Bonner David Galleries will open 'Reverie in Paint,' a new exhibition by artist Francis Livingston, on May 14 at its New York City location. The show features Livingston's abstract, memory-infused interpretations of New York City architecture, including bridges like the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queensboro Bridges, rendered in a restrained palette of blues and greens with expressive paint application.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute has made a historic shift toward disability and body inclusivity in its annual exhibition, titled "Costume Art." For the first time, the exhibit includes a section called "The Disabled Body," featuring mannequins modeled on disabled bodies, such as those of activist Aimee Mullins, model Aariana Rose Philip, and accessibility consultant Sinéad Burke. Burke and her team at Tilting the Lens consulted on the exhibit for 18 months, suggesting disabled designers like Sugandha Gupta and Helen Cookman, and donated pieces to the permanent collection. The Met Gala also became accessible for the first time since 1948, with wheelchair user Aariana Rose Philip attending as the first ever.
On May 4, 2026, the Metropolitan Museum of Art previewed the Costume Institute's new permanent galleries and its inaugural exhibition, "Costume Art," ahead of the Met Gala. The exhibition features over 400 objects from the Met's collections, organized around themes of the body such as "The Classical Body" and "The Disabled Body," with mannequins featuring mirrored faces to reflect viewers. Speakers at the press event included Anna Wintour, Venus Williams, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, with the Met Gala raising over $42 million for the museum.
Artist Koh Sang-woo's solo exhibition "Still Breathing" opened at the Savina Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, featuring paintings of wounded, abused, and endangered animals. The show includes portraits of spotted seals from a project with WWF Korea, works from a partnership with Cheongju Zoo (including a vulture named Hana and a zebra named Sero), and a rabbit blinded in cosmetic testing. Koh uses a signature blue-inversion technique, and the exhibition is curated by museum director Lee Myung-ok.
Chinese artist Gulistan, based in Beijing, presents her solo exhibition "Time Garden" at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art (GNAMC) in Rome. Curated by Gabriele Simongini and supported by the Foundation for Chinese Art in Italy and the International Federation of Women Artists 923 Art Space, the show explores a fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics through painting, drawing on the legacy of the Silk Road. The exhibition features series such as "Fragments of Time," "The Nature of Memory," and "Memory of the Portraits," blending Chinese ink traditions with classical Western portraiture and archaeological motifs.
The first section of Berlin's Pergamon Museum will reopen to the public on June 4, 2027, after years of renovation. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK) announced the date, ending months of uncertainty. The museum has been completely closed since autumn 2023 for comprehensive refurbishment, and the reopening will finally make the famous Pergamon Altar accessible again. However, the south wing, housing the Ishtar Gate and Babylonian Processional Way, will remain closed until 2037, with full museum access expected that year.
Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, 75, will become the director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in Washington, D.C., on September 8, ending a 17-month vacancy. Hartigan, currently the director of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, began her career at SAAM as chief curator, where she developed collections of modern, contemporary, African American, and self-taught art.
Chuck Connelly's monumental 1994 painting "Coliseum" has been unveiled at One Art Space in Tribeca, New York, after spending 21 years in storage. The 90-by-108-inch oil on canvas, a signature work of the late American artist known for his fiercely expressive style, is now on public view for the first time since 2005. The May 2, 2026 unveiling was attended by family members including Adrienne Connelly, as well as notable figures such as MaryAnn Giella McCulloh, Mei Fung, and others.
The Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) in West Bend has opened a new exhibition titled "The American Landscape: Beyond the Horizon," celebrating the role of Wisconsin artists in capturing the state's contributions to the United States ahead of the country's 250th birthday. The show features over 60 works, 60% from the museum's permanent collection and 40% borrowed from artists and collectors, including pieces by John Stuart Curry, Lois Ireland, Georgia O'Keeffe, Native American artists like Helen Lonetree and Lila Greengrass Blackdeer, and contemporary works by incarcerated artist M. Winston. Guest curator Rafael Salas, a professor at Ripon College, also includes three of his own works.
UC Santa Cruz Humanities and the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH) have deepened their decade-long partnership, marked by the MAH's 30th anniversary in April 2025. The collaboration includes co-sponsored exhibitions like "This is Thirty" and the ongoing "Night at the Museum" public event series, which brings scholars, artists, and community members together for free panel discussions and exhibits. Notable past projects include the 2016 Kinsey African American Art & History Collection exhibition and the 2023 California premiere of "Resettlement: Chicago Story."
Los Angeles is undergoing a major cultural expansion in 2026, with several high-profile museum openings and immersive art experiences set to debut between June and December. Key developments include Dataland 3.0, the world's first dedicated Museum of AI Arts, created by Refik Anadol Studio at The Grand LA; the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, a 100,000-square-foot gallery in Exposition Park designed by MAD Architects; and a new permanent installation by the art collective Meow Wolf. These are joined by recurring events such as LA Pride 2026, Cali Vibes 2026, the German Currents Film Festival, the Hollywood Christmas Parade, and the L.A. County Holiday Celebration, creating a dense cultural calendar.
