Art News. Vasari Codex

person people schedule Jan 22, 2026 visibility 17 link 5 artists

pennsylvania academy of the fine arts kristen shepherd

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) has appointed Kristen Shepherd as its new president and CEO, effective February 9. Shepherd, 54, previously served as executive director and CEO of the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida, and held leadership roles at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum in New York, and Sotheby’s in New York and London. She also runs her own consulting firm, Shepherd Lane + Associates. Shepherd takes over at a challenging time for PAFA, which closed its college last May due to rising costs and low enrollment, though it continues to offer K-12 and continuing education programs.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jan 22, 2026 visibility 23 link 8 artists

beverly buchanan athens disabled economy exchange mo costello katz tepper

Beverly Buchanan, who lived in Athens, Georgia for over 20 years, often paid for everyday needs with her artworks, trading them with her doctor and local community members. A new exhibition titled "Beverly's Athens" at the University of Georgia's Athenaeum showcases works borrowed from local collections, including pieces from her doctor's personal collection and sculptures from her own backyard. The show features her flower drawings, which her dealer Betty Parsons once rejected, as well as her "ruins" sculptures and archival footage of her garden. Curators Mo Costello and Katz Tepper, both artists who are chronically ill, organized the exhibition to highlight Buchanan's ecosystem of exchange and survival.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jan 22, 2026 visibility 28 link 2 artists

frida kahlo tate modern loan challenges

Tate Modern's upcoming exhibition "Frida: The Making of an Icon," opening in June, will feature only 36 works by Frida Kahlo, a significant drop from the 50-plus works shown in the museum's last major Kahlo exhibition in 2005. Curators cite the artist's soaring global popularity as a practical obstacle: her paintings have become scarcer, more valuable, and harder to borrow. A key example is Kahlo's 1940 painting "El sueño (La cama)," which sold at Sotheby's New York for $54.7 million last fall, setting a new auction record for a woman artist. Tate is still trying to secure that work for the show, but curator Tobias Ostrander says chances are slim. Notably, Madonna, who lent works in 2005, has declined to loan this time. The exhibition, which premieres at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston before traveling to London, will not be a traditional retrospective but will instead place Kahlo's work within a broader cultural context, including works by over 80 artists she influenced and a section examining "Fridamania" and the mass merchandising of her image.

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article news schedule Jan 22, 2026 visibility 18 link 12 artists

nan goldin neue nationalgalerie 2

Nan Goldin used the opening of her retrospective “This Will Not End Well” at Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie to deliver a forceful 14-minute speech condemning the Israel-Gaza war and criticizing Germany’s censorship of pro-Palestinian voices. She called for a phone-free moment of silence for the dead in Palestine, Israel, and Lebanon, and framed her exhibition as a test case for artistic freedom. The event drew a large crowd, police presence, and was widely shared on social media by figures like Ai Weiwei and Wolfgang Tillmans.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jan 22, 2026 visibility 17 link 3 artists

ai weiwei buttons 2

Artist Ai Weiwei will unveil a new exhibition titled “Button Up!” at Factory International in Manchester, England, opening July 2. The show features monumental installations made from 30 tons of buttons he rescued from a shuttered British factory in 2019, along with over 3.5 million Lego pieces. Highlights include eight flags sewn with 9,000 buttons each, referencing the Eight-Nation Alliance that invaded China during the Boxer Rebellion, and a new version of his Lego work *History of Bombs*. The buttons were secretly shipped to China, where artisans assembled the works over 281 days.

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article culture schedule Jan 21, 2026 visibility 12 link 7 artists

degas the artist the network tv

A new TV series titled "The Artist" on The Network offers a chaotic, irreverent take on art history, centering on a widow (Janet McTeer) who may have murdered her robber-baron husband. The show features historical figures like Edgar Degas and Thomas Edison, blending campy soap-opera drama with accurate art-historical references, including real artworks by Monet, Manet, Cassatt, and Degas. The final episodes air December 25 on a free ad-sponsored platform created by director Aram Rappaport.

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article news schedule Jan 21, 2026 visibility 27 link 8 artists, 2 galleries

52 walker david zwirner ebony haynes transition

52 Walker, the Tribeca kunsthalle-style space founded by Ebony L. Haynes under David Zwirner in 2021, has quietly transitioned from a standalone venue into a standard David Zwirner gallery space. The change followed Haynes's promotion to global head of curatorial projects last fall. The final exhibition at 52 Walker as a dedicated physical space was a presentation by Nicole Eisenman. Haynes will continue to curate under the 52W banner as a nomadic, project-based initiative across Zwirner's global locations, with the next show being an Isa Genzken exhibition titled 'Vacation' opening in March.

