‘A true champion of artists’: Victoria Miro's artists celebrate gallery's 40th anniversary

Victoria Miro opened her eponymous gallery on Cork Street in London in December 1985, at a time when the punk collective The Grey Organisation was protesting the conservative art establishment. To mark the gallery's 40th anniversary, Miro is hosting an exhibition of works by all her artists at her 17,000 sq. ft space in Hoxton, with 23 of them creating new works specifically for the show, including Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Flora Yukhnovich, Elmgreen & Dragset, Chris Ofili, Chantal Joffe, Grayson Perry, and Celia Paul. The article features heartfelt tributes from artists like Isaac Julien, who calls Miro 'a true champion of artists,' and Joffe, who describes the gallery as family.

Get ‘Super/Natural’ Inside Judith Schaechter’s Stained Glass Sculpture

Judith Schaechter's large-scale stained glass sculpture "Super/Natural" has opened in a solo exhibition at Claire Oliver Gallery in Harlem. The immersive, eight-foot-tall installation, resembling a secular chapel, is filled with intricate depictions of flora and fauna and is designed for a single viewer to contemplate nature.

The Groups and Other Artistic Revolts: Networks and Collectivities in Mexico, 1976-1985

LOS GRUPOS Y OTRAS REVUELTAS ARTÍSTICAS. REDES Y COLECTIVIDADES EN MÉXICO, 1976-1985

The Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC) in Mexico City has launched a major exhibition titled "Los grupos y otras revueltas artísticas," which re-examines the surge of artist collectives in Mexico between 1976 and 1985. Drawing from the Arkheia Documentation Center, the show moves beyond a simple chronological survey to reconstruct emblematic works and document the radical shifts in artistic language that occurred during this era. It highlights key historical moments, such as the 1977 Paris Biennial and the formation of the Mexican Front of Cultural Workers' Groups, while exploring how these collectives navigated urban spaces and institutional boundaries.

Disobedience Archive (Canopy for Broken Time) In Dialogue with Raqs Media Collective at Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zürich

The Disobedience Archive, a mobile video archive initiated by Marco Scotini in 2005, is presented in dialogue with Raqs Media Collective at the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst in Zürich. The archive contains over one hundred documentary and art films at the intersection of art and activism, documenting forms of resistance, social struggle, and collective self-organization.

Would you sit on this? Australian designers take on the humble chair – in pictures

For the 10th edition of Melbourne Design Week, over 100 chairs by Australian designers are on display in an exhibition titled '100 Chairs', curated by Friends & Associates. Selected from an open call, each chair had to be made in Australia and functional for sitting. The designs range from traditional timber dining chairs to experimental pieces, including a chair that transforms into a table, a horse-shaped chair, and one with a satanic theme. The exhibition is held at South Magdalen Laundry, Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne until 24 May 2026.

more bob ross paintings auction bonhams

Three paintings by Bob Ross, the beloved host of PBS's *The Joy of Painting*, will be auctioned at Bonhams on January 27 as part of a 30-work consignment benefiting American Public Television (APT). The works—*Valley View* (1990), *Change of Seasons* (1990), and *Babbling Brook* (1993)—carry combined estimates up to $155,000. Previous Ross sales through Bonhams have been strong, including a November auction that brought $662,000 for three works and a separate sale exceeding $1 million organized by comedian John Oliver.

art basel artist arrest chalk performance

Performance artist Thomas Iser was arrested during Art Basel Miami Beach after spray-painting the words “Sorry to disturb, art in progress” on a window of the Miami Beach Convention Center using washable spray chalk. He invited his three-year-old daughter to add marks, and police charged him with criminal mischief. Iser, who has staged similar interventions globally, was handcuffed in front of his child and spent a night in jail before posting $600 bail. Miami-based artist Jillian Mayer witnessed the scene and documented it, noting the artist was in full body paint. Iser has since reframed the arrest as an unintended extension of the performance.

bob ross painting breaks record at john oliver public media benefit auction

John Oliver’s benefit auction for public broadcasting set a new market record for a Bob Ross painting. On Monday, Ross’s *Cabin at Sunset*, painted for a 1986 episode of PBS’s *The Joy of Painting*, sold for roughly $1,044,000. Oliver revealed the sale on the 2025 finale of *Last Week Tonight With John Oliver*, having persuaded the Bob Ross estate to auction the work. The lot received 35 bids. The auction was part of “John Oliver’s Junk,” an online sale of 65 items that netted nearly $1.54 million for the Public Media Bridge Fund, which supports local public broadcasters after the Trump administration eliminated $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Newcastle Art Gallery set to make its mark with opening weekend celebrations

Newcastle Art Gallery is launching its opening weekend celebrations with a street party, live music, and interactive art experiences. A unique highlight offers three attendees the chance to win a bespoke tattoo inspired by the Gallery's collection, to be inked by a local artist during the festivities.

