chicago neighbors expo satellite fair

Collector Mirka Serrato and gallerist Jonny Tanna are launching Neighbors, a new satellite art fair debuting during Expo Chicago in April 2025. Located in a 1,200-square-foot neoclassical apartment in Chicago’s Gold Coast, the fair rejects traditional booth structures in favor of a domestic, intimate setting. The inaugural exhibitor list features a mix of local and international galleries, including London’s Gathering and Harlesden High Street, as well as spaces from New York and Dallas.

national constitution center director resigns

Jeffrey Rosen has resigned as director of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia after 12 years, sparking allegations of political interference. While the board cited a leadership crisis following an external review of workplace conditions, board member and former judge J. Michael Luttig claims the ouster was a politically motivated "regime change" orchestrated to align the institution with President Trump’s vision for the upcoming America 250 celebrations.

louvre heist surveillance footage

Newly released surveillance footage shows masked thieves breaking into the Louvre's Apollo gallery in October 2025, using disc cutters to slice open display cases and steal France's crown jewels. The heist occurred under staff observation, with no security guards present, and police have since identified five suspects via DNA evidence, arresting four, though the jewels remain missing. The footage was broadcast on French TV on January 18, 2026, as the museum faces its third staff strike in over a month.

louvre installs bars on heist window

The Louvre Museum has installed security bars on the French window of the Apollo Gallery, the entry point used by thieves in a $102 million jewel heist on October 19. The museum announced the measure on X, showing workers installing the bars before dawn. Additional security upgrades include a mobile police base, distancing devices on the Quai François Mitterrand, and plans for 100 new perimeter cameras by 2026. These steps are part of a $92 million security master plan. Ticket prices for non-E.U. visitors will rise 45% to $37 starting January 14, 2026, to help fund the improvements. The museum also revealed that a 2018 audit sponsored by Van Cleef and Arpels had flagged the balcony's vulnerability, but then-director Jean-Luc Martinez did not act. Louvre president Laurence des Cars offered to resign after the security failures came to light but was asked to stay.

louvre director grilled in senate hearing

Louvre president Laurence des Cars faced a contentious Senate hearing on Wednesday, where lawmakers pressed her about ignored security warnings that preceded the October theft of $102 million in imperial jewels from the Apollo Gallery. Audits from 2017 and 2018 had flagged structural vulnerabilities, but Des Cars claimed she was not informed until after the theft. She defended the museum's response, citing new cameras, increased security training budgets, and an imminent senior security coordinator appointment. Conservative senators Jacques Grosperrin and Max Brisson demanded her resignation, with Brisson walking out when she declined to answer. Former president Jean-Luc Martinez also testified, saying he had not reinforced windows or balcony due to fire-safety concerns, a rationale security experts rejected.

louvre museum raises ticket prices for non european foreigners

The Louvre Museum board has voted to raise ticket prices by 45% for visitors outside the European Economic Area, effective January 14. The price will increase from €22 ($25) to €32 ($37), affecting tourists from the United States, Britain, and Russia. The move is part of a broader effort to fund infrastructure upgrades and security improvements following a high-profile heist in October in which thieves stole nine pieces of jewelry worth an estimated $102 million from the Apollo Gallery. The museum's director, Laurence des Cars, acknowledged that the institution has "very inadequate" and "outdated" security systems, and a full overhaul is not expected until 2032.

louvre security report

A 2018 security audit commissioned by the Louvre from Van Cleef and Arpels identified critical vulnerabilities in the museum's Apollo Gallery, including a balcony accessible via a lift platform—the exact entry point used by thieves in a daring October 19, 2025 heist. The audit, which included diagrams highlighting a window facing Quai François-Mitterrand as a major weakness, was not passed on to current Louvre president Laurence des Cars when she took over in 2021. The museum only discovered the document after the theft, prompting an internal review and referral to France's General Inspectorate of Cultural Affairs. French authorities have since arrested four more suspects, bringing the total to eight, as the investigation continues into the theft of eight valuable pieces including Napoleon Bonaparte's emerald-and-diamond necklace.

