Did Zurbarán Believe What He Painted?

An exhibition of Francisco de Zurbarán's 17th-century religious paintings at London's National Gallery prompts a critic to question whether the artist's personal faith influenced his artistic skill. The show features monumental works from Spanish churches and monasteries, displayed dramatically against black walls, including crucifixion scenes, monks, and saints. The critic notes that no personal records of Zurbarán survive—only contracts—leaving his beliefs unknown, and compares him to Agnolo Bronzino, who painted pious scenes but wrote obscene verses. A small painting of a crucified Christ with a painter, possibly a self-portrait of Bronzino, is presented as ambiguous evidence of faith.

At the Venice Biennale there is also Taiwan. With a collateral event on melancholy

Alla Biennale di Venezia c’è anche Taiwan. Con un evento collaterale sulla malinconia

Taiwan will present a collateral event at the 2026 Venice Biennale titled "Screen Melancholy," curated by Raphael Fonseca and featuring artist Li Yi-Fan. The exhibition, organized by the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, will be held at Palazzo delle Prigioni and run until November 22, 2026. It explores anxieties of the digital age through a site-specific installation combining a single-channel video and monumental human sculptures, reflecting on information overload, fragmented perception, and the limits of human knowledge.

At the Casa di Goethe in Rome, two controversial episodes in the history of science in Mischa Kuball's light installations

Alla Casa di Goethe di Roma due episodi controversi della storia della scienza nelle installazioni di luce di Mischa Kuball

The Casa di Goethe in Rome is hosting a solo exhibition of German conceptual artist Mischa Kuball from April 30 to October 4, 2026. The show features two light installations: "Newton/Goethe luce nera," which contrasts Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's and Isaac Newton's opposing theories on color and light refraction, and "five suns / after Galileo," which visualizes Galileo Galilei's observations of sunspots and his conflict with the Catholic Church. The exhibition is curated by the museum's director, Gregor H. Lersch.

A Faceless Mary Magdalene by Artemisia Gentileschi Goes to Auction

Va in asta una Maria Maddalena di Artemisia Gentileschi senza volto

The Viennese auction house Dorotheum has announced the sale of a rare, fragmented painting of Mary Magdalene by the Baroque master Artemisia Gentileschi. Dating from the artist's influential Florentine period (1615–1618), this autograph version of a work held in Palazzo Pitti is notably missing its central element: the head and shoulders of the saint have been physically cut from the canvas. Despite this dramatic mutilation, which experts speculate may have occurred in post-war Berlin, the work is estimated to fetch between €100,000 and €150,000 at the Old Masters auction on April 28, 2026.

All of Italy Rediscovers Bice Lazzari: After the Brera Exhibition, the Second Stage Opens at the National Gallery in Rome

Tutt’Italia riscopre Bice Lazzari. Dopo la mostra a Brera, ecco la seconda tappa alla Galleria Nazionale di Roma

The major retrospective "Bice Lazzari: The Languages of Her Time" has arrived at the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (GNAMC) in Rome following its debut at Palazzo Citterio in Milan. Curated by Renato Miracco and featuring over 200 works, the exhibition traces the Venetian artist’s journey from her early collaborations with architects to her late-career mastery of abstract painting. The show highlights her constant experimentation across various media, including textiles and jewelry, before she fully dedicated herself to painting in her fifties.

A New Antonello da Messina Discovered. It Will Go to Auction in June: Could Sicily Step Forward to Buy It This Time?

Scoperto un nuovo Antonello da Messina. Andrà in asta a giugno: stavolta potrebbe farsi avanti la Sicilia per l’acquisto?

A newly discovered small wooden panel painting, depicting the face of a young beardless saint, has been attributed to the Renaissance master Antonello da Messina. The work, a fragment of a lost composition, will be auctioned on June 16 by Parisian auction house Ader alongside a signed early work by Peter Paul Rubens. Both come from an anonymous collector who purchased them in France decades ago.

lebanese palestinian artist gabrielle bejani israel bombings lebanon

Gabrielle Bejani, a Lebanese Palestinian artist based in South London, created a new series of works in response to the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that was quickly broken. The series, exhibited as "Deliberate Dreams" at Beirut's Saleh Barakat Gallery in July 2025, uses painting, drawing, and collage to process grief, anger, and guilt over the violence. Bejani incorporates everyday cultural items like bougainvillea and 20th-century Lebanese postage stamps to explore themes of land, identity, and resistance, reclaiming darkness as a source of empowerment rather than a metaphor for evil.

