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.

What’s new this season at Stanford art museums

Stanford University's Cantor Arts Center and the Anderson Collection are opening a diverse slate of exhibitions for fall and winter. Highlights include "Shahzia Sikander: Collective Behavior," the first major solo show of the museum's Asian American Art Initiative, featuring 44 works spanning the Pakistani-American artist's 30-year career, including mosaics, paintings, sculptures, and a digital animation. The Anderson Collection presents Alteronce Gumby's first West Coast museum exhibition, showcasing nine mixed-media works that use paint, glass, and semi-precious stones to create cosmic perspectives. Other shows include "Edmonia Lewis: Indelible Impressions" and "Cunning Folk: Witchcraft, Magic and Occult Knowledge."

All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork

Gustav Klimt's "Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer" (Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer) sold for $236.4 million at Sotheby's first auction in its new Breuer building location in New York, becoming the most expensive modern artwork ever sold at auction. The 1914-1916 portrait depicts Elisabeth Lederer, daughter of Klimt's patrons Serena and August Lederer, and was previously owned by Estée Lauder heir Leonard A. Lauder, who died earlier this year. The painting was looted by the Nazis during World War II, returned to the Lederer family in 1948, and later sold in 1983.

New Exhibition Reflects on “MAD” Magazine at the CAM

The Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM) will host "What, Me Worry? The Art and Humor of MAD Magazine," a traveling exhibition from the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, opening November 21. The show traces MAD's evolution from a satirical comic book launched in 1952 to a magazine format adopted in 1955 after clashes with the Comics Code Authority, featuring original covers, illustrations, interactive galleries, and thematic sections on mascot Alfred E. Newman, fold-ins, Spy vs. Spy, and spoofs of famous artworks.

Smithsonian American Art Museum presents blockbuster Grandma Moses exhibition

The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., will present "Grandma Moses: A Good Day's Work" from November 25, 2025, through July 12, 2026. The exhibition features 88 works by Anna Mary Robertson "Grandma" Moses (1860–1961), drawn from the museum's collection, private collections, and public institutions. It repositions Moses as a multidimensional force in American art, exploring her artistic evolution from farmwife to famous artist in Cold War America, and includes photographs, ephemera, and excerpts from her autobiography. The show is organized by Leslie Umberger, senior curator of folk and self-taught art, and former Randall Griffey, with support from curatorial assistant Maria R. Eipert.

Fast-rising Montana art organisation to take over century-old theatre

Tinworks Art, a non-profit contemporary art space in Bozeman, Montana, is expanding from its original industrial campus to the historic Rialto Theater downtown. Opening November 21, Tinworks at Rialto will debut with Matthew Barney's 2018 film *Redoubt*, on view until February 1, 2026, marking the organization's first year-round venue for installations, talks, screenings, and performances. The Rialto, which opened as a theater in 1924, was donated to Tinworks by its previous owners. Additionally, Tinworks is restoring its deteriorating mill building on the northeast campus, set to open in October 2026, which will add flexible gallery spaces, a visitor center, and offices, extending programming beyond its current June-to-October schedule.

With end of US government shutdown, National Gallery of Art and Smithsonian museums start reopening

Federal museums in Washington, DC, including the National Gallery of Art and multiple Smithsonian Institution branches, began reopening after the longest US government shutdown in history ended on Wednesday night (12 November). The National Gallery of Art reopened its West Building and sculpture garden on 14 November, with the rest of the campus following on 15 November. Its postponed exhibition *The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art* opened on 15 November instead of 18 October. Three Smithsonian museums reopened on 14 November, five more on 15 November, and all remaining venues—including the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York—by 17 November. The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s exhibition *Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work* was postponed from its original 24 October opening.

The Met Presents First Exhibition of Works by Finnish Painter Helene Schjerfbeck in a Major U.S. Museum

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will present "Seeing Silence: The Paintings of Helene Schjerfbeck," the first major U.S. museum exhibition dedicated to the Finnish painter (1862–1946). Featuring nearly 60 works on canvas, including loans from the Finnish National Gallery / Ateneum Art Museum and private collections, the exhibition runs from December 5, 2025, to April 5, 2026. It traces Schjerfbeck's artistic evolution from early naturalist works to her spare, experimental style, highlighting her resilience amid civil war, world wars, and Finland's independence.

