Influential New York gallery Venus Over Manhattan will close after 13 years

Prominent collector and dealer Adam Lindemann is closing Venus Over Manhattan, the New York gallery he founded in 2012, after 13 years. The gallery's final exhibition, Susumu Kamijo's 'Fish & Flowers,' opened in June and will close on July 17. Lindemann announced the closure in an open letter published on Artnet, citing a desire to return to building his personal art collection and describing the difficulties of navigating the art world as both a dealer and collector.

Amid a wave of global crises, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov’s Ship of Tolerance sets sail again—with added potency

Ilya and Emilia Kabakov's participatory art project *Ship of Tolerance* (2005–present) has been reinstalled at Oakville Galleries on Lake Ontario, near Toronto, opening on 31 May as part of the exhibition *Between Heaven and Earth* (through 20 September). The project, which involves children from diverse backgrounds creating painted sails for a 60-foot wooden boat, has previously traveled to locations including Siwa, Egypt; the Venice Biennale; Sharjah; Brooklyn; Miami; Moscow; and London. Emilia Kabakov continues to lead the project after Ilya Kabakov's death in 2023, and the latest iteration arrives amid global crises including wars, migrant displacement, and US President Donald Trump's threats to annex Canada.

Artists in charge

A roundup of artist-run galleries in Kansas City highlights the rise of spaces like Vulpes Bastille and 100,000,000, which are reshaping the local art scene. These venues, operated by artists and volunteers, offer exhibition opportunities, studios, and community support, exemplified by Andrew Johnson's intimate multimedia installation "In The Presence of an Absence" at Vulpes Bastille.

In pictures: meet the newcomer galleries debuting at Art Basel

Art Basel has unveiled its lineup of newcomer galleries for the upcoming fair, featuring seven emerging and rediscovered artists from around the world. The debutants include Kyiv-based Sana Shahmuradova Tanska, whose monumental painting addresses the war in Ukraine; Japanese textile artist Junko Oki, showing embroidered vintage garments; and Italian feminist poet Mirella Bentivoglio, represented by a participatory tree sculpture. Other highlights include Parisian Ndayé Kouagou's video work on mass media, conceptual feminist Tina Girouard's wallpaper pieces from the 1970s, London-based Alexandra Metcalf's deconstructed grandfather clocks, and Georgian artist Nika Kutateladze's installation about rural depopulation. The galleries presenting these artists are Gunia Nowik Gallery (Warsaw), Kosaku Kanechika (Tokyo), Repetto Gallery (Lugano), Nir Altman (Munich), Anat Ebgi (Los Angeles), Ginny on Frederick (London), and Gallery Artbeat (Tbilisi).

Five art exhibitions to check out around Brookline this summer

Praise Shadows art gallery in Brookline's Coolidge Corner is among five venues offering free art exhibitions this summer. The gallery presents "Pigment Spells," a solo show by Boston-based artist and Boston University professor Lucy Kim, featuring resin casts of found objects covered in oil paint. Other exhibitions include David Weinberg's "Explorations" at Gallery 93 in the Brookline Senior Center, which combines photo montages with medieval manuscripts, and Gateway Arts' "Artists Assortment," a tribute to current and former artists with disabilities featuring celebrity portraits. The roundup also highlights the accessibility of these spaces, which welcome visitors without admission fees.

Art Basel reveals exhibitor lineup for Paris fair's 2025 edition

Art Basel Paris has announced the exhibitor lineup for its 2025 edition, which will bring 203 galleries to the Grand Palais this autumn. The fourth edition features 89% returning exhibitors from last year and 25 newcomers, with a strong Parisian presence—one-third of participants operate a space in the French capital. The main sector includes 177 exhibitors such as Thaddaeus Ropac, Mor Charpentier, and Acquavella Galleries, while the Emergence section offers 16 solo stands for emerging artists, and the Premise sector challenges art historical canons with pre-1900 works and obscure practices. Highlights include a joint presentation by Gordon Robichaux and Stars of Janet Olivia Henry's dioramas, and a solo stand by Arash Nassiri at Ginny on Frederick.