Untitled: Artist Takeover Oct 2025

The Denver Art Museum hosted "Untitled: Artist Takeover Oct 2025," a Halloween-themed evening event featuring performances, art installations, and interactive activities across its Hamilton Building, Martin Building, and Sturm Grand Pavilion. Highlights included a memorial installation series "Death of Baddy" by artist Moe Gram, classic horror film screenings, tarot readings, shadow puppet theater, mask-making, and a dance party with DJ 2AND2. Participating artists and performers included Justy Robinson, Miguel Garcia, Kendall Bennett, Patty McCrystal, Zora Beglarian, Lisa Frank 666, Karma Leigh, Joe Oliver, Medicine Mama Kia, Shaunie Berry, Elle Hong, and Rafael & Kristina Maldonado Bad Hand.

HistoryMiami rebrands as Museum of Miami, a ‘museum without walls’

HistoryMiami, the historical museum of South Florida, has rebranded as the Museum of Miami, adopting a 'museum without walls' concept. The change reflects a shift away from a traditional brick-and-mortar institution toward a more flexible, community-engaged model that will operate across various locations and digital platforms throughout Miami.

May First Friday: 8 shows to see this month around Missoula

Missoula artist Julia LaTray presents a solo exhibition titled "Animal Pleasures" at Bob's Your Uncle gallery in May, featuring paintings of animals on glitchy, digitized backgrounds alongside lighting and other works. The gallery is only open to the public on dedicated nights, so the exhibition is paired with performances, comedy, and readings on May 1, 8, 15, and 29. Separately, Hanis Coos artist Sara Siestreem brings her major exhibition "Acts of Love, Refusal and Resistance" to the Missoula Art Museum, filling the museum's main galleries with large-scale mixed-media paintings and sculpture, including handmade baskets and ceramic molded versions with gilded flourishes. The museum hosts a First Friday reception on May 1 and a "Coffee and Conversation" with the artist on May 2.

Robert McLaughlin Gallery Opens New Summer Exhibits in Oshawa

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa, Ontario, will launch its summer exhibition season on June 13, 2026, featuring five new displays. The season includes solo shows by artists Stephen Andrews, Oliver Husain, and Austin Henderson. Andrews presents 'The sum of the parts,' a display of 125 drawings examining media coverage of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Husain offers an immersive video installation titled 'I ♥ Snail,' exploring the history of IMAX cinema. Henderson, the RBC emerging artist in residence, debuts works investigating queer history and the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Canada through his family history. A free public event with curator remarks, artist-led tours, and a complimentary shuttle from OCAD University in Toronto will mark the opening.

Review: “The Things We Carry” at Un Grito Gallery

The exhibition "The Things We Carry" at Un Grito Gallery serves as the centerpiece for the 2026 Contemporary Art Month (CAM) Perennial in San Antonio. Curated by Casie Lomeli and Leslie Moody Castro, the show features eight artists including Matt Rebholz, whose vibrant, alien-like landscapes subvert traditional Western imagery, and Tina Linville, who presents tactile sculptures composed of salvaged materials and concrete. The exhibition is part of a larger city-wide initiative spread across five artist-run spaces.

A Guide To April 2026 Photo Awards & Open Calls

A curated selection of international photography awards, scholarships, and open calls has been announced for April 2026. Key opportunities include the PhMuseum Online Masterclasses scholarships, which offer fully-funded spots for artistic development and documentary photography, and the PhMuseum Days Photography Festival open call for exhibitions in Bologna, Italy. Additionally, the Hasselblad Foundation is offering significant grants to support the publication of new photobooks by professionals in the field.

