gavin turk ben brown fine arts

British artist Gavin Turk is set to debut a new body of work at Ben Brown Fine Arts in London for his sixth solo exhibition with the gallery, titled "The Escapologist." The exhibition features a series of trompe l’oeil paintings depicting partially open doors set within frames, hung low to create a sculptural, illusionistic effect. Drawing on art historical references ranging from Gerhard Richter’s modernist doors to René Magritte’s surrealist metaphors, the works explore the door as a symbol of the threshold and the psychological tension between anticipation and absence.

Remembering Pat Steir, one of the 20th century’s late-blooming great artists

Pat Steir, the acclaimed American painter known for her Waterfall series, died in Manhattan on 25 March at age 87. The article traces her career from early struggles as a freelance illustrator and art director, through her transformative encounter with Sol LeWitt in the early 1970s, to her eventual emergence as a major figure in contemporary painting. It highlights her teaching at CalArts and Parsons, her involvement with feminist and artist-run institutions like Heresies and Printed Matter, and the pivotal moment in the early 1980s when she cut up a reproduction of a Jan Brueghel the Elder flower painting into 64 panels, repainting each in a different historical style.

state of the art market old masters and neo old masters

Artnet News, in collaboration with Morgan Stanley, analyzed auction data from the Artnet Price Database to assess the state of the European Old Master market since 2018. The investigation explores how efforts to contemporize Old Masters—through juxtapositions at art fairs like TEFAF and Masterpiece London, and gallery shows such as David Zwirner's 'Endless Enigma'—have correlated with market trends for Contemporary and Ultra-Contemporary artists whose work is visibly influenced by classical European art. The report also examines the impact of living artists inspired by Old Masters, suggesting that restricting analysis to historical works alone may underestimate their ongoing influence on the art market.

A Brush With... Hurvin Anderson—podcast

British painter Hurvin Anderson discusses his artistic journey and the cultural influences that shape his work in a new interview. Born in Birmingham to Jamaican parents, Anderson creates atmospheric paintings that explore the textures of memory and the diasporic experience, often blending imagery of Britain and the Caribbean to reflect the feeling of being in one place while thinking of another.

Guggenheim to Screen Artistic Portrait of Soccer Legend Zinédine Zidane

The Guggenheim Museum in New York will screen Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno's 2006 film "Zidane, a 21st century portrait" from June 11 to July 19, 2026, timed with the FIFA World Cup. The two-channel video piece follows French soccer legend Zinédine Zidane during a 90-minute match between Real Madrid and Villarreal, captured by 17 cameras to create an intimate, voyeuristic portrait of the player. This marks the film's first showing at the Guggenheim since the museum acquired one of 17 unique editions.

More Than Breakfast

Mehr als Frühstück

The article explores the enduring presence and symbolism of the egg as a motif throughout art history. It highlights works by artists from Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel the Elder to Salvador Dalí and Constantin Brâncuși, showing how the egg has been used in painting, sculpture, and photography to represent themes of origin, life, and perfect form.

what are the 10 best works of art in new york museums let the debate begin

Artnet News critic Christian Viveros-Fauné has published a personal list of the ten best works of art in New York museums, sparking debate among readers. The selection includes iconic pieces such as Giovanni Bellini's *St. Francis in the Desert* at the Frick Collection, Gerhard Richter's *October 18, 1977* at MoMA, Paul Cézanne's *The Card Players* at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, James Rosenquist's *F-111* at MoMA, Diego Velázquez's *Juan de Pareja* at the Met, and Pablo Picasso's *Les Demoiselles d'Avignon* at MoMA, among others.

Michael Armitage in Venice, monumental and disturbing. What the exhibition at Palazzo Grassi looks like

Michael Armitage is the subject of a major solo retrospective at Palazzo Grassi in Venice, marking his largest exhibition in Europe to date. Organized by the Pinault Collection, the show features monumental paintings that blend African identity, local Kenyan chronicles, and mythological narratives. Armitage’s work is noted for its physical scale and its ability to transform the chaos of human affairs into a syncretic epic, utilizing traditional materials like Lubugo bark cloth to ground his contemporary subjects.

