While the world is ending outside

Während draußen die Welt untergeht

The ninth edition of the art festival "Various Others" opened in Munich amid rain, with galleries, institutions, and off-spaces presenting their exhibitions. Highlights include Jana Schröder's large-format paintings at Jahn und Jahn, juxtaposed with Willem de Kooning's works on newspaper; André Butzer's solo show at Galerie Christine Mayer, featuring his transition from monochrome 'N-Bilder' back to color; and Anselm Reyle's solo exhibition at Walter Storms in collaboration with Galerie Dirimart. Two standout shows are inspired by Persian miniature painting: Elif Saydam's 'Glory' at Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, where silver and gold leaf works will oxidize over centuries, and another exhibition exploring bodies in transitional states—pupating, oxidizing, and escaping fixed forms.

What You Should Definitely Avoid in Venice

Was man in Venedig unbedingt vermeiden sollte

The article humorously critiques the Venice Biennale, highlighting several disappointments. It describes a Japanese pavilion installation by Ei Arakawa-Nash featuring baby dolls for diaper-changing, which a critic dismisses as a male artist over-romanticizing parenthood. Other flops include long queues for the German and Austrian pavilions, underwhelming main exhibition "In Minor Keys," and annoying self-promotional performers outside venues. The piece also laments the presence of loud American collectors and donors who dominate the event.

Big Crisis, Small Gestures

Große Krise, kleine Gesten

The article reviews the second edition of the Klima Biennale Wien, which opened in early April in Vienna. It notes that while the biennale aims to address the urgent triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, its execution falls short. The exhibition features symbolic works such as a beached whale, a broken boat, and a compostable SUV sculpture, but these motifs feel repetitive and lack the necessary impact. The author contrasts these with historical precedents like Menashe Kadishman's 1978 Venice Biennale installation and Joseph Beuys' "7000 Eichen" (1982), arguing that the themes of nature and sustainability are not new, only the urgency has intensified.

Gozo Yoshimasu Wins £200,000 Serpentine x FLAG Art Foundation Prize

Tokyo-based poet and artist Gozo Yoshimasu has won the inaugural Serpentine x FLAG Art Foundation Prize, receiving £200,000 (approximately $272,000) along with solo exhibitions at Serpentine Galleries in London in fall 2027 and at the FLAG Art Foundation in New York in spring 2028. Yoshimasu, 87, emerged from the avant-garde scene of 1960s Tokyo and is known for blending poetry with performance, photography, audio recordings, and moving image. His work has been featured in the Shanghai Biennale, the Bienal de São Paulo, and major surveys such as “Poet Slash Artist” at Factory International. The prize was selected by a jury including Serpentine artistic director Hans Ulrich Obrist, FLAG Foundation director Jonathan Rider, MoMA curator Michelle Kuo, Museum MACAN director Venus Lau, and artist Rirkrit Tiravanija.

Venice Biennale 2026 Highlights: Off-Site Exhibitions

ArtReview editors highlight off-site pavilions and exhibitions at the 61st Venice Biennale, running from 9 May through 22 November 2026. Featured works include Li Yi-Fan's film *Screen Melancholy* at Palazzo delle Prigioni, which uses motion capture and a free-trial videogame engine to explore digital alienation and the 'enshittosphere,' and Roberto Diago's installation *Free Men* at the Pavilion of Cuban Republic, comprising rusted iron heads, fragmented wooden figures, and text works critiquing political oppression in Cuba.

What’s Gone Wrong in the Glasgow Art Scene?

Rachel Ashenden surveys the precarious state of Glasgow's visual arts scene in March 2026, following the liquidation and closure of the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) after years of mismanagement, a winter shutdown in 2024, and a protest by Arts Workers for Palestine Scotland that led to arrests. She visits artists and organizers across the city, including Rae-Yen Song's exhibition at Tramway, which evolved from a research show at the now-closed CCA, and speaks with Transmission co-founder Alastair Strachan about the city's artist-led legacy.

The 2026 Venice Biennale Is Quintessential Biennial Art

The 61st Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" and curated by the late Swiss-Cameroonian curator Koyo Kouoh, opened in 2026. The main exhibition at the Arsenale and Giardini features works by artists such as Éric Baudelaire, Maria Magdalena Campos Pons, Mohammed Z. Rahman, Sohrab Hura, and Rose Salane, among others. The exhibition centers on themes of mourning, colonial history, slavery, and healing, with works like Baudelaire's video installation linking the flower trade to the transatlantic slave trade, and a tribute section honoring artists Beverly Buchanan and Issa Samb.

