A new exhibition of early 20th-century Estonian painter Konrad Mägi at Dulwich Picture Gallery has received a scathing critical review. The reviewer finds Mägi's colorful, modernist-influenced landscapes and portraits to be bland, derivative, and devoid of the emotional depth or urgency found in the great modernists or the gallery's own Old Master collection.
A feature article examines Salvador Dalí's controversial religious painting "Christ of Saint John of the Cross" (1951), which was physically attacked by vandals on two separate occasions—once with a rock in 1961 and later with an air rifle. The painting, part of Dalí's "Nuclear Mysticism" phase, depicts a floating, unblemished Christ from an aerial perspective, based on a drawing by the mystic St. John of the Cross and modeled by a Hollywood stunt double.
The Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris has announced a major retrospective of American photographer Lee Miller, scheduled to run from April 10 to August 2, 2026. Featuring approximately 250 vintage and contemporary prints, the exhibition will survey Miller’s multifaceted career, including her early days as a fashion model, her Surrealist collaborations with Man Ray, and her harrowing work as a war correspondent during World War II. The show arrives in Paris following its premiere at Tate Britain and marks the first significant retrospective of the artist in the French capital since 2008.
The Vatican has announced a star-studded lineup of musicians and artists for its pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "The Ear Is the Eye of the Soul." Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers in collaboration with Soundwalk Collective, the exhibition features commissioned sound works from figures including Brian Eno, FKA Twigs, Patti Smith, and the late Alexander Kluge. The project is inspired by the 12th-century mystic Saint Hildegard of Bingen and will be staged across two historic Venetian locations: the Mystical Garden of the Discalced Carmelites and the Complesso di Santa Maria Ausiliatrice.
Actor Timothée Chalamet sparked controversy by stating in an interview that he doesn't want to work in ballet or opera, describing them as artforms where the goal is to "keep this thing alive." The comment prompted swift backlash from the dance community, with institutions extending personal invitations and op-eds criticizing his remarks.
The Louvre Museum is hosting a major retrospective dedicated to Martin Schongauer, a pivotal German artist of the late 15th century, running from April 8 to July 20, 2026. Titled "Martin Schongauer: Le bel immortel," the exhibition features approximately one hundred works, including his world-renowned engravings, rare paintings like the "Virgin in the Rose Garden," and intricate drawings. Curated by Pantxika Béguerie de Paepe and Hélène Grollemund, the show traces Schongauer’s evolution from a goldsmith’s son in Colmar to a master who bridged the gap between Gothic tradition and Renaissance innovation.
The article presents an excerpt from Nathaniel Dorsky's book "Devotional Cinema," focusing on a chapter titled "The Illuminated Room." Dorsky explores the historical and perceptual relationship between cinema, vision, and spirituality, comparing the experience of watching a film in a dark theater to medieval conceptions of self-luminosity, as exemplified by stained glass windows in cathedrals like Chartres.
NBA star Devin Booker has developed a significant connection with James Turrell’s Roden Crater, visiting the massive land art project in a dormant Arizona volcano three times since 2020. The Phoenix Suns guard has formed a mutual friendship with Turrell, who praised Booker’s artistic sensibility, while Booker credited the immersive installation with providing a sense of presence and perspective that transcends his professional basketball career.
The Vatican has unveiled the roster for its Pavilion of the Holy See at the 2026 Venice Biennale, featuring a high-profile multidisciplinary lineup. Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers, the exhibition titled “The Ear is the Eye of the Soul” will showcase new works from 24 contributors, including FKA Twigs, Brian Eno, Devonté Hynes, Patti Smith, and Precious Okoyomon. The presentation aims to bridge the gap between contemporary art, music, and spirituality through a diverse array of creative mediums.
The Asia Society in New York has unveiled a major exhibition drawn from the Rockefeller family's extensive collection of Asian devotional sculptures. The show, curated by the institution's own critic, spans 70 years of acquisitions and features works the critic was personally involved in installing decades ago.
