Wayne Thiebaud’s first UK show reveals the hidden depths of his deceptively simple paintings

Wayne Thiebaud's first museum exhibition in the UK has opened at the Courtauld Gallery in London, featuring 21 paintings on loan from US public and private collections, including the Wayne Thiebaud Foundation. The show, titled "Wayne Thiebaud: American Still Life," highlights the artist's deceptively simple depictions of cakes, pies, and deli counters, and includes the drawing "Cake Slices" (1963) from the Courtauld's own collection. Co-curator Barnaby Wright notes that seeing the works in person reveals their extraordinary painterly quality, which is often lost in reproduction.

Nigerian Modernism, Tehran’s art scene after the war, Wayne Thiebaud’s ‘Cake’—podcast

This podcast episode from The Art Newspaper covers three distinct art stories. First, Tate Modern's new exhibition 'Nigerian Modernism' explores modern art beyond Western canons, featuring co-curator Osei Bonsu and artist Jimoh Buraimoh. Second, correspondent Sarvy Geranpayeh reports on Tehran's thriving art scene before and after the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June 2025. Third, the episode highlights 'Cakes' (1963) by Wayne Thiebaud, now on view at the Courtauld Gallery in London for the artist's first UK museum exhibition, with insights from co-curator Barnaby Wright.

Internet Goes Wild for The Met’s Newly Acquired Mannerist Painting

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's acquisition of a newly identified Mannerist painting, Rosso Fiorentino's "Madonna and Child with Saint John the Evangelist" (1512–13), has sparked a viral, irreverent reaction on social media. Commenters on the museum's Instagram post have described the muscular infant Jesus using contemporary slang like "baddie," "yasssified," and "caked up," drawing parallels to modern beauty trends.

Wayne Thiebaud’s first UK show reveals the hidden depths of his deceptively simple paintings

The Courtauld Gallery in London is hosting Wayne Thiebaud's first museum exhibition in the UK, titled "Wayne Thiebaud: American Still Life." The show features 21 paintings, mostly on loan from US public and private collections, including the Wayne Thiebaud Foundation. Co-curator Barnaby Wright highlights that seeing Thiebaud's work in person reveals its extraordinary painterly quality, which reproductions flatten. The exhibition connects Thiebaud's deceptively simple depictions of cakes, pies, and deli counters to the tradition of still-life painting, tracing influences from Édouard Manet and Paul Cézanne to Jean Siméon Chardin, and contrasts his sincere approach with Pop art's irony.

Wayne Thiebaud’s first UK show reveals the hidden depths of his deceptively simple paintings

Wayne Thiebaud's first museum exhibition in the UK has opened at the Courtauld Gallery, featuring 21 paintings on loan from US public and private collections, including the Wayne Thiebaud Foundation. The show, titled "Wayne Thiebaud: American Still Life," highlights the artist's deceptively simple depictions of cakes, pies, and deli counters, and includes a concurrent exhibition of works on paper called "Delights." Co-curator Barnaby Wright emphasizes that seeing the works in person reveals their extraordinary painterly quality, which reproductions flatten.

bianca censori peformance art bio pop 2728632

Australian architect Bianca Censori, known globally for her fashion and marriage to rapper Kanye West, debuted her first performance art piece titled "BIO POP" in Seoul. The 14-minute silent performance, staged over two days, features Censori baking a cake in a kitchen before pushing it to a living room filled with contortionists resembling her. The work is the first of seven planned performances over seven years, with future installments including "CONFESSIONAL (THE WITNESS)" and "BIANCA IS MY DOLL BABY (THE IDOL)."

A Landmark Calder Exhibition with Over 300 of His Revolutionary Works Goes on View in Paris

The Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris has launched "Calder: rêver en équilibre," a massive retrospective featuring over 300 works by the American modernist Alexander Calder. The exhibition spans the artist's entire career, from his early engineering-influenced "Circus" performances and hand-wrought jewelry to his iconic suspended mobiles and monumental outdoor sculptures. Notably, the show marks the first time the Frank Gehry-designed institution has installed artworks on its exterior lawns, creating a dialogue between Calder’s geometric forms and the building's avant-garde architecture.

'Oklahoma should be proud:' OKC museum shows works by major artist

The Oklahoma City Museum of Art (OKCMOA) has opened a major exhibition of works by the celebrated American painter Wayne Thiebaud. The show, titled "Wayne Thiebaud: The Artist's Perspective," features over 70 paintings and drawings spanning his career, including his iconic depictions of pies, cakes, and San Francisco cityscapes.

