New York's New Museum Unveils $82 Million Expansion

The New Museum in Manhattan has officially unveiled its $82 million expansion, a transformative project designed by architects Rem Koolhaas and Shohei Shigematsu. The renovation has doubled the institution's footprint, adding three levels of gallery space and a new 'public spine' featuring an atrium staircase. To mark the reopening, the museum launched 'New Humans: Memories of the Future,' a massive 732-object survey curated by Massimiliano Gioni that explores the intersection of art, visual culture, and emerging technologies like AI.

Ethiopia’s Africa Hall wins Modernist conservation award

The World Monuments Fund and Knoll have awarded the 2026 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize to the Australia-based architecture firm Architectus for its conservation of Africa Hall in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The building, completed in 1961 and designed by Italian architect Arturo Mezzedimi, serves as the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and was commissioned by Emperor Haile Selassie. The decade-long, $57 million restoration project, completed in October 2024, involved local experts, restored original furniture and stained-glass windows by artist Afewerk Tekle, and modernized the structure while preserving its modernist vision. The jury also awarded its first Stewardship Award for Modernist Homes to the Umbrella House in Sarasota, Florida, designed by Paul Rudolph.

MAD's lucas museum of narrative art in los angeles prepares for september 2026 opening

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles's Exposition Park has announced its public opening for September 22, 2026. Designed by MAD (Ma Yansong), the futuristic building features a sculptural canopy with over 1,500 fiberglass-reinforced polymer panels, a 56-meter central archway, and a four-story elliptical oculus. Co-founded by filmmaker George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the museum will house 9,290 square meters of galleries drawing from a collection of more than 40,000 works spanning classic illustration, muralism, comic art, science fiction imagery, and cinematic artifacts. Landscape architect Mia Lehrer is transforming surrounding parking lots into a shaded public oasis with over 200 trees. Sandra Jackson-Dumont, the former CEO, left her post in April 2025 as the museum restructured, splitting the roles of director and CEO, with Lucas steering artistic content.

Philadelphia museum opens $20m expansion after winning back cancelled funding from Trump administration

Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia will unveil a $20 million expansion on November 1, adding the Frances M. Maguire Hall for Art and Education—a converted 19th-century mansion with 14 galleries and an education studio. The project, which also includes four acres of new green space, was funded in part by a gift from the Maguire Foundation and follows the museum's acquisition of the adjacent building in 2021. The expansion allows the museum to display more of its 8,000+ works by regional artists, including Pennsylvania Impressionists and Violet Oakley's preparatory sketches.

Comment | Bristol's Spike Island has become an environmental beacon—here's why it makes financial sense for others to follow suit

Spike Island, a creative hub in Bristol housed in a historic tea packing factory, has been recognized by the Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) as a model of environmentally sustainable practice. After an energy audit revealed that 85% of its emissions and running costs came from heating the leaky 1950s building, the organization installed solar panels and began a major retrofit. Since March, the panels have saved 6,000 kilograms of CO2, and further upgrades—including heat pumps and insulation—are planned as part of a long-term capital masterplan developed with Max Fordham and 6a Architects.

George Lucas reveals new details of Los Angeles museum at Comic-Con panel

George Lucas made his first-ever appearance at Comic-Con on July 27 to reveal new details about the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, a $1 billion institution set to open next year in Los Angeles. The panel, moderated by Queen Latifah and featuring Guillermo del Toro and Doug Chiang, included a video narrated by Samuel L. Jackson showcasing the 300,000 sq. ft building designed by Ma Yansong, along with highlights from Lucas and Mellody Hobson's collection of 40,000 objects, ranging from comic art to works by Frida Kahlo and Norman Rockwell.

Venice Banksy mural removed as part of ‘innovative’ restoration project

A fading Banksy mural, *Migrant Child* (2019), depicting a child holding a flare and wearing a life vest, was removed from the façade of the 17th-century Palazzo San Pantalon in Venice on Wednesday night. Restorers cut out the wall section using angle grinders and hand tools from a barge, in an operation funded by the banking group Banca Ifis, the building's owner. The work—one of only two Banksy pieces officially attributed in Italy—had deteriorated significantly due to six years of exposure to the elements, with about a third of the image lost. It will undergo analysis and restoration under Federico Borgogni, who previously oversaw the removal of Banksy's *Aachoo!* in Bristol.

