A Milano c’è la prima mostra omaggio all’artista Giovanni Campus dopo la morte

BUILDING Gallery in Milan has opened "Tempo e passione," the first posthumous exhibition dedicated to Giovanni Campus (1929–2025), who died less than five months ago at nearly 100 years old. Curated by Marco Meneguzzo, the two-floor show spans Campus’s career from his Sardinian roots to his Milanese performances, featuring works that measure space using materials like springs and cords, alongside vintage video documentation of his actions in Piazza Palazzo Reale and Sardinia.

The papal residence of Castel Gandolfo had been opened to museum visits by Pope Francis, now Pope Leo closes it again

La residenza papale di Castel Gandolfo era stata aperta a visite museali da Papa Francesco, ora Papa Leone la chiude di nuovo

Pope Leo XIV is closing the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo to the public as of July 2026, ending nearly a decade of museum access initiated by Pope Francis. Online ticket sales stop on June 30, and the palace will revert to its original function as the pope's summer residence. The decision follows preparatory works begun in May 2025 and is partly motivated by security concerns, as the current temporary lodging at Villa Barberini has logistical and access-control issues.

How Do You Curate an Exhibition on Genocide? Faisal Saleh and the Palestinian Question That Crosses the Venice Biennale

“Come si cura una mostra sul genocidio?”: Faisal Saleh e la domanda palestinese che attraversa la Biennale di Venezia

At the 2026 Venice Biennale, a collateral exhibition titled “Gaza – No Words – See the Exhibit” presents 100 embroidered works using the traditional Palestinian technique of Tatreez. Curated by artist Faisal Saleh, founder of the Palestine Museum US, the show transforms embroidery from decoration into political testimony, reconstructing scenes from Gaza over the past two and a half years: shrouded bodies, killed children, mothers bidding farewell, bombed hospitals. The exhibition is housed at Palazzo Mora and has been called by many visitors “the real Palestinian Pavilion” of the Biennale, though it is not an official national pavilion.

Artists and businesses shine at Lompoc’s First Thursday Art Walk

Downtown Lompoc hosted its monthly First Thursday Art Walk, transforming the area into an open-air gallery where artists, residents, and visitors gathered for an evening of creativity. Highlights included a live letterpress demonstration by Angelina LaPointe of Side Car Press at New Lows, local vendors at Fortified Tattoo, and a make-and-take craft project at Cypress Art Gallery. The event drew community members to venues such as Jupiters Spark Collection and Bella Florist.

London artist Irum Rahat’s ‘Yeh Kab Ki Baat Hai’ is a house full of memories

London-based artist Irum Rahat presents her first solo exhibition in India, 'Yeh Kab Ki Baat Hai', at Pristine Contemporary in Delhi. The show features 16 new works that draw from her upbringing in a South Asian household, transforming mundane domestic scenes—making chai, sitting in rooms, family interactions—into a visual archive of memory and intimacy. Rahat's paintings, influenced by cinema and her own photography, use soft, hazy colors to evoke nostalgia and the ambiguity of time.

Minnesota gallery celebrates American Indian Month with Native art exhibit

All My Relations Art gallery in Minneapolis has opened a new solo exhibition titled "Uŋči Said So" by artist Danielle SeeWalker, celebrating matriarchs in Native culture. The show, which runs until June 6, 2026, features works that highlight the role of grandmothers and the generational knowledge they pass down. The gallery will also host an Artist Talk and Parfleche Workshop on June 6 where attendees can learn to create earrings from deer hide.

Guild Hall Presents Exhibition Walkthrough & Artist Talk With Artist Claire Watson

Guild Hall in East Hampton will host an exhibition walkthrough and artist talk with artist Claire Watson on Thursday, May 21, from 7:30 to 8:30 PM. The event accompanies her exhibition “Claire Watson: Re-Paired,” which runs through July 19 and features sculptures and mixed-media assemblages made from salvaged leather garments, deconstructed and reconfigured using traditional sewing and pattern-making techniques. The exhibition includes over fifteen works spanning from 2012 to the present, and the talk will be led by Melanie Crader, museum director and curator of visual arts at Guild Hall.

