guide highlights the 21 premier art institutions across Australia, ranging from major state museums to specialized private galleries. The selection features iconic venues such as the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, which houses the world’s largest collection of Indigenous art, and David Walsh’s subversive Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Tasmania. The list serves as a roadmap for navigating the country's diverse artistic landscape, including contemporary Chinese art at White Rabbit Gallery and significant Aboriginal works at the Araluen Arts Centre.
Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Evening Sale in London achieved a robust total of £131 million, more than doubling the results of the previous year's equivalent auction. The event was characterized by a high 98% sell-through rate and was anchored by significant single-owner collections, most notably works from billionaire Joe Lewis. Highlights included a Francis Bacon self-portrait that fetched £16 million and a record-breaking sale for Leon Kossoff, whose "Children’s Swimming Pool, Autumn Afternoon" sold for £5.2 million, nearly four times his previous auction record.
Researcher Julia May Boddewyn has published a new book, 'The Valentine Gallery: The Forgotten Story of Valentine Dudensing, Matisse, Picasso, and the US Market for Modern Art (1926-1947)', which unearths the history of a pivotal but overlooked New York gallery. Founded a century ago, the F. Valentine Dudensing Gallery was responsible for introducing European Modernism to America, hosting the first US solo shows for icons like Joan Miró and Piet Mondrian, and organizing the American debut of Picasso’s 'Guernica'.
The article previews major art exhibitions scheduled for 2026, highlighting two standout shows. At Basel's Fondation Beyeler, a Cezanne exhibition from January to May will focus on the artist's later works, featuring around 60 oil paintings and 20 watercolours, half from private collections. Highlights include a privately owned oil study of 'The Bathers' (around 1902-06) and 'The Boy in the Red Vest' (1888-90), with curator Ulf Küster emphasizing Cezanne's fragmentary, radical perspective. Separately, the traveling exhibition 'Edmonia Lewis: Said in Stone' will premiere at the Peabody Essex Museum in February, showcasing 30 sculptures by the 19th-century Black and Indigenous artist, organized after a 2016 acquisition by the Georgia Museum of Art spurred curators to track down her works.
Asia Society Texas (AST) in Houston announces its upcoming exhibition 'The House of Pikachu: Art, Anime, and Pop Culture,' opening October 17, 2025 and running through March 15, 2026. The show features 25 artists from Japan, Brazil, China, Mexico, Côte d'Ivoire, Texas, and beyond, exploring the influence of Japanese animation on contemporary art. Highlights include works by Yoshitaka Amano, Houston-based artist Gao Hang, and Monsieur Zohore, who is creating a new monumental painting titled 'Houston, We Have A Problem (2025)' that depicts a melee of postwar anime characters. The exhibition includes playful nods to classics like Astro Boy, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, and an immersive homage to Pikachu.
Asia Society Texas (AST) in Houston announces its upcoming exhibition "The House of Pikachu: Art, Anime, and Pop Culture," opening October 17, 2025, and running through March 15, 2026. The show features 25 artists from Japan, Brazil, China, Mexico, Côte d'Ivoire, Texas, and beyond, exploring the influence of Japanese animation on contemporary art. Highlights include works by Yoshitaka Amano, Gao Hang, and Monsieur Zohore, with nods to classics like Astro Boy, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, and an immersive homage to Pikachu.
Seven jewelry-themed museum exhibitions are on view globally in 2025, showcasing pieces from Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, and artist-designed adornments by Man Ray and Pablo Picasso. Highlights include "Cosmic Splendor" at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, featuring astronomically inspired Van Cleef & Arpels creations, and "Cartier" at the V&A in London, displaying over 350 objects including royal commissions and iconic panther jewels. Other shows feature contemporary and vintage designs, emphasizing jewelry as a wearable art form.
Annabelle Ténèze, now Director of the Musée du Louvre-Lens, has curated a new exhibition titled 'The Art of Dressing – Dressing like an Artist' at the museum. The show explores how artists from Rembrandt to Warhol use clothing and self-fashioning in their self-portraits and public personas, drawing on examples such as Niki de Saint Phalle's eccentric wardrobe and Rembrandt's deliberate sartorial choices. Ténèze was inspired by her earlier work on de Saint Phalle at Les Abattoirs in Toulouse and by Charlie Porter's book 'What Artists Wear'.
The National Gallery in London is celebrating its 200th anniversary, marking two centuries since its founding in 1824. The milestone is being commemorated with a series of special exhibitions, events, and public programs throughout the year, highlighting the museum's collection of over 2,300 paintings and its role as a cornerstone of British cultural heritage.
The Art Newspaper is promoting its digital newsletter, which delivers a daily digest of essential news, views, and analysis from the international art world directly to subscribers' inboxes. The article serves as a brief call-to-action for readers to subscribe.
Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan has launched a new project: a hotline and WhatsApp service inviting the public to confess their sins. The project, timed to coincide with the Easter period and the 21st anniversary of Pope John Paul II's death, will culminate in a livestream on April 23 where Cattelan will offer a form of symbolic absolution to selected participants. Alongside the hotline, he is releasing a limited edition of 666 small-scale replicas of his controversial 1999 sculpture, *The Ninth Hour*, which depicts the late pope struck by a meteorite.
Jeff Koons has designed two limited-edition glass bottles for Evian's 200th anniversary. The still water bottle features a pink top and an image of his iconic pink stainless-steel balloon dog, while the sparkling version uses a blue iteration of the same motif, both wrapped with a silver ribbon.
Une décision de justice favorable aux vitraux contemporains à Notre-Dame
A French court has ruled in favor of keeping contemporary stained-glass windows installed at Notre-Dame Cathedral, rejecting a legal challenge from traditionalists who sought their removal. The decision upholds the controversial replacement of 19th-century grisaille windows designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc with modern works by artist Pierre Soulages and others, as part of the cathedral's post-fire restoration.