Picasso’s Guernica is the ultimate emblem of the horrors of war. It has no place in Spain's partisan squabbles | María Ramírez

A political dispute has erupted in Spain over the potential temporary relocation of Pablo Picasso's iconic anti-war painting *Guernica*. The president of the Basque Country, Imanol Pradales, has formally requested the work be moved from Madrid's Reina Sofía museum to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao for several months in 2027, framing it as a form of "reparation" for the Basque people. The Spanish government has rejected the request on conservation grounds, while conservative politicians have used the proposal to attack Basque nationalism.

Monet auction drives Sotheby’s Paris sale to 35 million euros

Sotheby's Paris sale on April 16, 2026, achieved a total of 35 million euros, an 84% increase over the previous year's equivalent auction. The event was dominated by two rediscovered Claude Monet paintings, with 'Vétheuil, effet du matin' setting a new auction record for the artist in France at 10.2 million euros. Strong results were also posted for works by Marc Chagall, Lucio Fontana, and Gerhard Richter, with 62.5% of lots selling above their high estimates.

Willem de Rooij at Lumiar Cité

Artist Willem de Rooij presents a new exhibition titled "Hut Hut" at Lumiar Cité in Lisbon. The show, curated by Jürgen Bock, runs from February 21 to May 17, 2026, and is documented with 11 images on the Contemporary Art Daily platform.

Pilvi Takala at Kunsthall Trondheim

Finnish artist Pilvi Takala has opened a solo exhibition titled 'Breaking Ranks' at Kunsthall Trondheim in Norway. The show, which runs from February 19 to May 10, 2026, is documented with 28 images and is accompanied by guides in both English and Norwegian.

‘Minds of All Kinds’ art exhibit on display for Autism Acceptance Month

The El Paso Museum of Art has opened a new exhibition titled 'Minds of All Kinds' to mark National Autism Acceptance Month. The show features over 70 artworks created by children with autism.

All England shortlist revealed for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2026

The Art Fund has announced the five finalists for its Museum of the Year 2026 award, all of which are located in England. The shortlist includes The National Gallery and V&A East Storehouse in London, Norwich Castle, Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum, and The Box in Plymouth. The winner will be announced at a ceremony at London's Cutty Sark on June 25.

Unpacking the Venice Biennale controversies and highlights

The 2026 Venice Art Biennale is proceeding with a posthumous main exhibition, "In Minor Keys," curated by the late Cameroonian-born artistic director Koyo Kouoh, who died in May 2025. The event features 100 national participations, including seven first-time countries, and has reinstated Russia's pavilion after its voluntary withdrawal following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

MAA opens ‘Variations’ national art exhibit

The Marblehead Arts Association (MAA) launched its fourth annual 'Variations' national art exhibition, drawing over 400 attendees. The show features 190 selected works from nearly 800 submissions across fine art, photography, and 3D categories, judged by artists Christina Grace Mastrangelo, Lou Jones, and Simon Kogan. Prizes were awarded in each category, and curator Paul McMahan arranged the galleries thematically to emphasize the exhibition's focus on diverse interpretations.

A teaspoon at a time: how LACMA built its collection

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has grown from a fledgling institution into a world-class museum through a deliberate, long-term strategy of cultivating collectors, building strong local relationships, and leveraging its exhibition program to acquire major works. This approach, described as "a teaspoon at a time," involved patient donor cultivation and using international loan shows as opportunities to secure significant pieces for the permanent collection.

The miart 2026 fair is over and no longer has a director. Who will direct the 2027 edition? The name game

La fiera miart 2026 è finita e non ha più un direttore. Chi dirigerà l’edizione 2027? Il totonomi

The 2026 edition of the Milanese art fair miart has concluded, but its director Nicola Ricciardi is not expected to continue. The fair's owner, Fiera Milano, issued a closing statement with results and future dates, but failed to announce a successor, leaving the leadership for the 2027 edition in question.

'Parallel Route 01' at Alzueta Gallery, Séneca, Barcelona, Spain on 2–30 Jun 2026

Alzueta Gallery in Barcelona is presenting the exhibition 'Parallel Route 01' from June 2 to 30, 2026. The gallery, founded by Miquel Alzueta, operates from five locations and runs a program of exhibitions, art fairs, and artist residencies.