Inside the 19th-century Parisian club that became a safe haven for female artists

Art historian Jennifer Dasal's new book "The Club" tells the story of the American Girls' Club, a Parisian safe haven founded in 1893 by Elisabeth Mills Reid at 4 Rue de Chevreuse in Montparnasse. The club provided affordable housing and meals for aspiring female American artists who faced obstacles their male counterparts did not, including societal pressure toward marriage, financial constraints, and safety concerns. Notable residents and participants included painters Anne Goldthwaite, Florence Lundborg, and sculptors Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller and Alice Morgan Wright, whose works and lives are chronicled in Dasal's account.

The Crocker Art Museum’s CEO Wants the World — and People of Sacramento — to Love His Newly Adopted City

Agustín Arteaga, the new Mort and Marcy Friedman director and CEO of the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, discusses his first months on the job, including extensive meetings with staff, board members, and community stakeholders. Arteaga, who previously led the Dallas Museum of Art, the Museo Nacional de Arte in Mexico City, and the Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico, emphasizes the need to balance fundraising, donor relations, educational programming, and political transparency while maintaining the museum's relevance as the oldest art museum in the American West.

Children curate exhibition of Clyfford Still works inspired by their reservation

The Clyfford Still Museum in Denver has handed curatorial authority to 100 children from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation for the exhibition "Tell Clyfford I Said ‘Hi’" (on view until May 10, 2026). The show features works by Clyfford Still, who in 1936 traveled to the Colville Reservation with colleague Worth Griffin to document tribal members and landscapes. The museum collaborated with tribal youth from three schools—Nespelem School, Nespelem Head Start, and Hearts Gathered Montessori—who selected artworks from facsimiles of Still’s paintings and photographs, drawing connections between his abstract works and their own cultural experiences, such as a student noting that a painting resembled a pow wow blanket.

At Art Basel Miami Beach, a new space reimagines art in the digital age

Art Basel Miami Beach will debut a new curated space called Zero 10, dedicated to digital and new media art, at its upcoming fair in the Miami Beach Convention Center. The centerpiece is an interactive installation by American artist Beeple featuring robot dogs with human heads modeled after public figures like Andy Warhol, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk, which will photograph fairgoers and offer NFTs. The space, curated by Eli Scheinman, includes works by pioneers such as Manfred Mohr and Larva Labs, alongside galleries like Pace Gallery and platforms like Art Blocks, exploring themes of AI, robotics, and generative systems. The name references Kazimir Malevich's 1915 exhibition '0,10', signaling a push into new artistic terrain.

Rediscovering Roger Fry, the overlooked Bloomsbury artist who helped bring Cézanne and Van Gogh to the world

The Charleston museum in Firle, East Sussex, will mount a major solo exhibition of paintings by Roger Fry (1866-1934) from 15 November 2025 to 15 March 2026. Fry, a central figure in the Bloomsbury Group, was a polymath who introduced Post-Impressionists like Cézanne, Van Gogh, and Gauguin to British and American audiences, co-founded the Omega Workshops and the Burlington Magazine, taught at Cambridge, and curated at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The show brings together nearly 80 works, over 60 from private collections, including portraits of friends like E.M. Forster and Vanessa Bell, and landscapes that reveal his experimental range from Gauguin-esque outlines to Cubism.

The Interview: Thelma Golden

Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem, is interviewed ahead of the museum's reopening in a new Adjaye Associates-designed building following a $300 million capital campaign. Golden reflects on her career, including curating the politically charged 1993 Whitney Biennial and the landmark exhibition "Black Male: Representations of Masculinity in Contemporary American Art" (1994–95), as well as her influential 2001 show "Freestyle," which introduced the concept of "post-Black" art. The article also highlights the museum's first exhibition in the new building, focusing on artist Tom Lloyd, whose work was featured in the museum's inaugural show in 1968.

