Artsy is offering for sale Richard Diebenkorn's work "Untitled (For Harvey Gantt)", a piece by the renowned American painter associated with Abstract Expressionism and the Bay Area Figurative movement. The artwork is listed on the online platform, making it available to collectors and art enthusiasts.
Renowned Israeli sculptor Yaacov Dorchin, recipient of the 2004 Emet Prize and the 2011 Israel Prize for Visual Arts, opened his latest exhibition "Decapitated Fish and Additional Sculptures" at the Gordon Gallery in Tel Aviv on March 12, 2026—his 80th birthday and two weeks into the war with Iran. The exhibition, held without a large opening night due to the conflict, features about 15 sculptures spanning from 1993 to the present, including works in iron, steel, basalt, and other industrial materials. In an interview interrupted by an air raid siren, Dorchin discussed his approach to sculpting, the lyrical names of his heavy works, and how he reorganized the exhibition to create dialogues between older and newer pieces.
The Musée d'Orsay in Paris has opened a new dedicated gallery, Room 10b, to display works from its MNR (Musées nationaux Récupération) collection—artworks looted or acquired under dubious circumstances during the Nazi era. The room features detailed labels and educational texts, with some works shown verso to reveal provenance labels. The initiative is funded by the American Friends of the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée de l'Orangerie with €1 million over four years, and includes a fake Monet, a Degas subject to a restitution claim, a Rodin sculpture, and a debated Cézanne. The museum's provenance research team, led by Inès Rotermund-Reynard, collaborates with the French Ministry of Culture's M2RS mission.
Lee Miller en grand angle
The Musée d'Art moderne de Paris (MAM) has opened a major retrospective of photographer Lee Miller (1907-1977), featuring nearly 250 prints—many vintage and previously unseen. The exhibition originated at Tate Britain, where it drew over 250,000 visitors, and was co-organized with MAM and the Art Institute of Chicago. Curated by Michal Goldschmidt (former Tate Britain curator) and Fanny Schulmann of MAM, with new research led by Hilary Floe, the show emphasizes Miller's ties to Paris, her technical mastery, and her wartime reporting, including contact sheets from Dachau and Buchenwald never before shown in France.
The Spencer Museum of Art has opened 'Street Nihonga: The Art of Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani,' a major spring exhibition featuring 170 works by the Japanese American artist, many never before displayed. The show traces Mirikitani's extraordinary life from his birth in Sacramento in 1920, his childhood in Hiroshima, formal training in traditional Nihonga under masters Kawai Gyokudō and Kimura Buzan, to his forced incarceration at Tule Lake during World War II after refusing to sign a loyalty oath. After years of statelessness and homelessness in New York City, Mirikitani developed a deeply personal, politically charged mixed-media practice that blended Japanese techniques with American street art.
Three Israeli artists—Vera Kunis, Avraham Kan, and Tal Tenne Czaczkes—are featured in a column exploring their use of color amid the ongoing war with Iran. Kunis, a data engineer and artist, opened her first solo exhibition, "Imagination Algorithm," at the Global Art Gallery in Tel Aviv on March 10, 2026, during the conflict. The interview was conducted remotely due to war conditions, with a siren interrupting the conversation. The artists discuss their inspirations, definitions of art, and what makes their work unique, emphasizing resilience and optimism through color.
Paul Klee's iconic watercolor 'Angelus Novus' (1920) has been added to the exhibition "Paul Klee: The Visible and the Invisible" at the Jewish Museum in New York, after being delayed due to wartime complications. The work, which was famously owned by philosopher Walter Benjamin and inspired his concept of the angel of history, joins over 70 other works in the survey of Klee's career.
David Nahmad is continuing his legal battle to prove that his Modigliani painting, *Seated Man with a Cane* (1918), was not looted by the Nazis from the Jewish dealer Oscar Stettiner. Despite a recent New York ruling against him, Nahmad’s lawyers have filed a motion to review the case based on new eyewitness testimony. Two witnesses claim the painting they saw in the Van der Klip family—which bought the Nazi-looted work in 1944—is completely different from Nahmad’s painting, lacking a seated man or a cane. Nahmad’s legal team also cites a 1946 French bailiff report and a recent catalogue raisonné by Marc Restellini to argue that Mondex, the restitution firm working for Stettiner’s heirs, misidentified the work.
