New York Court Orders Restitution of a Modigliani to the Oscar Stettiner Estate

La justice new-yorkaise ordonne la restitution d’un Modigliani à la succession d’Oscar Stettiner

A New York court has ordered the restitution of Amedeo Modigliani’s 1918 painting 'Seated Man with a Cane' to the heirs of Oscar Stettiner, a Jewish art dealer. The work was seized during the Nazi occupation of Paris and sold at a forced auction in 1944 before eventually being purchased by the billionaire Nahmad family via an offshore company in 1996. Judge Joel M. Cohen ruled that the evidence of Stettiner’s prior ownership was "unusually strong" and dismissed the defense's claims that the painting was a different version or that the claim was filed too late.

8 musées incontournables à visiter à Montréal

Montréal, a UNESCO City of Design, is home to a wealth of cultural institutions. This article highlights eight must-visit museums, including the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal (the city's largest art museum, with nearly 47,000 works from antiquity to today), the Musée McCord Stewart (a centennial museum focusing on Canadian history and Indigenous voices), the Écomusée du Fier Monde (dedicated to working-class history and eco-design), and Pointe-à-Callière (an archaeology and history museum built on the city's original foundations). Each museum offers a unique perspective on art, history, and society.

7 Artists Discuss the Power and Urgency of Textiles

Louisiana Channel has released a new film titled "7 Artists on Soft Sculptures," featuring artists Sheila Hicks, Nick Cave, Shoplifter, and Kaarina Kaikkonen, among others. The film explores the tactile and emotional power of textiles in contemporary art, with each artist discussing their unique approach—from Hicks's call for softness in a hard world to Cave's use of found objects in identity-masking suits, Shoplifter's vibrant synthetic hair installations, and Kaikkonen's deeply personal incorporation of her late father's clothing.

Venice Biennale’s Visitor Lions Face Artist Boycott

In new play, Norval Morrisseau forgery scandal prompts questions about authenticity and Indigenous identity

A new play by Ojibway playwright Drew Hayden Taylor, *The Undeniable Accusations of Red Cadmium Light*, dramatizes the massive Norval Morrisseau art forgery scandal in Canada. The story follows an Indigenous art expert named Nazhi, her adopted daughter Beverly, and a journalist whose investigation into Morrisseau forgeries unravels Nazhi’s own identity and status. The play uses Morrisseau’s iconic imagery and the forensic analysis of paint colors to explore the blurred lines between authentic and fake, both in art and in personal identity. It concluded its run at Vancouver’s Firehall Arts Centre on 3 May.

LensCulture portrait awards 2026 – in pictures

The LensCulture Portrait Awards 2026 have announced their winning and shortlisted photographers, showcasing a diverse range of styles from documentary realism to conceptual invention. Highlights include an Australian photographer's winning portrait of a 'barefoot volcanologist' and poignant series documenting the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the reclamation of identity in post-colonial contexts.

White stuff: capturing a land without colour – in pictures

Photographer Elizabeth Sanjuan has released a new book titled 'Silent Snow,' featuring 40 monochrome images captured over four winters in Hokkaido, Japan. The work focuses on the island's snow-covered landscape, which remains white for half the year, and explores the visual and emotional qualities of this extreme environment.

Beneath the Great Wave: Hokusai and Hiroshige review – how two Japanese masters reinvented art

The Whitworth gallery in Manchester is presenting a major exhibition comparing the works of Japanese masters Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige. The show traces the evolution of ukiyo-e prints from their origins as mass-produced, voyeuristic snapshots of Tokyo's pleasure districts to the profound, psychologically complex landscapes that would later revolutionize Western art.

Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture Opening

tselinny center of contemporary culture opening

The Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture has opened in Almaty, Kazakhstan, launching its program with a powerful performance titled 'Barsakelmes.' The event, created by a collective of Kazakh artists, musicians, and poets, used traditional and contemporary elements to summon the ecological and cultural trauma of the Aral Sea's destruction under Soviet rule, framing decolonization as a process of remembrance, rethinking, and advancement.

germany settles century long restitution over royal artifacts

Germany’s federal government, along with the states of Berlin and Brandenburg, has reached a settlement with the descendants of the House of Hohenzollern, ending a nearly century-long legal dispute over ownership of 27,000 artworks. The collection includes a portrait by Lucas Cranach the Elder and an 18th-century table service commissioned by Emperor Frederick II. Wolfram Weimer, Germany’s new Minister of State for Culture, announced the deal in Berlin, confirming the works will remain in public museums such as the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and the German Historical Museum.

‘The Bed Trick’ by Izabella Scott, Reviewed

Izabella Scott's book *The Bed Trick* examines a British rape case in which Gayle Newland was convicted for pretending to be a man named Kai during a two-year relationship with a woman identified as Miss X. Drawing on court transcripts, Scott explores the legal concept of 'fraud vitiates consent' and traces the historical bed-trick trope from medieval folktales to *The Rocky Horror Picture Show*, questioning how much deception invalidates sexual consent.

