The High Museum of Art in Atlanta honored artist Alison Saar with the 2025 David C. Driskell Prize, a national award celebrating contributions to African American art. The gala featured a live performance by musician John Legend, a bespoke award designed by David Yurman, and drew Atlanta tastemakers, arts leaders, and cultural figures. Saar joins past recipients including Amy Sherald, Mark Bradford, and Rashid Johnson.
Jasmine Clarke, a photographer and MFA candidate at the Yale School of Art, is featured in Cultured's "Art Young Photographer" series, nominated by renowned photographer Stephen Shore. Her tender images of home and family have been exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum and the Phoenix Art Museum. Clarke describes her work as a form of "biomythography," blending history, biography, and myth to explore memory, cultural identity, and the nature of seeing.
Cultured magazine highlights several fall gallery shows in Los Angeles, featuring solo exhibitions by Mire Lee at Sprüth Magers, Rebecca Morris at Regen Projects, Lukas Geronimas at Parker Gallery, Christina Kimeze at Hauser & Wirth, and Herman Cherry at Sebastian Gladstone. The shows run through October and November 2025, showcasing a range of media from Lee's industrial paintings and Morris's abstract compositions to Geronimas's architectural sculptures, Kimeze's mystical figurative works, and Cherry's abstract expressionist paintings.
Francis J. Greenburger, a real estate developer, philanthropist, and literary agent, discusses his lifelong art collection and philanthropic initiatives in an interview with CULTURED. He recounts buying his first painting at age 14 for $25, navigating the 1970s SoHo art scene at Max's Kansas City, and founding the Francis J. Greenburger Awards in 1985 to honor under-recognized artists with a $12,500 prize. Greenburger also details his role at Art Omi, a nonprofit arts center in the Hudson Valley with a sculpture park, residency programs, and the upcoming Art Omi Pavilions project, which will offer 18 artists and collectors individual sites across 190 acres. He is also releasing a book, *Autobiography of a Skyscraper*, about Chicago's 1000M tower.
CULTURED magazine gathered insider tips from its editors, contributors, and frequent museumgoers on how to save time, money, and enhance the experience when visiting New York museums. Hacks include entering the Metropolitan Museum of Art through the education center to avoid crowds, visiting free ground-floor galleries at the Whitney Museum and MoMA, and using MoMA's movie theater for cheap or free films. Other tips recommend Café Fledermaus at the Neue Galerie for a quicker meal, and the Noguchi Museum's membership discount on Akari light sculptures.
The Studio Museum in Harlem will reopen on November 15 after a seven-year closure, unveiling a new seven-floor, 82,000-square-foot building designed by Adjaye Associates and executed by Cooper Robertson. To mark the occasion, Cultured magazine convened three conceptual artists—Nikita Gale, Camille Norment, and Sable Elyse Smith—who received early support from the museum, each reflecting on how the institution shaped their careers. Norment, featured in the 2001 exhibition "Freestyle," is creating a new installation for the reopening; Gale and Smith both participated in the 2017 show "Fictions."
Anderson Ranch Arts Center held its 2025 gala on July 10 in Snowmass Village, honoring artist Titus Kaphar with the International Artist Award. The evening featured a seated dinner, a gala auction with works donated by galleries including Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, White Cube, and Marianne Boesky Gallery, and drew a crowd of collectors, artists, patrons, and cultural figures such as Peter Waanders, Sarah Harrelson, Jessica Silverman, and Kristina Newman-Scott.
Alison Saar, a Los Angeles-based sculptor known for works rooted in the African diaspora and spirituality, is featured in a studio visit interview. She discusses her creative process, use of salvaged materials, and recent achievements, including a monumental commission for the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2025 David C. Driskell Prize from the High Museum of Art. The interview covers her daily routines, tool preferences, and reflections on the art world.
David Zwirner, Loewe, and Cultured magazine co-hosted a summer party at David Zwirner's Los Angeles gallery to celebrate the release of the magazine's 2025 Young Collectors list. Guests enjoyed mint- and cucumber-infused drinks, browsed the new Art + Food issue, and previewed Marcel Dzama's exhibition "Empress of Night," on view through August 8. The event drew a crowd of art, fashion, and media insiders, including collector Ben Weyerhaeuser, philanthropist Claudia Kahn, interior designer Jamie Bush, and artists Christina Quarles, Julien Nguyen, Hilary Pecis, and Richard Hawkins. Attendees left with tote bags containing copies of the magazine featuring a limited-edition cover by Lisa Yuskavage.
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) held its annual gala, presented by BVLGARI, at the Geffen Contemporary space in Little Tokyo. The evening introduced a new format called MOCA Legends, honoring artist Theaster Gates, architect Frank Gehry, and philanthropist Wendy Schmidt. Guests included actors Jane Fonda, David Alan Grier, Sarah Paulson, director Ava DuVernay, and artists Andrea Bowers, Charles Gaines, Henry Taylor, and Olafur Eliasson, whose exhibition OPEN was on view. After a performance by the TAIKOPROJECT Japanese drum ensemble, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi surprised attendees by introducing Gehry. Rapper Tierra Whack performed during dinner, and the event raised $3.1 million for museum operations.