Jinsun Kim: C.O.C.O.O.N.: HEALING

Interdisciplinary artist Jinsun Kim presents a solo exhibition titled 'C.O.C.O.O.N.: HEALING' at K Space Contemporary in Corpus Christi, Texas. The exhibition features mixed-media sculptures that create immersive, cocoon-like environments exploring themes of healing, survival, and transformation. The works are informed by Kim's childhood memories of her mother's illness and recovery, translating personal experience into universal spatial narratives.

Philana Oliphant: Everything is Everything

K Space Contemporary in Corpus Christi, Texas, will present a solo exhibition titled "Everything is Everything" featuring new work by artist Philana Oliphant from May 1 to June 25, 2026. The show opens during the downtown Corpus Christi ArtWalk and includes a closing reception, showcasing Oliphant's intricate drawings, sculptures, installations, and prints that explore themes of time, memory, and environmental change.

Alma Allen’s US Pavilion Heads to Venice Amid Questions Over Selection Process

The selection of Alma Allen to represent the United States at the 2026 Venice Biennale has ignited controversy over the process. The U.S. State Department abandoned its traditional selection model, which involved a panel of experts convened by the National Endowment for the Arts, and instead handed control to a new nonprofit, the American Arts Conservancy, led by individuals with little museum experience. This shift has drawn criticism from prominent figures in the art world, with some artists declining to participate due to concerns over the political context and unfamiliar leadership.

Three things the Fuorisalone should do (and doesn't) to improve the quality of life in Milan

Tre cose che il Fuorisalone dovrebbe fare (e non fa) per migliorare la qualità della vita di Milano

The 2026 Milan Design Week, coinciding with the Salone del Mobile, has officially begun, bringing over 1,850 events to the city. The launch included a special breakfast-barter event in Piazza Duomo with artist Maurizio Cattelan and journalist Nicolas Ballario, kicking off a week expected to draw 300,000 visitors.

Genesis P-Orridge’s Subversive Mail Art Goes on View

A focused exhibition at Art Metropole in Toronto presents a selection of mail art submissions by the late transgressive artist Genesis Breyer P-Orridge to the Canadian collective General Idea in the 1970s. Drawn from the National Gallery of Canada's collection, the show features letters, collages, photos, and ephemera that capture P-Orridge's early, boundary-pushing work with collectives like COUM Transmissions and Throbbing Gristle.

Out and About: Richmond Art Gallery premieres new exhibits

The Richmond Art Gallery has launched two new exhibitions, 'I digress' and 'Side Core: under city'. The latter marks the North American debut of a show exploring the intersection of skateboarding culture and contemporary art in Tokyo, featuring work from artists Takasu Sakie, Matsushita Tohru, and Nishihiro Taishi. The former is a group exhibition curated by Zoe Chan, presenting diverse media from artists Simranpreet Anand, Jo-Anne Balcaen, August Klintberg, Anne Koizumi, Lindsay McIntyre, and Gonzalo Reyes Rodriguez.

A flaming locomotive and the future stars: RSA200 celebrates a bicentenary for Scottish Art

The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) has launched RSA200, a nationwide initiative involving over 100 partners to celebrate its 200th anniversary. The program highlights Scotland's art history and contemporary practice, kicking off with the New Scottish Contemporaries exhibition featuring recent graduates like Daye Allan, Malachy McCrimmon, and Poppy Gannon.

Notre-Dame Stained Glass: The Fight Continues!

Vitraux de Notre-Dame : le combat continue !

The French government has authorized the removal and replacement of the 19th-century stained-glass windows designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in Notre-Dame Cathedral with new windows by contemporary artist Claire Tabouret. This decision, posted as a work permit on the cathedral, is being challenged in court by the heritage association Sites & Monuments, which argues the replacement is not a legitimate act of conservation or restoration.

'Group Exhibition' at Alzueta Gallery, Paris, France on 24 Jun–30 Jul 2026

Alzueta Gallery has opened a new exhibition space in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood of Paris, launching with a group exhibition running from June 24 to July 30, 2026. The gallery positions this move as a strategic expansion into a key cultural hub.

Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter to Co-Headline ‘Immersive Experience’ at Art Basel

Thomas Bangalter, formerly of the electronic music duo Daft Punk, is scheduled to co-headline an immersive experience called 'WAREHOUSE ARTEFACTS' at the Art Basel fair in Basel, Switzerland. The event, produced by Nordstern Basel nightclub in cooperation with Art Basel and Fondation Beyeler, will also feature house music producer Rampa and conceptual artist Julian Charrière.

