“Magnanrama. Portraits, Networks, and News of Nathalie Magnan” at Villa Arson, Nice

Mousse Magazine reports on the exhibition “Magnanrama. Portraits, Networks, and News of Nathalie Magnan” at Villa Arson in Nice, which celebrates the life and work of Nathalie Magnan (1956-2016). Magnan was a media theorist, filmmaker, cyberfeminist, educator, webmistress, hacktivist, and interdisciplinary figure who navigated the internet and the high seas, contributing to the history of thought, technology, feminism, and LGBTQI+ struggles. The show presents portraits, networks, and news related to her legacy, positioning her as a mediator and artist despite her reluctance to use that term.

Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá's director departs amid accusations she harassed staff

The Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá (Mambo) is in a leadership crisis after its director, Martha Ortiz, resigned amid accusations of harassment and creating a toxic work environment. Her departure follows the dismissal of artistic director Eugenio Viola in February, which sparked an open letter signed by over 140 cultural figures demanding transparency. The museum's board chair, Ángela Royo, and financial manager Francy Hernández are temporarily overseeing operations while searches for both director and artistic director are underway.

Meriem Bennani, the artist who went viral during the pandemic

Meriem Bennani, a New York-based artist known for her shape-shifting practice of videos, installations, and immersive environments, gained viral fame during the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020. She co-created the animated series '2 Lizards' with fellow artist Orian Barki, which depicted surreal, humorous conversations between anthropomorphic reptiles navigating the first weeks of the pandemic in New York City. The series, posted on Instagram, resonated widely and led to eight episodes. Bennani's broader work, including 'Life on the CAPS' (2018–2022) and 'Mission Teens' (2019), blends digital animation, live-action footage, and cultural critique, often exploring themes of diaspora, post-colonialism, and migration through dystopian, supernatural narratives.

Ward Nichols Opening at Wilkes Art Gallery is April 17

The Wilkes Art Gallery in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, is hosting a career-spanning exhibition titled “From Reality to Realism, A Lifetime Perspective,” featuring the works of veteran artist Ward Nichols. The opening reception on April 17 will include a jazz performance and an indoor/outdoor celebration that involves the closure of Ward Nichols Way, a street recently renamed in the artist's honor.

Two New Exhibitions Open May 1 at Smith House Galleries

The Arts Council of the Valley is launching two concurrent solo exhibitions at the Smith House Galleries in Harrisonburg, Virginia. 'Young Warriors' by Sukenya Best features vibrant portrait paintings that explore themes of resilience and nature, while 'Water’s Journey' by Anna Freeman showcases ceramic and 2D works focused on the intertidal boundaries between land and water. The opening event on May 1 includes artist talks and a live portrait-drawing pop-up by artist Will Stroud.

Museum exhibitions to coffeehouse chats: How to celebrate America 250 this summer

The article outlines various events and exhibitions in Washington, D.C., celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States this summer. Highlights include the "In Pursuit of Life, Liberty, and Happiness" exhibit at the National Museum of American History, featuring 250 objects from 1776 to the present; a Gen-Z-focused coffeehouse chat at Tudor Place; exhibitions at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, including "Ms. Americana" and "Burnished: Pueblo Pottery"; and the Spirit of America Festival at the National Archives, showcasing rare documents.

Summer Exhibitions Coming to Venues in East & South Texas

Summer exhibitions are opening across East and South Texas at venues including the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, the Beeville Art Museum, the Longview Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of East Texas in Lufkin, and the Rockport Center for the Arts. Highlights include Janavi Mahimtura Folmsbee's 'Magic Water' at the Rockport Center for the Arts, a 2026 FotoFest Biennial Participating Space; Jennifer Arnold's 'A Layered Space: Coming Up For Air (v.6)'; Elena Rodz's 'Byways' as part of the Past Master Artists | Rockport Legends exhibition; Bill Pangburn's 'Printed Traces – A Neches River Journal' at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas; and Woody Gwyn's 'Skylight On Water, Trees, Rock and Road' at the Art Museum of South Texas.

Mayor Mary Sheffield visits the newly renovated Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, or MOCAD

Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield toured the newly renovated Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) on April 23, 2026, accompanied by Co-Directors Marie Madison-Patton and Jova Lynne, and Board Chair Charles Boyd. The renovation includes the renamed Julia Reyes Taubman Building, new large windows, an HVAC system, and a bar area, with exhibitions featuring works by Olayami Dabls, Carole Harris, and Martha Mysko.