Alison Saar has been named the 2025 recipient of the David C. Driskell Prize by Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, recognizing her significant contributions to the African American art canon. The announcement was made in New York at a celebration held at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in partnership with CULTURED, with a formal gala planned for September featuring a performance by John Legend. Saar, a Los Angeles native known for her commanding sculptures and mixed-media works exploring race, gender, and spiritual identity, joins past honorees including Naomi Beckwith, Ebony G. Patterson, Amy Sherald, and Rashid Johnson.
The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) has appointed Kate Kraczon as its new Chief Curator, effective June 15, 2026. Kraczon, a nationally respected curator with over two decades of experience, joins MAM from Brown University, where she served as Director of Exhibitions and Chief Curator of the David Winton Bell Gallery. At Brown, she oversaw a program of more than 7,000 works and developed partnerships with major institutions including the Andy Warhol Foundation and the Terra Foundation for American Art. Her previous roles include Laporte Associate Curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania, where she organized over 30 exhibitions.
A comprehensive listing of current and upcoming visual art exhibitions, events, and installations in Athens, Georgia, is provided. The guide includes shows at venues ranging from the Georgia Museum of Art and the Lamar Dodd School of Art galleries to local breweries, coffee shops, and community centers. Featured exhibitions highlight work by students, local members, and established artists like Beverly Buchanan and Julie Green, alongside new murals and public art projects.
Marian Goodman, the legendary New York gallerist who introduced European avant-garde artists to American audiences, is selling works from her private collection through Christie's. The collection features a standout group of paintings by Gerhard Richter, including his masterpiece *Kerze*, which will lead the Richters & 21st Century Evening Sale. Additional pieces will be offered across 20th and 21st Century Art auctions in New York.
American painter Karyn Lyons explores the longing and desolation of adolescent girlhood in her solo exhibition “Day for Night” at Stems Gallery in Paris, which opened ahead of Art Basel Paris. The show features paintings of an adolescent girl in affluent yet lonely settings, which Lyons describes as metaphoric pages from her diary. After studying journalism and working in advertising and fashion, Lyons earned a post-baccalaureate degree from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 2003, but kept her work private for nearly two decades until a creative breakthrough during the pandemic led her to explore her own adolescence more psychologically.
Lévy Gorvy Dayan has opened "Downtown/Uptown: New York in the Eighties," a sweeping survey staged at its Beaux-Arts townhouse on East 64th Street. Organized in collaboration with legendary dealer Mary Boone, the exhibition brings together a stellar roster of artists whose careers defined the decade, including neo-expressionists like Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Julian Schnabel, as well as appropriation and conceptual artists such as Cindy Sherman, Barbara Kruger, Andy Warhol, and Jeff Koons. The show explores the era's dual currents—raw painterly energy versus critical media interrogation—while acknowledging the AIDS epidemic, Reagan-era excess, and the rise of the art star. Immersive staging, a custom disco soundtrack, and works spanning multiple floors evoke the decade's theatricality and volatility.
The Chelsea gallery Kasmin will close this autumn after 35 years of operation, transitioning into a new venture called Olney Gleason. The new gallery will be led by Kasmin president Nick Olney and senior director Eric Gleason, both longtime employees who say the move aligns with the wishes of the late founder Paul Kasmin. Olney Gleason will continue working with an unspecified number of artists and estates from Kasmin's roster, including François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne, Lee Krasner, and Jackson Pollock's estate, and will open a flagship space in Chelsea with an inaugural show this autumn.
Tim Blum, co-founder of the influential Los Angeles gallery Blum (formerly Blum & Poe), announced he will phase out the traditional gallery model, closing the gallery's permanent public spaces in Los Angeles and Tokyo. Blum cited burnout from the relentless demands of art fairs and gallery openings, emphasizing the decision is about the system, not the market. The gallery, which introduced American audiences to Japanese artists like Yoshitomo Nara and Takashi Murakami and gave early shows to Mark Grotjahn and Anna Weyant, will shift to a more flexible model involving collaborations and special projects. A previous New York space closed in 2023, and a Tribeca space's future remains undetermined.
This article reviews several Chelsea gallery exhibitions, focusing on Mary Ann Unger's monumental sculpture show 'Across the Bering Strait' at Berry Campbell, which features her hydrocal-over-steel works exploring themes of feminism, anthropology, and the natural world. It also covers 'En Route' at Rosebud Contemporary, a group exhibition of abstract painters Rifka Milder, Meg Hitchcock, and Ketta Ioannidou, each reflecting on artistic journeys through their work.
Two top executives at Phillips auction house, global chairwoman Cheyenne Westphal and president of the Americas Jean-Paul Engelen, are stepping down. Westphal, who joined Phillips from Sotheby's in 2016 and has been called the most powerful woman in contemporary art, plans to start her own business working directly with private collectors and artists. Engelen is moving to Acquavella Galleries in New York. Their departures follow the resignation of executive chairman Ed Dolman in December and deputy CEO Amanda Lo Iacono at the end of last year, marking a significant leadership exodus.