Kerry James Marshall offers a fresh lesson in art history at his London retrospective

Kerry James Marshall's retrospective 'The Histories' opens at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, featuring over 80 works spanning his career. The exhibition, co-curated by Mark Godfrey and Adrian Locke, includes early pieces like 'A Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self' (1980) and recent paintings exploring African history and the transatlantic slave trade. After London, the show travels to Kunsthaus Zürich and the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris, timed to Marshall's 70th birthday.

Return of Aparicio painting to Prado exemplifies trajectory of human taste

The Prado Museum in Madrid has launched a new exhibition series called "A Work, a Story," beginning with José Aparicio's 1818 painting "El año del hambre de Madrid" (The Year of the Famine in Madrid). Once the museum's most popular attraction, the propagandistic work celebrating Spanish resistance to Napoleon fell from favor and was removed from display for over 150 years, residing in government buildings and other museums before returning to the Prado.

Zurbarán review – ecstatic visions, primitive surrealism … and the finest loincloths ever painted

The Guardian reviews a major exhibition of 17th-century Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán, highlighting his visionary and surrealist qualities. The show features works such as "The Apparition of Saint Peter to Saint Peter Nolasco" (1629), newly attributed paintings including a giant mask, and iconic pieces like "The Crucified Christ" and "Saint Serapion," all drawn from collections including the Prado and the National Gallery, London. The review emphasizes Zurbarán's ability to paint supernatural subjects with naturalistic conviction, his exquisite rendering of fabrics—especially loincloths—and his influence on modern artists like Salvador Dalí.

sleeping hermaphroditus louvre rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has secured a major loan of the ancient marble sculpture *Sleeping Hermaphroditus* from the Louvre in Paris. The work will be a centerpiece of the museum's upcoming exhibition "Metamorphoses," which opens on February 6, 2026, and explores themes of transformation drawn from Ovid's epic poem.

prado museum moves to curb overcrowding

Madrid's Prado Museum has announced it will cap visitor numbers after a record-breaking 3.5 million visits in 2025, with director Miguel Falomir declaring the institution does not want or need 'a single visitor more.' The museum unveiled 'Plan Host,' a new strategy prioritizing visitor experience over volume, including measures to limit crowds and attract more local Spanish audiences, as 65 percent of current visitors are overseas tourists. Falomir warned against chasing ever-higher attendance, citing the Louvre as a cautionary example where overcrowding has led to deteriorating conditions, staff strikes, and calls for the director's resignation.

robert rauschenberg dance guggenheim

A gala performance at the Guggenheim Museum in New York marked what would have been Robert Rauschenberg's 100th birthday, featuring dancers performing Paul Taylor's 'Tracer' (1962), for which Rauschenberg created costumes and sets—including a spinning bicycle wheel that served as a portal to the exhibition above. The show, 'Robert Rauschenberg: Life Can’t Be Stopped,' opened in one of the museum's tower galleries and runs through May 3, presenting select works from the Guggenheim's collections and loans from the artist's foundation, including major pieces like 'Barge' (1962–63), the largest silkscreen painting Rauschenberg made in the early 1960s, back in New York for the first time in nearly 25 years.

diego velasquezs las meninas why so important

Diego Velázquez's 1656 painting *Las Meninas* is examined as one of the most conceptually complex works in Western art history. The article explores how the painting subverts Renaissance artistic conventions by playing with perspective, illusion, and the relationship between viewer and subject, depicting Infanta Margaret Theresa surrounded by her entourage in the Royal Alcázar of Madrid.

matisse daughter

The Museum of Modern Art in Paris has opened "Matisse and Marguerite: Through Her Father's Eyes," an exhibition running through August 24 that explores the lifelong bond between Henri Matisse and his eldest daughter, Marguerite Duthuit-Matisse. Featuring over 100 works—including paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, and ceramics—the show traces their relationship from her childhood through World War II, with many pieces rarely exhibited before. Loans come from institutions in the United States, Switzerland, and Japan, supplemented by photographs and archival materials.

francis bacon pope painting auction

Sotheby's London will auction three Francis Bacon paintings at its July contemporary art evening sale, including 'Study for a Pope I' (1961), one of six pope paintings Bacon created for a Tate exhibition. The work, previously owned by Gunter Sachs, sold for a record £10 million in 2005, and is now estimated at £25–35 million ($38.3–53.7 million). The sale also features a 1975 Bacon self-portrait and three studies for a 1980 self-portrait, with total sale expectations of £204 million ($312.9 million), 35 percent from British artists.

