Henry Moore and Dorothea Tanning set records at Christie's triple-header sale in London

Christie’s London achieved a robust £197.4 million total across three evening sales, representing a 52% year-on-year increase for the season. The marathon auction was defined by a high 96% sell-through rate and record-breaking prices for major artists, most notably Henry Moore, whose sculpture "King and Queen" sold for £26.3 million. The evening demonstrated a strong appetite for "fresh to market" works and Surrealist masterpieces, even as some lots hammered at the lower end of their estimates.

14 best art exhibitions to see in Tokyo in 2026

Tokyo's museums have announced their 2026 exhibition schedules, featuring a diverse lineup of international and domestic shows. Highlights include 'YBA & Beyond: British Art in the 90s from the Tate Collection' at the National Art Center, a major retrospective of Hajime Sorayama at the Creative Museum Tokyo, and a solo exhibition of Lithuanian artist M. K. Čiurlionis, alongside shows by Picasso, Ron Mueck, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Minami Tada.

Allen Rosenbaum, former director of Princeton University Art Museum with a keen curatorial eye and astute administrative foresight, dies at 88

Allen Rosenbaum, the former director of the Princeton University Art Museum who led the institution from 1980 to 1999, died on August 3, 2025, at Calvary Hospital in New York City at age 88. Rosenbaum joined Princeton in 1974 as assistant director under Peter Bunnell, and during his 25-year tenure as director, he significantly expanded the museum's collections, adding major works such as Giulio Cesare Procaccini's "The Martyrdom of Saint Justina," Pinturicchio's "Saint Bartholomew," and Pietro da Cortona's "Saint Martina Refuses to Adore the Idols." He also oversaw the 1989 opening of the Mitchell Wolfson Jr. Wing, which added 27,000 square feet of exhibition space.

Wonderstruck: an art exhibition that will make even weary adults feel like kids again

Queensland's Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) in Meanjin/Brisbane has opened 'Wonderstruck', a major free exhibition featuring over 100 works from its collection. The show includes large-scale installations by artists such as Patricia Piccinini, Ron Mueck, Michael Parekōwhai, Yayoi Kusama, and Tobias Putrih, with interactive elements encouraging visitors to touch the art. Highlights include Kusama's 'The Obliteration Room', a participatory installation where visitors cover a white space with colorful stickers, and works created by local high school students in a workshop with artist Gemma Smith.

The best museum shows to see alongside Art Basel in Basel 2025

This article highlights the best museum shows to see alongside Art Basel in Basel 2025, covering exhibitions at Fondation Beyeler, Schaulager, Kunsthalle Basel, Kunsthaus Baselland, and Kunstmuseum Basel. Featured artists include Vija Celmins, Jordan Wolfson, Steve McQueen, Ser Serpas, Dala Nasser, and Medardo Rosso, with works ranging from VR installations and immersive light-and-sound pieces to textile art and historical retrospectives.

Re-opening of Sainsbury Wing at National Gallery

The Sainsbury Wing at the National Gallery in London has reopened after a three-year refurbishment, inaugurated by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The wing now serves as the main entrance, featuring large windows that flood the foyer with natural light, a high-tech screen showcasing masterpieces, and a rehang of the collection that groups early Renaissance and early Christian art together in rooms 51-66. Notable highlights include Sir Richard Long's 'Mud Sun', Paula Rego's 'Crivelli's Garden', a new unsigned Netherlandish altarpiece, and the temporary display of the Coronation portraits of the King and Queen until June 5th.

‘The First Homosexuals’ showcases 300 queer artworks amid ‘rise of homophobic politics’

A major new exhibition, “The First Homosexuals: The Birth of a New Identity, 1869–1939,” has opened at Chicago’s Wrightwood 659, featuring over 300 queer artworks from 125 artists across 40 countries. Curated by Jonathan D. Katz and Johnny Willis, the show includes early photographs of drag, a painting of a late-1700s trans pioneer, and what is believed to be the first same-sex wedding depicted in art, alongside works by iconic figures like Gertrude Stein and James Baldwin. The exhibition, eight years in the making, draws loans from institutions such as the Tate and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as private collections, and runs through July 26.

Remembering Pope Francis, for 12 years head of the Catholic church and proprietor in trust of the Vatican's library and art collections

Pope Francis, the 266th pope and the first from the Americas and the Global South, has died. He was the spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics, head of state of the Vatican, and proprietor in trust of the Vatican's vast art and architectural collections. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, he was the first Jesuit pope and the first to take the name Francis, signaling a commitment to austerity and social justice. His papacy, beginning in 2013 after Benedict XVI's resignation, addressed theological controversies, church culture wars, interfaith relations, Vatican financial reform, the clergy sexual abuse crisis, and cultural restitution from the Vatican's holdings.

Auction record

A new auction record has been set, with a significant artwork selling for a high price at a major auction house. The sale took place recently, drawing attention from collectors and the art market.

New Met Gala fashion exhibit seeks to ‘reclaim’ body types that art history has ignored

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute will launch a new fashion exhibition titled "Costume Art" at the 2026 Met Gala, curated by Andrew Bolton. The show features 400 items across sections exploring body types historically marginalized in art, including the corpulent, disabled, pregnant, and aging body. It debuts in the newly renovated Conde M. Nast galleries on the museum's main floor, with custom mannequins modeled on real individuals such as Sinéad Burke, Aariana Rose Philip, and Goddess Bunny. The exhibition pairs fashion garments with art objects to argue that fashion is art, and will be open to the public from May 10 for eight months.

Candidates Announced for the 2026 Cannes Film Festival (Again No Italians, Just Like at the Biennale)

Annunciati i candidati al Festival di Cannes 2026 (pure qui niente italiani, come alla Biennale)

The 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival has unveiled its official selection for 2026, scheduled to run from May 12 to 23. Led by President Iris Knobloch and General Delegate Thierry Frémaux, the festival will open with Pierre Salvadori’s 'La Vénus électrique,' a romantic comedy set in 1928 Paris centered on a painter who loses his inspiration. The competition lineup features a global array of heavyweights, including new works by Pedro Almodóvar, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Asghar Farhadi.

The New Victoria & Albert Museum Opens in April: Once Again in East London

Ad aprile inaugura il nuovo museo del Victoria&Albert. Ancora una volta nell’East London

The Victoria & Albert Museum has announced the official opening date for the V&A East Museum, a new five-story cultural landmark in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Designed by architects O’Donnell + Tuomey, the museum will debut on April 18, 2026, featuring two permanent galleries titled "Why We Make" that showcase over 500 objects ranging from Renaissance paintings to contemporary fashion by Vivienne Westwood. The entrance will be anchored by a monumental bronze sculpture by Thomas J Price, marking the start of a robust contemporary commission program.

Adelaide’s Tarnanthi is going on tour

Tarnanthi, the Art Gallery of South Australia's annual exhibition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, is launching a national tour titled 'Tarnanthi on Tour: Too Deadly' starting July. The touring exhibition features over 30 works from the past decade of the festival, many conceived for Tarnanthi and never seen outside Adelaide. It will visit six regional galleries across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia over the next two years, including Rockhampton Museum of Art, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Ngununggula, Caboolture Art Gallery, Geelong Gallery, and Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery.

Summer 2026 Midnight Moment Program

Times Square Arts has announced the Summer 2026 Midnight Moment program, featuring three artists: Sonia Boyce (June), Tromarama (July), and Maia Chao (August). Boyce's 'Transform' presents a kaleidoscopic film of Andean ancestral movements, presented with the Queens Museum. Tromarama's 'Turn On #2' examines technology's impact on reality and the environment, presented with The Kitchen. Maia Chao's 'Studies for American Idle' draws from a 2025 site-specific performance in Times Square. The works will be shown nightly from 11:57 pm to midnight on nearly 100 electronic billboards.

The Museo Casa Natal Picasso rescues Marisol Escobar, the forgotten queen of pop art

The Museo Casa Natal Picasso in Málaga, Spain, has opened the exhibition "Ni Musas Ni Modelos" (Neither Muses Nor Models), which seeks to reclaim the legacy of Marisol Escobar, a Venezuelan-born pop artist who rose to fame in the 1960s but later fell into obscurity. The show features over forty works by Escobar—including her piece "Saco La Lengua" (I Stick Out My Tongue)—alongside works by thirty other artists such as Dorothea Tanning and Helen Frankenthaler, aiming to correct the historical sidelining of female artists.

Exhibitions set to open in Paris in May 2026: what's new to discover this month

A roundup of new art and cultural exhibitions opening in Paris and the Île-de-France region in May 2026 is announced. Highlights include the annual Rambolitrain toy train fair at Rambolitrain museum on May 1, free evening hours at the Bourse de Commerce on May 2, free entry to castles and museums in Yvelines and Seine-et-Marne on May 3, the Tour Auto classic car display under the Grand Palais glass roof on May 3-4, the Circle of Parisian Artists' 24th annual exhibition at Parc Floral from May 4-31, a new garden art exhibition "Jardin des Lumières" at the Grand Trianon in Versailles from May 5 to September 27, and a major Hilma af Klint exhibition at the Grand Palais.

Maspeth gallery showcases SoCal artist’s works through May 2

Los Angeles-based artist Molly Bounds makes her New York solo debut at Mrs. gallery in Maspeth, Queens, with the exhibition "The Light That Loses, The Night That Wins." The show features a series of psychological portraits and cinematic scenes rendered in oil and acrylic, capturing figures in moments of solitude, internal conflict, and escapism. Following her presentation with the gallery at The Armory Show in 2025, this exhibition highlights Bounds' transition from printmaking to complex, mood-driven painting.

FREE National Gallery art trail coming to Croydon featuring art from Renoir to Monet

The National Gallery is launching 'Art On Your Doorstep,' a three-year national initiative that will bring free, outdoor exhibitions of famous artworks to communities across the UK. The first phase, running from June 2025 to March 2026, will visit four locations, including Croydon, where a trail of 30 life-sized printed reproductions from the gallery's collection will be displayed from February 3 to July 5.

Sally Tallant, director of New York’s Queens Museum, to lead London’s Hayward Gallery

Sally Tallant, currently director of the Queens Museum in New York, has been appointed director of the Hayward Gallery and visual arts at the Southbank Centre in London. She will succeed Ralph Rugoff, who steps down in spring after 20 years. Tallant previously worked as an assistant curator at the Hayward in 2001 and later led the Liverpool Biennial from 2011 to 2019. She will begin her new role in July, while Rugoff will oversee a major Anish Kapoor retrospective opening in June.

Where To See Art In London In The Evenings

This article from Londonist provides a guide to regular late-night openings at London art galleries, focusing on venues that stay open until at least 7pm on specific weeknights without special events. It lists the ICA (open Tuesday-Sunday until 11pm), South London Gallery (open until 9pm on Wednesdays), Wellcome Collection (open until 8pm on Thursdays), Whitechapel Gallery (open until 9pm on Thursdays with free entry), and the National Portrait Gallery (open late on Fridays). The guide emphasizes quiet, after-hours access for people with nine-to-five jobs who find it hard to visit during standard hours.

The best exhibitions of 2025, as chosen by curators and museum directors

Curators and museum directors from leading institutions worldwide selected their favorite exhibitions of 2025, highlighting a diverse range of shows. Standouts include Wolfgang Tillmans at Centre Pompidou, Paris, praised for its generous scope and integration of the library space; 'Encounters: Giacometti x Mona Hatoum' at Barbican Art Gallery, London, noted for its dialogue across time; and Ithell Colquhoun's retrospective at Tate St Ives, which repositions the artist from a Surrealist footnote to a major figure. Other acclaimed exhibitions include Noah Davis at Barbican Art Gallery, Linder at Hayward Gallery, Hamad Butt at Whitechapel Gallery, and Caroline Walker at Hepworth Wakefield.

Under the Bridge, Beyond the Gloss: DUMBO’s Art Scene Defies Its Gentrified Image

The article reports on the First Thursday Gallery Walk in DUMBO, Brooklyn, a monthly event where galleries, artist studios, and creative spaces stay open late for exhibitions, artist talks, and performances. The author attended the latest iteration, starting with a rooftop cocktail party at the Jay 20 building, which houses nearly 200 artists and programs like the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program. The walk highlighted over 20 galleries and 170 artist studios, including Smack Mellon and A.I.R. Gallery, as well as public art initiatives like the Dumbo Projection Project.

