Under new ownership, Art Monte Carlo voices 'global ambitions'

The 10th edition of Art Monte Carlo took place from April 29 to May 1 in the Grimaldi Forum, featuring 26 exhibitors ranging from Old Master paintings to contemporary works by Picasso, Warhol, and Richter. The fair was acquired last year by Informa Prestige, a luxury offshoot of Informa, which also owns Miami's Untitled fair. Executive chair John Paton aims to grow the fair, nearly double its size within two years, and expand to another location, leveraging complementary audiences from yachting and supercars.

Sheila Hicks’s Cosmic Art Jewelry Comes To The Venice Biennale

Artist Sheila Hicks is presenting a new collection of jewelry, titled "Cosmic Jewelry," at the Venice Biennale, developed with Elisabetta Cipriani Gallery, London. The collection debuted on May 6 at the Monaco & Grand Canal Hotel during the opening of the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, alongside works by other artists such as Giorgio Vigna and Michele Oka Doner. Known for her monumental textile-based works, Hicks has translated her signature use of thread and fiber into wearable art, creating brooches and necklaces that incorporate gemstones and minerals, produced with Atelier L & L. The pieces draw from her larger-scale "Boules" and "memory bundles," reflecting a two-year process of rethinking proportion and movement for bodily adornment.

Michel Bassompierre, Celebratory Animal Sculptor, Dies at 78

Michel Bassompierre, célèbre sculpteur animalier, est décédé à 78 ans

Michel Bassompierre, the celebrated French animal sculptor known for his gentle, rounded bronze and marble bears, gorillas, elephants, and pandas, has died at age 78. He suffered a fatal head injury from a fall following a fainting spell in Nantes on April 21.

Star-Studded Doc on Auction Icon Simon de Pury Heads to Cannes

A new feature-length documentary titled "The Hammer" will premiere at this spring's Cannes Film Market, chronicling the five-decade career of Swiss auctioneer and art advisor Simon de Pury. Produced by Simon Wallon, who previously made a documentary on casting director Bonnie Timmermann, the film features cameos from artists Marina Abramović, Jeff Koons, Ai Weiwei, and Chloe Wise, and includes executive producer Catherine Quantschnigg. Filming took place in New York, Tokyo, London, Cannes, Miami, and Monaco between July 2023 and February 2025.

What the tenth edition of Art Monte-Carlo fair in the Principality of Monaco will be like

Come sarà la decima edizione fiera Art Monte-Carlo nel Principato di Monaco

Art Monte-Carlo, the boutique art fair in the Principality of Monaco, celebrates its tenth edition from April 29 to May 1, 2026 (preview April 28), under the High Patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II. The fair will host 26 international galleries of modern and contemporary art at the Grimaldi Forum, moving to new spring dates and coinciding with the Monaco Art Week (April 27–May 1). Newcomers include Italian gallery Secci, Mitterrand from Paris, A&R Fleury, Cecilia Hillström Gallery, Fabienne Levy, Giovanni Martino Projects, Lee & Bae, Ritsch-Fisch Galerie, and Monegasque galleries Hartford Fine Art – Lampronti Gallery and M.F. Toninelli Art Moderne. Returning exhibitors include Almine Rech, Cortesi, Galleria Continua, Suzanne Tarasieve, Semiose, Van de Weghe, Voena, and Wilde. A curated section features a collective exhibition titled "Earthly Delights," curated by Stefano Rabolli Pansera and inspired by Luis Buñuel, centered on a functioning bar as a conceptual and physical space. The fair also includes a public program and talks with figures such as photographer Juergen Teller, auctioneer Simon de Pury, and collector Batia Ofer, and has moved under the influence of Informa Prestige, the luxury division of events company Informa.

Feeling Nature According to Nicolas Poussin

Ressentir la nature d’après Nicolas Poussin

An exhibition titled "Le sentiment de la nature. L’art contemporain au miroir de Poussin" has opened at the NMNM – Villa Paloma in Monaco. Curated by Guillaume de Sardes, it places Nicolas Poussin's 1651 painting *L'Orage* in dialogue with works by over twenty contemporary artists, including Sarah Moon, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Thomas Demand, Pierre Thoretton, Ange Leccia, Marine Wallon, and Claudio Parmiggiani.

C’è un artista che ha deciso di vivere in povertà come un monaco francescano. La storia

Miltos Manetas, a Greek-born artist, has adopted a life of Franciscan poverty as both a personal practice and an artistic project called "Francesco_2026." His work is featured in the exhibition "Vita minore. San Francesco e la santità dell’arte contemporanea" at Palazzo Collicola in Spoleto, curated by Gianni and Giuseppe Garrera. Manetas has also launched the tenth Internet Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, inviting Saint Francis as the artist, using AI conversations and a monastery in the Venetian lagoon to create an informal community of "Fratelli e Sorelle" who follow a shared rule based on poverty, absence of preparation, and divine providence.

What are these 'art clubs' that Alessandro Benetton is opening around Italy? The story.

Cosa sono questi “art club” che Alessandro Benetton sta aprendo in giro per l’Italia? Il racconto

21Art, a company founded by Alessandro Benetton based on a project by entrepreneur Davide Vanin, is expanding its network of gallery spaces and affiliated 'Art Clubs' across Italy and into Monaco. This spring, a new location in Montecarlo will join existing galleries in Rome, Padua, and Treviso, with plans for further openings in Milan, Cortina, and Jesolo by 2027. The expansion is accompanied by a spring 2026 exhibition program featuring shows by Mario Ceroli in Treviso, Ahmet Güneştekin in Rome, and Jan Fabre in Montecarlo.

In Pictures: Prince Albert II and Princess Caroline open Monaco Art Week 2026

Prince Albert II and Princess Caroline of Hanover opened the 8th edition of Monaco Art Week on Monday evening at the New National Museum of Monaco. The event, running until May 1, transforms the Principality into an open-air art trail with fourteen participating venues, including Artcurial, Sotheby's, Almine Rech Gallery, and the Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo, spread across La Condamine, Monte-Carlo, and Larvotto. The royal siblings toured the current exhibition "The Feeling of Nature," which explores works from Nicolas Poussin to contemporary art, featuring painting, sculpture, jewellery, and design. The week will culminate with the opening of the Art Monte-Carlo fair at the Grimaldi Forum, marking its 10th edition under the artistic direction of Stefano Rabolli Pansera.

Live Arts Program “1922 Revisited” Opens May 5th to Kick Off Preview Week, 61st Venice Biennale 2026

Third Space Art Foundation will present “1922 Revisited,” a live arts program curated by Dr. Janine A. Sytsma, from May 5–9, 2026 in Venice, Italy, during the preview week of the 61st Venice Biennale. The program brings together ten international artists to engage with the 1922 Venice Biennale exhibition of African sculpture through performances, a film screening, and a panel discussion, staged at venues including Hotel Monaco and the European Cultural Centre’s Marinaressa Gardens.