Tilda Swinton Is Bringing a New Performance Piece to Guggenheim Bilbao

British actor Tilda Swinton will debut a new performance piece titled "House of Gestures" at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao on June 5–6, 2025. The work, developed with French fashion curator Olivier Saillard, is inspired by the legacy of Dom Pérignon champagne and will be staged in the museum's Frank Gehry-designed atrium. Swinton has a long history of performance art, including her iconic work "The Maybe" (1995) at the Serpentine Gallery, and is currently the subject of the exhibition "Ongoing" at the Onassis Foundation's Onassis Ready in Athens.

The Can’t-Miss Moments at TEFAF New York 2026

TEFAF New York 2026 opened to packed crowds at the Park Avenue Armory, showcasing a mix of historic and contemporary works. Highlights include Gagosian’s solo booth of Kathleen Ryan’s bejeweled “Bad Fruit” sculptures, Thaddaeus Ropac’s presentation of monumental canvases by Danish painter Eva Helene Pade, and Axel Vervoordt Gallery’s spotlight on overlooked Italian painter Ida Barbarigo. The fair also features collectible design and perennial favorites like Alexander Calder mobiles and Alighiero Boetti tapestries.

The Met Teams Up with Band-Aid on Art-Themed Adhesive Bandages

The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Band-Aid have reunited for a second collaboration, releasing a new set of art-themed adhesive bandages in 2026. The bandages feature details from three flower paintings in the Met's collection: Claude Monet's *Water Lilies* (1919), Vincent van Gogh's *Irises* (1890), and Odilon Redon's *Bouquet of Flowers* (ca. 1900–1905). The 50-count assortment includes small, medium, and large fabric bandages packed in a collectible tin, available exclusively at Target for $7.29. The 2025 Hokusai collection, which sold out quickly, is also back on sale at major retailers.

‘I shared a single bed with my mother for three years’: Sung Tieu on her monument to immigrant workers in Venice

Artist Sung Tieu has clad the German pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale with a mosaic replica of the Gehrenseestrasse complex, a now-abandoned housing estate in Berlin where she lived as a child. The work, titled "Human Dignity Shall Be Inviolable," uses three million mosaic stones to recreate the facade of the prefabricated blocks that housed Vertragsarbeiter—contract workers from Vietnam, Mozambique, Angola, and Cuba who bolstered East Germany's economy. Tieu, who shared a single bed with her mother in the complex for three years, conceived the pavilion alongside the late artist Henrike Naumann.

Two Museums Take on Performative Masculinity, Looksmaxxing, Incels, and Other Macho Buzzwords That Don’t Belong There.

The Stedelijk Museum and Kunstmuseum St. Gallen have co-organized an exhibition titled "Beyond the Manosphere: Masculinities Today," which aims to critically examine contemporary masculinity and its online manifestations such as incels, looksmaxxing, and pickup artists. The show features works by artists including Reba Maybury and Richard Serra, and is curated by Melanie Bühler, with directors Rein Wolfs and Gianni Jetzer overseeing the project. The exhibition will travel from the Stedelijk to the Kunstmuseum St. Gallen later this year.

More than 70 Venice Biennale artists withdraw from awards

More than 70 artists participating in the 2025 Venice Biennale have withdrawn from consideration for the Golden Lion awards, which this year will be decided by public vote. The artists, including Walid Raad, Laurie Anderson, and Yto Barrada, signed a statement published on e-flux on May 9, withdrawing in solidarity with the entire prize jury that resigned last month over a dispute regarding the participation of Israel and Russia. The Biennale management replaced the traditional jury-selected awards with a new "Visitor Lion" system where ticket holders can vote, but the Biennale has acknowledged that if any of the withdrawing artists win, they will not collect the award.

Venice Biennale Special 2026—podcast

This episode of The Art Newspaper's podcast is a Venice Biennale special, covering the opening week of the 2026 edition. Host Ben Luke, along with Louisa Buck and Jane Morris, reviews the main exhibition "In Minor Keys," curated by the late Koyo Kouoh and realized by five collaborators. The podcast features interviews with artists Gabrielle Goliath, whose work for the South African pavilion was cancelled and is instead staged in a Venice church, and Lubaina Himid, showing in the British pavilion. It also includes conversations with writer Saidiya Hartman and Daniella Kaliada of Belarus Free Theatre about their collateral projects. The episode concludes with a focus on two restored Tintoretto paintings at the Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore, funded by Save Venice.