The Best Exhibitions to See in Paris Right Now

Les meilleures expos du moment à voir à Paris

Beaux Arts Magazine has published a guide to the best current exhibitions in Paris for spring 2026, highlighting major shows such as "Martin Parr. Global Warning" at the Jeu de Paume, "Matisse. 1941–1954" at the Grand Palais, "Michel-Ange Rodin" at the Musée du Louvre, "Renoir et l'amour" at the Musée d'Orsay, "Calder. Rêver en équilibre" at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, and "Splendeurs du baroque" at the Musée Jacquemart-André. The article also features retrospectives of Hilma af Klint at the Grand Palais, Károly Ferenczy at the Petit Palais, Henry Taylor at the Musée Picasso, a Lee Miller exhibition at the Musée d'Art moderne de Paris, a Giovanni Segantini show at the Musée Marmottan Monet, and a Nan Goldin multimedia presentation at the Grand Palais.

17 must-see works of art at LACMA’s new David Geffen Galleries

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has unveiled a selection of must-see works within its new David Geffen Galleries, marking a radical departure from traditional museum curation. Moving away from rigid chronological and geographic silos, the museum has organized its encyclopedic collection around four major bodies of water—the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea—to highlight the historical movement of resources, ideas, and cultures. The single-level, fluid architectural space encourages visitors to meander through evolving installations that include high-profile acquisitions like Francis Bacon’s "Three Studies of Lucian Freud" alongside intricate Kuba ceremonial textiles.

The Wallace Collection appoints Selldorf Architects to lead masterplan to transform its historic London home

The Wallace Collection in London has appointed Selldorf Architects, led by Annabelle Selldorf, to lead a masterplan for Hertford House, its historic home. Selldorf, who recently oversaw renovations at the Frick Collection and the National Gallery's Sainsbury Wing, will collaborate with UK practices Purcell and Lawson Ward Studio. The project aims to improve access, sustainability, and visitor experience at the museum, which opened to the public in 1900 and houses over 5,500 works including masterpieces by Velázquez, Hals, and Rubens.

Rare Wifredo Lam Portrait Lands in New York

The Hispanic Society Museum and Library has acquired Wifredo Lam’s 1927 painting "Portrait of a Boy," marking the first time a work by a Cuban artist has entered the institution's permanent collection. Purchased at a Sotheby’s auction after decades in a private collection, the portrait dates from Lam’s formative years in Cuenca, Spain. The work represents a rare, representational style from the artist's early career, predating the Afro-Cuban Surrealism for which he became globally renowned.

picasso naomi campbell nahmad gstaad

Nahmad Contemporary is presenting a new exhibition at Tarmak22 in Gstaad, Switzerland, focusing on Pablo Picasso's 1963–65 series 'Le Peintre et Son Modèle' ('The Painter and His Model'). The show features 14 paintings that explore the artist's gaze, power dynamics, and the relationship between painter and sitter. Uniquely, British supermodel Naomi Campbell contributes her personal reflections on the works, drawing from her own experience of being photographed and observed throughout her career.

Hispanic Baroque Art in Majesty

L’art baroque hispanique en majesté

The Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris is hosting an exhibition of masterpieces from the Hispanic Society of America, marking the first time this specific selection has been shown to the French public. The show features approximately forty works, including iconic paintings by El Greco and Diego Velázquez, alongside recently acquired studies and colonial-era pieces that have rarely traveled due to previous legal restrictions and the New York institution's ongoing renovations.

