Art News. Vasari Codex

museum exhibitions schedule Jun 26, 2025 visibility 17 link 6 artists

cara romero photographer hood museum exhibition

Cara Romero, an enrolled citizen of the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, is the subject of her first institutional solo exhibition, "Panûpünüwügai," at Dartmouth's Hood Museum in New Hampshire. The show features her photography that fuses Indigenous ancestral memory with pop culture, depicting Native women as powerful agents reclaiming space against colonial stereotypes. Romero has also been featured in over 10 museum group exhibitions since last fall, including shows at the Hudson River Museum and Cantor Art Center.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 25, 2025 visibility 17 link 2 artists

ai weiwei new artwork ukraine russia

Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei will debut a new site-specific work in Kyiv, Ukraine, this fall, responding to the country's ongoing war with Russia. Titled "Three Perfectly Proportioned Spheres and Camouflage Uniforms Painted White," the installation will be on view at Pavilion 13, a Soviet-era exhibition space, from September 14 to November 30. Commissioned by the nonprofit Ribbon International, the work reimagines Ai's "Divina Proportione" series (2004–12) using metal spheres encased in camouflage fabric painted white, symbolizing layered realities and the concealment of truth during conflict.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 18 link 7 artists, 1 gallery

work of the week elizabeth peytons liam noel

Elizabeth Peyton's double portrait of Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher sold for £1,992,000 ($2.7 million) at Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Evening Auction in London, just above its low estimate of £1.5 million. The work, depicting the band in 1996, was backed by a house guarantee and irrevocable bid. The consignor had purchased it in 2011 for $511,640, yielding a positive return. The sale coincided with Oasis's upcoming reunion tour starting July 4.

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candle obituary schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 14 link 4 artists

architect michael graves dead

Architect and designer Michael Graves has died at age 80 of natural causes at his home in Princeton, New Jersey. Known for iconic projects such as the Portland Municipal Services Building, the Denver Public Library, and the Alessi tea kettle for Target, Graves was a leading figure in postmodern architecture. His death prompted tributes from fellow architects Tod Williams and Richard Meier, who recalled his teaching at Princeton University and his influence on the field. Graves also designed the Humana Building, Team Disney building, and Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort, and in later years focused on accessibility projects after becoming paralyzed from a spinal cord infection.

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candle obituary schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 17 link 10 artists

civil rights photographer bob adelman obituary

Photographer Bob Adelman was found dead in his Miami home at age 85, with head injuries likely from a fall. Adelman began his career photographing New York jazz clubs, studied under Harper’s Bazaar art director Alexey Brodovitch, and became a protégé of presidential photographer Jacques Lowe. He earned a master’s degree in philosophy from Columbia and was a member of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), using his camera to document the Civil Rights movement—including sit-ins, the Selma-to-Montgomery march, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. He also photographed cultural figures such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Samuel Beckett, and Jim Morrison.

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rate_review review schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 20 link 7 artists

the mastermind film review kelly reichardt josh oconnor

Kelly Reichardt's new film *The Mastermind*, starring Josh O'Connor as a carpenter and family man who turns art thief, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and will be released by Mubi. The film follows O'Connor's character, J.B., as he plots a heist inspired by a real 1972 robbery of the Worcester Art Museum, targeting paintings by American modernist Arthur Dove. The movie blends suspense, humor, and meticulous visual storytelling, with Reichardt drawing on the aesthetic of 1970s America and the work of photographers Stephen Shore and William Eggleston.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 17 link 3 artists

sothebys offer 50m lichtensten

Sotheby's has announced the consignment of Roy Lichtenstein's painting *The Ring (Engagement)* (1962) for its May 12 spring contemporary evening sale in New York, with an estimated price of around $50 million. The work, one of the largest from Lichtenstein's iconic 1961–1964 comic-book-inspired series, has had only two owners in its 53-year history, most recently from the collection of Chicago philanthropist Stefan Edlis, who acquired it at Sotheby's in 1997 for $2.2 million.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 11 link 5 artists

tamara de lempicka boucard christies auction

Christie’s London is auctioning Tamara de Lempicka’s 1928 painting *Portrait du Docteur Boucard*, which has not been seen on the market in 40 years. The work, depicting doctor and bacteriologist Pierre Boucard, is expected to sell for between £5 million and £8 million ($6.18 million and $9.89 million). The sale coincides with the close of Lempicka’s historic retrospective at San Francisco’s de Young Museum—the first U.S. survey of the Art Deco master—and ahead of its opening at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.