Independent art fair adjusts as market slows

The Independent art fair in New York, running until 11 May, features 85 exhibitors—its largest edition yet—with 26 solo debuts. Amid a slowing art market, galleries are adjusting pricing strategies, with a notable increase in works priced between $10,000 and $20,000, which now account for about one-third of offerings. Several galleries reported strong sales during the VIP preview, including Long Story Short selling six works by Keita Morimoto and Ricco Maresca Gallery selling out its vintage board game collection for a six-figure sum. Co-founder Elizabeth Dee noted that VIP registrations were up 30% year-over-year, and dealers like Charles Moffett deliberately chose established artists to match collector comfort levels.

Seoul appeal: Korean art captivates Indonesia’s affluent connoisseurs

South Korean artist Choi Sang Chul, in his late 70s, held the opening of his exhibition 'Mumool' at Baik Art gallery in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 20, 2025. The event drew a crowd of wealthy local art patrons, and several of his works were sold before the ceremony ended. Choi, who earned a BFA from Seoul National University and has rejected artistic trends since the 1970s, uses unconventional methods like stones instead of brushes to create his pieces. His work initially received a tepid response at Art Jakarta in 2023, but interest has since grown.

Annonce de chercheurs : Exposition Maurice Utrillo, de Montmartre à Angoulême

The Musée d'Angoulême will host the exhibition "De Montmartre à Angoulême, Maurice Utrillo intime…" from April to September 2027, focusing on the artist's lesser-known years in the Charente region. Curators Pamela de Montleau and Philippe Cassereau are seeking archives, correspondence, photographs, testimonies, and paintings to illuminate Utrillo's two-year stay in Angoulême (1935–1937), where he married painter and writer Lucie Valore. The show will also feature works by his painter friends, including Maurice de Vlaminck, Alphonse Quizet, and others.

The Long-Awaited Reopening of the Musée Bonnat

La réouverture attendue du Musée Bonnat

After fifteen years of closure, the Musée Bonnat (now renamed Bonnat-Helleu) in Bayonne, France, has finally reopened. The closure was initially due to structural problems, including collapsing skylights and leaks, and even before that, much of the collection had been inaccessible. The renovated museum now features a new extension built from a former school, housing the public reception area, an exhibition space, a courtyard with a café terrace, and storage. The galleries display the museum's full holdings, including Rubens sketches, terracottas from the Paul Cailleux collection, and works by Léon Bonnat himself.

art artizia gregory crewdson artistic license series

Gregory Crewdson, known for his meticulously staged photographs of small-town America, has partnered with the fashion brand Aritzia for its Artistic License Series. The collaboration features Crewdson's images on limited-edition shopping bags, in stores, and online, accompanied by an exhibition during Frieze Week in Los Angeles. The series has previously worked with photographers like Juergen Teller, Ryan McGinley, and Harley Weir. In an interview, Crewdson discusses his influences, including filmmakers David Lynch and Steven Spielberg, and the challenges of shooting a rain scene when a real storm interrupted the set.

parties aritzia los angeles fashion frieze week

CULTURED and Aritzia co-hosted a dinner party at the former Fred Segal store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles during Frieze Week. The event celebrated Aritzia's Artistic License series, featuring photographer Gregory Crewdson, whose work appears on shopping bags and in stores. Guests included Aritzia CEO Jennifer Wong, CULTURED Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson, artists Chloe Wise and Maya Man, curator Essence Harden, and others from the art and fashion worlds. The evening featured a multi-course meal, Krug champagne, and copies of CULTURED's Entertainers Issue.

NYU Steinhardt Presents 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibitions

NYU Steinhardt's Department of Art and Art Professions is presenting its 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibitions in two parts at the 80WSE Gallery in Greenwich Village. The first exhibition, titled 'Hoodwinked,' runs from April 1 to April 18 and features works by Nicholas Koby, Richard Medina, Roselynn Sadaghiani, Mario Saponaro, and Brooke Schneider. The second, 'Eggshells,' runs from May 6 to May 23 and showcases artists Ariel Barish, Christopher Chan, Mélanie Dumas, Roxie de Là, and Fan Qi.

unt faculty open letter victor quinonez exhibition cancelation

Faculty at the University of North Texas's College of Visual Arts and Design have issued an open letter protesting the abrupt and unexplained cancellation of a solo exhibition by artist Victor "Marka27" Quiñonez. The letter, addressed to university leadership, argues the removal violates UNT's own policies on academic freedom and non-discrimination based on content, and demands an explanation for the decision.