art witt fetter young artist

Cultured magazine profiles 31-year-old artist Witt Fetter as part of its 2025 Young Artists list. Based in New York and originally from Los Angeles, Fetter is known for paintings that reimagine surreal American scenes—such as the White House Situation Room, a Titanic-shaped inflatable slide, and a false missile alert sign—bathed in a distinctive violet-blue haze. Her work has been featured at Fierman and Derosia galleries, and she describes her practice as motivated by grief, desire, and faith, often exploring the tension between personal mythology and broader cultural contexts. The profile includes her reflections on a self-portrait titled *Diana, 2022*, inspired by a photograph of Princess Diana, and her tribute to her grandfather, who taught her to paint and whose technique of using a violet undercoat she continues.

libertine cultured aspen artweek dinner salon

Libertine founder Johnson Hartig and Cultured editor-in-chief Sarah Harrelson hosted an intimate salon dinner at the Hotel Jerome in Aspen during Aspen ArtWeek. The event brought together artists Issy Wood and Rogan Gregory, collectors Michelle and Jason Rubell, entrepreneurs Jen Rubio and Sabrina De Baets, jeweler Briony Raymond, and other cultural figures for seasonal dining and conversation, celebrating Libertine's polychrome pop-up.

Where to see artworks in Marin

This article is a comprehensive listing of art exhibitions and events across Marin County, California, from May through August 2025. It includes details on dozens of shows at venues such as the Belvedere Tiburon Library, Anthony Meier, Blunk Space, Bolinas Museum, Gallery Route One, and many others, featuring works by artists like Carol Thomas, Saif Azzuz, Ian Collings, and Drew Frazier. The listings cover photography, painting, sculpture, and mixed-media exhibits, with opening receptions, artist talks, and benefit events noted.

When satire met paper: ‘Ink & Outrage’ is now open at the Driehaus Museum

The Driehaus Museum in Chicago has opened 'Ink & Outrage: 18th-Century Satirical Prints in London & Dublin,' an exhibition of some 100 prints by Georgian-era caricaturists including James Gillray and Thomas Rowlandson. Curated by Silvia Beltrametti and William Laffan, the show explores the rise of visual satire in 18th-century England and features side-by-side comparisons of original English prints with unauthorized Irish copies, highlighting issues of plagiarism and intellectual property.

The National Gallery of Canada, commissioner of Canada's participation in the 61st International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, unveils the exhibition Abbas Akhavan: Entre chien et loup

The National Gallery of Canada has unveiled the exhibition "Abbas Akhavan: Entre chien et loup" for the Canada Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in 2026. The site-specific installation reimagines the pavilion's architecture as a Wardian case, a precursor to the terrarium used to transport plants across the British Empire, featuring a custom pool with giant Victoria water lilies. The artist replaced the facade with glass panels, making the plants visible from outside, and the installation is framed by additional sculptural works. The exhibition is curated by Kim Nguyen and accompanied by a fully illustrated publication.

At Alserkal Avenue’s Deja Vu, UAE galleries find strength in collaboration

Alserkal Avenue in Dubai has launched "Deja Vu," a multi-gallery exhibition bringing together 20 UAE-based galleries at the Concrete venue, running until May 8. Curated by Zaina Zaarour with co-curators Kevin Jones and Nada Raza, the show features works including German artist Michael Sailstorfer's installation of a car fuel tank, reflecting anxieties around fuel prices and geopolitical uncertainty. The exhibition emerged from urgent community meetings after the Iran war disrupted the spring art season, which typically includes Art Dubai and collector visits. Participating galleries include 16 from Alserkal Avenue, plus Nika Project Space, Total Arts at The Courtyard, Tabari Artspace, and Iris Projects, with many works priced under $10,000 to facilitate sales.

Selling exhibition to support art: Déjà Vu at Alserkal heralds joint initiative

A multi-gallery selling exhibition titled 'Déjà Vu' opens at Concrete in Alserkal Avenue on April 25, running for 14 days. The exhibition features over 50 artists from 20 leading UAE contemporary art galleries and is curated by Kevin Jones, Nada Raza, and Zaina Zaarour. It is designed as a commercial initiative to support galleries impacted by recent events.

