Two Bouchers for the Prado

Deux Boucher pour le Prado

The Museo del Prado in Madrid has acquired two significant early pendant paintings by François Boucher, titled 'La Naissance et La Mort d'Adonis.' The works were purchased from a French private collection through the Madrid gallery Ana Chiclana, using funds from the bequest of the late department head Juan José Luna. The paintings have been restored and are currently on public display in the Goya's Majas room, awaiting the reopening of the museum's renovated 18th-century galleries.

Two Sales at Christie's

Deux ventes chez Christie's

Christie's in Paris is hosting two significant sales featuring masterpieces from the legendary Veil-Picard collection, which had been largely inaccessible to the public and scholars for decades. Highlights include a perfect Watteau drawing unseen on the market since 1900 and two major Hubert Robert paintings commissioned by the famed salonnière Madame Geoffrin, offering a rare glimpse into 18th-century Parisian interiors.

A Degas for London

Un Degas pour Londres

The National Gallery in London has acquired a pastel by Edgar Degas through the UK's 'acceptance in lieu' scheme, which allows heirs to settle inheritance taxes by transferring important works of art to public collections. The artwork depicts ballet dancers not in performance, but in a state of exhaustion and idleness backstage, capturing a raw, unglamorous moment.

Derrick Adams: Glimpses of Black Leisure

The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, is hosting 'Derrick Adams: View Master,' the first mid-career survey dedicated to the multidisciplinary artist. Featuring over 100 works spanning two decades, the exhibition includes painting, collage, sculpture, video, and performance that highlight Adams's unique visual language of pattern and color.

The Music Is Black: Frequencies of Belonging in Britain

V&A East Museum is launching its inaugural exhibition, 'The Music is Black: A British Story,' a comprehensive exploration of Black British music spanning over a century. Curated by Jacqueline Springer, the show features more than 200 objects—including instruments, fashion, and personal artifacts—alongside significant artworks by figures such as Sonia Boyce and Frank Bowling. The exhibition traces the evolution of genres from early 20th-century compositions to contemporary grime and drill, framing them as vital expressions of migration, resistance, and cultural identity.

After Whistleblower Complaint, Palm Springs Art Museum Declines to Release Report on Allegations of Fraud and Theft, Claims They Are ‘Not Substantiated’

The Palm Springs Art Museum in California has released a three-page statement claiming that an investigation into a whistleblower complaint alleging mismanagement, fraud, and theft found no wrongdoing. The complaint included allegations of improper reclassification of endowment funds, a $3 million discrepancy in investment accounts, and the forced departure of a former director. The museum hired law firm Barnes & Thornburg and forensic accounting firm RSM US to conduct a six-month review, but declined to release the resulting report to ARTnews or the public. The museum acknowledged that proceeds from deaccessioned artworks were used for operating expenses, calling it a long-standing board-approved practice with an internal loan being repaid by 2030.

Sophie Rivera's first survey focuses on experimentation

El Museo del Barrio in New York has opened "Sophie Rivera: Double Exposures," the first career survey of the Puerto Rican American photographer (1938-2021). The exhibition reassesses Rivera's practice, highlighting her experimental work beyond her well-known 1978 series "Nuyorican Portraits," which depicted Puerto Rican sitters in Manhattan's Morningside Heights. Curated by Susanna V. Temkin, the show features works across portraiture, photojournalism, and experimental image-making, including the color photograph "Alternators" (1975, printed 1986), which Rivera donated to the museum in the late 1980s.

Fashion figure Jordan Roth wows in collage at the Venice Biennale

Multi-disciplinary artist Jordan Roth staged a performance on May 7 at Palazzo dei Fiori in Venice during the Biennale preview week, where he tore apart vinyl prints of Renaissance painter Irene di Spilimbergo and reassembled them into collages within a gilt frame. The event, presented with Performance Space New York’s Visionaries Circle, was attended by Whitney Museum director Scott Rothkopf and dealer Kristin Hjellegjerde, following Roth's earlier appearance as a "living sculpture" at the Met Gala.

Rosy Simas on Creating a Space for Peace in Minneapolis

Minnesota-based interdisciplinary artist Rosy Simas opened a contemplative installation titled "A:gajë:gwah dësa’nigöëwë:nye:' (i hope it will stir your mind)" at the Walker Art Center on the same day that Trump-appointed border czar Tom Homan announced the end of Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration enforcement operation in the Twin Cities. The installation features salt bottles made from woven corn husks, each honoring one of Simas's relatives, and is inspired by the teachings of Handsome Lake (Ganyodaiyo’), her fifth great-grandfather’s half-brother, who promoted the Seneca concept of a "good mind." The exhibition, on view through July 5, is part of a two-part project that also includes performances in May. Simas, known primarily for choreography, has increasingly gained recognition as a visual artist, recently receiving a Creative Capital Award.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Calls on King Charles to Return Treasured Diamond to India

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani publicly called on King Charles III to return the Koh-i-Noor Diamond to India during the British monarch's visit to New York City on Wednesday. Speaking at a press conference before a 9/11 commemoration ceremony, Mamdani said he would encourage the King to return the diamond, which was given to Queen Victoria in 1850 after Britain's colonial governor-general arranged its exchange from a deposed Indian leader. The two leaders later met at the ceremony, but Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the discussion.