Nigerian Modernism, Tehran’s art scene after the war, Wayne Thiebaud’s ‘Cake’—podcast

This episode of The Art Newspaper's podcast covers three major stories. First, Tate Modern's new exhibition 'Nigerian Modernism' explores modern art beyond Western canons, featuring co-curator Osei Bonsu and artist Jimoh Buraimoh. Second, correspondent Sarvy Geranpayeh reports on Tehran's art scene following the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June 2025. Third, the 'Work of the Week' segment highlights Wayne Thiebaud's painting 'Cakes' (1963), now on view at the Courtauld Gallery in London for the artist's first UK museum exhibition.

Painting in Space

The article announces "Singing in Unison: Painting in Space," an exhibition curated by Michael David at Art Cake in Brooklyn, running from October 18 to December 7, 2025. It features works from the 1980s and '90s by four abstract artists—Al Held, Frank Stella, Elizabeth Murray, and Judy Pfaff—who each explored the interplay between two-dimensionality and three-dimensionality, flatness and depth, and spatial boundaries in painting. The exhibition includes an opening reception with a cooking performance by Rirkrit Tiravanija and Tomas Vu, a panel discussion, and a closing poetry reading.

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery launches special events to celebrate its 140th anniversary

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery will host a weekend of special events from November 28 to 30 to mark its 140th anniversary. Activities include a birthday cake-cutting, live poetry by Bradley Taylor, a performance by the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Trumpet Club, behind-the-scenes 'hidden spaces' tours, a party hat trail, and 'my first museum' tours for young children. The museum originally opened on November 28, 1885, by the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), and has welcomed an estimated 100 million visitors since. After closing in March 2020 for pandemic-related essential maintenance, it reopened in phases starting October 2024, with new galleries, displays, and full access to the Staffordshire Hoard by October 2025.

San Diego Museum of Art celebrates 100 years with new exhibitions

The San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a series of special exhibitions and a public birthday party. The centennial exhibition "SDMA 100 Years" opens January 24, 2026, featuring photographs, memorabilia, and film footage of key moments in the museum's history. Other exhibitions include "Local Visions: Reimagining the Façade" (through July 26), "Cafes and Cabarets: The Spectacular Art of Toulouse-Lautrec" (April 4–September 20), and "Forging a Legacy: 15 Years of Landmark Acquisitions" (May 16–September 7). The museum will offer free admission and extended hours on February 28 for its birthday fest with live music, art-making, and cake tasting.

Art exhibition weekend raises more than £25,000

Three Suffolk women—journalists Mai Noman and Nicola Gooch, and curator Mary George—organized a weekend art exhibition titled 'From Suffolk to Gaza with Love' at Noman Studio in Monks Eleigh, raising over £25,000 for the UK charity Medical Aid for Palestinians. The event featured paintings and sculptures donated by 70 artists, attracted 200 attendees on opening night, and included Palestinian cultural elements such as oud music by Reem Anbar, Arabic cakes, and a talk by a Suffolk aid worker.

Meet artists and makers at a free open-house art exhibition in Hare Hatch

Coach House Studios in Hare Hatch is hosting a free open-house art exhibition where 15 artists and makers will showcase their workspaces and sell unique pieces. The event, taking place on November 15-16, also features live music and cake, with proceeds from refreshments supporting Yeldall Manor, a Christian drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. Founder Steve Hedger, a woodworker, started the creative hub after a cardiac arrest in 2018, partnering with potter Vallari Harshwal in 2022 to build a community that offers creative opportunities for people in addiction recovery.

How do you break bad news to someone you love? With this artist’s help, it’s a piece of cake

Artist Keely O'Brien has transformed the Richmond-Brighouse SkyTrain station in Vancouver into a public gallery with her exhibition "Secret Ingredients." Part of the Capture Photography Festival, the installation features large-scale photographs of decadent, homemade cakes iced with unconventional messages like "You Snore" or "I'm So Proud of You." These images originated from a social experiment where O'Brien solicited anonymous confessions from the public and delivered them as custom-baked confections to recipients across the city.

Newsroom

Grundy Art Gallery in Blackpool is celebrating its 115th birthday in 2026 with a winter exhibitions programme that includes a giant birthday cake drawing installation in the foyer, the largest-ever Grundy Open Exhibition for local artists, newly commissioned paintings by locally based artist Jayne Simpson, and a collection spotlight exhibition themed around 1926 featuring loans from Showtown History Centre. The gallery invites the public to a special launch on January 24, 2026, and the exhibitions run through March 7.

‘Sugar felt like the perfect thread’: Tara Long on her sweet new installation

Tara Long's new installation *La Esquinita (little corner)* has taken over all three spaces at Locust Projects in Miami, transforming the gallery into a shop for sweets and souvenirs with over 500 miniature sculptures for sale. The immersive environment, her first major solo show, unfolds in three acts—seduction, exposure, and collapse—centered on a crumbling room-sized frosted cake. The exhibition draws parallels between Florida's early 20th-century Big Sugar land grab and today's Big Tech boom, reflecting on cycles of extraction and survival in Long's hometown. A pop-up speakeasy will run on Friday and Saturday nights (5 and 6 December).