Ukrainian artist Zhanna Kadyrova's concrete origami deer sculpture, originally installed in Pokrovsk in 2018, has been evacuated from the war-torn Donetsk region and transported across Europe to become the centerpiece of Ukraine's national pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale. The sculpture, which replaced a Soviet fighter-bomber monument in a local park, was rescued in August 2024 by co-curator Leonid Marushchak amid intensifying Russian attacks, with the help of city authorities and museum staff.
On May 6, 2026, the art collective Pussy Riot and the Ukrainian feminist group FEMEN staged a protest outside the Russian Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale. Approximately 50 activists released pink smoke and blue-and-yellow flares evoking the Ukrainian flag, while FEMEN members staged a topless protest with anti-war slogans like “RUSSIA KILLS, BIENNALE EXHIBITS.” Italian police and Biennale security blocked access to the pavilion, and some Pussy Riot activists were tackled after entering. The protest targeted Russia’s participation in the Biennale for the first time since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with activists condemning the event for lending legitimacy to Russian officials and artists aligned with the government.
This week's cultural agenda in Belgium highlights three major events: the 75th anniversary of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, which focuses on cello for only the third time since 2017, featuring 64 young cellists from over 20 countries; the 12th edition of Antwerp Art Weekend, spanning 88 venues with a strong emphasis on emerging talent and politically engaged works; and a new exhibition at the Permekemuseum exploring Constant Permeke's formative years in wartime England. The competition includes a world premiere of 'Caffeine' by Belgian composer Harold Noben, and the winner will receive the use of Pablo Casals' historic 1733 Goffriller cello.
Yoshiko Shimada, a Japanese feminist and antiwar artist, is featured in a conversation with ArtAsiaPacific ahead of her inclusion in the 2026 Venice Biennale, curated by Koyo Kouoh under the theme "In Minor Keys." The article explores Shimada's decades-long practice of excavating the gendered scars of Japanese imperialism, focusing on her collaborative work with BuBu de la Madeleine, which uses drag and irony to critique imperial frameworks and the erasure of wartime atrocities. It also highlights her revival of the Chū-pi-ren movement, a 1970s feminist group that fought for abortion rights and access to birth control, arguing that their legacy remains urgent in 2026 given Japan's slow progress on women's bodily autonomy.
The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) is presenting three simultaneous exhibitions focused on Henri Matisse, drawing from its world-leading collection of the artist's works. The shows include "Fratino and Matisse: To See This Light Again," pairing Matisse with contemporary artist Louis Fratino; "Matisse and Martinique: Portraits and Poetry," exploring a little-known book illustration series inspired by the artist's 1930 visit to Martinique; and "Matisse in Vence: The Stations of the Cross," featuring 85 rarely or never-before-seen works on paper from Matisse's only architectural project—a chapel in Vence, France. The exhibitions run through 2026, with the Vence show curated by scholar Yve-Alain Bois.
The Driehaus Museum in Chicago has opened 'Ink & Outrage: 18th-Century Satirical Prints in London & Dublin,' an exhibition of some 100 prints by Georgian-era caricaturists including James Gillray and Thomas Rowlandson. Curated by Silvia Beltrametti and William Laffan, the show explores the rise of visual satire in 18th-century England and features side-by-side comparisons of original English prints with unauthorized Irish copies, highlighting issues of plagiarism and intellectual property.
Comment l’État soutient la recherche de provenance
The French Ministry of Culture has created two specialized missions to assist museums in researching the provenance of their collections, addressing looted artworks, human remains, colonial acquisitions, and illicit trafficking. The Mission for Research and Restitution of Looted Cultural Property (M2RS), established in 2019, focuses on Nazi-era spoliations (1933-1945) with a budget of €220,000 annually, while the newer Mission "Provenance," launched in 2024 under curator Catherine Chevillot, covers human remains, colonial-era objects, and illicit goods with a €450,000 budget. These missions provide expertise, funding, and coordination with institutions like the Commission for the Restitution of Property and Compensation of Victims of Anti-Semitic Spoliation (CIVS), though most museums still only initiate provenance checks during acquisitions or donations.