New art gallery, shop opens in downtown Belleville on Art on the Square weekend

A new art gallery and retail shop, Public Defender Art + Zines, will open in downtown Belleville on May 15, 2026, coinciding with the Art on the Square festival. Owned by local artists Danny Houk and Stacie Spaunhorst, the space at 123 W. Main St. will feature exhibitions, a retail shop selling indie comics and zines, and future plans for artist residencies and networking brunches. Opening exhibitions include ceramics by Alisha Porter and Sheri White.

AKKA Venice Project: Beyond the Exhibition

Lidija Khachatourian, founder of AKKA Project, discusses her gallery's evolution from Dubai to Venice, where it remains the only gallery dedicated to African and diasporic artists. In an interview with ART AFRICA, she explains her shift from a market-driven model toward a research-led, custodial approach that prioritizes long-term relationships and slowness over high-volume programming. The gallery, established in Venice in 2019, operates with a deliberate resistance to market pressures, focusing on care, continuity, and direct material support for its artists.

Long-Lost 17th-Century Altarpiece Paintings Recovered After Nearly 100 Years

Spanish police have recovered two long-lost 17th-century altarpiece paintings by Baroque painter Lucas Valdés, which disappeared after being shown at the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition of Seville. The works, depicting Old Testament scenes, were identified in an auction house catalog in September 2025, authenticated by the Spanish Historical Heritage Brigade, and returned to the Hospital of the Venerable Priests in Seville on May 20, 2026, after a mediation process with the consignors.

Martin Lister obituary

Martin Lister, a writer, teacher, and scholar of photography and new media, has died at age 78. He was a key figure in the study of how technology intersects with cultural ways of seeing, editing the influential book *The Photographic Image in Digital Culture* (1995) and co-authoring *New Media: A Critical Introduction* (2003). Lister served as head of the school of cultural studies at the University of the West of England (UWE) and taught at institutions including Cockpit Arts Workshop and Newport College of Art and Design.

Egypt Unveils a Hidden Tomb of 3,500-Year-Old Coffins at Luxor’s Abu el-Naga

An Egyptian archaeological mission excavating at the Abu El-Naga necropolis near Luxor has uncovered a cache of ten well-preserved painted wooden coffins hidden in the courtyard shaft of the tomb of Baki. The coffins span multiple periods, including the 18th Dynasty, the Ramesside period, and the Late Period, with inscriptions naming individuals such as Merit, a chantress of the god Amun, and Padi-Amun, a priest in the Temple of Amun. The team also discovered the tomb of a purification priest named A-Shafi-Nakhtu, decorated with funerary scenes, and a burial site containing over 30 mummified cats from the Ptolemaic Period. The discoveries were announced by Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, with the excavation season beginning in November 2025.

London's Wellcome Collection returns 2,000 manuscripts to the Jain community

London's Wellcome Collection is returning 2,000 Jain manuscripts to the Jain community, the largest such collection outside South Asia. Acquired in 1919 at a low price from a Jain temple in what is now Pakistan, the manuscripts will be transferred to the UK-based Institute of Jainology and deposited at the University of Birmingham. A Memorandum of Understanding is being signed at the House of Commons. The restitution bypasses the country of origin because the Jain community in Pakistan was displaced after the 1947 partition, leaving no suitable depository there.

Israel Advances Bill Granting Sweeping Civilian Authority over West Bank Archaeological Sites

Israel advanced a bill on Tuesday that would grant sweeping civilian authority over antiquities and archaeology in the occupied West Bank, replacing the current military-run system. The Likud-backed legislation would create a "Judea and Samaria Heritage Authority" under the Israeli heritage minister, empowered to purchase and expropriate land, oversee excavations, and manage heritage sites across Areas B and C of the West Bank. The bill passed its first of three votes (23-14) and would be led by Amichai Eliyahu, a far-right politician who advocates for annexation. Human rights groups and the Israeli NGO Emek Shaveh warned the move amounts to de facto annexation and a violation of Palestinian rights.

Iran has not withdrawn from 2026 Venice Biennale, pavilion commissioner says

Iran has denied withdrawing from the 2026 Venice Biennale, despite the Biennale's announcement that the country would not participate. Aydin Mahdizadeh Tehrani, director-general of visual arts at Iran's ministry of culture and Islamic guidance and the country's pavilion commissioner, stated that Iran requested more time rather than submitting a withdrawal. He cited the US-Israel war with Iran, political and economic challenges, and a sharp currency devaluation that tripled projected costs as reasons for the delay. Iran proposed a shorter two-to-three-month participation, which was rejected, but has since sent a letter insisting on opening its pavilion even after the opening. The foreign ministry has intervened to support Iran's participation, and a final response from the Biennale is expected soon.