french state auditor report released louvre museum insufficient security

A French national audit report, the Cour des Comptes, has revealed severe security deficiencies at the Louvre Museum, finding that only 39% of its rooms had cameras as of 2024 and that a security upgrade begun in 2015 only resulted in a tender at the end of last year, with completion not expected until 2032. The report was released shortly after a theft of crown jewels from the museum, and it criticizes the Louvre for prioritizing acquisitions and post-pandemic projects over essential security investments. Louvre director Laurence des Cars acknowledged the museum's "very inadequate" and "outdated" security systems during a Senate hearing, though she stated alarms functioned during the heist. Four suspects are in custody for the October 19 robbery.

german company launches viral ad campaign for louvre heist lift

A family-run German company, Böcker, launched a viral advertising campaign on Facebook and Instagram featuring the furniture lift used in a recent Louvre jewel heist. The ad, with the tagline "When you need to move fast," depicts the Agilo furniture elevator that thieves used to enter the Louvre's Apollo Gallery, stealing approximately $102 million worth of Napoleonic jewelry in seven minutes. The company's marketing chief, Julia Scharwatz, said the campaign was inspired by the widespread circulation of a photo showing the lift at the scene, and that the response has been overwhelmingly positive, reaching 1.7 million views compared to their usual 15-20,000.

ana pellicer sculptor dead

Ana Pellicer, a Mexican sculptor celebrated for her monumental copper creations, has died at age 79. Mexico’s culture ministry announced her death this week without specifying a cause. Pellicer gained international recognition later in life for the oversized jewelry she created for the Statue of Liberty, including a 36-foot-tall necklace exhibited at MoMA PS1 in New York in 2018 as part of the show “Body Armor.” Born in Mexico City in 1946, she spent much of her career in the shadow of her husband, sculptor James Metcalf, and together they trained female artisans in Santa Clara del Cobre in ancient copper techniques, founding the Centro de Acción Educativa.

art juliana halpert frieze los angeles 2026

Juliana Halpert, writing for Cultured's Critics' Table, offers a local perspective on Los Angeles's busy February art scene, contrasting the global art-fair circuit with four distinctive local exhibitions. She visits Tanya Brodsky's "Stories of the City" at Campbell Hall school in Studio City, where Brodsky's sculptures engage with Italo Calvino's *Invisible Cities*; the Julia Stoschek Foundation; Amanda Ross-Ho's show; and Rita McBride's exhibition. Halpert uses Calvino's metaphor of Eutropia—a city whose inhabitants cycle through identical suburbs—to critique the repetitive nature of art fairs like Art Basel and Frieze, which travel from city to city with little variation.

art maren hassinger sculptures metal

Maren Hassinger, the 78-year-old artist known for her sculptural work with steel and wire rope, discusses her upcoming retrospective at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, opening in June. In an interview, she reflects on her early rejection from a dance major at Bennington College, which led her to sculpture under the mentorship of Isaac Witkin, and her long collaboration with fellow artist Senga Nengudi since the 1970s. She also talks about her current studio practice, creating large-scale vessels, and her move from Los Angeles to New York to sell her work.

design guide openings events exhibtions

This article from Cultured magazine highlights several notable art and architecture openings and exhibitions around the world. Key events include the reopening of Donald Judd's Architecture Office in Marfa, Texas, after a seven-year closure and a devastating 2021 fire; the opening of the Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture in Almaty, Kazakhstan, designed by British architect Asif Khan; and the debut of "Chiharu Shiota: Two Home Countries" at Japan Society in New York, marking the artist's first solo museum exhibition in the city. Other featured shows include "Dream Rooms: Environments by Women Artists 1950s-Now" at M+ Museum in Hong Kong, "Vacant Futures" at VI PER Gallery in Prague, and "Four Five Six" by OFFICE KGDVS at A83 in SoHo, New York.

best outdoor new york activities

This article from Cultured magazine highlights seven outdoor art and performance activities in New York City for summer 2024. It covers MoMA PS1's Warm Up dance party series featuring monumental sculptures by Yto Barrada, Socrates Sculpture Park's annual fellows exhibition themed "Up/Rooted," Little Island's adventurous performance series including works by Suzan-Lori Parks and Laurie Anderson, Wave Hill's 60th-anniversary installations with Yoko Ono's wish tree and works by Monica Duncan and Sarah Jimenez, the Beach Sessions Dance Series on Rockaway Beach, and SummerStage NYC's music performances in Central Park.

art casa tua aspen collection photography

Miky and Leticia Grendene, co-founders of the hospitality brand Casa Tua, discuss their photography-focused art collection and its integration into their properties in Miami, Aspen, New York, and Paris. In an interview with Cultured, they reveal plans to display a new series of works by artist Anastasia Samoylova at their Aspen location this summer, and reflect on three decades of collecting, their shift toward sculpture and painting, and how their children have developed their own visual language.