嶋田美子：滅私｜愛護 @ オオタファインアーツ
Ota Fine Arts in Tokyo is hosting a solo exhibition by Yoshiko Shimada titled "Selfless Devotion / Loving Care," running from March 14 to May 16, 2026. The exhibition features a significant selection of Shimada’s seminal works from the early 1990s, including "A Woman Shooting II," "A House of Comfort," and "Tied to Apron Strings." These pieces utilize photography, installation, and found objects to confront difficult historical narratives.
Adam Patrick Grant’s artistic practice is rooted in a meticulous and devotional process of observation, transitioning from a background in film to a dedicated focus on oil painting over the last three years. Working from his London studio, Grant utilizes an extensive archive of personal sketches, photographs, and found imagery—such as anonymous postcards and family photos from markets—to capture fleeting moments of intimacy and the unspectacular everyday. His work is characterized by a rhythmic dialogue between the act of walking, the gathering of visual fragments, and the translation of these memories into tender, precise compositions.
The Toledo Museum of Art has launched a new digital exhibition titled "Birds in Art: Devotion and Decadence," curated by a group of 25 students from the University of Toledo. The online showcase features a diverse selection of paintings, sculptures, and photographs drawn from the museum's permanent collection, all centered on the cultural and artistic symbolism of avian subjects.
Twenty-five art students from the University of Toledo, including local Monroe County residents Keira Turvey and Sara Wisler, have curated a new digital exhibition for the Toledo Museum of Art titled “Birds in Art: Devotion and Decadence.” The project marks a significant milestone for the university's art program as it is the first time students have developed an exhibition designed to exist exclusively in an online format.
Graduating seniors from Northern Michigan University’s School of Art and Design are showcasing their capstone projects at the DeVos Art Museum in Marquette. The exhibition features work from 20 students across diverse disciplines, including ceramics, illustration, painting, and digital cinema, culminating in a reception and awards ceremony on May 1.
A new report by Museum Hue reveals that over a third of surveyed museums and cultural centers founded and led by people of color in the Northeastern United States operate without any full-time staff. The study, which examined 38 institutions, found that 67% of smaller-budget organizations (with budgets under $500,000) lack full-time employees, with some operating on less than $100,000 annually and relying heavily on volunteers.
Smithsonian Magazine has announced the winners of its 23rd annual photography contest, selecting top honors from over 17,000 submissions spanning 108 countries. The Grand Prize was awarded to Jacqueline Burke, a veterinarian and photographer, for her image "The Punk Rockers," which captures three egret chicks with mohawk-like plumage at a New Jersey rookery. Other category winners highlighted diverse subjects, including an abstract portrait by Irina Denisova and a spiritual scene of a devotee in Varanasi by Arun Kumar Nalimela.
The London Jesuit Centre is hosting "Paintings of Prayer and Protest," an exhibition featuring the works of artists Helen Elwes and Martin Jarvis. The show coincides with a special Mass for the Care of Creation at Farm St Church in Mayfair, marking the anniversary of Pope Francis' death. Both artists, members of Christian Climate Action and the Laudato Si' Movement, present works that blend ecological activism with spiritual devotion, including painted banners used in climate marches and contemporary icons addressing rainforest devastation.
Los Angeles-based artist Sandy Rodriguez is profiled for her multifaceted practice that extends far beyond traditional painting. Her work involves deep research into art history, botany, and indigenous materials, positioning her as a scientist, historian, and alchemist as much as a painter.
Northern Michigan University's DeVos Art Museum is hosting two concurrent exhibitions. The first is the NMU School of Art & Design Senior Exhibition, featuring capstone projects from graduating seniors across various media, with a closing ceremony on May 1. The second is "Celebrating Legacy: Lake Superior Art Association in the Permanent Collection," a group show marking the LSAA's 75th anniversary by displaying works by past and present members from the museum's holdings.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is hosting "Household Gods: Hindu Devotional Prints, 1860–1930," an exhibition exploring the evolution of Hindu visual culture through the rise of chromolithography. The show traces how mass-produced prints transitioned sacred imagery from exclusive temple environments into the intimate, everyday spaces of domestic shrines.
