Fresh blood for an ancient medium: 10 young painters to watch this spring

This article profiles ten young painters to watch this spring, highlighting their innovative approaches to the ancient medium of painting. Featured artists include British painter Francesca Mollett, whose abstractions have exceeded market expectations with works like 'Two Thistles' fetching over GBP 250,000 at auction; Samuel Hindolo, whose mysterious figurative and abstract paintings have caught the attention of critic Hilton Als; and Stanislava Kovalčíková, whose provocative mythological works were exhibited at Aspen Art Museum and who runs the independent space The White Ermine in Düsseldorf. Other artists mentioned include Evelyn Plaschg, who transforms mundane objects into unsettling meditations, with a solo museum exhibition opening at HALLE FÜR KUNST Steiermark.

Jennie C. Jones on her sonic sculptures on the Metropolitan Museum's roof

Artist Jennie C. Jones has unveiled 'Ensemble', a new site-specific commission for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Roof Garden, on view until October 19. The installation features stark, powder-coated aluminum sculptures inspired by stringed instruments—a zither, a harp, and a Blues-inspired one-string—that incorporate acoustic elements, inviting viewers to listen as well as look. This is Jones's second large-scale outdoor project, following her 2020 work 'These (Mournful) Shores' at the Clark Art Institute, which used Aeolian harp principles to evoke the Middle Passage.

Richter works from gallerist Marian Goodman and Donald Judd pieces lead Christie's New York auctions

I lavori di Richter della gallerista Marian Goodman e le opere Donald Judd guidano le aste di Christie’s a New York

Christie's New York spring sales opened on May 20, 2026, with two major collections: the minimalist art collection of Henry S. McNeil Jr. and works by Gerhard Richter from the collection of legendary gallerist Marian Goodman. The 42-lot session achieved $162.7 million, with 98% sold by lot. The 21st Century Evening Sale alone reached $136.8 million, a 42% increase over May 2025 and Christie's highest result for the category in five years. Top lots included Donald Judd's "Untitled" (1969) at $12.8 million—a new auction record for a Judd stack—and Richard Artschwager's "Two-Part Invention" (1967) which soared to $635,000 from an estimate of $60,000–80,000. The Goodman collection of eight Richter works, all guaranteed, generated $78.8 million, exceeding expectations.

A True-to-Life Biennale

Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief of Hyperallergic, reflects on the 61st Venice Biennale after returning to New York, describing it as historical, political, and thrilling. He counters critics who claimed the Biennale imploded due to boycotts and resignations, arguing it was more alive than ever. The late Koyo Kouoh's main exhibition "In Minor Keys" is praised for reflecting global woes and joys. The article also highlights a major strike by artists and cultural workers that disrupted the pre-opening, the first cultural strike in the Biennale's 131-year history, with 54 artists in the international exhibition and 22 national pavilion teams withdrawing from awards consideration in solidarity with the jury's resignation.

Venice, Here We Come

Hyperallergic's newsletter previews the upcoming 61st Venice Biennale, noting the charged political climate that may overshadow the art. It highlights the main exhibition "In Minor Keys" conceived by the late Koyo Kouoh, and includes a guide to national pavilions, collateral events, and notable exhibitions in Venice. The edition also features a studio visit with 93-year-old artist Joan Semmel, an interview with Lebanese artist Tania El Khoury about her "revenge art," and news about Barbara Chase-Riboud declining to represent the US at the Biennale, a $116M gift to the National Gallery of Art, and the death of Argentine painter Ides Kihlen at 108.

Roses and Thorns of Greater New York

The article is a digest of recent art news, with a primary focus on critical reviews of the 2026 "Greater New York" exhibition at MoMA PS1. Hyperallergic's editorial team provides mixed assessments of the works in the massive quinquennial survey of local artists. The piece also covers American-French sculptor Barbara Chase-Riboud's decision to decline an invitation to represent the United States at the 61st Venice Biennale, citing the problematic nature of the pavilion's commissioning entity.

A Blockbuster Take on Ovid’s “Metamorphosis”

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has opened a major exhibition titled 'Metamorphoses,' inspired by Ovid's poem. The show brings together Renaissance masterpieces, antiquities, and contemporary works, grouping them by the myths they depict to explore themes of transformation, desire, and gender through striking visual juxtapositions.