Sound-based Holy See pavilion opens at Venice Biennale as Vatican’s contemporary art ambitions grow

The Holy See's pavilion at the Venice Biennale has opened, featuring a sound-based exhibition titled "The Ear is the Eye of the Soul" (9 May–22 November). The show, inspired by the medieval Benedictine nun Saint Hildegard of Bingen, includes commissioned audio works by high-profile artists and musicians such as Brian Eno, FKA Twigs, Patti Smith, Jim Jarmusch, and Precious Okoyomon. The exhibition takes place across two Venetian sites—the Mystical Garden of the Discalced Carmelite and the Santa Maria Ausiliatrice complex—and is co-organized by Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director of the Serpentine Gallery, and curator Ben Vickers, in collaboration with Soundwalk Collective.

Our pick of the best pavilions at the 61st Venice Biennale

The article highlights standout national pavilions at the 61st Venice Biennale. The Belarus Pavilion features a powerful installation by the Belarus Free Theatre, including a wheat field built by former political prisoners, straw spiders made from prison bars, and a confession booth that runs facial recognition. The Brazil Pavilion presents a joint exhibition by Rosana Paulino and Adriana Varejão, focusing on colonial wounds and trauma through works like Paulino's 'Aracnes' and Varejão's 'Still Life amid Ruin'. The Bosnian Pavilion by Mladen Bundalo invites tactile engagement with themes of diaspora and migration, while the Austrian Pavilion by Florentina Holzinger draws attention with nude performers in water-filled pools.

Museum acquisitions round-up: a rediscovered work by Rosso Fiorentino, a circular painting by Salman Toor and 16th-century gold goblet

The Art Newspaper reports on three notable museum acquisitions: a rediscovered Renaissance painting by Rosso Fiorentino acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a 16th-century silver gilt goblet by Hans Rappolt I acquired by the Siegerland Museum, and a circular painting by Salman Toor donated to the National Gallery of Art. The Rosso Fiorentino work, 'Madonna and Child with Saint John the Evangelist' (1512/13), was thought lost for centuries and was identified after cleaning revealed a hidden figure. The goblet, made around 1581, is a rare example of Nuremberg goldsmithing and was supported by a €75,000 donation from the German Federal Cultural Foundation. The Toor painting, 'Wandering Beggars' (2022), is the first by the artist to enter the NGA's collection, donated by the Bronzini-Vender family.

The Met’s Costume Institute Needs an Art History Lesson

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute spring exhibition, "Costume Art," pairs fashion with artworks from the Met's collection, including ancient Greek statues and Andy Warhol screenprints, alongside garments by designers from Charles James to CFGNY. Curator Andrew Bolton aims to suggest that fashion can expand understanding of art, but the show's juxtapositions often feel vague and sloppy, with only occasional resonant pairings like a Jean Paul Gaultier shirt and Joe Brainard drawing linked by queer artist lineage.

Zurbarán review – ecstatic visions, primitive surrealism … and the finest loincloths ever painted

The Guardian reviews a major exhibition of 17th-century Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán, highlighting his visionary and surrealist qualities. The show features works such as "The Apparition of Saint Peter to Saint Peter Nolasco" (1629), newly attributed paintings including a giant mask, and iconic pieces like "The Crucified Christ" and "Saint Serapion," all drawn from collections including the Prado and the National Gallery, London. The review emphasizes Zurbarán's ability to paint supernatural subjects with naturalistic conviction, his exquisite rendering of fabrics—especially loincloths—and his influence on modern artists like Salvador Dalí.

The Multibillion-Dollar Maneuvers Behind the Met’s Raphael Show

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has opened “Raphael: Sublime Poetry,” the largest survey dedicated to the Renaissance master in the U.S., featuring 33 paintings and 142 works on paper. The exhibition includes loans from 60 public institutions across 11 countries, as well as private loans from billionaire Leon Black, and the estimated aggregate value of the art on view is in the billions of dollars. Curated by Carmen Bambach, the show took eight years to organize and follows her previous triumphs on Leonardo and Michelangelo.

