Exhibition | Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe, 'Thapiri/Sonho' at Fortes D'Aloia & Gabriel, São Paulo, Brazil

Fortes D'Aloia & Gabriel in São Paulo presents 'Thapiri/Sonho', the first gallery exhibition in the city by Yanomami artist Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe. The show features paintings and monotypes that translate daily encounters in the Venezuelan Amazon—animal traces, plant structures, and natural formations—into a graphic vocabulary of lines, dots, circles, and repeating patterns. Hakihiiwe's work draws on Yanomami oral traditions and mnemonic structures, linking observed reality with dream encounters. The exhibition follows his 2023 solo presentation at MASP and includes works previously shown at MAC Parque Forestal in Santiago, Chile, and Sala TAC in Caracas.

Art in Chicago: A Guide for Collectors, Curators and the Curious

This article introduces a comprehensive guide to Chicago's art world, published by a local outlet. The guide features multiple sections exploring the city's art history, key institutions, and lesser-known venues, including feature stories on the Hyde Park Art Center, the Arts Club of Chicago, the National Museum of Mexican Art, the South Side Community Art Center, the Renaissance Society, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It also includes a massive 22-page "Art Geography" directory of museums, nonprofits, galleries, and alternative spaces, written by seasoned art critics. The editor, Brian Hieggelke, acknowledges the daunting task of covering a hometown art scene after forty years, but aims to provide both a resource for newcomers and fresh insights for longtime locals.

Exhibition | Paula Rego, 'Drawing from Life' at Galerie Lelong, 38 Avenue Matignon, Paris, France

Galerie Lelong in Paris is presenting 'Paula Rego, Drawing from Life,' an exhibition focused on the artist's intense three-year period from 2005 to 2007, during which she devoted herself almost exclusively to drawing and lithography in her London studio. The show features works inspired by literary sources such as 'Jane Eyre,' 'Peter Pan,' and the sixteenth-century tale 'The King of Pigs,' as well as her connection with playwright Martin McDonagh. Key pieces include 'Shakespeare’s Room,' 'Scarecrow,' and 'Turtle Hands.' The exhibition is made possible with the support of Nick Willing, the artist’s son, and Cristea Roberts Gallery in London.

Artist Henry Ossawa Tanner

This article profiles Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859–1937), the pioneering African American artist who achieved international fame in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Pittsburgh to a bishop father and a mother who escaped slavery, Tanner studied under Thomas Eakins at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts before moving to Paris to escape racial discrimination. He studied at the Académie Julian, became a mentor to Black artists including Aaron Douglas and Hale Woodruff, and gained renown for his biblical paintings such as "Daniel in the Lions' Den" (1896). Tanner traveled widely—to Egypt, Morocco, and Palestine—and was named a chevalier of the French Legion of Honor in 1927. The article lists numerous works by Tanner held in major collections, including the first painting by an African American artist acquired for the White House Collection.

Serpentine to stage major solo exhibition by Amar Kanwar

Serpentine has announced a major solo exhibition by Amar Kanwar, opening at Serpentine North on 23 September 2026 and running until 31 January 2027. The show will feature landmark works from Kanwar's career, including the feature-length film *Such a Morning* (2017), the seven-screen installation *The Peacock's Graveyard* (2023), and the world premiere of a new multi-screen work, *The Charcoal Man* (2026), commissioned by Serpentine. Kanwar, based in New Delhi, is known for poetic, politically charged moving-image works that explore decolonisation, the Partition of India and Pakistan, displacement, violence, justice, ecology, and memory.

Is the US about to be humiliated on the world’s most prestigious cultural stage?

More than 70 prominent international artists have signed an open letter demanding the exclusion of the United States, Israel, and Russia from the 2026 Venice Biennale, accusing those governments of committing war crimes and atrocities. The controversy centers on the US pavilion, which will feature Mexico-based American artist Alma Allen, whose abstract, anodyne sculptures were chosen by a last-minute commissioner with no art-world experience—a luxury pet food store owner from Florida who reportedly gained the role through connections at Mar-a-Lago. The Biennale's five-person jury has already resigned amid the furor, and Russia is returning to the event for the first time since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

May Things to Do: Visual Art

This article from a Seattle arts publication rounds up May visual art events, including the Seattle Art Book Fair (May 9–10) at Washington Hall featuring over 85 artists and free admission; Timothy White Eagle's exhibition "Once Wild River" (May 9–June 21) at Mini Mart City Park, culminating his EPA artist-in-residency; "Monochrome: Calder and Tara Donovan" (May 13–Jan 17, 2027) at the Seattle Art Museum, where Donovan responds to Alexander Calder's black works; "Rebels + Icons: The Photography of Janette Beckman" opening May 15 at MoPOP, the largest collection of her iconic musician portraits; and Drie Chapek's "Then Is Now" (May 21–June 27).