Chinese art collector to open non-profit in London devoted to contemporary Asian art

Chinese art collector and philanthropist Yan Du will open Yan Du Projects (YDP), a non-profit space dedicated to contemporary Asian and Asian diasporic art, in a Grade I-listed townhouse on Bedford Square, London, this October. The venue will host exhibitions, site-specific commissions, public events, and artist residencies, with an opening show by Chinese painter Duan Jianyu. Designed by Hong Kong-based Beau Architects, the space features a modular "suitcase project" interior that respects the building's listed status and reflects diasporic themes. YDP is distinct from Yan's earlier Asymmetry Art Foundation (founded 2019) and her private collection, aiming to promote under-represented Asian artists through flexible, artist-curated programming.

In Rotterdam, a new art museum explores the city's rich history of migration

The Fenix Museum of Migration opens in Rotterdam on May 16, housed in a former warehouse transformed by MAD Architects into a dramatic space centered on a double-helix staircase called the Tornado. The museum explores migration through art, with a major exhibition titled *All Directions* featuring over 100 artists, a photography show *The Family of Migrants*, and a maze built from 2,000 suitcases. Director Anne Kremers and foundation director Wim Pijbes emphasize the museum's role in telling stories of both departure and arrival in a city shaped by centuries of global movement.

Five years on from bankruptcy, Unseen photo fair returns to Amsterdam

Unseen photo fair is returning to Amsterdam under new management and in a new venue, five years after its commercial entities filed for bankruptcy in early 2020. Founded in 2012 by Foam photography museum, Vandejong Creative Agency, and Platform A, the fair was acquired later in 2020 by Art Rotterdam, with its director Fons Hof now overseeing the relaunch. The 13th edition will take place from 18 to 21 September at the NDSM Loods, a 20,000 sq. m former shipyard in Amsterdam Noord, featuring expanded curated sections and a new contemporary art segment called Unfold.

Lucas Museum unveils inaugural exhibitions curated by George Lucas himself

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles will open to the public on September 22, 2026, with about 20 inaugural exhibitions curated by George Lucas himself across more than 30 galleries. The $1-billion, 300,000-square-foot museum in Exposition Park, designed by Ma Yansong of Mad Architects, will display over 1,200 objects from Lucas's collection of more than 40,000 works, including manga, comics, children's illustrations, and narrative art by artists such as Norman Rockwell, Beatrix Potter, and Dorothea Lange, with only one exhibition focused on "Star Wars" memorabilia.

Zurich: Peripheral Presence. by Tibor Bielicky and Ellena Ehrl

Zurich’s urban landscape is defined by functionalist structures from the 1990s and early 2000s that serve as the 'understated backdrop' to daily life. These buildings, including the Signal Box by Gigon Guyer and the Telecap 2000 by Hans Ulrich Imesch, act as navigational markers at the city’s geographic choke points. Despite their significance in shaping the city's rhythm and internal choreography, many of these structures are now reaching the end of their first lifecycle and face the threat of demolition due to real estate speculation.

Here is what the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale curated by Chinese architects Lu Wenyu and Wang Shu will be about

Ecco di cosa parlerà la Biennale Architettura di Venezia 2027 dei curatori cinesi Lu Wenyu e Wang Shu

For the first time in the history of the Venice Architecture Biennale, two Chinese architects—Wang Shu (Pritzker Prize 2012) and Lu Wenyu—have been appointed as curators of the 20th International Architecture Exhibition, scheduled from May 8 to November 21, 2027. The duo, who co-founded Amateur Architecture Studio in 1997 and are partners in life and work, previously participated in the Biennale in 2010 under Kazuyo Sejima (receiving a Special Mention for their project "Decay of a Dome") and in 2016 under Alejandro Aravena. Their edition will follow the 2025 edition curated by Carlo Ratti and will be titled "Fare Architettura" (Doing Architecture), focusing on the coexistence of diversity in real reality.

Nasce a Londra il Quentin Blake Centre: spazio creativo dedicato al disegno e all’illustrazione

The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration will open in May 2026 in London's Clerkenwell district, housed in the historic New River Head waterworks complex after a £12.5 million restoration led by Tim Ronalds Architects. The centre will preserve Sir Quentin Blake's archive of over 40,000 works and feature a library, public gardens, creative labs, and three inaugural exhibitions: "Quentin Blake: Performance," "Queer as Comics" celebrating LGBTQIA+ comics, and "MURUGIAH: Ever Feel Like…" by British-Sri Lankan illustrator Murugiah.

Apre a Venezia una nuova fondazione per l’arte. Il progetto dell’artista curdo Ahmet Güneştekin a Palazzo Gradenigo

Kurdish artist Ahmet Güneştekin has opened a new foundation in Venice at Palazzo Gradenigo, a 16th-century building in the Castello district. The foundation's inaugural exhibition, titled "Sessizlik/Silenzio/Silence," will open on May 6 during the Venice Biennale. The show features 11 new bronze sculptures and 11 oil paintings. The palace, closed to the public for 17 years, was purchased by the artist and is undergoing a conservative restoration led by architects Alberto Torsello and Elisa Santoro, set to complete by late 2026. The foundation, entirely self-funded through sales of Güneştekin's works and royalties, aims to provide exhibition and training opportunities for young artists, especially from Turkey, in an international context.