Gladstone Gallery to Relocate in Seoul, Doubling Exhibition Space

Gladstone Gallery is relocating its Seoul location to the Hannam-dong neighborhood later this year, doubling its exhibition space. Designed by architect Minsuk Cho of Mass Studies, the new outpost will occupy two floors of the 739-28 Hannam Building, across from Pace Gallery and near the Leeum Museum of Art. The space is set to open in late summer ahead of Frieze Seoul in September, with a solo exhibition by Ed Atkins—his first in the city—inaugurating the gallery. Gladstone first opened in Seoul's Gangnam district in 2022, joining a wave of Western galleries entering the Korean market.

Claude Lalanne Mirror Ensemble Sells for $33.5 M., Breaking Design Auction Records

A custom ensemble of 15 mirrors by Claude Lalanne sold for $33.5 million at Sotheby's New York, shattering the artist's previous auction record and setting a new global benchmark for the most expensive design work ever sold at auction. The piece, commissioned in 1974 for Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé's Paris home, far exceeded its $10-15 million estimate.

Christie’s to Offer $35 M. Renoir Painting Owned by Whitney Family For Nearly a Century

Christie's will auction Pierre-Auguste Renoir's 1876-77 painting 'La femme aux lilas (Portrait de Nini Lopez)' in its 20th Century Evening Sale on May 18, with an estimate of $25 million to $35 million. The work has been owned by the Whitney Payson family since 1929 and is being sold from the collection of the late Lorinda Payson de Roulet, daughter of the original buyers, Joan Whitney Payson and Charles Payson.

Olivia Rodrigo’s New Music Video Is a Dizzying Romp Through Versailles

Pop star Olivia Rodrigo has released the music video for her new single "Drop Dead," filmed on location at the Palace of Versailles. Directed by Petra Collins, the production marks the first time a music video has been granted permission to film inside the palace's royal apartments, including the Queen's Bedroom and the Grand Couvert Antechamber. The video features Rodrigo performing alongside historic masterpieces, such as Pierre Mignard’s 17th-century tapestry "Apollo and the Muses on Mount Parnassus."

How Wayne McGregor’s epic ballets draw on help from his artistic friends

Choreographer Wayne McGregor’s upcoming production at the Royal Opera House, 'Alchemies', highlights his career-long commitment to cross-disciplinary collaboration with visual artists and designers. The program features a world premiere with costumes by fashion designer Saul Nash, alongside revivals of 'Yugen' and 'Untitled, 2023'. These works incorporate significant contributions from the art world, including set designs by ceramicist Edmund de Waal and previous collaborations with figures like Tacita Dean and Olafur Eliasson.

Versailles Restores Royal Bedroom to Its 1789 Splendor

The Palace of Versailles has completed a multi-decade restoration of the King’s Private Bedroom, meticulously recreating the space as it appeared on October 6, 1789, the day the royal family fled the French Revolution. The project involved an intergenerational team of curators and master craftspeople who utilized archival descriptions and surviving fabric scraps to reconstruct the room's ornate Rocaille embellishments, silk tapestries from Lyon, and a central gilded bed carved from linden wood.

Painting Has Entered Its Performance Era

The rise of short-form video platforms like Instagram and TikTok has transformed painting from a static medium into a performative spectacle. To compete with algorithmic preferences for transformation and speed, artists are adopting specific visual grammars such as the "art reveal"—where a canvas is dramatically flipped toward the camera—and "speed painting," which turns the creation process into a high-stakes live event. These trends emphasize the labor and human presence behind the work, often utilizing emotional storytelling and direct engagement to build dedicated fanbases outside traditional gallery structures.

How Caravaggio’s Dark Masterpieces Mirror the Crimes in Netflix’s Ripley

as seen on ripley netflix caravaggio

The Netflix series Ripley, an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel, utilizes the works of Caravaggio as a central narrative and aesthetic device. The show follows Tom Ripley, a grifter who travels to Italy and eventually adopts the identity of a wealthy acquaintance after committing murder. Throughout the series, Ripley encounters several of Caravaggio's masterpieces, including The Seven Acts of Mercy and David with the Head of Goliath, which serve as dark mirrors to his own descent into violence.

Tokyo Architect Kengo Kuma Beats Out Renzo Piano and Selldorf to Design National Gallery’s £350 M. New Wing

The National Gallery in London has appointed Tokyo-based architect Kengo Kuma to design a new £350 million wing as part of its ambitious £750 million "Project Domani" expansion. Kuma, known for the V&A Dundee, beat out high-profile Pritzker Prize winners Renzo Piano and Norman Foster for the commission. The project involves the demolition of St. Vincent House to create 15,000 square feet of new exhibition space dedicated to 20th and 21st-century art, along with new pedestrian zones and a roof garden.

