HOPE Outdoor Gallery Makes Its Long-Awaited Return

The HOPE Outdoor Gallery, a beloved open-air graffiti art space in Austin, is preparing to reopen after six years of closure. Founder Andi Scull announced that the new site, located on an 8-acre plot near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, is purpose-built with four distinct sectors including a courtyard, a roofless circular structure, a garden, and a village of shipping containers. The layout is designed to spell out "HOPE" when viewed from planes landing or departing. The original location on Baylor Street closed in 2018, and the team has been working since then to secure a new home, with the goal of opening before the end of the year, pending permits.

A brush with… Wolfgang Tillmans—podcast

The article is a podcast transcript featuring an in-depth conversation with Wolfgang Tillmans, the influential German photographer born in 1968. It covers his four-decade career, his experimental approach to photography—spanning portraiture, still life, landscape, political subjects, and abstraction—and his innovative installation methods that respond to specific exhibition spaces. Tillmans discusses early influences like Kurt Schwitters, Francisco de Zurbarán, Isa Genzken, Laurie Anderson, and Jiddu Krishnamurti, and reflects on his expanding practice into video, text, sound, and music. The piece also lists current and upcoming exhibitions, including a solo show at Maureen Paley in London and his participation in the 36th Bienal São Paulo.

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Sotheby's sold a Tiffany Studios Magnolia floor lamp for $4.4 million at its Dreaming in Glass auction in New York, making it the most expensive leaded lamp by the decorative arts studio ever sold at auction. The lamp, manufactured around 1910, features a patinated bronze stand and a 28-inch colored glass dome depicting magnolias, and was crafted by Agnes Northrop, Tiffany's star designer, rather than Clara Driscoll. The bidding battle lasted 10 minutes, surpassing the $3 million high estimate.

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The Musée du Louvre has acquired its first video work, *Les 4 temps (The 4 Seasons)*, created by Algeria-born artist Mohamed Bourouissa. The piece centers on the Tuileries Gardens in Paris, which connect the museum to the Place de la Concorde, and also references the 4 Temps mall in La Défense where Bourouissa grew up. The video will be on view in the Salle de la Chapelle from October 22 through January 19, 2026. The acquisition follows Bourouissa's year-long Instagram takeover for the Louvre, during which he posted 52 weekly videos that garnered millions of views.

Venice Biennale Russia Pavilion Return Controversy

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The Venice Biennale is facing intense backlash following the announcement that Russia will return with a national pavilion for the 2026 edition, marking its first official participation since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and various international activists have called for Russia's exclusion, arguing that the platform is being used to whitewash war crimes and exert political influence. In response, the Biennale leadership has maintained a policy of non-exclusion, stating that any country recognized by Italy has an autonomous right to participate.

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Christie’s has unveiled a new auctioneer’s rostrum designed by Jony Ive and his design collective, LoveFrom. The sleek, oak-wood platform replaces the traditional design originally created by Thomas Chippendale in the 18th century, which had been the standard for the auction house for over 260 years. Crafted from French oak, the new rostrum features a contemporary rounded aesthetic and was engineered specifically to enhance the acoustic resonance of the auctioneer's gavel.

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DePaul University has announced the permanent closure of the DePaul Art Museum (DPAM) in Chicago, effective June 30. The decision comes as the private university faces severe financial strain, including a $27.4 million budget deficit that has already led to significant staff layoffs. While the university plans to convene discussions on how the museum's building and its 4,000-object collection might serve future academic needs, the institution as a public-facing museum will cease operations following its final exhibitions in March.

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Phillips reported global sales of $927 million for 2025, a 10% increase over the previous year. Auction sales accounted for $725 million, while private sales surged 66% to $202 million. The auction house attributed growth to the launch of Priority Bidding, a platform offering reduced buyer's premiums for early bids, which led to a 275% increase in early selling bids. Phillips achieved an 88% sell-through rate by lot, with seven white-glove auctions and over 110 world auction records. Notable sales included a Patek Philippe watch for $17.6 million and Francis Bacon's *Study for Head of Isabel Rawsthorne and George Dyer* (1967) for $16 million. The luxury watch division generated $290 million, its highest annual total, and the Dropshop platform attracted many first-time and younger buyers.

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Diana Ross performed an intimate 20-minute set at a dinner celebrating Alex Prager's immersive installation 'Mirage Factory' during Art Basel Miami Beach. The event, held in a green room evoking Griffith Park, featured Ross singing hits from her Supremes days and solo career. Prager's installation, located in the old Beach Theatre on Lincoln Road, includes a 1:12 scale miniature of Hollywood Boulevard and was created with Capital One and the Cultivist. A performance based on Prager's photograph 'Beverly Palms Hotel' (2025) also took place, with actors embodying characters from the image.