medieval art christ side wound vulva 2743308
The Met Cloisters in New York is hosting "Spectrum of Desire: Love, Sex, and Gender in the Middle Ages," an exhibition exploring how medieval art depicted the body, sexuality, and gender. A central focus of the show is the intentional depiction of Christ’s side wound as a vulva-like shape, or mandorla, in illuminated manuscripts such as the 14th-century Prayer Book of Bonne of Luxembourg. These images were designed as intimate devotional tools, inviting viewers to meditate on Christ's suffering through a lens that transcended traditional gender binaries.
The Kalachaya Darpan Art Gallery in Pune is hosting a three-day exhibition titled "Strokes of Devotion," featuring handmade traditional Indian folk art created by 18 women from Studio Art for All. Founded by Shraddha Trivedi, the studio has trained over 10,000 students globally in indigenous art forms, ranging from Mata ni Pachedi to Varakari traditions. The showcase highlights freehand interpretations of spiritual themes, including the Dashavatara and Hanuman Chalisa, created by women balancing careers in medicine, law, and technology.
The Walters Art Museum has unveiled "Medieval Mindscapes," a new exhibition featuring 22 rare illustrated prayer books from the Middle Ages. Curated from the museum’s extensive permanent collection, the show focuses on "books of hours"—portable, highly personalized manuscripts that served as intimate tools for Christian devotion in medieval Europe. Highlights include 15th-century Belgian manuscripts featuring intricate visual illusions, gold parchment, and personifications of death.
The cathedral of Burgos in Spain is hosting "Picasso: Biblical Roots," the first-ever exhibition of Pablo Picasso’s work to be held within a cathedral setting. Featuring 44 works, the show explores how the artist’s Catholic upbringing and religious iconography influenced his oeuvre, despite his self-proclaimed atheism. The exhibition includes early devotional paintings, Renaissance-inspired depictions of the Crucifixion, and secular adaptations of the Virgin and Child and the Good Shepherd.
The Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti has announced the 2028 opening of the Giacometti Museum and School in Paris’s 7th arrondissement. Housed in the former Invalides train station, the 6,000-square-meter facility will be the first museum dedicated entirely to the Swiss master, replacing the much smaller Institut Giacometti. The site will showcase a massive collection of over 10,000 items, including 400 sculptures and 100 paintings, many of which have never been exhibited.
The British Museum has reached an agreement with the state government of Assam to loan the Vrindavani Vastra, a 350-year-old sacred tapestry depicting the life of Krishna, for a six-month period starting in 2027. The loan is contingent upon the construction of a specialized new extension at the Assam State Museum in Guwahati to accommodate the textile's extreme fragility. This marks the first time the artifact, which features the earliest known Assamese inscriptions, will return to its place of origin since it was acquired by the British Museum following the 1904 Younghusband expedition to Tibet.
Devon Turnbull, also known as OJAS, has a dedicated listening room featuring his custom-built high-fidelity sound system as part of the "Art of Noise" exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York. The installation, titled HiFi Pursuit Listening Room Dream No. 3, occupies Andrew Carnegie's former personal library and features scheduled listening sessions with the artist or guests, including notable figures like filmmaker Josh Safdie, musician Laraaji, and artist Tom Sachs.
Michelangelo Pistoletto, a leading figure of the Italian arte povera movement, has opened his first-ever solo exhibition in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The show, presented at the Robilant + Voena gallery's outpost in a repurposed 18th-century church, features five new mirror works from his "Color and Light" series and a sixth new piece from his "Black and Light" series, all created specifically for the ecclesiastical space.
The City of West Hollywood is presenting a free exhibition titled 'FXLK PLAY: Artists-in-Mischief, Devotion, and Mythmaking' at Plummer Park's Long Hall. The show, running from February 19 to March 19, 2026, is a survey of works by over 60 LGBTQ+ artists who have participated in the Tom of Finland Foundation's Artist-in-Residence Program, featuring painting, sculpture, and video.