Merike Estna on Representing Estonia at the 61st Venice Biennale

Artist Merike Estna will represent Estonia at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026 with a project that transforms the national pavilion into an active, open studio. Eschewing the display of finished products, Estna plans to start with empty canvases and complete a series of 22 paintings over the course of the exhibition, allowing visitors to witness the "living" process of creation.

15 Top Artists Showcase the Power of Textile Art in Stunning Group Exhibition

The Saatchi Gallery in London is hosting "Textile Art Redefined," a group exhibition featuring 15 artists from the UK and around the world, including Ian Berry, Kaffe Fassett, Magda Sayeg, and Jakkai Siributr. Curated by Helen Adams based on her book "Textile Fine Art," the show presents a wide range of techniques such as embroidery, quilting, weaving, knitting, and crochet, with works like Fassett's "Geometric Sampler" and Berry's "Secret Garden" made from recycled denim. The exhibition runs from April 10 to May 10, 2026.

Boman Irani: Art can calm you, excite you, and make you do better things in life

Actor Boman Irani inaugurated the group exhibition 'To Be Continued…' at the prestigious Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai. Featuring nearly 70 works ranging from scrap metal sculptures to 3D canvases, the show brings together a diverse group of emerging and established artists. During the event, Irani engaged personally with the participants, emphasizing the role of galleries as essential spaces for creative inspiration and human development.

Impact Leadership Academy Students to Showcase Artwork at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston Exhibition

Students from Aldine ISD's Impact Leadership Academy will debut their collaborative artwork in the Shared Grounds exhibition, hosted by the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH). The opening takes place on November 18, 2025, at the University of Houston's 3rd Space Art Gallery, featuring large-scale paintings created under the guidance of teaching artist Carlos Mendoza and art teacher Toby McCraw. The works explore themes of place, memory, and the future.

July-August Exhibit at Sertoma Arts Center

Sertoma Arts Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, presents a group exhibition running from June 29 to August 27, 2025, featuring three distinct shows across its galleries. The Hall Gallery hosts "STRUCTURE & LIGHT: Architectural Paintings by Kenneth Eugene Peters," the Raleigh Room displays "Transcendent Expressions" by Cheryl McCardle, and the Lobby showcases works by Alexandra Zuckerman along with students of Steve Karloski and Tim Cherry. A public reception is scheduled for August 23, 2025.

Student artists take center stage at ArtNow 2026 Exhibition

The New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU) has launched ArtNow 2026, its largest juried high school exhibition to date, featuring 97 student artists from 36 schools across Santa Clara County. Selected from over 600 submissions, the featured works respond to the theme "Before / Between / Beyond," exploring concepts of identity, heritage, and the future. The exhibition process is designed to mirror professional standards, requiring students to submit artist statements and undergo a rigorous selection process by a panel of arts professionals.

Media Artist Transforms Climate, AI Data into Immersive Art

Media artist Kang Lee-Yeon delivered an immersive lecture at the TED 2026 main stage in Vancouver, using a 30-meter screen to visualize climate change and AI data. She then opened her solo exhibition 'Illumination' at Fondation Fiminco in Paris for the 140th anniversary of Korea-France relations, while also debuting works at Milan Design Week and the Loop Plus media art fair in Busan. Her projects include 'Passage of Water', created with Google and NASA, which translates satellite data into an immersive experience about Earth's freshwater crisis.

Students Selected for Autry Museum's Arts Exhibition

Twenty-seven students from South Pasadena High School have been selected to exhibit their work in the Autry Museum of the American West's "Visions of Humanity" student show, marking the largest number of SPHS students ever accepted into the exhibition. The display runs through May 31 at the Autry Museum in Griffith Park, featuring fourteen students in painting and drawing and thirteen in photography, taught by teachers Rouzanna Berberian and Aimee Levie-Hultman.

Here's what's happening for First Friday in May

Juneau's First Friday in May 2026 features a diverse array of events, including a storytelling project called "Tambayan at Kwentuhan" that shares oral histories from Filipino elders, an exhibition titled "Dizzy Hooligan" by Kiyana Fonua recalling Kava gatherings in Anchorage, and a retrospective of Indigenous fashion designer Dorothy Grant at the Alaska State Museum. Other offerings include a chamber music concert by Taku Winds, a "Critter Trek" exhibition at the Juneau-Douglas City Museum featuring local wildlife art, planetarium explorations, a book release by author Corinna Cook, and displays of woodworking by Phil Paramore and jewelry by Colleen Goldrich.

National Museum of Asian Art Presents Paintings From India’s Himalayan Kingdoms in New Exhibition

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, DC, has announced a new exhibition titled “Of the Hills: Pahari Paintings from India’s Himalayan Kingdoms,” running from April 18 to July 26, 2026. The show features 48 paintings and colored drawings, including canonical masterpieces and never-before-seen works, drawn largely from the museum’s 2017–2018 acquisitions of the Ralph Benkaim and Catherine Glynn Benkaim collection. The exhibition explores three key periods from 1620 to 1830, highlighting the collaborative creativity of artists in the small Hindu kingdoms of the Himalayan region.

