The Los Angeles County Museum of Art's new central building is a 'machine of discovery'

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has opened its new central building, the David Geffen Galleries, to the public. Designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor at a cost of $724 million, the 347,600-square-foot structure reorients the museum with a single, flowing second-story floor plan, eschewing a traditional main entrance or atrium to encourage wandering and serendipitous encounters with art. The galleries are named for major oceans and are designed to blend cultures and artworks from different eras.

Dutch Commission Recommends New Guardianship for ‘Orphaned’ Nazi-Looted Art

A Dutch government-appointed committee has proposed transferring guardianship of thousands of unclaimed Nazi-looted artworks from a state agency to a Jewish foundation, preferably housed at the Jewish Museum in Amsterdam. The plan includes funding for exhibitions and explanatory labels to publicly display the so-called "orphaned" art from the Netherlands Art Property Collection.

The Jury of the 2026 Venice Art Biennale Will Be Completely Composed of Women

La giuria della Biennale d’Arte di Venezia 2026 sarà tutta composta da donne

The organizing body of the Venice Biennale has announced the international jury for its 61st International Art Exhibition, titled 'In Minor Keys.' For the first time, the five-member jury is composed entirely of women: Solange Oliveira Farkas (president), Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi. They will award the prestigious Golden Lions and special mentions during the awards ceremony on May 9.

Immersive Room-Sized Exhibit Environments

Spazio Viruly is presenting the exhibition 'UNBOXING: A Room as Instrument' at Superattico in Milan during Milan Design Week. The installation, created by designers Matthijs Koerts and Merijn Haenen, deconstructs everyday devices to reveal core elements like energy and sound, then rebuilds them into immersive, room-sized environments. The experience is enhanced with live dance performances by Eleonora Cattaneo and custom soundscapes.

Edvard Munch’s Paintings for a Chocolate Factory Get a Rare Museum Outing

A series of 12 monumental paintings by Edvard Munch, created for the workers' canteen of the Freia chocolate factory in Oslo, have been temporarily removed from their original location for the first time. The works, known as the Freia Frieze, are now on display at the nearby Munch Museum in an exhibition titled "Edvard Munch and the Chocolate Factory," which also includes preparatory sketches and examines the artist's output in the 1920s.

11 can’t-miss art shows to see in Phoenix this spring

Phoenix is hosting a diverse array of spring art exhibitions across the city. Highlights include the 19th Annual Erotic Art Show at Exposed Gallery, Amy Menousek's feminist fiber work at Five15 Arts, Rachel Rinker's interactive sound and painting show at Tempe Center for the Arts, a group show of Japanese artists in Arizona at Shemer Art Center, and the "Art is History" exhibition at Lisa Sette Gallery, which critically examines art historical narratives.

Franco Bellucci “Works (c. 2010–2018)” at a. SQUIRE, London

Franco Bellucci's exhibition "Works (c. 2010–2018)" is on view at a. SQUIRE gallery in London. The show features his sculptures, which are composed of knotted, humble, and mass-produced materials like socks, bandages, cables, and plastic bags, reflecting a direct engagement with his immediate surroundings.

Heiner Goebbels’ Landscape Plays faces an uphill battle to appeal to the public

The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Mumbai is hosting the first solo exhibition in India of German composer Heiner Goebbels, titled 'Landscape Plays'. The exhibition, presented by the Goethe-Institut, features six slow-moving, non-narrative video installations that challenge traditional viewing habits with their meditative, plotless approach.

Nobody Can Handle Me: Brazil Rewrites the Pavilion as Living Memory.

Brazil's 2026 Venice Biennale pavilion, curated by Diane Lima, presents a radical, sensorial exhibition titled 'Comigo ninguém pode' featuring artists Adriana Varejão and Rosana Paulino. The show transforms the modernist pavilion into an active participant, where historical and new works by the two artists create friction and resonance, exploring themes of colonial violence, the Black female body as archive, and spiritual resistance.

'A Serene Look upon the World' at Mendes Wood DM, Brussels, Belgium on 22 Apr–30 May 2026

Mendes Wood DM in Brussels presents 'A Serene Look upon the World,' a group exhibition running from 22 April to 30 May 2026. The show features 22 artists including Lucas Arruda, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Lee Ufan, and Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, whose works explore the sublime as a tension between permanence and transformation. The exhibition juxtaposes painting, photography, sculpture, and mixed media to evoke moments of pause before the overwhelming, drawing on philosophical ideas from Longinus and Kant.

