A First Look at the Art in the New Obama Presidential Center

The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, a $850 million campus designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, is set to open later this month in Jackson Park. The center features over 28 commissioned works by contemporary artists including Idris Khan, Theaster Gates, Lorna Simpson, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, and Maya Lin, alongside a basketball court, a Chicago Public Library branch, gardens, and civic spaces. Curators Virginia Shore, Crystal Moten, and Louise Bernard assembled the collection to intertwine art with the Obama legacy and the broader public art landscape of Chicago's South Side.

Al Musée d’Orsay ci sono due grandi mostre per scoprire e riscoprire Renoir

The Musée d'Orsay in Paris has opened two major parallel exhibitions dedicated to Pierre-Auguste Renoir, marking the artist's return to the museum after forty years. Inaugurated on March 17, "Renoir and Love: A Joyful Modernity" and "Drawings by Renoir" offer fresh perspectives on the Impressionist master's work. The first exhibition, curated by Paul Perrin, focuses on Renoir's early career and his depictions of modern life through themes of love, friendship, and conviviality, featuring masterpieces such as "Luncheon of the Boating Party" (1880-81) and rarely seen works from private collections. The second exhibition is the first ever dedicated to Renoir's drawings, highlighting the importance of graphic techniques in his artistic evolution and including around one hundred works from international collections, some never exhibited before.

Museo Igor Mitoraj opens in Pietrasanta: interview with director Frank Boehm between contemporary art and craftsmanship

A Pietrasanta apre il Museo Igor Mitoraj: intervista al direttore Frank Boehm tra arte contemporanea e artigianato

The Museo Igor Mitoraj opens in Pietrasanta on June 6, 2026, housed in the former municipal market designed by Tito Salvatori and renovated by OBR studio. The inaugural exhibition, "Mitoraj. Present," showcases a significant selection of 69 works donated to the Fondazione Museo Igor Mitoraj, highlighting the Polish sculptor's legacy beyond his monumental works. Director Frank Boehm, formerly of Miart and the Museum Insel Hombroich, outlines plans for the museum to become an international platform for contemporary sculpture research, featuring exhibitions, residencies for young artists and curators, and educational activities.

An exhibition in Spain delves into the complex relationship between Picasso and the Christian religion

Una mostra in Spagna approfondisce il complesso rapporto tra Picasso e la religione cristiana

A new exhibition titled "Picasso. Radici Bibliche" (Picasso. Biblical Roots) has opened in the cloisters of the Cathedral of Santa Maria in Burgos, Spain, exploring the complex relationship between Pablo Picasso and Christianity. Organized in collaboration with the Almine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso Foundation, the show features 44 works—paintings, drawings, and small sculptures—many from the foundation's collection and some never publicly displayed before. The exhibition is curated by Paloma Alarcó and includes loans from the Museo Picasso Barcelona, Musée Picasso Paris, Museo Reina Sofía, and the Monastery of Montserrat. It is structured chronologically across six thematic sections—Education, Maternity, Vanitas, Golgotha, Vera Icon, and Hope—to highlight Christian symbols in Picasso's work.

Portrait of a Papal Artist

An exhibition at Palazzo Barberini in Rome, titled 'Bernini e i Barberini,' explores the relationship between Baroque sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini and his most powerful patron, Pope Urban VIII Barberini. The show traces Bernini's artistic development, beginning with works by his father and teacher Pietro Bernini, and features key sculptures such as 'Saint Sebastian' (1617–18) and 'The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence' (1616–17). However, the exhibition notably omits significant reference to Bernini's earlier sponsor, Cardinal Scipione Borghese, creating a misleading impression that the artist was purely a Barberini discovery.

Mass Cuts at Pace Gallery

Pace Gallery has laid off 50 workers and cut 50 artists from its roster, representing about a fifth of its staff and a third of its artists. CEO Marc Glimcher described the move as a “model correction,” stating that “the current gallery model isn’t only broken, it’s unfixable.” The cuts come just years after the gallery opened a $100 million flagship building in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood and positioned itself as a leader in the crypto art space.

The Black Photographers Who Exposed My Own Brainwashing

The article reviews "Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985" at the Getty's West Pavilion in Los Angeles. The exhibition features over 200 photographs by Black photographers who documented and shaped the Black Arts Movement, including better-known figures like Gordon Parks and Carrie Mae Weems alongside numerous lesser-known artists. Organized into eight themes, the show explores how Black photographers reframed the Black American image through pride, beauty, strength, and artistic daring, emphasizing photography's power as evidence and a tool for liberation.