career coach survey artists careers paddy johnson

New York artist mentor Paddy Johnson released the inaugural New Visions Report on Wednesday, surveying 1,000 mid-career artists to assess their careers with the same data-driven approach used for other businesses. The report, produced with arts journalist Julia Halperin and Gray Market columnist Tim Schneider, reveals that 75 percent of surveyed artists earn $15,000 or less from their practice, 45 percent earned less in 2025 than in 2024, and 56 percent say debt influences their decisions. Despite these struggles, 73 percent remain optimistic about their careers. The report also found that even the most successful artists—those with gallery representation and museum shows—face debt and lack basic systems like estate plans, while 82 percent want more gallery and museum opportunities but are unsure how to achieve them.

adaa cancels 2025 edition the art show

The Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) has canceled the 2025 edition of its flagship art fair, The Art Show, which was scheduled to open with a benefit preview on October 28 at the Park Avenue Armory. In an email to members, ADAA leadership cited a “strategic pause” and said the board made the decision after careful review, with plans to reimagine the fair for long-term sustainability. Exhibitors who submitted deposits will be contacted about reimbursement options, and the fair is expected to return in 2026 with a renewed vision.

thirty five arrested in bulgaria criminal art trafficking network

Bulgarian authorities, with support from Europol, arrested 35 individuals and conducted 131 searches across Bulgaria, seizing over 3,000 cultural artifacts valued at more than €100 million. The operation targeted a criminal network trafficking artifacts from Thracian and Greco-Roman civilizations across Europe, with connections to illegal excavations in Bulgaria and the Balkans. The investigation, which began after a 2020 house raid that uncovered 7,000 artifacts, involved law enforcement from Albania, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, and the UK, and was coordinated from Sofia and Eurojust in The Hague.

jeffrey epstein emails show art buying plans studio visits

Newly released documents from the House Oversight Committee reveal Jeffrey Epstein's involvement in the art world, including emails from February 2017 in which Epstein and associates Etienne Binant and Darren Indyke discussed buying art directly from emerging artists, bypassing galleries and fairs. Binant proposed a strategy to "have an impact on the ecosystem" by supporting artists early, and Indyke confirmed $1 million was available for purchases. Separate emails show Epstein commenting on the disputed painting *Salvator Mundi*, claiming it was worth only $1.5 million and linking its sale to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman via Dmitry Rybolovlev.

andrew wolff artnet artsy future

Andrew Wolff, CEO of Beowolff Capital, has acquired Artnet and a controlling stake in Artsy, positioning himself as a key consolidator in the digital art market. In an interview tied to his inclusion in the Observer's “Art Power Index,” Wolff outlined plans to integrate data across platforms, develop AI-native tools, and create a seamless ecosystem for discovery, valuation, and transaction, aiming to empower younger collectors who favor networked, permissionless access over traditional gatekeepers.

art basel discounts new galleries 2025

Art Basel has introduced booth-fee discounts for first- and second-time exhibitors at its fairs, offering 20% off for first-year participants and 10% for second-year participants. The policy, confirmed by chief artistic officer Vincenzo de Bellis, has been in place since Art Basel Miami Beach in 2021 and applies to all Art Basel fairs in Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Miami Beach, with a new edition launching in Qatar. Starting in 2026, discounts will increase to 25% and 15% respectively.

art basel paris avant premiere initiative

Art Basel Paris has announced a new ultra-VIP preview program called "Avant Première" for its upcoming edition at the Grand Palais. Scheduled for Tuesday, October 21, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., the initiative allows all 203 participating galleries to invite select clients for an exclusive early viewing, ahead of the fair's official VIP days on October 22–23. The fair declined to disclose how many invitations each gallery can extend. The program was first reported by the Baer Faxt, and Art Basel CEO Noah Horowitz described it as "for the market, by the market."

senator john fetterman proposes bill to apply anti money laundering protections to us art market

On July 23, U.S. Senator John Fetterman introduced the Art Market Integrity Act, a bill that would apply anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing regulations to art dealers, auction houses, galleries, advisers, consultants, custodians, museums, collectors, and other intermediaries in the art market. The legislation amends the Bank Secrecy Act, requiring these entities to conduct client due diligence, maintain records, and report suspicious transactions. It exempts artists selling their own work, nonprofits, and businesses with under $50,000 in annual art transactions. The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Chuck Grassley, Sheldon Whitehouse, Bill Cassidy, Andy Kim, and David McCormick.

