The Big Review: Rothko in Florence ★★★★★

The Palazzo Strozzi in Florence has launched a major exhibition exploring the profound influence of the Italian Renaissance on Mark Rothko. Co-curated by the artist's son, Christopher Rothko, the show spans three historic locations: the Palazzo Strozzi, the Museo di San Marco, and the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana. By placing Rothko’s abstract canvases in direct dialogue with Fra Angelico’s frescoes and Michelangelo’s architecture, the exhibition highlights how the artist’s visits to Italy in the 1950s and 60s shaped his spatial thinking and spiritual intensity.

Zurich’s controversial Bührle Collection is rehung, including five paintings by Van Gogh—plus one forgery

The Kunsthaus Zurich has unveiled a comprehensive new display of the Emil Bührle Collection, featuring 205 works including five significant paintings by Vincent van Gogh and one acknowledged forgery. This reinstallation marks a shift from previous thematic displays focused on provenance research to a denser presentation of the collection's breadth. Notable works on view include a 1887 self-portrait and the masterpiece 'The Sower at Sunset,' though one Van Gogh remains in conservation and another has been withdrawn due to Nazi-era ownership complications.

In an Unlikely Pairing, Giacometti Sculptures Head to The Met's Temple of Dendur

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced a major summer exhibition titled "Giacometti in the Temple of Dendur," featuring 17 sculptures by the 20th-century Swiss master Alberto Giacometti. The show, organized in collaboration with the Fondation Giacometti, will place the artist's iconic slender bronze figures within and around the first-century BCE Roman Period Egyptian temple. The installation includes significant loans such as "Femme qui marche I" and "Femme de Venise I," marking a rare dialogue between modern existentialist sculpture and ancient architectural history.

Everything you need to know about Henri Matisse, star of the Grand Palais this spring

Tout ce qu’il faut savoir sur Henri Matisse, star du Grand Palais ce printemps

The Grand Palais in Paris is hosting a major retrospective focusing on the final masterpieces of Henri Matisse, the pioneer of Fauvism. The exhibition highlights the artist's late-career reinvention between 1941 and 1954, featuring his innovative gouache cut-outs, illustrated books, and stained glass designs created while he was bedridden in Nice.

Andrew Lloyd Webber Says He's Writing a New Musical About the Time the 'Mona Lisa' Vanished Without a Trace in 1911

Andrew Lloyd Webber, the legendary composer behind 'The Phantom of the Opera,' has announced he is developing a new musical centered on the 1911 theft of Leonardo da Vinci’s 'Mona Lisa.' The production will dramatize the true story of Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian glazier who stole the masterpiece from the Louvre, leading to a two-year international search before the painting was recovered in Italy.

‘Ugly’ but ‘beautiful’: LACMA finally unveils controversial new Geffen Galleries — was it worth the wait?

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has finally unveiled its new David Geffen Galleries, a $724 million concrete and glass structure designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. Spanning Wilshire Boulevard, the 110,000-square-foot elevated gallery space will house 1,700 works from the museum’s permanent collection, including masterpieces by Francis Bacon, Henri Matisse, and Katsushika Hokusai. The building is scheduled to open to the public on April 19, marking the completion of a massive campus expansion that has been nearly two decades in the making.

Olivia Rodrigo’s New Music Video Is a Dizzying Romp Through Versailles

Pop star Olivia Rodrigo has released the music video for her new single "Drop Dead," filmed on location at the Palace of Versailles. Directed by Petra Collins, the production marks the first time a music video has been granted permission to film inside the palace's royal apartments, including the Queen's Bedroom and the Grand Couvert Antechamber. The video features Rodrigo performing alongside historic masterpieces, such as Pierre Mignard’s 17th-century tapestry "Apollo and the Muses on Mount Parnassus."

Collector Jennifer Gilbert Is Selling Modernist Masterpieces to Fund Her New Arts Space

Jennifer Gilbert, the Detroit-based entrepreneur and philanthropist, is auctioning a selection of Modernist masterpieces from her private collection to fund Lumana, a new nonprofit arts organization. The sales, scheduled for May and June at Sotheby’s New York, include high-profile works by Joan Mitchell and Kenneth Noland, with an overall fundraising goal exceeding $10 million.

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.

Monet painting auctioned in France for more than 10 million euros

Monet-Gemälde in Frankreich für mehr als 10 Millionen Euro versteigert

A recently rediscovered landscape painting by Claude Monet, titled "Vétheuil, effet du matin" (1901), sold for €10.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction in France. The sale exceeded its initial estimate of €6 million to €8 million and set a new record for a Monet work sold at auction within France. A second work, "Les îles de Port-Villez" (1883), also outperformed expectations, fetching €6.45 million during the same event.

Hong Kong Art Gallery Kwai Fung Hin Opens First Overseas Outpost In Singapore

Hong Kong’s Kwai Fung Hin gallery has expanded internationally for the first time, opening a new outpost at 30 Beach Road in Singapore. Founded by former banker Catherine Kwai in 1991, the gallery specializes in 20th-century modern and contemporary art with a focus on cultural heritage. The new space launched with an exhibition titled “Worlds beyond Reality – Monet’s Legacy II,” featuring a masterpiece by Claude Monet alongside works by Zao Wou-Ki and Chu Teh-Chun.