Art Collectors Bet on Known Quantities Amid Market Reset

The Impressionist and Modern art category became the most lucrative market segment in 2025, generating $4.7 billion in sales—a 29.5% increase from 2024—as collectors favored established names amid a cautious market. The $10-million-plus bracket surged 68.6% to $1.5 billion, while the number of lots sold hit a decade high of 122,213. Postwar and contemporary art ranked second with $4.1 billion, but its average price per lot dropped to a decade low of $23,027. Old Masters saw a 41.2% rise to $708.6 million, partly driven by the Thomas A. Saunders III collection at Sotheby’s, though that sale fell short of estimates. Ultra-contemporary art continued its four-year decline, falling 26.5% to $229.9 million, with average prices tumbling 72.4% from their 2021 peak.

Today’s war, tomorrow’s loot: attempts at stemming the illicit trade in art

The article examines the ongoing challenge of preventing the illicit trade in cultural property looted from conflict zones. It discusses the Hague Convention of 1954 and its protocol, which require signatory countries to prevent theft and pillage during armed conflict and to seize and repatriate unlawful exports. However, the protocol only applies to situations of 'occupation,' leaving a gap for looting that occurs in the chaos of war beyond formal occupation. The article also notes UN Security Council Resolutions that restrict unlawfully removed cultural property from Iraq and Syria, but no similar consensus exists for countries like Afghanistan, Libya, Ukraine, Lebanon, Yemen, Sudan, and Iran. EU Regulation 2019/880 is highlighted as a measure that prohibits introducing goods removed unlawfully from their place of origin into the EU, though its scope has expanded beyond its original anti-terrorist financing purpose.

Man who pocketed tiles from medieval priory as boy returns them 60 years later

Simon White, now 68, returned three fragments of medieval clay tiles he took as a nine-year-old from Wenlock Priory in Shropshire during a family outing in the late 1960s. The tiles, dating from the late 13th to early 14th century, were discovered in an old toffee tin during a house move. White contacted English Heritage, which confirmed the provenance using family diaries and historical analysis. One fragment features a previously unknown dragon motif, exciting medievalists.

‘Garden of Life’: immersive Monaco exhibition blends eastern wellness with mixed-media art

An immersive exhibition titled 'Garden of Life – A Wellness Journey Through Art' has opened in Monaco, blending the mixed-media artwork of international artist Fiona Tan with the serene environment of L&L Wellbeing, a luxury Japanese-inspired head spa. The exhibition, running until July, transforms the holistic wellness space into a living gallery, featuring Tan's complex works that combine digital techniques with traditional craftsmanship, including velvet, silk, gold leaf, and diamond dust. Tan, also a certified holistic health coach, creates pieces intended to serve as therapeutic tools, engaging viewers through neuro-aesthetics to promote mental peace and reflection.

Marcos López: art, Latin pop, and Mundo López

Marcos López, a photographer and artist known for his pop and deeply Latin American aesthetic, discusses his evolving practice in an interview with Time Out. Born in Santa Fe and based in Buenos Aires for four decades, López reflects on his career marked by saturated colors, kitsch, humor, and critique, transforming everyday scenes into exaggerated, baroque images. He is set to serve as the guest artist of honor at the Arte Pequeño Formato fair in June, a venue that emphasizes accessible works up to 50 x 50 centimeters.

Aung Myint's 'Clash' opens at Supples Gallery

Aung Myint's exhibition 'Clash' has opened at Supples Gallery. The show features the work of the prominent Myanmar artist, known for his pioneering role in the country's contemporary art scene.

Broome County Public Library brings back Da Vinci Festival Student Art Show

The Da Vinci Festival Student Art Show has returned to the Broome County Public Library in New York after a nearly ten-year hiatus. Organized by Chenango Valley art teacher Matthew Wilson, the exhibit features artwork from students in kindergarten through 12th grade across 18 schools in seven districts. The festival had not been held since 2017 due to a coordinator stepping down and subsequent delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The trolls come indoors as a Danish recycling artist stages his first museum exhibit

Danish recycling artist Thomas Dambo, known for creating nearly 200 wooden troll sculptures hidden in natural settings across 19 countries, is opening his first museum exhibition. Titled “The Garbage Man,” the show at the Arken Museum of Contemporary Art near Copenhagen features a new collection of fairy tale-inspired trolls that take over the museum and build a giant human figure out of trash. The exhibition opens Sunday and runs until November 29, marking a shift from Dambo's usual outdoor treasure-hunt installations to an indoor, narrative-driven experience.

