Shreg the green ogre, a grey obsessive and Vermeer’s boiled egg – the week in art

This week's art roundup from The Guardian highlights a range of exhibitions across the UK, including Bruce Asbestos's 'Bootleg Shreg 2' at Exeter Phoenix Gallery, a playful show featuring a green ogre that parodies copyright rules. Other notable shows include Roy Oxlade's primitive paintings at Alison Jacques, May Morris's craft legacy at Lady Lever Art Gallery, a 30-year anniversary group show at Timothy Taylor, and Alan Charlton's monochrome grey works at Annely Juda Fine Art. The article also features an image of a naturally sculpted rock on Kangaroo Island, a review of the Turner Prize nominees, and a masterwork analysis of Vermeer's 'The Guitar Player' at Kenwood House, which was stolen in the 1970s and recovered with the help of a clairvoyant.

Catherine Opie “To Be Seen” at National Portrait Gallery, London

The National Portrait Gallery in London is hosting "Catherine Opie: To Be Seen," the first major UK museum exhibition dedicated to the American photographer. The show brings together over 80 photographs spanning 30 years of Opie's career, exploring themes of social, political, and individual identity through studio portraiture, environmental studies, and documentary images.

Art Events May You Cannot Miss in London

An Artlyst guide highlights several major art exhibitions opening in London in May 2026. Key shows include 'Zurbarán' at the National Gallery (the UK's first major monographic exhibition of the Spanish master in over 30 years), 'Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific' at the V&A (a collaboration with QAGOMA featuring 40 artists), a James McNeill Whistler retrospective at Tate Britain (the first major European show in 30 years), and 'Winston Churchill: The Painter' at the Wallace Collection. Photo London is also moving to Olympia this year.

Unrealized Artwork by Christo and Jeanne-Claude Will Take Over Gagosian in London

Gagosian gallery in London will present "Christo: Air," an exhibition opening May 21 and running through August 21, featuring a never-realized artwork conceived by Christo and Jeanne-Claude in 1968. The centerpiece, "Air Package on a Ceiling," was originally planned for the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia but abandoned due to technical limitations. The work, a 32-by-52-foot internally illuminated suspended form, will be installed for the first time, along with other rare pieces including "Wrapped Automobile—Volvo, Model PV-544 (1981)," which has not been shown in 30 years. Studio manager Lorenza Giovanelli discovered the original plans in 2018, two years before Christo's death.

Market Outlook for New York’s May Sales

New York's May sales season is underway with over $1.8 billion worth of art heading to auction at major houses including Sotheby's, where a monumental Rothko consigned by Robert Mnuchin is expected to fetch $70–100 million. Frieze New York opens at the Shed with 68 galleries, half of them local. Other notable developments include a major Banksy work hitting the auction block with one of its highest estimates ever, and the estate of sculptor Robert Therrien leaving Gagosian after nearly 30 years to join David Zwirner.

Alma Allen Offers a Quiet Vision in Venice—Even as Questions Swirl the U.S. Pavilion

Alma Allen's exhibition "Call Me the Breeze" has opened at the U.S. Pavilion for the 61st Venice Biennale. The Utah-born sculptor presents a pared-down, whimsical show that contrasts with the bombastic work of his predecessors, grouping new and old pieces to explore themes of conflict, mourning, and transcendence inspired by Hieronymus Bosch's *Visions of the Afterlife*. The exhibition was produced hurriedly over a few months, and Allen, who typically leaves his works untitled, felt compelled to explain his art for the first time in 30 years amid controversy surrounding his commission.

‘Anchors of Light’ reframes 30 years of MOCA North Miami

The Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (MOCA) celebrates its 30th anniversary with a new exhibition, “Anchors of Light,” which opened on April 15. Curated by Miami native Catherine Camargo, founder of Queue Gallery, the show features nearly 50 artists from the museum’s collection, including historical figures like Robert Rauschenberg and Claes Oldenburg, past retrospective subjects such as Maryan S. Maryan and Edouard Duval-Carrie, and local favorites Purvis Young and Pepe Mar. The exhibition includes a video corridor for multiple video works, addressing space constraints, and highlights Camargo’s preference for dark, muted colors and unconventional materials, exemplified by Will Boone’s painting “Widowmaker.”

In Warsaw, the Poster Museum reopens and it is the oldest in the world

A Varsavia riapre il Museo del Manifesto ed è il più antico del mondo

The Poster Museum in Wilanów, a suburb of Warsaw, has reopened after a major conservation restoration co-financed by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Founded in 1968 as an autonomous institution from the National Museum in Warsaw, it is the oldest museum of its kind in the world. Its collection now holds approximately 63,000 posters from Poland and abroad, dating from the late 19th century to the present, including works by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Stasys Eidrigevičius. The reopening exhibition, "Polish Posters: The Collection," features 240 works spanning 130 years of Polish urban life, covering themes from politics and propaganda to cinema, theater, music, and fashion. The museum also hosts the International Poster Biennale, founded in 1966, with the next edition scheduled for 2027.

Australian Sculptor Ron Mueck Returns to Tokyo

A major retrospective of Australian sculptor Ron Mueck has opened at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, featuring eleven of his meticulously crafted figurative works, including the Japan premiere of 'Mass' (100 giant human skulls). The exhibition, co-organized by the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, travels to Tokyo after stops in Paris, Milan, and Seoul, and includes iconic pieces such as 'Woman with Sticks' and 'Angel', the latter installed on the museum's 53rd floor overlooking the city.

Metropolitan Museum receives $23m to endow internship programme

On 30 April, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced a $23m pledge from the Rubio Butterfield Foundation, led by newly elected trustee Jennifer Rubio and her husband Stewart Butterfield, to permanently endow the museum's internship program. The internships, offered for nearly 30 years with 100 participants annually, have only been paid since 2021. The article also explores broader trends in museum philanthropy, featuring insights from former directors Gary Vikan, Gary Tinterow, and Maxwell Anderson on how donors are often guided to fund endowments for curatorial positions, operations, or awards rather than art acquisitions.

Rare Roy Lichtenstein Work Could Net $60 Million at Auction

A long-lost Roy Lichtenstein painting from his iconic 'Girl' series, *Anxious Girl* (1964), has resurfaced after more than 30 years in a private collection and will be offered at Christie’s 20th Century Evening Sale in New York on May 18. The work, one of only 10 comic-inspired female portraits Lichtenstein produced during his breakthrough period between 1963 and 1965, carries an estimate of $40–60 million. The consignor acquired it from legendary Pop art patrons Horace and Holly Solomon over three decades ago.

Montclair Art Museum Announces Retirement of Longtime Chief Curator Dr. Gail Stavitsky

The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) has announced that Dr. Gail Stavitsky, its Chief Curator, will retire on July 1, 2026, after a tenure of more than 30 years. Stavitsky joined MAM in 1994 as Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, was promoted to Chief Curator in 1998, and curated over 200 exhibitions, including landmark shows such as "Cézanne and American Modernism" (2009) and "Matisse and American Art" (2017). Her recent exhibitions include solo shows for vanessa german and Tom Nussbaum, and she co-curated "Shifting Terrain: Perspectives on Land in North America." She also oversaw major acquisitions and the care of the museum's collections of George Inness and Morgan Russell.

Art-loving couple enjoys the island life

Michael and Bernadette Monroe, an elderly couple with deep roots in the art world, have moved into the Island House senior living community on Mercer Island. They describe the community as positive and stimulating, enjoying local amenities and trips to places like the Frye Art Museum.

Member Lecture: Christina Ramberg—A Retrospective

The Art Institute of Chicago is hosting a major retrospective of Christina Ramberg, a pivotal figure in the Chicago Imagist movement. Co-curated by Thea Liberty Nichols and Mark Pascale, the exhibition features approximately 100 works, representing nearly 80% of the artist's total career output. The lecture by Nichols highlights Ramberg’s multidisciplinary practice—spanning painting, quilting, and printmaking—and her deep engagement with an informal archive of ephemera and source material.

Wintour: Met Gala still makes me nervous

Wintour: Met-Gala macht mich immer noch nervös

Anna Wintour, longtime host of the Met Gala, admitted at a press conference that even after nearly 30 years, the star-studded fundraiser still makes her nervous, calling it both her favorite and most terrifying time of year. The annual Costume Institute Benefit, which raises millions for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, is expected to bring in more donations than ever this year, according to Wintour and museum director Max Hollein. This year's gala opens the exhibition "Costume Art" with the dress code "Fashion is Art," and new gallery spaces for the Costume Institute will debut. Co-chairs include Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, while New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has publicly declined to attend.

Qatar makes Venice Biennale debut with pavilion built on collaboration, food and live art

Qatar has made its debut at the Venice Biennale with an official national pavilion, marking a major cultural milestone as the first new national pavilion in the Giardini in 30 years. Led by artist Rirkrit Tiravanija, the project titled "Untitled 2026: A gathering of remarkable people" transforms the space into a living environment featuring live music, film screenings, shared meals, and ongoing performances. The pavilion brings together artists, musicians, and chefs from across the Arab world and its diasporas, emphasizing cultural exchange rather than a single national narrative.

Portrait artist gets posthumous exhibition - in the pub

Simon Gee, a much-loved painter and lecturer who taught at Coventry Technical College for over 30 years, died in March 2025. A posthumous exhibition of his portraits, which he insisted on showing in pubs rather than galleries, is being held at Twisted Barrel Brewery in Coventry for one month. The show raises money for Myton Hospices and aims to reunite some of his subjects with their portraits. Gee was known for painting strangers he met in pubs and workmen in hi-vis jackets, and for his gregarious, kind personality.

Q&A: Laura Pass Barry

Laura Pass Barry has been appointed the Carlisle H. Humelsine chief curator at Colonial Williamsburg, a role that expands her responsibilities to include leadership of Collections, Conservation and Museums as vice president. Barry began her career at Colonial Williamsburg over 30 years ago as a curatorial intern in folk art, later working as assistant curator to Margaret Pritchard and eventually overseeing the graphics, paintings, and folk art collections. She holds degrees from the College of Wooster and the College of William & Mary.

Condemned by Francoism, a writer rehabilitated by the Spanish Congress

Condamné par le franquisme, un écrivain réhabilité par le Congrès espagnol

The Spanish Congress has officially rehabilitated Cipriano Salvador (1894-1975), a Republican intellectual wrongly accused by the Franco regime of stealing a Renaissance painting he actually saved. During the Spanish Civil War, Salvador hid Fernando Yáñez's "La Santa Generación" (c. 1525-1532) from destruction. After Franco's victory, a priest sold the work to the Prado Museum for 15,000 pesetas, while Salvador was arrested, sentenced to death (later commuted to 30 years), and spent seven years in prison. He died in 1975 without exoneration. The rehabilitation motion passed with 32 votes in favor, 3 against, and 1 abstention, with only far-right party Vox opposing.

Exhibits celebrate 30 years of Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History

The Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH) is celebrating its 30th anniversary with two concurrent exhibitions: “This is Thirty: Celebrating the MAH and Our Creative Community,” which mixes permanent collection works with new acquisitions, and “The Things We Did and Didn’t Do,” an archival installation by local artist Joshua Moreno. The museum originated from a merger of the Santa Cruz Historical Society and the Art Museum of Santa Cruz County, delayed by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and opened in 1996. The exhibits feature earthquake-related artworks, pieces by founding director Charles Hilger, and contributions from the family of Executive Director Ginger Shulick Porcella, including wearable art by her late mother-in-law Yvonne Porcella.

Frodsham art group marks 30 years with Amazing Nature show

Eddisbury Artists, a long-running art group based at Castle Park Arts Centre in Frodsham, is celebrating 30 years at the venue with a new exhibition titled 'Amazing Nature.' The show runs from May 19 to June 27 and features artwork inspired by the natural world, including landscapes and wildlife of Cheshire. The group, comprising 17 artists from north west Cheshire, originally met behind Frodsham Post Office before moving to the arts centre in 1996. Member Sam Robson, a Royal Society prize-winning artist, noted the exhibition coincides with the arts centre's 40th anniversary, making it a dual milestone.

Pottery teacher and artist holding exhibition

Artist and pottery teacher Fiona Sandover is holding an exhibition titled "Here, Now" in the Creative Space at Brightwells Yard in Farnham, running from May 13 to 29. The show features her paintings, sculpture, and ceramic homeware, created over nearly 30 years in her studio near Woodlarks. Sandover has worked at Creative Response in Farnham for nearly 25 years.

Great Neck library to host sculpture exhibition by Dr. Suzanne Posner

The Great Neck Library will host a summer sculpture exhibition titled "Swim or Fly" featuring works by local artist Dr. Suzanne Posner from May 1 through July 31 at the Main Library. The sculptures will be displayed atop bookshelves in the Reference Study Area, with a public reception on June 6. Posner, a direct carver with 30 years of experience working in stone, transitioned to full-time artistry after retiring from dentistry following a Parkinson's Disease diagnosis.

Northumberland artists take centre stage in new Amble exhibition

Dovecote Street Arts in Amble, Northumberland, is launching a new exhibition titled 'Amble, Northumberland, England' featuring nearly 70 works by 47 local artists selected through an open call. The show includes sculptor-painter duo Geoffrey and Sarah Bradford and award-winning painter Katherine Rousselange, and is supported by a £400 grant from the Alnmouth Arts Festival. The exhibition opens to the public on May 23, coinciding with the Amble Puffin Festival, and runs through June 7 at the Dovecote Centre.