Mimmo Paladino returns to Milan with a major exhibition after 15 years, opening on May 16 at Palazzo Citterio's underground Sala Stirling. The show features his iconic series "Dormienti" (Sleepers), 32 anthropomorphic terracotta sculptures in fetal positions, arranged in a theatrical, immersive installation. The exhibition also includes a soundscape by Brian Eno and a selection of 15 drawings on paper from 1973, curated by Lorenzo Madaro and organized by Grande Brera and the Archivio Paladino. It runs until July 26, 2026.
Peckham 24, a photography festival in south London, celebrates its 10th anniversary with a special edition titled "The Eras Edition," running from 15-17 May at Copeland Park and the Bussey Building. Founded a decade ago by artist-curator duo Jo Dennis and Vivienne Gamble as a fringe event of Photo London, the festival began as a 24-hour pop-up showcasing emerging talent. This year's edition explores the theme of time through works by artists including Kristina Yenza (documenting youth in wartime Ukraine), Vinca Petersen (rural community life on the Isle of Skye), Max Ferguson (the London College of Communication tower block), Julie F Hill (space telescope data visualizations), Mark Duffy (carpet detritus in the Houses of Parliament), and Maen Hammad (Palestinian skateboarders).
A new exhibition at Poster House in New York, titled "Reading Under Fire: Arming Minds & Hearts During Wartime," showcases vintage posters from World War I and World War II that promoted reading and book donations to support troops. The posters, drawn from the collections of the American Library Association, the YMCA, and other organizations, encouraged the public to supply soldiers with reading material as a form of morale-boosting and education. The exhibition runs until 1 November and is curated by Molly Guptill Manning.
A Milano arriva la prima mostra-mercato dedicata interamente al modernariato del Novecento
The article announces the arrival of SOMO (Solo Modernariato), Italy's only fair dedicated entirely to 20th-century modernariato, in Milan. After two years in Alzano Lombardo near Bergamo, the event will take place at Superstudio Più in Via Tortona 27 on May 23-24, 2026. It will feature over 70 exhibitors from across Italy, showcasing furniture, lamps, and objects produced between the post-war period and the 1980s, targeting collectors, architects, interior designers, and a new generation of enthusiasts.
Palazzo Attems-Petzenstein in Gorizia hosts the exhibition "Back to Peace? La guerra vista dai grandi fotografi Magnum," which presents the Second World War and its aftermath through two hundred photographs, video installations, and soundscapes by legendary Magnum photographers. The show features iconic works by Robert Capa, Eve Arnold, Henri Cartier-Bresson, David Seymour, Eric Hartmann, René Burri, Thomas Hoepker, George Rodger, Wayne Miller, and Werner Bischof, covering the Normandy landings, the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, the atomic devastation of Hiroshima, and the return of French prisoners. Curated by Andrea Holzherr and Marco Minuz, the exhibition is divided into two sections: one focusing on wartime imagery and the other on the immediate consequences of the conflict, including the suffering of civilians and the fragile hope of reconstruction.
Photographer Eric Lusito documents Soviet-era scientific institutes across former USSR states in his book "Soviet Scientific Institutes," published by FUEL. The photo essay captures decaying facilities and enduring equipment at locations including the Institute of Radio Astronomy in Kharkiv, Ukraine; the Byurakan astrophysical observatory in Armenia; the Andronikashvili Institute of Physics in Tbilisi, Georgia; and the Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute in Kazakhstan, among others.
The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco has opened "Chiharu Shiota: Two Home Countries," the first solo museum exhibition in the Bay Area for the Berlin-based Japanese artist. The centerpiece is "Diary," an 88-foot-long network of blood-red yarn that incorporates pages from diaries of Japanese soldiers and German citizens from World War II, creating an immersive web of memory. The exhibition also includes a crimson dress unraveling into cords, set designs for a theatrical psycho-drama, performance videos, and paper works reflecting on the artist's experience as a cancer survivor.