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article news schedule Jan 20, 2026 visibility 16 link 5 artists

michael jackson rarely art warhol museum monaco

Jermaine Jackson has announced plans to launch a touring museum dedicated to Michael Jackson's visual art, debuting in Monaco toward the end of 2026 as part of a biennial. The museum, described as a "Showseum," will open with a 120-work exhibition of Jackson's paintings, including collaborations with Andy Warhol and portraits of US presidents. The collection of 200 works, reportedly worth $1.6 billion, has been stored in a secure facility in Washington, D.C., and is not for sale.

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article culture schedule Jan 20, 2026 visibility 18 link 3 artists

hard choices can you hack contemporary art curator

Art-world consultants Chen & Lampert present a satirical quiz for contemporary art curators who came of age in the mid-2000s and now face the challenges of middle age—mortgages, school-age children, and dwindling energy for the nightlife that once fueled their careers. The quiz poses ten multiple-choice questions testing whether a curator can stay relevant without partying every night, touching on topics like referencing artists in talks, responding to young artists, and keeping up with art news and trends.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jan 16, 2026 visibility 21 link 9 artists

rauschenberg air and space museum

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum will reopen its newly renovated Flight and Arts Center in July 2026 with a major exhibition devoted to Robert Rauschenberg. Titled “The Ascent of Rauschenberg: Reinventing the Art of Flight,” the show features 30 works by the American Pop artist, some never before exhibited, tracing how aviation and space exploration themes permeated his six-decade career. Highlights include his lithograph *Sky Garden (Stoned Moon)*, inspired by the Apollo 11 mission, and works from his “Combines” series. The exhibition draws loans from the Hirshhorn Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jan 15, 2026 visibility 16 link 3 artists

ego nwodim whitney museum art party 2026

Actress and comedian Ego Nwodim will co-chair the Whitney Museum of American Art’s annual Art Party on January 27, 2026. The event, hosted by the Whitney Contemporaries, will take place at the museum’s Gansevoort Street building and feature DJ sets by Raúl de Nieves and The Dare. Nwodim joins co-chairs including artists Martine Gutierrez and Emma Safir, as well as Whitney Contemporaries Steven Beltrani, Micaela Erlanger, and Alexander Hankin. The evening will offer after-hours gallery access, cocktails, and dancing, with proceeds supporting the Whitney’s exhibitions, education, and public programs.

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trending_up market schedule Jan 15, 2026 visibility 20 link 8 artists

art historical rediscoveries 2025

Seven notable art historical rediscoveries from 2025 are highlighted, including an early Eva Hesse painting found at a Goodwill thrift store that sold for $107,100 at Christie's, a previously unknown John Singer Sargent portrait unveiled at the Musée d'Orsay, a Salvador Dalí watercolor bought for $186 that fetched $61,400 at auction, and a John Constable drawing resurfacing after 200 years. Other finds include works by post-minimalist and old master artists uncovered in attics, estate sales, and private collections, often identified by sharp-eyed dealers or lucky amateurs.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jan 13, 2026 visibility 28 link 9 artists

caravaggio morgan library loan

The Morgan Library and Museum in New York will open "Caravaggio’s Boy with a Basket of Fruit in Focus" on January 16, centered on a landmark loan of Caravaggio's titular painting from the Galleria Borghese in Rome. The exhibition, organized through the Foundation for Italian Art and Culture (FIAC) led by Alain Elkann, features 13 artworks by artists who preceded and succeeded Caravaggio, curated by John Marciari to provide context on the artist's influences and legacy.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jan 13, 2026 visibility 25 link 6 artists

yoko ono art mca chicago review

Yoko Ono's retrospective "Music of the Mind" at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago showcases over 200 works, including word scores, ephemera, and performances from the 1960s and early '70s. Central to the show is Ono's aesthetic of refusal, exemplified by pieces like *Strip Tease for Three* (1966), where empty chairs await a dancer who never arrives, and *Smoke Painting* (1961), which instructs viewers to burn a canvas. The exhibition, which first appeared at Tate Modern in 2024 and travels to the Broad in Los Angeles after closing in Chicago on February 22, challenges viewers to find meaning in absence and denial.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jan 13, 2026 visibility 24 link 11 artists

new museum opening date

The New Museum in New York has announced that its OMA-designed expansion will open to the public on March 21, following nearly a decade of planning and a two-year closure. The 60,000-square-foot addition, located next to the original flagship on Bowery Street, doubles the institution's footprint and features new residency studios, exhibition spaces, a restaurant, a forum, and a Sky Room. The inaugural exhibition, "New Humans: Memories of the Future," will showcase 150 artists including Sophia Al-Maria, Meriem Bennani, Hito Steyerl, Tau Lewis, and Jamian Juliano-Villani, alongside permanent commissions by Tschabalala Self and Sarah Lucas. The building, designed by Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas of OMA with executive architect Cooper Robertson, is one of the few museums worldwide designed by two Pritzker Prize winners.