Galleries condemned, bones exploding… The National Museum of Natural History is in a serious state of disrepair, warns its president

Galeries condamnées, ossements qui explosent… Le Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle est dans un grave état de vétusté, alerte son président

The president of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris, Gilles Bloch, has issued a public alarm about the institution's severe state of disrepair. He warns that 74% of the museum complex is in grave danger, with urgent repairs costing an estimated €500 million needed to prevent collapse and reopen closed galleries. The deterioration includes mold-infested herbariums, flooded archives, and mineralized bones exploding due to heat and humidity, threatening the museum's world-class collection of over 70 million specimens.

The 2026 Venice Biennale, Explained

The 2026 Venice Biennale, the 61st edition of the world's oldest and most prestigious contemporary art biennial, will run from May 9th to November 22nd, with previews from May 6th to 8th. Its central curated exhibition is titled "In Minor Keys," and it will be accompanied by a series of national pavilions.

The Future of Museums Is a Dance Floor

Museums and art institutions are increasingly incorporating nightlife and rave culture into their programming, treating the dance floor as a site of cultural and political significance. Exhibitions like Steve McQueen's 2024 Dia Beacon show, the 2018 'Elements of Vogue' in Madrid, the Swiss National Museum's 2025 'Techno' exhibition, and the author's own 2025 curatorial project 'Rave into the Future: Art in Motion' at the Asian Art Museum demonstrate this institutional turn.

Art Transport Hobbled and Prices Surging in Asia Amid US and Israel’s War in Iran

The ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran has severely disrupted the global art logistics network, particularly in Asia. A report in the Art Newspaper details soaring costs and shipping delays, with international air freight for fine art spiking up to 300% due to increased oil prices. Some exhibitions, like a Per Kirkeby show in China, have opened with fewer works, and shipments for Art Basel Hong Kong were stuck at sea for over a month. Shippers are now considering alternative routes, such as the China-Europe Railway Express, to mitigate delays and costs.

Karl Ullger in Berlin exhibition with artist collective Cane-Yo

Artist Karl Ullger is participating in a group exhibition titled 'Running with Scissors' at Anders Galerie in Berlin. The show features over 40 artists from the global online collective Cane-Yo, including six of Ullger's figurative oil paintings, three of which are new works created specifically for the event.

What is it like to be a young artist in Milan today? Denise Ceragioli answers

Com’è oggi essere una giovane artista a Milano? Risponde Denise Ceragioli

The article features an interview with young Milan-based artist Denise Ceragioli, who discusses the challenges and realities of sustaining an artistic practice in the city after graduating from the Brera Academy. She details her journey of finding a studio, the evolution of her painting from figurative to highly material-based work involving wax, and the importance of building relationships within Milan's art ecosystem of institutions, galleries, and independent spaces.

Amid Urban Spaces, Alex Senna’s Bold Murals Embrace Connection and Belonging

Brazilian artist Alex Senna creates large-scale, black-and-white murals that depict figures gathering, interacting, and connecting with their own shadows. His work, often set against colorful urban backdrops, emphasizes themes of community, emotional bonds, togetherness, and belonging.

Recently restored castle in Norwich among five institutions shortlisted for UK's top museum prize

Five UK museums have been shortlisted for the 2026 Art Fund Museum of the Year prize. Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery, recently restored through a £27.5 million redevelopment, is nominated alongside the National Gallery in London, The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, The Box in Plymouth, and the V&A East Storehouse in London. The winner, to be announced on 25 June, will receive £120,000.

April 2026 Art And Culture Guide: Exhibitions, Museums & Cultural Events You Can’t Miss

A guide highlights key art and cultural events in India for April 2026. It features several exhibitions, including Nayanaa Kanodia's 'Staged Realities' at Bikaner House, Neha Sahai's introspective solo show at LATITUDE 28, and Mari Ito's first Indian solo exhibition at Bikaner House. Other notable events are the performance 'Sair-e-Motorcar' blending Kathak with vintage cars, the group show 'Houses I Almost Lived In' at LATITUDE 28, and the two-day World Dance Day festival curated by Geeta Chandran at the India International Centre.