What If Every City Provided Artists With Free Supplies?

Materials for the Arts (MFTA), a program of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, provides free art supplies and tools to over 4,500 organizations, including public schools, nonprofits, and social justice groups. By diverting millions of pounds of materials from landfills—ranging from film production sets to high-end fabrics—the organization has reallocated over $40 million worth of goods to the creative community. The program's leadership is now advocating for an expansion of this model, envisioning dedicated reuse centers in every borough to meet the growing demand for accessible creative resources.

‘Barbara Windsor smacked our bottoms!’ Pet Shop Boys on showstopping visuals, horrified bosses – and snubbing the queen

The Pet Shop Boys have released a comprehensive 600-page visual monograph titled 'Pet Shop Boys: Volume,' documenting over 40 years of their aesthetic evolution. The book explores the duo's collaboration with high-profile artists, photographers, and directors including Wolfgang Tillmans, Alasdair McLellan, Derek Jarman, and long-time designer Mark Farrow. It highlights how Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe utilized the music industry's 1980s boom to treat pop music as a 'Gesamtkunstwerk' (total work of art), merging avant-garde fashion, minimalist graphic design, and cinematic music videos.

athens emst why look at animals lin may saeed

The National Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens has opened "Why Look at Animals: A Case for the Rights of Non-Human Lives," a major exhibition curated by Katerina Gregos that spans seven floors and features over 60 artists. The show confronts animal exploitation through works such as Ang Siew Ching's video "High-Rise Pigs" (2025), depicting a 26-story factory farm in China, and Art Orienté Objet's charcoal map of endangered species slowly erased by a robotic arm. Other artists include Sue Coe, Igor Grubić, and Janis Rafa, with the exhibition taking its title from a John Berger essay.

Expanded Vocabulary: Revisiting Deborah Kass’ Studio

The article recounts the author's visit to Deborah Kass's Brooklyn studio, which she shares with her wife, artist Patricia Cronin. The visit was prompted by logistical issues related to the author's exhibition "Social Minimalism" (2025). During the visit, the author and Kass revisited themes central to Kass's work over three decades: the exclusion of women from art history, Jewish identity, queer voice, lesbian subjectivity, and postwar American art. The conversation also touched on Kass's series including the Warhol Project, Feel Good Paintings, No Kidding, and the large painting/sculpture installation "Everybody" (2019), which was recently featured in a conversation between Kass and Titus Kaphar in Interview magazine.

Exhibition Review: “Alan Davie: Paintings, 1959 - 1971” at A Hug from the Art World, Chelsea (long-term viewing, by appointment)

A Hug from the Art World in Chelsea is presenting a long-term exhibition of Scottish Abstract Expressionist Alan Davie (1920–2014), focusing on his work from 1959 to 1971. Gallery founder Adam Cohen, who discovered a Davie painting in his father Frank Cohen's collection, curated the show to highlight what he considers Davie's most influential period, when his style evolved into a psychedelic, complex visual language amid the rise of Pop Art and Minimalism.

The Narrow Corridor of Normality

Der schmale Korridor der Normalität

Artist Beate Gütschow reflects on Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s 16th-century engraving "Spes" (Hope), which she encountered during a visit to the Kunstmuseum Basel. The artwork depicts a personified figure of Hope standing amidst a chaotic scene of shipwrecks and flooding, symbolizing the necessity of maintaining focus and action even in the face of overwhelming disaster.

Vanités contemporaines

The article explores the enduring relevance of still life and vanitas in contemporary art, tracing their evolution from the biblical proclamation "Vanity of vanities; all is vanity" through modern masters like Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, and Giorgio Morandi to contemporary practitioners such as Claudio Parmiggiani. It highlights how artists continue to use everyday objects—compotes, skulls, pitchers, apples—as vehicles for formal experimentation and philosophical reflection, with still life serving as a minimalist device that allows infinite plastic research.

Michel Bassompierre, Celebratory Animal Sculptor, Dies at 78

Michel Bassompierre, célèbre sculpteur animalier, est décédé à 78 ans

Michel Bassompierre, the celebrated French animal sculptor known for his gentle, rounded bronze and marble bears, gorillas, elephants, and pandas, has died at age 78. He suffered a fatal head injury from a fall following a fainting spell in Nantes on April 21.