Nicholas Pope, sculptor whose career came in two acts, 1949–2026

Nicholas Pope, a British sculptor known for his organic, post-minimalist works, has died at age 76. His career unfolded in two distinct acts: an early phase in the 1970s producing roughly-hewn wooden columns like *Oak Tree Column* (1973) and *Drooping Column* (1975), which earned him a spot in the British Pavilion at the 1980 Venice Biennale, followed by a decades-long hiatus after contracting viral encephalitis in Tanzania. He later returned to sculpture with brighter, brasher works in ceramic, glass, and felt, including *The Apostles Speaking in Tongues Lit By Their Own Lamps* (1993–96) and collaborations like *The Conundrum of the Chalices of the Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Virtues* (2015) with James Maskrey.

Beverly Buchanan’s Anti-Monuments

Beverly Buchanan's outdoor sculptures, such as 'Marsh Ruins' (1981) and 'Unity Stones' (1983), are quietly eroding in landscapes across Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina. These anti-monuments, made from tabby concrete and stone, blend into their surroundings while subtly referencing the region's layered histories, including Indigenous shell middens, plantation ruins, and the 1803 slave revolt on St. Simons Island. Buchanan, who died in 2015, is now receiving renewed attention: her work will be featured at the Venice Biennale this spring, and a touring retrospective is currently at Frac Lorraine in Metz, following a posthumous show at the Brooklyn Museum in 2016–17.

Katherine El-Salahi, anti-apartheid activist, anthropologist and publisher, 1945–2026

Katherine El-Salahi, an anti-apartheid activist, anthropologist, and publisher, has died at age 81. Born Katherine Levine, she studied at Cambridge and SOAS before joining the clandestine group London Recruits in 1970, carrying out leaflet bomb propaganda and running guns into South Africa. She later became instrumental in the career of her husband, Sudanese painter Ibrahim El-Salahi, organizing his landmark 2013 retrospective at Tate Modern, building his archive, and securing gallery representation with Vigo Gallery.

5 free must-see exhibitions to pick in Parisian galleries in May

5 expos gratuites coups de cœur à cueillir dans les galeries parisiennes en mai

Beaux Arts Magazine highlights five free exhibitions to visit in Parisian galleries in May 2026. At Galerie Mayoral, a show explores Alexander Calder's ties to Paris, featuring gouaches and totems. Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire presents Michel Jocaille's first solo exhibition, "Lily of the Valley," which uses lily-of-the-valley motifs to evoke labor history and camp aesthetics. Galerie Anne-Laure Buffard hosts a poignant dialogue between Diane Esmond, a painter whose works were burned by the Nazis, and her granddaughter Adrianna Wallis, whose photographs reference looted objects. Galerie Templon exhibits Alioune Diagne's paintings inspired by Wolof traditions, and another gallery shows prints by Swedish artist Mamma Andersson.

Who is Yto Barrada, France's representative at the Venice Biennale with a world-spanning work?

Qui est Yto Barrada, représentante de la France à la Biennale de Venise avec une œuvre-monde ?

Yto Barrada, the artist representing France at the 2026 Venice Biennale, has created a multidisciplinary installation titled "Saturne" for the French Pavilion. The work centers on textiles and natural dyeing, weaving together themes of postcolonial history, migration, craft transmission, and the symbolism of Saturn—from its astronomical mystery to its mythological role as the devourer of children. The installation features wool curtains, Aubusson tapestry, goat skins, wasp-nest sculptures, masks, muzzles, a color chart, and video, all housed in a renovated pavilion designed with the help of numerous artisans. Barrada, born in Paris in 1971 and raised in Tangier, founded the Cinémathèque de Tanger and later The Mothership, a research center focused on textiles and natural dyes. The exhibition is curated by Myriam Ben Salah.

Hirshhorn Museum Collection Tops 13,000 as Major 50th-Anniversary Acquisitions Announced

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC, acquired 314 works in 2025, bringing its collection to over 13,000 pieces. The acquisitions, announced in conjunction with the museum's 50th anniversary, include major works by Lorna Simpson, Sarah Sze, Mickalene Thomas, and Adam Pendleton, as well as photographs by Graciela Iturbide, Danny Lyon, Ezra Stoller, and Joel-Peter Witkin. The museum also received 176 works by Adam Pendleton as part of a multiyear gift from collectors Doug and Toni Gordon.

Nan Goldin will present major London exhibition at the Hayward in 2026.

American artist and activist Nan Goldin will present a major exhibition titled "You Never Did Anything Wrong" at London's Hayward Gallery from November 24, 2026, through March 7, 2027. This marks her first institutional presentation in the U.K. since 2002 and will conclude the Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary year.

