Orlando Museum of Art just announced its 2026 Florida Prize lineup

The Orlando Museum of Art has unveiled the artist lineup for the 2026 Florida Prize in Contemporary Art, scheduled to run from May 30 through August 23. This 12th edition marks the largest in the program's history, featuring 12 artists including Maria Theresa Barbist, Jason Hackenwerth, and the duo We Are Nice’n Easy. The exhibition will culminate in a $20,000 grand prize awarded by juror Jade Powers, alongside a $2,500 People’s Choice Award.

Everything you need to know about the Met Gala 2026 and ‘Costume Art’ exhibition

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced details for its 2026 Costume Institute exhibition, titled 'Costume Art,' which is set to open on May 10, 2026. Curated by Andrew Bolton, the show will explore the 5,000-year history of the 'dressed body' by juxtaposing contemporary and historical fashion with sculpture, antiquities, and portraiture from across the museum’s 17 departments. The exhibition will be preceded by the annual Met Gala on May 4, 2026, serving as the primary fundraiser for the department.

Denver Art Museum digs into its closet for fun fashion show

The Denver Art Museum has unveiled "Conversation Pieces: Stories from the Fashion Archives," an exhibition composed entirely of works from its permanent collection. Featuring approximately 60 mannequins, the show highlights high-fashion garments from the past century, many of which have never been publicly displayed. The curation includes iconic pieces by legendary designers such as Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, and Elsa Schiaparelli, alongside contemporary works by Alexander McQueen and Carla Fernández.

Objekt/Object—An Order of Things and the Construction of the World

Malmö Konstmuseum has announced its annual seminar, "Objekt/Object: An Order of Things and the Construction of the World," scheduled for April 16, 2026. The event features a series of lectures and panel discussions involving international scholars, curators, and artists, including philosopher Roman Krznaric and professor Ariella Aïsha Azoulay. The seminar uses the museum's current exhibition, "An Order of Things," as a case study to examine how historical classification systems and contemporary curatorial choices shape collective memory and societal values.

Mark Rothko’s Historic Painting Sold at Auction for $8.5 Million -

Mark Rothko’s 1949 painting 'No. 10' sold for $8.5 million at Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Evening Auction in Hong Kong, establishing a new auction record for the artist’s 'Multiforms' series. The sale was part of a high-profile event that also saw Joan Mitchell’s 'La Grande Vallée VI' become the most expensive work by a female artist ever sold at auction in Asia.

Defining Forces: SAM explores the influences that shaped generations of NW artists

The Seattle Art Museum has launched "Beyond Mysticism: The Modern Northwest," a major exhibition that re-evaluates the legacy of the "Northwest Mystics." The show features pivotal works such as Mark Tobey’s "Dancing Miners" and Malcolm M. Roberts’ surrealist "Lunar Landscape," tracing how global movements like Surrealism and local landscapes merged to define the region's mid-century aesthetic.

LGBTQ folks have always engaged with magic, spirituality. Here's why

The Palm Springs Art Museum is launching "A Queer Arcana: Art, Magic, and Spirit," an ambitious exhibition exploring the intersection of LGBTQ+ identities and spiritual practices. Spanning over a century of creative production from 1906 to 2026, the show features 35 artists who have utilized occultism, tarot, and magical traditions to navigate societal oppression and foster community. The collection includes a diverse array of media, ranging from historical occult drawings by Austin Osman Spare to contemporary paintings by Devan Shimoyama and feminist tarot decks.

What to See and Do at the Denver Art Museum - Spring 2026 Guide

The Denver Art Museum has unveiled its spring 2026 programming, featuring a diverse slate of new and ongoing exhibitions. Highlights include the loan of two Rembrandt portraits from the National Gallery of Art, a major survey of contemporary Australian Indigenous art, and exhibitions on fashion, design, and regional printmaking. The season also sees the reinstallation of Francisco Clapera's complete casta painting series and new collection displays ranging from Japanese bamboo art to historic flatware.

Raphael and the Renaissance of Divine Beauty

The New York Times explores the enduring legacy of Raphael, the High Renaissance master whose work defined the pinnacle of 'divine beauty' and classical harmony. The analysis delves into his technical mastery, his ability to synthesize the influences of Leonardo and Michelangelo, and his prolific output during his brief life in Rome.

Great Dunmow artist has painting featured in Harlow Open exhibition

Great Dunmow artist Mandy Whittick is among the selected participants in this year's Harlow Open exhibition at the Gibberd Gallery. Her acrylic painting, "Stocks and Tulips," was chosen from nearly 500 submissions by a panel of prestigious judges, including representatives from the Royal College of Art and the Cambridge School of Art. The annual showcase, organized by the Harlow Art Trust, features 205 works from regional creators and is curated this year by Laura Noble.

Artists agonise over when a work is finished—but should we viewers care?