New York museum celebrates boundary-pushing artist behind Central Park’s Bethesda Fountain

The Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington, New York, has opened "Carving Out History," the first-ever exhibition dedicated solely to 19th-century sculptor Emma Stebbins, creator of Central Park's iconic Bethesda Fountain. Curator Karli Wurzelbacher spent over five years assembling 14 marble sculptures from around the world, including pieces from Oregon, Rome, and Belfast, after a descendant of the artist contacted the museum in 2021. The exhibition is accompanied by a 256-page book and aims to establish Stebbins among the canon of great Neo-Classical sculptors.

The Big Review | Caravaggio 2025 at Palazzo Barberini, Rome ★★★

The article reviews the "Caravaggio 2025" exhibition at Palazzo Barberini in Rome, which brings together 24 paintings by the Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Curated by Francesca Cappelletti, Maria Cristina Terzaghi, and Thomas Clement Salomon, the show is accompanied by a heavy marketing campaign tied to the Catholic Church's Jubilee year. The review notes that while any gathering of Caravaggio's works guarantees a beautiful experience, the exhibition's title and scope remain unclear, and the curatorial approach—divided into four thematic sections—feels disjointed. Highlights include the reunion of three paintings from Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte's collection and the public display of the recently identified portrait of Maffeo Barberini.

Booming stock market is fueling a mega-billion return to classic art and a backlash to junk

A booming stock market and increased disposable income among the ultra-wealthy have fueled a $2.2 billion fall auction season in New York, led by Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer," which sold for $236.4 million at Sotheby's. Other major sales include Frida Kahlo's "El sueño (la cama)" setting a record for a female artist at $55 million, and Mark Rothko's "No. 31 Yellow Stripe" fetching $62 million at Christie's. The surge is attributed to a convergence of high-quality estates coming to market—including those of Leonard Lauder, Robert and Patricia Ross Weis, and Jay and Cindy Pritzker—and renewed confidence among wealthy buyers after a stagnant period for art prices.

Mandopop Icon Jay Chou Curates Two Dazzling Sales of Art and Memorabilia

Taiwanese Mandopop superstar Jay Chou has curated two simultaneous auctions on Pharrell Williams's platform Joopiter: one featuring 14 personal memorabilia items from his three-decade career, and another titled "The Contemporary Take: A Look With Jay Chou" offering 25 paintings and prints by international artists. Highlights include works by Oscar Yi Hou, Young-il Ahn, Daniel Richter, Hajime Sorayama, Diane Dal-Pra, Ernie Barnes, and Yoshitomo Nara. Bidding closes on October 31 for the art sale and November 4 for the memorabilia. Proceeds from the memorabilia sale will support a charitable initiative backed by Chou.

Martha Stewart’s Art Auction Is a Who’s Who of Contemporary Cool

Martha Stewart has curated her first-ever art auction with Joopiter, Pharrell Williams' auction platform, titled "The Contemporary Take." The sale features nearly 50 works by leading contemporary artists including Andy Warhol, Amy Sherald, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Damien Hirst, and Ai Weiwei, running from April 28 through May 6. Highlights include Yiadom-Boakye's "Bark Scraper" (estimated $900,000–$1.2 million), Hirst's pillcase "Up at Dawn" ($500,000–$700,000), and works by George Condo, Esther Mahlangu, and Hank Willis Thomas.

Martha Stewart Curates JOOPITER’s Art Debut

JOOPITER, the auction platform founded to rethink collecting for a digital generation, will launch its first dedicated contemporary art sale this spring. Titled "The Contemporary Take," the online auction runs from April 28 through May 6, 2025, and is curated in collaboration with Martha Stewart. The sale features nearly fifty works by established and emerging artists, including Alex Katz, Jeff Koons, Amy Sherald, George Condo, Esther Mahlangu, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Ai Weiwei, and Damien Hirst, selected to reflect the renewal and vibrancy of the season. The auction also marks the debut of late Iranian-American artist Davood Roostaei.