FAD’s Fab Five: 5 Must-See Highlights at the 2026 Venice Biennale

Lee Sharrock selects five must-see highlights at the 61st Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" and conceived by the late curator Koyo Kouoh, who passed away in 2025. The Biennale runs from May 9 to November 22, 2026, at the Giardini, Arsenale, and various Venetian venues. Featured highlights include Marina Abramović's historic exhibition "Transforming Energy" at the Gallerie dell'Accademia—the first major show for a living woman artist there—the Holy See Pavilion's "The Ear is the Eye of the Soul" with artists like Patti Smith and Brian Eno, and Lubaina Himid's British Pavilion presentation "Predicting History: Testing Translation."

Who’s Showing What—and What They Love—at Market Art Fair

Market Art Fair in Stockholm celebrated its 20th edition, the largest to date with 150 exhibitors, after moving from Liljevalch’s to Magasin 9, a former warehouse at the city’s port. The fair, founded in 2006 as a joint Nordic initiative, expanded its scope in 2025 to include international presentations. During the preview day, Malin Ebbing captured exhibiting artists, gallerists, and notables with her Polaroid, asking about their work and favorite booths. Artists such as Arvida Byström, Hans Berg, Sigrid Soomus, and Gabriel Karlsson discussed their artistic expressions and discoveries at the fair, with many gallerists reporting significant sales.

In Venice, Hernan Bas Paints the Problem With Modern Tourism

American artist Hernan Bas has created a series of 40 paintings critiquing modern tourism, set to open in May at Ca' Pesaro–International Gallery of Modern Art in Venice during the Biennale. Titled "The Visitors," the exhibition depicts young white male American tourists engaging in objectionable behaviors worldwide—from begpacking to visiting disaster sites—painted with Bas's signature attention to clothing details. The works were developed during a residency in Venice, a city emblematic of overtourism, in collaboration with Victoria Miro, Lehmann Maupin, and Perrotin galleries.

Last chance: hurry to see these Parisian exhibitions before they close in May 2026.

A roundup article lists numerous exhibitions closing in May 2026 across Paris and the Île-de-France region, including shows at the Fondation Louis Vuitton (Nocturne Calder #1) and Perrotin Gallery (Soulages–Hartung: Elective Affinities, Lee Mingwei's When Beauty Appears, and Susumu Kamijo's When I Think of You in Spring). The piece also highlights free-entry days at castles and museums in Yvelines and Seine-et-Marne, and the Parcours d’art de la Boucle de Seine open-studio event.

America’s Venice Biennale artist was scorned by tastemakers — he says he’s misunderstood

American sculptor Alma Allen, a self-taught artist with an unconventional background, has been selected to represent the United States at the 2025 Venice Biennale. His selection was made by the American Arts Conservancy, a new nonprofit with no art-world track record, which was awarded the commission through a State Department process that removed diversity requirements and emphasized art reflecting "American values."

Exhibition | Everlyn Nicodemus, 'Without History' at Goodman Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

Everlyn Nicodemus presents 'Without History' at Goodman Gallery in Cape Town, marking her first solo exhibition with the gallery and a rare return to the African continent since the 1980s. The show, organized in partnership with Richard Saltoun Gallery, features major bodies of work including the 'Woman in the World' cycle and the 'Wedding' series. These works, created while Nicodemus lived across Europe, explore themes of trauma, gender, and spiritual survival through a practice that blends painting with deep archival research and social anthropology.

At 85, Anjolie Ela Menon revisits her iconic themes in New Delhi exhibition

Veteran Indian artist Anjolie Ela Menon is currently presenting a career-spanning exhibition titled 'Revisitations' at Triveni Kala Sangam in New Delhi. Presented by Vadehra Art Gallery and curated by Uma Nair, the show features over 30 works ranging from the 1950s to new pieces created in 2025 and 2026. The exhibition highlights Menon’s steadfast commitment to figurative painting, Byzantine-inspired imagery, and recurring motifs such as the empty chair and the crow, which explore themes of presence and loss.

the buzz in bucharest sammy loren on rad and the refreshing romanian art scene

The article reports on the fourth edition of Romanian Art Dealers (RAD), an art fair in Bucharest that exclusively features Romanian galleries and artists. The author, Sammy Loren, travels from Los Angeles to experience the fair, which is co-founded by dealer Catinca Tabacaru and artist-dealer Daniela Pălimariu. The fair includes 31 booths, a Curatorial Summit with 35 international curators, and a central installation titled "Donate a Word" (2025) by Romanian artist Victoria Zidaru. The author attends events like the 10-year anniversary party for Sandwich Gallery and notes the intimate, family-like atmosphere of the local art scene.

