A.I. Identifies Holbein Drawing as Possible Portrait of Anne Boleyn

Researchers at the University of Bradford have used artificial intelligence to analyze preparatory drawings by Hans Holbein the Younger in the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle. The AI model, which previously identified a forgotten Raphael painting, suggests that a drawing long believed to depict Anne Boleyn actually shows her mother, Elizabeth Howard, while another drawing labeled "Unidentified Woman" likely portrays Anne Boleyn herself. The findings, published in Heritage Science, are based on biometric analysis of facial features, bone architecture, and proportional relationships, offering quantifiable evidence to resolve long-standing scholarly uncertainty about the sitters' identities.

Fiona Pardington’s portraits of the lost birds of Aotearoa New Zealand – in pictures

Fiona Pardington has created a new series of human-scale photographic portraits of native New Zealand birds, many of which are extinct or endangered, using taxidermy specimens from regional museums. The series, titled "Taharaki Skyside," will be exhibited at the Aotearoa New Zealand pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale. Pardington, who has Māori and Scottish ancestry, incorporates the birds' eyes with superimposed historical landscapes to evoke their lost habitats and spiritual significance as intermediaries between human and divine worlds in Māori culture.

whitney biennial 2026 systems infrastructure andrea fraser carmen de monteflores emilie gossiaux david johnson

The 2026 Whitney Biennial, curated by Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer, moves beyond the traditional geographic borders of the United States to explore 'the greater United States.' Drawing inspiration from historian Daniel Immerwahr, the exhibition features artists from occupied territories, military outposts, and nations impacted by American intervention, including Okinawa, Chile, and Palestine. The show shifts the focus from identity politics to the material reality of infrastructure, examining how global systems of finance, energy, and empire operate and often fail.

Protect ya neck! Wu-Tang Clan as they’ve never been seen before – in pictures

Photographer Eddie Otchere has released a new photozine, "Wu-Tang 4 + 1 More," featuring a decade's worth of previously unseen portraits of the Wu-Tang Clan and other hip-hop artists. The images, captured between 1994 and 2004, document intimate and candid moments with members like RZA, Method Man, and Ghostface Killah, chronicling the group's early years and Otchere's determined mission to photograph each member.

artemisia gentileschi record christies

An early self-portrait by Artemisia Gentileschi, depicting the artist as Saint Catherine of Alexandria, sold at Christie’s in New York for $5.69 million, far exceeding its $2.5–3.5 million estimate. The painting, one of only five known self-portraits by Gentileschi, was painted when she was 20 and living in Florence. The previous auction record for the artist was $5.25 million set in 2019 at Artcurial in Paris.

top architecture firm accused of illegally firing union supporting staff founding editor of artforum dies morning link for january 20 2025

The National Labor Relations Board has accused Snøhetta, a prominent New York-based architecture firm, of illegally firing eight employees who supported a 2023 unionization campaign. The NLRB complaint alleges that managers tracked union supporters and improperly questioned staff about their sympathies, while Snøhetta denies the claims, attributing layoffs to business pressures predating the union drive. Separately, Singapore Art Week is spotlighting women artists from Southeast Asia, with the launch of Krystina Lyon's book "You Are Seen" and the National Gallery Singapore exhibition "Fear No Power: Women Imagining Otherwise." Other news includes the death of Artforum founding editor Philip Leider at 96, LANZA chosen for the Serpentine Pavilion, and a Louvre heist caught on newly released footage.

anne boleyn portrait elizabeth i

New research by Tudor historian Owen Emmerson suggests that the most famous portrait of Anne Boleyn, displayed at London’s National Portrait Gallery, actually depicts her daughter Queen Elizabeth I. Emmerson argues the late-16th-century painting was deliberately made to resemble Elizabeth I, reinforcing a legitimate Tudor succession. The theory is supported by comparisons with another portrait of Elizabeth at Compton Verney and by Lawrence Hendra of Philip Mould gallery. An upcoming exhibition at Hever Castle, "Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn," will present this and other evidence, alongside newly identified contemporaneous images of Boleyn, including a miniature from the British Museum and a drawing by Hans Holbein the Younger.

george washington dollar portrait gilbert stuart auction

Christie’s is launching its largest-ever Americana Week in January, featuring a George Washington portrait by Gilbert Stuart that inspired the dollar bill. The painting, commissioned by James Madison, is expected to fetch between $500,000 and $1 million. The auction includes 700 lots across nine sales, with highlights such as a signed Emancipation Proclamation and the contract that created Apple. The portrait, a Vaughn-type from 1795, was consigned by Clarkson University and has a provenance tracing back to Madison, confirmed by a 19th-century catalog and a note from Madison’s secretary.