La grande artista Carla Accardi e l’arte italiana sono da record nell’asta da Dorotheum a Vienna

Dorotheum opened its Contemporary Week in Vienna on May 19, 2026, with modern and contemporary art sales that achieved strong results, particularly for Italian artists. Carla Accardi set a new auction record when her 1986 triptych *Fonda Notte Pieno Giorno* sold for €520,000, while works by Piero Dorazio, Emilio Vedova, Marino Marini, and Gino Severini also far exceeded their estimates. Top lots included Claude Monet’s *Waterloo Bridge* (€611,000) and Mikuláš Medek’s *Too Deep a Sleep V* (€546,000).

Philippe Halsman's Portraits Feature the Entire 20th-Century Cultural Elite: The Exhibition in Veneto

Nei ritratti di Philippe Halsman c’è tutta l’élite culturale del Novecento. La mostra in Veneto

The Palazzo Pinato Valeri in Piove di Sacco, Italy, is hosting a comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the legendary photographer Philippe Halsman. The show traces his career from his early 1930s Parisian portraits to his iconic American period, featuring his surrealist collaborations with Salvador Dalí and his famous "Jumpology" series. The collection includes intimate and experimental portraits of 20th-century icons such as Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein, Alfred Hitchcock, and Sophia Loren.

Carole Harris’ Origin Story in “This Side of the River” at MOCAD

The article reviews Carole Harris's solo exhibition "This Side of the River" at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD), curated by Abel Gonzalez Fernandez. The show features twenty fiber pieces and archival materials spanning from 1966 to the present, tracing Harris's creative evolution and her responses to Detroit's social and urban changes. It highlights early works like "Potpourri" (1976) and "Black Jack" (1976) from her 1977 debut at Gallery 7, a Black Power-era space founded by Charles McGee, and later pieces such as "Down the Road a Piece" (2003) that mark her shift toward improvisational, abstract compositions.

Artist Tammy Nguyen’s New Show Finds Heaven on Earth

Artist Tammy Nguyen presents her new exhibition "A Comedy for Mortals: Paradiso" at Lehmann Maupin New York, running from June 5 to August 15. The show is the final installment of a three-part series inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy, following earlier presentations in Seoul (Inferno) and London (Purgatory). Nguyen, a 40-year-old painter, professor at Wesleyan, and founder of Passenger Pigeon Press, creates dense, polymathic canvases that weave together imagery from Dante's celestial journey with contemporary references, including Frankenstein, President Eisenhower's military-industrial complex warning, and drones. The exhibition explores paradise as a journey of endless knowledge, while also delving into darker historical events like the 1815 Mount Tambora eruption.

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Toteme and CULTURED hosted a pre-Frieze week cocktail party at Toteme's Melrose Avenue flagship in West Hollywood. The intimate sunset gathering featured Ruinart champagne, Grey Goose martinis, and a curated collection of artworks by Swedish women artists, including pieces by Barbro Bäckström, Lisa Larson, and Alina Chaiderov. Guests included fashion tastemakers, arts patrons, interior designers, dealers, artists, and models, such as Christine Wuerfel-Stauss, Michelle Rubell, Yana Peel, Emma Webster, and Esther Kim Varet.

1-54 makes the most of its new home in New York

The 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair is holding its 11th New York edition at the Halo in the Financial District through May 11. Founder Touria El Glaoui notes a market shift toward more accessible pieces and prices amid the turbulent US economy. Of 30 participating dealers, ten are US-based, including first-time participant Gallery Article 15 from Washington, DC, which specializes in Congolese contemporary art. Other US galleries like Yossi Milo from Chelsea and Knowhere Art Gallery from Martha’s Vineyard are showing works by artists such as Samuel Fosso, Ibrahim Said, Sanlé Sory, Adana Tillman, and Maria-Lana Queen, with prices ranging from $500 to $36,000.

Patrice Drago: Celebrate spring with the Art Walk in Annapolis on April 16

The Annapolis Arts District will host its monthly First Sunday Arts Festival on April 16, featuring an Art Walk where visitors can explore galleries, studios, and pop-up exhibitions throughout the historic downtown area. The event includes live music, artist demonstrations, and opportunities to meet local creators.