Venice Biennale Jury Resigns En Masse, Organizers to Award “Visitors’ Lions” in November

The jury for the 2026 Venice Biennale has resigned en masse, announcing the decision via e-flux's Instagram account on April 30 without providing a reason. The five-member jury, including president Solange Oliveira Farks, Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi, had previously stated they would not consider national pavilions from countries charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, directly affecting Israel and Russia. In response, the Biennale postponed the awards ceremony from May to November 22 and replaced the Golden Lions with two "Visitors' Lions" voted on by the public.

Lee ShinJa's Handwoven Portals

Hyperallergic profiles the work of South Korean textile artist Lee ShinJa, whose handwoven artworks are described as 'portals' that bridge traditional craft and contemporary abstraction. The article highlights her use of traditional Korean weaving techniques to create layered, ethereal pieces that evoke both physical and metaphysical spaces.

From intimate still lives to shadowed saints: the many sides of Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán go on show at London’s National Gallery

The National Gallery in London is opening a major survey exhibition of Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664), the first on this scale since 1987. The show expands beyond his famous austere saints to include intimate still-lifes, late private devotional works, and large-scale altarpiece reconstructions. Curator Daniel Sobrino Ralston highlights two newly discovered paintings, including *Alcarraza on a Plate*, and a rare reconstruction of the second tier of the Charterhouse of Jerez de la Frontera altarpiece, reuniting works from museums in Grenoble and Poznań.

Parallax(e): Perspectives on the Canada–US Border

The exhibition "Parallax(e): Perspectives on the Canada–US Border" at The Reach Gallery Museum in Abbotsford, British Columbia, brings together archival materials from the Northwest Boundary Survey (1857–62) with new works by five Indigenous artists. The show features photographs, maps, and watercolors from British and American surveyors alongside commissions by Dr. Shawn Brigman, Dr. Michelle Jack, Deb Silver, Xémóntalot Carrielynn Victor, and Dr. T’uy’t’tanat Cease Wyss, who respond to the legacy of the border's creation through canoe culture, transboundary identity, and place-based knowledge.

The International Center of Photography Presents Photobook Fest

The International Center of Photography (ICP) is hosting its fifth annual Photobook Fest from May 8–10 at its Lower East Side campus in Manhattan. The event will feature over 80 international publishers, with a schedule of workshops, panels, and book signings.

Jean Shin’s Living Memorial to the Trees of Green-Wood Cemetery

Artist Jean Shin unveiled a new site-specific earthwork titled "Offering" (2026) at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery on April 18. The installation, situated in a meadow facing the cemetery's gates, consists of a long, oval-shaped mound of soil covering two felled oak trees. The work was inspired by traditional Korean tumulus burial mounds and involved a community ritual led by a Korean shaman, with volunteers planting wildflowers and shrubs on the mound.

Luminous Tiffany Window Poised to Net $2 Million at Auction

A late 19th-century Tiffany stained-glass window, known as the Boyd Family Memorial Window (The Falls), is set to be auctioned at Christie's in June with an estimated price of $2 million. The window, depicting a waterfall and sunset landscape, has been installed in the Second Congregational Church in Winsted, Connecticut, for 125 years and was commissioned by Ellen Wright Boyd in memory of her parents.

Turkey Notches Another Successful Restitution After Denver Art Museum Returns 1500-Year-Old Marble Head

The Denver Art Museum has repatriated a 1,500-year-old marble head of a bearded man to Turkey, following a successful restitution claim. The sculpture, which dates back to the fifth century BCE, was originally unearthed in the agora of the ancient city of Smyrna (modern-day Izmir) and was likely trafficked illicitly before entering the museum's collection. The artifact is now on public display at the İzmir Archaeology Museum.

Mystery 17th-Century Portrait Sparks Search for Identity of Black Sitter

Researchers at the National Portrait Gallery in London have launched a landmark investigation into a rare 17th-century double portrait featuring a Black boy and a white boy standing side-by-side. The painting, which has hung at the historic Penshurst Place in Kent for centuries, is undergoing extensive restoration and technical analysis to identify the sitters. Experts are particularly struck by the composition, which depicts the Black figure at the same scale and status as the white figure, a significant departure from the era's typical portrayal of Black individuals as marginal attendants.

Lost-Lost Film by French Cinema Pioneer Turns Up in Michigan

A long-lost film by French cinema pioneer Georges Méliès has been discovered in a garage in Grand Rapids, Michigan, after sitting in a trunk for two decades. The 45-second silent short, titled 'Gugusse and the Automaton' (1897), was identified by specialists at the Library of Congress after the owner, Bill McFarland, donated a collection of nitrate reels that had belonged to his showman great-grandfather.

