French artist Orlan, known for using her own body as a medium, underwent a series of plastic surgeries in the 1990s as part of a provocative art project titled "The Reincarnation of Saint Orlan." Now in her 70s, she continues to challenge conventional beauty standards and is currently lecturing at the Louvre in Paris, where she discusses her work and the evolution of perceptions of beauty.
ArtReview's Summer 2026 issue explores the theme of place and geography in contemporary art, moving beyond national identity as a political construct. The cover features Uzbek filmmaker Saodat Ismailova, photographed in Paris, whose work examines Central Asia's Soviet-influenced landscapes and suppressed histories. Other featured artists include Palestinian filmmaker Shuruq Harb, Colombian artist Ana María Devis, and historical figures Marcel Duchamp and Francis Picabia, with essays on their relationships to land, domestic space, and artistic legacy. The issue also includes interviews, exhibition reviews of artists like Marina Abramović and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, and book reviews covering philosophers and art theorists.
ArtReview publishes an essay by Jenny Wu examining Nancy Holt's Land art masterpiece *Sun Tunnels* (1973–76) in Utah's Great Basin Desert. The piece contrasts the work's intended framing of the landscape with its real-world context: bullet scars from local target practice, a nearby bar displaying a Trump 2024 banner, and the voices of 'Pineys' in Holt's film *Pine Barrens* (1975). Wu argues that Holt's framing devices both focus and exclude, revealing tensions between curated experience and the disorder of wider society.
The Phoenix Art Museum has received a major gift of 185 artworks by Indigenous artists from the William P. Healey Collection of Native American Art. The collection includes works by Cara Romero, Allan Houser, and Jaune-Quick-to-See Smith. To celebrate, the museum will open an exhibition titled “The Way We Came: A Century of Indigenous Art (The William P. Healey Collection at Phoenix Art Museum)” in August, featuring over 100 of the newly acquired pieces and running through July 2027. The show is curated by Dr. JoAnna Reyes and artist Tony Abeyta, and centers on the concept of “survivance,” a term coined by scholar Gerald Vizenor that blends survival and resistance.
Frieze London and Frieze Masters have announced the participating galleries for their 2026 editions, with 172 galleries at Frieze London and 140 at Frieze Masters. Both fairs will run concurrently from October 14–18 in Regent’s Park, London. Frieze London will feature a new section called Code Universe, curated by Carol Yinghua-Liu, exploring contemporary pop culture, while Frieze Masters introduces Queering Modernism, a section focused on LGBTQIA+ art history curated by Anke Kepkes. Notable returning programs include the Artist-to-Artist section, with solo presentations chosen by artists such as Firelei Báez, Jeffrey Gibson, and Yinka Shonibare CBE RA.
The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, has received a historic $15 million gift from the Sherman Fairchild Foundation, the largest donation in the museum's 105-year history. The gift, secured by museum director Jonathan P. Binstock as part of the 2025–29 strategic plan, includes $11.75 million for the endowment and additional funds for programming, facility upgrades, and digital systems. The museum plans to expand community engagement through its satellite space Phillips@THEARC and debut an immersive installation series inspired by Sam Gilliam's 1972 work "Broad Cape."
A six-year-old boy visiting the Israel Museum in Jerusalem used a pine cone from the museum's sculpture garden to puncture René Magritte's 1959 painting *Le château des Pyrénées*. Security intervened quickly, and the artwork was removed to the conservation department for repairs. The painting, commissioned by Magritte's friend Harry Torczyner to hide an unpleasant view from his Manhattan office, was donated to the museum in 1985 and is considered a major 20th-century work.
Sotheby’s attempted a private auction for Jackson Pollock’s *Number 19, 1951* on June 2 in New York, with an asking price of $50 million. The painting is owned by Pace Gallery founder Arne Glimcher. The sale failed after the auction house could not attract enough bidders, and Sotheby’s chairman Oliver Barker reportedly sent a video to prospective buyers noting Glimcher’s reluctance to sell. The auction was called off entirely, marking what sources describe as Sotheby’s first significant attempt at a private auction.
