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The Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris has opened a new exhibition titled "The Empire of Sleep," curated by neurologist Laura Bossi and museum director Sylvie Carlier. The show gathers 130 artworks from the 19th and 20th centuries, exploring how artists have depicted sleep, dreams, nightmares, and the bed as a site of birth, love, illness, and death. Featured artists include John Everett Millais, Eugène Delacroix, Jean Cocteau, Giovanni Bellini, Gabriel von Max, Evelyn De Morgan, Odilon Redon, Gustave Courbet, Francisco de Goya, and Claude Monet, whose painting *Camille on Her Deathbed* is a centerpiece.

Pace Gallery announces representation of Korean conceptual artist Anicka Yi.

Pace Gallery has announced the representation of Korean-born, New York-based conceptual artist Anicka Yi, who joins the gallery's roster while maintaining her existing relationships with Gladstone Gallery, 47 Canal, and Esther Schipper. Yi will debut a new painting at Pace’s Art Basel Hong Kong booth this month, followed by a solo exhibition in New York in 2027 and upcoming projects at the New Museum and Storm King Art Center.

‘Barbara Windsor smacked our bottoms!’ Pet Shop Boys on showstopping visuals, horrified bosses – and snubbing the queen

The Pet Shop Boys have released a comprehensive 600-page visual monograph titled 'Pet Shop Boys: Volume,' documenting over 40 years of their aesthetic evolution. The book explores the duo's collaboration with high-profile artists, photographers, and directors including Wolfgang Tillmans, Alasdair McLellan, Derek Jarman, and long-time designer Mark Farrow. It highlights how Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe utilized the music industry's 1980s boom to treat pop music as a 'Gesamtkunstwerk' (total work of art), merging avant-garde fashion, minimalist graphic design, and cinematic music videos.

Jenny Holzer and Arthur Jafa among nominees for Art Basel Awards 2026.

Art Basel has announced the 33 nominees for the second edition of the Art Basel Awards, held in partnership with the fashion brand BOSS. The diverse shortlist features high-profile contemporary artists such as Jenny Holzer, Arthur Jafa, and Barbara Kruger, alongside multidisciplinary figures including architect Kulapat Yantrasast and critic Hilton Als.

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The Guggenheim Museum has announced a new biennial art prize, the Jack Galef Visual Arts Award, endowed by the estate of Jack Galef with a $50,000 honorarium. The first recipient is Catherine Telford Keogh, a sculptor whose work explores found materials, environmental contamination, and the global economy. Keogh plans to use the award to support projects examining microbial life in Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal and a solo exhibition in Portland tracing the history of instruments that regulate eating.

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Art Basel launched its inaugural Art Basel Awards ceremony at the New World Center in Miami Beach during Art Basel Miami Beach week. The awards, first introduced in New York in May, recognized 36 medalists across categories including Icon, Established, Emerging, Patron, Institution, Curator, and Media & Storytelling. Top winners included Cecilia Vicuña (Icon), Nairy Baghramian and Ibrahim Mahama (Established), Mohammad Alfaraj and Saodat Ismailova (Emerging), and Meriem Bennani (BOSS Award). The event was hosted by musician and collector Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, with performances by cellist Kelsey Lu and recorded narration by actor Emma D'Arcy. Each artist received $50,000, and established artists will debut commissions at Art Basel in Switzerland next year.

Theaster Gates: Contending with the Past and Present

Theaster Gates has transformed the Smart Museum of Art into a personal sanctuary for his first major solo institutional exhibition in Chicago, titled "Unto Thee." The immersive installation features vast archives from Gates's personal collections, including African artifacts, funerary objects, and a significant vinyl record collection that provides a continuous sonic backdrop to the space. Key works on display include the monumental "Black Still Life #3" and the ongoing series "Walking Prayer," which consists of black books embossed with golden phrases that explore the complexities of Black identity and collective memory.

Two 17th-Century Dutch Still Lifes Acquired by the Getty

Deux natures mortes hollandaises du XVIIe siècle acquises par le Getty

The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles has acquired two 17th-century Dutch still-life paintings by Pieter Claesz and Jan Davidsz. de Heem, masters of the genre. The works, including de Heem's "Vase en verre avec fleurs et fruits," were purchased on the New York art market and fill a gap in the museum's Dutch still-life collection, which previously lacked examples by these two artists.

Compressed Histories: Irfan Hendrian’s “CLOSED” at ara contemporary

Indonesian artist Irfan Hendrian presented his solo exhibition "CLOSED" at ara contemporary in Jakarta. The show featured new works from his Chinatown Window Sample series, which use layered paper sculptures to replicate the ornate metal trellises found on Tionghoa (Chinese Indonesian) shophouse windows, alongside interactive installations like Paranoia Holder that invited visitors to deboss their keys.

Stained glass artists open Mount Vernon arts hub — The Gallery on Gambier

Stained glass artists Kurt and Lorraine Wendling have officially opened The Gallery on Gambier in downtown Mount Vernon, Ohio. The new creative hub serves as the permanent home for their business, Wendling Glass Creations, while also showcasing the work of approximately 20 other artists specializing in mediums ranging from photography to oil painting. The space is designed as a multi-functional venue, incorporating a retail gallery, a custom framing center, and a dedicated classroom for art instruction.

