Artist and curator Jean-Marc Bustamante to launch foundation in Arles culture hub

French artist and curator Jean-Marc Bustamante will open the Fondation Bustamante in Arles, France, in summer 2026. Housed in a 12th-century church, the foundation will display his works and archive while hosting contemporary exhibitions, masterclasses, and supporting young curators, critics, and historians. The architect Charles Zana will design the three-floor space. Bustamante, who previously directed the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (ENSBA) in Paris, aims to position the foundation among Arles's existing cultural institutions such as LUMA Arles and the Fondation Van Gogh.

Art Meets Acne: The Opening Of The Acne Paper Gallery

Swedish fashion brand Acne Studios has opened a permanent art gallery called the Acne Paper Palais Royal in its original Paris location, which first opened in 2008. The inaugural exhibition features Dutch photographer Paul Kooiker, who photographed 42 art students from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam in black-and-white portraits reminiscent of classic school photos. The gallery will host a cross-disciplinary program including exhibitions, artist talks, magazine launches, and book signings.

A Wave of Japanese Art and Culture Immerses College of DuPage in ‘Floating World’ Exhibition

The Cleve Carney Museum of Art at the College of DuPage has opened "Hokusai & Ukiyo-e: The Floating World," an immersive exhibition exploring Japanese ukiyo-e art from the Edo period. The show features woodblock prints and scrolls, including Hokusai's iconic "The Great Wave Off Kanagawa," drawn from the collection of 19th-century Italian engraver Edoardo Chiossone. Many prints are on view in the U.S. for the first time. The exhibition extends beyond traditional display with an outdoor garden, manga and anime rooms, and a recreated Edo village built by the college's theater department.

Tokyo’s latest Godzilla art exhibition is a roaring tribute to the 70-year-old icon

The Mori Arts Center Gallery in Tokyo is hosting 'Godzilla The Art Exhibition', running until June 29, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the iconic monster. Featuring over 25 artists from Japan and abroad, including Tadanori Yokoo, Sachiko Kazama, Kikuji Kawada, and actor-artist Tadanobu Asano, the exhibition presents original works in sculpture, painting, photography, diorama, and performance. Designed by the creative team Cekai, the immersive environment simulates Godzilla's destruction with cracked walls and shattered floors, while thematic chapters explore the monster as a symbol of modern anxieties, historical trauma, and cultural evolution.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Legendary Artists, Are Back in Spirit

The article revisits Christo and Jeanne-Claude's iconic 1983 "Surrounded Islands" project in Miami's Biscayne Bay, where they wrapped 11 small islands in hot pink plastic. It describes how the spectacle drew global attention and marked a turning point for Miami, which was then struggling with crime and a negative image. The piece also notes that the couple's work is being seen again in Florida, New York, and Germany, with a related exhibition at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale.

Immersed in Pink: Christo’s Legacy Anchored in NSU Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale

The NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale has become the permanent home of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's "Surrounded Islands," featuring over 43 original preparatory drawings and collages by Christo, along with large-scale photo murals, photographs, engineering surveys, environmental reports, permits, personal correspondence, scale models, and actual fabric segments from the project. The exhibition is ongoing and includes rare archival materials gifted by the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation.

Art on Location

The article introduces 'Art on Location,' a curated focus on outdoor art experiences, covering public art, sculpture parks, urban and rural artist trails, and location-specific technology. It highlights examples such as Caravaggio's Rome, John Constable's Dedham Vale, and public sculptures from the Colossus of Rhodes to Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate. The piece also features a guide to all existing paintings by Leonardo da Vinci by expert Martin Kemp, a Vincent van Gogh artist trail by Martin Bailey, and discussions of exo-architecture, memorial art, land art, and virtual repatriation through location-specific technology.

BOTERO RETURNS TO SEOUL WITH HIS LARGEST RETROSPECTIVE IN ASIA

Fernando Botero (1932–2023) returns to Seoul with his largest retrospective in Asia, opening this Friday at the Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul Arts Center. Curated by Lina Botero and organized with the Fernando Botero Foundation, the exhibition features over 112 works, several never before exhibited. The show, titled "Fernando Botero: The Triumph of Form," runs through August 30, 2026, and highlights the Colombian master's signature visual language of volume, sensuality, irony, and humanity.