Unchained.Art Contemporary Gallery presents Erin Carle: "you should eat a burger" opening reception

Unchained.Art Contemporary Gallery in Austin, Texas, is hosting the opening reception of "you should eat a burger," a solo exhibition by local artist Erin Carle. The show uses food as both subject and symbol, drawing from Carle's background in ballet to explore the coded language and expectations surrounding women's bodies, addressing themes of self-worth, desire, shame, and control through bright colors and stylized figures.

How Artists Shaped West London Exhibition

The Acton Open 2026, a community art exhibition in West London, brought together fifteen artists from diverse backgrounds to explore themes of life, place, and identity. Organized by ARTification and held at W3 Gallery from March 26 to May 12, the free exhibition featured works in painting, photography, drawing, printmaking, and ceramics, with artists including Ife Olowu, Obiora Nwankwo, Pippa Brill, and others.

Jane Goodall-inspired art exhibit open through June 11 at Carroll County Arts Center

The Carroll County Arts Center in Carrollton, Ohio, is hosting a conservation-themed art exhibit titled "What Would Jane Do?" from May 17 through June 11. The show features works by regional artists inspired by the life and environmental legacy of famed primatologist Jane Goodall, including paintings, quilts, sculptures, and a live woodburning portrait by Akron artist Joe Ott. Organizer Cheri Bell, an artist and co-president of the Arts Center Board of Trustees, conceived the exhibit after Goodall's death as a way to celebrate wildlife and environmental awareness.

Local art exhibition brings mental health into focus through collaboration

A new art exhibition called "TWOgether" has opened at Spare Room Gallery in Barrie, Ontario, running for a month during Mental Health Awareness Month. Curated by Sean William Dawson and Katie Green, the show pairs 12 emerging artists with 10 established artists from Simcoe County to create collaborative works exploring mental health. The project includes a limited-edition art catalogue of 200 signed copies, with 100% of sales proceeds going to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). A public reception and catalogue launch is scheduled for May 22, and the exhibition also features a panel discussion series titled Start Making Sense.

Ekphrastic Poetry Re-imagines Hopeful Art

The Union of Maine Visual Artists (UMVA) is hosting an ekphrastic poetry performance on Saturday, May 23 at 4:00 pm at the Oak Street Lofts Gallery, as part of its "Celebrating Hope" exhibition. Poets Annaliese Jakimides, Gregg Harper, Lily Brown, and Maureen Thorson will respond to artworks inspired by Emily Dickinson's poem "Hope is a strange invention." The exhibition features 20 artists and runs on weekends through May 29.

Auctions of the week: ancient art, design and antiques

A busy week of auctions is scheduled for May 21-27, 2026, spanning Milan, New York, and other global hubs. Italian auction houses including FarsettiArte, Wannenes, Gonnelli, Finarte, Capitolium AuctionHouse, Pananti, Aste Bolaffi, Il Ponte, Maison Bibelot, Babuino Fine Art Auctions, and Pandolfini will offer paintings, drawings, sculptures, antiques, design, jewelry, and vintage fashion. International houses Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Bonhams - Cornette de Saint-Cyr, and Dorotheum also hold sales in New York, Zurich, Paris, and Vienna, covering post-war and contemporary art, handbags, fine wine, and antiques.

Fractured Horizons Returns to NYCxDesign 2026 with Imaging After Images, Marking Its Second International Spotlight at the Festival

Fractured Horizons: Imaging After Images, the second edition of VSDesign's international exhibition series, returned to the NYCxDesign Festival in 2026, running for a week in New York. Organized by VSDesign in partnership with RAC Studio and Asia Design Week, the exhibition featured 60 works by artists and designers from across Asia and North America, spanning architecture, urbanism, product design, visual communication, and interactive media. The show explored how images no longer simply depict space but actively produce, operate, and regulate it, treating the image as a spatial mechanism rather than a neutral surface.