17th century spain fashion

A new exhibition at the Hispanic Society Museum & Library in New York, titled "Spanish Style: Fashion Illuminated, 1550–1700," explores how 17th-century Spanish fashion was governed by strict moral and legal codes. Curator Amanda Wunder highlights that garments like the guardainfante hoop skirt and the ruffled collar were regulated by kings and clergy, with women fined or barred from church for revealing shoulders or wearing lace, and men criticized for effeminate styles. The show features portraits and artifacts that reveal how clothing was used as a tool of social control, power, and gender policing in Habsburg Spain.

national portrait gallery spielberg jamie dimon

The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., will debut an exhibition titled “Portrait of a Nation: 2025 Honorees” on December 12, featuring newly commissioned and acquired portraits of filmmaker Steven Spielberg, JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, scientist Temple Grandin, and poet Joy Harjo. The show follows a fundraising gala and includes works by Kate Capshaw, Jason Alden, Joel Daniel Phillips, and David Lenz, with the Spielberg portrait combining oil painting and film projection.

madrid court spanish count pay sale goya portrait

A Madrid court has ruled that Fernando Ramírez de Haro, 10th Marquess of Villanueva del Duero, must pay his brother Íñigo Ramirez de Haro, Marquis de Cazaza in Africa, €853,732 from the proceeds of the 2012 sale of Francisco de Goya's portrait *Portrait of Valentín Belvís de Moncada* (ca. 1795–1800). The painting, inherited from their father, was sold for €5.8 million to billionaire Juan Miguel Villar Mir via Sotheby's. Íñigo sued Fernando for failing to distribute shares of the sale to siblings as agreed in a 2014 family settlement, alleging fraud, document falsification, and that Fernando's wife, former Spanish minister Esperanza Aguirre, abused her office by not registering the work as national heritage.

jane austen sister artist

Jane Austen's older sister Cassandra, a skilled but historically overshadowed artist, is the subject of a new exhibition titled "The Art of Cassandra" at Jane Austen's House in Chawton, England. The show features 10 of her surviving works, including six never before publicly displayed and four newly discovered pieces, such as family portraits, a winter landscape, and copies of existing artworks. The display marks the largest-ever gathering of confirmed works by Cassandra, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth.

Sue Webster: Fandoms and Icons

Sue Webster's solo exhibition 'Birth of an Icon' at Firstsite in Colchester traces her lifelong obsession with pop culture, from teenage fandom of Siouxsie Sioux to her evolution as an artist. The show features a sprawling installation 'The Crime Scene' (2017–) that maps her personal history through albums, newspaper clippings, and objects, alongside painted jackets and self-portraits. It marks a departure from her earlier work as half of the duo Tim Noble and Sue Webster, embracing a more personal, amateurish style that reflects her journey through adolescence, marriage dissolution, and motherhood.

Ready for their close-ups: celebrity passport photos

Dave Sharkey, a former professional boxer, and his wife Ann founded a photographic studio on Oxford Street in London in 1953, offering passport photos with a 10-minute turnaround. The studio, later run by their son Philip, became a popular spot for celebrities including Muhammad Ali, Mick and Bianca Jagger, David Hockney, and Tilda Swinton. A new book titled 'Passport Photo Service,' published by Phaidon Press, compiles over 300 of these celebrity passport portraits from the 1950s to the 2010s.