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Phillips' modern and contemporary evening sale in New York on Wednesday netted $67.3 million, with a 94% sell-through rate across 33 lots. Highlights included an untitled Joan Mitchell painting, a Francis Bacon diptych, and a juvenile triceratops skeleton, though two lots—a large gold piece and an oversized painting by Jadé Fadojumtimi—failed to sell. Separately, Bonhams announced it will move its US headquarters to 111 West 57th Street in February 2025, occupying a 42,000-square-foot space in the restored Steinway Hall, which will reopen as a public cultural venue. The article also covers declining DEI-related grants, a survey of William Nicholson, rising demand for female photographers, and the launch of Artsignal, an AI platform for art market intelligence.

Inspiration awaits at the Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney

The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has solidified its status as a premier global cultural destination following the completion of its Sydney Modern Project. The institution now comprises two distinct architectural landmarks: the historic Naala Nura (South Building) and the contemporary Naala Badu (North Building), designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects SANAA. These new Aboriginal names, meaning "seeing Country" and "seeing waters," reflect a deep institutional commitment to Indigenous engagement and the gallery's unique geographic position overlooking Sydney Harbour.

How Art Firms Are—or Should Be—Using A.I. Right Now

Art firms are increasingly experimenting with artificial intelligence, but concrete use cases remain limited and industry-specific tools are still in their infancy. A new partnership between Bonhams and tech company ARTDAI aims to apply AI to market analytics, valuation, and specialist research, while companies like Artsy and Artnet are integrating AI capabilities into their platforms. Industry experts, including former Art Basel chief Marc Spiegler, note that the art market's small size has historically discouraged tech development, but AI now makes high-performance tools accessible to smaller businesses.

At the Every Woman Biennial, Joy Becomes a Form of Resistance

The sixth edition of the Every Woman Biennial opened at New York's Pen + Brush gallery, featuring hundreds of works by women and nonbinary artists in a densely hung, salon-style exhibition. The event, which began as a one-night pop-up in 2014, has grown into a major intergenerational showcase, mixing emerging artists with established names like Swoon and Mickalene Thomas, and includes performances and installations.

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The historic San Francisco Art Institute campus, which shuttered in 2023 following bankruptcy, is being revitalized as the California Academy of Studio Arts (CASA). Founded by billionaire philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, the new center will offer a free, unaccredited, year-long studio program for up to 30 emerging visual artists. The initiative aims to foster an experimental environment inspired by Black Mountain College, providing mentorship, workshops, and public engagement platforms.

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The exiled Belarus Free Theatre will stage a major exhibition titled "Official. Unofficial. Belarus." as an official collateral event at the 61st Venice Biennale. In the absence of a formal national pavilion, the group show will occupy the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista, featuring works by artists like Sergey Grinevich and Vladimir Tsesler that utilize religious iconography and prison materials to critique state surveillance and political repression.

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British artist Michaela Yearwood-Dan has opened her first solo exhibition in China, titled “RECESS,” at the Longlati Foundation in Shanghai. The show features paintings and ceramics that explore themes of play, fluidity, and cultural identity, drawing on influences from Chinese calligraphy and tai chi. In an interview, Yearwood-Dan discusses her childlike approach to making the work and her desire for viewers to feel a personal connection. A concurrent exhibition, “Georgia Gardner Gray: Metal Madonna,” is also on view at the foundation.

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Galerie de l'Institut, a family-run Parisian gallery specializing in prints since 1954, is currently staging "Picasso. Dessin. 1903–1972," a major exhibition showcasing Pablo Picasso's prints and works on paper spanning nearly seven decades. The gallery, led by siblings Marc Lebouc and Anne-Gaëlle Lebouc (the second generation), with the third generation (Louis Lebouc) now involved, has expanded its focus from prints to include unique works and strengthened its online presence through platforms like Artnet. The exhibition marks both Picasso's 144th anniversary and the opening of the gallery's third space.

New Bienal de Yucatán to spotlight Mexican region’s growing art scene

The city of Mérida is set to host the inaugural Bienal de Yucatán from November 2026 to February 2027, marking a significant milestone for the region's burgeoning contemporary art scene. Spearheaded by patron and curator Catherine Petitgas with artist Abraham Cruzvillegas serving as artistic director, the biennial aims to provide a formal platform for the city's dense ecosystem of over 40 galleries, international artist studios, and the Universidad de las Artes de Yucatán (UNAY). The announcement follows the successful debut of the Week of Art Yucatán (WAY), a multi-venue festival that showcased the city's unique blend of repurposed industrial spaces and traditional haciendas.

The Marsden Hartley Legacy Project Launches Online

The Marsden Hartley Legacy Project has officially launched a comprehensive digital catalogue raisonné featuring over 1,600 paintings, drawings, and prints by the American modernist. Developed in association with the Bates College Museum of Art and led by art historian Gail R. Scott, the free online resource includes detailed provenance, exhibition histories, and bibliographies, documenting more than 2,200 exhibitions and 2,100 publications related to the artist.

The Unbearable Strangeness of Being

South African artist Cinga Samson makes his New York debut at White Cube with "Ukuphuthelwa," an exhibition of haunting, large-scale oil paintings. The works feature figures with distinctive white pupils engaged in enigmatic rituals within dark, crepuscular landscapes. Drawing from the isiXhosa concept of spiritual alertness during sleeplessness, Samson’s compositions blend the palpable with the unearthly, often depicting scenes that feel choreographed yet remain stubbornly illegible to the Western gaze.