All of Italy Rediscovers Bice Lazzari: After the Brera Exhibition, the Second Stage Opens at the National Gallery in Rome

Tutt’Italia riscopre Bice Lazzari. Dopo la mostra a Brera, ecco la seconda tappa alla Galleria Nazionale di Roma

The major retrospective "Bice Lazzari: The Languages of Her Time" has arrived at the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (GNAMC) in Rome following its debut at Palazzo Citterio in Milan. Curated by Renato Miracco and featuring over 200 works, the exhibition traces the Venetian artist’s journey from her early collaborations with architects to her late-career mastery of abstract painting. The show highlights her constant experimentation across various media, including textiles and jewelry, before she fully dedicated herself to painting in her fifties.

Art After Hours exhibition with artist Melinda Buie

The J House Greenwich's J Gallery will host an Art After Hours exhibition on May 5, featuring Port Chester-based artist Melinda Buie. The event showcases Buie's large-scale oil paintings, which range from pastoral scenes inspired by her East Texas roots to portraits and architectural works. Guests can purchase tickets for $15, which include wine and hors d'oeuvres, and enjoy a boutique shopping experience with partners including The Bruce Museum and Gems by Christine Jewelry & Accessories.

Architects respond to "excess and demolition" at reuse exhibition in Mexico

Fifteen international architecture studios have created installations from reused building materials and found objects for the exhibition "Reuse: Architectures of Almost Nothing" at artspace Laguna in Mexico City during art week. The show, curated by Laguna's curatorial director María Muñoz and architect Edgar Rodríguez, features works made from windshields, tarps, barrels, and even a complete car, all arranged across the former factory space. Participating studios include Sam Chermayeff Office, Ex-Soup, Parabase, Bangkok Tokyo, and others, with each piece designed as an "architectural accessory" that resignifies a single object through redeployment.

‘Washwasha’ (Whispers Across Water): Sonic Cartographies of the UAE at the Venice Biennale.

The National Pavilion UAE has announced its upcoming exhibition for the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026, titled ‘Washwasha’ (Whispers Across Water). Curated by Bana Kattan with assistant curator Tala Nassar, the presentation features six artists: Mays Albaik, Jawad Al Malhi, Farah Al Qasimi, Alaa Edris, Lamya Gargash, and Taus Makhacheva. The exhibition moves away from traditional visual spectacle to focus on sound, oral traditions, and 'sonic cartographies' that explore memory, migration, and the fluid identity of the UAE through an architectural environment designed by Büro Koray Duman Architects.

parties artemest apartment chelsea cultured at home

CULTURED magazine and Italian home-décor e-tailer Artemest co-hosted a cocktail party and conversation at the Artemest Galleria in New York's Chelsea neighborhood to celebrate the new CULTURED at Home magazine. Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson moderated a discussion with interior designer Nicole Fuller, Artemest co-founder and CEO Marco Credendino, and Legacy Investing CEO Daniel English about shaping creative visions through design, while guests included arts leaders, architects, interior designers, an artist, an art advisor, and a jewelry designer.

design studio valle de valle

Design studio Valle de Valle, formerly known as Studio Giancarlo Valle, has rebranded to reflect the equal partnership of founders Jane Keltner de Valle and Giancarlo Valle. The New York-based studio, which designs interiors, furniture, and architecture, announced the name change nearly a decade after its founding. The duo met at a holiday party 20 years ago—Jane was a style director at AD and previously at Teen Vogue, while Giancarlo worked at SHoP Architects. In 2024, they opened Casa Valle, a Tribeca gallery, and recently reissued Antoni Gaudí’s Batlló chair with BD Barcelona. Upcoming projects include designer Ulla Johnson’s Madison Avenue flagship, a Manhattan wine bar, and the transformation of a 500-acre island in the Bahamas.

Pi Li appointed founding director of Shenzhen’s Róng Museum, set to open 2027

Pi Li, former head of art at Hong Kong's Tai Kwun, has been appointed the founding director of the new Róng Museum in Shenzhen. The museum, focusing on 20th and 21st-century global creative practices across visual art, design, performance, architecture, and digital media, is scheduled to open in the second half of 2027 as part of the M80 lifestyle complex.

