Female nudity and art that stinks: key takeaways from Venice Biennale 2026

The 2026 Venice Biennale opened with 99 participating countries, including first-timers Somalia and Qatar, under the shadow of curator Koyo Kouoh's death. Her planned theme of "enhancement" and the main show "In Minor Keys" were disrupted by political protests: Pussy Riot objected to Russia's inclusion, and a strike against Israel's participation forced several national pavilions (UK, Austria, France) to close. Key takeaways include pervasive female nudity across pavilions, debates over Russia's presence, criticism of the US pavilion's lackluster art, maritime themes dominating several shows, and the rise of olfactory art.

‘I told his family he was HIV positive’: Keith Haring’s best friend on life with the artist as unseen works go on show

A collection of unseen Keith Haring works, including a crib he painted for his best friend's unborn child, is going on display at Sotheby's New York before being auctioned in May 2025. The collection belongs to Kermit Oswald, Haring's childhood friend, and features 20 works, with a 1985 self-portrait estimated at $3m-$5m and the crib valued at $250,000-$350,000. Oswald shares intimate stories of their friendship, from childhood pranks in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, to their move to New York to study at the School of Visual Arts, and Haring's later collaboration with William Burroughs.

8 Standout Shows to See During Frieze Week in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is hosting a surge of high-profile exhibitions to coincide with the arrival of Frieze Los Angeles and its various satellite fairs. The city's gallery and museum circuit is currently anchored by major debuts and surveys, including Leiko Ikemura’s mystical explorations at Lisson Gallery, Sarah Sze’s immersive video and painting installations at Gagosian, and Alejandro García Contreras’s folklore-inspired ceramics at Anat Ebgi.

Epstein files reveal Leon Black as a key collector of Van Gogh works

Newly released documents from the Jeffrey Epstein case reveal that billionaire investor and former Museum of Modern Art chairman Leon Black was a major private collector of works by Vincent van Gogh. The files detail his ownership of at least five significant Van Gogh pieces, including the painting 'Quarry near Saint-Rémy' and the drawing 'Garden with Flowers,' with a combined value exceeding $95 million by 2016.

Paris art exhibitions to see this month

Paris is hosting a diverse array of art exhibitions this month, ranging from Jeffery Gibson's first solo show in France at Hauser & Wirth to a retrospective on photographer Denise Bellon. Other highlights include 'Radical Making' at Carpenters Workshop Gallery, featuring designs by Charlotte Perriand and Jean Prouvé alongside contemporary artists; Gareth Mason's ceramic-focused exhibition at the same gallery; Inez & Vinoodh's 'Think Love' series at India Mahdavi's Project Room #21; and a major Art Deco centenary exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. The guide also notes ongoing photography shows following Paris Photo 2025.

9 Standout Solo Gallery Shows to See in Paris

The article highlights nine standout solo gallery shows currently on view in Paris, coinciding with Art Basel and other art fairs taking place in the city. Featured exhibitions include Elmgreen & Dragset's lifelike office worker installation at MASSIMODECARLO's Piece Unique window, Jessie Makinson's new surreal figurative paintings at Brigitte Mulholland, a tribute to Robert Rauschenberg's 100th birthday at Thaddaeus Ropac, Jeffrey Gibson's first Paris solo show at Hauser & Wirth, and Mickalene Thomas's new portrait series at Galerie Nathalie Obadia, among others.

25 of 2025: 5 Sculptors to Watch

Artnet News has published the latest installment of its '25 of 2025' series, spotlighting five sculptors to watch. The article profiles Lotus L. Kang, a Canadian artist who had a solo show at 52 Walker in New York, was recently picked up by Esther Schipper, and has appeared in group exhibitions at MoMA, Jeffrey Deitch, and the Hessel Museum. It also features Raven Halfmoon, a Caddo Nation artist whose totemic ceramic works draw on Indigenous traditions and folklore, and who had her major institutional debut at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in 2023. The series aims to highlight emerging talents shaping contemporary art.