Weekly News Roundup: July 7, 2025

The Sharjah Architecture Triennial announced its third edition theme, "Architecture Otherwise: Building Civic Infrastructure for Collective Futures," opening in November 2026, curated by Vyjayanthi Rao and Tau Tavengwa. The Noguchi Museum appointed Hitomi Iwasaki as head curator, while London nonprofit YDP announced an inaugural Duan Jianyu exhibition and permanent commissions by Christine Sun Kim and Danh Võ. Australia's Mordant family gifted major artworks to the Newcastle Art Gallery.

These are the 7 best art galleries to visit in Brisbane

This article lists the seven best art galleries to visit in Brisbane, Australia, as of June 2025. It highlights major institutions such as the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), which hosts the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, and the Museum of Brisbane (MoB), which emphasizes fine art within a heritage building. Other notable mentions include Woolloongabba Art Gallery, known for its focus on contemporary Australasian art and Indigenous works sourced from community-owned arts centers.

Documentary chronicles decades of work by New York ‘maintenance artist’ Mierle Laderman Ukeles

A new feature-length documentary titled "Maintenance Artist" will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 8, chronicling the decades-long career of 86-year-old New York artist Mierle Laderman Ukeles. The film, directed by Toby Perl Freilich, traces Ukeles's pioneering concept of 'maintenance art'—reclaiming everyday tasks like diaper-changing, floor-washing, and garbage-collecting as artistic acts. It covers her unpaid role as artist in residence of the New York City Department of Sanitation, her 1970s performance shaking hands with 8,500 sanitation workers, and her first major retrospective at the Queens Museum in 2016-17.

‘I like pushing boundaries’: Yinka Shonibare on his landmark art show in Madagascar

British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare has opened his first major solo exhibition in Africa at Fondation H in Antananarivo, Madagascar. The show, which occupies the foundation's 2,200-square-meter historic building, features installations drawn from his catalog, including his signature use of Ankara print fabrics. The exhibition marks a significant milestone for Shonibare, who had previously attempted to mount a large solo show in Lagos but was thwarted by infrastructure limitations.

‘A watershed moment’: Major Brisbane art exhibition opens at prestigious London museum

The Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) has exported a major exhibition, "Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific," to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The show, which runs until January 10, 2027, features works collected over 30 years through QAGOMA's Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, including pieces by Australian artists Michael Cook, Naomi Hobson, Shirley Macnamara, Ken Thaiday Sr, and Judy Watson, as well as artists from China, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, and beyond.

art whitney biennial emilie louise gossiaux

Artist Emilie Louise Gossiaux, who lost their sight in their early 20s, is featured in the 2025 Whitney Biennial with works honoring their late guide dog, London. Through drawings and sculptures created by touch, Gossiaux imagines a dog's heaven filled with Kong toys and spiritual reunions, exploring themes of interdependence, grief, and liberation. The works include pieces like "In Dreams We'll See Again" (2025) and the installation "Kong Play."

"Transformations" Art Exhibit at Wilton's browngrotta arts Explores Inventive Uses of Materials in Art

Wilton gallery browngrotta arts will present "Transformations: Dialogues in Art and Material" from May 9-17, 2026, a Spring exhibition exploring how artists transform materials such as clay, silk, steel, bark, seaweed, bamboo, and horsehair. The show features nearly three dozen international artists, including Kiyomi Iwata, John McQueen, Marian Bijlenga, Toshiko Takaezu, and Kay Sekimachi, whose works demonstrate what curator Glenn Adamson calls "material intelligence"—a deep understanding of material properties and possibilities. Co-curator Tom Grotta notes that artists often start with the same material yet arrive at remarkably distinct outcomes, revealing how artistic vision reshapes substance itself.

Three Filipino artists make the Sovereign Asian Art Prize 2026 shortlist

The Sovereign Asian Art Prize, now in its 22nd year, has announced its 2026 shortlist of 30 artists from 12 Asia-Pacific countries and territories. Among the finalists are three Filipino artists: Joey Cobcobo, Josephine Turalba, and Alvin Zafra. Cobcobo's nominated work, "Ika-8 Utos: Wag Kang Kukurap (Thou Shall Not Steal)," addresses corruption in the Philippines using a recycled canvas walked on by the public. Turalba, a transdisciplinary artist, has exhibited at Art Basel Hong Kong 2025 and serves as director of the Artistic Research Center at Philippine Women's University. The prize is run by the Sovereign Art Foundation, with proceeds from shortlisted works supporting its Make It Better charity program for children in Hong Kong.