Allison Katz’s Playful Paintings Hide Serious Ideas in Plain Sight

Painter Allison Katz, who lived in New York for seven years but hasn't shown in Manhattan for over a decade, returns with a major debut solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth's Wooster Street location. Titled "Outta the Bag," the show features a suite of New York–centric paintings, including depictions of the city's museums and skyscrapers, as well as an ironically small "Big Apple" composition, marking a significant moment for the mid-career artist.

5 Trends Shaping the 2026 Venice Biennale

The 2026 Venice Biennale has opened to the public, featuring the main exhibition 'In Minor Keys' conceived by the late Cameroonian Swiss curator Koyo Kouoh, who died unexpectedly in May 2025. Kouoh, the first African woman appointed to lead the Biennale, had her curatorial team—including Rasha Salti, Marie Hélène Pereira, and Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo—carry forward her vision of art as a 'shared and sustaining force.' The opening was weighted with politics and emotion.

11 Must-See Shows During New York Art Week 2026

New York Art Week 2026 is set to be a packed event, with major art fairs including Frieze, TEFAF, and Independent all scheduled within a single week this May. The art world will arrive directly from the Venice Biennale, and New York galleries are opening their major spring exhibitions to coincide with the influx of curators and collectors.

10 Must-See Shows During the Venice Biennale 2026

The 2026 Venice Biennale is embroiled in multiple controversies, including the cancellation and reinstatement of Australia's representative artist Khaled Sabsabi, ongoing calls to bar Israel from participating, criticism over allowing Russia to participate, and mounting voices to exclude the U.S. in response to President Donald Trump's actions in Iran. Despite these disputes, the article highlights that many of the city's most exciting shows will take place away from the main Biennale venues.

Beijing Oomph 2026

Beijing Oomph 2026 is a curated guide to the best contemporary art exhibitions across galleries and institutions in Beijing, timed to coincide with the Beijing Dangdai art fair and Gallery Weekend at the end of May. The article highlights Zhi Wei's exhibition "Folly" at Beijing Commune as a key show, reflecting the city's vibrant art scene during this concentrated period of gallery openings and events.

Niklaus Stoecklin at Hauser & Wirth, Basel

Hauser & Wirth Basel is presenting a focused exhibition of works by Swiss artist Niklaus Stoecklin (1896–1982), featuring paintings and drawings spanning from the 1920s to the 1970s. The show includes several rarely seen pieces, highlighting Stoecklin's distinctive approach to depicting life—people, animals, trees, stones, and space—as he described it.

Art Movements: Michelle Millar Fisher Heads to Cooper Hewitt

Michelle Millar Fisher, formerly curator of Contemporary Decorative Arts at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has been appointed chief curator at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in Manhattan. She succeeds Matilda McQuaid, who is retiring after 24 years. Separately, the Getty Foundation awarded $1.8 million in grants to eight institutions through its Black Visual Arts Archive initiative, supporting the processing of historical records related to Black art. Other notable appointments include Jamie Blosser as curator of the Loeb Fellowship at Harvard Graduate School of Design, Graham C. Boettcher as director and CEO of the Norman Rockwell Museum, and Susan Fisher Sterling's retirement from the National Museum of Women in Arts. Artist Nora Turato also unveiled a humorous billboard near the High Line reading 'GIVE US MOM!!!'.

Collateral Events Not to Miss at 61st Venice Biennale

The article highlights several collateral events not to miss at the 61st Venice Biennale, including "The Spirits of Maritime Crossing 2026" at Palazzo Rocca Contarini Corfù, featuring 20 artists from Southeast Asia, Ireland, and Serbia, anchored by Marina Abramović's performance piece "Sea Punishing" (2006). Other notable exhibitions include a seven-decade survey of Korean artist Lee Ufan at San Marco Art Centre, "TURANDOT: To the Daughters of the East" at ACP Palazzo Franchetti featuring 11 female artists from Central Asia, Li Yi-Fan's "Screen Melancholy" at Palazzo delle Prigioni, and Nalini Malani's "Of Woman Born" at Magazzini del Sale.

Art Fair Report: Stress Test

Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 drew 91,500 visitors and featured 240 galleries at the Convention and Exhibition Centre, alongside over 100 galleries at Art Central, three new boutique fairs, four new art spaces, multiple auction previews, and dozens of institutional shows and gallery openings. Despite a challenging 2025 that saw mega-galleries Pace and Perrotin close their Hong Kong spaces and auction results hit an eight-year low, blue-chip galleries reported strong sales, including David Zwirner’s USD 3.8 million sale of Liu Ye’s "Snow White" (2006) and Hauser & Wirth’s USD 2.95 million sale of a Louise Bourgeois work. The prevailing sentiment among collectors and gallerists was cautious optimism, with the phrase "Are you surviving?" overheard frequently.