Curators Announced for 16th Baltic Triennial

The Contemporary Art Center (CAC) Vilnius has appointed artist Nikita Kadan and curator Natalia Sielewicz as curators of the 16th Baltic Triennial, scheduled for 2027. Kadan is a Kyiv-based artist, while Sielewicz is chief curator at Warsaw's Museum of Modern Art. The duo has proposed "grief and resurrection" as the triennial's theme, framing despair and mourning as spaces for careful listening and potential renewal.

A Wooden Canopy by Kengo Kuma Casts Dappled Light Around a Copenhagen Museum

Architect Kengo Kuma has unveiled a monumental site-specific installation titled "Earth / Tree" at Copenhagen Contemporary. The structure features a suspended canopy of curved wooden slats designed to evoke the Japanese concept of 'komorebi,' or the dappled light that filters through trees. Positioned over a brick platform and rubble, the installation serves as a material bridge between Nordic and Japanese architectural traditions.

Big Crisis, Small Gestures

Große Krise, kleine Gesten

The article reviews the second edition of the Klima Biennale Wien, which opened in early April in Vienna. It notes that while the biennale aims to address the urgent triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, its execution falls short. The exhibition features symbolic works such as a beached whale, a broken boat, and a compostable SUV sculpture, but these motifs feel repetitive and lack the necessary impact. The author contrasts these with historical precedents like Menashe Kadishman's 1978 Venice Biennale installation and Joseph Beuys' "7000 Eichen" (1982), arguing that the themes of nature and sustainability are not new, only the urgency has intensified.

Because the Ego Suddenly Dissolves

"Weil das Ego sich plötzlich auflöst"

The art world is facing significant structural and political shifts, highlighted by the merger of Artnet and Artsy which has resulted in mass layoffs, particularly within the Artnet News editorial team and its Berlin operations. Simultaneously, tensions are rising in German cultural policy as gallery owner Rupert Pfab raises concerns over government interference in the Stiftung Kunstfonds jury selection, reflecting a broader climate of unease that includes recent controversies at the Berlinale.

Saint Louis’s Counterpublic Triennial Reveals Artist List for Third Edition

The Counterpublic Triennial has unveiled the artist list for its third edition, titled "Coyote Time," scheduled to run from September 12 to December 12 in Saint Louis. Curated by a five-member international team, the exhibition features forty-seven artists and collectives, including prominent figures like Glenn Ligon and Rebecca Belmore alongside local Saint Louis practitioners. The triennial will feature nearly fifty commissions, with a significant focus on site-responsive works installed along the Mississippi riverfront and the Gateway Arch.

5 Standout Artists at MoMA PS1’s “Greater New York”

MoMA PS1's sixth edition of the "Greater New York" quinquennial exhibition has opened, showcasing the work of over 50 artists and collectives. The show aims to capture the current state of New York's art scene, highlighting new and ambitious work created despite challenging economic and political conditions.

How Entertainment Exec Hassan Smith Built an Art Collection Championing Black Artists

Entertainment executive Hassan Smith has curated a deeply personal art collection in his North Atlanta home that bridges historical mastery with contemporary Black identity. His holdings range from a 17th-century Rembrandt drawing in the kitchen to iconic photography by Gordon Parks and contemporary works by artists like Ferrari Sheppard and Derek Fordjour. The collection is characterized by its integration into daily family life, featuring a Basquiat-inspired aesthetic that begins at the front door.

Before the Night of Museums, monuments across France open their doors for three exceptional nocturnal events

Avant la Nuit des musées, des monuments de la France entière ouvrent leurs portes pour trois nocturnes exceptionnelles

The crowdfunding platform Dartagnans is launching the 2026 edition of "Nuit des monuments" (Night of Monuments) from April 17 to 19 across France. This initiative opens dozens of privately owned historic sites, many of which are usually closed to the public, for unique nocturnal experiences including lantern-lit tours, puzzle games, and immersive light displays. Notable participants include the Château de Cercamp, the Château de la Matray, and the Fondation Vasarely in Aix-en-Provence.

Series, documentaries, films… All the art to see on streaming platforms right now

Séries, documentaires, films… Tout l’art à voir sur les plateformes en ce moment

Beaux Arts Magazine has curated a comprehensive selection of art-focused films, documentaries, and series currently available on major streaming platforms like Netflix, Arte.tv, and France.tv. The selection highlights diverse narratives, including the investigative documentary regarding a rediscovered Gustav Klimt portrait of a Ghanaian prince, an AI-assisted exploration of Andy Warhol’s diaries, and the cinematic dramatization of Varian Fry’s efforts to rescue artists like Chagall and Duchamp from Nazi-occupied France.

Glenn Ligon at Aspen Art Museum

Artist Glenn Ligon opened a major solo exhibition titled "Break It Down" at the Aspen Art Museum. The show, curated by Daniel Merritt, will be on view from November 21, 2025, through March 15, 2026, and is extensively documented with 39 installation images.