Exhibition | 'Human Traces: Presence, Absence, and Material Memory' at Axel Vervoordt Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium

A group exhibition titled 'Human Traces: Presence, Absence, and Material Memory' is on view at the Axel Vervoordt Gallery in Antwerp. It features works by four artists—Ida Barbarigo, William Turnbull, El Anatsui, and Bosco Sodi—who explore themes of memory and transformation through material, shifting focus from the human body to its traces.

Fort Worth's Gallery at Bowie House to Present New Art Exhibition Featuring Carly Allen Martin and Erik Skoldberg

The Gallery at Bowie House in Fort Worth is launching a new exhibition titled "Memory Lane," featuring abstract works by artists Carly Allen Martin and Erik Skoldberg. Since opening in December 2023 within the luxury Auberge Resorts Collection hotel, the gallery has integrated fine art into every guest room and public space, selling hundreds of works ranging from $30,000 to several hundred thousand dollars. The upcoming show marks a shift for the space, moving from its typical figurative Western aesthetic toward contemporary abstraction.

17 Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend: March 4-8

San Diego is hosting a variety of cultural events from March 4-8, ranging from sports and live music to theater and food festivals. Key highlights include the Seven Seas Food Festival at SeaWorld, a Great Gatsby-themed afternoon tea at Fairmont Grand Del Mar, and concerts by Aimee Mann and Lala Lala. The weekend also features celebrations for International Women’s Day, including a makers market and brunch at Stone World Bistro & Gardens.

In Pictures: sculpture gets a leg up at Frieze Los Angeles

Frieze Los Angeles 2025 is showcasing a diverse array of sculptural works that emphasize tactile materials and bodily forms. Highlights from the fair include Vincent Pocsik’s architectural mirrors at Nazarian Curcio, Shana Hoehn’s public installation featuring human limbs emerging from a fallen tree, and Alejandro García Contreras’s intricate ceramic spiderwebs. The presentation underscores a trend toward figurative sculpture that blends personal symbolism with physical presence, with several works already finding buyers among notable collectors.

Art happenings: Miami exhibitions, openings and artist talks

The Miami Herald's weekly "Art happenings" column provides a curated list of upcoming visual art events in the Miami area. It details specific exhibitions, gallery openings, and artist talks scheduled for the week, serving as a local guide for residents and visitors.

Highlights from 1-54 Marrakech and four artists to watch

The seventh edition of the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair took place in Marrakech from February 5-8, 2026, at the La Mamounia hotel. The fair featured 22 galleries, primarily from Africa and its diaspora, showcasing around 70 artists across various media. A key parallel initiative was Gallery Night, which saw local galleries like La Galerie 38 open new exhibitions, such as Ghizlane Agzenaï's solo show 'Dimension 2112: The Station', to coincide with the fair's energy and visitor influx.

BRAFA 2026: the art market heats up from the opening

The 71st edition of BRAFA art fair in Brussels opened with strong sales, signaling a promising start to the 2026 art market. During the first three invitation-only days, major works were sold by galleries including Greta Meert, which placed a €500,000 Enrico Castellani, and Mulier Mulier Gallery, which sold a Tom Wesselmann for €80,000. Other notable sales include a Kim Tschang Yeul work at Boon Gallery, a Renoir painting at Stern Pissarro, and a James Ensor piece at Patrick Derom Gallery. The fair features 147 exhibitors and has attracted loyal collectors, with many galleries reporting multiple red dots and strong interest from younger buyers.

‘Certain things you can only see from the sky’: artist Precious Okoyomon on how flying planes has inspired their practice

Artist Precious Okoyomon discusses how learning to fly a propeller plane has influenced their artistic practice, from dioramas depicting aerial perspectives to a video work reading poetry from the cockpit. Their first exhibition with Mendes Wood DM in Paris, titled 'It’s important to have ur fangs out at the end of the world' (through 17 January), features sculptures, wallpaper, a fable, and three lightbox dioramas that draw on sky studies taken while flying. Okoyomon earned their pilot’s license before their driver’s license as a teenager in Ohio, and continues to fly when visiting family, finding the experience a reset for their nervous system.

5 Art Openings in London this week.

Five art openings in London are scheduled for the first week of 2026, split across two nights. On Thursday, January 8, two group exhibitions debut: 'PELT' at OHSH Projects (above Peckham Rye Station) features 19 artists exploring skin as a site of memory and mortality, and 'Connecting Threads' at Great Pulteney Street Gallery presents 11 artists expanding textile art. On Friday, January 9, three solo shows open: Max Boyla's 'Spooky Action At a Distance' at Palmer Gallery, Willa Cosinuke's 'Split Studies' at Chilli, and Sverre Malling's 'At The Mistress’ Request' at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery.