GRACIELA ITURBIDE BRINGS HER MAJOR RETROSPECTIVE TO BERLIN

C/O Berlin is hosting "Eyes to Fly With," the first major retrospective of Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide in the German capital. The exhibition features approximately 250 works spanning over five decades, ranging from her iconic documentary series of the Seri and Juchitán people to her more introspective studies of Chicano culture in Los Angeles and the personal belongings of Frida Kahlo at Casa Azul.

A JOURNEY THROUGH LATIN AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHY AND A REFLECTION ON THE ROLE OF COLLECTING

The Miraflores Palace of Arts (PLAM) in Lima is hosting "A Collection Is a Desire," a major exhibition featuring over 100 works from the Jan Mulder Collection. This presentation is an expanded version of a landmark 2012 showcase at the Rencontres d'Arles, which was the first time a private Latin American photography collection was featured at the prestigious French festival. The exhibition includes works by iconic figures such as Martín Chambi, Graciela Iturbide, and Vik Muñiz, spanning various periods and geographical contexts.

Who Are These People? A Conversation with Kai Althoff by Carlo Antonelli

In an intimate interview with Carlo Antonelli, German artist Kai Althoff discusses the psychological origins of the figures that populate his paintings and his collaborative history with Isa Genzken. Althoff describes his characters as a mix of imagined friends, despicable archetypes, and spirits that emerge subconsciously to outshine his own perceived mediocrity. He also reflects on his early influences, ranging from German-localized Marvel horror comics to the improvisational 'home video' skits he produced with Genzken, which he characterizes as a film about love.

Pinakotheke Cultural Opens Spacious New Gallery in São Paulo

Pinakotheke Cultural, founded by Max Perlingeiro in Rio de Janeiro in 1979, will open a new, significantly larger gallery space in São Paulo on May 16. Located on Rua Minas Gerais in the Higienópolis neighborhood, the venue nearly doubles the size of the gallery's previous São Paulo outpost. The inaugural exhibition, "Surrealisms: Art Beyond Reason," curated by Max Perlingeiro and Tadeu Chiarelli, will feature approximately one hundred works by sixty artists from Europe, Latin America, North America, and the Caribbean, offering a comprehensive overview of the surrealist movement.

New Seoul art fair HIVE drops booth fees in market experiment

The inaugural HIVE Art Fair in Seoul, opening May 21 at COEX Magok, is testing an alternative business model that eliminates fixed booth fees. Instead, galleries can choose which services and installations to pay for through a "selective purchase system," with the fair relying on ticket sales, corporate partnerships, and promotional lounges for revenue. The fair features 48 galleries (36 South Korean, 12 international) and 158 artists, with no overlapping artists between galleries, and will display exhibition titles and curatorial statements alongside gallery names.

Exhibits feature local artists, including youth

The Public Works Art Center in downtown Summerville is currently hosting four concurrent exhibitions featuring local artists, including Tom Stanley, Paul Matheny, Karyn Healey, and the late Gene Merritt, as well as a showcase for student artists. The shows, which run through May 16, present a range of works from paintings reflecting Southern culture to documentary photography of the town and youth art.

McKee Student Art Show celebrates its 95th year

The Haggin Museum in Stockton is hosting its 95th annual Robert T. McKee Student Art Exhibition, featuring approximately 1,700 works—paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculptures—submitted by K-12 students from across the county. The exhibition opens on January 29, with an artist reception on February 7, and runs through March 15. Works by younger students (kindergarten through 4th grade) are displayed in the West Gallery, while those by older students (5th through 12th grade) are shown upstairs in the Tuleberg Gallery.

Comment | After a market shake up in 2025, it's time to create a right-sized art trade

The article reflects on the art market's turbulent 2025, marked by gallery closures, weak auction results, and canceled art fairs. Rather than viewing this as a collapse, the author argues it represents a necessary "right-sizing" of an industry that over-expanded during boom years. Key figures like Philip Hoffman of the Fine Art Group advocate for leaner, more agile business models, such as his new advisory firm New Perspectives Art Partners. Meanwhile, dealers in New York and Los Angeles are adapting through shared exhibition spaces and strategic mergers, including Marian Goodman Gallery hosting Jenkins Johnson Gallery and the formation of Hoffman Donahue.