A True-to-Life Biennale

Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief of Hyperallergic, reflects on the 61st Venice Biennale after returning to New York, describing it as historical, political, and thrilling. He counters critics who claimed the Biennale imploded due to boycotts and resignations, arguing it was more alive than ever. The late Koyo Kouoh's main exhibition "In Minor Keys" is praised for reflecting global woes and joys. The article also highlights a major strike by artists and cultural workers that disrupted the pre-opening, the first cultural strike in the Biennale's 131-year history, with 54 artists in the international exhibition and 22 national pavilion teams withdrawing from awards consideration in solidarity with the jury's resignation.

Across Venice, Artists Defy Censorship to Mourn and Memorialize Gaza

The 2026 Venice Biennale, titled “In Minor Keys,” features numerous artworks that mourn and memorialize the destruction of Gaza, despite censorship pressures. The main exhibition opens with a poem by slain Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer, and includes works by artists such as Theo Eshetu, Mohammed Joha, Manuel Mathieu, and Avi Mograbi that directly or indirectly address the conflict. Outside the official Biennale, South African artist Gabrielle Goliath’s performance series “Elegy” was censored by her country’s culture minister after she proposed a version honoring murdered Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada, leading her to present the work independently at a church in Venice.

Alla Tate Modern di Londra arriverà una super mostra di Claude Monet nel 2027

The Tate Modern in London has announced its 2027 program, headlined by the first solo exhibition ever dedicated by the institution to Claude Monet. Titled "Monet: Painting Time," the show opens on February 25, 2027, and explores the Impressionist founder's relationship with time against the backdrop of the industrial era. It will feature celebrated works and rarely seen canvases from international lenders, supported by Morgan Stanley and AI company Anthropic. The exhibition follows an initial presentation at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris starting September 30, 2026, which marks the centenary of Monet's death with 40 paintings from the Musée d'Orsay and Musée Marmottan, including a virtual reality component. The iconic Water Lilies series and the 1877 masterpiece "The Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare" will travel to London.

An Unlikely Friendship Between Artist and Forger

The article reviews Steven Soderbergh's 2026 film "The Christophers," which follows an unlikely friendship between two painters in London: Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen), an older artist facing cancellation, and Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), a young painter who restores and forges artworks. The film explores themes of attention, artistic legacy, and the purpose of art, contrasting with darker narratives like "Tár" by offering a comedic yet profound take on these issues.

Met Gala Memes That Ate the Rich and Left No Crumbs

The article covers the 2026 Met Gala, sponsored by Jeff and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, and the intense online backlash it generated. Despite a dress code of "Fashion is Art," celebrities faced merciless mockery on social media for their looks, with particular scorn directed at Lauren Sánchez Bezos's Schiaparelli gown inspired by John Singer Sargent's "Madame X." The criticism was amplified by weeks-long protests against Amazon's labor practices and Bezos's involvement, as well as the museum's own unionized employees speaking out. The piece compiles the most inventive and cutting memes from X (formerly Twitter), targeting everything from fashion fails to political hypocrisy.

If you show up in a swimsuit, you get free entry to the Cézanne exhibition. It happens in one of Switzerland's most serious institutions.

Se ti presenti in costume da bagno entri gratis alla mostra di Cézanne. Succede in una delle istituzioni più serie della Svizzera

The Fondation Beyeler in Basel, Switzerland, is hosting a major monographic exhibition dedicated to Paul Cézanne, running until May 25, 2026. Curated by Ulf Küster, the show brings together around 80 works focusing on the artist's late career, including portraits, landscapes, variations on Mont Sainte-Victoire, and bather scenes. On May 1, 2026, the museum held a "Bathers Day" promotion inspired by Cézanne's bathers and Maurizio Cattelan's playful approach, offering free entry to visitors who came in swimwear. The event attracted families and individuals, with some even swimming in the foundation's garden pond afterward.

A Venezia una mostra ripercorre l’opera di Jenny Saville con un inedito omaggio a Tiziano. La recensione

A major solo exhibition of British painter Jenny Saville has opened at Ca' Pesaro in Venice, tracing her career from early works like "Propped" (1992) and "Hybrid" (1997) to new paintings explicitly inspired by Titian. The show, curated by Elisabetta Barisoni, highlights Saville's monumental female nudes, her engagement with Renaissance masters, and her place within the Young British Artists generation that also included Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin.