Rika Nakajima: A New Book of the Dead, Part 3

連載 中島りか 新しい死者の書 第三回

Japanese artist Rika Nakajima reflects on the trial of Tetsuya Yamagami, who assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022, weaving together her own experience running the project space "Datsuisho – (a) place to be naked" in Tokyo's Yanaka district. As the space faced demolition in late 2025, Nakajima draws parallels between the trial's timing and the closure of her venue, recalling earlier events at the space that discussed the state funeral controversy and the cult issues exposed by the assassination. She describes attending the trial in Nara, observing Yamagami's demeanor, and connecting the case to broader themes of political aesthetics, fascism, and the theatricality of the judicial system.

Artist Sandra Hansen spotlights plastic pollution with ‘Our Exquisite Pollution Series: Under the Sea’

International environmental artist Sandra Hansen's exhibition 'Our Exquisite Pollution Series: Under the Sea' is on view at the Evanston Art Center from March 28 to April 26. The show features large-scale marine scenes made from handmade paper and repurposed plastics, including a 12-foot paper whale and kelp columns braided from hundreds of plastic bags, all highlighting the impact of plastic pollution on oceans. Hansen began the series in 2014 after learning about agricultural runoff in Lake Erie and has since collected beach trash to incorporate into her conceptual art.

Ackerman Midcentury Art Show at Craft Contemporary

Craft Contemporary in Los Angeles is presenting 'Material Curiosity by Design: Evelyn & Jerome Ackerman,' an exhibition showcasing the mosaics, tapestries, wood carvings, and other works of the late midcentury design duo. The show, which runs through May 10, juxtaposes their vintage pieces with contemporary works by artists Porfirio Gutiérrez, Jolie Ngo, and Vince Skelly.

How Pussy Riot Is Challenging Russia’s Return to the Venice Biennale

The feminist art collective Pussy Riot is campaigning to replace the official Russian exhibition at the 2024 Venice Biennale with their own show, "Resistance Imprisoned." The alternative exhibition features art created by nearly 30 current and former political prisoners in Russia, using improvised materials like envelopes, bedding, and blood. The collective's founder, Nadya Tolokonnikova, aims to expose the country's repressive system, drawing from her own experience in a penal colony.

"The Palestine Pavilion Exists, and It's in Turin": Interview on the Exhibition Dedicated to the History of Gaza at the Merz Foundation

“Il Padiglione della Palestina esiste, ed è a Torino”. Intervista sulla mostra dedicata alla storia di Gaza alla Fondazione Merz

The Merz Foundation in Turin is hosting the exhibition 'Gaza, il futuro ha un cuore antico. Materie e memorie del Mediterraneo' (Gaza, the future has an ancient heart. Matters and memories of the Mediterranean). The show, created in collaboration with the Egyptian Museum and the MAH – Musée d’art et d’histoire in Geneva, juxtaposes ancient archaeological artifacts from Gaza with contemporary artworks. It aims to present Gaza's history as a Mediterranean crossroads, moving beyond its current wartime representation. The exhibition features artifacts from a collection of about 500 pieces, temporarily held in Geneva, alongside works by contemporary artists like Samaa Emad, Mirna Bamieh, and Wael Shawky.

Get a Peek Into the Newly Opened David Geffen Galleries at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has officially opened its new David Geffen Galleries, a major wing designed by architect Peter Zumthor. The 900-foot-long glass-and-concrete structure, which opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 19, 2026, houses the museum's permanent collection and features an open-concept layout intended to let visitors explore freely.

‘Apoi’ and Weaving What Remains

Ugandan artist Acaye Kerunen presents her first solo museum exhibition in Germany, titled 'Apoi,' at the Kunstmuseen Krefeld. The show, installed across the modernist spaces of Haus Lange and Haus Esters, features handwoven textiles, sculpture, sound, and film that draw on Indigenous knowledge systems and intergenerational exchange. It is part of the museum's ongoing 'HL HE Dialog: What Comes After Art' series.

Monopol Gives Away 5 x 2 Tickets for Photo Exhibition at Museum Rietberg

Monopol verlost 5 × 2 Tickets für Foto-Ausstellung im Museum Rietberg

The Museum Rietberg in Zurich is presenting the exhibition "Fast ein Paradies" (Almost a Paradise), which critically examines colonial-era photography as an instrument of power. The show juxtaposes historical photographs with contemporary artworks that recontextualize this material, featuring artists like Sasha Huber, Sammy Baloji, Raphaël Barontini, and Andrea Chung, who intervene in the archival images to challenge colonial narratives and restore agency to the subjects.