The Catalan government has formally demanded €791,000 (approximately $920,000) from the Aragonese government to recoup costs related to the value and upkeep of 56 artworks from the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Sigena. The works were removed from the monastery in 1936 for safekeeping during the Spanish Civil War, and Spain's Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that they must be returned to Aragón. Of the 56 pieces, 12 were held at the National Art Museum of Catalonia and 44 at the Diocesan Museum of Lleida. The Catalan government has given Aragón 30 days to negotiate a settlement before returning to court.
An exhibition titled "Art and War" opened on May 11, 2026, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tehran, featuring works by Pablo Picasso, Antoni Tapies, Robert Motherwell, and Juan Gris that explore the impact of conflict on modern art. The show includes Spanish anti-war artists from the post-WWII era, such as Juan Genoves, and aims to give voice to those suffering under war's burden. Visitors like student-artist Kiyana Niknam described the paintings as a universal language expressing personal pain and resilience, while project adviser Fuad Necmeddin noted that museums in Iran had reopened after wartime closures due to cultural demand.
MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry) in Tampa, Florida, is hosting an exhibition titled "Machines in Motion" that features 20 working machines built from Leonardo da Vinci's 15th-century designs. Created by Italian engineers using period-appropriate materials, the interactive display includes inventions such as ball bearings, an olive oil press, a printing press, and wartime weapons. MOSI President & CEO John Graydon Smith describes da Vinci as "the original innovator" and notes the exhibit aims to inspire creativity in both children and adults. The temporary exhibition runs until May 3.
Das ist das Pressefoto des Jahres
The World Press Photo competition has named Carol Guzy's photograph "Separated by ICE" as the World Press Photo of the Year. The image, taken for the Miami Herald in August 2025, shows children clinging to their father's shirt during a court hearing in New York after he was unexpectedly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The jury praised the photo as a stark documentation of family separation resulting from U.S. immigration policy. Two other finalists were recognized: Saber Nuraldin's image of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Victor J. Blue's photo documenting the Achi women from Guatemala who sought justice for wartime abuses.
Perché la ricchezza culturale italiana non entra mai davvero nei conti e nei bilanci pubblici?
Italy has exceeded the European Commission's structural adjustment path by 0.1 percentage points of GDP, reopening fiscal scrutiny. Amid this debate, the article highlights a deeper issue: Italy's immense cultural heritage is drastically undervalued in public accounts. For example, the Pompeii Archaeological Park is recorded at just €48.9 million, the Colosseum at under €15 million, and the Uffizi at about €2 billion—figures based on outdated 2002 ministerial criteria that bear no relation to actual economic or cultural worth. The State General Accounting Office, with the University of Roma Tre and EU technical assistance, has proposed a new methodology to value cultural assets by discounting their future net financial flows, including direct revenues and indirect tourism-related returns.
A contemporary art fair called "This is Normal" has been held in Kyiv, Ukraine, during wartime, organized by the Art Kyiv fair. The event features over 20 Ukrainian artists and galleries at the Lavra Gallery, deliberately avoiding any direct reference to the war in its booths or artworks. Organizers and participants describe the fair as a space for cultural continuity and psychological respite, where art helps people make sense of a reality shaped by missile strikes and loss.
The Art Kyiv fair, titled "This is Normal," has been held in Kyiv, Ukraine, as a contemporary art event designed to help society cope with the realities of war. Organized by director Anna Avetova, the fair features hundreds of works by Ukrainian artists at the Lavra Gallery, deliberately avoiding any booths dedicated to the war itself. The event aims to provide cultural continuity, emotional sustenance, and a boost to the domestic art market, which has struggled since the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion.
The National Museum of Military History in Bulgaria will open an exhibition titled “Created in War, Preserved through Art” on May 5, marking the Day of Bravery and the Bulgarian Armed Forces as well as the museum’s 110th anniversary. The exhibition transports visitors to 1916, during World War I, when the museum was founded to preserve the memory of the Bulgarian Army, and highlights how Bulgarian artists participated in an international exhibition in Berlin that year, with many of their war-inspired works later acquired by the Ministry of War to form a major art collection.