Michel Bassompierre (1948-2026)

French sculptor Michel Bassompierre has died at age 78. Known for his monumental bronze and marble animal sculptures—polar bears, gorillas, elephants, pandas, and horses—he depicted them in moments of rest and balance, simplifying forms in the tradition of François Pompon. Bassompierre studied at the École des beaux arts de Rouen under René Leleu, taught applied arts, and later worked with foundries including Venturi Arte in Italy. His major exhibitions include "Fragiles colosses" at the Jardin des plantes in Paris (2019) and a show at the Musée Despiau Wlérick (2021). In February 2025, the municipality of Vertou announced plans for a Michel Bassompierre museum, slated to open in 2028. He was named a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2010, received the Légion d'honneur in January 2025, and was promoted to Officier des Arts et des Lettres on April 1, 2025.

Heading for Brittany! 5 art galleries to visit in Rennes

Cap sur la Bretagne ! 5 galeries d’art à visiter à Rennes

Beaux Arts Magazine highlights five art galleries to visit in Rennes, France, a city already known for its Musée des Beaux-Arts, art centers 40mcube and La Criée, and a spectacular Frac designed by architect Odile Decq. The featured galleries include Oniris, which celebrates 40 years and the centenary of artist François Morellet in 2026; Jonathan Roze, a newcomer from Paris now located on Place du Parlement; Mica, a gallery in Saint-Grégoire run by former cabinetmaker Michaël Chéneau; and Divet, an even older gallery with a strong Breton identity.

Elizabeth Hawes exhibition shows how forgotten designer influenced radical fashion

The Cincinnati Art Museum will host "Elizabeth Hawes: Radical American Fashion," the first major museum exhibition dedicated to the early 20th-century designer, running from April 24 to August 2. Curated by Cynthia Amnéus, the show features over 50 garments from the 1920s through the 1960s, drawn largely from the museum's collection of 23 Hawes pieces—the second-largest after the Met's Costume Institute. Hawes, a Vassar graduate who worked as a Paris copyist before becoming disillusioned with the fashion industry, advocated for comfort, personal identity, and gender-fluid clothing, and wrote nine books critiquing fashion's commercial cycle.

‘It’s not much but, at the same time, it’s very much’: the enduring impact of Sade’s style

The article discusses the enduring style of Sade Adu, frontwoman of the British group Sade, following the band's announcement of their induction into the 2026 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It highlights how Adu's signature look—scraped-back hair, red lipstick, hoop earrings, and simple black dresses or denim—has become iconic and influential, with her outfits featured in exhibitions like V&A East's 'The Music is Black' and referenced by celebrities such as Drake. The piece traces the origins of her style to her fashion design studies at Saint Martin's School of Art and her early work with designer Fiona Dealey.

New Leamington Spa art gallery to spotlight South Asian artists

A new art gallery in Leamington Spa is set to open with a focus on South Asian artists. The inaugural exhibition will feature paintings and works from eight local and national artists, including Amrit Singh Sandhu, Simran Kaur Panesar, and Rati Devi Sivyer. Sandhu, who also appears as an expert on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow, has worked in the art industry for 12 years and previously exhibited in London, New York, Paris, and Mumbai.

Yves Saint Laurent–Owned Mirrors Shatter Record, Selling for $33.5 Million

A unique set of fifteen mirrors custom-made for fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé sold at Sotheby’s for $33.5 million, setting a new auction record for the artist Claude Lalanne. The gilt bronze, copper, and mirrored glass mirrors, created between 1974 and 1985, were originally displayed in the couple’s Paris apartment and were purchased from the collection of Jean and Terry de Gunzburg.

Two Hubert Robert paintings from Madame Geoffrin offered to the museum by the Friends of the Louvre

Deux Hubert Robert de Madame Geoffrin offerts au musée par les Amis du Louvre

Two paintings by Hubert Robert, once owned by Madame Geoffrin, were acquired by the Musée du Louvre through a preemptive purchase at Christie’s Paris on March 25. The works sold for €1,950,000 hammer (€2,439,000 with fees) and are being donated to the museum by the Société des Amis du Louvre. The paintings, described as 18th-century snapshots, were part of the historic Veil-Picard collection and will undergo restoration before being displayed.

Rare documents from National Archives’ Freedom Plane tour draw history buffs and more to USC Fisher Museum

The USC Fisher Museum of Art is hosting the "Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation," a traveling exhibition of rare founding-era documents from the U.S. National Archives. The show, which runs through May 3, includes items such as a rare engraved copy of the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris (1783), and a Senate markup of the Bill of Rights (1789). USC is the only university stop on the eight-city national tour, and the documents arrived in Los Angeles on a special Boeing 737. The exhibition has drawn history students, faculty, and the public, with USC Distinguished Professor Peter C. Mancall bringing his class to study the documents up close.