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person people schedule Jan 13, 2026 visibility 27 link 8 artists

kim sajet milwaukee art museum

Kim Sajet, former director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG), has been appointed as the new director of the Milwaukee Art Museum, starting September 22. She left the NPG in June after a high-profile clash with President Donald Trump over diversity initiatives and funding. Sajet brings extensive experience from museums in the Netherlands and Australia, and during her 12-year tenure at the NPG, she doubled attendance and raised $85 million. She replaces Marcelle Polednik, who departed in May after nine years.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jan 13, 2026 visibility 39 link 26 artists

new museum reopening march 21 2026

The New Museum in New York will reopen on March 21, 2026, after a two-year closure for a major expansion. Designed by OMA / Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas, the project adds 60,000 square feet to the existing SANAA-designed building, bringing the total footprint to nearly 120,000 square feet. New features include expanded exhibition space, a 74-seat Forum, an enlarged Sky Room, artist commissions by Tschabalala Self, Klára Hosnedlová, and Sarah Lucas, a larger bookstore, and a restaurant by Henry Rich with executive chef Julia Sherman. The reopening weekend will offer free admission funded by trustee Charlotte Feng Ford, and the museum will debut the exhibition “New Humans: Memories of the Future,” featuring over 200 artists including Francis Bacon, Salvador Dalí, and contemporary figures like Meriem Bennani and Hito Steyerl.

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trending_up market schedule Jan 13, 2026 visibility 18 link 7 artists, 1 gallery

work of the week rabindranath tagore

Rabindranath Tagore's 1937 painting *From Across the Dark* sold for 107 million rupees ($1.2 million) at AstaGuru's "Historic Masterpieces" online auction, setting a new auction record for the artist. The work, executed in ink, poster color, and crayon, far exceeded its presale low estimate of 20 million rupees. Tagore's previous record was set at Sotheby's London in October 2023 for *Untitled (Three Bauls)*.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jan 12, 2026 visibility 19 link 4 artists

van gogh yellow house museum

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has opened an exhibition titled "Van Gogh and the Roulins. Together Again at Last," which reunites 14 of Vincent van Gogh's 23 portraits of the Roulin family, painted during his 15-month stay in the Yellow House in Arles (1888–89). The show features a full-scale recreation of the Yellow House façade, the original chair used by postman Joseph Roulin during sittings, and costumed actors portraying family members. It traveled from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where it drew 280,000 visitors, and includes four additional paintings not shown in Boston, on loan from institutions such as the Stedelijk Museum, Kröller-Müller Museum, Kunst Museum Winterthur, and Museum Folkwang.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jan 12, 2026 visibility 18 link 3 artists

esphyr slobodkina louise nevelson arkansas museum

The Arkansas Museum of Art in Little Rock is presenting "Architects of Being," an exhibition pairing the work of Esphyr Slobodkina and Louise Nevelson through January 11, 2026. Slobodkina, a Russian-born Jewish immigrant and founding member of the American Abstract Artists, was a painter, sculptor, writer, and fashion designer who also authored the classic children's book *Caps for Sale*. Nevelson, also an Eastern European Jewish immigrant, is renowned for her monochromatic wood assemblages. The show juxtaposes their geometric abstractions, collages, sculptures, and personal fashion, curated as a hypothetical dialogue between two kindred spirits who never met. The exhibition will travel to the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia, and the New Britain Museum of American Art.

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article news schedule Jan 12, 2026 visibility 15 link 2 artists, 1 gallery

hauser and wirth russia sanctions trial

Hauser & Wirth and art shipping company Artay Rauchwerger Solomons face trial over charges of evading U.K. sanctions by allegedly making artist George Condo's 2021 work on paper, *Escape from Humanity*, available to a person connected with Russia in 2022. The U.K. Crown Prosecution Service brought the charge in November, and a judge has scheduled a 10-day trial for January 2028, with a hearing on May 5, 2026, for arraignment. Hauser & Wirth has stated it will plead not guilty, while the shipping firm, which went into voluntary liquidation in April 2024, did not respond to requests for comment.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jan 12, 2026 visibility 24 link 4 artists

emily sargent exhibition metropolitan museum of art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is hosting "Emily Sargent: Portrait of a Family," its first exhibition of watercolors by Emily Sargent (1857–1936), the younger sister of famed portraitist John Singer Sargent. The works were rediscovered after a forgotten trunk of hundreds of paintings was found in storage by relatives, and in 2022, the family donated 26 pieces across seven museums in the U.S. and U.K. The show features about 20 of the Met's received works, rotating delicate pieces midway through its run, and includes a watercolor co-created by Emily and John.