A brush with… Jeffrey Gibson—podcast

This podcast episode features artist Jeffrey Gibson, who discusses his interdisciplinary practice blending Indigenous histories, queer aesthetics, and contemporary visual culture. Gibson talks about his upcoming exhibitions, including his U.S. Pavilion presentation at the 2024 Venice Biennale, a show at Hauser & Wirth in Paris, and major museum commissions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MASS MoCA, The Broad, and Kunsthaus Zürich. He reflects on influences from Henri Matisse, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Frank Bowling, and David Hammons, as well as his connection to poet Layli Long Soldier and writer Hélène Cixous.

Hyperallergic Fall 2025 New York Art Guide

Hyperallergic has published its comprehensive Fall 2025 New York Art Guide, recommending over 80 exhibitions across all five boroughs. Major highlights include the reopening of the Studio Museum in Harlem after a seven-year renovation, the debut of the new New Museum on the Bowery, and multiple exhibitions marking the 100th anniversary of Robert Rauschenberg's birth at the Guggenheim and the Museum of the City of New York. The guide also features shows by Monet at the Brooklyn Museum, Renoir at the Morgan, and Ruth Asawa and Wifredo Lam at MoMA, along with public art installations by Mika Rottenberg and Lady Pink on the High Line and MoMA PS1 facade.

Revealed: Picasso’s granddaughter owned a Van Gogh—which she sold at Sotheby’s

Marina Picasso, granddaughter of Pablo Picasso, owned a Vincent van Gogh watercolor titled *Woman in a Wood* (September-October 1882), which she sold at Sotheby’s in New York on May 13 for $952,500. The work, which also features a sketch of a fishing boat on its reverse, was purchased by Marina in 1987 through Swiss dealer Jan Krugier from a Tehran-based collector. The sale was not publicly known until just before the auction. The article also notes that a separate Van Gogh oil painting, *In the Dunes* (September 1883), sold at Christie’s the previous day for $4 million from the collection of US businessman Jeffrey P. Draime.

15 Art Shows to See in Los Angeles This Summer

Los Angeles art institutions are presenting a diverse array of summer exhibitions, ranging from career-spanning surveys to historical reassessments. Highlights include Jeffrey Gibson's beadwork at the Broad, a survey of Barbara T. Smith's early Xerox works at the Marciano Art Foundation, a retrospective of Noah Davis at the Hammer Museum, and a group show at the California African American Museum addressing the legacy of Altadena's Black community after the Eaton Fire. Other notable shows include Nancy Buchanan's retrospective, Will Rawls at the ICA LA, Karl Haendel at the Weisman Museum, and a Jack Kirby exhibition at the Skirball Cultural Center.

15 Art Shows to See in Upstate New York This Summer

This guide highlights 15 art exhibitions across Upstate New York for summer, featuring moody paintings by Emily Pettigrew at Fenimore Art Museum, Native artists exploring time and memory at Hudson River Museum, Renée Green’s conceptual word shuffling at Dia Beacon, and Black history in the Hudson Valley at Vassar College's Loeb. Other shows include Arlene Shechet's intimate sculptures at Catskill Art Space and Larry Fink's photography at CPW in Kingston.

Is the US about to be humiliated on the world’s most prestigious cultural stage?

More than 70 prominent international artists have signed an open letter demanding the exclusion of the United States, Israel, and Russia from the 2026 Venice Biennale, accusing those governments of committing war crimes and atrocities. The controversy centers on the US pavilion, which will feature Mexico-based American artist Alma Allen, whose abstract, anodyne sculptures were chosen by a last-minute commissioner with no art-world experience—a luxury pet food store owner from Florida who reportedly gained the role through connections at Mar-a-Lago. The Biennale's five-person jury has already resigned amid the furor, and Russia is returning to the event for the first time since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

America’s Venice Biennale artist was scorned by tastemakers — he says he’s misunderstood

American sculptor Alma Allen, a self-taught artist with an unconventional background, has been selected to represent the United States at the 2025 Venice Biennale. His selection was made by the American Arts Conservancy, a new nonprofit with no art-world track record, which was awarded the commission through a State Department process that removed diversity requirements and emphasized art reflecting "American values."