The Best Part of “Moss and Freud” Is When It’s Over

The article is a scathing film review of "Moss and Freud" (2025), a new movie directed by James Lucas that depicts the friendship between supermodel Kate Moss and painter Lucian Freud. The reviewer criticizes the film as shallow, exploitative, and predictable, noting that it glamorizes an artist-muse relationship without addressing darker realities like Moss's "Cocaine Kate" epithet or the power dynamics at play. The film stars Ellie Bamber as Moss and Derek Jacobi as Freud, and is described as a frivolous buddy film that revels in early aughts excess but lacks substance.

Now even the mega galleries are in crisis. Pace Gallery cuts both staff and artists from its stable: "The system no longer works"

Ora entrano in crisi anche le mega gallerie. Pace Gallery taglia sia staff che artisti della scuderia: “Il sistema non funziona più”

Pace Gallery, one of the world's largest and most influential art galleries, has announced a major downsizing: it will cut 20% of its staff (50 out of 250 employees) and reduce its artist roster by 50, from 130 to approximately 80 represented artists and estates. CEO Marc Glimcher stated that the current gallery model is not just in crisis but "impossible to repair," citing excessive commercialization, corporate impersonality, and unsustainable overhead from multiple global locations and dozens of art fairs. The cuts come amid a broader 2025 downturn for commercial galleries, contrasting sharply with recent high-value auction sales in New York, highlighting a disconnect between the primary and secondary markets.

“In minor keys” è la mostra delle cuciture e della lentezza. Cosa funziona e cosa non funziona alla Biennale di Venezia

The article reviews "In minor keys," the main exhibition of the 61st Venice Biennale curated by Koyo Kouoh. It describes the show as an anti-white cube, anti-modernist display dominated by manual craftsmanship, textiles, and natural motifs, contrasting sharply with the previous edition curated by Adriano Pedrosa. The review notes the exhibition's cohesive character but criticizes certain works, such as Alfredo Jaar's installation, as jarring dissonances.

Announcing the 2026 McKnight Visual Artist Fellows

The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD), on behalf of the McKnight Foundation, has announced the six recipients of the 2026 McKnight Fellowships for Visual Artists: Torey Erin, Isa Gagarin, Jay Heikes, Prima Jalichandra-Sakuntabhai, Jovan C. Speller, and Erinn Springer. Each mid-career Minnesota artist will receive a $25,000 stipend, professional development, public recognition, and a residency facilitated by the Artist Communities Alliance. The fellows were selected from 164 applicants by a national panel of jurors including Laura Mott, Michael Rooks, and Edra Soto.

Story of Francis Valentine Dudensing, the gallerist who brought European Avant-Garde to the United States in the early 1900s

Storia di Francis Valentine Dudensing, il gallerista che nel primo ‘900 portò l’Avanguardia Europea negli Stati Uniti

Francis Valentine Dudensing (1892-1967) was a New York gallerist who, between 1926 and 1947, played a pivotal role in introducing European modernism to the United States through his Valentine Gallery on 57th Street. He organized the first U.S. solo exhibitions of Giorgio de Chirico, Joan Miró, and Raoul Dufy, the first American retrospective of Henri Matisse in 1927, and the only solo show of Piet Mondrian during his lifetime in 1942. In May 1939, he presented Picasso's Guernica to the New York public for the first time. His gallery became a direct bridge between Paris and New York, supported by a network including Pierre Matisse, Paul Rosenberg, and Paul Guillaume.

Brunnen aus Kolbe-Museum gehört nun zu US-Privatsammlung

A bronze and travertine fountain by German sculptor Georg Kolbe, titled 'Brunnen mit der zierlichen Tänzerin' (1922), was auctioned at Grisebach in Berlin for €4 million, far exceeding its estimate of €1–1.5 million. The fountain, which had been in the garden of the Georg Kolbe Museum in Berlin since 1979, was recently restituted to the heirs of its original owner, Heinrich Stahl, a Jewish insurance director who perished in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. The winning bid came from a private collection in the United States, and the buyer's future plans for the work are unknown.

Fountain from Kolbe Museum auctioned for four million euros

Brunnen aus Kolbe Museum für vier Millionen Euro versteigert

A bronze and travertine fountain by German sculptor Georg Kolbe, titled "Tänzerinnen-Brunnen" (Dancer Fountain, 1922), was auctioned at Grisebach in Berlin for €4 million, far exceeding its estimate of €1–1.5 million. The fountain, which stood in the garden of the Georg Kolbe Museum, had been restituted to the heirs of Heinrich Stahl, a Jewish insurance director who was murdered in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Stahl had commissioned the work from Kolbe for his villa; the family was forced to sell the property under value during the Nazi era. The museum returned the piece to the heirs, who then chose to sell it at auction. The buyer's identity was not immediately disclosed, and it remains unclear whether the fountain will remain on public view.