Lee Mingwei at Perrotin Gallery in Paris: an exhibition exploring connection, gesture, and ritual

Perrotin Gallery in Paris is presenting "When Beauty Appears," a solo exhibition by Taiwanese artist Lee Mingwei, running from April 25 to May 30, 2026. The show features seven interactive works created between 1995 and 2025, including pieces like "The Moving Garden," where visitors take a flower to give to a stranger, and "The Mending Project," which invites participants to repair garments with colored threads. The exhibition emphasizes ritual, exchange, and lived experience over passive observation.

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.

Exhibition | Andrea Torres Balaguer, 'T-10 Project' at Alzueta Gallery, Séneca, Barcelona, Spain

Alzueta Gallery in Barcelona is presenting 'T-10 Project', an exhibition by artist Andrea Torres Balaguer. The show is part of the gallery's ongoing program, which spans five locations across Barcelona, Madrid, Casavells, and Paris, and includes exhibitions, art fairs, residencies, and collaborative projects.

The New Entrance of the Louvre

La nouvelle entrée du Louvre

The article, titled "La nouvelle entrée du Louvre," reports on the upcoming redesign of the main entrance to the Louvre Museum in Paris. It also covers several other art-world stories: the return of American Rousseau works to Paris, the growing trend of outsourcing museum reception services, the New Museum's expansion, the troubled Musée des Tissus project, and Art Brussels adapting to contemporary trends.

Susumu Kamijo exhibits at the Perrotin Gallery in Paris: a gentle interlude between flowers and animals.

Perrotin Gallery in Paris is presenting a new exhibition titled "When I Think of You in Spring" by Japanese-born artist Susumu Kamijo, running from April 25 to May 30, 2026. This is the artist's second solo show at the venue, following "The Sun Inside" in 2023. The exhibition features a series of paintings populated by large flowers, fruits, birds, butterflies, and animals such as parrots and a sailfish, set against backgrounds of clouds, horizon lines, and hills. Kamijo's work balances abstraction with recognizable forms, focusing on composition, color, and balance rather than narrative.

Manet and Morisot: Game On | Susan Tallman

The article recounts an incident in 1870 when Berthe Morisot, a young painter, sought advice from Édouard Manet on a double portrait of her mother and sister for the Paris Salon. Manet, a friend and fellow artist, visited her studio and, after deeming the work "very good" except for the dress, took up brushes and extensively retouched the figure of Morisot's mother from hem to head, leaving Morisot mortified. This moment, described as "mansplainting," is framed as a pivotal point in their artistic relationship, which the exhibition "Manet and Morisot" explores through paintings that dialogue with each other, including Manet's *The Balcony* and Morisot's *The Artist's Sister at a Window*.

Rachel Hardouin Gallery: three exhibitions exploring absence, nostalgia, and melancholy in Paris

The Rachel Hardouin Gallery in Paris is hosting three concurrent exhibitions from April 27 to May 2, 2026, featuring artists Éléonore Guiraud, Chloé Bertschy, and Alessandro Ferraro Manzotti. The shows explore themes of absence, nostalgia, and melancholy through mixed-media drawing, photography, and installation. Guiraud and Bertschy collaborate on "US 13-26," which uses art as a possible therapy for trauma tied to absence, while Manzotti presents "casa mia ha un sapore di mandorle," incorporating photography, installation, and a book signing. A lecture on solastalgia—climate-related trauma—will be held on April 29 with psychiatrist Joana Matos and filmmaker Camille Guichard.

PATRICK HERON: Early works, 1950-54

Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert presents a focused exhibition of Patrick Heron's early works from 1950 to 1954, tracing the British modernist's decisive shift from figuration to abstraction. The show brings together pieces from the artist's estate, including several never before exhibited, alongside loans from museums and private collections, highlighting a formative moment in post-war British art. Key works such as 'Christmas Eve: 1951' and 'Black Fish on Blue Table' demonstrate Heron's evolving visual language, influenced by the School of Paris and encounters with Braque, Matisse, and Bonnard.

Les vernissages cette semaine dans les galeries parisiennes

This week, several Parisian galleries are opening new exhibitions, with a concentration in the Marais district. Highlights include Olivier Kaeppelin's group show of four female painters at H Gallery, Mamma Andersson's works on paper at David Zwirner, Lucio Fontana's ceramics at Karsten Greve, Michel François's entropic ensembles at Art: Concept, and Anselm Kiefer's show at Thaddaeus Ropac in Pantin. Other notable openings include Linda Sanchez at Galerie Papillon, Chechu Álava at Galerie Xippas, and group exhibitions at Galerie Allen and Galerie The Pill.

Exhibition | 'The Shape of Summer: From Boudin to Wesselmann' at Bailly Gallery, Bailly Gallery Paris, France

Bailly Gallery in Paris is presenting an exhibition titled 'The Shape of Summer: From Boudin to Wesselmann,' featuring works that explore the theme of summer from the 19th century to the present. The show spans artists from Eugène Boudin to Tom Wesselmann, highlighting the evolution of summer imagery in art.