‘Tracey Emin said they’re all about death’: Johnnie Shand Kydd on his dog-walk photographs – and capturing the hard-partying YBAs

Johnnie Shand Kydd, a former art dealer turned photographer, reflects on his intimate black-and-white photographs of the Young British Artists (YBAs) in the 1990s, capturing figures like Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, and Sarah Lucas in candid, hedonistic moments rather than traditional studio portraits. Now 66, Shand Kydd has a new exhibition titled 'Ramsholt' at Emin's gallery in Margate, featuring photographs from his dog-walking route, which will also be published as a photobook.

jen deluna blurred paintings bite dogs pinup

Artist Jen DeLuna creates blurred paintings based on vintage found photographs, primarily of 1970s pin-up girls and aggressive dogs. Working at PLOP residency in East London, she uses a large brush to blur wet paint, creating a hazy, memory-like effect. Her works include portraits like *Rallying Sigh* (2024) and canine pieces like *Hounding* (2024), which she hangs together to create a dialogue between femininity and animal aggression.

A Guide to David Hockney’s Most Important Print Series

Lougher Contemporary, a UK-based specialist in blue-chip editions, has identified David Hockney's five most important print series for collectors. The series include the iconic Pool Series, inspired by Los Angeles swimming pools; the iPad Drawings, which began with the iPhone and evolved into works like 'The Arrival of Spring'; and The Weather Series, a set of six color lithographs influenced by Japanese Ukiyo-e prints. Other series are also highlighted for their market value and artistic significance.

Beacons in a Grim World

Two concurrent solo exhibitions at Alexander Berggruen Gallery feature the work of artists Kevin McNamee-Tweed and Tajh Rust. McNamee-Tweed presents enigmatic, tenderly absurd ceramic scenes, while Rust debuts in New York with figurative paintings that explore perception and Black identity through portraits of leisure and experimental silvered glass works.

This week's openings in Parisian galleries

Les vernissages cette semaine dans les galeries parisiennes

This week's openings in Parisian galleries feature a wide range of exhibitions across the Marais, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and other districts. Highlights include Galerie Alain Margaron's group show "Du modèle à l'autoportrait" exploring the body in works by André Derain, Jean Hélion, Fred Deux, and Zoran Mušič; Kim Myoung Nam's first solo show at Galerie UNIVER / Colette Colla, presenting perforated paper pieces; and Galerie Wagner's collective exhibition dedicated to Latin American artists Milton Becerra, Olga Luna, and Claudia Lavegas. Other notable shows include Louis Pion's ink-on-envelope series at Galerie Incognito Artclub, Léonore Chastagner's raw ceramics at Galerie Anne-Sarah Bénichou, and solo presentations by Quentin Gouevic and Jérôme Zonder at Galerie Nathalie Obadia.

“I’m just a painter.” An interview with Jim Moir

Comedian Jim Moir, best known as Vic Reeves, has opened a solo exhibition titled 'Neo Fauna' at Cartwright Hall in Bradford. The show features his eclectic paintings and drawings, including watercolours of birds and the 'American Couples' series, where he paints over found family portraits. Moir insists his comedy career was an extension of his art practice, stating he is fundamentally 'just a painter.'

Art Gallery of Ontario gets gift of more than 450 works

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in Toronto has received a major gift of 474 artworks from the late collectors Carol and Morton Rapp, including prints, photographs, sculptures, and artist books by 203 artists. Highlights include 13 screenprints by Andy Warhol, eight works by Robert Rauschenberg, nine by Jasper Johns, and pieces by Roy Lichtenstein, Barnett Newman, Claes Oldenburg, Lee Bontecou, and David Hockney, as well as contemporary works by Kara Walker, William Kentridge, Yinka Shonibare, and Rachel Whiteread. The Rapps, who began collecting in the 1960s, had a long relationship with the AGO dating back to 1966.

Raghu Rai’s masterful images of Indian life – in pictures

Raghu Rai, the celebrated Indian photographer who was recruited to Magnum Photos by Henri Cartier-Bresson in 1977, has died at the age of 83. Over five decades, he produced defining images of Indian life, ranging from intimate portraits of Mother Teresa to stark documentation of the Bhopal disaster. His work captured both the grand and the everyday, from crowds at Mumbai's Churchgate railway station to slums in Dharavi, and he published more than 18 books, receiving multiple awards for his unflinching human gaze.