59th Carnegie International's inaugural artist commissions revealed

Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh has announced the first 14 artists for its 59th Carnegie International, running from May 2026 to January 2027. Participants include Torkwase Dyson, Alia Farid, Sanchayan Ghosh, Jonathan González, Abraham González Pacheco, Eric Gyamfi, G. Peter Jemison, Liz Johnson Artur, Arturo Kameya, Claudia Martínez Garay, Cinthia Marcelle, Shala Miller, Brooke O’Harra, Sofu Teshigahara, and Ginger Brooks Takahashi. The exhibition, curated by Ryan Inouye, Liz Park, and Danielle A. Jackson, will feature commissions across multiple disciplines, including a planetarium animation, sound installations, photography, performance, and public outdoor works. Venues include the Carnegie Museum of Art, Children’s Museum, Kamin Science Center, Mattress Factory, and Thelma Lovette YMCA.

Arts Playlist: Delaware Art Museum's 'Imprinted: Illustrating Race'

The Delaware Art Museum has opened 'Imprinted: Illustrating Race,' an exhibition co-curated by University of Delaware professor Robyn Phillips-Pendleton that examines how race and identity have been depicted in popular illustration over more than a century. The show, which previously ran at the Norman Rockwell Museum, features works from books, magazines, advertising, trade cards, posters, and even a cookie jar, tracing the evolution of racial representation in American visual culture. It includes a notable shift by Norman Rockwell, who after decades of depicting predominantly white family scenes for the Saturday Evening Post, turned to socially relevant topics like civil rights in the 1950s.

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.

Blanton Museum of Art To Showcase Transformative Gifts of Art in 2027 Exhibition

The Blanton Museum of Art at The University of Texas at Austin has announced a major upcoming exhibition titled “Shaping the Future: Transformative Gifts to the Blanton Collection,” opening in March 2027. The show will feature significant artworks donated by alumni, Austinites, and collectors from across the country, including pieces by Ellsworth Kelly and John Singer Sargent. The exhibition debuts at a fundraising gala on March 6, 2027, and opens to the public on March 14, 2027, honoring donors whose gifts have strengthened the museum’s collection and supported its growth.

Portland exhibit shows off multifaceted artists’ personal narratives | Column - Portland Press Herald

Mauricio Muñoz and Andrew Roberts' installation "The Harvest" (2021) is featured in "otherwise," a thesis exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art at MECA&D in Portland, running through Dec. 13. The show also includes works by Ayana V. Jackson, whose project "From the Deep: In the Wake of Drexciya" was targeted by Donald Trump in his attacks on the Smithsonian Institution. The exhibition explores how artists use storytelling and worldbuilding to cope with difficult contemporary issues and imagine better futures, serving as a companion to the Ogunquit Museum of American Art's "Where the Real Lies."

National Gallery Singapore celebrates 10 years

National Gallery Singapore (NGS) celebrates its 10th anniversary with a weekend event on November 15-16, 2025, featuring extended hours, free exhibitions, a rave, a pop-up market, and food trucks. The gallery, housed in the restored Supreme Court and City Hall buildings, opened on November 24, 2015, after a delayed launch, and has since welcomed over 14 million visitors. Highlights include the blockbuster show "Into The Modern: Impressionism From The Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston," with works by Monet, Cézanne, and Degas never before shown in Singapore, plus exclusive merchandise from local brands.

Soulios Gallery to open new space in Nashville.

Soulios Gallery, founded by Steven and Ana Soulios, will open a new space in Nashville's historic Cummins Station on November 12th. The inaugural exhibition, "City of the Mind," features a survey of New York-based artist Arthur Robins, covering over 50 years of his work, including expressionist cityscapes, abstract Tunnel Paintings, and never-before-shown biblical pieces. The gallery focuses on postwar movements such as American Expressionism, overlooked artists, and video, media, and performance art, with future exhibitions planned for artists like Mattias Duwel, Ewald Platte, and Ma Kelu.

The story of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s brief but dazzling life, as told by an art-world insider

Doug Woodham, former president of Christie's Americas and current managing partner of Art Fiduciary Advisors, has authored a new biography titled "Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Making of an Icon." The book is divided into two halves: the first offers a straightforward biography of Basquiat's life from his gifted childhood in Brooklyn to his rise as a star artist, his friendship with Andy Warhol, and his tragic death from a heroin overdose at age 27. The second half analyzes how Basquiat achieved such early success, examining the influence of his father Gerard, the legal battle with dealer Vrej Baghoomian over the artist's estate, and the roles of collectors like Peter Brant and José Mugrabi. Notably, the Basquiat estate refused permission to include images of his artwork because the book openly addresses sensitive issues about his character and life.

Exhibition explores two transformative decades of innovative art created in Japan, for the world

The exhibition "Prism of the Real: Making Art in Japan 1989-2010" at the National Art Center, Tokyo, examines two transformative decades of Japanese art framed by the death of Emperor Hirohito in 1989 and the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and Fukushima disaster. It features works by artists such as Yasumasa Morimura, Tadasu Takamine, Lieko Shiga, and Shimabuku, alongside international figures like Pierre Huyghe and Rirkrit Tiravanija, challenging fixed notions of national identity and highlighting global exchanges.

Miami collectors donate 36 works by African and diaspora artists to Tate

Miami-based collectors Jorge and Darlene Pérez have donated 36 works by 15 artists from Africa and the African diaspora to Tate. The gift includes photographs by Seydou Keïta, paintings by Cheri Samba, a hanging piece by El Anatsui, and works by Joy Labinjo, Wangechi Mutu, Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Buhlebezwe Siwani, Bruce Onobrakpeya, and Gavin Jantjes. The donation also comes with a multi-million dollar endowment to support curatorial research on African and Latin American art, funding a dedicated curatorial post currently held by Osei Bonsu.

New York Galleries: Openings and Closings of the Week (11/03—11/09)

Catch of the day: Winslow Homer’s delicate watercolours get very rare outing in Boston

The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston is presenting "Of Light and Air: Winslow Homer in Watercolour," a rare exhibition of the American painter's delicate watercolors, running from November 2, 2025, to January 19, 2026. The show brings together a rich selection of Homer's work, including childhood drawings, his final unfinished painting, and dozens of watercolors that are seldom exhibited due to their fragility and light sensitivity. Highlights include "Leaping Trout" (1889), the first Homer watercolor acquired by any museum, and works that depict the rugged New England coast and English seaside. The MFA, an early supporter of Homer's career, holds one of the largest collections of his work, and this is the first time many of these watercolors have been shown together in nearly 50 years.

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents "Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers," the artist's largest exhibition to date and his first major museum survey in over a decade. The show brings together nearly ninety works spanning Johnson's career, including painting, sculpture, film, installation, a site-specific piece, an outdoor sculpture, and live performances. Co-curated by Naomi Beckwith of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Andrea Karnes of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the exhibition takes its title from a poem by Amiri Baraka and explores themes of race, masculinity, empathy, self-care, family, and emotional life.

Seattle Art Museum’s Latest Exhibition Explores French Farm-To-Table

The Seattle Art Museum has opened "Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism," a traveling exhibition exploring the connections between food, art, and national identity in late 19th-century France. Featuring over 50 works by Impressionist masters including Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Eva Gonzalès, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the show examines both the privileged dining experiences of the upper class and the labor of those who grew and harvested food. The exhibition, organized by the American Federation of Arts in collaboration with the Chrysler Museum of Art, runs until January 18, 2026, and includes interactive elements such as a seated discussion table with conversation prompts and a series of panel talks on food-related topics.

Camille Pissarro Member Preview Saturday

The Denver Art Museum and the Museum Barberini in Potsdam have co-organized a new exhibition titled 'The Honest Eye: Camille Pissarro's Impressionism,' which opens with a member preview on Saturday. The show is supported by a wide range of donors, including Jana and Fred Bartlit, Barbara Bridges, Bridget and John Grier, the Kristin and Charles Lohmiller Exhibitions Fund, Craig Ponzio, and many others, as well as by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities and promotional support from CBS Colorado.

After reopening, Joslyn Art Museum breaks visitor records, earns national acclaim

The Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska, has broken visitor records and earned national acclaim in its first full year after reopening with a 42,000-square-foot addition. The new Rhonda & Howard Hawks Pavilion, designed by Snøhetta and Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture, opened in September 2024 and added 16,700 square feet of gallery space, 15,400 square feet of public gathering space, and new gardens. Through September 2025, the museum welcomed 159,420 visitors, on track to surpass 200,000—a milestone only reached a few times before, typically due to blockbuster traveling exhibitions like the Tutankhamun Treasures or Dead Sea Scrolls shows.