African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta revisits the works of W.E.B. Du Bois

The African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta (ADAMA) has opened a new exhibition revisiting W.E.B. Du Bois' groundbreaking "Exhibit of American Negroes" from the 1900 Paris World's Fair. Developed in partnership with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC), the show builds on a Black History Month project by reporter Mirtha Donastorg and photographer Natrice Miller, who revisited Du Bois' original data and photographs. The exhibition features contemporary portraits of Black Atlantans alongside historical images, asking what has changed and what has endured in Black American life over the past century.

This exhibition by Aurore Guez invites you to talk to the paintings—our photos.

Artist Aurore Guez presents 'LE CAFÉ,' a free, immersive exhibition at the Wilde Galerie in Paris on April 25-26, 2026. The installation transforms the gallery into a fictional café featuring interactive painted portraits that visitors can converse with via recorded voice clips and AI, alongside a fully designed environment that blurs the line between artwork, décor, and performance.

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.

Free museums in Paris and free monuments in Île-de-France: the top cultural deals

The article is a guide listing museums and monuments in Paris and the Île-de-France region that offer free admission, either permanently or on specific occasions like the first Sunday of each month. It highlights venues such as the Paris Museum of Modern Art (MAM), the Petit Palais, the Musée Bourdelle, and Notre-Dame cathedral, detailing their collections and practical visiting information.

The Best New Discoveries of Milan Art Week 2026

Milan Art Week 2026 featured a constellation of fairs including the main regional fair miart, the independent MEGA Art Fair, and the new Milan edition of Paris Internationale. Observers noted the week felt somewhat muted due to the imminent arrival of the globally dominant Milan Design Week, but identified strong presentations from galleries like Ehrlich Steinberg, which showcased Japanese artist Eni Mizukami, and eastcontemporary, which highlighted Eastern European artists Ania Bąk and Natália Trejbalová.

Director’s Notes with Adam Golfer | “Camille Henrot: In Movement”

Adam Golfer, the director of the short film "Camille Henrot: In Movement," reflects on the process of creating the documentary. He describes following the artist Camille Henrot over a full year in New York and Paris, capturing her wide-ranging creative process from sketches to paintings, model-making to large-scale sculptures, and the evolution of her film work.

Anne-Claire Legendre: 'Restoring serenity and transparency to the institution'

Anne-Claire Legendre : « Redonner de la sérénité et de la transparence à l’institution »

Anne-Claire Legendre has been appointed to succeed Jack Lang as president of the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) in Paris. A French diplomat, Legendre aims to restore confidence in the institution through governance reform, increased transparency, and a new strategic plan following an external financial audit.

Marilyn Monroe, Iconic Idol

Marilyn Monroe, idole iconique

The Cinémathèque française in Paris is presenting an exhibition dedicated to Marilyn Monroe to mark the centenary of her birth. The show explores her evolution from actress to a globally reproduced image, featuring portraits by renowned photographers and examining her enduring cultural presence.

20th edition of Hammer Days

20e édition des Journées Marteau

The 20th edition of the Journées Marteau (Hammer Days) will take place from May 26 to 31, 2026, across Paris and France. Organized by the Symev, the event invites the public to discover how auctions work and to have objects, jewelry, and artworks appraised. For this anniversary edition, auctioneers are highlighting the color red through a curated selection of lots, while workshops, conferences, and meetings will illuminate the mechanisms of the art market.

La MansA Launches Its Magazine

La MansA lance son magazine

La MansA – Maison des mondes africains has launched MansA Magazine, a bilingual (French/English) semiannual cultural publication. The magazine, available at newsstands, bookstores, and online, features essays, interviews, and portfolios focused on African and Afro-diasporic art scenes, adopting a critical and documentary approach. The cover of the inaugural issue features Guillaume Diop, the first Black male principal dancer at the Paris Opera.

The Centre Pompidou Expands to South Korea

Le Centre Pompidou s’exporte en Corée du Sud

The Centre Pompidou has opened a new satellite institution, the Centre Pompidou Hanwha, in Seoul, South Korea. The 11,000-square-meter venue, located in the 63 Tower and designed by the Wilmotte et Associés agency, is a partnership with the Hanwha Foundation of Culture and coincides with the 140th anniversary of Franco-Korean diplomatic relations. The opening was highlighted by a recent site visit from French President Emmanuel Macron and Centre Pompidou president Laurent Le Bon.

The Postal Museum recovers its name

Le Musée postal retrouve son nom

The Musée de La Poste in Paris has reverted to its original name, Musée postal, as part of a major rebranding effort. The institution, approaching its 80th anniversary, has introduced a new visual identity and aims to reposition itself within the Parisian cultural landscape, seeking to distance itself from the image of a corporate museum.