National Gallery picks Tokyo Olympic stadium architect to design new wing

The National Gallery in London has selected Japanese architect Kengo Kuma to design a major new wing as part of its ambitious £750m "Project Domani." Kuma, known for the Tokyo Olympic stadium and V&A Dundee, beat out high-profile competitors including Norman Foster and Renzo Piano. The expansion will occupy a site near Trafalgar Square currently housing a hotel and office complex, and is supported by record-breaking £150m donations from both the Julia Rausing Trust and the Crankstart foundation.

Lalanne mirrors owned by Yves Saint Laurent and a classic Diane Arbus photo: our pick of the April auctions

Major auction houses are preparing for a series of high-profile sales in April, headlined by a suite of fifteen gilt-bronze mirrors by Claude Lalanne. Originally commissioned for the Paris apartment of fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, the mirrors are expected to fetch between $10m and $15m at Sotheby’s. Other notable lots include a rare Diane Arbus photograph from the collection of Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner, a pastoral landscape by Russian artist Konstantin Somov, and a centuries-old drawing based on Albrecht Dürer’s famous rhinoceros woodcut.

Why Filmmaker Ming Wong Is the Ultimate Shape-Shifter

Berlin-based Singaporean artist Ming Wong premiered a new film, *Dance of the Sun on the Water | Saltatio Solis in Aqua*, at London's National Gallery. The work, created during a residency, reimagines Saint Sebastian as a queer, shape-shifting figure, with Asian performers of multiple genders enacting the martyrdom amidst the museum's collection of historical paintings of the saint.

How Dalí’s Amber Varnish May Have Caused This Painting to Decay

A new scientific study has revealed the cause of deterioration in Salvador Dalí's 1946 painting 'The Temptation of Saint Anthony.' Researchers from the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium and an international team used advanced imaging techniques to determine that the degradation, which includes areas becoming transparent or textured, is linked to the chemical interaction between a zinc white paint layer and an amber varnish layer, both materials specifically advocated by Dalí in his own artistic manual.

Claire Tabouret’s Stained-Glass Windows for Notre-Dame Divide French Society, with a Legal Threat Looming

French contemporary artist Claire Tabouret has been commissioned to create six new stained-glass windows for the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, replacing six existing 19th-century grisaille windows designed by architect Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. The project, announced by President Emmanuel Macron and the Archbishop of Paris as a "contemporary gesture" following the 2019 fire, has sparked a major public and institutional controversy, with a petition against it gathering over 335,000 signatures.

One of Donatello’s most important bronze statues is being restored: should it ever be shown outdoors again?

Donatello's monumental 1453 bronze equestrian statue, Gattamelata, has been moved from its outdoor plinth in Padua to a nearby indoor hall for a major €1 million restoration. This marks only the third time the statue has been moved indoors in nearly 600 years, prompted by severe corrosion known as "bronze cancer" and structural concerns about its stone pedestal. The restoration is funded by two American non-profit organizations, Friends of Florence and Save Venice.

london national gallery revamp

The National Gallery in London has unveiled its £85 million ($113 million) renovation of the Sainsbury Wing, marking the culmination of the museum's bicentenary celebrations. Led by architect Annabelle Selldorf, the project transformed the postmodernist building into the museum's primary accessible entrance, featuring a more spacious atrium, clear glass walls to invite natural light, and a significant rehang of the permanent collection. The redesign aimed to resolve long-standing issues with visitor flow and accessibility while preserving the building's iconic grand staircase.

The Women Artists Who Turned Ireland’s Saints Into National Icons

A new exhibition, "Collaborating in Conflict: The Yeats Family and the Public Arts," at the McMullen Museum of Art, spotlights the revolutionary contributions of sisters Susan Mary (Lily) and Elizabeth Corbet (Lolly) Yeats. Long overshadowed by their famous brothers, the sisters co-founded the Dun Emer Industries cooperative, which included a press and a textile guild, and produced embroidered banners of Irish saints for St. Brendan's Cathedral, playing a pivotal role in the Irish Arts and Crafts movement.