syria isis palmyra restoration

The Syrian government has announced plans to reopen the ancient city of Palmyra to tourists as early as next summer, following extensive damage inflicted by ISIS. The historic UNESCO World Heritage Site, once attracting 150,000 visitors annually, was occupied twice by the terrorist group, which destroyed iconic structures including the Temple of Bel, the Temple of Baal Shamin, and the Arch of Triumph, and beheaded the city's head of antiquities, Khalid al-As'ad. Restoration efforts are underway with assistance pledged from UNESCO, Russia, Poland, and Italy, focusing on repairing the Old City and restoring artifacts such as the Lion of Al-lāt statue.

smithsonian institution challenges kim sajet firing trump

The Smithsonian Institution issued a statement asserting its independence after President Donald Trump claimed he fired National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet. The statement did not name Sajet or Trump directly but affirmed that all personnel decisions are made by the Secretary, Lonnie G. Bunch, with board oversight. It followed reports that Sajet continued working despite the supposed firing and that the Trump administration had compiled a 17-point list of grievances against her. The statement also noted the Board of Regents directed the Secretary to ensure unbiased content in Smithsonian museums.

ilucas museum layoffs 14 percent full time staff

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles has laid off 15 full-time employees (14% of its full-time staff) and seven part-time workers, primarily affecting its Learning & Engagement and Museum Services teams. The cuts also include Regan Pro, deputy director of public programs and social impact, and Bernardo Rondeau, curator of film programs. The museum, founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, has faced multiple delays due to supply-chain issues, pushing its opening from 2023 to 2026, and recently underwent a leadership transition with director Sandra Jackson-Dumont stepping down.

king tut tomb clay troughs awakening osiris

A new study by Nicholas Brown, a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University, challenges the long-held interpretation of four clay troughs found in Tutankhamun's tomb. Discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, the troughs were previously dismissed as stands for gilded wooden staffs. Brown argues that the troughs' small bases could not have supported the staffs, and instead proposes they were used in the "Awakening of Osiris" ritual, holding libations of water for purification and rejuvenation in the afterlife. The study draws on material symbolism, including the Nile mud composition and the reed mats they rested on, to support this reinterpretation.

open restitution africa research organization profile

Open Restitution Africa (ORA), an African-led research organization, has compiled case studies including the Ngadji drum, a sacred instrument confiscated from Kenya's Pokomo people by British colonial officers in 1902 and now held by the British Museum. With a $600,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation, ORA provided microgrants to scholars like William Mutta Tsaka of the National Museums of Kenya, who documented the drum's cultural significance and the community's ongoing struggle for repatriation. The project aims to fund independent researchers and community activists across Africa, covering fieldwork costs often neglected by larger provenance grants.

bryn mawr college nekisha durrett monument lab

Monument Lab and Bryn Mawr College have unveiled a permanent public artwork by Nekisha Durrett titled "Don't Forget to Remember (Me)" in the school's Cloisters courtyard. The installation features 9,000 custom pavers arranged in an intertwined knot pattern, with 250 of them engraved with the names of Black staff whose labor was essential to the college's early operations but went unrecognized. The project emerged from a multiyear initiative called Art Remediating Campus Histories, which included symposia, lectures, and community consultations to address the institution's histories of systemic exclusion.

sfmoma cuts nearly 40 staffers amid labor talks

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has cut 29 positions, nearly 8 percent of its workforce, with 26 of those affected being members of the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 29. The layoffs, which include 20 full-time and 9 part-time roles, were announced abruptly with less than a day's warning, drawing criticism from union officials who say they were not given a chance to discuss alternatives or negotiate severance. Museum director Christopher Bedford stated the cuts were necessary due to financial challenges, and that enhanced severance packages were provided to union members. The affected staff reportedly hold public-facing or visitor service roles, and it remains unclear if curatorial or senior-level positions were included.

flannery o connor hidden artwork exhibition

An exhibition titled "Hidden Treasures" at Andalusia Farm in Milledgeville, Georgia, is showcasing dozens of previously unseen artworks by celebrated Southern Gothic writer Flannery O’Connor, including childhood drawings, cartoons, paintings on wood, a stuffed doll, and a 1952 self-portrait. The works were recently rediscovered in a storage unit behind a fast-food restaurant and in the attic of a townhouse belonging to O’Connor’s late cousin Louise Florencourt, who had guarded the archive for decades. The exhibition marks the centennial of O’Connor’s birth and is organized by the Andalusia Interpretive Center in partnership with Georgia College & State University.