Chaïm Kaliski’s Drawings Haunted by the Shoah Revealed in an Exhibition at mahJ

Les dessins hantés par la Shoah de Chaïm Kaliski se révèlent dans une expo au mahJ

The Musée d’Art et d’Histoire du Judaïsme (mahJ) in Paris is hosting the first monographic exhibition dedicated to Chaïm Kaliski, a Belgian artist who began drawing at the age of 60 to process the trauma of the Holocaust. After his death in 2015, thousands of drawings were discovered in his Brussels apartment, documenting his family's history and the fate of Polish Jews in Belgium. The exhibition features 120 works that blend childlike aesthetics with haunting historical narratives, including poignant depictions of his parents' final moments at Auschwitz.

BETWEEN EARTH AND CONCRETE DELCY MORELOS EXHIBITS IN LONDON

Colombian artist Delcy Morelos has unveiled her first UK public commission, titled "Origo," at London’s Barbican Centre. Located in the Sculpture Court—a space reactivated for the first time in ten years—the monumental oval installation is constructed from earth, clay, hay, and seeds, infused with aromatic spices like cinnamon and cloves. The work invites visitors to walk through earthen tunnels, creating a sensory experience that contrasts the organic, porous nature of soil with the Barbican’s rigid Brutalist concrete architecture.

The 5 Best Booths at Art Cologne Palma Mallorca 2026

Art Cologne has officially relaunched its satellite fair in Palma, Mallorca, nearly two decades after its initial 2007 debut. The 2026 edition features 88 participating galleries and runs through April 12, showcasing a curated selection of international and local talent within the Balearic Islands' evolving cultural landscape.

Sotheby’s Launches Museum Partnership Series, Starting with Exhibition by New York’s Hispanic Society Museum & Library

Sotheby's has launched a new exhibition initiative called 'In Residence' at its Breuer building on Madison Avenue, starting with a presentation of three paintings by Spanish master Joaquín Sorolla from the collection of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library. The inaugural show, titled 'In Residence: The Hispanic Society Sorollas,' opened Monday and runs through June 1, featuring works including 'Sea Idyll' (1909), 'Louis Comfort Tiffany' (1911), and 'Señora de Sorolla in a Spanish Mantilla' (1902). This marks the first partnership between Sotheby's and the Hispanic Society, and the first edition of a broader program inviting museums to stage focused exhibitions inside the Breuer building, which previously housed the Whitney Museum and the Met Breuer.

Art Basel’s Swiss Fair Will Include a New Initiative Where Galleries Will Withhold Works from Their PDF Previews

Art Basel has announced a new initiative called "Basel Exclusive" for its upcoming Swiss fair, running June 18–21 with VIP previews June 16–17. Under the program, participating galleries will withhold at least one artwork—or even their entire booth—from the PDF previews sent to clients ahead of the fair, encouraging collectors to visit in person. So far, 170 of 232 exhibitors (nearly 75%) have signed on, including major galleries like Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Pace Gallery, David Zwirner, Gladstone, Lehmann Maupin, Lisson, Matthew Marks, Paula Cooper, Thaddaeus Ropac, and White Cube, as well as secondary-market dealers such as Galerie 1900-2000, Helly Nahmad, Landau, Mayoral, Pace Di Donna Schrader, and Van de Weghe. Art Basel’s chief artistic officer Vincenzo de Bellis described it as a "gallery-led process" developed from conversations with exhibitors, formalized during Art Basel Hong Kong.

Artists Criticize Somalia’s First-Ever Venice Biennale Pavilion: ‘This Pavilion Does Not Speak for Us’

Somalia's inaugural pavilion at the Venice Biennale has sparked significant backlash from the nation's domestic art community. Four major Somali art spaces and nine local artists issued a joint statement criticizing the pavilion for failing to include or consult artists currently living and working within Somalia. The controversy centers on the selection of three diaspora artists based in Europe and the appointment of a Venice-based co-curator, which critics argue ignores the cultural workers who have rebuilt the country's art scene under difficult conditions.

frances mcdormand suzanne bocanegra hauser and wirth

Actor Frances McDormand and performance artist Suzanne Bocanegra have debuted a new iteration of their multi-sensory installation, 'CRADLED', at Hauser & Wirth’s downtown Los Angeles location. Developed in collaboration with the Shaker Museum, the exhibition features adult-sized cradles and Shaker furniture designed for care and infirmity. The performance-based installation explores themes of mortality, loneliness, and communal care through the lens of Shaker craft and spiritual tradition.