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article news schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 16 link 5 artists

israeli us strikes iran jeopardize cultural heritage

Israeli and U.S. military strikes on Iran, occurring since June 13, 2025, have threatened significant damage to the country's cultural heritage. Israeli bombings targeted the headquarters of the Iranian state broadcaster (IRIB) in Tehran, a major work of Modern architecture designed by the firm of renowned Iranian architect Abdol Aziz Farmanfarmaian. U.S. bombings over the weekend struck a nuclear complex near Isfahan, one of Iran's most historically significant cities, though its historic landmarks appear unscathed. The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMoCA), designed by Kamran Diba and home to a major collection of modern Western art, is also a source of concern.

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article news schedule Jun 23, 2025 visibility 11 link 2 artists

medici portrait damaged by tourist at uffizi galleries florence

A 17th-century portrait of Grand Prince Ferdinando de’ Medici was damaged at the Uffizi Galleries in Florence when a tourist attempted to take a photo mimicking the prince's pose. The young Italian man tripped over a barrier, fell onto the painting, and tore the canvas. Security cameras captured the incident, and the tourist has been identified and reported to police, potentially facing criminal charges and repair costs.

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article news schedule Jun 23, 2025 visibility 15 link 12 artists

romania wins long term hold on disputed el greco

Romania has secured a "long-term hold" on El Greco's painting *Saint Sebastian* (1610–1614), which was pulled from a Christie's New York Old Masters sale in February. The work is claimed by Romania as unlawfully taken from its national collection in 1947. The painting will remain at Christie's until legal proceedings resolve the dispute. Meanwhile, Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro died in Milan at age 98, and abstract painter Thornton Willis died in New York at 89. Other news includes a letter from National Gallery director Gabriele Finali defending the Rubens attribution of *Samson and Delilah*, Japan's curatorial appointments for the 2026 Venice Biennale, and a Bristol City Council fundraiser to acquire an early JMW Turner painting.

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article news schedule Jun 20, 2025 visibility 20 link 4 artists

climate activist hurls pink paint at picasso painting at montreal museum

On Thursday, an environmental activist from the group Last Generation Canada hurled bright pink paint at Pablo Picasso's 1901 painting *L’hetaire* at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The protester, identified as 21-year-old Marcel, was arrested and later released pending a court appearance; two accomplices who filmed the act were detained and released without charge. The group cited the record-breaking heat wave in Winnipeg and Manitoba as a motivation, arguing that art is meaningless on a dead planet.

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article news schedule Jun 20, 2025 visibility 18 link 4 artists

curtis yarvin us pavilion venice biennale titian proposal

Curtis Yarvin, a computer engineer and far-right political thinker, has proposed a controversial US Pavilion for the 2026 Venice Biennale centered on Titian's *Rape of Europa* (1559–62), on loan from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Yarvin is collaborating with Dutch Egyptian artist Tarik Sadouma on the concept, which he describes as "rape-themed," though he notes room for feminist perspectives. The proposal, first reported by the *New Yorker* and detailed further by *Vanity Fair*, includes alternative plans such as forging and burning the painting or using AI if the loan is denied. Applications for the pavilion close July 30, with a final decision expected later in the summer.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 19, 2025 visibility 17 link 11 artists

harriet tubman river raid exhibition

A new exhibition at the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina, titled “Picturing Freedom,” highlights Harriet Tubman’s role in the Combahee River Raid of 1863, where she guided Union troops to free 756 enslaved people in a single night. The show features works by Jacob Lawrence, Aaron Douglas, Elizabeth Catlett, and Faith Ringgold, alongside contemporary artists, and includes multimedia elements such as audio interviews with descendants, a video reenactment, and landscape photographs by J. Henry Fair. Guest curated by Vanessa Thaxton-Ward of Hampton University Museum, the exhibition is based on Edda L. Fields-Black’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book "COMBEE."

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article news schedule Jun 17, 2025 visibility 13 link 2 artists

louvre closes strike

The Louvre Museum in Paris failed to open on Monday morning after front-of-house staff, including security guards, gallery attendants, and receptionists, staged a spontaneous protest over chronic understaffing and overcrowding. The walkout began after a routine internal meeting, forcing thousands of visitors to wait outside for hours without explanation. The museum eventually opened at 2:30 p.m. local time and offered refunds to affected ticket holders. The protest follows a leaked letter from director Laurence des Cars to culture minister Rachida Dati detailing severe infrastructure problems, including temperature fluctuations endangering artworks, leaky roofs, and inadequate visitor facilities.