legal resistance grows against doge cuts

Two legal challenges advanced on Thursday against the Trump administration's cuts to U.S. cultural agencies. A coalition of academic groups—the American Council of Learned Societies, the American Historical Association, and the Modern Language Association—filed a lawsuit to stop the "illegal dismantling" of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which in April announced a 70–80 percent staff reduction and cancellation of over 1,000 grants. Separately, a federal judge issued an emergency order temporarily blocking similar cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, after the Department of Government Efficiency placed its 75-person staff on leave and the American Libraries Association brought suit.

national endowment for the arts cancels grants trump

President Donald Trump's administration has canceled or withdrawn grant offers from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) via email, affecting arts organizations nationwide. The NEA stated it is updating its grantmaking priorities to focus on projects that reflect the nation's artistic heritage as prioritized by the president, including historically Black colleges, Hispanic-serving schools, the 250th anniversary of American independence, AI competency, houses of worship, disaster recovery, skilled trades, military and veterans, Tribal communities, and Asian American economic development. Some affected grants supported artists of color, and the language appeared to conflict with the administration's prior push against DEI initiatives. Similar cancellations have occurred at the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

VARINIA BRODSKY ZIMMERMANN: “ENTIENDO AL MUSEO COMO UN CAMPO DE REVERBERACIÓN”

Varinia Brodsky Zimmermann, director of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de Chile, is interviewed as part of a series on contemporary museums in Latin America. She describes the museum as a "field of reverberation" that amplifies social, cultural, and political questions without reacting mechanically to demands. The conversation covers structural challenges facing public museums in Chile, including budget precarity and suspended exhibition projects, and Brodsky advocates for more permeable, horizontal, and sustainable institutions that maintain critical depth while engaging diverse communities.

Form in the Age of Living Materials. Interview with Curator Pablo José Ramírez

LA FORMA EN LA ERA DE LOS MATERIALES VIVOS. ENTREVISTA AL CURADOR PABLO JOSÉ RAMÍREZ

The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles is presenting "Several Eternities in a Day: Form in the Age of Living Materials," an exhibition curated by Pablo José Ramírez running until August 23. Featuring 22 artists from the Americas, the show explores materials such as avocado, cacao, achiote, cochineal, stone, clay, and natural dyes that evolve, degrade, or transform over time. Organized into three acts, the exhibition challenges conventional notions of the art object by treating these materials as living agents with memory and agency, rooted in Indigenous knowledge and the concept of "brownness." In an interview, Ramírez discusses how these materials destabilize extractivist logics and institutional frameworks, forcing a rethinking of conservation protocols and the very conditions of exhibition-making.

GEORGE FEBRES: TRANSLATION, IRONY, AND LIBERATION. AN ECUADORIAN ARTIST IN THE DIASPORA

The article examines the life and work of George Febres (1943–1996), an Ecuadorian artist who spent most of his career in the United States, primarily in New Orleans. Febres’s practice blends Pop Art, Neo-Surrealism, and Southern US culture with his experiences as a migrant and queer subject, using bilingualism and ironic tropical imagery to create a hybrid, irreverent body of work. Despite his significance, no works by Febres exist in Ecuadorian public collections, and no major retrospective has been held in his home country, reflecting a broader erasure of queer narratives from national art history.

GEORGE FEBRES: TRADUCCIÓN, IRONÍA Y LIBERACIÓN. UN ARTISTA ECUATORIANO EN LA DIÁSPORA

George Febres (Guayaquil, 1943 – New Orleans, 1996) was an Ecuadorian artist whose work blended pop art, neo-surrealism, and Southern U.S. culture, shaped by his experience as a migrant and queer individual. The article traces his life from a privileged but unstable childhood in Ecuador to his migration to the United States, where he was drafted during the Vietnam War and eventually settled in New Orleans. Febres used bilingualism and ironic appropriation of tropical imagery to create a hybrid, irreverent body of work that challenges the official historiography of Ecuadorian art.