Is the art world’s big summer break a thing of the past?

As the art market continues to experience softer demand for a third summer, galleries in the US and the Americas are rethinking the traditional August break. Dealers like Wendi Norris (San Francisco), Omayra Alvarado-Jensen (Instituto de Visión, Bogotá and Manhattan), Pali Kashi (Europa, New York), and Davida Nemeroff (Night Gallery, Los Angeles) describe varied approaches: some remain open to meet traveling collectors, others close for weeks to regroup, and many launch offsite pop-ups to maintain momentum. There is no industry consensus, with decisions shaped by geography, cultural heritage, and collector migration patterns.

art ralph deluca art market downturn recession

Art advisor Ralph DeLuca, in his 'Street Smarts' column for Cultured, observes that amid political turmoil, tariffs, and art market jitters, wealthy collectors are shifting away from blue-chip contemporary art. Instead, they are investing in pop culture icons, historic artifacts, and natural history items like fossils, viewing them as safer bets. DeLuca notes that the May auction season saw high pass rates, failed guarantees, and lower prices, while galleries continue to close this summer.

The 15th-century Ca' Giustinian Faccanon reopens in Venice. It will be a space for exhibitions and events

A Venezia riapre il quattrocentesco Ca’ Giustinian Faccanon. Sarà uno spazio per mostre ed eventi

The historic Ca' Giustinian Faccanon, a rare example of Venetian Gothic architecture in the San Marco district, has reopened in Venice after over a year of restoration work. The 15th-century palace, acquired by entrepreneur Andrea Parisotto, will now serve as a space for exhibitions and events managed by Art Events and Cultural Real Estate Studio. During the 61st Venice Biennale, it will host the Vietnam Pavilion with the exhibition "Arte nel flusso globale" curated by Do Tuong Linh, marking Vietnam's first official participation, as well as a solo show by Korean sculptor Shim Moon-Seup titled "Harnessed From Nature."

Apre a Venezia una nuova fondazione per l’arte. Il progetto dell’artista curdo Ahmet Güneştekin a Palazzo Gradenigo

Kurdish artist Ahmet Güneştekin has opened a new foundation in Venice at Palazzo Gradenigo, a 16th-century building in the Castello district. The foundation's inaugural exhibition, titled "Sessizlik/Silenzio/Silence," will open on May 6 during the Venice Biennale. The show features 11 new bronze sculptures and 11 oil paintings. The palace, closed to the public for 17 years, was purchased by the artist and is undergoing a conservative restoration led by architects Alberto Torsello and Elisa Santoro, set to complete by late 2026. The foundation, entirely self-funded through sales of Güneştekin's works and royalties, aims to provide exhibition and training opportunities for young artists, especially from Turkey, in an international context.

A Baroque Too Baroque: Reflections on the Colossal Exhibition in Forlì

Un Barocco troppo barocco. Riflessioni sulla colossale mostra di Forlì

A massive exhibition titled "Barocco: il gran teatro delle idee" (Baroque: The Grand Theater of Ideas) is on view at the Museo Civico San Domenico in Forlì, Italy. The show, curated by a committee of six, ambitiously attempts to define the Baroque across the 17th and 18th centuries, extending its scope to include France and Spain, and even suggesting its echoes in the 20th century. It features approximately 300 works, including paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts.

EducaImmagine returns to Rovereto: the festival on media use. The protagonists speak

A Rovereto torna EducaImmagine, il festival sull’uso dei media. Parlano i protagonisti

The EducaImmagine festival returns to Rovereto with its 2026 edition titled "Miraggi" (Mirages), focusing on the complex relationship between media consumption and the perception of reality. Led by artistic director Luca Ferrario, the event gathers a diverse group of experts—including artists, designers, psychologists, and content creators—to address the challenges of digital literacy and the potential for images to distort or amplify truth in the modern age.