SPUSD Snapshot | 27 SPHS Artists Juried into Autry Museum Exhibition

Twenty-seven students from South Pasadena High School (SPHS) had their artwork selected for the "Visions of Humanity" student exhibition at the Autry Museum of the American West. The selected works span painting, drawing, and photography and will be on display at the museum from April 18 to May 31, 2026.

What’s new this spring at the Cantor Arts Center

The Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University has launched two major exhibitions that challenge traditional perceptions of nature and craft. 'Animal, Vegetable, nor Mineral' features the multimedia work of Miljohn Ruperto, utilizing virtual reality, sculpture, and animation to critique how humans categorize and expand into both physical and digital landscapes. Simultaneously, 'Jeremy Frey: Woven' presents over 30 intricate baskets by the MacArthur Fellow and Passamaquoddy artist, marking the final and only West Coast stop for this career-spanning survey.

MSU Entomology Partners With Artist Jan Tichy for Darkness Exhibit at Broad Art Museum

Chicago-based artist Jan Tichy has created a new exhibition titled 'Darkness' at Michigan State University's Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum. The project is the result of a nearly nine-month collaboration with four MSU labs, most prominently the Department of Entomology, where Tichy worked with researchers and students to incorporate insects and scientific methods like blacklight sampling into the artwork.

National Museum of Asian Art Presents Paintings From India’s Himalayan Kingdoms in New Exhibition

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art announced a new exhibition, "Of the Hills: Pahari Paintings from India's Himalayan Kingdoms," on view from April 18 to July 26, 2026. Featuring 48 paintings and colored drawings, the show includes canonical masterpieces and never-before-displayed works from the renowned Benkaim Collection, acquired by the museum in 2017–2018. The exhibition explores collaboration and creativity across three key periods from 1620 to 1830, highlighting intricate details, naturalistic figures, and vivid stylizations created with materials like ground pigments, beetle wings, and gold.

Helsinki’s top art galleries

Helsinki's top art galleries are highlighted in a guide featuring recommendations from local artists and art world insiders. The article lists 10 spots, including Galerie Anhava, Helsinki Contemporary, Galerie Forsblom, and Kohta, emphasizing that galleries are low-threshold, free, and welcoming to all. The scene is shifting eastward from the city center to neighborhoods like Kallio, Sörnäinen, Vallila, and Kalasatama, with many galleries closed on Mondays.

Frances Thrasher’s Solo Exhibition ‘The Uncanny Valley’ Under Heaven4theYoung

Multidisciplinary artist Frances Thrasher, working under the name Heaven4theYoung, will present her second solo exhibition, 'The Uncanny Valley,' at ACE/FRANCISCO Gallery opening October 16. The show features new works in ceramics, oil, and watercolor, following her sold-out 2022 debut. Thrasher's painting 'Withered' was recently on view at the Lyndon House Arts Center's 50th Juried Exhibition, and her piece 'Teenage Lobotomy' served as album cover art for Patterson Hood's solo release. At 20, she has also earned a Badge of Honor from the Berlin Music Video Awards for a stop-motion film she made for Hood's song 'The Pool House.'

Reviving Metcalf Château: Celebrating Hawaiʻi artists who redefined modern art

A new exhibition at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Walter Dods, Jr. RISE Center honors the Metcalf Château, a pioneering collective of Asian-American artists who gathered in a house on Metcalf Street in the 1950s to redefine modern art in Hawaiʻi. Curated by Allison Wong and initiated by longtime university supporter Walter Dods, the show features works by founding members Bumpei Akaji, Satoru Abe, Tadashi Sato, Edmund Chung, Tetsuo “Bob” Ochikubo, Jerry T. Okimoto, and James K.K. Park, with a ceremonial blessing by Kahu Kordell Kekoa.

Finalists for Canada’s top contemporary art prize, the Sobey Art Award, revealed

The Sobey Art Award, Canada's top contemporary art prize, has announced its six finalists for 2025: Tarralik Duffy, Tania Willard, Chukwudubem Ukaigwe, Sandra Brewster, Swapnaa Tamhane, and Hangama Amiri. Each represents a different region of Canada and will receive C$25,000, with the winner taking home C$100,000 on November 8 at the National Gallery of Canada. The finalists were selected by a jury including past winner Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory and international juror Carla Acevedo-Yates, among others.

Hong Kong Signs Five-Year Agreement to Keep Hosting Art Basel Fair

Hong Kong has secured a new five-year agreement to remain the exclusive host city for Art Basel Hong Kong. The deal, announced by Culture Secretary Rosanna Law, commits to expanding the fair's scale and impact, with potential satellite events at the new Kai Tak Sports Park and a continued base at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.