art venice biennale gallery exhibition guide

Cultured magazine has published a guide to art exhibitions during the Venice Biennale, highlighting several major shows across the city. Featured exhibitions include "If All Time Is Eternally Present" at Palazzo Nervi-Scattolin with works by Tai Shani, Meriem Bennani & Orian Barki, and Kandis Williams; "Michael Armitage: The Promise of Change" at Palazzo Grassi; "Amoako Boafo: It doesn’t have to always make sense" at Palazzo Grimani; "Transforming Energy" by Marina Abramović at Gallerie dell’Accademia; and "Helter Skelter" by Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince at Fondazione Prada. The guide provides details on dates, locations, and curatorial themes for each show.

Andrew Lloyd Webber Says He's Writing a New Musical About the Time the 'Mona Lisa' Vanished Without a Trace in 1911

Andrew Lloyd Webber, the legendary composer behind 'The Phantom of the Opera,' has announced he is developing a new musical centered on the 1911 theft of Leonardo da Vinci’s 'Mona Lisa.' The production will dramatize the true story of Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian glazier who stole the masterpiece from the Louvre, leading to a two-year international search before the painting was recovered in Italy.

With $116 Million Gift, National Gallery Will Send Its Art Around Nation

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., has received a $116 million gift from billionaire art collector Mitchell P. Rales. This donation will fund a new program to send the museum's collection on long-term loans to smaller institutions across the United States in perpetuity, significantly expanding its national reach.

Getty Center in Los Angeles Is Closing for Year of Renovations

The Getty Center in Los Angeles has announced it will close to the public for a full year starting in March 2027. This significant hiatus is required to facilitate a major infrastructure overhaul, primarily focusing on the replacement of its aging computer-operated tram system and the modernization of several gallery spaces within the Richard Meier-designed campus.

First Details of the German Pavilion

Erste Details zum deutschen Pavillon

The German Pavilion at the upcoming Venice Biennale will present an exhibition titled "Ruin," featuring works by the late Henrike Naumann and artist Sung Tieu. Curated by Kathleen Reinhardt, the exhibition explores historical ruptures and the lingering effects of political and social voids following German reunification. Tragically, Naumann passed away shortly after completing her contributions, and her studio team is now working to realize her final artistic vision for the prestigious international stage.

Venice Biennale 2026: How Do You Critique a Posthumous Exhibition?

The article, published by ArtReview, examines the upcoming 61st Venice Biennale (2026), titled *In Minor Keys*, which was conceived by artistic director Koyo Kouoh before her death from cancer in May 2025 at age 57. The exhibition, based on Kouoh's drafted concept and completed by a curatorial team including Rory Tsapayi, Siddhartha Mitter, Marie Hélène Pereira, Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo, and Rasha Salti, adopts a musical metaphor of "minor-ness" and aims to avoid the pitfalls of previous Biennales by focusing on soul frequencies and dissonant harmony rather than direct commentary on world crises. The author, Martin Herbert, questions how critics will respond to a posthumous exhibition of this unprecedented scale, noting that previous artistic directors like Robert Storr, Cecilia Alemani, Christine Macel, and Adriano Pedrosa have faced varied critical receptions.

La grande fiera TEFAF si tiene a New York da 10 anni. Come sarà l’edizione 2026?

TEFAF New York returns to the Park Avenue Armory from May 15–19, 2026 (with a collector preview on May 14), marking the fair's tenth anniversary. The 2026 edition will host 88 top international galleries from 15 countries across four continents, offering museum-quality selections of modern and contemporary art, jewelry, antiques, and design. Highlights include Andy Warhol's Mao (1973) at ML Fine Art, Cecily Brown's Functor Hideaway (2008) at Berggruen Gallery, and a 2026 work by Minjung Kim at Voena. The fair also extends into the Armory's historic period rooms, and the TEFAF Museum Restoration Fund will support the conservation of a Medici tapestry owned by the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Candidates Announced for the 2026 Cannes Film Festival (Again No Italians, Just Like at the Biennale)

Annunciati i candidati al Festival di Cannes 2026 (pure qui niente italiani, come alla Biennale)

The 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival has unveiled its official selection for 2026, scheduled to run from May 12 to 23. Led by President Iris Knobloch and General Delegate Thierry Frémaux, the festival will open with Pierre Salvadori’s 'La Vénus électrique,' a romantic comedy set in 1928 Paris centered on a painter who loses his inspiration. The competition lineup features a global array of heavyweights, including new works by Pedro Almodóvar, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Asghar Farhadi.

