Should Wine Also Become UNESCO Heritage? Yes, But New Certification Criteria Must Be Imagined

Anche il vino diventa Patrimonio Unesco? Ok, ma si dovrebbero immaginare nuovi criteri di certificazione

EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen has proposed that the culture of wine and vine be officially recognized as UNESCO World Heritage, citing its deep roots in European and Italian tradition. While wine-related practices like Pantelleria’s 'vite ad alberello' and various vineyard landscapes are already protected, this new proposal seeks a broader, more unified cultural designation for the industry.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced "Fashion is Art" as the official dress code for the 2026 Met Gala, complementing the Costume Institute’s upcoming exhibition, "Costume Art." Curated by Andrew Bolton, the show will feature approximately 400 objects that juxtapose couture fashion with traditional artworks and artifacts. The exhibition will be the first to inhabit the museum's new Condé M. Nast Galleries and is structured around a "typology of bodies," exploring how fashion interacts with various human forms ranging from classical nudes to aging bodies.

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The Trump administration has proposed a significant aesthetic overhaul of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, a historic French Second Empire–style structure adjacent to the White House. The plan involves painting the building’s original slate-gray granite facade white using a specialized mineral silicate paint. Despite the administration's claims that this 'magic paint' would strengthen and protect the stone, a leaked expert analysis warns that the paint is chemically incompatible with granite and could cause permanent structural damage and exorbitant costs.

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The Trump administration has unveiled designs for a massive 250-foot triumphal arch to be situated at the end of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, facing the Lincoln Memorial. Submitted to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, the proposal features a classical design with eagles and a golden angel, intended to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary and the president's legacy. The project is part of a broader suite of architectural interventions, including a new $400 million White House ballroom and the proposed National Garden of Heroes.

Inspiration awaits at the Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney

The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has solidified its status as a premier global cultural destination following the completion of its Sydney Modern Project. The institution now comprises two distinct architectural landmarks: the historic Naala Nura (South Building) and the contemporary Naala Badu (North Building), designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects SANAA. These new Aboriginal names, meaning "seeing Country" and "seeing waters," reflect a deep institutional commitment to Indigenous engagement and the gallery's unique geographic position overlooking Sydney Harbour.

How US museums are adapting to a new era for technology-based art

American art institutions are undergoing a structural shift to accommodate the rapid evolution of technology-based and time-based media. The opening of Canyon, a 40,000-square-foot space in Manhattan’s Lower East Side founded by Robert Rosenkranz, exemplifies this trend. Led by former Mass MoCA director Joe Thompson, the venue aims to provide a permanent, hospitable home for moving-image, sound, and performance works that often struggle to find long-term exhibition space in traditional New York museums.

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Newly released documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files suggest a direct link between billionaire collector Leon Black and the disgraced late antiquities dealer Douglas Latchford. An inventory titled "Leon Black/ Narrows South East Asian Art Inventory" found in Epstein’s emails lists 12 Southeast Asian works purchased by Black for $23.85 million. Among these is a $7 million bronze Shiva that matches the description of a piece featured in Latchford’s 2004 book, raising significant questions about the provenance of Black's collection.

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The Bavarian Parliament has unanimously ordered a comprehensive investigation into revelations that the state returned Nazi-looted artworks to the families of high-ranking Nazi officials instead of their rightful Jewish owners. A report by the Commission for Looted Art in Europe (CLAE) exposed that state-owned museums in Munich profited from these stolen works for decades, in some cases selling them back to Nazi descendants at nominal prices or keeping them in public collections.

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Edmonia Lewis’s monumental marble sculpture, 'The Death of Cleopatra', debuted to massive acclaim at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia before vanishing into a bizarre century-long obscurity. After failing to sell, the two-ton masterpiece transitioned from Chicago saloons to a racetrack—where it served as a grave marker for a horse—and eventually sat neglected at a shopping mall construction site, exposed to vandalism and the elements.

Barn at Henry Moore’s former home redeveloped into exhibition space

The Henry Moore Foundation has completed a £5m redevelopment of the Sheep Field Barn at the sculptor’s former home in Perry Green, Hertfordshire. The project, led by architecture firm DSDHA, transforms a former farm building into a sophisticated complex featuring improved exhibition galleries and two purpose-built learning studios. The site will open to the public on April 1, 2026, serving as a permanent hub for exploring the artist's legacy through his extensive archives and sculpture collection.