An Artist and a Pastry Chef Transform Easter into an Authorial Project

Un artista e un pasticciere trasformano la Pasqua in un progetto d’autore

Artist Giovanni Gaggia and pastry chef Mattia Casabianca have collaborated to create two limited-edition Easter confections, BLU (an egg) and NUVOLA (a dove-shaped cake), that blend contemporary art, high pastry, and material research. The project moves beyond gastronomy to tell a story, with Gaggia developing the visual concept and identity, inspired by a verse from Swiss poet Franco Beltrametti.

Arzu Aliyeva and Alena Aliyeva attend exhibition titled “10 Years Lived in Colors” [PHOTOS]

On December 28, an exhibition titled “10 Years Lived in Colors” was held at the “Turkic World” Painting Gallery in the Eco-Park area of the Zirə Cultural Center, celebrating the center’s 10th anniversary. The show featured handcrafted works by student-artists aged 6–30 and teaching staff, spanning painting, sculpture, wood burning, quilling, batik, ebru, alcohol ink, graphics, and mixed media. Attendees included Arzu Aliyeva, head of the Baku Media Center, and Alena Aliyeva, who toured the exhibition and took photos with guests. The event opened with remarks by Leman Aliyeva on behalf of the center’s management, followed by Mazahir Rustamov, head of the Art Studio, discussing the studio’s decade of development. Honorary guest People’s Artist Ömər Eldarov congratulated participants. The program also included a fashion exhibition of Azerbaijani national costumes and modern garments, and a dance performance by “White Flower.” The celebration concluded with a cake-cutting ceremony.

Castleknock Christmas Tree Festival and Art Exhibition

The parishes of Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla are hosting a Christmas Tree Festival at St Brigid’s in Castleknock from November 28th to 30th, featuring decorated trees that tell the Christmas story. Alongside the festival, an annual Arts and Craft Fair will take place on Saturday, November 29th, from 12pm to 4pm in the Parish Centre, including an art exhibition and sale by local artists and crafters, plus refreshments, cake stalls, and family activities like Santa’s Grotto and face painting.

donald moffett artist profile 1234751991

Donald Moffett's latest exhibition, "Snowflake," opened at Alexander Gray Associates in New York, marking his first solo show in the city since 2019. The exhibition features extruded oil paintings created with cake-decorating tools, including works like "Lot 052525 (nature cult, melt 1)" and "Lot 061625 (nature cult, melt A)," which depict melting snow as a metaphor for the climate crisis. Moffett draws a parallel between this show and his 1989 exhibition "I Love It When You Call Me Names" at Wessel O’Connor Gallery, both titles reclaiming derogatory terms—"homo art" then, "snowflake" now—as acts of defiance. The palette is predominantly black and white, reflecting what Moffett describes as "dark times" and the stark choices of the current political climate.

'First Light' exhibition at opening of That Art Place in Carlton

That Art Place, a local art school run by Andronika Christodoulou, officially opened its new studio and gallery space in Carlton, Sydney, on July 12 with an exhibition titled 'First Light.' The event showcased works by over 65 young artists from the St George area, ranging from children as young as six to adult learners, featuring paintings, charcoal sketches, and mixed media. Highlights included a People's Choice Award won by 14-year-old Celeste Damayanwong for her charcoal lion portrait 'Majesty,' with second and third places awarded to Zoe Sigrimis and Alessia Chiotis. The opening featured mocktails, canapés, live music by The Magnificals Orchestra, and a Monet-inspired cake, marking the school's expansion from a small Bexley studio after six years of operation.

Art Gallery of Algoma celebrates 50 years and Group of Seven Day

The Art Gallery of Algoma celebrated its 50th anniversary on July 7, which also marked the inaugural Group of Seven Day in Ontario. The gallery opened its current home with a ribbon-cutting by A.J. Casson, the last living member of the Group of Seven. Festivities included family art activities, live music, an exhibition tour, a talk on the Group of Seven in Algoma, birthday cake, and Indigenous art activities led by Lucia Laford. The gallery's connection to the Group of Seven dates back to its first exhibition, which featured works by the group, and the artists frequently painted in the Algoma region during the 1920s.

Taste test: artist-made desserts will be shown (and eaten) in New York gallery’s one-night exhibition

On Saturday, June 28, the Lower East Side gallery Olympia will host CAKE, a one-night exhibition and feast featuring desserts donated by dozens of New York-based artists, including Hannah Beerman, Mie Yim, Wells Chandler, Robin F. Williams, Hein Koh, and Melissa Joseph. The event functions as a fundraiser for the gallery and a participatory performance art piece, with tickets priced at $45. The gallery's founder and director, Ali Rossi, conceived the show as a community-centric alternative to typical summer group exhibitions, and all desserts will be photographed before consumption to preserve documentation.