Zimbabwean artist Option Nyahunzvi explores cultural values in a bold new exhibition

Zimbabwean artist Option Dzikamai Nyahunzvi has launched a major solo exhibition titled 'Zvatiri' (Who We Are) at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. The show features a multidisciplinary approach, combining installations, live-art performances, and paintings created with a unique technique of layering and etching Fabriano paper onto canvas. The works heavily reference Shona identity, specifically the 'hunhu' (or ubuntu) belief system and the artist's own Mbizi (zebra) totem, aiming to reconnect contemporary audiences with ancestral wisdom.

Refurb and rehang at London's National Gallery, Tate Modern turns 25 and Inge Mahn's ‘Balancing Towers’—podcast

This episode of The Art Newspaper's 'The Week in Art' podcast, hosted by Ben Luke, covers three major stories. First, the National Gallery in London reopens its Sainsbury Wing after a two-year closure, featuring a major architectural overhaul by Annabelle Selldorf and a complete rehang of the collection; Luke tours the space with director Gabriele Finaldi. Second, Tate Modern celebrates its 25th anniversary, with Luke discussing its impact and future with Louisa Buck and Dale Berning Sawa. Third, the Work of the Week segment highlights Inge Mahn's sculpture 'Balancing Towers' (1989), featured in the exhibition 'Are we still up to it?' – Art & Democracy at Herrenchiemsee Palace, discussed with co-curator Oliver Kase.

Latter-day Saint artists ‘Lift Up the Hands Which Hang Down’ in new exhibit

The Church History Museum in Salt Lake City has unveiled 150 artworks selected for the 13th International Art Competition of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, themed "Lift Up the Hands Which Hang Down" after Doctrine and Covenants 81:5. The exhibition opened on April 24, 2025, featuring works by 584 artists from 26 countries, including pieces like "Deposition" by Sarah Hawkes and "The Parable of the Gardner: The Garden of the Lord" by Pamela Salinas Bernal. Curator Laura Paulsen Howe and BYU art history professor James Swensen, a juror, highlighted how artists visualized themes of succoring the weak and strengthening others through diverse media and personal testimony.

London’s Art Market Rebound: Sotheby’s Spring 2026 Recap

Sotheby’s London kicked off its Spring 2026 marquee season with a series of high-energy auctions, totaling £154 million across its Modern & Contemporary sales. The week was highlighted by a "white-glove" evening auction that achieved a 100% sell-through rate, led by Francis Bacon’s 1972 Self-Portrait which sold for £16 million. Significant records were set for British masters, most notably Leon Kossoff, whose painting "Children’s Swimming Pool" shattered estimates to reach £5.2 million.

Pauline Karpidas collection estimated to make £60m at Sotheby's

Sotheby's will hold a two-day sale in London on September 17-18 of around 250 works from the collection of British patron Pauline Karpidas, estimated at over £60 million—the highest estimate ever for a single-owner collection at the auction house in Europe. The sale includes Surrealist works by Max Ernst, Niki de Saint Phalle, Francis Picabia, and Salvador Dalí, alongside pieces by Andy Warhol and design objects by Les Lalanne, all drawn from Karpidas's London home.

What is the international exhibition of the Venice Biennale like? Review of "In minor keys" by Koyo Kouoh

Com’è la mostra internazionale della Biennale di Venezia? Recensione di “In minor keys” di Koyo Kouoh

The 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "In minor keys" and curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, opens to the public on May 9 amid controversies including the absence of the president's name in the colophon at the Arsenale entrance. The exhibition, organized by Kouoh's team (Rory Tsapayi, Siddharta Mitter, Marie Helene Pereira, Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo, and Rasha Salty), unfolds across the Giardini and the Arsenale's Corderie, featuring works that balance strength and beauty with a harmonious mix of voices and themes. The Giardini section is particularly compelling, with a non-linear, polycentric layout that feels like a living organism, while the Arsenale offers further depth.

In April, there are 29 shows at art centers including this year's International Baccalaureate Visual Arts Exhibition

Southwest Florida's art scene is experiencing a significant surge this April, with over a dozen art centers from Sarasota to Marco Island hosting 29 distinct exhibitions. Highlighting this seasonal peak, Art Center Sarasota is featuring major solo and group shows, including Herion Park’s fiber sculpture installation "UnBroken," Kendra Frorup’s exploration of cultural memory in "At Home Anywhere," and a curated group exhibition titled "Rooted in Community" focusing on historically Black neighborhoods.

Auction of Diane Keaton’s Collection Includes Art, Fashion, and Personal Treasures from Decades on Film

Bonhams auction house is conducting a series of sales of actress Diane Keaton's personal collection, titled "Diane Keaton: The Architecture of an Icon." The main in-person auction will be held at Bonhams' New York flagship on June 8, preceded by exhibitions in Los Angeles and New York, and accompanied by three online auctions focusing on her fashion, home decor, and personal objects.

A missing wolf and a Sydney sunset: photos of the day – Thursday

The Guardian’s picture editors have curated a selection of global photographs capturing significant moments from Thursday, April 9, 2026. The collection spans a wide range of subjects, including a dramatic sunset at Milk Beach in Sydney, environmental concerns over a widening faultline in the Swiss Alps, and political activities involving leaders in Scotland and Italy. It also documents somber events, such as the funeral of Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Wishah in Gaza.

david oyelowo ava duvernay thriller heist of benin

David Oyelowo and Ava DuVernay are reuniting for a new thriller film titled "Heist of Benin," more than a decade after their Oscar-winning collaboration on "Selma." The film is set in modern-day London and described as a thriller that intertwines art, love, and restitution. DuVernay will direct from a screenplay by Jesse Quiñones, based on an original idea. Oyelowo will star and produce under his Yoruba Saxon banner, with Studiocanal financing and distributing. The project was announced during Canal+’s ORIGINAL+ presentation in Paris.

galerie les bois offline

Gallery Les Bois has opened its inaugural exhibition, “Offline,” in London’s Chelsea neighborhood, running through July 22, 2025. The show explores digital saturation, online engagement pressures, and the environmental and human costs of the digital ecosystem. It features work by the artist duo Volcan, including their “Offline Series” (shown at the 60th Venice Biennale) and “Roadworks Series,” alongside contributions from Steve Foster, Oliver Tanay, Miranda Carter, and Jasmine Pradissitto. The gallery, founded by Claire-Julia Hill in 2024, aims to integrate sustainability with contemporary art.

gallery les bois claire julia hill

London-based Gallery Les Bois, founded in late 2024 by Claire-Julia Hill, is establishing itself as a pioneering force in sustainable contemporary art. The gallery features a diverse roster of artists who work with eco-conscious materials and techniques, such as transforming natural resources from impacted waterways into pigments and repurposing textile waste. In an interview, Hill discusses her background studying art history at Cambridge University, her inspiration to integrate sustainability into the art world, and the gallery's mission to champion artists who combine ecological responsibility with aesthetic excellence and conceptual rigor.

The LA Art World’s New Obsession Is a Theater Where Artists Run the Show

Calla Henkel and Max Pitegoff, former artistic directors of Berlin's Grüner Salon, launched New Theater Hollywood in 2024 as a nonprofit venue on Santa Monica Boulevard. The 49-seat theater specializes in genre-defying, multidisciplinary collaborations, staging works like Sophie Becker's ventriloquist act *Ronnie's Big Idea* and Diamond Stingily's *The Driver*. Every performance sells out, attracting a cult following of literary, art world, and pop culture figures who often linger to discuss shows.

Experience the wonders of Pippin Frisbie-Calder’s art inspired by LSU Vet Med residency

Pippin Frisbie-Calder, LSU School of Veterinary Medicine's 2025 artist-in-residence, will present a public exhibition and talk on November 10, 2025, at the LSU Vet Med Library. During her August residency, she engaged with clinicians, researchers, and the hospital environment to create original artworks inspired by veterinary science, using printmaking, woodcutting, and large-scale installations that explore climate change, species extinction, and environmental stewardship.

Urban Art Biennale: Rust, dust and decay revamps Germany's Völklingen ironworks

Dozens of urban artists from 17 countries have gathered at Germany's Völklinger Hütte (Völklingen Ironworks), a UNESCO World Heritage site, for the Urban Art Biennale 2026 opening this Saturday. The exhibition features 50 artists including Tomas Lacque, Boris Tellegen (Delta), Vortex-X, Ampparito, Remi Rough, and Anders Reventlov, who have created site-specific installations that engage with the industrial landmark's sprawling spaces, rust, dust, and sense of decay. Works range from a van covered in ash-like paint to a massive wooden sculpture and a rooftop text piece visible from 45 meters high.