LA LECHUZA DE MINERVA

The Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, founded in 1926 by a small group of artists, has launched a centenary exhibition titled "La lechuza de Minerva" (The Owl of Minerva). Curated by Isabella Lenzi, the project revisits the institution's most disruptive exhibition, "El sueño imperativo" (1991), curated by Mar Villaespesa, which invited twelve artists to intervene in both exhibition spaces and transit areas, challenging traditional display logic. The new exhibition features works by artists including Dagoberto Rodríguez, Elo Vega, Rogelio López Cuenca, Isidoro Valcárcel Medina, Itziar Okariz, Los Carpinteros, María Salgado, Pedro G. Romero, Regina Silveira, Silbatriz Pons, and Tino Sehgal, who activate hidden and unexpected corners of the building through visual and sound actions. The project also restores Nancy Spero's 1991 intervention "Minerva, Sky Goddess," which had largely disappeared, through archaeological research led by restorer Rocío Casasus.

Santiago Yahuarcani: The Beginning of Knowledge

SANTIAGO YAHUARCANI: EL PRINCIPIO DEL CONOCIMIENTO

The Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP) is hosting "El principio del conocimiento," the first solo exhibition in Brazil for Peruvian artist Santiago Yahuarcani. Curated by Amanda Carneiro, the show features approximately 35 paintings on llanchama (tree bark) that explore the Uitoto worldview. The exhibition is organized into five thematic sections that navigate the sensory experience of the Amazon, the spiritual significance of sacred plants like coca and tobacco, and the brutal historical memory of colonial extraction.

AT A LOW FLAME. CLAY AND NATURAL FIBERS IN THE WORK OF IBERO-AMERICAN ARTISTS

A MEDIA LUMBRE. BARRO Y FIBRAS NATURALES EN LA OBRA DE ARTISTAS IBEROAMERICANOS

The exhibition 'A media lumbre' presents a collection of works by Ibero-American artists that engage with materials and knowledge historically considered minor arts, such as ceramics, clay, wool, textiles, embroidery, and natural fibers. The show integrates sound and oral tradition as tools for transmitting memory, drawing inspiration from communal gatherings like the 'filandones.' It unfolds across four autonomous exhibitions in Valencia, Mallorca, Aragon, and Catalonia, connecting urban museums like the IVAM with rural contexts.

ELENA DAMIANI, XIMENA GARRIDO-LECCA AND ISHMAEL RANDALL-WEEKS: SIGNAL AND STRATA

ELENA DAMIANI, XIMENA GARRIDO-LECCA E ISHMAEL RANDALL-WEEKS: SIGNAL AND STRATA

An exhibition titled 'Signal and Strata' featuring Peruvian artists Elena Damiani, Ximena Garrido-Lecca, and Ishmael Randall-Weeks was presented at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts from February 5 to April 5, 2026. The show, examined in an accompanying essay by curator Madeline Murphy Turner, focuses on how the artists use materials like travertine, copper, and concrete to interrogate narratives of modernity, resource extraction, and the climate crisis.

Designs for a Better Future

Entwürfe für eine bessere Zukunft

The Rimowa Design Prize has awarded its fourth edition to Samuel Nagel and Paul Feiler from the Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Applied Sciences for their bracelet "Nura," which translates sign language into spoken language and converts speech into written text. Other finalists include Jakob Schlenker's bird-shaped device to encourage movement in the elderly, Niklas Henning's harvesting system for restoring moors, Tobias Kremer and Yannick Stilgenbauer's inflatable cooling capsule for use without electricity, and Valerio Sampognaro's lightweight furniture that can both support and lift off. The exhibition runs until May 13 at the Berlin Kulturforum.

Venice in Crisis Mode

Venedig im Krisenmodus

The 61st Venice Biennale has opened under extraordinary circumstances, marked by political protests, a jury resignation, and canceled awards. The Biennale's jury resigned en masse after announcing they would exclude Israeli and Russian contributions from their decisions, leading to the cancellation of the Golden Lion awards and a crisis over the international competition's legitimacy. A newly introduced audience prize also faced boycotts from artists in solidarity. Protests, closed pavilions, and pro-Palestinian actions dominated the preview days, with artists pasting protest posters directly onto their works, reflecting heightened tensions.

Gundlach Collection to Remain in the Deichtorhallen Until 2046

Gundlach-Sammlung bleibt bis 2046 in den Deichtorhallen

The Hamburg Senate has announced a 20-year extension of the loan agreement for the F.C. Gundlach Collection at the Deichtorhallen. The prominent photography collection, which has grown to 14,000 works, will remain in the institution's 'Haus der Photografie' until 2046 and will receive a dedicated exhibition area on the first floor.