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article news schedule Jun 17, 2025 visibility 17 link 6 artists

donald judd marfa national register of historic places

The National Park Service has added the Donald Judd Historic District in Marfa, Texas, to the National Register of Historic Places. The designation covers 15 buildings transformed by artist Donald Judd, including structures on the decommissioned Fort D.A. Russell army base, as well as his outdoor work *15 Untitled Works in Concrete* (1980–84). Judd began acquiring property in Marfa in 1971, creating an artist-centered environment that now draws around 50,000 visitors annually.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 17, 2025 visibility 19 link 16 artists

philadelphia museum boom 1940s art design

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has opened "Boom: Art and Design in the 1940s," a major survey featuring over 250 works including painting, photography, jewelry, ceramics, fashion, and furniture. The exhibition draws entirely from the museum's own collection, with around 40 percent of the works never exhibited before. It includes early pieces by celebrated figures like Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, as well as works by queer artists such as Paul Cadmus, Beauford Delaney, and Romaine Brooks, alongside self-taught artist Horace Pippin. Chief curator Jessica Smith emphasizes that the show aims to present a more complex, multivalent narrative of the decade beyond the dominant story of Abstract Expressionism.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 12, 2025 visibility 16 link 12 artists

metropolitan museum of art rockefeller wing reopening

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has unveiled the renovated Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, dedicated to the art of Africa, Oceania, and the ancient Americas. Designed by Kulapat Yantrasast of WHY Architecture with Beyer, Blinder, Belle Architects, the 40,000-square-foot wing opened to the public on May 31, showcasing 1,800 objects from 663 cultures across 90 countries. The collection originated from Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller, who began acquiring non-Western art in 1930 and later founded the Museum of Primitive Art in 1957 after the Met initially declined his donation.

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article policy schedule Jun 10, 2025 visibility 15 link 1 artist

donald judd foundation marfa national historic sites

The Texas Historical Commission announced that buildings repurposed by minimalist artist Donald Judd in Marfa, Texas, have been added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Approved by the National Park Service in May 2025, the designation expands the existing Fort D.A. Russell Historic District to include 15 buildings and a large-scale installation, all altered or created by Judd between 1973 and his death in 1994. The properties are managed by the Chinati Foundation and the Judd Foundation, which operate as separate entities. This is the second Judd-linked historic district in Marfa, following the Central Marfa Historic District’s designation in 2022.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 10, 2025 visibility 12 link 4 artists

marlene dumas pushes the limits of portraiture at tate modern

Marlene Dumas's largest retrospective to date, "The Image as Burden," has opened at Tate Modern, showcasing her uncompromising approach to portraiture. The exhibition features over 200 works, including early ink drawings like "Rejects" (1994-ongoing), political pieces such as "Osama" (2010), and the "Magdalenas" series from the 1995 Venice Biennale. Dumas, a South African painter based in Amsterdam, explores themes of identity, politics, and the female body through her fluid, often dark palette and responses to mass media images.

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article news schedule Jun 10, 2025 visibility 21 link 9 artists

white house art obamas

Barack and Michelle Obama have added several modern and contemporary artworks to the White House collection during their final year in residence. New acquisitions include works by Mark Rothko, Edward Hopper, Sam Francis, Josef Albers, Robert Rauschenberg, and Alma Thomas, replacing traditional portraits of former first ladies. The pieces were sourced partly through museum loans, such as two Hopper paintings from the Whitney Museum of American Art for the Oval Office.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 10, 2025 visibility 19 link 21 artists

10 nudes take home a nude benefit

The New York Academy of Art held its 26th annual "Take Home a Nude" benefit auction at Sotheby's Upper East Side headquarters, honoring artist John Alexander. The event featured 112 artists, including Ryan McGinness, Natalie Frank, Christo, Eric Fischl, and Kiki Smith, who each donated unique drawings made from the same nude models during Will Cotton's annual Drawing Party. The party, hosted at Cotton's studio, brought together New York artists to sketch live models, with this year's theme featuring the sons and daughters of art-world figures like Glenn O'Brien, Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, Anne Pasternak, and Barbara Gladstone posing alongside the nudes.

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article local schedule Jun 10, 2025 visibility 23 link 16 artists

historic paris art schools risk development

The Académie de la Grande Chaumière, a historic Paris art school founded in 1904 that taught artists like Balthus, Joan Miró, and Louise Bourgeois, faces eviction by July 31 after its owner Alexandre Garèse declined to renew its lease. Garèse plans to redevelop the Montparnasse site into a mixed-use complex with commercial and cultural spaces, hiring architect Franklin Azzi for the project. Over 21,000 people have signed a petition to save the school, and local heritage groups SOS Paris and Monts 14 have rallied against the closure.