In Bordeaux, the MADD unveils its sublime metamorphosis and pays tribute to a shooting star of design

À Bordeaux, le MADD dévoile sa sublime métamorphose et rend hommage à une étoile filante du design

The Musée des Arts décoratifs et du Design (MADD) in Bordeaux has unveiled a significant architectural renovation and expansion of its public spaces. The project, led by the architecture firm Antoine Dufour, transformed the 18th-century Hôtel de Lalande, creating a new open-air passage, a café-restaurant, a ticket office-shop, and improving accessibility and circulation between the historic mansion and the adjacent former prison used for temporary exhibitions. The redesign emphasizes natural light, reveals original stone walls, and incorporates contemporary, clearly distinguishable interventions.

From car parks to piers: the 2026 Australian Urban Design awards celebrate utilitarian architecture

The 2026 Australian Urban Design Awards have been announced, celebrating projects that prioritize pragmatic, community-focused design over sculptural spectacle. Winners include the Campbelltown station commuter car park in Sydney, praised for its civic dignity and greenery; the St Kilda pier redevelopment in Melbourne, which balances engineering with tourism and penguin habitat protection; and Balam Balam Place in Brunswick, a cultural landscape honoring Indigenous history.

digitally rebuilding lighthouse of alexandria as 3d model

A team of historians, architects, and programmers is digitally reconstructing the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Pharos Project, led by archaeologist Isabelle Hairy, is scanning thousands of submerged granite blocks and artifacts from the seabed to create a comprehensive 3D model of the structure, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 1303.

Dana Awartani’s art of remembrance in Venice

The article covers multiple art events and opportunities across the Gulf region and beyond. It highlights Saudi artists participating in the exhibition "What’s between, between?" at Doha's Media Majlis Museum, curated by Jack Thomas Taylor and Amal Zeyad Ali, which explores Gulf Futurism. Additionally, it announces a two-part group exhibition "Global Positioning System" opening at Hayy Jameel in Jeddah, featuring over 40 artists from more than 20 countries. The article also reports on an internship opportunity for Saudi architects and designers at Rome's MAXXI Museum, offered by Saudi Arabia’s Misk Art Institute.

Conceptual art offers glimpse inside architects’ minds

WHAT Museum in Tokyo is hosting a group exhibition titled “Corrugated/Coral — Eight Practices to Project Architecture Afar,” on view until September 13, 2026. The show features installations by eight teams of architects, including Altemy, Office Yuasa, Garage, Group, Domino Architects, Toshiki Hirano, Rui Architects, and Tetsuo Hatakeyama + Taiki Yoshino + Archipelago Architects Studio. One highlighted work is “Darkness, Afterglow,” where visitors follow written instructions to sit in a darkened room and interact with light and a book, offering a conceptual experience of architectural thinking.

UAE pavilion announces Venice Biennale exhibition inspired by Arabic word for whispering

The National Pavilion UAE has unveiled details for its exhibition at the 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "Washwasha." Curated by Bana Kattan with assistant curator Tala Nassar, the show features six artists—Mays Albaik, Jawad Al Malhi, Farah Al Qasimi, Alaa Edris, Lamya Gargash, and Taus Makhacheva—whose works explore contemporary soundscapes, memory, and transformation in the UAE. The exhibition will be housed in a pavilion designed by Buro Koray Duman Architects, featuring a series of chambers that transition from intimate listening spaces to areas of sonic overlap.

A Blueprint of Resonance: Building Detroit’s Artistic Future

A Blueprint of Resonance: Building Detroit’s Artistic Future is a multimedia exhibition presented by DETROIT SALON, running from October 18 to November 9, 2025. Curated by Juana Williams, the show highlights 18 Detroit-based artists who build on the city's legacy of collaboration and community care, drawing from historic institutions like Pewabic Pottery and the Scarab Club as well as artist-led movements such as the Cass Corridor and Gallery 7. The exhibition marks DETROIT SALON's official launch in Paris and the start of its global roadshows, ahead of its flagship event in Detroit in 2028.

Collectible design fair’s second New York outing marries ‘folly’ and practicality

The Collectible design fair returns to New York for its second edition, taking place from September 4-7 at the WSA building in the Financial District during Armory Week. Founded in Brussels in 2018 by Clélie Debehault and Liv Vaisberg, the fair brings together international galleries, designers, and architects for a curated showcase of 21st-century design. This year's edition occupies the 39th floor, spanning over 30,000 square feet, and features six curated sections including a buzzy section titled "In Praise of Folly" curated by Architectural Digest's Hannah Martin. Around 60% of exhibitors are from the United States, with the rest from Europe and beyond, including Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, South Korea, and Turkey.