A new online platform called Leonardotheka launched on Monday, reuniting for the first time in over 400 years two major collections of Leonardo da Vinci's writings and drawings: the Codex Atlanticus, held by the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, and around 550 sheets from the Royal Collection Trust in Windsor Castle. The manuscripts were originally part of the same group created between the mid-1470s and 1519, but were separated shortly after da Vinci's death by sculptor Pompeo Leoni, who divided the folios into empirical and artistic categories. The digital archive, the result of a decade-long collaboration among the Royal Collection Trust, the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, and the Biblioteca Leonardiana in Vinci, includes fifty confirmed page reconstructions and digitally restored pages.
Franco-Argentinian artist Julio Le Parc, a pioneer of kinetic and Op art whose interactive works presaged contemporary participatory art, died in Paris on May 30 at age 97. The last surviving cofounder of the Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel (GRAV), Le Parc spent nearly seven decades creating works that harnessed light, color, movement, and reflection, completed by viewer participation. He won the International Grand Prize for Painting at the 1966 Venice Biennale, was expelled from France for his protest involvement, and continued experimenting with virtual reality into his nineties.
The Morgan Library & Museum in New York will present 'Tarot! Renaissance Symbols, Modern Visions,' an exhibition exploring the centuries-old tradition of tarot cards. Opening June 26 through October 4, the show features three surviving 15th-century decks commissioned by the Dukes of Milan, alongside modern interpretations by artists such as Pamela Colman Smith, André Breton, Victor Brauner, Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and Salvador Dalí. The exhibition traces how tarot imagery evolved from Italian court culture to become a tool for fortune-telling and artistic inspiration.
Photographer Ryan McGinley, who made history at 25 as one of the youngest artists to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum, is opening his first New York exhibition in nearly a decade at Jeffrey Deitch. Titled "Night Shift," the show features photographs taken exclusively between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., capturing nocturnal scenes across New York City's five boroughs, from Coney Island to Lincoln Center, punctuated by his signature nude figures. In an interview, McGinley discusses his creative process, studio habits, and the surprising photo critique he received from his Verizon technician.
Artist Danielle Mckinney discusses her painting *Recess* (2026), featured on the cover of CULTURED magazine's Indulgence issue. The work depicts a woman reclining on a couch under a glowing light, wearing a face mask, and is part of Mckinney's ongoing exploration of private, restorative moments. The article includes Mckinney's reflections on motherhood, emotional labor, and the act of painting as a space for unorganized feeling. It also notes that her exhibitions "Forest for the Trees" is on view at Marianne Boesky Gallery in New York through June 13, and "Shelter" is on view at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach through October 4.
The article highlights a series of art exhibitions opening in Cairo, Egypt, in June and July 2025. Key shows include Difaf gallery's trio exhibition "Fabric of Time" featuring Fatma Abu-Doma, Sara Alfazayry, and Ahmed Lesi; a retrospective "Echoes of Time" by Magdy Abdel-Aziz at Dai; and the Egyptian debut of the immersive digital experience "Beyond Van Gogh" at District 5 by Marakez. Other notable exhibitions include "Her Realm" by Ahmed Dafrawy at Art Linx Karma, "Lightings" by Ruairí O'Brien at Arcade, "Generations of Art" at Duroub, and photography exhibitions at the French Institute in Egypt by Randa Shaath and by Noria Tesson and Samar Bayoumi.
This roundup of art news covers several stories: Sotheby's failed private auction of Jackson Pollock's "Number 19, 1951" from Arne Glimcher's collection; a restitution lawsuit filed in New York for Gustav Klimt's "Fräulein Lieser" against the Austrian owner and auction house im Kinsky; a critical reflection on the purpose of Gallery Weekends amid market pressure; a tribute to the late Hilde Lynn Helphenstein, creator of the Instagram account "Jerry Gogosian"; and a feature on the 100-year anniversary of Marcel Breuer's Wassily Chair and the Bauhaus tubular steel furniture revolution.
During a panel discussion at Frieze’s No. 9 Cork Street space, dealer Thaddaeus Ropac argued that London needs lobbying to help its galleries navigate a shifting market, as the sixth edition of London Gallery Weekend launched with over 120 participating galleries. The event runs through Sunday, but faces challenges from Brexit, a cost of living crisis, dwindling arts funding, and political instability, while rival cities like Paris and Milan benefit from chic foundations and friendlier tax regimes.