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Artist Camille Henrot has premiered her first new film in nearly a decade, titled "In the Veins" (2026), at the newly reopened New Museum in New York. The 35-minute work, which is featured in the exhibition "New Humans," explores the intersection of domestic caretaking and the global climate crisis. Through Henrot's signature associative editing style, the film juxtaposes scenes of children growing up with footage from wildlife rehabilitation centers, highlighting the cognitive dissonance of raising children surrounded by animal imagery while facing mass extinction.

At Art Basel Hong Kong, More Collectors Are Buying With Purpose

Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 opened with a renewed sense of optimism, featuring 240 galleries and a significant emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region. The VIP preview saw a surge in attendance primarily from regional collectors across mainland China, Taiwan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, signaling a robust recovery for the local market. While international travel remains a factor, the fair's success is increasingly driven by a localized ecosystem of younger collectors and long-term public investments in cultural infrastructure like the M+ museum.

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Artist Michael Joo has unveiled a major survey exhibition, "Sweat Models 1991–2026," at Space ZeroOne, a new institutional initiative by the Hanwha Foundation of Culture in Tribeca. The show features career-spanning works including "Concatenations," a massive architectural installation composed of century-old aluminum baking trays and personal ephemera, and salt-block sculptures that reference his background in biology and his family's history in cattle ranching.

EXPANDED METAMORPHOSIS To Open At Art House Gallery In Jersey City

Art House Productions is set to debut "EXPANDED METAMORPHOSIS: CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES TO PROCESS," a group exhibition curated by Andrea McKenna at the Art House Gallery in Jersey City. Running from April 4 to April 26, 2026, the show features ten artists—including Jan Huling, Valerie Huhn, and Dan Payton—who utilize industrial, organic, and repurposed materials to explore themes of transformation and experimentation.

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A new report by the art industry network First Thursday reveals that 84 percent of commercial galleries are now using artificial intelligence in their daily operations. Despite this widespread adoption for tasks like drafting press releases, translation, and market research, only 8 percent of these institutions have formal policies governing AI use. The study, which surveyed 103 gallery professionals globally, highlights that most AI integration is happening informally through staff using personal accounts rather than through leadership-driven strategy.

Art Leven to open new Woolloomooloo gallery featuring First Nations works

Art Leven, formerly known as Cooee Art, has officially opened its new multi-level, purpose-built gallery space in Woolloomooloo, Sydney. The relocation marks a significant new chapter for one of Australia’s oldest fine art galleries dedicated to First Nations artists. The inaugural program features a major solo exhibition of paintings by Pintupi artist Mitjili Napanangka Gibson titled "The Places That Know Us," alongside "Gatherings," a group exhibition of bronze and aluminium sculptures produced in collaboration with Urban Art Projects.

Kent art exhibition slammed as antisemitic and reported to police

Artist and former art critic Matthew Collings has sparked intense controversy with his exhibition 'Drawings Against Genocide' at Joseph Wales Studios in Margate. The show features provocative imagery, including a Star of David juxtaposed with Nazi symbols and depictions of IDF soldiers, which critics argue cross the line into antisemitism. The backlash intensified after Sunday Telegraph columnist Zoe Strimpel reported a hostile confrontation with the artist, leading to public condemnation from figures such as Dover MP Mike Tapp and Israel’s charge d’affaires, Daniela Grudsky.

jiadu art center, café, and studio form flexible community art network in china

The Jiadu Art Center in Yanjiao, Hebei Province, represents a strategic architectural intervention by MINOR lab to transform existing residential and commercial stock into a community-focused art network. The project reconfigures three distinct spaces—an ancillary structure, a commercial unit, and a residential apartment—into a cohesive system featuring a flexible exhibition hall, a café, and an adaptable artist studio. Utilizing movable walls, modular furniture, and a consistent material palette of strawboard and hot-rolled steel, the design prioritizes spatial fluidity and multi-functional use.

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Berlin’s Academy of Arts has issued a sharp critique of proposed budget cuts to the Berlin Art Prize, which would see the award's prize money halved. The Academy argues that reducing the current €45,000 total funding—already considered modest—devalues the historic award and threatens its future as a symbol of artistic freedom and democratic expression.

Artists wanted for Earth Day exhibition of reused materials

The Village of Forest Park is launching an open call for its inaugural Earth Day recycled art exhibition, inviting local residents of all ages to submit works created from at least 75% reused or trash materials. Organized by a coalition of local groups including the Forest Park Arts Alliance and the Public Library, the showcase will feature up to 50 pieces limited to 10 inches in size, with a submission window running from April 13 to 19.