patricia udell onna house hamptons show

Patricia Udell, an artist known for modernist works in clay, plaster, wood, and canvas, is unveiling her first tapestry at Onna House in East Hampton in a show titled “My Life Has Been a Tapestry,” opening tomorrow and running through Sept. 1. The exhibition takes its name from the 1971 Carole King song. Udell, who has exhibited at Meislin Projects, Quogue Gallery, and amArtHouse, discusses her move into textiles, her inspirations from Calder and Matisse, and the solitary, intuitive nature of her practice. Onna House, founded by designer Lisa Perry, focuses on women artists, making it a fitting venue for Udell’s work.

nicole wittenberg maine exhibition

Nicole Wittenberg, known for her early paintings of amateur porn, has shifted her focus to landscapes and flowers, culminating in four simultaneous exhibitions across two continents. Her first solo museum survey is at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art, while the Center for Maine Contemporary Art shows her largest canvases through September 14. In Paris, her flower paintings are on view at Le Corbusier’s Maison La Roche, and Acquavella will host her New York solo show in October. Phaidon has also published her first monograph, with essays by David Salle, Devon Zimmerman, and Suzanne Hudson.

lawyer danielle falls art collection young collectors

Danielle Falls, a 32-year-old lawyer and fine art insurance broker, is profiled as a young collector building a contemporary art collection from a non-traditional background. She serves on the Bronx Museum of the Arts board of trustees, chairs its acquisitions committee, and is a patron of Project for Empty Space. Falls discusses her early collecting mistakes, her frustration with exclusivity in the art world, and her commitment to supporting underrepresented artists, particularly women sculptors and those working with unconventional materials and family archives. She has founded the Falls Foundation, a nonprofit private lending collection focused on emerging voices across the Americas.

arrival art fair guide to the berkshires

A new art fair called Arrival will debut in the Berkshires from June 12 to 15, hosted at the Tourists hotel in North Adams. Conceived by artist Crystalle Lacouture, gallerist Yng-Ru Chen, and advisor Sarah Galender Meyer, the invitational event features three dozen exhibitors selected by curatorial ambassadors including Amy Smith-Stewart of the Aldrich, Sayantan Mukhopadhyay of the Portland Museum of Art, and Natalie Diaz of Art Omi. Participants range from the Wassaic Project to Jonathan Carver Moore and Abigail Ogilvy Gallery. Beyond the main fair, programming includes Lodge Talks on university museums and alternative funding, plus studio visits with local artists Jenny Holzer, Mary Lum, and Willie Binnie.

hotels museum future architecture

The article, written by a former New Museum staffer, traces the evolution of museum architecture from the early 2000s starchitect era toward a hospitality- and community-focused model. It cites examples like MoMA's extensive visitor amenities (four restaurants, two retail spaces) and the Williams College Museum of Art's open, evolving design by SO-IL. The piece also highlights the Underground Museum's storefront approach in Los Angeles and the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York as strategies that prioritize accessibility and community engagement.

CISCO MEREL: LA CHANTIN

CISCO MEREL: LA CHANTIN

Kunsthalle Lissabon in Lisbon, Portugal, is presenting 'La Chantin,' the first solo exhibition in the country by Panamanian artist Cisco Merel. The exhibition features a site-specific installation exploring the house as an open, collective, and evolving system, inspired by the mobile, wooden 'shanty' structures built by the Afro-Caribbean diaspora during the construction of the Panama Canal.

Arts of the Earth

ARTES DE LA TIERRA

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao has inaugurated "Artes de la Tierra" (Arts of the Earth), a multidisciplinary exhibition curated by Manuel Cirauqui that examines the relationship between contemporary art and the soil. Spanning from the mid-20th century to the present, the show integrates visual arts, architecture, and ancestral Basque knowledge to explore themes of composting, terraforming, and ecological repair. Featured artists include pioneers of Land Art and Arte Povera such as Ana Mendieta, Fina Miralles, and Meg Webster, whose works are presented alongside archival materials and architectural models.