Exhibition | Dini Nur Aghnia, 'What Gathers, What Holds' at Gajah Gallery, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Indonesian artist Dini Nur Aghnia presents her solo exhibition 'What Gathers, What Holds' at Gajah Gallery in Yogyakarta, opening April 25, 2026. The exhibition features a new body of work exploring landscape through layered compositions of clay, resin, and patchwork textiles, moving away from a totalized vista to focus on fragments and accumulative change.

Fake Warhol, Haring and Banksy works seized in Italy

Des faux Warhol, Haring et Banksy saisis en Italie

Italian authorities have seized 143 counterfeit artworks attributed to Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Banksy. The works were on display in the exhibition "Pop to Street Art: Influences" in Reggio Calabria, Italy, and were provided on loan by a Belgian company. The carabinieri, in a transnational investigation extending to Liège, Belgium, identified the operation as part of a larger forgery network known as "Operation Cariatide." Eleven works remain under expert examination.

A Titanic Face-to-Face Brings Together the Vibrant Bodies of Rodin and Michelangelo at the Louvre

Un face-à-face titanesque réunit les corps vibrants de Rodin et Michel-Ange au Louvre

The Louvre has mounted an exhibition that places the works of Auguste Rodin in direct dialogue with those of Michelangelo, focusing on the profound influence of the Renaissance master on the 19th-century sculptor. Key sculptures like Rodin's 'Adam' and 'The Age of Bronze' are juxtaposed with Michelangelo's 'Dying Slave' and 'Rebellious Slave', highlighting shared themes of contorted male forms and masterful use of contrapposto.

Bones in the Canal and Other Photographs

David Kordansky Gallery in New York is presenting 'Bones in the Canal and Other Photographs,' a solo exhibition of new work by Norwegian artist Torbjørn Rødland. This marks his first New York gallery show in nearly a decade. The exhibition features two distinct series, including a significant new body of smaller-format 35mm photographs that represent a major shift in his 30-year practice. The show runs from March 12 to April 25, 2026, at the gallery's West 20th Street location.

Kuala Lumpur looks set to enter its “museum moment” this year

Kuala Lumpur is experiencing a surge of new museum and gallery openings, signaling a significant expansion of its cultural infrastructure. Key developments include the recent opening of the heritage site Seri Negara and the restored Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad, with major upcoming projects like the Merdeka Textile Museum and the Muara Arts gallery set to launch later in 2026.

Jean Shin’s Living Memorial to the Trees of Green-Wood Cemetery

Artist Jean Shin unveiled a new site-specific earthwork titled "Offering" (2026) at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery on April 18. The installation, situated in a meadow facing the cemetery's gates, consists of a long, oval-shaped mound of soil covering two felled oak trees. The work was inspired by traditional Korean tumulus burial mounds and involved a community ritual led by a Korean shaman, with volunteers planting wildflowers and shrubs on the mound.

NEPA Philharmonic & Everhart Museum Panel Discussion | Scranton, PA | NEPA Events

The Everhart Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania, will host a panel discussion on April 30, 2026, featuring astronaut and artist Nicole Stott, composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg, projection designer Camilla Tassi, and museum curator James Lansing. The event will explore the connections between the NEPA Philharmonic's upcoming "Planets, Moons, & Star Wars" concert and the museum's "Hubble Space Telescope: New Views of the Universe" exhibition.

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.

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.

How Digital Animation Can Help Audiences Understand Installation Art Before They Experience It in Person

The article examines the inherent limitations of traditional photography in documenting installation art, arguing that static images fail to convey the experiential qualities of scale, sequence, and audience interaction central to the medium. It uses Olafur Eliasson's iconic 'The Weather Project' as a prime example of a work whose atmospheric and social dimensions are lost in photographic reproduction.

New exhibition in Torre del Mar explores the art of calligraphy

Calligraphy artist Gema Martínez has opened a new solo exhibition titled 'Evocâre' at the tourist information office in Torre del Mar on Spain's Costa del Sol. The exhibition presents a series of works that use distorted, superimposed, and invented calligraphic signs to explore the mechanisms of memory, transforming personal recollections into visual, often illegible, writing.

Victoria & Albert Museum yields to Chinese censorship

Le Victoria & Albert Museum cède à la censure chinoise

The Victoria & Albert Museum in London removed a map and other content from its exhibition catalogues after its Chinese printer, C&C Offset Printing, flagged them as unacceptable to Chinese censors. The map, showing 1930s British Empire trade routes, was rejected by China's General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) because it included Chinese territory and borders, requiring the use of state-approved maps. The museum also previously removed a map and a photograph of Vladimir Lenin from a 2021 Fabergé exhibition catalogue.