"Das gesamte Galeriewesen ist zu groß geworden"

The Pace Gallery is cutting 50 jobs and dropping 50 artists, a move the New York Times calls perhaps the clearest sign yet of a fundamental shift in the art market. CEO Marc Glimcher says the entire gallery system has become too big, too commercial, too impersonal, and too entrepreneurial. The cuts represent about 20% of Pace's workforce. Meanwhile, a new wave of artist agents is emerging, offering career planning, museum introductions, and estate management as galleries struggle with rising costs, falling attendance, and a turbulent market. Former gallerist Jon Horrocks calls this a 'zeitgeist moment,' and consultant Allan Schwartzman notes that galleries have become more transaction-focused since the pandemic, while artists seek strategic guidance.

Disparition de la galeriste Anisabelle Berès-Montanari

Anisabelle Berès-Montanari, a prominent Parisian gallerist, has died at age 78. Born in 1948, she joined the family business Galerie Berès in 1975, which was founded by her mother Huguette Berès in 1952. Over decades, she built the gallery's reputation through scholarly exhibitions on Japanese prints, Manet, the Nabis, and overlooked modern artists like Henri Laurens and Serge Férat. In 2019, she became the first woman president of the Syndicat national des antiquaires (SNA), serving until 2023. The gallery continues under her daughters Florence Berès-Montanari and Capucine Montanari-Fleury.

BRUSK, un nouveau centre d’art à visiter dans le cœur historique de Bruges

A new art center called BRUSK opened on May 8 in the historic heart of Bruges, Belgium, near the Groeningemuseum. Housed in a contemporary building by Robbrecht en Daem Architecten and Olivier Salens Architecten, it features a monumental fresco by Laure Prouvost titled "The Whispering Walls Rêve" and two temporary exhibition spaces. The inaugural show "Vision large" explores Bruges' medieval golden age, while a second space presents a generative AI installation by Refik Anadol. BRUSK also includes the BRON research center, storage for Musea Brugge's collection, and a public café.

The problem with the Venice Biennale stems from the fact that the art world has become the space within which politics acquires its exhibition value

« Le problème de la Biennale de Venise provient du fait que le monde de l’art est devenu l’espace au sein duquel la politique acquiert sa valeur d’exposition »

Just days before the official opening of the Venice Biennale on May 9, the exhibition's jury collectively resigned in protest over the reopening of the Russian national pavilion. This echoes the 2022 resignation of Documenta's committee amid antisemitism accusations tied to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The article argues that both incidents reveal a deeper syndrome: the art world has been reduced to a stage for political display. It criticizes the selective outrage that targets Israel's pavilion while ignoring Russian airstrikes on civilians, China's erasure of Tibetan culture, or Senegal's anti-LGBTQ+ laws, and questions why artists are expected to represent their governments rather than themselves.

L’art vu par… Ibrahim Maalouf

Ibrahim Maalouf, a celebrated Franco-Lebanese trumpeter and composer, discusses his deep connection to visual art in an interview with Beaux Arts Magazine. He reflects on his childhood dream of becoming an architect, his inspiration from artists like David Daoud and Etel Adnan, and his favorite museums including the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay. Maalouf draws parallels between music and architecture, describing his albums as 'territories' and his concerts as 'living installations' where the audience completes the work. He also shares his definition of art as 'what remains when everything collapses' and a 'resistance to forgetting.'

Ines Rotermund-Reynard : « La recherche de provenance des œuvres spoliées pendant la guerre est devenue une urgence »

Ines Rotermund-Reynard, provenance researcher at the Musée d'Orsay, discusses her role investigating the origins of artworks looted during World War II. She explains the category of "MNR" (Musées nationaux récupération) works—some 2,200 pieces recovered from Germany after the war that were never claimed by their rightful owners and remain under the care of French national museums. The museum has opened a permanent gallery titled "À qui appartiennent ces œuvres ?" (Who Do These Works Belong To?) displaying 13 such works, including a disputed fake Cézanne, to share ongoing research with the public.

From Brueghel to Chanel, why the extraordinary bird of paradise turns all heads

De Brueghel à Chanel, pourquoi l’extraordinaire oiseau de paradis fait tourner toutes les têtes

The article explores the extraordinary bird of paradise, from its biology and courtship rituals to its cultural significance in Papua New Guinea and its impact on European art and fashion. It opens with the exhibition "Plumes du paradis" at the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, which immerses visitors in the deep, spiritual relationship between Papuan clans and these birds, where skins are exchanged as symbols of alliance and status. The narrative then traces the bird's arrival in Europe in 1522, where it sparked a centuries-long myth of legless celestial creatures, and its subsequent adoption as a motif by Golden Age painters like Brueghel, Rubens, and Rembrandt, who used its feathers to denote prestige and exoticism.