The Italian Cultural Institute in Beijing hosted a lecture on May 12, 2026, featuring Zhou Zhiwei, a Chinese painter based in Italy, who shared his four-decade artistic journey. Zhou, born in Shanghai in 1954, studied under renowned oil painters Yu Yunjie and Liu Kemin before entering the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice in 1980, where he learned from masters like Bruno Saetti and Emilio Vedova. He also trained with Pietro Annigoni and Riccardo Tommasi Ferroni, mastering fresco and tempera grassa techniques. The event was chaired by Federico Antonelli, cultural counselor of the Italian Embassy in China, who recalled Zhou's first exhibition at the institute in 1984. Zhou discussed his solo exhibition 'Notes along the Way,' which explores the Mediterranean through an Eastern lens, blending classical Italian painting with Chinese tradition.
Japanese artist Yuko Mohri has created an exhibition where decomposing fruit powers electronic systems, and visitors move through the installations, becoming part of the circulation of energy within the show. The work explores the unseen energies connecting people and objects, blending organic decay with technological interactivity.
Starting May 11, 2026, French artist JR has begun assembling "La Caverne du Pont Neuf" (The Cave at Pont Neuf), a monumental temporary installation that will transform Paris's oldest bridge into an immersive open-air cave. The project, open to the public from June 6 to 28, 2026, features inflatable structures, optical illusions, light shows, and augmented reality technology developed by Snap's AR Studio Paris. It includes a mineral soundscape by Thomas Bangalter (formerly of Daft Punk) and is funded entirely through private means, including support from L'Amicale des Ponts de Paris and sales of JR's works.
The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, located at 220 Larkin Street, offers a vast collection of both contemporary and ancient art from across Asia, including Japanese, Chinese, and Southeast Asian works. The museum features permanent exhibits with artifacts such as a Japanese tea set, Chinese jade, and a notable Buddha sculpture dated to 338 C.E., alongside rotating special exhibitions like Chiharu Shiota's "Two Home Countries," which uses red string installations to explore bicultural identity. The museum also hosts events like Mahjong and Mocktails, film screenings, and talks, with general admission at $14 for students and $20 for adults.
A number of European hotels are integrating art collections and museum-quality experiences into their accommodations, offering travelers the chance to stay within or adjacent to art spaces. Notable examples include MACAM in Lisbon, Portugal, which combines a contemporary art museum with a hotel featuring the private collection of founder Armando Martins, including works by Marina Abramović and Paula Rego; the Byblos Art Hotel Villa Amistà in Verona, Italy, blending Renaissance architecture with avant-garde art; and the Elizabeth Arthotel in Ischgl, Austria, which has showcased art and sculpture since 1976 and recently added a rooftop commission by the artist duo NONOS.
A Euronews Travel article highlights several European hotels that integrate contemporary art into the guest experience, positioning themselves as destinations for cultured travelers. Featured properties include the MACAM Hotel in Lisbon, which opened in March 2025 and shares a building with the Museu de Arte Contemporânea Armando Martins, offering guests access to a private collection spanning Portuguese and international art from the 19th century to the present. Other hotels mentioned are the Byblos Art Hotel Villa Amistà in Verona, blending Renaissance architecture with avant-garde works by artists like Andy Warhol, and the Elizabeth Arthotel in Ischgl, Austria, which has showcased art and sculpture since 1976 and recently added a rooftop commission by the artist duo NONOS.
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, a 300,000-square-foot institution designed by Ma Yansong of MAD Architects with Stantec, will open in Los Angeles' Exposition Park on September 22. The 11-acre campus includes a park by Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA and will feature over 1,200 objects across 30 galleries, showcasing narrative art from ancient sculptures to modern cinema, drawn from the museum's founding collection. Separately, Julien's Auctions will host "Roberta Flack: Style, Art & Music," a no-reserve auction celebrating the singer's life and cultural impact, including her Bösendorfer Imperial Concert Grand Piano.
Nelson Félix's exhibition "Pedra de Rumo" is on view at Galeria Almeida & Dale, featuring new sculptures in Carrara marble, bronze, and living plants. The show explores themes of orientation and boundary-breaking, drawing on the artist's long-standing practice of mapping extreme geographical points. The title references Portuguese sailors' navigation stones, and the exhibition extends beyond the gallery to include a metal tip and seedling planted at a point determined by lines drawn between the gallery and the Museum of Contemporary Art of USP, where Félix will have another solo show in May 2025.
Richard MacDonald, the internationally acclaimed figurative sculptor known for his bronze works of dancers, athletes, and performers, is celebrating his 80th birthday with a two-day event on June 5 and 6, 2026, in Monterey, California. The celebration takes place at his studio and foundry, featuring a private invitation-only evening on June 5 for close friends, family, and leading collectors, followed by a public cocktail event on June 6. Activities include live performances, guided studio and foundry tours, a live bronze pour demonstration, and the unveiling of new sculptures, including a commissioned piece for the Weaver of Change Foundation in Singapore.
The Evanston Art Center will present 'Walldrawings,' a collaborative exhibition by artists Maria Burundarena and Friedhard Kiekeben, from April 25 through May 17. The show features large-scale, immersive wall drawings and digital works designed to transform the gallery space and envelop the viewer.
This article outlines a one-day itinerary through Milan's 2026 Fuorisalone design week, highlighting key installations and exhibitions. It begins at Torre Velasca, featuring Polish Modernism and Brazilian modernist Jorge Zalszupin, then moves to the University of Milan's cloisters for the Interni magazine exhibition themed 'Materiae,' with oversized sculptures and a yacht installation by Piero Lissoni for Sanlorenzo. Other stops include Palazzo Litta, where architect Lina Ghotmeh presents 'Metamorphosis in Motion,' and Galleria Rossana Orlandi, focusing on the theme of doors. The itinerary concludes at Alcova in the former Baggio Military Hospital, an abandoned space reactivated by curators Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima.
Tra eroi, antieroi e pura umanità una mostra a Roma diventa metafora della crisi attuale
The Museo di Roma Palazzo Braschi in Rome is hosting "It's Happening Again," a solo exhibition by artist Adrian Tranquilli, curated by Studio Stefania Miscetti and running until May 24. The show presents new works including the monumental sculpture "Endsong" (2025), a black monolith inspired by Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" covered in hundreds of Joker faces, and a large pop-up book titled "My Little White Book" (2026). Tranquilli's pieces, often built from playing cards, explore themes of power, fragility, and the instability of cultural symbols.
Due fotografi hanno provato a raccontare la Toscana oltre i soliti cliché
The article profiles photographers Gioconda Rafanelli and August Kaciuruba, who are contributing to the "How Italy Feels" project curated by Marina Serena Cacciapuoti and Cesare Cacciapuoti of Italy Segreta. The project involves twenty local photographers capturing Italy beyond stereotypes. In the Tuscany chapter, Rafanelli and Kaciuruba present a lived, off-duty vision of the region, blending fashion, architecture, and cinematic influences. They discuss their collaborative process, their shared gaze, and how their work shifts between the fast pace of Milan and the slower rhythms of Tuscany, drawing inspiration from filmmakers like Wong Kar-wai, Stanley Kubrick, Luchino Visconti, and Michelangelo Antonioni.
The article announces the opening of the Museo Igor Mitoraj in Pietrasanta, Italy, scheduled for June 6, 2026, after several years of delays. The museum is the first space entirely dedicated to the Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj, who died in 2014 and was known for transforming Tuscan marble into works blending classical forms with fragmented, contemporary themes. Designed by OBR, Politecnica, and Studio Lumine, the museum results from collaboration between the Italian Ministry of Culture, the Municipality of Pietrasanta, and the artist's heirs, united in the Fondazione Museo Igor Mitoraj. Frank Boehm, director of the foundation, envisions the space as a research-oriented center that will engage with different artistic languages and contemporary issues, not limited to Mitoraj's work alone.
Ecco le foto del Padiglione Austria alla Biennale di Venezia (quello pieno di performer nude che è vietato fotografare)
The Austrian Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "Seaworld Venice" and curated by Nora-Swantje Almes, features provocative performances by artist and choreographer Florentina Holzinger. The installation includes four distinct nude female performances: a performer acting as a bell clapper on the hour, a female Deposition of Christ scene with three women on a rotating vertical structure, a nude woman riding a jet ski in circles, and a reenactment of Giorgione's Sleeping Venus in a urine-filled tank. The pavilion has become the most talked-about and Instagrammed at the Biennale, drawing long queues despite a ban on photography.
Provincia Cosmica. Tra bar e studio, ovvero la vita punk di Jacopo Benassi
Italian artist Jacopo Benassi, born in 1970 and shaped by the punk scene, discusses his return to his hometown of La Spezia after years in Milan, where he worked as a photographer for Rolling Stone. He describes his life revolving around his studio and local bars, and reflects on founding the underground club B-Tomic in 2011, which became a hub for his artistic and photographic work blending music and performance. He also mentions an upcoming book of drawings and texts by Renzo Daveti (alias Benzo), a formative figure from the Italian punk scene.
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.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club launched the Harmonious Horse International Exhibition Tour in Tsim Sha Tsui on Friday, featuring large-scale horse sculptures by artist Simon Ma. The opening ceremony at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza was attended by Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han and Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges. The exhibition runs until May 21 at Tsim Sha Tsui before moving to Tamar Park in Admiralty, then traveling to Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. A nighttime light show accompanies the display, and winners of a youth art competition inspired by Xu Beihong's equine paintings were announced.
The Grackle Art Gallery in Fort Worth, Texas, is hosting "Blank," a group exhibition curated by the artist duo Kickpigeon Kids (Cosmo Jones and Max Marshall) from May 2–30, 2026. The show features works by twelve artists including Amber Zora & Lee Strubinger, Carmen Menza, and Elizabeth Sciore-Jones, who were asked to submit artwork alongside an object representing "blankness" as a metaphor for possibility. The curators transform the exhibition into a collaborative installation, blending the artists' pieces with their chosen objects and ephemera.