Brush to canvas: News from the art community

This article from the St. Pete Catalyst rounds up several visual art events in the St. Petersburg, Florida area. Highlights include the debut of Nate Jessup's first gallery exhibition, "Peonies in Winter," at Soft Water Gallery; the upcoming exhibition "Faces of Inequality: Depression Era Photography" at the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement (MAACM), curated by museum owner Rudy Ciccarello; and a new photography show at the University of South Florida Contemporary Arts Museum featuring work by military veterans. It also notes a concert inspired by artist Ali Banisadr at the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg, a piano recital at the Dali Museum, and two photography exhibitions by Benjamin Dimmitt at Wild Space Gallery, including "An Unflinching Look: Elegy for a Landscape."

Exhibition | Judith Murray, 'Pure Pleasure' at Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York, New York, United States

Judith Murray's solo exhibition 'Pure Pleasure' is on view at Sundaram Tagore Gallery in New York. The show presents a selection of the artist's vibrant, abstract paintings that explore color, form, and sensory experience.

Going Out: Top 20+ arts & nightlife events, May 21-29

The Bay Area Reporter has published a curated list of over 20 arts and nightlife events taking place from May 21 to May 29. The article serves as a local guide, highlighting a range of cultural activities including visual art exhibitions, performances, and nightlife gatherings in the San Francisco Bay Area.

25th Biennale of Sydney – Rememory

The 25th Biennale of Sydney, titled 'Rememory,' opened on March 14, 2026, across multiple venues including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, White Bay Power Station, and the Sydney Opera House. Artistic director Hoor Al Qasimi curated the event around the concept of 'rememory,' inspired by Toni Morrison's novel *Beloved*, featuring over 143 works by 83 artists and collectives from 37 countries. The biennale centers First Nations voices and diasporic communities, with standout pieces like the Ngurrara Artists' *Ngurrara Canvas II* (1997) and works by Yaritji Young. However, the event has faced controversy due to Al Qasimi's opposition to the war in Gaza, leading to criticism from donors and board members, as well as logistical disruptions from the Iran war affecting the curator and artists.

In Her First Solo Museum Show, Jordan Casteel’s Humanizing Portraits Get Even Closer An interview with the artist

Jordan Casteel is preparing for her first solo museum exhibition, "Jordan Casteel: Returning the Gaze," a 29-painting survey opening at the Denver Art Museum. The article traces her journey from a Yale School of Art graduate, where she painted nude black men with a focus on individuality and humanity, to a rising star in contemporary portraiture. Her career was launched by a 2014 solo show at Sargent's Daughters gallery, leading to a residency at the Studio Museum in Harlem and representation by gallerist Casey Kaplan.

Picasso–Klee–Matisse: Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will host the U.S. debut of "Picasso–Klee–Matisse: Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen" from May 20 to September 13, 2026. The exhibition features over 95 works by Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, Henri Matisse, Alberto Giacometti, and other postwar European avant-garde artists, drawn from the collection assembled by famed gallerist and collector Heinz Berggruen. It explores Berggruen's relationships with artists and his Paris gallery, Berggruen & Cie, and includes thematic galleries on still life, portraits, and the human figure, as well as a dedicated space on Berggruen's life story.

Sad Cowboy

What Pipeline gallery presents "Sad Cowboy," a group show organized for Miguel Bendaña at The Falstaff Project in El Paso, running from May 28 to July 4, 2026. The exhibition features three Detroit artists—Israel Aten, Cay Bahnmiller, and Dylan Spaysky—whose works explore American mythology, masculinity, and identity through collage, drawing, and sculpture. The title references a collage by Bahnmiller incorporating Amiri Baraka's poem "Sad Cowboy," critiquing the lone cowboy myth. Aten's colossal figures blend medieval iconography with video games, Bahnmiller's text-based works deconstruct language, and Spaysky's carbon paper drawings capture disposable media moments.

The art of chaos

The 61st Venice International Art Biennale has opened in Venice, running until November, amid unprecedented turmoil. The main exhibition, "In Minor Keys," was curated by Koyo Kouoh, who died of cancer shortly after presenting her vision featuring 111 artists including Carsten Höller, Alvaro Barrington, and Laurie Anderson. Her death has eliminated the Lifetime Achievement Award this year. Additionally, the Biennale faces a funding crisis as the EU threatens to withdraw its €2 million subsidy over Russia's participation with 38 artists following the invasion of Ukraine. Iran, Nigeria, and Israel are absent from their pavilions, while the US Pavilion, now organized by the American Arts Conservancy under inexperienced leadership, features self-taught artist Alma Allen.