Lost Cecil Beaton and Lee Miller Photos Turn Up in Old Scrapbook

A previously unknown scrapbook containing over 150 unseen photographs by Cecil Beaton and Lee Miller has been acquired by the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Library. Compiled between 1943 and 1949 by Roland Haupt, a darkroom assistant who processed film for both photographers during World War II, the album includes rare war reportage, portraits, and personal mementos. Among the highlights is an unpublished alternative shot of Miller in Adolf Hitler’s bathtub and Surrealist-inflected images of the conflict's aftermath.

lorena levi painter dead

Lorena Levi, a British artist known for her narrative portraits painted on wood, died on January 8 at age 29 after battling pancreatic cancer. Her death was announced via Instagram. Levi gained rapid momentum in the UK art scene over the past few years, staging a show in Milan with M+B gallery, participating in the V.O. Curations program, and being added to Marlborough Gallery's roster shortly before it closed in 2023. Her work is held in the British government's national collection. She was born in Istanbul in 1997, raised in Tel Aviv and the UK, and studied at Art & Guilds in London and Edinburgh College of Art.

franco vaccari artist dead

Franco Vaccari, an Italian conceptual artist known for his participatory photography works, has died at 89. His death was announced by his gallery, P420 in Bologna, just four months before a retrospective of his work was set to open at Museion in Bolzano, Italy, in March. Vaccari's most famous piece, Esposizione in tempo reale n. 4, featured a photobooth at the 1972 Venice Biennale where viewers were invited to take and leave their portraits. He continued to explore themes of public and private space, information, and technology throughout his career, including later works with QR codes.

mary tyler moores art collection doyle auctions

Doyle Auctions will sell over 300 lots from the estate of television star Mary Tyler Moore, including memorabilia, contemporary art, and home furnishings. The auction runs in Beverly Hills from May 16 to 20 and in New York on June 4. Highlights include limestone sculptures by Mimmo Paladino, portraits by Peter Max and Al Hirschfeld, photographs by Annie Leibovitz, and jewelry by Paloma Picasso. Moore, who died in 2017, was a pioneering actress and philanthropist.

Barkley L. Hendricks at Marian Goodman Gallery

The Estate of Barkley L. Hendricks presents "All is Portraiture," a major exhibition of the artist's work at the Marian Goodman Gallery in Paris. The show, running from February 6 to April 4, 2026, features a comprehensive checklist of Hendricks's portraits, offering a focused look at this central aspect of his celebrated practice.

Arghavan Khosravi Breaks Through Gendered Restrictions in Her Architectural Portraits

Arghavan Khosravi's solo exhibition "What Remains" opens today at Uffner & Liu in New York, presenting a new body of sculptural paintings that fuse Persian architecture with Christian altarpieces. The works explore women's fight for equality under censorship and religious dogma in Iran, featuring figures restricted by domestic objects, hinged shutters, and suspended cords, with fragments of limbs or faces visible. Key pieces include "Suspended" (2026), "Bearing" (2026), and "The Whisper" (2026), running through July 2.

Richmond exhibitions to check out as art comes into bloom

A guide highlights several art exhibitions and events opening across Richmond, Virginia, this spring. It lists shows at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), Southside Contemporary Art Gallery, Gallery5, the Visual Arts Center of Richmond (VisArts), Anne's Vital Art Studio Gallery, and Quirk Gallery, covering a range from historical prints and portraiture to contemporary emerging artists, activist art, and an annual auction.

In Paris, the Picasso Museum is dedicating an exhibition to Henry Taylor — our photos

The Musée National Picasso-Paris has launched a major exhibition dedicated to American artist Henry Taylor, running from April 8 to September 6, 2026. The showcase features approximately 100 works, including portraits, sculptures, and installations that explore African American social realities, collective memory, and urban struggles. Developed in collaboration with the artist, the exhibition spans 13 galleries and places Taylor’s expressive, human-centric practice in direct dialogue with the legacy of Pablo Picasso.