Valentine Willie, the influential Malaysian gallerist, collector, curator, and consultant, passed away on June 9, 2026, at his home in Kuala Lumpur after a long battle with cancer. He was 71. Born in 1954 in Sandakan, Sabah, Willie studied law at University College London before returning to Malaysia, where he eventually shifted from legal practice to the art world. In 1996, he founded Valentine Willie Fine Art (VWFA) in Kuala Lumpur, which became a pioneering force for Southeast Asian contemporary art, representing over 450 artists and organizing more than 300 exhibitions. He also opened galleries in Singapore, Bali, Yogyakarta (Jogja Contemporary), and Manila (Manila Contemporary), and helped introduce Southeast Asian art to international art fairs such as ARCO Madrid and Melbourne Art Fair.
The New York City AIDS Memorial is unveiling a new public commission, "Eternal Flame for Scott Burton" (2026), by American sculptor Oscar Tuazon, on June 20 at St. Vincent's Triangle in Manhattan's West Village. The work reimagines Burton's landmark 1994 installation for the Sheepshead Bay fishing piers in Brooklyn, which was decommissioned in 2022 after damage from Superstorm Sandy. Tuazon used salvaged elements from the original piece, including red Atlantic granite and terrazzo, to create a functional circular bench with a light beam, honoring Burton's fusion of sculpture, design, and civic infrastructure.
Valentine Willie, a lawyer-turned-curator and gallerist who championed Southeast Asian contemporary art, died on June 9 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at age 71. Born in Sabah, Borneo, in 1954, Willie studied law at University College London before returning to Malaysia in 1978 to practice corporate law for two decades. In 1996, he co-founded Valentine Willie Fine Art (VWFA) with Mee-Seen Loong, which expanded to Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines, mounting an average of 14 shows annually until its closure in 2013. Willie later served as founding creative director of Ilham Gallery until 2020 and was executive director of KRA Group at the time of his death.
A dual-artist exhibition titled “Adam Pendleton and Antoni Tàpies” has opened at Alfonso Artiaco in Naples, pairing the work of contemporary American multidisciplinary artist Adam Pendleton (b. 1984) with that of postwar Catalan pioneer Antoni Tàpies (1923–2012). The show explores affinities in abstraction, materiality, and gesture across generations, featuring works selected through conversations between Pendleton and Tàpies’s son Antoni Tàpies Barba and daughter-in-law Natasha Hébert, who represent the artist’s estate. Pendleton, known for his “Black Dada” framework, and Tàpies, a key figure in Art Informel, are presented in a dialogue that emphasizes rhythm, surface, and shared intellectual and spiritual concerns rather than direct comparison.
FotoFocus, a non-profit organization, has opened its inaugural exhibition titled "Big Tent" at the new FotoFocus Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show, on view until 22 August 2026, features the work of more than 50 photographers, including Dawoud Bey, Robert Frank, and RaMell Ross. Partly inspired by Amanda Gorman's poem "In This Place (An American Lyric)," the exhibition examines the present state of US democracy through documentary and artistic photography, with images ranging from civil rights protests to contemporary border issues.
Artist Alma Allen has publicly accused veteran art publicist David Resnicow of working against his U.S. Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale. In an Instagram post, Allen claimed that two of three galleries that withdrew their support did so on Resnicow's advice, and that Resnicow warned arts writers, museum directors, funders, and curators not to support the pavilion. Resnicow denied the allegations, calling them "baffling" and stating he never told anyone not to work with Allen. This marks the second time Allen has named Resnicow, following a New York Times article in March.
Lehmann Maupin in New York is presenting “Guimi You: When the Sun Shines Again,” the South Korean artist’s first major solo exhibition in the city, opening June 11, 2026. The show features a new body of atmospheric paintings that explore the theme of starting over after a period of artistic dormancy, using light as a metaphor for growth and transformation. Works such as *Spring Walk* (2026), *Golden* (2026), and *Violet Haze* (2026) depict solitary figures in quiet, luminous landscapes, blending Eastern ink-painting traditions with Western oil techniques.