Michael Armitage and the Feverish Memory of Images

Michael Armitage und das fiebrige Gedächtnis der Bilder

The British-Kenyan painter Michael Armitage is the subject of a major solo exhibition at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice, part of the Pinault Collection. The showcase features new works, including the titular painting "52,000 Years," which references prehistoric cave art while weaving together themes of political unrest, the refugee crisis, and lush landscapes. Armitage’s technique is noted for its use of Lubugo bark cloth, a traditional Ugandan material that adds a tactile, irregular dimension to his complex figurative compositions.

Manifesto for a Radical Femininity for An Other Cinema

The article presents the 1977 "Manifesto for a Radical Femininity for an Other Cinema" by artists Maria Klonaris and Katerina Thomadaki. The manifesto, published in connection with a rare screening of their films at e-flux Screening Room, calls for a feminist rupture with dominant cinematic language and images, advocating for a "cinema of the body" that challenges patriarchal hierarchies in both sexuality and authorship.

2026 Sobey Art Award shortlist revealed

The National Gallery of Canada and the Sobey Art Foundation have announced the six finalists for the 2026 Sobey Art Award, Canada's most prestigious contemporary visual arts prize. The shortlisted artists are Melaw Nakehk'o (Circumpolar region), Samuel Roy-Bois (Pacific), Audie Murray (Prairies), Lotus L. Kang (Ontario), Caroline Monnet (Quebec), and Shane Perley-Dutcher (Atlantic). Their practices range from land-based pedagogy and architectural sculpture to ancestral materiality and metal basketry.

Stephan Balkenhol New Bronze Sculptures 2026 - Man in a White

German sculptor Stephan Balkenhol has unveiled two new hand-painted bronze editions, "Man in a White Shirt and Black Pants 2026" and "Venus 2026." Released in editions of 30 and standing 68 cm tall, the works are being showcased and sold through Frank Fluegel Galerie across its Nuremberg and Kitzbühel locations. The release coincides with the artist's participation in the Art Cologne Palma de Mallorca Fair and precedes his 70th birthday in 2027.

The Art Market Enters 2026 With Renewed Confidence and a Sharper K-Shape Divide

ArtTactic's Global Art Market Outlook 2026 report reveals renewed confidence in the art market, with 51% of participants expecting growth and 42% anticipating stability. Strong sales in London, Paris, and Miami Beach, along with multi-billion-dollar November auction results, have buoyed sentiment. The recovery is uneven but meaningful, driven by selective demand for established names: Impressionist art rose 80.4%, Modern art 19.4%, and Old Masters 68.7%. The K-shaped divide is sharpening, with robust performance at the top end (above $1 million) and accessible tiers (below $50,000), while the middle market remains sluggish. Top performers include Klimt, Picasso, Rothko, and Calder, while ultracontemporary artists like Nicolas Party and Matthew Wong have seen significant declines.

Drawing attention

Collector Patricia Poon and artist Angel Hui are among the figures highlighted in a series examining how Hong Kong women artists are gaining market share and recognition. The article reports that major auction houses Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips have moved their Asia headquarters to Hong Kong and now employ young women in key auctioneering roles. It notes a sharp increase in women artists featured in Chinese auctions, from 79 in 2019 to 231 in 2024, with 201 of those in Hong Kong. Works by artists like Firenze Lai, Elaine Chiu, and Kristy M Chan have performed strongly at auction, and Phillips has made promoting Hong Kong women artists a key priority.

Natural History Museum tops UK attraction list with record visitors

London's Natural History Museum attracted a record 7.1 million visitors in 2025, making it the UK's most popular attraction. Its success is attributed to free entry, renovated gardens, and the popular 'Fixing Our Broken Planet' climate gallery, which drew over 2 million visitors alone.

Décès de Jacques Gairard

Jacques Gairard, a figure in the French art world, has died. The announcement appears in Le Journal des Arts, which also covers the opening of the Venice Biennale amid controversy, the final adoption of a law on the restitution of cultural property looted during colonization, the V&A East's focus on young audiences, the uneven economic impact of Monet's legacy in Giverny, and the structuring of the Nabis art market.

Bogna Burska and Daniel Kotowski on Representing Poland at the 61st Venice Biennale

Bogna Burska and Daniel Kotowski, representing Poland at the 61st Venice Biennale, plan to exhibit a project inspired by the Choir in Motion (a phonic/sign-language ensemble of hearing and Deaf people), underwater role reversals, and whale communication. Their work explores alternate forms of communication, Deaf Gain, and the retrieval of voices—both human and non-human—aligning with the Biennale's theme "In Minor Keys." The Polish pavilion is located in the Giardini.