A $15 million Compton arts center is in the works thanks to this formerly incarcerated painter

Fulton Leroy Washington, the self-taught painter known as Mr. Wash, has unveiled plans for a $15-million community arts hub in Compton, California. Designed by the renowned firm Morphosis Architects, the proposed Art by Wash Studio & Community Center will provide housing, studio space, and a small-business incubator specifically for formerly incarcerated artists. The project was launched alongside Washington’s latest exhibition, “The City of Compton: Then & Now,” which serves as a fundraiser for the construction.

Pace Prints will open printmaking studio and gallery in Los Angeles

Pace Prints, the storied New York-based print publisher and gallery, has announced it will open its first West Coast location in Hollywood this autumn. The new facility will feature a fully equipped printmaking workshop alongside a gallery space, allowing Los Angeles-based artists to produce technically ambitious works—including etching, woodcut, and large-format printing—without traveling to New York.

12 must-see exhibitions in and around Los Angeles during Frieze

Los Angeles is hosting a series of major exhibitions to coincide with the Frieze Los Angeles art fair, highlighting both historical activism and contemporary social critiques. Key shows include Judith F. Baca’s exploration of her iconic 'Great Wall of Los Angeles' mural at Jeffrey Deitch, a massive survey of time-based media from the Julia Stoschek Foundation at the Variety Arts Theater, and a collaborative project between MOCA and The Brick titled 'Monuments' that recontextualizes removed Confederate statues through the lens of contemporary Black artists.

Here’s Your Guide to the 13 Must-See Gallery and Museum Shows in Miami This Week

CULTURED magazine has published a guide to 13 must-see gallery and museum shows in Miami this week, highlighting exhibitions across the city during Art Basel Miami Beach. Featured shows include Studio Lenca's first solo show in Miami at David Castillo Gallery, Jeffrey Deitch's pop-up exhibition in the Miami Design District, Aneta Grzeszykowska's "DISORDER" at Voloshyn Gallery, a posthumous survey of Richard Hunt at the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, Woody De Othello's hometown museum solo at Pérez Art Museum Miami, Shayla Marshall's installation at a Walgreens storefront organized by the Bass and Bakehouse Art Complex, and Lawrence Lek's "NOX Pavilion" at the Bass, among others.

Sculptor Alma Allen officially selected to represent US at 2026 Venice Biennale

The US State Department has officially confirmed that sculptor Alma Allen will represent the United States at the 2026 Venice Biennale, following earlier delays caused by a 43-day government shutdown. Allen's exhibition, titled "Alma Allen: Call the Breeze," will run from May 9 to November 22, 2026, at the US Pavilion, organized by commissioner Jenni Parido of the American Arts Conservancy and independent curator Jeffrey Uslip. The show will feature around 30 sculptures, including new site-specific works, and the state department announcement explicitly aligns the presentation with President Donald Trump's "America first" ideology, framing the artworks as symbols of collective optimism and American excellence.

Untitled Art Houston opens with a slew of four- and five-figure sales

Untitled Art Houston opened its inaugural edition on Thursday, September 18, with a VIP preview that generated uneven but promising sales. Lower-priced works sold well, with notable transactions including a $415,000 piece by Carlos Cruz-Diez at Sicardi Ayers Bacino, a $125,000 painting by John Alexander at McClain Gallery, and a $150,000 bronze sculpture by Clare Rojas at Jessica Silverman. Other galleries reported sales ranging from $2,000 to $55,000, with some dealers selling out their stands. The fair marks Houston's first new art fair in years, following the demise of the Houston Fine Art Fair and Texas Contemporary Art Fair.

20 Fall Art Excursions Outside New York City

This article is a guide to 20 fall art excursions outside New York City, highlighting exhibitions in Upstate New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Featured shows include the 'Trees Never End and Houses Never End Biennial Exhibition' at Sky High Farm in Germantown, Nancy Friedemann-Sánchez's 'Dream Map and Cornucopia' at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, and 'All Manner of Experiments: Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group' at the Hessel Museum of Art at Bard College. Other notable stops include Jeffrey Gibson's exhibition at MASS MoCA, Kiyan Williams's installations at Art Omi, and 'Human Marks: Tattooing in Contemporary Art' at the Joseloff Gallery in Connecticut.