The article explores the perennial struggle artists face in determining when a work is complete, a process often fraught with the risk of overworking or 'wrecking' a piece. Drawing on insights from Howard Hodgkin and David Sylvester, it examines how artists like Degas, Matisse, and Cézanne navigated the boundary between a finished object and a work-in-progress, sometimes intentionally leaving canvases 'open' or 'fragmentarily complete' to preserve their emotional and visual immediacy.

9 new art museum and gallery exhibits opening in Houston this month

Houston is experiencing a significant surge in artistic activity this month, anchored by the 40th anniversary of FotoFest and major new installations at the city's leading institutions. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) is hosting "Buddha/Nature," a dialogue between ancient sculptures and contemporary works, alongside the return of Ernesto Neto’s massive immersive crochet installation, "SunForceOceanLife." Meanwhile, the Menil Collection is showcasing recent gifts, and Artechouse has launched a technology-driven spring celebration featuring AI-assisted sculpting and digital floral environments.

Tomás Saraceno and Indigenous communities build art complex in Argentine salt flats

Artist Tomás Saraceno has begun construction on "El Santuario del Agua" (The Water Sanctuary), a monumental art complex in the Salinas Grandes salt flats of northern Argentina. Developed in collaboration with 11 Indigenous communities and the Red Atacama coalition, the project consists of five semicircular salt structures inspired by Andean cosmology. Scheduled to open in October, the site will function as a community-owned space where visitors can engage with the landscape through elevated viewing platforms while supporting a sustainable tourism model.

Walkable suspended labyrinth exhibit returns to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) has brought back its massive, immersive installation "SunForceOceanLife" by Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto. The 35-foot-tall suspended labyrinth, hand-woven from vibrant paracord and filled with plastic balls, invites visitors to walk through its elevated pathways, requiring them to navigate the structure in museum-issued socks after signing a safety waiver.

The Big Review | The Woman Question 1550-2025 ★★★★½

The Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw has launched "The Woman Question 1550-2025," a massive survey featuring nearly 200 works by 140 women artists spanning five centuries. Curated by Alison M. Gingeras, the exhibition uses the medieval concept of "la querelle des femmes" to explore how women have asserted their status as "citizen artists" against patriarchal structures. The show juxtaposes historical masterpieces by figures like Artemisia Gentileschi and Sofonisba Anguissola with contemporary provocations by Miriam Cahn and Lubaina Himid, focusing heavily on figurative painting and sculpture.

Pussy Riot slams Russia’s return to Venice Biennale

Russia is set to return to the Venice Biennale for the first time since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, presenting a project titled "The tree is rooted in the sky" focused on folklore and multilingual cultures. The Russian pavilion, commissioned by Anastasia Karneeva and supported by Putin’s cultural envoy Mikhail Shvydkoy, will feature a filmed three-day festival. The Biennale organizers defended the inclusion, citing a policy of non-censorship for any country recognized by Italy that owns a pavilion in the Giardini.

An expert's guide to John Constable: five must-read books on the British painter

Emma Roodhouse, curator of the upcoming exhibition "Constable: A Cast of Characters" at Christchurch Mansion, has curated a selection of five essential books to deepen public understanding of the British landscape master John Constable. The list spans from interactive activity books and comprehensive biographies to scholarly catalogs focusing on his late experimental period and his career-long rivalry with J.M.W. Turner.

Is it finally time for the Guerrilla Girls to remove their masks?

The Getty Research Institute is hosting "How to Be a Guerrilla Girl," its first major exhibition drawn from the extensive archives of the anonymous feminist activist collective. The show features early drafts, posters, and archival materials that trace the group's 40-year history of using humor and data to combat misogyny and racism in the art world. Despite the institutional spotlight, the Getty has chosen to maintain the group's secrecy, even redacting names from public documents and keeping boxes of unmasked photographs sealed until the members' deaths.

Comment | Time for a rethink: women artists were never meant to merely be canon fodder

Comment | Time for a rethink: women artists were never meant to merely be canon fodder

The art world is increasingly moving beyond simply adding women to the existing art historical canon, a practice long criticized by feminist historians like Griselda Pollock. Instead of merely 'expanding' the canon, new institutional approaches aim to 'difference' it by using the work of women to fundamentally re-evaluate and subvert established narratives. This shift suggests that the inclusion of previously marginalized artists should change how we perceive the masters they are often compared to.

Opera Gallery Houston Grand Opening

Opera Gallery has officially opened its 14th international location in Houston’s River Oaks District, marking a significant expansion of its global footprint. The new space debuted with a high-profile presentation featuring masterworks by Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, and Marc Chagall, alongside contemporary pieces by Yayoi Kusama and Kehinde Wiley. Led by Director Gregory Lahmi and Deputy Director Kara Przybyl McIver, the gallery plans to host several curated exhibitions annually focusing on Modern and Post-War art.