Wyeth-Centric Brandywine Museum Will Be Transformed by Kengo Kuma & Associates

The Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, has selected Tokyo-based architecture firm Kengo Kuma & Associates to lead a $100 million transformation of its campus. The project will expand the current 15-acre site into a 325-acre public preserve and garden with ten miles of trails, including a new 40,000-square-foot freestanding museum and a renovation of the existing 19th-century grist mill building. Kengo Kuma will add 14,000 square feet of gallery space, and the new trails will connect the two museums to the original studios of N. C. Wyeth and Andrew Wyeth.

Closely Watched Curator Raphael Fonseca Joins Lisbon’s Culturgest

Raphael Fonseca, a prominent curator specializing in Latin American art, has been appointed as the new visual arts programmer at Culturgest in Lisbon. He will relocate to Portugal in June, succeeding Bruno Marchand, while maintaining a curator-at-large position with the Denver Art Museum, where he has served since 2021.

Renoir Not Seen in Public for 97 Years Will Go Up for Auction in May

A major portrait by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, "La femme aux lilas (Portrait de Nini Lopez)" (1876–77), will be sold at Christie's on May 18. The painting, which has been held privately by the Whitney Payson family for 97 years, is expected to fetch between $25 and $35 million.

Maria Schnyder Named New Director of De Pont Museum of Contemporary Art

Swiss art historian Maria Schnyder has been appointed as the new director of the De Pont Museum of Contemporary Art in Tilburg, Netherlands. She will succeed the retiring director Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen in October. Schnyder is an internal promotion, having joined the museum in 2013 and served as its deputy director for the last four years.

LACMA Sets May 4 Opening Date for $724 Million “Curvaceous Concrete Sandwich” as Reviews Pour In

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has announced that its new David Geffen Galleries will officially open to the public on May 4, 2025. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor, the $724 million "curvaceous concrete sandwich" spans Wilshire Boulevard and replaces four previous buildings. The inaugural exhibition, organized by a massive team of forty-five curators, will forgo traditional chronological displays in favor of a thematic framework centered on global oceanic exchange, featuring both permanent collection highlights and new commissions from contemporary artists like Lauren Halsey and Do Ho Suh.

Rirkrit Tiravanija to Assemble “A Gathering of Remarkable People” for Qatar Pavilion at Venice Biennale

Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija will headline the Qatar Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale with a collaborative project titled “Untitled (a gathering of remarkable people).” Curated by Tom Eccles and Ruba Katrib, the exhibition will be housed in a temporary tent in the Giardini on the site of Qatar’s future permanent pavilion. The presentation features a multidisciplinary roster including filmmaker Sophia Al-Maria, sound artist Tarek Atoui, sculptor Alia Farid, and chef Fadi Kattan, blending live performance, cinema, and Middle Eastern culinary traditions.

Getty Center to Close in Los Angeles as Major Renovation Looms

The Getty Center in Los Angeles will close for a full year starting March 15, 2027, to undergo its first major renovation since opening in 1997. The "modernization initiatives" include updates to the galleries, a redesign of the Welcome Hall with a new café, and the replacement of the iconic tram system to increase passenger capacity. During the closure, the Getty Villa in Malibu will remain open and display highlights from the Center’s permanent collection, while additional programming will be held at a temporary space on Sepulveda Boulevard.

Marian Goodman Gallery to ‘Pause’ Operations in Los Angeles

Marian Goodman Gallery is suspending operations at its Los Angeles location after two and a half years, following the conclusion of Tacita Dean's solo show on April 25. The gallery's partners announced a consolidation of programming to its historic homes in New York and Paris, stating they will evaluate the space's future while maintaining an LA presence through art fairs, special projects, and museum exhibitions.

Met Gala guests from Beyoncé to Nicole Kidman set to flaunt fashion as art

The article previews the 2025 Met Gala, where celebrities including Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams will ascend the Metropolitan Museum of Art's steps dressed according to the dress code "Fashion is art." The event, which raises funds for the museum's Costume Institute, encourages guests to treat fashion as an embodied art form, drawing on historical collaborations between designers and artists—such as Elsa Schiaparelli with Salvador Dalí, Yves Saint Laurent with Piet Mondrian, and Marc Jacobs with Takashi Murakami. The red carpet will be livestreamed by Vogue and the Associated Press.