Bauhaus thread weaves through expansive textile show at MoMA

The traveling exhibition "Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction" has made its final stop at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Organized by Lynne Cooke, senior curator at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, in collaboration with MoMA, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the National Gallery of Canada, the show features around 150 works that explore weaving through the lens of abstraction. At MoMA, the exhibition responds to the museum's historical ties to the Bauhaus, including works by Anni Albers and Gunta Stölzl, and highlights lesser-known figures like Ed Rossbach. The show also includes contemporary artists such as Jeffrey Gibson, with several having concurrent solo exhibitions in New York.

Was Jeffrey Epstein’s Copy of a Modernist Painting Available for Sale on eBay?

An eBay seller listed a giclée print of Kees van Dongen's painting "Femme Fatale" (ca. 1905), claiming it once hung above Jeffrey Epstein's desk in his Upper East Side townhouse. The listing, titled "Documented by Federal Prosecutors," sought $50,000 and reached $25,000 in bidding before eBay removed it for violating its policies. The print had previously sold at Millea Bros. Auctioneers for $275. The New York Post first reported the listing, which referenced federal documentation of Epstein's art collection.

A Parisian Man Just Won a $1 Million Picasso Painting with a $117 Raffle Ticket

Ari Hodara, a 58-year-old engineer from Paris, has won a Pablo Picasso painting valued at approximately $1 million after purchasing a raffle ticket for just 100 euros. The artwork, a 1941 gouache-on-paper titled "Head of a Woman," depicts the artist's muse Dora Maar and was provided by Opera Gallery. The raffle sold 120,000 tickets globally, successfully raising significant funds for charity.

Rare Keith Haring Self-Portrait and Other Intimate Works Go on View in NYC

A collection of intimate works by Keith Haring, including a rare self-portrait, a painted crib, and personal letters, has gone on view at Sotheby's Breuer building in New York City. The works were gifted by Haring to his childhood best friend and fellow artist, Kermit Oswald, over the course of their friendship from 1977 to 1989. The free public exhibition precedes a series of three auctions beginning May 14, with highlights including the self-portrait estimated at $3–5 million and a crib-and-dresser set expected to fetch $250,000–350,000.

LACMA Got a Makeover

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has unveiled its new David Geffen Galleries, featuring an unconventional open-plan design that encourages non-linear exploration. The building's layout, which eschews traditional chronological narratives in favor of free-floating associations, has sparked debate among critics regarding its navigability and the restoration of key works like Alexander Calder’s "Three Quintains (Hello Girls)."

Michaelina Wautier Finally Known by Her Name

The Royal Academy of Arts in London has launched a monographic exhibition dedicated to Michaelina Wautier, a 17th-century Brussels-based painter whose work was misattributed to male contemporaries for centuries. Despite her mastery across diverse genres—including portraiture, floral still lifes, and large-scale history paintings typically reserved for men—her identity was obscured by patriarchal societal norms and a lack of biographical documentation. The show highlights her technical brilliance, notably in works like "The Triumph of Bacchus," which was long credited to male artists due to the era's restrictions on women studying nude models.

What If Every City Provided Artists With Free Supplies?

Materials for the Arts (MFTA), a program of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, provides free art supplies and tools to over 4,500 organizations, including public schools, nonprofits, and social justice groups. By diverting millions of pounds of materials from landfills—ranging from film production sets to high-end fabrics—the organization has reallocated over $40 million worth of goods to the creative community. The program's leadership is now advocating for an expansion of this model, envisioning dedicated reuse centers in every borough to meet the growing demand for accessible creative resources.

Because the Ego Suddenly Dissolves

"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.

sva shutting down mfa curatorial practice program 1234775014

The School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York has announced the closure of its MA in Curatorial Practice program, effective upon the retirement of its founding chair, Steven Henry Madoff, in May 2027. The decision to "teach out" the program comes despite recent recruitment efforts and follows a period of financial instability for the institution. The announcement also coincides with the recent abrupt resignation of David A. Ross, chair of SVA’s MFA Art Practice program, following revelations regarding his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein.