In conversation with Mia curator Tom Rassieur: 1940s Germany, modern art and its mirrors today

The Minneapolis Institute of Art has opened a major exhibition, 'Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910-1945: Masterworks from the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin.' The show, curated by Tom Rassieur, presents a chronological journey through German art from the Expressionist era through the World Wars, featuring key works by artists like Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Vassily Kandinsky, and Franz Marc. It highlights groups like Der Blaue Reiter and uses deliberate pairings, such as portraits of Jewish art dealers by Otto Dix and Lovis Corinth, to explore themes of societal tension, propaganda, and identity.

Top Collector John Phelan Fired as Navy Secretary, After Reports of Pentagon Infighting

John Phelan, a prominent figure on ARTnews's Top 200 Collectors list, has been fired from his position as Secretary of the Navy. His departure follows reported disagreements with senior Pentagon officials over a shipbuilding initiative, including a proposal for a "Trump-class" of battleships. Undersecretary Hung Cao will serve as acting secretary.

Exhibits feature local artists, including youth

The Public Works Art Center in downtown Summerville is currently hosting four concurrent exhibitions featuring local artists, including Tom Stanley, Paul Matheny, Karyn Healey, and the late Gene Merritt, as well as a showcase for student artists. The shows, which run through May 16, present a range of works from paintings reflecting Southern culture to documentary photography of the town and youth art.

Lies, Virtual Reality, and Conceptual Art—Spring/Summer 2026 Exhibitions at PHI

PHI in Montreal presents two spring/summer 2026 exhibitions: "Come See, Lies Lies" by Paola Pivi and "Other Worlds" by Jakob Kudsk Steensen. Pivi's show features surreal installations including wall-mounted shoes, suspended velvet mattresses, and a metal house with TV screens broadcasting false statements, blending fairy tale and satire. Steensen's exhibition comprises six major works from the past decade, using virtual reality, video games, and sound installations to explore ecological themes and digitized environments like Bora Bora and volcanic seabeds. Both exhibitions open April 23, 2026, and run through September 13, 2026.

'Claude Viallat' at Templon, Brussels, Belgium on 22 Apr–6 Jun 2026

Galerie Templon in Brussels is presenting a solo exhibition of Claude Viallat, celebrating the 60th anniversary of his signature bone-shaped motif. The show features around thirty recent experimental canvases and objects from 2024 to 2026, exploring his practice of repetition and variation on diverse fabrics and found materials.

New Providence Artist Zenia Olesnyckyj Opens "Impressions of Alaska" Exhibition at Summit Free Public Library

Artist Zenia Olesnyckyj is presenting her exhibition "Impressions of Alaska" at the Gallery at the Summit Free Public Library from May 1 to June 30, 2026. The show features twenty mixed-media works inspired by the Alaskan landscape and the art of the Tlingit people, aiming to capture the grandeur and intimacy of the region through texture and color.

Tale of a Riderless Horse

The National Gallery in London is hosting an exhibition titled "Stubbs: Portrait of a Horse," focusing on the 18th-century artist George Stubbs and his masterful equine paintings. The show features studies, drawings, and key works like "Whistlejacket" (c. 1762) and "Scrub" (c. 1762), highlighting Stubbs's unique anatomical knowledge gained from dissecting horses.

Hans Holbein Painted the Human

A new book, 'Holbein: Renaissance Master' by Elizabeth Goldring, published by Yale University Press and the Paul Mellon Centre, offers a comprehensive scholarly examination of the 16th-century German painter Hans Holbein the Younger. The review focuses on Holbein's masterful portraiture, particularly his depictions of opposing Tudor-era figures like Sir Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell, which are highlighted as embodying the era's complex political and religious tensions through their visual presentation at the Frick Collection in New York.

In Milan, the furnishings of the White House go on display. Design and architecture to talk about propaganda

A Milano vanno in mostra gli arredi della Casa Bianca. Design e architettura per parlare di propaganda

An exhibition titled 'The White House. Domestic Propaganda' has opened at Dropcity, an experimental center in the tunnels beneath Milan's Central Station, as part of the city's Design Week. Curated by students from the Politecnico di Milano's Interior Design Laboratory, the show critically examines the White House as a domestic space for political propaganda, using installations, models, and drawings to explore how its architecture and furnishings project cultural and social meanings.

Dutch Commission Recommends New Guardianship for ‘Orphaned’ Nazi-Looted Art

A Dutch government-appointed committee has proposed transferring guardianship of thousands of unclaimed Nazi-looted artworks from a state agency to a Jewish foundation, preferably housed at the Jewish Museum in Amsterdam. The plan includes funding for exhibitions and explanatory labels to publicly display the so-called "orphaned" art from the Netherlands Art Property Collection.

Venice Biennale’s 2026 Golden Lion Jury to Be Led by Videobrasil Founder

The Venice Biennale has announced the five-member jury for its 2026 edition, which will award the prestigious Golden Lion prizes. The jury president is Solange Oliveira Farkas, founder of the Videobrasil Biennial, and she will be joined by curators and academics Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi.

14 Must-See Museum Shows in New York This Spring

New York museums are launching a significant slate of spring exhibitions, featuring major retrospectives and thematic surveys. Highlights include "Noguchi's New York" at the Noguchi Museum, exploring the sculptor's unrealized urban projects; "Raphael: Sublime Poetry" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a comprehensive look at the Renaissance master; and "Gothic by Design: The Dawn of Architectural Draftsmanship," also at the Met, focusing on medieval architectural drawings.

'Femarmony' art exhibition opens in Karachi

A group art exhibition titled 'Femarmony' opened at the Sanat Initiative gallery in Karachi. The show features works by artists Imran Ali Kazmi, Nabiha Gillani, Saba Haroon, and Ujala Hayat, focusing on emotions, identity, and the evolving role of women in society through diverse painting styles and visual narratives.

'Fantastical' exhibition celebrates dreamlike worlds at Stevens Point's Riverfront Arts Center

The Riverfront Arts Center in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, is hosting an opening reception for the exhibition 'Fantastical' on May 7. The event will feature food, entertainment, and the attendance of participating artists, with the exhibition itself running through June 14. The center is also accepting artist submissions for the show on April 30 and May 1.

Remembering Desmond Morris, James Hayward, and Flo Oy Wong

This week's obituaries mark the passing of several significant figures in the visual arts. They include British surrealist painter and zoologist Desmond Morris, known for his 'biomorph' paintings and experiments with chimpanzee art; West Coast monochrome abstractionist James Hayward, who developed a cult following for his thickly painted canvases; and Chinese American artist Flo Oy Wong, a foundational storyteller of Oakland's Chinatown and the Asian American experience. Also remembered are assemblage artist Aldwyth, Ethiopian painter and educator Behailu Bezabih, Anglo-Irish conservator and designer Alec Cobbe, Bangladeshi art director Tarun Ghosh, and New Mexico painter Michael Hurd.

Top Seattle art shows to see in May 2026

Seattle's art scene in May 2026 features six diverse exhibitions. Highlights include 'Influences: Japanese Prints and Northwest Art' at the Cascadia Art Museum, exploring the impact of Japanese woodblock printing on regional artists; a site-specific installation by Carly Sheehan at the appointment-only Double Garage Gallery; Clare Johnson's exhibition of over 6,000 artworks on sticky notes at Gallery 4Culture; Emma Bergman's surreal multimedia installation 'The World to Come' at Specialist Gallery; and a landmark retrospective of light-art pioneer Tom Lloyd at the Frye Art Museum.

Seattle May art shows include speakeasy-style gallery attached to house

A series of diverse art exhibitions are opening across Seattle in May. Highlights include a show exploring the influence of Japanese woodblock prints on Northwest artists at the Cascadia Art Museum, a site-specific installation in a private garage gallery called Double Garage, and a large-scale display of drawings on sticky notes by Clare Johnson at Gallery 4Culture. Other featured shows include Emma Bergman's surreal multimedia installation at Specialist Gallery and a landmark retrospective of light artist Tom Lloyd at the Frye Art Museum.

Major Prizes Available: Plein Air Art Contest Inspires Artists to Protect Public Lands

A plein air art contest is being held in Alton, Illinois, from May 1–31, 2026. Artists over 16 are invited to create works on-site at up to eight Rivers Project recreation areas. For a $25 submission fee, they can enter their work for prizes, and all submissions will be exhibited at the National Great Rivers Museum through August.

The Nerve Center of This Art Fair Isn’t Painting. It’s Couture.

The Independent art fair in New York is featuring a significant presentation of designs by Rei Kawakubo and her label Comme des Garçons. The works, which include garments and sculptural objects, are being presented as a curated exhibition within the fair, challenging traditional art fair categories.

Immersive Room-Sized Exhibit Environments

Spazio Viruly is presenting the exhibition 'UNBOXING: A Room as Instrument' at Superattico in Milan during Milan Design Week. The installation, created by designers Matthijs Koerts and Merijn Haenen, deconstructs everyday devices to reveal core elements like energy and sound, then rebuilds them into immersive, room-sized environments. The experience is enhanced with live dance performances by Eleonora Cattaneo and custom soundscapes.

Claude Lalanne Mirror Ensemble Sells for $33.5 M., Breaking Design Auction Records

A custom ensemble of 15 mirrors by Claude Lalanne sold for $33.5 million at Sotheby's New York, shattering the artist's previous auction record and setting a new global benchmark for the most expensive design work ever sold at auction. The piece, commissioned in 1974 for Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé's Paris home, far exceeded its $10-15 million estimate.

Finlandia Art Gallery exhibit highlights a local artist in the Keweenaw Peninsula

The Finlandia Art Gallery in Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula is opening a solo exhibition titled "Liminal Sanctuaries" by local artist Bonnie Loukus. The show features her latest collection of oil paintings depicting solitary animals in ethereal, human-free environments.

Exhibition | Sopheap Pich, 'Works' at Axel Vervoordt Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium

Axel Vervoordt Gallery in Antwerp is presenting the first Belgian solo exhibition of Cambodian artist Sopheap Pich. The show features a new body of work, including large-scale sculptures made from bamboo, rattan, hand-forged copper, and recycled aluminum, as well as wall-based pieces. Visitors can physically enter some of the large sculptural forms.

Closely Watched Curator Raphael Fonseca Joins Lisbon’s Culturgest

Raphael Fonseca, a prominent curator specializing in Latin American art, has been appointed as the new visual arts programmer at Culturgest in Lisbon. He will relocate to Portugal in June, succeeding Bruno Marchand, while maintaining a curator-at-large position with the Denver Art Museum, where he has served since 2021.

2026 BFA and MFA thesis exhibitions to open at NMSU Art Museum

New Mexico State University's University Art Museum will host its annual BFA and MFA thesis exhibitions, opening May 1. The MFA exhibition, 'Where We Ended Up,' features interdisciplinary artists Arch Jones and Ezekiel Martey, while the BFA show, 'Raw Perception,' showcases works by nine graduating students across diverse media including painting, sculpture, photography, and ceramics.

Yoko Ono's First Museum Exhibition In SoCal Opens This May – Featuring An Outdoor Wish Tree Installation & John Lennon Collabs

Yoko Ono's first solo museum exhibition in Southern California, 'Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind,' opens at The Broad in Los Angeles on May 23, 2026. The exhibition, organized with Tate Modern, features interactive works from the 1950s onward, including the outdoor Wish Tree installation, text-based pieces from her book 'Grapefruit,' and collaborative anti-war works with John Lennon like 'Bed Peace.'

25/8 Art Gallery – when blue meets blue

Artist Joanna Tam's solo exhibition "when blue meets blue" opened at the 25/8 Art Gallery on April 13, 2026. The show, presented in partnership with the Harvard Square Business Association and Intercontinental Management, features photographic works and installations exploring the ocean and sky as motifs tied to migration, memory, and the complex duality of nature. Tam, who grew up in Hong Kong and moved to the US, draws from personal experience to create a space for meditation on comfort, freedom, trauma, and tension.

EU Cuts Venice Biennale Funding Over Russia Involvement

The European Commission has withdrawn a $2.3 million grant from the Venice Biennale, following through on a threat made last week. The funding cut is a direct response to the Biennale's decision to readmit Russian artists as a government-funded delegation for its 2026 edition, which the EU argues violates sanctions and provides Russia a cultural platform during its war against Ukraine.

Photos: Paul Kroner showcases latest art, sculptures in exhibit

Sculptor Paul Kroner has opened a solo exhibition titled "What Have I Done?" at his own Studio Kroner in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. The show, which launched on April 16 and runs through May 23, marks the studio's fifth anniversary and is Kroner's first solo exhibition in the space since he founded it in 2021.

Exhibition | 'Human Traces: Presence, Absence, and Material Memory' at Axel Vervoordt Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium

A group exhibition titled 'Human Traces: Presence, Absence, and Material Memory' is on view at the Axel Vervoordt Gallery in Antwerp. It features works by four artists—Ida Barbarigo, William Turnbull, El Anatsui, and Bosco Sodi—who explore themes of memory and transformation through material, shifting focus from the human body to its traces.