Italy's Soft Power in China Thanks to Two Major Exhibitions on Pompeii and Palladio

Il soft power dell’Italia in Cina grazie a due grandi mostre su Pompei e Palladio

The National Museum of China in Beijing is currently hosting two major exhibitions celebrating Italian cultural heritage: "Pompeii: An Eternal Discovery" and "Geometry, Harmony and Life: The Architecture of Andrea Palladio from Antiquity to Classicism." These exhibitions, marking the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and China, were inaugurated by Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli. The Pompeii showcase traces 250 years of archaeological history using artifacts and multimedia, while the Palladio exhibition explores the Renaissance master’s influence on Western architecture and creates a cross-cultural dialogue with traditional Chinese building techniques.

Nesting Seagull Becomes Unexpected Star of Venice Biennale

A seagull nesting near the Polish pavilion at the Venice Biennale has become an unexpected attraction, drawing bemused visitors and media attention. The bird laid eggs in the Giardini grounds, and a fence with a warning sign in English and Italian was erected around the nest. Organizers say this is the first known instance of a seagull nesting in such a prominent area of the exhibition. The Polish pavilion was closed on May 8 as part of a historic strike protesting the inclusion of aggressor states in the Biennale, with a sign supporting the Ukrainian Pavilion.

Dice Are 6,000 Years Older Than Previously Believed, Study Says

Archaeologist Robert J. Madden has published a groundbreaking study in the journal American Antiquity identifying over 600 prehistoric objects as two-sided dice. These artifacts, found across 57 sites in the American West, date back more than 12,000 years to the Late Pleistocene era. By applying criteria from historic Native American gaming traditions to these bone and wood fragments, Madden argues that dice-based games of chance existed 6,000 years earlier than previously recorded in the archaeological record.

From Mallorca to St. Moritz, Art Fairs Are Meeting Collectors Where They Vacation

A new wave of high-end art fairs is targeting luxury vacation destinations like St. Moritz, Mallorca, and the Hamptons, moving beyond traditional market hubs. These events, such as the inaugural St. Moritz Art Week and Art on the Island in Mallorca, are strategically timed for the summer and winter holiday seasons to directly engage wealthy collectors during their leisure time.

Fashion Loves Art: All of the Exhibitions to See at the 2026 Venice Biennale

The article, published by L'Officiel Art, provides a guide to fashion-brand-sponsored exhibitions at the 2026 Venice Biennale. It highlights projects by luxury houses including Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton, Zegna, and Bvlgari, framing them as unmissable cultural events within the broader Biennale program.

United Asian American Alliance hosts 3rd Annual AAPI Art Exhibit

The United Asian American Alliance hosted the 3rd Annual AAPI Art Exhibit at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, a month-long showcase of Asian American creativity and heritage. Curated by artist Joan Kim Suzuki, the exhibition features works in painting, mixed media, photography, and textile that explore themes of memory, identity, migration, and belonging. The opening reception welcomed distinguished guests including Tracey Edwards, New York State NAACP Vice President, and actor Lisa Yang, a Golden Horse Award nominee.

London Gallery Cancels Antisemitic Art Exhibit After Pro-Israel Lawyers Intervene

A London gallery, Delta House Gallery in Wandsworth, canceled a traveling exhibition titled "Drawings Against Genocide" by British artist Matthew Collings after UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) intervened, citing antisemitic content. The show, scheduled for May 16-24, featured drawings with swastikas, comparisons of Israel to Nazi Germany, and depictions of Jewish figures with horns, among other imagery. Gallery owner Pineapple Corporation Chairman Tom Berglund confirmed the cancellation, stating the exhibition was arranged without owner consultation.

Collaborative Brazilian Exhibitions

The rhinoceros gallery in Rome, in partnership with the Brazilian gallery A Gentil Carioca, has unveiled a solo exhibition by artist Miguel Afa titled 'O tempo que mora em mim' (The Time that Lives in Me). The collection features a series of paintings created by Afa during a residency in Rome, where he blended his Brazilian heritage with the profound influence of Italian art history and the local landscape. The works frequently utilize the motif of the courtyard to explore themes of memory, intimacy, and the intersection of different geographical identities.