May You Live in Less Interesting Times

The international jury for the Venice Biennale has collectively resigned just before the press preview, following their announcement that countries accused of crimes against humanity—specifically Israel and Russia—would be excluded from award consideration. The jurors did not provide an explicit reason for their resignation. Meanwhile, Russia's return to the 61st Venice Biennale will involve workarounds to comply with international sanctions, including restricted pavilion access. The article also highlights a widely-read essay by Hakan Topal on the financialization and 'administrification' of American art schools and academia.

Édouard Glissant’s Museum-as-Archipelago

The article reviews the exhibition "The Earth, the Fire, the Water, and the Winds: For a Museum of Errantry with Édouard Glissant" at the Center for Art, Research and Alliances (CARA) in New York, the first U.S. showing of works from the personal collection of Martinician philosopher and writer Édouard Glissant. Curated from his archive, the exhibition features artists such as Roberto Matta, Wifredo Lam, Etel Adnan, Irving Petlin, Antonio Seguí, Öyvind Fahlström, Jack Whitten, and Mel Edwards, reflecting Glissant's friendships and intellectual exchanges across Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Highlights include Antonio Seguí's large pastel works from his Titanic series.

The great Anselm Kiefer arrives in Valencia for an exhibition. There is a rare work for the first time in Europe

Il grande Anselm Kiefer arriva in mostra a Valencia. C’è un’opera rara per la prima volta in Europa

German artist Anselm Kiefer is coming to Valencia for the first time, inaugurating the temporary exhibition program at the CAHH – Centro de Arte Hortensia Herrero. The show, curated by Javier Molins, will run from April 29 to October 25 at the Palacio de Valeriola, featuring Kiefer's works in dialogue with the permanent collection. A highlight is "Danaë," a monumental painting over 13 meters wide that depicts the interior of Berlin's Tempelhof airport and references the myth of Danaë; this work has only been shown once before, in New York in 2022, and is now on view in Europe for the first time.

Venice, Here We Come

Hyperallergic's newsletter previews the upcoming 61st Venice Biennale, noting the charged political climate that may overshadow the art. It highlights the main exhibition "In Minor Keys" conceived by the late Koyo Kouoh, and includes a guide to national pavilions, collateral events, and notable exhibitions in Venice. The edition also features a studio visit with 93-year-old artist Joan Semmel, an interview with Lebanese artist Tania El Khoury about her "revenge art," and news about Barbara Chase-Riboud declining to represent the US at the Biennale, a $116M gift to the National Gallery of Art, and the death of Argentine painter Ides Kihlen at 108.

Gearing Up for Venice

The 2026 Venice Biennale's awards jury has announced it will not consider artists from countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, specifically naming Israel and Russia. In other news, satellite imagery confirms Azerbaijan demolished an Armenian church in Artsakh, the World Press Photo of the Year was awarded to Carol Guzy for an image of ICE detaining a father, and Argentine abstract painter Ides Kihlen died at age 108. Hyperallergic also published a guide to the Biennale by Hrag Vartanian and reported on Lynda Roscoe Hartigan's appointment as director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

The great Cézanne exhibition and collector Deodato Salafia on Artbox on Sky Arte

La grande mostra su Cézanne e il collezionista Deodato Salafia ad Artbox su Sky Arte

The latest episode of Artbox on Sky Arte features a deep dive into the major Paul Cézanne retrospective at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, curated by Ulf Küster. The program explores the French painter's late-career obsession with the act of seeing and his use of color patches to redefine nature on canvas. Additionally, the episode highlights the exhibition "Virtue and Grace: Female Figures in Baroque Painting" at La Galleria Bper in Modena, featuring insights from curators Sabrina Bianchi and Lucia Peruzzi.

In an Unlikely Pairing, Giacometti Sculptures Head to The Met's Temple of Dendur

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced a major summer exhibition titled "Giacometti in the Temple of Dendur," featuring 17 sculptures by the 20th-century Swiss master Alberto Giacometti. The show, organized in collaboration with the Fondation Giacometti, will place the artist's iconic slender bronze figures within and around the first-century BCE Roman Period Egyptian temple. The installation includes significant loans such as "Femme qui marche I" and "Femme de Venise I," marking a rare dialogue between modern existentialist sculpture and ancient architectural history.

At the Venice Biennale I saw anger at Russia and Israel – and its leadership pretending everything was fine | Charlotte Higgins

At the 2024 Venice Biennale, the Russian pavilion returned with festive performances and prosecco deliveries, drawing sharp criticism from observers who saw it as a propaganda effort to distract from Russia's war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukraine's Kramatorsk was bombed, and protests erupted, including a Pussy Riot intervention. Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco defended Russia's and Israel's participation, rejecting preemptive bans despite open letters and appeals. European Commission investigated potential sanctions breaches, and culture ministers from Ukraine, Poland, Estonia, and Baltic states boycotted or condemned the biennale's stance, accusing it of yielding to the aggressor.