wetransfer changes terms licensing rights ai

WeTransfer, the cloud-based file transfer company widely used by art institutions, updated its terms of service on July 14 to include a clause granting the company a perpetual, royalty-free license to use uploaded content for training machine learning models and creating derivative works, which it could monetize without compensating users. After widespread criticism from the art community, including post-production professional Ashley Lynch, who noted conflicts with non-disclosure agreements, WeTransfer removed the controversial language and issued a statement assuring users that it does not use their content to train AI or machine learning models.

phillip hoffman ed dolman patti wong consultancy new perspectives

A group of high-profile art market veterans—Ed Dolman, Alex Dolman, Brett Gorvy, Philip Hoffman, and Patti Wong—have launched a new collaborative consultancy called New Perspectives Art Partners (NPAP). Unlike traditional advisory firms, NPAP operates on a flexible, project-based model where partners retain their existing roles and assemble only for high-level, specialized challenges. The consultancy aims to advise collectors, fiduciaries, and family offices on managing, growing, or dispersing significant collections, leveraging the partners' deep experience across auction houses, galleries, institutions, and advisory, with a global footprint spanning Hong Kong to Doha.

dealers robilant voena sexual harassment racial discrimination

A New York court has summoned art dealers Count Edmondo di Robilant and Marco Voena to answer a civil complaint filed by former employee and curator Virginia Brilliant. The lawsuit, filed in New York, alleges repeated verbal harassment, misogynistic, antisemitic, racist, and homophobic comments, and other inappropriate behavior at their gallery Robilant and Voena, which has locations in New York, London, Milan, Paris, and St. Moritz. Brilliant, who holds a Ph.D. from the Courtauld Institute of Art, began working as an independent contractor in 2019. She claims the dealers created a toxic workplace, failed to pay promised medical expenses during her chemotherapy for breast cancer, and owes her commissions, back pay, and damages totaling at least $3.13 million. Robilant was served papers at the TEFAF New York art fair on May 13.

gallery les bois claire julia hill

London-based Gallery Les Bois, founded in late 2024 by Claire-Julia Hill, is establishing itself as a pioneering force in sustainable contemporary art. The gallery features a diverse roster of artists who work with eco-conscious materials and techniques, such as transforming natural resources from impacted waterways into pigments and repurposing textile waste. In an interview, Hill discusses her background studying art history at Cambridge University, her inspiration to integrate sustainability into the art world, and the gallery's mission to champion artists who combine ecological responsibility with aesthetic excellence and conceptual rigor.

Collaborative art exhibition at Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design explores the weight and wonder of ordinary things

A new collaborative exhibition titled *Tension & Tenderness: The Domestic Surreal* has opened at Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design (KCAD) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The show unites artists Michael Pfleghaar and Lisa Walcott, who explore the hidden forces within everyday domestic life. Pfleghaar’s paintings blend queer-coded interiors and still-life scenes with abstract elements, while Walcott’s kinetic sculptures repurpose household objects like brooms and drying racks to evoke gravity, breathing, and tension. The exhibition is curated by KCAD Exhibitions Director Michele Bosak and runs through November 15 in the KCAD FLEXgallery.

He’s Trolling Your Trash, and Turning It Into Art

Thomas Dambo, a Danish artist known for constructing giant, whimsical sculptures from recycled scrap materials and hiding them in forests around the world, has gained a massive global following. His troll-like creatures, made from discarded wood and trash, have become viral sensations, drawing visitors to remote locations. Now, after years of operating largely outside the traditional art establishment, Dambo is receiving recognition from the mainstream art world, with galleries and institutions beginning to embrace his work.

A Photographer of Newark’s People Gets a Show Among the People

Manuel Acevedo, a photographer known for documenting the people of Newark, New Jersey, is having his works displayed across the city in highly visible outdoor locations. The exhibition places his portraits directly in the neighborhoods and public spaces where his subjects live and work, making the art accessible to the very community that inspired it.

Huet Lost in the Clouds

Huet perdu dans les nuages

The Musée de la vie romantique in Paris has reopened after a major renovation, but its inaugural exhibition, focused on the 19th-century painter Paul Huet (1803-1869), has been met with harsh criticism. The show examines Huet's depictions of skies and compares his work to contemporaries, yet the reviewer finds it neither a proper retrospective nor a coherent thematic exhibition. The cramped galleries, uneven selection of works, cluttered hanging, and garish scenography are all faulted, with many comparative pieces outshining Huet's own paintings.