14 artists having major museum moments in 2026

The article previews 14 artists who will have major museum exhibitions in 2026, highlighting key shows such as a long-awaited US retrospective of Marcel Duchamp, a Calder exhibition in Paris, and a Rothko show in Florence. It also details concurrent auction highlights at Christie's New York, including works from the S.I. Newhouse collection by Brancusi, Lichtenstein, Matisse, and Pollock. Specific exhibitions covered include "Krasner and Pollock: Past Continuous" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a Roy Lichtenstein retrospective at the Whitney Museum, and multiple European shows for Constantin Brancusi's 150th anniversary.

In the Heart of the Marais in Paris, the Swiss Cultural Center (Finally) Reopens its Doors

Au cœur du Marais à Paris, le Centre culturel suisse rouvre (enfin) ses portes

The Centre Culturel Suisse (CCS) in Paris is set to reopen on March 26, 2026, following a four-year renovation of its Marais district headquarters. The architectural overhaul, led by firms ASBR and Truwant+Rodet+, features modernized modular galleries, a redesigned bookstore, and a new courtyard café. The relaunch will be celebrated with a three-day festival featuring performances by choreographer Edouard Hue and music from the Bongo Joe Records label.

NADA New York 2026 Welcomes 121 International Galleries

The New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) has announced the 12th edition of NADA New York, taking place from May 13 to 17, 2026, at the Starrett-Lehigh Building in West Chelsea. The fair will feature over 121 galleries, art spaces, and non-profit organizations from 15 countries and 46 cities, including 45 NADA Members and 51 first-time exhibitors such as Brigitte Mulholland (Paris), The Address (Brescia), and Central Server Works (Los Angeles). Returning initiatives include the TD Curated Spotlight, organized by Anthony Elms of the Mattress Factory, and NADA Presents, a series of conversations and performances. Highlights include solo presentations by Malcolm McCormick, Jonathan Torres, Effie Wanyi Li, Xiaoyi Gao, and others.

Lévy Gorvy Dayan Bets on Urgency With New LGD Hammer Sales Platform

Lévy Gorvy Dayan has launched LGD Hammer, a new sales platform that blends gallery exhibition with auction-style urgency. The first work offered is Willem de Kooning's *Milkmaid* (1984), estimated at $10–$15 million, which will be on view by appointment from May 2 until the sale on May 16. Gallery cofounder Dominique Lévy will serve as auctioneer, drawing on her Christie's experience, while bidding occurs by phone with online observation. Cofounder Brett Gorvy emphasized the platform is not a market overhaul but a response to slowed private sales and cautious collectors who still respond to competitive pressure.

How Will the Venice Biennale Impact Alma Allen’s Market?

Artist Alma Allen has been selected as America's representative at the Venice Biennale, sparking controversy due to the unusual selection process under President Trump. The pavilion is commissioned by the newly formed American Arts Conservancy, led by Jenni Parido, who previously ran a pet food lifestyle shop and entered Trump's orbit through Mar-a-Lago pet charity events. Following the announcement, Allen's galleries Olney Gleason and Mendes Wood DM dropped him, but he was quickly picked up by high-profile gallery Perrotin. The article examines how the Biennale and its attendant drama might affect Allen's market, noting his longtime collectors include Beth Rudin DeWoody, Peter Morton, Jack Pierson, and others, while his auction prices have remained modest.

Natasha Tontey to Unveil Major New Immersive Installation Exploring Indigenous Resistance During Venice Biennale

Artist Natasha Tontey will unveil a major immersive installation titled "The Phantom Combatants and the Metabolism of Disobedient Organs" during the Venice Biennale at the Ateneo Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti. Jointly commissioned by Berlin’s LAS Art Foundation and Helsinki’s Amos Rex, the work combines video, sound, light, and sculpture to reimagine the story of Len Karamoy, a combatant in the CIA-supported Permesta movement that fought the Indonesian government from 1957 to 1961 in North Sulawesi. Tontey, a Minahasan Indigenous artist, uses LiDAR, quantum ghost imaging, and other technologies to explore Indigenous identity, ecology, and the blurring of history and myth.