DHM-Hauptbau wohl bis 2031 dicht
The German Historical Museum (DHM) in Berlin will remain without its main building, the Zeughaus on Unter den Linden, until at least 2031 due to further delays in its renovation. Museum director Raphael Gross announced that a binding timeline from the property owner and the federal construction authority is not expected until 2027, and a reopening before 2031 is unrealistic. In the meantime, the museum is using its modern Pei-Bau wing to host a new exhibition titled "Objekte. Geschichte. Geschichten," featuring around 200 highlights from its collection of one million objects, including a samurai armor once gifted to Adolf Hitler and objects from a refugee shelter.
Die Wiederentdeckung der Alten Meisterinnen
The Museum of Fine Arts Ghent (MSK) has launched a major exhibition titled "Unforgettable: Women Artists from Amsterdam to Antwerp, 1600–1750," showcasing over 40 female Baroque artists who were once highly successful but later faded into obscurity. The show highlights figures like Michaelina Wautier, who defied gender norms by painting large-scale history scenes and male nudes, and Rachel Ruysch, whose floral still lifes commanded prices rivaling those of Rembrandt. These women were not merely exceptions but active participants in the art market, running workshops and securing royal patronage across the Low Countries.
Auswärtiges Amt rügt Goethe-Institut für Ausstellung
The German Foreign Office has formally reprimanded the Goethe-Institut for its involvement in an exhibition in Vilnius, Lithuania, featuring Palestinian-American artist Basma al-Sharif. The ministry stated that events organized by German cultural intermediaries must leave no doubt about the government's firm rejection of antisemitism and hatred of Israel, and demanded greater care in planning and conceptualizing such events with partners. The exhibition, "Bells and Cannons - Contemporary Art in Times of Militarization," was a collaboration between the Goethe-Institut Vilnius, the Contemporary Art Centre Vilnius, and the Berlin Academy of Arts.
The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art is hosting a rare exhibition of American art, featuring works from its collection that were acquired before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The show includes pieces by artists such as Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko, and is presented as a reflection on the complex history of U.S.-Iran relations, including themes of war and cultural exchange.
New York City’s museum landscape is entering a major spring season characterized by high-profile retrospectives, institutional reopenings, and the 82nd Whitney Biennial. Key highlights include a massive Raphael survey at the Metropolitan Museum of Art featuring over 200 works, the reopening of the expanded New Museum with a tech-focused exhibition on the future of humanity, and a major survey of sculptor Carol Bove at the Guggenheim. The season also features thematic shows exploring American folk art, Dutch Golden Age masterpieces, and the relationship between Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
An exhibition titled "American Inquisition" opened in mid-March at No Place Gallery, an artist-run space in Columbus, Ohio. Featuring paintings by Shiva Addanki and Nikholis Planck, the show draws its name from a statement by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine supporting detained activist Mahmoud Khalil, and its critical framework from Mike Davis's book "Buda's Wagon." Addanki's works depict scenes of US imperial violence, including downed drones and counterinsurgents at detention centers, while Planck's paintings map extractive infrastructure, subverting traditional landscape painting with industrial detritus and petroleum tankers.
The American Library Association (ALA) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) have reached a settlement with the Trump administration to restore the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The agreement follows a year-long legal battle sparked by an executive order that placed the agency's entire staff on administrative leave and attempted to dismantle the federal body. The settlement ensures the IMLS can resume awarding grants, conducting research, and operating programs while reversing previous staff terminations and grant cancellations.
The Repatriates Collective has launched 'Tide of Returns' at Ocean Space in Venice, an exhibition that redefines repatriation as a continuous process of spiritual and communal repair rather than a singular legal transaction. Set within the historic Church of San Lorenzo, the installation features immersive works such as 'From My Mother’s Country,' which utilizes thousands of handmade dolls from Namibia, and Verena Melgarejo Weinandt’s textile and video works exploring the symbolic power of water and braiding.
Les catalogues d’expositions imprimés en Chine
Le Journal des Arts reports on several developments in the art world: the return of American Rousseau works to Paris, the growing trend of outsourcing museum reception services, the New Museum's expansion, challenges facing the Musée des tissus, and Art Brussels adapting to contemporary trends. These stories cover a range of topics from exhibition logistics to institutional change.
Americas Society in New York has opened "Lilia Carrillo: Ruptures and Premonitions," curated by Tobias Ostrander. The exhibition presents 24 paintings by Mexican artist Lilia Carrillo (1930–1974), created between 1961 and 1974, alongside archival materials. It introduces Carrillo to New York audiences as a key figure of the Generación de la Ruptura, a postwar movement that broke with Mexican muralism in favor of abstraction. The show highlights her experimental techniques—carving and scraping paint, embedding fabric and paper—and her engagement with mortality, Surrealism, and political turmoil, including the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre.