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Alma Allen, a Utah-born, Mexico-based sculptor, has been selected to represent the United States at the 2026 Venice Biennale, according to ARTnews sources. The pavilion's commissioning curator is Jeffrey Uslip, who previously curated the Malta Pavilion in 2022. The official announcement is pending the end of the government shutdown. Allen, known for large-scale stone, wood, and bronze sculptures, is in talks with Perrotin gallery for representation after his previous gallery, Kasmin, closed and rebranded as Olney Gleason.

Who is Alma Allen, US Pavilion Artist for the 2026 Venice Biennale?

who is alma allen us pavilion artist 2026 venice biennale 1234763746

The US Department of State has confirmed that sculptor Alma Allen will represent the United States at the 2026 Venice Biennale. Allen, a Utah-born, Mexico-based artist known for abstract biomorphic sculptures, was selected after a fraught selection cycle that included updated guidelines requiring proposals to promote American values. He was approached directly by curator Jeffrey Uslip, who will organize the US pavilion, and accepted the offer despite reportedly being advised against it by his former galleries Mendes Wood DM and Olney Gleason, which subsequently cut ties with him.

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Sculptor Alma Allen has officially joined Galerie Perrotin, a major international blue-chip gallery, ahead of his representation of the United States at the upcoming Venice Biennale. The move follows a period of representation turnover, as Allen was recently dropped by Olney Gleason and Mendes Wood DM after accepting the prestigious commission. Perrotin will provide essential logistical and operational support for the U.S. Pavilion, with Allen’s first solo exhibition at the gallery’s Paris location scheduled for this fall.

museo jumex football and art exhibition 2026 world cup fifa 1234763733

Museo Jumex in Mexico City will host "Fútbol y Arte. Esa misma emoción" (Football & Art. A Shared Emotion), an exhibition timed to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Opening March 28 and running through July 26, the show features around 100 works by 60 international artists, including Marta Minujín, Graciela Iturbide, Melanie Smith, and Rafael Ortega. Curated by Guillermo Santamarina with exhibition design by Mauricio Rocha, the museum will be transformed into elements symbolic of soccer, with sections exploring gender, community, identity, and the political dimensions of the game. New commissions by Diego Berruecos, Iñaki Bonillas, and Sofía Echeverri are included, along with a sculptural installation by Tercerunquinto made from recycled Estadio Azteca seats.

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Mexico City is renowned for its immense concentration of museums, with estimates ranging from 150 to 200 institutions. The city's art scene has been further amplified by the rise of Zona Maco, which has established a major international Art Week each February, drawing collectors and galleries. The article highlights five must-see museums, beginning with the Museo Anahuacalli, a unique museum built by Diego Rivera and architect Juan O'Gorman to house Rivera's vast collection of pre-Hispanic artifacts.

Sculptor Alma Allen officially selected to represent US at 2026 Venice Biennale

The US State Department has officially confirmed that sculptor Alma Allen will represent the United States at the 2026 Venice Biennale, following earlier delays caused by a 43-day government shutdown. Allen's exhibition, titled "Alma Allen: Call the Breeze," will run from May 9 to November 22, 2026, at the US Pavilion, organized by commissioner Jenni Parido of the American Arts Conservancy and independent curator Jeffrey Uslip. The show will feature around 30 sculptures, including new site-specific works, and the state department announcement explicitly aligns the presentation with President Donald Trump's "America first" ideology, framing the artworks as symbols of collective optimism and American excellence.

Pioneering sculptor Geles Cabrera’s Mexico City retrospective marks centennial

A major retrospective of pioneering sculptor Geles Cabrera has opened at the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, celebrating her centennial year. The exhibition, titled "Partituras Corporales," spans seven decades of her work, featuring nearly 100 sculptures in materials from volcanic stone to plexiglass, and highlights her radical focus on the expressive, often erotic, human body. It follows her recent receipt of Mexico's highest artistic honor, the 2024 Bellas Artes Medal in Visual Arts.

Diego Rivera’s grandson donates more than 150,000 objects to Mexico City’s Museo Anahuacalli

Juan Rafael Coronel Rivera, grandson of Diego Rivera, has donated his private collection of 157,300 objects to Mexico City's Museo Anahuacalli. The vast donation spans ceramics, textiles, prints, photographs, archives, and a research library, with works dating from the 16th century to the present. It will be transferred in stages and is expected to be fully integrated by the end of the year.

Shooting at Mexico’s Teotihuacán Pyramid of the Moon, Diego Rivera’s Grandson Donates Collection to Mexico’s Museo Anahuacalli, and More: Morning Links for April 21, 2026

A Canadian tourist was killed and several others, including children, were injured in a shooting at the Teotihuacán Pyramid of the Moon, a UNESCO World Heritage site near Mexico City. The gunman died by suicide, prompting security concerns ahead of a planned immersive night show and the upcoming World Cup.

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Hilda Trujillo Soto, the former longtime director of the Museo Frida Kahlo (Casa Azul), has alleged that numerous artworks by Frida Kahlo are missing from the museum's collection and may have been sold at auction in the U.S. to private collectors. In a blog post, she accused the Casa Azul board of ignoring evidence of missing art uncovered during her 18-year tenure, and claimed that the sale or transfer of works from the Diego Rivera inventory would violate both the artist's bequest to the people of Mexico and Mexican law. Several missing works, including the painting *Peoples' Congress for Peace* (1952), which sold for $2.66 million at Sotheby's in 2020, appear to have passed through Mary-Anne Martin Fine Art in New York.

What to Look for at Frieze New York 2026

Frieze New York 2026 returns to The Shed in Hudson Yards from May 13–17, featuring over 65 international galleries in its 15th edition. The fair emphasizes Latin American art with new committee members Fátima González and Omayra Alvarado, and includes highlights such as Southern Guild's expansion into Tribeca and Yeni Mao's cyborg sculptures in the Focus section. Collectors and enthusiasts can explore a diverse range of contemporary and blue-chip works across multiple fairs during Art Week.

Mexico City’s Museo Dolores Olmedo to reopen in 2026 amid controversy

Museo Dolores Olmedo in Mexico City, home to the largest collection of works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, has announced it will reopen in 2026 after being closed since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The announcement follows years of uncertainty, including a controversial 2021 proposal to relocate the collection to Chapultepec’s Parque Aztlán, which contradicts the founder’s wish that the art remain at the original site, La Noria Hacienda in Xochimilco. The museum is now run by Dolores Phillips, granddaughter of founder Dolores Olmedo, who has faced criticism over plans for a 40-year loan of the collection to Aztlán.