The New York Times reports on a new museum exhibition that centers on disability, posing the provocative question 'Who’s Sorry Now?' The show challenges conventional narratives around disability, moving beyond pity or inspiration to explore themes of agency, identity, and societal attitudes. It features works by disabled artists and aims to reframe how disability is represented in cultural institutions.
Blue Fern Artists Collective Gallery will hold its grand opening and ribbon-cutting on Friday, Sept. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. at 40B Main St. in Peterborough, N.H., in a space formerly occupied by Grey Horse Candles. The gallery, founded by Deborah Caplan and a group of local artists, had a soft opening during the Aug. 8 Night Market. It features 18 artists working in diverse media including paintings, drawings, collage, multimedia, ceramics, felting, jewelry, leather work, and photography. The collective is collaboratively owned and run, with each artist paying a nonrefundable buy-in and monthly dues, and working two shifts per month. Artists receive 82% of sales profits, far above the typical 40-50% gallery commission. The gallery is also partnering with MAXT Makerspace to showcase makers’ work and plans to host classes, art history lectures, poetry readings, and evening events in the adjacent alley.
Snoop Dogg has launched "Ashes to Art," a collection of artwork incorporating remnants of his personal cannabis consumption, created in partnership with The Joint Venture and artist Erica Kovitz. Pieces like "Snoop Doggy Dogg Genesis Burn" are being auctioned online via 32auctions.com, with bids reaching $70,000 and starting at $9,000, blending hip-hop culture with contemporary art.
The New York Times reports on a city in the southwestern United States that has transformed itself into a significant art destination. Through strategic investments in museums, galleries, and public art initiatives, the city has attracted major exhibitions, international collectors, and a growing creative community, positioning itself as an essential outpost for contemporary art beyond traditional coastal hubs.
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival has announced an open call for artists aged 16 and older from Skagit, Whatcom, San Juan, Island, or Snohomish Counties to submit original tulip-themed 2D artwork for the 2026 Tulip Festival Art Exhibit. A committee will select 25–30 pieces for display throughout April 2026, with one artist chosen to create the official 2027 festival poster and receive a $1,000 prize, plus a People's Choice Award offering $200. Submissions are due by December 1, 2025, with a $25 entry fee.
WL4 Art Space in Gdańsk, Poland, celebrates its tenth anniversary. Founded in 2015 when a group of artists took over a former bakery at Wiosny Ludów 4, the space has evolved from a practical need for studios into a self-organized, grassroots collective. Operating in a raw industrial building that once housed a giant steam bread oven, WL4 resists traditional display protocols, treating the site as a collaborator rather than a neutral container. Co-founder Adriana Majdzińska recalls the early euphoria as artists quickly filled the studios, building and adapting spaces while maintaining a simple rule: you had to be actively creating.
The City of Lawrence has rebranded its annual public art showcase from the 'Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition' to the 'Unmistakable Public Art Exhibition,' reflecting an expanded definition of public art beyond traditional sculptures and murals. Nine local artists were selected for this year's exhibition, including Alicia Kelly, whose piece 'Hanging In, Hanging Out' features digitally printed Tyvek banners on the Vermont Street parking garage, designed to evoke an 'alternate dimension' of playful, meditative patterns. The exhibition, opening September 26, also includes a performance piece and an artist using paper pulp to 'paint trees' in local parks.
London is experiencing a surge in South Asian art exhibitions and events, driven by a booming market for Indian modern art. The trend is fueled by young, high-earning collectors entering the market amid India's growing financial confidence, with shows targeting wealthy Indian collectors.
Yale University's latest Humanitas column highlights several arts and humanities developments: an exhibition by artist Nontsikelelo Mutiti at Schwarzman Center titled "Rusununguko," inspired by Black hair-braiding traditions and community; a new interdisciplinary certificate in Native American and Indigenous Studies approved by Yale College Faculty; and a Yale-run art space opening to local New Haven artists. Mutiti's installation uses black vinyl braids to transform the domed gallery, reflecting her experiences as a Zimbabwean graduate student finding community in Harlem's hair-braiding salons.
Bow Arts, a UK charity founded in 1994, has acquired two buildings in east London to create permanently affordable studio spaces for artists. The purchases include a site in the Hackney Yards development, developed in partnership with housing association Notting Hill Genesis and supported by Arts Council England and the London Legacy Development Corporation, which will provide 38 studios by 2026, and the Brutalist Lakeside Centre in Thamesmead, already housing over 40 artist studios. This follows Bow Arts’ first owned building, Three Waters, acquired in 2022 on a 999-year lease with 70 studios. The charity now owns three of the 28 buildings it manages across London, with an annual turnover of £5.1 million, most of which is reinvested into the creative community.
Four prominent art market figures—Ed Dolman, Brett Gorvy, Patti Wong, and Phillip Hoffman—have launched a new consultancy called New Perspectives Art Partners. The group, which also includes Dolman's son Alex, aims to provide a white-glove, case-by-case service for top-tier clients, covering buying and selling art, estate management, financing, and insurance. Each member brings specialized expertise and geographic reach across Europe, America, the Middle East, and Asia, and they will maintain their existing roles in their own businesses.
The New York Times examines whether Art Basel, widely regarded as the world's most important contemporary art fair, is experiencing a decline in influence and appeal. The article cites recent editions where attendance dipped, sales slowed, and major galleries expressed concerns about rising costs and diminishing returns, questioning the fair's continued dominance in the global art market.
Rising tariffs, geopolitical instability, and extreme weather events are driving art collectors to move valuable items into secure, tax-friendly freeports, particularly in Switzerland. Experts Alexandre Ducamp of Natural le Coultre and Fritz Dietl of Delaware Freeport report a significant increase in clients over the past three years, citing the war in Ukraine, multiple ongoing conflicts, and President Trump's April 2025 'Liberation Day' tariffs as key factors. Collectors are using freeports in Geneva, Zurich, Basel, and Chiasso, as well as foreign trade zones in Delaware, to delay or avoid import duties on items like design furniture, antiques, and Chinese-origin artworks, with some purchases being cancelled due to new tariffs.
Art Basel 2025 opens on June 19 amid economic and political uncertainty, with collectors exercising caution. The contemporary art market is still recovering from a 12% contraction in 2024, when auction sales dropped 25%. High-end transactions suffered most, while sales under $250,000 rose 17%. The fair expects 200 exhibitors, down from last year's 91,000 visitors. Sotheby’s May modern art auction in New York also posted lukewarm results, barely exceeding the low estimate.
A new gallery called Grateful Gallery is opening at 50 Hill Street in Glasgow's Garnethill neighborhood, founded by artists Ciaran Globel and Panda McGlone. The public opening is set for Friday, June 6, 2025. The duo, who have been friends since 2006, aim to create a welcoming space dedicated to Glasgow's street art and graffiti scene. The gallery will sell affordable prints, merchandise, and artwork from local street artists, with a rotating monthly floor show; the inaugural exhibition, titled "Friends," runs from June 6 to July 3. The space has been renovated with community help, and a crowdfunder raised nearly £12,000 from over 300 supporters.
The New York Times article profiles several immigrant artists in the United States who are responding to heightened anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy changes by doubling down on their creative practices and public engagement. Rather than retreating, these artists are using their work to assert their presence, explore themes of displacement and belonging, and challenge xenophobic narratives. The piece highlights specific artists and their recent projects, exhibitions, and statements that directly confront the current political climate.
The New York Times profiles six contemporary artists whose market performance is being closely watched as a bellwether for the broader art market. The article examines how their auction results, gallery representation, and collector demand reflect shifting trends in the art economy, particularly in a period of uncertainty following a post-pandemic boom.
Art fairs face significant sustainability challenges due to their temporary nature. Untitled Art in Miami Beach, held in a tent on the beach, works with environmental departments to ensure zero impact, reusing its tent annually. Fairs in permanent venues like Art Basel Miami Beach at the LEED Silver-rated convention center must manage temporary walls, energy use, and waste. Exhibitors struggle with high carbon emissions—art fair activities account for a third of a gallery's annual emissions—and waste from packing materials. Shipping constraints often force reliance on air freight over slower, greener options like ocean or rail, especially for last-minute, high-value consignments. The competitive, secretive atmosphere further hinders consolidated shipments and sustainable practices.
The New York Times reports on a new climate change-themed exhibition in Connecticut, inspired by a curator's visit to Alaska. The exhibit uses visual art to explore the environmental impacts of global warming, featuring works that document melting glaciers, shifting ecosystems, and the human experience of climate change in the Arctic region.
The Rubin Center for the Visual Arts at the University of Texas at El Paso is presenting "Iterations of Interrupted Space," an exhibition curated by the duo Un Dique (Octavio Castrejón and Alonso Robles). Selected through the center's Genius Loci open call, the show features works from eight of Un Dique's projects since 2023, including a video of DJ Conejx performing in a Juárez market, Nayeli Hernandez's installation exploring masculinity and grief, and Mariana Ajo's prints on shifting beauty standards. The exhibition transforms the gallery into a space where art becomes ephemera, documenting past events and happenings.
Chris Erik Thomas has been appointed as the new editor of The Art Newspaper, taking over the role from previous editor Ben Luke. Thomas brings extensive experience in arts journalism, having previously served as an editor at Artsy and as a contributor to publications including The New York Times and Artforum. His appointment marks a leadership change at one of the art world's most influential trade publications.
Ton Witteman, grandson of Dutch resistance hero Bart Witteman, has laid an unauthorized 'stumbling stone' (stolpersteine) in front of his grandfather's former home in Haarlem, Netherlands. Bart Witteman, a policeman who sheltered two Jewish people during World War II, was arrested, deported, and murdered by the Nazis in 1945. The city council had refused to include non-Jewish resistance figures in its official memorial program, which only covers the 733 murdered Jewish, Sinti, and Roma residents. Witteman obtained the hand-stamped brass plaque from German artist Gunter Demnig's Stolpersteine project and installed it himself with the current homeowners' blessing.
Hamburger Kulturpreis heißt nicht mehr nach Biermann-Ratjen
The Hamburg Senate has renamed the Senator-Biermann-Ratjen Medal, a prestigious cultural award, to the "Medaille für Kunst und Kultur in Hamburg" (Medal for Art and Culture in Hamburg). The decision follows a 2024 review of historical records revealing that Hans Harder Biermann-Ratjen (1901–1969), the former culture senator for whom the medal was named, was a member of the Nazi Party (NSDAP). Historian Helmut Stubbe da Luz presented evidence in June 2024 that Biermann-Ratjen had disclosed his NSDAP membership in a 1943 application to the Reich Literature Chamber when seeking to publish a novel.
Iran nimmt nicht an Biennale teil
Iran has withdrawn from the Venice Biennale, according to an announcement by the Biennale organization reported in Italian media. No reasons were given for the decision. The withdrawal comes amid significant turmoil at the Biennale just days before its official opening on Saturday: the entire jury resigned over disputes regarding the treatment of Russia and Israel, the opening ceremony was canceled, and the traditional awarding of Golden Lions at the start has been postponed to the final day in November, with winners now to be decided by visitor vote rather than a jury.
Ein anderes Deutschland
The German Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, historically burdened by its Nazi-era origins, presents a new exhibition titled "Ruin." For the first time, the pavilion explicitly adopts an East German perspective, confronting its fraught past from a fresh angle. The show features massive pillars and a prominent "Germania" inscription above the entrance, directly engaging with the building's controversial history.
Stirbt die Kunst mit der Arbeit?
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence raises a fundamental paradox for the future of creativity: while automation could theoretically free humans from labor to pursue artistic endeavors, it simultaneously threatens the economic foundations of the art world. If AI-driven job displacement leads to a widespread loss of disposable income, the commercial market that sustains professional artists could effectively collapse.
A new experimental art gallery, the Founders Room, is launching in Brighton in May 2026 as part of the Brighton Festival. The inaugural exhibition, titled Act 0, is organized by The Adelaide Salon in collaboration with Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival. It features works by two artist couples—Isobel Smith and The Baron Gilvan, and Lucy Newman and Bob Dixon—exploring process-led, relational, and interdisciplinary practices. The exhibition questions the boundary between artist and artwork, presenting painting, drawing, and performance-led works that blur authorship and lived experience.
Une agence américaine qui finance la culture gagne un répit judiciaire
A U.S. federal court has blocked the Trump administration's attempt to cut funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a key agency supporting museums and libraries nationwide. The lawsuit was brought by the American Library Association (ALA) and the AFSCME union, with support from the legal organization Democracy Forward, arguing that the executive branch cannot unilaterally reduce programs authorized by Congress. The ruling temporarily halts the funding reductions, which were part of broader efforts to slash federal cultural spending during Donald Trump's second term.
French art training institutions are expanding their curricula to include provenance research, responding to a 2022 government report that identified gaps in conservator education. The Institut national du patrimoine (INP) now offers seminars on Nazi-era spoliation (1933-1945) and has added a five-day provenance research module for external competition students since 2024-2025. Paris-Nanterre University launched a master's-level diploma in 2022 covering legal, historical, and methodological aspects of provenance research. The École du Louvre now offers a specialized master's in "sensitive goods and provenance research" addressing spoliated works, human remains, colonial acquisitions, and illicit trafficking, while also integrating provenance methodology into its general curriculum from master's level one.
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.