Prada's Cultured Symposium on Fashion and Design Will Take Place This Year at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan

Il colto simposio su moda&design di Prada quest’anno si svolgerà nella chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie a Milano

The fifth edition of Prada Frames, an annual multidisciplinary symposium curated by the design studio Formafantasma, is set to take place from April 19 to 21, 2026, at the historic Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. Hosted within the Renaissance sacristy attributed to Donato Bramante, the event coincides with the Salone del Mobile and features a series of lectures and discussions. This year's theme, "In Sight," explores the evolving power of images, the blurring lines between human and machine-generated content, and the material environmental impact of digital image production.

I Have Always Been Drawn to the Despised

"Ich habe mich schon immer zum Verachteten hingezogen gefühlt"

Irish artist Alice Maher discusses her ongoing exploration of patriarchal structures, mythology, and the symbolic power of female hair in her practice. Her current work focuses on large-scale drawings of Sibyls—ancient female prophets—whose excessive hair serves as a metaphor for identity, power, and the 'monstrous feminine.' Maher reflects on her career-long engagement with Irish history, from collecting hair during the Troubles to her collaborative textile masterpiece, "The Map," which reclaims the legacy of Mary Magdalene from Catholic institutional narratives.

A Monet Sold at Auction in France

Un Monet adjugé en France

Claude Monet’s painting 'Vétheuil, effet du matin' sold for nearly €10.2 million at an auction in Paris this Thursday. The sale highlights the continued demand for high-quality Impressionist works within the French capital's growing secondary market.

Two Hubert Robert paintings from Madame Geoffrin offered to the museum by the Friends of the Louvre

Deux Hubert Robert de Madame Geoffrin offerts au musée par les Amis du Louvre

Two paintings by Hubert Robert, once owned by Madame Geoffrin, were acquired by the Musée du Louvre through a preemptive purchase at Christie’s Paris on March 25. The works sold for €1,950,000 hammer (€2,439,000 with fees) and are being donated to the museum by the Société des Amis du Louvre. The paintings, described as 18th-century snapshots, were part of the historic Veil-Picard collection and will undergo restoration before being displayed.

According to an AI, El Greco would actually be the sole author of the 'Baptism of Christ' in Toledo, long considered a workshop work

Selon une IA, Greco serait en réalité l’unique auteur du « Baptême du Christ » de Tolède, longtemps considéré comme une œuvre d’atelier

A new study published in Science Advances uses an AI tool called Patch to analyze the monumental painting "Le Baptême du Christ" (1608–1614) by El Greco, long believed to be a workshop piece completed by his son Jorge Manuel Theotocópuli. By mapping the 3D microtopography of the brushstrokes and comparing them with El Greco's authenticated "Christ on the Cross" at the Cleveland Museum of Art, the AI found consistent painterly gestures across the entire work, suggesting the master himself painted it despite tremors from neurological disorders in his old age.

Manet Under the Magnifying Glass

Manet à la loupe

A new documentary film titled 'Le Monde dans un tableau : les lampes de Manet' offers a detailed investigation into Édouard Manet's final major painting, 'Un bar aux Folies Bergère'. The film features an eclectic mix of interviewees, from a Folies Bergère lighting technician to a Shintō monk and a Tokyo print editor, weaving together art history and broader historical context around the iconic work.

Bruegel to Rembrandt at Compton Verney: From Brussels to the English Countryside

Compton Verney in Warwickshire is hosting the exhibition 'Bruegel to Rembrandt: Drawing Life, Sketching Wonder,' featuring 50 old master drawings from the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. This marks the first time these works, including pieces by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Rembrandt, and Rubens, have been shown in the UK, offering a rare glimpse into 16th and 17th-century artistic practice through intimate sketches of everyday life.

Views from Behind. A Figure Without a Portrait

Vu[e]s de dos. Une figure sans portrait

The exhibition "Vu[e]s de dos. Une figure sans portrait" at Les Franciscaines in Deauville, running from February 28 to May 31, 2026, explores the artistic motif of figures seen from behind. Curated by director Annie Madet-Vache, the show was inspired by a small painting from the museum's own collection, André Hambourg's *L'Enterrement de Poincaré*. Unable to secure loans of iconic works such as those by Friedrich, Delacroix, Ingres, or Vermeer, Madet-Vache instead displays large black-and-white reproductions of these masterpieces alongside contemporary works they inspired, turning the absence of the originals into a conceptual strength.

Renoir Not Seen in Public for 97 Years Will Go Up for Auction in May

A major portrait by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, "La femme aux lilas (Portrait de Nini Lopez)" (1876–77), will be sold at Christie's on May 18. The painting, which has been held privately by the Whitney Payson family for 97 years, is expected to fetch between $25 and $35 million.