Guest column | At the nation’s galleries, celebrations of selfhood, joy and renewal

Major American art institutions are undergoing a significant shift in perspective, prioritizing themes of diversity, selfhood, and renewal in their programming. This evolution is evidenced by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s total re-evaluation of its permanent collection display in anticipation of its new building, alongside a wave of exhibitions featuring contemporary voices like Derrick Adams and Nick Cave, and retrospectives for historical figures such as Edmonia Lewis and Isamu Noguchi.

Museum of Modern Art of Bogotá dismisses longtime artistic director

Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá dismisses longtime artistic director

The Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá (Mambo) has dismissed its artistic director, Eugenio Viola, after more than seven years. The museum's board announced the termination as part of a "comprehensive review," stating Viola will remain until May 2026 while a search for a successor begins. Viola contends his dismissal followed his raising of concerns about deteriorating working conditions, which the board dismissed.

Denver Art Museum presents Knife Fork Spoon: Everyday Tools, Extraordinary Design in May 2026

The Denver Art Museum will open an exhibition titled 'Knife Fork Spoon: Everyday Tools, Extraordinary Design' in May 2026. The show explores the history, artistry, and innovation of flatware, featuring over 200 objects from the 19th century to the present, including newly commissioned works by contemporary designers and architects.

A Nation of Artists

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has announced a major new exhibition titled "A Nation of Artists," which will showcase over 200 works of American art from its collection. The show spans from the early 19th century to the mid-20th century and features paintings, decorative arts, and folk art by artists including Georgia O'Keeffe, Edward Hopper, and Stuart Davis.

LACMA announces April 19 opening for new galleries

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) will open its new David Geffen Galleries building on April 19. Designed by architect Peter Zumthor, the 900-foot-long structure spans Wilshire Boulevard and will house the museum's permanent collection, featuring a non-hierarchical, single-level display of approximately 2,500-3,000 objects. The opening will be marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and two weeks of priority access for members.

Parrish Art Museum Opens 'Regeneration' Exhibition

The Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York, will open the exhibition 'Regeneration: Long Island’s History of Ecological Art and Care' on February 22, 2026. The show, part of the museum's yearlong 'PARRISH USA250' series, features works by eleven artists with ties to Long Island, including Sara Siestreem, Michelle Stuart, and Maya Lin, and will run through June 14.

Read the Room: Dallas Museum of Art’s “International Surrealism” Misses the Mark

The Dallas Museum of Art's exhibition "International Surrealism" is critiqued as a missed opportunity during the centennial of the surrealist movement. The author argues that while the show presents a broad survey of mixed-media works from around the world, divided into six thematic subgroups, it lacks the political urgency and revolutionary context that defined surrealism's origins in 1925. The exhibition, initially curated by Matthew Gale from the Tate Modern collection and presented locally by Sue Canterbury, is described as whimsical and decorous, reducing the movement's subversive power to quirky categories and gift-shop fodder.

Review: The powerful devotion of a female gaze: a triumphant exhibition of Gwen John's work

A landmark exhibition of Welsh artist Gwen John, titled "Gwen John: Strange Beauties," has opened at Amgueddfa Cymru (National Museum Wales) to celebrate the painter's 150th birthday. It is the most comprehensive retrospective of her work in 40 years, spanning two floors and featuring previously unseen sketches, watercolours, and intimate paintings of recurring subjects like cats, St Thérèse of Lisieux, and the artist's own room. The exhibition is curated by Lucy Wood and runs until June 28th.

LACMA sets opening date for highly anticipated David Geffen Galleries

LACMA has announced that its David Geffen Galleries, the centerpiece of a two-decade campus transformation, will open to the public on April 19, 2025, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and priority member access, followed by general admission starting May 4. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor, the $720-million Brutalist building spans Wilshire Boulevard and houses 110,000 square feet of exhibition space across 90 galleries, organized thematically rather than by medium or chronology. The inaugural installation will use global bodies of water as an organizing framework, featuring works such as Georges de La Tour's "The Magdalen with the Smoking Flame," Vincent van Gogh's "Tarascon Stagecoach," and Henri Matisse's "La Gerbe." The project was funded largely by private donors, including a record $150-million donation from David Geffen, with $125 million from L.A. County.

Huntsville Museum of Art’s new vision, fresh exhibits + reimagined experiences

The Huntsville Museum of Art is undergoing a significant transformation under the leadership of Chief Curator Natalie Mault Mead. Following extensive HVAC renovations that closed the museum, Mead is implementing a new vision focused on interactive storytelling, immersive experiences, and breaking down traditional barriers to art. This includes refreshed permanent installations, interactive elements like QR codes and audio descriptions, and a deliberate mix of internationally acclaimed and local artists.