Au boulot ! 10 œuvres qui célèbrent le travail

Beaux Arts Magazine presents a feature on ten artworks that celebrate labor, from ancient Egyptian frescoes to modern depictions of workers. The article highlights pieces such as Pieter Brueghel the Elder's "The Harvesters" (1565), Diego Velázquez's "The Spinners" (c. 1657), and Johannes Vermeer's "The Milkmaid" (c. 1660), examining how artists have elevated peasant, artisan, and domestic work from background detail to central subject. The feature coincides with the Musée d'Orsay's nationwide initiative "100 œuvres qui racontent le travail" (100 Works That Tell the Story of Work), which explores the history and representation of labor in art.

Beatriz González at Barbican Art Gallery, London

The Barbican Art Gallery in London is presenting a major retrospective of Colombian artist Beatriz González, marking her first solo show in the UK and her largest-ever exhibition in Europe. The exhibition spans six decades of her work, from the 1960s to the present, showcasing her roles as an artist, curator, art historian, and educator.

Simply divine: the extraordinary supernatural visions of Francisco de Zurbarán

Francisco de Zurbarán, one of the three great Spanish 17th-century painters alongside Velázquez and Murillo, is finally receiving his first solo exhibition in the UK at the National Gallery in London. The show highlights his distinctive style of religious painting, characterized by stark chiaroscuro, sculptural realism, and a meditative stillness that makes the immaterial seem tangible. Works such as his crucified Christ and The Apparition of Saint Peter to Saint Peter Nolasco exemplify his ability to depict visions and inner spirituality, often commissioned by powerful religious foundations in Seville during the Counter-Reformation.

Judge Orders Prado to Hold Disputed Velázquez Painting in Divorce Case

A Spanish judge has ordered the Museo del Prado in Madrid to take custody of a painting attributed to Diego Velázquez, which is at the center of a divorce dispute between steel magnate José María Aristrain and his ex-wife Gema Navarro. The work, a portrait of Philip IV linked to Velázquez’s early years in Madrid, was removed from Aristrain’s residence on March 17 and transferred to the Prado’s storage after Navarro filed a complaint alleging it had been wrongly withheld from her. The Ministry of Culture, acting with court and prosecutorial support, designated the museum as custodian until ownership is resolved. The painting had previously surfaced at auction, failing to sell in 2007 amid attribution doubts, before being acquired by Navarro in 2015 for €878,000.

museo del prado visitor numbers

Museo del Prado director Miguel Falomir announced at a press conference unveiling the museum's 2026 exhibition schedule that the institution does not need more visitors, stating it is comfortable with 3.5 million annual visitors and fears becoming "over-saturated." Falomir cited concerns about circulation around iconic works like Velázquez's *Las Meninas* and Bosch's *The Garden of Earthly Delights*, and emphasized improving visitor experience through optimizing entrances, reducing group sizes, and enforcing photography bans. The Prado, last expanded in 2007, is significantly smaller than the Louvre, which topped 2024 visitor figures with 8.7 million.

17th century spain fashion

A new exhibition at the Hispanic Society Museum & Library in New York, titled "Spanish Style: Fashion Illuminated, 1550–1700," explores how 17th-century Spanish fashion was governed by strict moral and legal codes. Curator Amanda Wunder highlights that garments like the guardainfante hoop skirt and the ruffled collar were regulated by kings and clergy, with women fined or barred from church for revealing shoulders or wearing lace, and men criticized for effeminate styles. The show features portraits and artifacts that reveal how clothing was used as a tool of social control, power, and gender policing in Habsburg Spain.

prado musuem isabella farnese female perspective

The Prado Museum in Madrid has launched the third installment of its "The Female Perspective" series, a self-guided thematic route highlighting the collection of Queen Isabella Farnese. The route, running through May 2026, features 45 works from the queen's 1,000-piece collection, including five pieces newly out of storage and a Murillo sketch stolen in 1897 recently recovered from France's Musée de Pau. This is the first edition focused on a single woman, showcasing Farnese's role as the Royal Collection's most significant donor.