The Essential Works of Rirkrit Tiravanija

ArtAsiaPacific profiles Rirkrit Tiravanija, a pioneering figure in relational aesthetics known for participatory works centered on communal dining and shared rituals. The article traces his career from his first solo exhibition "untitled 1990 (pad thai)" at Paula Allen Gallery in New York, where he cooked and served pad thai to visitors, to his current major retrospective "The House That Jack Built" at Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan, running through July 26. Tiravanija, born in Buenos Aires in 1961 and raised across multiple countries, has received numerous accolades including the Hugo Boss Prize (2004) and a nomination in the Established Artist category at the 2026 Art Basel Awards. He is also preparing to present a tent-like structure at the Qatari pavilion for the 2026 Venice Biennale, featuring contributions by Sophia Al-Maria, Tarek Atoui, Alia Farid, and Fadi Kattan.

Queer Horizon: “Spectrosynthesis Seoul” at Art Sonje Center

The fourth edition of "Spectrosynthesis," Sunpride Foundation's exhibition series dedicated to LGBTQ+ art in Asia, opens at Art Sonje Center in Seoul. Curated by Sunjung Kim and Youngwoo Lee, the show unfolds in two parts: "The Two-Sided Seashell" and "Tender: Invisibly Visible, Unlocatably Everywhere," featuring works by artists including Sin Wai Kin and Young-Jun Tak. The exhibition engages with queer theory, particularly José Esteban Muñoz's concept of queerness as a horizon of potentiality, and responds to South Korea's recent political turbulence, including the 2024 martial law declaration and presidential impeachment.

Frieze New York, the Cranach in Hitler’s Munich apartment, Ajamu X—podcast

This episode of The Art Newspaper's podcast covers several art-world stories. Ben Sutton and Kabir Jhala discuss the current edition of Frieze New York, alongside other concurrent fairs like Esther and Tefaf, and preview the upcoming New York auctions. Ben Luke interviews Martin Bailey about a Lucas Cranach the Elder painting, 'Cupid Complaining to Venus' (1526-27), which once hung in Adolf Hitler's Munich apartment, with a newly published photograph from the 1940s. The episode also features a segment on Ajamu X's 'Glamour Posse' series from the early 1990s, part of the touring exhibition 'Gender Stories' opening at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, with comments from gallery head Charlotte Keenan.

Re-Air: The Young Painter Curators Are Rushing to Work With

Artnet News resurfaces an interview with painter Taína H. Cruz, who is featured in both the Whitney Biennial and MoMA PS1's Greater New York exhibition. Cruz, born in 1998 and a recent MFA graduate from Yale School of Painting, creates moody paintings often depicting Black female figures, drawing on African American and Caribbean folklore, horror, fantasy, and personal imagery. The interview, conducted by Ben Davis, explores her influences and her response to the sudden surge of attention from major institutions.

film wealth consultant fanny pereire devil wears prada

Fanny Pereire is a fine art coordinator for film and television, responsible for curating the art seen in the homes and offices of fictional characters, particularly the ultra-wealthy. Her work spans productions like *The Devil Wears Prada 2*, *Succession*, *Industry*, and *The Menu*, where she sources, reproduces, and often destroys artworks to ensure authenticity and copyright compliance. She typically uses high-quality replicas for expensive pieces and oversees their destruction after filming.

Landmark Works Lead Cowley Abbott’s Sale of Indigenous and International Art

Cowley Abbott is staging its major spring sale, 'Select Masterworks of Indigenous and International Art,' at the Globe and Mail Centre in Toronto on May 27. The auction features a diverse range of works, including Pierre-Auguste Renoir's 'Paysage du Midi' (ca. 1900), Vincent van Gogh's 'Homme à la Pipe: Portrait du Docteur Gachet' (1890), Philip Russell Goodwin's 'Camping – Canadian Club' (1916), Emily Carr's 'Wind' (1936), and Lawren Stewart Harris's 'Above Coldwell Bay, North Shore, Lake Superior (Lake Superior Sketch XV)' (1925), with estimates ranging from CA$150,000 to CA$700,000.

Hulda Guzmán review – lizards and ghosts gather for an art freakout in the rainforest

Hulda Guzmán's first institutional exhibition in Europe, "Please Awake – Asked Nature Kindly," is on view at Turner Contemporary in Margate, UK. The show features the Dominican artist's ultra-colorful, psychedelic jungle paintings that blend art historical references—from Japanese ukiyo-e prints to pointillism and symbolism—with personal mythology, demons, spirits, and lush tropical landscapes. The works are drawn from her life in the Dominican rainforest, where she lives and works in a studio built by her architect father.