MFAH's blockbuster modern art exhibit and 7 more openings in Houston this month

The article highlights eight major art exhibitions and events opening in Houston in May 2025, including the U.S. debut of "Picasso–Klee–Matisse: Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen" at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), which features works by Picasso, Klee, Matisse, and Giacometti. Other notable events include the "Freedom Plane National Tour" of founding-era documents at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the 20th Annual Empty Bowls fundraiser at Silver Street Studios, and "No Longer, Not Yet" by Marisol Valencia at Art League, which uses materials from a migrant shelter. The article also mentions shows at CAMH, Moody Art Center, and Sawyer Yards.

As old HQ comes down, Best Products’ design legacy is highlighted in Branch Museum exhibit

The Branch Museum of Design in Richmond has opened 'Imagining Best Products,' an exhibition exploring the architectural and graphic design legacy of the former retailer Best Products. The show, curated by architect Don O’Keefe with Harvard Graduate School of Design students, features original drawings by James Wines, items from a 1979 MoMA exhibition, and building models. It coincides with the demolition of Best Products' old headquarters in Henrico, which is being razed for a new arena-anchored development, though the timing is coincidental.

Gearing Up for Venice

The 2026 Venice Biennale's awards jury has announced it will not consider artists from countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, specifically naming Israel and Russia. In other news, satellite imagery confirms Azerbaijan demolished an Armenian church in Artsakh, the World Press Photo of the Year was awarded to Carol Guzy for an image of ICE detaining a father, and Argentine abstract painter Ides Kihlen died at age 108. Hyperallergic also published a guide to the Biennale by Hrag Vartanian and reported on Lynda Roscoe Hartigan's appointment as director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Harry Bertoia Gets His Moment

The city of Detroit is experiencing a significant Harry Bertoia revival, centered around the rediscovery and restoration of a massive 26-foot suspended sculpture. Originally commissioned in 1970 for a Michigan mall and long presumed lost or destroyed during building demolitions, the steel-wire and brass work was found languishing in a basement in 2017. Following an extensive restoration process, the monumental piece has been installed in General Motors' new global headquarters at the historic Hudson’s site, a feat that required complex engineering and a five-story opening in the building's facade.

Gallery of Peter Zumthor’s LACMA David Geffen Galleries Open in Los Angeles - 4

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has opened its new David Geffen Galleries, a major building designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor. The structure, which replaces four older buildings on the museum's campus, is a single-story, concrete-and-glass pavilion spanning Wilshire Boulevard, designed to create a more unified and accessible visitor experience.

Family of Nonagenarian Sculptor Is Fighting to Halt Demolition of Iconic Brutalist Fountain in Downtown San Francisco

The family of 96-year-old Quebecois sculptor Armand Vaillancourt is fighting to halt the demolition of his 710-ton concrete fountain, known as Québec Libre! or the Vaillancourt Fountain, in San Francisco’s Embarcadero Plaza. The city began dismantling the 1971 public artwork this week, citing a planned plaza renovation, and the disassembly is expected to cost $4 million. Vaillancourt’s son Alexis and the group Friends of the Plaza have filed an appellate petition challenging the city’s use of an emergency exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act, arguing that the fountain’s disrepair does not constitute a sudden emergency requiring immediate action.

A majestic former mill in Milan is about to become a new cultural hub: studios, residences, and a creative boutique hotel

In un maestoso ex mulino di Milano sta per nascere un nuovo polo culturale: studi, residenze, alberghetto creativo

A historic 1929 flour mill in Milan, originally designed by Cesare Chiodi and Gio Ponti, is being transformed into 'Mulino Factory,' a multidisciplinary creative hub. Spearheaded by Ludovica Virga, the granddaughter of the building's mid-century owner, the site eschews traditional real estate development in favor of a community-focused ecosystem. The complex already houses artist studios, including that of Lola Montes Schnabel, an art gallery, and a gym, with a boutique hotel designed by Tom Dixon set to open following the 2026 Milan Design Week.

Habib Hajallie’s Meticulous Ballpoint Pen Drawings Examine the Depths of Emotion

Habib Hajallie, a Kent-based artist of Sierra Leonean and Lebanese heritage, presents a new solo exhibition titled "Black & Blue" at Larkin Durey in London. The show features meticulous ballpoint pen drawings on found fragments of philosophical and historical texts, exploring themes of memory, connection, and loss. For this series, Hajallie switched from black to blue ink as he grapples with the stillbirth of his daughter and the loss of his sister four years ago. Works include self-portraits and depictions of Black cultural figures, conveying emotions such as despair, confusion, numbness, and care.