An Invitation into Joan Miró’s Imagination

The article invites readers into the imaginative world of Joan Miró, the Catalan painter, by recounting his successful 1941 retrospective at MoMA and his 1945 exhibition with dealer Pierre Matisse. It highlights Miró's first visit to the United States in 1947 and his inclusion in the New American Paintings show at MoMA in 1991, with a charming anecdote from MoMA conservator Jean Volkmer about Miró blowing kisses at the artworks. The piece also notes an upcoming exhibition at The Phillips Collection from March 21 to July 5, 2026.

ALFREDO JAAR INDUCTED INTO THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND LETTERS

Galerie Lelong, New York has announced that artist Alfredo Jaar has been inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, formally joining the Department of Art at a ceremony on May 20, 2026. Jaar, born in Santiago, Chile in 1956, is recognized for his innovative work across photography, film, installation, and new media, examining socio-political issues and the ethics of representation over more than four decades.

$3.7 million Cecily Brown painting to lead upcoming Christie’s London sale.

Cecily Brown's painting *The Haunter* (2010) will lead Christie's Post-War to Present sale in London on June 25th, with an estimate of £2.2 million–£2.8 million ($2.95 million–$3.76 million). The work has been held in the same private collection since 2011. The auction coincides with a major exhibition of Brown's work at London's Serpentine Galleries. In November 2025, a new auction record was set for Brown when her painting *High Society* (1997–98) sold for a higher sum.

Paul Thek at Pace Gallery

Pace Gallery is presenting an exhibition of works by Paul Thek, the influential but often overlooked American artist known for his provocative sculptures and installations that blend the sacred and the profane. The show brings together pieces from different periods of his career, including his famous "Technological Reliquaries"—glass cases containing wax casts of body parts—alongside drawings and other works that explore themes of mortality, spirituality, and the human condition.

Audain Art Museum Celebrates Takao Tanabe's Centennial with Landmark Retrospective

The Audain Art Museum is opening "Takao Tanabe 100: Inside Passage," a landmark retrospective celebrating the 100th birthday of Canadian painter Takao Tanabe on September 16, 2026. The exhibition features over fifty works spanning six decades, including his iconic coastal and prairie landscapes as well as lesser-known series like the "White Paintings" and "Emperor" paintings. Co-organized with the National Gallery of Canada and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, the show will travel to Ottawa and Victoria through 2027.

“Eva Hesse, Lukas Heerich, Rindon Johnson” at max goelitz, Munich

Max Goelitz gallery in Munich is hosting an exhibition titled “Eva Hesse, Lukas Heerich, Rindon Johnson,” organized in collaboration with Hauser & Wirth for the Various Others 2026 event. The show pairs contemporary works by Lukas Heerich and Rindon Johnson with selected early works on paper and a painting by Eva Hesse, highlighting intergenerational dialogue around material experimentation.

Desire, Deferred: Eroticism in Southeast Asian Art

The National Gallery Singapore has opened "Passion is Volcanic: Desire in Southeast Asian Art," its first R18 exhibition, running from April 24 to August 30, 2026. The show explores eroticism in Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art, drawing inspiration from Nanyang school artist Liu Kang's 1953 essay on Bali. It features works from Singapore's national collection and the region, including Liu Kang's "Scene in Bali" (1953), Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook's video "I'm Living" (2002), and a 14th-15th century tantric Buddhist statue. The exhibition is divided into three sections—"Asian Mythos and Ritual," "Conventions of the Erotic," and "Public Arenas/Private Interiors"—and is restricted to audiences over 18 due to Singapore's media regulations, with photography prohibited.

Kulapat Yantrasast to Helm 2027 Bukhara Biennial

The Bukhara Biennial has appointed Kulapat Yantrasast as artistic director for its second edition, scheduled to run from September 3 to November 21, 2027. Yantrasast, a Bangkok-born architect trained under Tadao Ando and founder of WHY Architecture, brings experience from projects at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre, and Milan Design Week 2026, where he collaborated with the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) on the exhibition "When Apricots Blossom." The inaugural 2025 edition, founded by ACDF chairperson Gayane Umerova and curated by Diana Campbell, drew approximately 1.8 million visitors and featured artists including Antony Gormley, Marina Perez Simão, and Subodh Gupta.

Two of the Biggest Names in American Patronage Have Kept Their Homes Private—Until Now

Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman, prominent American philanthropists and art collectors, have opened their private Hamptons home to the public for the first time through a new Phaidon book, *Collecting Contemporaries: The Fuhrman Collection*. The volume reveals their extensive collection of works by artists such as Simone Leigh, Roy Lichtenstein, Jeff Koons, and Amoako Boafo, displayed across their Sagaponack property, which also features outdoor sculptures by Roxy Paine and Elmgreen & Dragset. Glenn Fuhrman, founder of the FLAG Art Foundation and a board member at MoMA and Tate, discusses the discomfort of losing privacy but acknowledges the practical need to eventually sell or donate pieces as he ages.