A Blockbuster Take on Ovid’s “Metamorphosis”

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has opened a major exhibition titled 'Metamorphoses,' inspired by Ovid's poem. The show brings together Renaissance masterpieces, antiquities, and contemporary works, grouping them by the myths they depict to explore themes of transformation, desire, and gender through striking visual juxtapositions.

The $53 M. Wingate Collection Comes to Sotheby’s, Led by a $25 M. Giacometti

The collection of modern and contemporary art assembled by David and Shoshanna Wingate over seven decades will be sold at Sotheby's in New York and London on May 19 and 20. The sale, comprising over 50 works by artists like Alberto Giacometti, Mark Rothko, and Wassily Kandinsky, is estimated to fetch between $37 million and $53 million, led by Giacometti's sculpture "La Clairière (Composition avec neuf figures)" with an estimate of $18 million to $25 million.

The 21 best museums in L.A. you should visit

A listicle from Time Out Los Angeles presents the 21 best museums to visit in Los Angeles, highlighting essential institutions like LACMA, The Broad, and the Getty Center. The article provides practical details such as addresses, hours, pricing, and notes on free admission days, while also mentioning specific current attractions like the newly opened David Geffen Galleries at LACMA and Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room at The Broad.

Christie’s to Offer $35 M. Renoir Painting Owned by Whitney Family For Nearly a Century

Christie's will auction Pierre-Auguste Renoir's 1876-77 painting 'La femme aux lilas (Portrait de Nini Lopez)' in its 20th Century Evening Sale on May 18, with an estimate of $25 million to $35 million. The work has been owned by the Whitney Payson family since 1929 and is being sold from the collection of the late Lorinda Payson de Roulet, daughter of the original buyers, Joan Whitney Payson and Charles Payson.

Drones, Uncle Sam, and Grand Master Rafael: 10 Must See Exhibits This Spring

New York City’s museum landscape is entering a major spring season characterized by high-profile retrospectives, institutional reopenings, and the 82nd Whitney Biennial. Key highlights include a massive Raphael survey at the Metropolitan Museum of Art featuring over 200 works, the reopening of the expanded New Museum with a tech-focused exhibition on the future of humanity, and a major survey of sculptor Carol Bove at the Guggenheim. The season also features thematic shows exploring American folk art, Dutch Golden Age masterpieces, and the relationship between Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

This week in the Greater Bay Area: Where to see Monet paintings, a robotics exhibition and more

The Greater Bay Area is hosting a diverse range of cultural events this week, highlighted by the exhibition "Blooming: The Art of Gardens in East and West" at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. This show features rare works by Claude Monet, including his iconic Water Lilies, alongside traditional Chinese garden-themed art. Other notable visual arts events include the "Fragrance of Youth" exhibition at the Guangdong Museum of Art, showcasing contemporary Lingnan female artists, and the Tap Siac Craft Market in Macao, which features over 200 artisanal stalls.

Beatriz González at the Barbican: Images Against Oblivion

BEATRIZ GONZÁLEZ EN EL BARBICAN: IMÁGENES CONTRA EL OLVIDO

The Barbican Centre in London is hosting a major retrospective of the late Colombian artist Beatriz González, marking her first solo exhibition in the United Kingdom and her most extensive show in Europe to date. Featuring over 150 works, the exhibition traces her six-decade career, from her early experiments with pop-inflected figuration to her iconic use of domestic furniture as canvases. Central to the show is her 1965 masterpiece 'Los suicidas del Sisga,' which exemplifies her method of translating degraded press photographs into vibrant, critical paintings that challenge historical erasure.

In Turin, a Confrontation Between Masters: The Exhibition of Beato Angelico and Bartholomeus Spranger

A Torino c’è un confronto tra maestri: la mostra di Beato Angelico e Bartholomeus Spranger

The Musei Reali in Turin has unveiled a specialized study exhibition titled "Beato Angelico negli occhi di Bartholomeus Spranger," which brings together two versions of the Last Judgment. The show features the return of Beato Angelico’s "Madonna of Humility" to Turin, accompanied by his "Last Judgment" on loan from the Museo di San Marco in Florence. This masterpiece is displayed alongside a later interpretation of the same subject by the Flemish Mannerist Bartholomeus Spranger, painted over a century later.

Hamnet-era mourning jewel from celebrated painting rediscovered after 400 years

A rare 17th-century mourning jewel, depicted in the celebrated 1635 painting 'Sir Thomas Aston at the Deathbed of His Wife' by John Souch, has been rediscovered after 400 years. The heart-shaped pendant, which contains a tassel of hair from Aston’s deceased son Robert, was identified by its current owners during a chance visit to an exhibition featuring the portrait. Valued at £650,000, the gold and enamel memento mori features intricate Latin inscriptions that were previously illegible in the painting.

The Poetics of Error Between Art and Architecture

La poetica dell’errore tra arte e architettura

This essay challenges the historical obsession with perfection in architecture and art, rooted in Hegelian philosophy where beauty is equated with truth and flawlessness. It argues that the pursuit of the 'ideal' is a cognitive bias that ignores the value of complexity and structural failure. By reframing the 'error' not as a mistake but as a generative method, the text suggests that imperfection is often what elevates a work to the status of a masterpiece.