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article policy schedule Jun 10, 2025 visibility 20 link 4 artists

french museums hike ticket prices non european visitors

Several major French cultural institutions, including the Louvre, the Château de Versailles, and potentially the Arc de Triomphe, have implemented a "differential tariff" that raises ticket prices for non-European Union visitors. Starting January 1, 2026, non-E.U. tourists will pay €30 ($35) to enter the Louvre, up from €22 ($25). The policy, first reported by Le Monde, is expected to generate up to €20 million annually for the Louvre alone, helping to fund urgent renovations estimated at €400 million over 15 years. The move follows a leaked letter from Louvre director Laurence des Cars to culture minister Rachida Dati warning of severe building deterioration, including temperature fluctuations endangering artworks and water damage. French president Emmanuel Macron has announced a sweeping restoration, but state funding will cover only a fraction of the cost.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 9, 2025 visibility 15 link 5 artists

jennie c jones met roof commission

Artist Jennie C. Jones has unveiled "Ensemble" (2025), a rooftop commission at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art featuring three monumental, wind-activated stringed instruments—an Aeolian harp, zither, and one-string—that visitors are asked not to touch. The sculptures, coated in deep red powdered aluminum and concrete panels, are designed to be played by the breeze, though wind did not cooperate during the press preview. Jones drew inspiration from the Met's collection of 5,000 musical instruments, African American folk instrument makers like Moses Williams and Louis Dotson, and Minimalist abstraction, creating a work that explores anticipation and the sonic potential of untouchable objects.

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article news schedule Jun 9, 2025 visibility 14 link 1 artist

klaus biesenbach american art scene political correctness

Curator Klaus Biesenbach, now director of the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, gave a lengthy interview to Der Spiegel in which he explained his decision to leave the American art scene, citing what he described as an oppressive climate of "political correctness." He claimed that DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) initiatives in U.S. museums had become "unbearable" quota requirements, and recounted a story about mandatory Zoom meetings after George Floyd's murder where he felt pressured to share personal experiences of discrimination. He also referenced the resignation of SFMOMA curator Gary Garrels over "reverse discrimination" comments and acknowledged his own controversial tenure at MOCA Los Angeles, which saw two high-profile resignations and a leadership restructuring.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 6, 2025 visibility 16 link 12 artists

inside va east storehouse

The V&A East Storehouse, a new museum space in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, opens to the public on May 31, 2025, offering free admission seven days a week. Housed in the former London 2012 Olympics Media and Broadcast Centre, the 172,222-square-foot facility displays over 250,000 objects, 350,000 books, and 1,000 archives from the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection. Designed by Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, the Storehouse features a glass-floored Collections Hall where visitors can freely explore shelves and mini-curated displays, with objects changed frequently. Highlights include the Agra Colonnade (1630s) from Shah Jahan's bathhouse and a section of the Robin Hood Gardens housing estate by Alison and Peter Smithson.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 6, 2025 visibility 17 link 6 artists

shakespeare folios sothebys london auction

Sotheby's London will auction a rare set of all four Shakespeare Folios—the First (1623), Second (1632), Third (1663), and Fourth (1685)—as a single lot on May 23, with a presale estimate of £3.5–4.5 million ($4.7–5.99 million). The set, assembled in 2016, is led by the First Folio, which preserved 18 of Shakespeare's plays that might otherwise have been lost. The sale marks the first time all four volumes have been offered together since a 1989 Sotheby's New York auction, which was canceled after a private offer was accepted.

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person people schedule Jun 5, 2025 visibility 18 link 10 artists

robert de niro presents catherine murphy with the robert de niro sr prize 3236

Academy Award-winning actor Robert De Niro hosted a reception on February 25, 2014, honoring painter Catherine Murphy as the third recipient of the Robert De Niro Sr. Prize, a $25,000 annual award for mid-career American painters. The event took place at De Niro's Greenwich Hotel in New York, with previous winners Stanley Whitney (2012) and Joyce Pensato (2013) in attendance, along with jury members including Lindsay Pollock, Susan Davidson, Peter Plagens, and Robert Storr.

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article news schedule Jun 5, 2025 visibility 20 link 7 artists

pacita abad archives stanford university

Stanford University's libraries and Cantor Arts Center have acquired the archives of Filipina American artist Pacita Abad, who died in 2004 at age 58. The 120-foot-long collection, a gift from her estate managed by her husband Jack Garrity, includes correspondence with artists like Faith Ringgold, photographs from her childhood in Manila, and materials from her global travels and exhibitions. The acquisition comes with a donation to support processing, and is seen as a homecoming for Abad, who left the Philippines in 1969 after student protests and later settled in the Bay Area, where she studied and began her art career.

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