Gisela Colón on Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny, and the Power Beneath the Island

Artist Gisela Colón is the subject of two concurrent solo exhibitions: "Radiant Earth" at the Bruce Museum in Connecticut and "The Mountain, The Monolith" at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico. This dual presentation marks a significant career milestone and a homecoming for the Puerto Rican-born artist, who has built an international profile over the past decade with installations from Desert X AlUla to sites near the Pyramids of Giza.

russian pavilion 2026 venice biennale return

Russia has announced it will reopen its national pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale after a four-year hiatus following the invasion of Ukraine. The pavilion, which remained closed in 2022 and was loaned to Bolivia in 2024, will host an exhibition titled "The Tree is Rooted in the Sky" featuring a "musical festival" with over 50 participants from Russia and countries including Argentina, Brazil, Mali, and Mexico.

jean widmer dead designer centre pompidou

Jean Widmer, the influential French-Swiss graphic designer who created the iconic visual identity for the Centre Pompidou, has died at age 96. Widmer is best known for distilling the complex, high-tech architecture of Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers into a minimalist logo of black lines and a zig-zagging diagonal, a design that has remained unchanged since the museum's opening in 1977. Beyond the Pompidou, his career spanned fashion art direction at Le Jardin des Modes and the creation of France's standardized highway signage system.

artist jackie ferrara died by assisted suicide at 95 in switzerland

Jackie Ferrara, a New York-based artist known for her stacked-wood sculptures, died by physician-assisted suicide in Basel, Switzerland, on October 22 at age 95. She told the New York Times she had fallen twice in the past year and did not want to be dependent on anyone. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland even for those who are not terminally ill.

the met taps 3 international craftmakers for new artisan residency

The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Swiss luxury watchmaker Vacheron Constantin have announced the inaugural class of their new Artisan Residency, an 18-month program aimed at nurturing traditional craft techniques while encouraging contemporary innovation. The first cohort includes American furniture maker Aspen Golann, Egyptian ceramicist Ibrahim Said, and Italian jeweler Joy Harvey, selected from a worldwide open call. The artisans will study The Met's collections and work with Vacheron Constantin's master craftsmen in New York and Geneva, with a public presentation of their completed works planned for 2026.

severance dieter rams braun vitsoe

The article examines the use of two iconic minimalist designs—the Vitsœ 620 chair and a Braun wall-mounted hi-fi system—in the Apple TV+ series *Severance*. Both objects were designed by German industrial designer Dieter Rams in the 1960s and appear in the show's dystopian corporate setting, specifically in the lower levels of Lumon Industries where experimental subject Gemma undergoes tests. The production team intentionally selected these pieces to convey themes of power, control, and commerce.

frieze seoul 2025 exhibitor list

Frieze Seoul 2025 will bring together 120 galleries from over 30 countries for its fourth edition, running September 4–6 at the COEX convention center with a preview day on September 3. The fair coincides with Kiaf Seoul and is split into three sections: the main Galleries section (90 exhibitors), Focus Asia (10 solo presentations of emerging artists), and Frieze Masters (20 booths covering works from the Middle Ages to the 20th century). Blue-chip participants include Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Pace Gallery, and David Zwirner, alongside leading Korean galleries such as Gallery Hyundai and Kukje Gallery. Five galleries have graduated from Focus Asia to the main section, and 20 first-time participants join the main section.

art basel paris 2025 exhibitor list

Art Basel Paris has announced the 203 galleries participating in its 2025 edition, set to take place at the Grand Palais from October 24–26, with VIP previews on October 22–23. The fair is divided into three sections: the main Galeries section with 177 dealers, Emergence featuring 16 solo booths for emerging artists, and Premise with nine presentations from 10 galleries challenging the art historical canon. Notable blue-chip participants include Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Pace Gallery, David Zwirner, and top Parisian galleries such as Balice Hertling, Galerie Chantal Crousel, and Mennour. The fair will also bring back its Oh La La! Initiative and public art exhibition in the Jardin des Tuileries.