Kumu to unveil Kristi Kongi's largest solo exhibition 'Chromatic Drift'

Estonian painter Kristi Kongi's largest solo exhibition, 'Chromatic Drift,' will open at the Kumu Art Museum on May 22. The exhibition fills the museum's great hall, courtyard, and windows with new works featuring earthy tones like purple, brown, and burgundy, described by curator Ann Mirjam Vaikla as reflecting the aesthetics of the Anthropocene. The show is accompanied by a book with essays by Sara Garzón, Sirje Helme, and Vaikla, and includes works created during Kongi's residency at Cerámica Suro in Guadalajara, Mexico.

An Early Winter Gallery Guide

A guide lists galleries in Wellfleet and Provincetown, Massachusetts, that plan to remain open during December, some through New Year's, with winter hours and by-appointment visits. Featured galleries include AMZehnder Gallery, Farm Projects, Jeff Soderbergh Gallery, Left Bank Gallery, Wellfleet Preservation Hall, Alden Gallery, Bakker Gallery, Berta Walker Gallery, Four Eleven Gallery, and Gary Marotta Fine Art, each offering exhibitions of contemporary paintings, ceramics, photography, and works on paper. The Provincetown Art Gallery Association and Provincetown Business Guild are hosting gallery strolls every Saturday in December from 1 to 4 p.m.

Museum Moves 1 – 7 May 2026

Tate has appointed Daisy Desrosiers as its Britton Family Curator at Large, North America, based in the US, focusing on developing North American art in Tate’s collection through research and acquisitions. Meanwhile, Lycia Lobo, chief operating officer at the Design Museum, has been confirmed as chair of the board of trustees of Chiswick House & Gardens Trust. Several new exhibitions are opening across UK museums, including 'Colour' at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery in Exeter, 'Aleksandra Kasuba: Shelters for the Senses' at Tate St Ives, 'Wildlife Photographer of the Year' at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, and 'Helios' by Luke Jerram at National Museum Cardiff. Additionally, the Museum of Archaeology at Palace Green Library has received a £217,844 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for gallery redevelopment.

De Pont Director Maria Schnyder On Why Financial Independence Is a Museum’s Greatest Asset

Maria Schnyder, who has served as deputy director of the De Pont Museum of Contemporary Art in Tilburg, Netherlands, since 2021, has been appointed as its new director, succeeding Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen. In an interview, Schnyder discusses the advantages of rising from within, emphasizing continuity and deep knowledge of the institution's artist-first ethos. The museum, housed in a former woolen mill with 7,000 square meters of exhibition space, operates with only 18 full-time employees and is financially independent, allowing it to prioritize artistic vision over audience-driven agendas.

Museums & Heritage

Melissa Chiu has been appointed as the new director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, departing her long-standing role at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. This major leadership transition comes alongside several other significant museum developments, including the Getty Center's planned $600m–$800m renovation closure and the National Gallery's staff reduction scheme to address a multi-million pound deficit.

The Art World This Week: Smithsonian Leader to Run Guggenheim, LACMA’s New Building to Open, Vatican's Sound-Based Venice Pavilion, and More

Melissa Chiu has been appointed as the new director of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, departing her long-standing role at the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum. Additionally, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has announced that its highly anticipated, $724 million David Geffen Galleries will finally open to the public on May 4, while the Vatican revealed plans for a sound-based pavilion at the Venice Biennale dedicated to Saint Hildegard of Bingen.

The Met Appoints Oluremi C. Onabanjo as Curator of Photographs

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has appointed Oluremi C. Onabanjo as Curator in its Department of Photographs following an international search. Onabanjo, who joins from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), will oversee exhibitions, acquisitions, and research for 20th-century and contemporary photography, with a specific emphasis on international practices in Africa and Asia. Her role includes the stewardship of the Walther Collection, a massive gift of over 6,500 works, and the preparation of a major exhibition scheduled for 2028.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Appoints Oluremi C. Onabanjo as Curator in the Department of Photographs

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has appointed Oluremi C. Onabanjo as a Curator in the Department of Photographs. Joining from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Onabanjo will focus on 20th-century and contemporary photography with a specific emphasis on international practices from Africa and Asia. Her responsibilities include overseeing the stewardship of the recently acquired Walther Collection and developing a major exhibition for 2028.

Philip Tinari appointed as deputy director and head of art at Hong Kong’s Tai Kwun cultural complex

Philip Tinari, the longtime director and CEO of Beijing's UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, has announced he will leave to become deputy director and head of art at Hong Kong's Tai Kwun cultural complex. He will oversee programming at Tai Kwun Contemporary and shape strategy for the entire complex, which includes performing arts, galleries, and restaurants. Tinari replaces Pi Li, who previously worked at M+ and co-founded Boers-Li gallery. The appointment is backed by The Hong Kong Jockey Club, whose director Chin Chin Teoh and Tai Kwun Arts director Timothy Calnin cited a 2018 collaboration with Tinari on a Cao Fei exhibition as influential. Tinari's departure follows reports of financial difficulties at UCCA, which the institution denied. UCCA has appointed Lingyi Kong as new CEO and Xi Guo as deputy director, effective February 2026.

Interview: Jon Seydl, John G.W. Cowles Director of the Allen Memorial Art Museum

Jon Seydl has been appointed as the new John G.W. Cowles Director of the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College. Seydl, who previously served as director of the Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and worked at the Cleveland Museum of Art, brings extensive experience in university museums and a background in early modern Italian art history. In an interview, he discusses his deep appreciation for the Allen's collection, particularly self-portraits by Michael Sweerts and William Hogarth, and his vision for the museum as a sanctuary for mental health and interdisciplinary learning.

Phillip Bahar steps into top job at MSU's Broad Art Museum

Phillip Bahar has been appointed as the fourth director of the Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University, succeeding previous leadership since the museum opened in 2012. In an interview with WKAR's Inside The Arts, Bahar discussed his vision for the museum, emphasizing his role as an institutional curator rather than a hands-on curator of exhibitions, and his commitment to supporting artists at all career stages, from established figures like Zaha Hadid to emerging and mid-career artists such as Diana Al-Hadid.

Kyle Stephan finds in art the power to activate people

Kyle Stephan has been appointed the new Steven and Lisa Munster Tananbaum Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Block Museum at Northwestern University. A curator, scholar, and educator with expertise in global contemporary art, time-based media, and interdisciplinary practice, Stephan was inspired to pursue curatorial work after witnessing art's power to activate people and communities while working as a studio manager for artist Lynn Hershman Leeson in the 1990s San Francisco Bay Area. She holds a Ph.D. in art and art history from Stanford University and previously curated the first U.S. survey of Fluxus artist Wolf Vostell at Harvard Art Museums.

Sara Friedlander Appointed Chairman, Post-War & Contemporary Art, Americas - Christie's

Christie's has promoted Sara Friedlander to chairman of Post-War and Contemporary Art for the Americas, as announced by Global President Alex Rotter. Friedlander, a specialist and dealmaker with nearly 20 years at the auction house, will focus on works from the last 50 years. She has brought major collections to market, including the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art and the Edlis | Neeson Collection, and has achieved world-record prices for artists such as Joan Mitchell, Alice Neel, Ernie Barnes, Dorothea Tanning, and Marlene Dumas.

Oberlin art museum kicks off fall with a fine Monet show and a new director

The Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College has opened "Picturing Paris: Monet and the Modern City," a focused exhibition reuniting three Claude Monet paintings from spring 1867, including the museum's own "The Garden of the Princess" alongside two loans from European museums. The show features over 30 additional works from the Allen's collection by artists such as Renoir, Degas, and Cézanne, and coincides with the arrival of new director Jon Seydl, who returned to Northeast Ohio in July after leadership roles at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Worcester Art Museum, and Krannert Art Museum.

Ten essential works of art to see at the Museum of Modern Art, New York

The article presents a curated list of ten essential artworks at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, coinciding with the departure of longtime director Glenn Lowry after 30 years and the appointment of Christophe Cherix as his successor. It highlights iconic pieces such as Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" (1907) and Matisse's "The Red Studio" (1911), while reflecting on MoMA's history, its founding vision by Alfred Barr, and its evolution through expansions including the incorporation of PS1 and the $450 million renovation of its 53rd Street building.

Sylvain Amic, ‘open spirited’ head of Musée d'Orsay, has died aged 58

Sylvain Amic, the director of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, has died suddenly at age 58. His death was announced by French Culture Minister Rachida Dati, with President Emmanuel Macron expressing shock. Amic died of natural causes while on holiday in southern France. He had been appointed to lead the museum in 2024, fulfilling a long-held dream, but had not yet completed his main mission of rehanging the collection after renovations.

‘I feel a renewed passion to shape a new era’: Youn Bummo takes the reins as president of the Gwangju Biennale

Youn Bummo has been appointed president of the Gwangju Biennale Foundation, returning to the organization he helped launch in 1995. He previously served as director of South Korea's Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) from 2019 until his resignation in 2023, which was widely attributed to political pressure. The 16th edition of the Biennale in 2025 will be curated by Singaporean film artist Ho Tzu Nyen.

Person of the Day | Chase Quinn Adopts Multi-Discipline Approach to Art-Museum Exhibits, Programs

Chase Quinn has been appointed as the inaugural creative director and curator of special projects at the Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA) in Jackson, starting in January 2025. In this newly created role, he oversees both curatorial and education departments, focusing on inclusive, cohesive content development and storytelling. Quinn, previously co-director of education and programs and curator of special projects at the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina, was inspired by Carrie Mae Weems’ series “From Here I Saw What Happened and I Cried” at Tate Modern in the mid-1990s, which shaped his approach to complicating narratives around race in museum exhibitions.

Dallas Museum of Art picks director wrapping up another institutional expansion to guide it through campus overhaul

The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) has appointed Brian Ferriso, the longtime director of the Portland Art Museum (PAM), as its next director. Ferriso will oversee the inauguration of PAM's $111 million expansion on November 20 before starting his new role in Dallas on December 1. He succeeds Agustín Arteaga, who left the DMA last spring to lead the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento. Ferriso brings nearly two decades of experience at PAM, where he increased the endowment by $40 million, doubled curatorial staff, eliminated $7 million in debt, and led a $140 million fundraising campaign for the museum's expansion and endowment.

Influencer, politician, museum director: what Eike Schmidt did next

Eike Schmidt, the German-born museum director who led Florence's Uffizi Galleries from 2015, has taken on a series of high-profile and controversial roles. After restructuring the Uffizi and nearly leaving for Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum in 2019, he stayed on, then moved to Naples' Museo di Capodimonte in 2024. Months later, he ran for mayor of Florence as a centre-right independent backed by far-right parties, losing in a run-off. Now settled at Capodimonte, he reflects on his unpredictable career with no regrets.

Moving On Up: 24 Museum Curators and Art Leaders Who Took on New Appointments in First Half of 2025

Culture Type has published its annual list of new appointments among museum curators and arts leaders for the first half of 2025, highlighting two dozen hires and promotions at major institutions. Notable appointments include Deana Haggag as program director for arts and culture at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Ann Collins Smith as chief curator at the New Orleans Museum of Art (the first Black American in a full-time curatorial role there), and Vincent van Velsen as head of exhibitions at Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam. The list also features curators such as Alisa Chiles at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Brittany Webb at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Bronx Museum of the Arts appoints Shamim M. Momin as director and chief curator

The Bronx Museum of the Arts has appointed Shamim M. Momin as its next director and chief curator, effective September. Momin, who previously served as director of curatorial affairs at the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle, succeeds Klaudio Rodriguez, who left to lead the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida. She is also a co-founder of the Los Angeles Nomadic Division and has curated biennial exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Brittany Webb is Joining Museum of Fine Arts, Houston as Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art: 'There is A Lot That Attracted Me to the MFAH'

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) has appointed Brittany Webb as curator in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, effective late summer 2025. Webb joins from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), where she served as the Evelyn and Will Kaplan Curator of 20th-Century Art and the John Rhoden Collection since 2018. At PAFA, she organized several exhibitions including a comprehensive retrospective of sculptor John Rhoden, and added over 200 works to the permanent collection. MFAH Director Gary Tinterow praised Webb's passion, community connections, and track record of thoughtful exhibitions of American and African American art.

James Taylor-Foster to Lead Hong Kong’s Para Site

Para Site, a prominent Hong Kong art organization, has appointed James Taylor-Foster as its new executive director. The British Swedish curator and writer succeeds Billy Tang, concluding a leadership transition period managed by deputy director Junni Chen. Taylor-Foster will relocate from Stockholm, where he worked at ArkDes and Moderna Museet, to assume the role this summer.

bonhams first saudi arabia exhibition 1234754500

Bonhams, the New York-based auction house, will hold its first exhibition in Saudi Arabia next month. Titled "Judhoor / Roots: The Origins of Saudi Modernism," the three-day show opens October 8 at the LIFT Gallery in Riyadh's JAX District, followed by a London auction on November 25. The exhibition surveys Saudi modern art from early pioneers like Abdulrahman Al Soliman, Safeya Binzagr, and Mohammed Al Saleem to later generations, highlighting works such as Al Saleem's horizon paintings and Al Soliman's 1981 depiction of Al-Ahsa oasis made with local soil. It also features archival material from Dar Al-Funoon, Saudi Arabia's first modern art space, and foregrounds female voices, including Binzagr, the first woman to stage a solo exhibition in the kingdom. A panel discussion will accompany the show, cohosted by collectors Taha Al Kuwaiz and Muneera Al Touq.

Giuli Buys Everything! The Ministry of Culture Also Wants to Take Over Rome's Teatro delle Vittorie and Venice's Palazzo Labia?

Giuli compra tutto! Il Ministero della Cultura vuole prendersi anche Il Teatro delle Vittorie di Roma e Palazzo Labia a Venezia?

Italian Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli is pursuing an aggressive acquisition campaign for cultural properties. After high-profile purchases including Antonello da Messina's *Ecce Homo* and Caravaggio's *Portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini* (€30 million), the Ministry has now expressed interest in acquiring Rome's Teatro delle Vittorie and Venice's Palazzo Labia—both part of a real estate portfolio being sold by state broadcaster Rai. The Ministry also recently bought Verona's historic Cinema Astra (with a €7.5 million restoration plan) and Naples' Teatro Sannazzaro after a fire.

The Jury of the 2026 Venice Art Biennale Will Be Completely Composed of Women

La giuria della Biennale d’Arte di Venezia 2026 sarà tutta composta da donne

The organizing body of the Venice Biennale has announced the international jury for its 61st International Art Exhibition, titled 'In Minor Keys.' For the first time, the five-member jury is composed entirely of women: Solange Oliveira Farkas (president), Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi. They will award the prestigious Golden Lions and special mentions during the awards ceremony on May 9.

queens museum debra wimpfheimer executive director 1234773175

The Queens Museum has appointed Debra Wimpfheimer as its new executive director. A Queens native, Wimpfheimer has worked at the museum for over two decades, previously holding roles including director of strategic partnerships and deputy director, and has served twice as interim director.

Thaddaeus Ropac expands to New York, with Emilio Steinberger at the helm

The international mega-gallery Thaddaeus Ropac announced it is opening a project space in uptown Manhattan, marking its first permanent physical presence in New York. The gallery also appointed Emilio Steinberger, a former senior partner at Lévy Gorvy Dayan, as its new senior director in the US to lead the expansion.

British Art Show names Ekow Eshun as curator for upcoming 10th edition

Ekow Eshun has been named curator of the 10th edition of the British Art Show, the UK's largest recurring contemporary art exhibition. The show will open in Coventry in September 2026 and travel to four other cities—Swansea, Bristol, Sheffield, and Newcastle/Gateshead—until March 2028. Eshun, former director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London and curator of the acclaimed exhibition *In the Black Fantastic* at the Hayward Gallery, will select artists and works over the next year, with new commissions expected.