Gladstone Gallery to Relocate in Seoul, Doubling Exhibition Space

Gladstone Gallery is relocating its Seoul location to the Hannam-dong neighborhood later this year, doubling its exhibition space. Designed by architect Minsuk Cho of Mass Studies, the new outpost will occupy two floors of the 739-28 Hannam Building, across from Pace Gallery and near the Leeum Museum of Art. The space is set to open in late summer ahead of Frieze Seoul in September, with a solo exhibition by Ed Atkins—his first in the city—inaugurating the gallery. Gladstone first opened in Seoul's Gangnam district in 2022, joining a wave of Western galleries entering the Korean market.

Obama Presidential Center Announces Final Cohort of Commissions Ahead of June Opening, Including María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Jeffrey Gibson, Lorna Simpson

The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago has unveiled its final cohort of artist commissions ahead of its scheduled opening in June. This group includes high-profile contemporary artists such as Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Jeffrey Gibson, and Lorna Simpson, who will contribute site-specific works ranging from a multi-layered portrait of the Obamas to a 34-foot stainless steel sculpture by Martin Puryear honoring the late John Lewis. These eight artists join a previously announced roster, bringing the total number of new commissions for the 19.3-acre South Side campus to 30.

Alma Allen Offers a Quiet Vision in Venice—Even as Questions Swirl the U.S. Pavilion

Alma Allen's exhibition "Call Me the Breeze" has opened at the U.S. Pavilion for the 61st Venice Biennale. The Utah-born sculptor presents a pared-down, whimsical show that contrasts with the bombastic work of his predecessors, grouping new and old pieces to explore themes of conflict, mourning, and transcendence inspired by Hieronymus Bosch's *Visions of the Afterlife*. The exhibition was produced hurriedly over a few months, and Allen, who typically leaves his works untitled, felt compelled to explain his art for the first time in 30 years amid controversy surrounding his commission.

Collector Jennifer Gilbert Is Selling Modernist Masterpieces to Fund Her New Arts Space

Jennifer Gilbert, the Detroit-based entrepreneur and philanthropist, is auctioning a selection of Modernist masterpieces from her private collection to fund Lumana, a new nonprofit arts organization. The sales, scheduled for May and June at Sotheby’s New York, include high-profile works by Joan Mitchell and Kenneth Noland, with an overall fundraising goal exceeding $10 million.

Masterpieces by Klimt, Matisse and Freud set for London’s most valuable auction

Sotheby's will auction a major collection of masterpieces by artists including Gustav Klimt, Henri Matisse, Lucian Freud, and Francis Bacon, consigned by Joe Lewis and his daughter Vivienne, whose family owns Tottenham Hotspur. The collection, expected to fetch over £150 million, is projected to become the most valuable ever offered in London, with highlights such as Klimt's 'Bildnis Gertrud Loew' (estimated £20-30m) and Egon Schiele's 'Danaë' (estimated £12-18m, potentially setting a new artist record). The works will be exhibited in New York and London before the June sales.

Paula Rego review – tantalising drawings with the shoeprints left on them

Victoria Miro is hosting the largest exhibition of Paula Rego’s drawings to date, curated by the artist’s son, Nick Willing. Spanning from the 1950s until her death in 2022, the show features intimate pencil sketches, pastels, and ink drawings that reveal the foundational narratives of her career, including her early childhood sketches, her fierce opposition to the Salazar dictatorship, and her advocacy for women's rights.

art cecilia vicuna poetry chile sculpture

Cecilia Vicuña, the 77-year-old Chilean artist known for her ecologically and politically engaged practice, is profiled in her Tribeca home. The article describes her daily rituals of corpse pose and walks, her decades-long exile since the Pinochet coup, and her recent international acclaim including the Golden Lion at the 2022 Venice Biennale and the inaugural Icon Artist Gold Medal at Art Basel Miami Beach. A major solo show is on view at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, and MOCA Los Angeles will unveil a new commission, “Quipu of Encounters: The Dream of Water,” following her selection as the first recipient of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Environment and Art Prize. The interview covers her studio practice, her focus on ecological collapse, and her work with Indigenous knotting traditions, poetry, and performance.