In pictures: a season for newcomers at Art Basel Miami Beach’s Meridians

Yasmil Raymond returns for her second year as curator of Art Basel Miami Beach’s Meridians sector, focusing on showcasing a more diverse group of artists and providing opportunities for newcomers. She highlights several works, including Huang Yong Ping’s political sculpture referencing a US spy plane incident, Stephanie Syjuco’s critique of Western culture through a photography-studio installation, Ward Shelley’s post-truth library, Jesús Rafael Soto’s immersive Pénétrable, Luisa Rabbia’s feminist reimagining of a labor strike painting, and Anne Samat’s woven family portrait made from thrift-store objects.

Palestinian artist ‘cancelled’ by US museum comes to Frieze Masters

Palestinian artist Samia Halaby is presenting a solo stand at Frieze Masters in London, hosted by Sfeir-Semler Gallery. This follows the abrupt cancellation of her retrospective at Indiana University Bloomington's Eskenazi Museum of Art last year, after staff raised concerns about her social media posts expressing support for Palestinian causes during the Israel-Gaza war. A petition launched by her grandniece garnered over 15,000 signatures, and the gallery reports sustained interest in her work from both private collectors and museums.

5 Standout Shows to See at Small Galleries This September

This article highlights five standout exhibitions at small and rising galleries for September 2025. Featured shows include Ali Tahayori's "Archive of Longing" at THIS IS NO FANTASY in Melbourne, where family photographs are transformed into fragile glass sculptures exploring memory; Michael Batty's "Ladders and Tone Poems" at Mark Moore Fine Art, an online exhibition of abstract, geometrically arranged paintings; and "William S. Burroughs: REDUX 1995–2025" at Robert Berman Gallery in Santa Monica, a survey of the Beat writer's gestural abstract paintings and mixed-media works.

Timely rediscoveries await at Independent 20th Century

The fourth edition of Independent 20th Century fair takes place at Casa Cipriani from September 4-7, featuring 31 exhibitors and works by around 40 overlooked 20th-century artists. Highlights include solo presentations of visionaries like Gertrude Greene, Jacci Den Hartog, and Judy Pfaff, alongside lesser-known works by icons such as Pablo Picasso and Edvard Munch. New exhibitors like Mariposa Gallery (devoted to queer icon Peter Berlin) and established names like Gmurzynska (showcasing Dan Basen) join the fair, which emphasizes self-taught artists and politically poignant themes.

11 new art shows in India we’re excited about this August

Vogue India highlights 11 new art shows opening across India in August 2025, including the 8th edition of Delhi Contemporary Art Week, which brings together six women-led galleries. Notable exhibitions include 'The Personal is Mythical' at Latitude 28 featuring Gond artist Bhajju Shyam, 'Roots of the Earth' at Jhaveri Contemporary exploring marginalized histories, and a solo show of Madhvi Parekh at DAG celebrating her folk modernist works. Other shows include 'Objects May Appear Softer…' at Black Cube Gallery, focusing on Indian female artists.

Yancey Richardson marks 30 years with artist-led anniversary exhibition

Yancey Richardson Gallery in New York is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a group exhibition titled "Celebrating 30 Years," opening July 16. The show is co-curated by the gallery's represented artists and estates, featuring works that span traditional darkroom techniques to experimental and interdisciplinary practices, highlighting the gallery's long-standing focus on photography and lens-based media. The exhibition includes artists such as Hellen van Meene, Guanyu Xu, Kahn & Selesnick, Sandi Haber Fifield, Pello Irazu, Zanele Muholi, Mickalene Thomas, and Mark Steinmetz, with images courtesy of the gallery.

Anonymous image makers, New York nights and confronting the colonial: three photography shows to see at Les Rencontres d'Arles

The article highlights three photography exhibitions at the 2025 Rencontres d'Arles festival, titled "Disobedient Images." The first show features the late David Armstrong, a Boston School photographer, with vintage prints and contact sheets capturing 1970s-80s New York counterculture. The second, "On Country: Photography from Australia," presents works by Indigenous and non-Indigenous photographers that challenge colonial narratives and explore First Peoples' connection to land. The festival runs across multiple venues in Arles through summer and fall.