Large Roman Villa Uncovered in the U.K. During Wind Farm Survey

Archaeologists conducting surveys for an offshore wind farm project in Norfolk, England, have discovered a significant Roman villa dating back to the 1st through 3rd centuries C.E. The expansive estate, which measures over 100 feet in length, featured a bathhouse, a covered porch, and ancillary buildings for crop processing. Excavations also yielded high-status artifacts including an ornate bronze door handle, a lion-headed furniture foot, and imported pottery, alongside evidence of a Roman road and two lost medieval villages.

Portland Museum of Art Buys New Building For $14 M., Freeing Up Space For Exhibitions

The Portland Museum of Art (PMA) has finalized a $14 million acquisition of a downtown building and two adjacent parking lots from MaineHealth. Located on Free Street next to the museum's current campus, the facility will house administrative offices, allowing the museum to convert existing office space into new public galleries.

Trustees of Renowned West Coast Artist Residency Visited Epstein’s Island

Two trustees of the prestigious Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Alexander Maxwell Djerassi and Michael Molesky, were identified in recently released Department of Justice files as visitors to Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in 2011. The pair attended the "Mindshift Conference," a gathering of academics and professionals held two years after Epstein’s first conviction. The residency program, located in California's Santa Cruz Mountains, clarified that the visit occurred years before either individual joined the board and emphasized that neither Epstein nor Ghislaine Maxwell ever had any formal ties or donor history with the institution.

Art Cologne heads to the beach with revived Mallorca edition

Art Cologne is relaunching its satellite fair in Mallorca nearly two decades after a brief, unsuccessful attempt in 2007. Scheduled for April 9–12 at the Palau de Congressos de Palma, the revived Art Cologne Palma Mallorca will feature 88 galleries, with a significant emphasis on Spanish and local Balearic participants rather than just German exports.

Theresa Hak Kyung Cha Made Human Again

The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) is hosting "Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Multiple Offerings," a comprehensive exhibition that draws from the artist’s complete archives. The show highlights Cha’s multidisciplinary practice, spanning film experiments, performance documentation, and her signature linguistic explorations. By pairing finished artworks with archival materials and personal ephemera, the exhibition reveals a playful, puckish side of the artist that is often obscured by the tragic circumstances of her death and the heavy themes of exile and dislocation in her work.

At 250, America Must Reframe Its Founding Icons

The Princeton University Art Museum has reopened after a five-year construction hiatus, returning Charles Willson Peale's iconic 1783 painting, *George Washington at the Battle of Princeton*, to public view. The painting, which had been on continuous display for 236 years prior to the closure, is being presented with a new interpretive framework that highlights the complex history of its ornate frame—originally made for a portrait of King George II, with its crown physically removed—and the painting's timing for the nation's 250th anniversary.

Italy’s Culture Minister Calls For Resignation Over Russian Pavilion’s Return to Venice Biennale

Italy's Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli has demanded the resignation of Tamara Gregoretti, the government's representative on the Venice Biennale board, accusing her of failing to alert the ministry to Russia's planned return to the 2026 exhibition. Russia announced it will reopen its national pavilion for the first time since 2019 with a presentation titled 'The Tree Is Rooted in the Sky,' curated by Anastasia Karneeva and featuring over 30 artists.

Taína Cruz Interview

taina cruz interview 2749742

Taína H. Cruz has emerged as a central figure in the 2024 New York art season, achieving the rare feat of being featured simultaneously in the Whitney Biennial and MoMA PS1’s "Greater New York." A 2023 Yale MFA graduate, Cruz has become the literal face of the Whitney Biennial, with her painting "I Saw the Future and It Smiled Back" displayed on a massive billboard outside the museum. Her work, which often explores Black female identity through a lens of folklore, horror, and celebrity culture, is characterized by a moody and unsettling atmospheric quality.

british museum staffer stole artworks 1234775632

Nigel Peverett, a former staffer in the British Museum’s prints and drawings department, stole over 350 artworks during his tenure in the 1970s and 80s. The thefts, detailed in Barnaby Phillips’s upcoming book 'The African Kingdom of Gold', involved Peverett smuggling prints out of the museum, altering them with razors to remove catalog numbers, and selling them at London’s Portobello Road market. Although he was caught in 1992 with 35 prints in his possession, nearly 100 items remain unrecovered.

australian police arrest thief egyptian artifacts heist 1234773601

Police in Queensland, Australia, arrested a 52-year-old man suspected of stealing ancient Egyptian artifacts from the Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology in Caboolture. The suspect was apprehended on Russell Island after police found part of the stolen haul, including a 2,600-year-old wooden cat figure, a 3,300-year-old necklace, and a mummy mask, in a camper van at a ferry terminal. The items were recovered and returned to the museum within two days of the brazen break-in.