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article policy schedule Jan 10, 2026 visibility 21 link 7 artists

south africa cancels gabrielle goliath gaza venice biennale

South Africa selected a work by artist Gabrielle Goliath for its Venice Biennale pavilion, then rescinded the decision on January 2, just eight days before the finalization deadline. The culture ministry, led by Minister Gayton McKenzie, objected to a section of Goliath's "Elegy" series that included words by Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2023. The pavilion's selection committee publicly disagreed with the cancellation, calling it censorship and highlighting a history of mismanagement.

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trending_up market schedule Jan 9, 2026 visibility 15 link 5 artists

rediscovered rubens brafa art fair

Belgian art dealer Klaas Muller purchased a painting at an online auction three years ago, identified only as a study by an unknown artist of the Flemish school. After research, he discovered the work is likely a rediscovered study by Peter Paul Rubens (circa 1609), featuring a hidden second image of a woman's face visible when the painting is turned upside down. The work will debut at the BRAFA art fair in Brussels, where Muller serves as chairman.

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trending_up market schedule Jan 9, 2026 visibility 16 link 4 artists

peter paul rubens drawing attribution klaas muller

Belgian art dealer Klaas Muller has identified a previously unattributed oil-on-paper study as a work by Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens, titled "Bearded old man, looking down to his left" (ca. 1609). Muller purchased the piece for under €100,000 at a lesser-known northern European auction house three years ago, where it was listed as an unknown artist from the "Flemish school." After recognizing the bearded figure as Saint Thomas from Rubens's "Apostolado Lerma" series at the Prado, Muller commissioned research from art historian Ben van Beneden, former director of Rubenshuis, who confirmed the work's exceptional quality and likely attribution to Rubens. The study also features a ghostly woman's face visible when turned upside down, reflecting Rubens's playful reuse of materials.

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person people schedule Jan 8, 2026 visibility 28 link 14 artists

prix marcel duchamp 2026 nominees

The Prix Marcel Duchamp, France's most prestigious art prize, has announced its 2026 nominees: Joël Andrianomearisoa, Josèfa Ntjam, Laura Henno, and the duo David Brognon and Stéphanie Rollin. The five nominees will exhibit together at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris in October, with the winner receiving €35,000. The jury is led by Centre Pompidou director Xavier Rey and includes prominent curators, collectors, and past winners such as Kader Attia.

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article news schedule Jan 8, 2026 visibility 29 link 4 artists

franco regime censored robert motherwell painting moma show

Newly uncovered documents from the Museum of Modern Art’s archives confirm that the Franco regime in Spain attempted to censor Robert Motherwell’s painting *Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 35* (1954–58) before its scheduled 1958 exhibition in Madrid. The painting was part of MoMA’s traveling show “The New American Painting,” which introduced Abstract Expressionism to Europe. Spanish authorities demanded Motherwell remove the phrase “Spanish Republic” from the title, but the artist refused, leading to the work’s exclusion from the exhibition. The documents, reviewed by *El País*, also reveal that Catalan artist Antoni Tàpies boycotted state-sanctioned shows, calling the regime’s cultural propaganda “scandalous.”

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article policy schedule Jan 8, 2026 visibility 17 link 1 artist

cancelled nea grants for underserved audiences

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has updated its 2026 fiscal year grant guidelines, cancelling the Challenge America grants that targeted underserved communities and replacing them with a focus on projects celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States (America250). The changes, announced in response to executive orders by President Donald Trump, eliminate DEI-related funding and require applicants to have a five-year history of arts programming. Organizations that had applied for the $10,000 Challenge America grants must now resubmit under the broader Grants for Arts Projects category, with extended deadlines.

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article news schedule Jan 7, 2026 visibility 15 link 2 artists

diana thater media art preservation cmacc

When the Eaton Fire swept through Altadena in January 2025, artist Diana Thater lost decades of raw footage, master tapes, installation manuals, and ephemera stored in her garage. Her husband, artist T. Kelly Mason, managed to save a server and several hard drives, but much of her earlier archive—never digitized—was destroyed. In the aftermath, Thater began working with the Canyon Media Art Conservation Center (CMACC), a nonprofit conservation lab opening in 2026 that specializes in time-based media art. Led by conservator Cass Fino-Radin, CMACC is helping Thater locate surviving versions of her works in museums and private collections to rebuild and preserve her archive.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jan 7, 2026 visibility 27 link 45 artists

diriyah contemporary art biennale 2026 artist list

The Diriyah Biennale Foundation has announced the artist list for the third edition of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, opening January 30 in the JAX District of Diriyah, near Riyadh. Titled “In Interludes and Transitions,” the biennale is curated by Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed and features over 65 artists, including more than 20 new commissions. Participants range from historic figures like Pacita Abad and Etel Adnan to emerging voices such as Raven Chacon and Dineo Seshee Bopape, working across painting, installation, film, sound, architecture, and publishing.

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