MarfaMUST & Martha Invitational Return for Arts Weekend May 29-30

The Marfa Untitled Studio Tour (MarfaMUST) has announced an arts weekend on May 29-30, featuring a tour of local artist studios, the return of the Martha Invitational at Rule Gallery, and a pop-up group exhibition titled "Homecoming" at New Star Marfa. The Martha Invitational, a spoof of the larger Marfa Invitational, will showcase works by co-founders Martha Hughes, Leslie Wilkes, and Diana Simard, along with Bettina Landgrebe. The weekend also includes tintype portraits by Carolyn Macartney and other Marfa artists.

Martha Invitational x MarfaMUST

The Martha Invitational and MarfaMUST are collaborating on a two-day arts weekend in Marfa, Texas, from May 29-30, 2026. The event, themed 'Home Coming,' features a pop-up opening at Rule Gallery for the Martha Invitational, a closing event for MarfaMUST, and open studios throughout the town, all free to the public. It reunites the founding organizers of the Martha Invitational and incorporates new participants, celebrating the local artist community across generations.

Lifting Belly, Soft Bodies: Zuzanna Szary Talks with Wojciech Szymański

Polish painter Zuzanna Szary discusses her artistic journey and the intersection of queer identity, domesticity, and painting in an interview with Wojciech Szymański. Szary recounts discovering her lesbian identity in junior high and turning to painting after a period of clinical depression, eventually studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. Her work, which has evolved from portraits of partners to still lifes centered on food and home, explores themes of softness, sensuality, and the politics of the body, drawing inspiration from figures like Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas.

Mitchell Art Museum at St. John’s College Unveils New Exhibitions and Spring Events

The Mitchell Art Museum at St. John’s College has announced its spring programming lineup, headlined by the exhibition "In the VIDEODROME: Abjection and Alienation." Opening March 26, the show features seminal video works by Martha Rosler and Pipilotti Rist that critique systemic injustice and the societal treatment of women's bodies. The museum is also continuing its survey of Fluxus artist Ken Friedman, which encourages community participation through instructional art scores.

Long Island Sound Exhibition at AVS Gallery Highlights Its Beauty, History, Sense of Home

The Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art at UConn Avery Point presents "Sight and Sound: Artists Consider Long Island Sound," a group exhibition curated by Richard Klein featuring 14 artists including Brechin Morgan, James Prosek, Martha Willette Lewis, and Marion Belanger. The show explores the ecology, cultural history, and geology of Long Island Sound through diverse media, with works inspired by personal experiences and scientific insights about the body of water.

Animation Producer & Advocate Marge Dean Discusses Her New Art Exhibition Illuminating the Value of Domestic Labor

Marge Dean, an Emmy-winning animation producer and head of Skybound Entertainment, opens a new conceptual art exhibition titled "The Sweepers" at Automata gallery in Los Angeles' Chinatown on November 7. The show imagines a world where housework is valued as highly as fine art, presenting the fictional "Floor Field Cleaning" art movement (1940-1975) through portraits, floor samples, biographies, and an animated interview with a housewife named Laurie Poons. Dean, who is also founder of Women in Animation, created the work during the COVID lockdown, using rotoscoping and Photoshop to explore the intersection of domestic labor and artistic value.

food martha stewart alison roman king borgo

On a cold January evening in Tribeca, 85 people gathered at TIWA Select, an art gallery five stories above Walker Street, for "Stories to Savor," a fundraiser for 826NYC. The event blended readings, a dinner party, and a fundraiser, featuring a lineup of New York food luminaries including Martha Stewart, Alison Roman, Missy Robbins, Andrew Tarlow, and Annie Shi. Participants read food-themed essays and poems written by former 826NYC students, while chef Woldy Reyes prepared a Filipino-inspired feast. The evening was emceed by New Yorker writer Naomi Fry and co-host Kristen Naiman of The RealReal, with guests including fashion designer Ulla Johnson and artist Simone Bodmer-Turner.

Harris County Juried Exhibition

Mennello Museum’s 'Our Orlando' group show returns, featuring three innovative local artists

The Mennello Museum in Loch Haven, Orlando, has launched the fourth edition of its 'Our Orlando' group exhibition, featuring three local artists: Tasanee Durrett, Mado Smith, and Martha Jo Mahoney. The show, curated by museum director Shannon Fitzgerald and co-curator Flynn Dobbs, includes four works each by Durrett and Mahoney and two by Smith, drawn from studio visits. The exhibition runs through late August with an opening reception on Friday.