Lebanon appeals to Unesco to intervene amid fears protected citadel has been destroyed

Lebanon’s Ministry of Culture has filed an urgent complaint with Unesco following reports that Israeli military forces destroyed the 12th-century Chama’ Citadel in southern Lebanon. The site, a Crusader-era fortress, had recently been granted "enhanced protection" status under the 1954 Hague Convention, a designation intended to shield it from military targeting. Lebanese authorities are currently unable to access the site due to ongoing military occupation and have requested that Unesco utilize satellite imagery to verify the extent of the demolition.

Rika Nakajima: A New Book of the Dead, Part 3

連載 中島りか 新しい死者の書 第三回

Japanese artist Rika Nakajima reflects on the trial of Tetsuya Yamagami, who assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022, weaving together her own experience running the project space "Datsuisho – (a) place to be naked" in Tokyo's Yanaka district. As the space faced demolition in late 2025, Nakajima draws parallels between the trial's timing and the closure of her venue, recalling earlier events at the space that discussed the state funeral controversy and the cult issues exposed by the assassination. She describes attending the trial in Nara, observing Yamagami's demeanor, and connecting the case to broader themes of political aesthetics, fascism, and the theatricality of the judicial system.

Azerbaijan Destroys Armenian Holy Mother of God Church in Artsakh

Satellite imagery obtained by Caucasus Heritage Watch (CHW) confirms that the Azerbaijani regime has demolished the Holy Mother of God Church in Stepanakert, the former capital of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). The church, consecrated in 2019 after 12 years of construction, was destroyed within the last eight weeks, as evidenced by Sentinel-2 satellite images from March 3 and April 2. The Artsakh Tourism and Cultural Development Agency announced the destruction on April 21, three days before the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. This demolition follows a pattern of damage to Armenian religious and cultural sites since the forced displacement of over 130,000 Armenians in September 2023.

Animated Bodies

Animierte Körper

Latefa Wiersch presents her exhibition "Atlas Studios" at the Istituto Svizzero in Rome, featuring unsettling, puppet-like sculptures that resemble film sets. The works explore themes of bodily helplessness, imperfection, and geopolitical displacement, drawing on her earlier project "Hannibal" at the Dortmunder Kunstverein, which addressed post-migrant German realities and the demolition of a housing complex. The new installation references the Atlas Studios in Ouarzazate, Morocco, and the history of cinema, with figures made from rags and nylon stockings that appear as actors or set workers.

Underground Railroad stop in New York threatened by real-estate development

A hidden chute within the Merchant's House Museum in Manhattan, identified as a rare surviving stop on the Underground Railroad, is threatened by a planned real-estate development next door. The two-foot-square vertical passage, concealed behind a built-in dresser, was built in 1832 by abolitionists Joseph and Susanna Brewster to shelter Black fugitives escaping slavery. The museum's western wall, which contains the hideaway, adjoins a one-story garage slated for demolition to make way for a commercial building, prompting the museum team to oppose the development due to risk of structural damage.

'Mayday' call from gallery looking for new home

Trapezium Arts, a community arts group in Bradford, UK, has issued a 'mayday' call for help to find a new home after being told it must vacate its current space in the Kirkgate Shopping Centre by June 18. The centre is slated for demolition to make way for a 1,000-home City Village development. The group, founded eight years ago by a collective of local artists, has been operating out of empty retail units and will open its final exhibition at 54 Kirkgate on Saturday, titled 'May Day!', running from May 2 to 30.

The Venice Biennale Korean Pavilion was built in 1995 as the 26th national pavilion in Giardini Cast..

The article reports on the upcoming 61st Venice Biennale in 2026, focusing on the Korean Pavilion's exhibition titled "Liberation Space: Fortress and Nest." The Korean Pavilion, built in 1995 as the 26th national pavilion in Giardini Castello Park, will present itself as a temporary monument exploring Korea's post-colonial history, specifically the liberation period (1945-1948) and the concept of sovereignty. Artistic director Choi Bit-na has curated the exhibition to address Korea's geopolitical context, viewing the pavilion's 1995 entry as a key moment of decolonization alongside the demolition of the Government-General building and the founding of the Gwangju Biennale.

New Building at Burg Halle Takes Shape

Neubau an der Burg Halle nimmt Form an

The long-delayed new building for the Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle (University of Art and Design Halle) is moving forward, with a construction start now planned for autumn 2027. The Finance Committee of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament has approved the updated cost estimate of around 42 million euros, clearing the way for the project. While the building was originally slated for completion in 2027, a more realistic finish date is now 2030, with preparatory moves and demolition work scheduled to begin in late 2026.