Shockoe Pop Up Gallery Opening Reception

RVA Galleries is launching a temporary pop-up exhibition at The Watkins at Shockoe, a newly reimagined mixed-use space in Richmond's historic Shockoe Slip. The exhibition, running from March 13–21, features a diverse range of media including fine photography, pottery, and original paintings from over 20 local artists. An opening reception is scheduled for March 13 to kick off the week-long event.

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Gagosian is set to present a solo exhibition of Nam June Paik’s work in Seoul, marking the first time in 25 years that a show in the artist’s home country has been organized in collaboration with his estate. Titled "Nam June Paik: Rewind / Repeat," the exhibition will be held at the APMA Cabinet and features approximately a dozen works, including rare early pieces from the 1960s such as "Media Sandwich" and the iconic "TV Bra for Living Sculpture."

Contemporary artists featured in exhibition examining Cherokee People and the American Revolution

The Museum of the Cherokee People has launched "Unrelenting: Cherokee People and the American Revolution," a landmark exhibition marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. The show juxtaposes 18th-century historical artifacts, such as weaponry and archival treaties, with newly commissioned works by 14 contemporary Cherokee artists. Curated by Dakota Brown, Evan Mathis, and Brandon Dillard, the exhibition challenges traditional American nationalist mythologies by centering Indigenous perspectives on the Cherokee American War and the complexities of sovereignty.

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Sculptor Alma Allen has officially joined Perrotin, a move that follows his high-profile departure from former galleries Mendes Wood DM and Olney Gleason. The transition comes as Allen prepares to represent the United States at the 2026 Venice Biennale with the exhibition "Alma Allen: Call Me the Breeze," curated by Jeffrey Uslip. The artist reportedly split with his previous representation after they opposed his acceptance of the Biennale commission under the current political climate.

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The FX series 'Love Story' has brought renewed attention to Aaron Shikler’s 1970 posthumous presidential portrait of John F. Kennedy. A dramatic scene in the show features Naomi Watts, portraying Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, dancing with the portrait, highlighting the painting's enduring place in the American cultural psyche. The artwork is notable for its departure from traditional presidential portraiture, depicting Kennedy in a somber, meditative pose with his head bowed and arms crossed.

Tides of creation: New IU Eskenazi Museum exhibit explores ocean biodiversity through art

The Indiana University Eskenazi Museum of Art has opened “Mulyana: Vital Ecosystems,” an immersive exhibition by Indonesian artist Mulyana. The installation features a vibrant underwater world constructed from hand-knitted crochet, felt, and repurposed plastic waste, including takeout bags collected during the pandemic. Central to the display is the artist’s signature character, "Mogus," an octopus-like creature that serves as a symbol of empathy and environmental stewardship.

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An anonymous artist collective known as The Secret Handshake has installed a provocative 12-foot-tall guerrilla statue in Washington, D.C., titled 'KING OF THE WORLD.' Located near the U.S. Capitol, the monument depicts Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein recreating the iconic 'Titanic' film pose, accompanied by ten banners and a plaque satirizing their historical friendship.

Gerhard Richter Church Windows

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Gerhard Richter has been commissioned to design three stained-glass windows for Tholey Abbey in Saarland, Germany's oldest monastery church. The 87-year-old artist's designs will be unveiled in September, with the final installation expected by summer 2020 as part of the abbey's broader restoration. The project is being funded by a private investor and includes a collaboration with Richter’s longtime creative partner, the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt.

A landmark free David Hockney exhibition is opening in London this week

The Serpentine in London is set to open a major free exhibition titled 'David Hockney: A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts About Painting' on March 12, 2026. The centerpiece of the show is a 90-meter-long iPad painting composed of 220 panels that document the changing seasons in the artist's French garden during the pandemic. In addition to this monumental digital work, the exhibition will debut five new still lifes and five new portraits of the artist's inner circle.

"Glory! Glory!" exhibit showcases Black artists' perspectives on American flag

The Zhou B Art Center in Chicago is currently hosting "Glory! Glory!", an exhibition presented by Pigment International that explores the American flag through the lens of Black artists. Featuring works by figures such as Robert Lewis Clark, Reggie McFly, and Nate Austin, the collection includes provocative pieces like an 11-foot flag composed of Obama-era newspaper clippings and various deconstructed flags that signal protest and complex patriotism.