The Guggenheim’s New Boss

The article reports that the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum has appointed a new director, referred to as "The Guggenheim’s New Boss." The specific identity of the appointee is not disclosed in the provided text, which is blocked by a security verification page. The article originates from Puck News, a media outlet known for insider coverage of the art world and cultural institutions.

Art exhibitions in Chiang Mai this April

Chiang Mai’s art scene is hosting a diverse range of exhibitions this April, anchored by a major retrospective of Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook at the MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum. The survey, curated by Kittima Chareeprasit and Roger Nelson, spans four decades of the artist's provocative video and installation works. Other highlights include Myrtille Tibayrenc’s installation of 108 Buddha paintings at the Museum of Something (MOS), Chatchai Notananda’s process-oriented solo show at Haan Studio, and Houda Bakkali’s digital compositions at Alliance Française.

The Essential Works of Rirkrit Tiravanija

ArtAsiaPacific profiles Rirkrit Tiravanija, a pioneering figure in relational aesthetics known for participatory works centered on communal dining and shared rituals. The article traces his career from his first solo exhibition "untitled 1990 (pad thai)" at Paula Allen Gallery in New York, where he cooked and served pad thai to visitors, to his current major retrospective "The House That Jack Built" at Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan, running through July 26. Tiravanija, born in Buenos Aires in 1961 and raised across multiple countries, has received numerous accolades including the Hugo Boss Prize (2004) and a nomination in the Established Artist category at the 2026 Art Basel Awards. He is also preparing to present a tent-like structure at the Qatari pavilion for the 2026 Venice Biennale, featuring contributions by Sophia Al-Maria, Tarek Atoui, Alia Farid, and Fadi Kattan.

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Two key staffers have been fired from the Kennedy Center following President Trump's takeover: Kevin Struthers, senior director of music programming, and Malka Lasky, a social impact staffer and coordinator for the free Millennium Stage shows. Meanwhile, Canadian artist Armand Vaillancourt, 96, has sent a cease-and-desist letter to San Francisco officials to block the demolition of his 1971 Brutalist fountain in Embarcadero Plaza, which is fenced off due to structural hazards. Two Nazi-looted still life paintings by 17th-century Dutch artist Ambrosius Bosschaert have reportedly surfaced from an abandoned safety deposit box at an Ohio auction house, and if authenticated, will be returned to the descendants of a Jewish family. Additionally, the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris has fired its director Simon Baker after an internal investigation for psychological harassment.

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The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy has acquired 11 original pieces designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Price Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, including the lobby direction board, an armchair, three copper tables, two stools, and four embossed copper panels. The acquisition, funded by donors, was made to prevent further sale and dispersal of the items after they were sold without the conservancy's permission in spring 2024, despite being protected under a preservation easement. The artifacts are currently stored in the Dallas area, and the conservancy intends to return them to Price Tower.

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Tim Blum, founder of Blum Gallery, announced the closure of his gallery in early July, citing systemic problems and burnout. However, former employees and artists have since spoken out, claiming they were blindsided by the decision and criticizing the lack of notice, severance, and transparency. Some sources allege that poor business decisions, including a buyout of partner Jeff Poe and costly renovations in a shaky economy, contributed to the closure, while others dispute Blum's claims of strong sales at Art Basel. Separately, a bipartisan Senate bill seeks to extend a 2016 law aiding Holocaust victims in reclaiming Nazi-looted art, but major museums are pushing back, arguing the law unfairly hinders their ability to defend claims.

Art Basel unveils gallery list and key highlights for its 2025 Miami Beach show

Art Basel has announced the gallery list for its 2025 Miami Beach edition, featuring 283 premier galleries from 43 countries and territories. The fair, taking place December 5-7 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, includes 48 debut exhibitors and will debut the new Art Basel Awards, presented in partnership with BOSS. The event will highlight Latinx, Indigenous, and diasporic artistic positions, with a strong focus on the Americas, including galleries from New York, Los Angeles, and Latin America.

Italy’s leading archaeological museum uses young creatives’ press shots without payment

Italy's National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN) launched a photography competition in March inviting young people aged 18 to 30 to submit images of objects from its collections, including artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum. The museum offered no payment, only exposure via social media and banners on its façade, sparking criticism from cultural workers' group Mi Riconosci and Italian media, who accused the institution of exploiting unpaid labor. Museum administrator Raffaella Bosso defended the initiative as a dialogue with youth, but the museum has not withdrawn or modified the contest.

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Justin Allen celebrated the launch of his debut book *Language Arts* (2024), published by Wendy’s Subway, with a live reading at Performance Space in New York’s Lower East Side. The book merges music, dance, performance, and language, including a poem "140 BPM" that recreates nights at Bushwick’s Bossa Nova Civic Club. Allen, who grew up in Northern Virginia and moved to New York City, draws on influences from experimental punk, indie sleaze artists like Santigold and M.I.A., and his own invented language, Hatnahans, to craft a work that blends leftist critique with speculative fiction and club culture.