M. Florine Démosthène, an artist born in the US and raised between Port-au-Prince and New York, discusses her collage and sculptural practice in an interview with Burnaway. Her work explores the syncretisation of colonial activity and indigenous practices, drawing on her time living in Ghana and her Haitian heritage. She investigates objects from museum archives like the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum, focusing on how African art was stolen from shrines and how spirituality was pillaged. Her current research includes sugar chests, Blackamoor furniture, and the use of the Black body in decorative arts, as she transitions toward examining how languages and spiritual systems intersect with technology.
Galerie Templon has closed its Chelsea outpost in New York after four years, citing a rent increase from $55,000 per month for the 6,500-square-foot space. Mathieu Templon, who oversaw the New York location and is the son of founder Daniel Templon, plans to move back to Paris with his family but intends to open a smaller operation in TriBeCa or the Upper East Side. The gallery's last Chelsea exhibition was a solo show by Jamaican-born painter David Smalling, which closed at the end of April. Templon currently maintains works at a Midtown Manhattan design studio and uses Mathieu Templon's SoHo rental as an appointment-only showroom for private sales.
The Cleveland Museum of Art announced it has raised $480 million since 2023 toward a $600 million fundraising campaign, reaching 80% of its goal. The four-year campaign, the largest in the museum's history and one of the largest in the U.S. in recent decades, aims to permanently fund 21 curatorial and top administrative positions, support the museum's exhibition program, bolster art conservation, enhance the library and digital innovation, and establish a conservator of photography and a photography prize. Roughly $40 million is reserved for capital projects including refurbishment of the Fountain of the Waters and Zodiac Garden and an overhaul of Wade Lagoon. Of the total goal, $200 million will come from gifts of artworks.
A roundup of art exhibitions in Hong Kong for June 2026 highlights two shows: "Whisper or Loud" at SC Gallery, featuring four Hong Kong artists—Chow Ciao Chow, Doris Chui, Jake Wong, and Ant Ngai—who explore inner emotions through diverse visual languages, and "Lifting the Veil" at Gagosian Hong Kong, a survey of James Turrell's career including holograms, prints, Glassworks, and models of Roden Crater. The article also notes Turrell's ongoing monumental project at Roden Crater in Arizona.
This article highlights a curated selection of Arab art exhibitions across Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific that are worth traveling to this summer. Featured shows include "Captives: Art and Slavery in the Modern Mediterranean" at the Arab World Institute in Paris, Tarek Atoui's sound installation "Sunflowers" at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin, Wael Shawky's film-opera "Drama 1882" at the Grand Palais in Paris, and "The Lost Paintings: A Prelude to Return" at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, among others. The exhibitions span archaeology, contemporary installation, sound, film, and painting, with a focus on regional histories, memory, and diaspora.
The article examines the widespread consensus that museums are in crisis, synthesizing multiple diagnoses from recent debates in publications like ArtReview, The Art Newspaper, and the Financial Times. It identifies six distinct framings of the crisis: political (culture wars), restitution/postcolonial (repatriation and imperial legacies), financial/structural (sustainability of the building-based model), gender/leadership (forced resignations of women directors), technological (digital transformation and AI), and civic/social (responding to polarization). Professor Alan Wallach links these tensions to neoliberal austerity policies since the 1980s, warning that larger museums will thrive while smaller ones close.
Avital Sagalyn, an accomplished artist who died in 2020 at age 96, is finally receiving public recognition with a solo exhibition titled "Avital Sagalyn: Mid-Century Provincetown" at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM), running through August 2. Sagalyn, a Jewish refugee who fled Belgium in 1940, studied briefly with Hans Hofmann—who told her she already had her own style—and later befriended Picasso and Brancusi in Paris on a Fulbright Scholarship. Despite her talent and connections, she chose to drop out of the art world, never exhibiting her work during her lifetime. The show features her agile drawings and paintings of Provincetown scenes, discovered by her son Dan Sagalyn in 2017, and curated by former UMCA registrar Betsy Siersma.