Sea change: inside LACMA’s new curatorial strategy

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is debuting a radical curatorial overhaul within its new David Geffen Galleries, moving away from traditional 19th-century departmental silos. Led by Director Michael Govan and a team of 45 curators, the museum is implementing a cross-disciplinary approach that organizes the collection around "oceanic nodes"—the Mediterranean, Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific. This strategy allows for the juxtaposition of disparate media and cultures, such as contemporary photography alongside ancient textiles, to highlight the historical circulation of ideas and people across bodies of water.

Artist Charles Ross Spent 50 Years Trying to Bring the Stars Down to Earth. At 88, Has He Done It?

Artist Charles Ross is nearing the completion of Star Axis, a monumental naked-eye observatory in the New Mexico desert that has been under construction for over 50 years. Conceived in 1971 and situated on a mesa Ross discovered in 1975, the massive architectural sculpture is designed to make the 26,000-year cycle of Earth’s axial precession perceptible to the human eye. The project began after a chance encounter with a local ranching family provided Ross with the square mile of land necessary to realize his cosmic vision.

This Sam Doyle Painting May Mark a New Price Peak for the Self-Taught Artist

A solo presentation of self-taught artist Sam Doyle's work at the Outsider Art Fair in New York is generating significant attention, particularly a painting titled "Dr Bus Ha.Lo." being offered for sale for the first time at $85,000. The immersive booth, organized by London's Gallery of Everything, recreates the artist's front yard and showcases his vivid portraits of local Gullah community figures and Black cultural icons.

Theaster Gates gifts David Drake pot from his collection to enslaved ceramicist’s descendants

Artist Theaster Gates has gifted a 19th-century ceramic vessel by the enslaved potter David Drake, known as Dave the Potter, to Drake's descendants. The gesture is part of Gates's exhibition "Dave: All My Relations" at Gagosian in New York, which also features a second Drake pot recently restituted by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gates pulverized 45 of his own ceramic works to create a plinth for the vessel, framing the act as a "poetic justice" that elevates Drake's legacy above his own.

A major Jean-Michel Basquiat painting is expected to sell for more than $5 million in May.

A major Jean-Michel Basquiat painting is expected to sell for more than $5 million in May.

A major painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat, titled *Portrait of the Artist as a Young Derelict*, will be auctioned at Christie’s in New York this May. The 1982 work is a prime example of the artist's raw, graffiti-infused style and is expected to fetch over $5 million. This sale is part of Christie’s marquee spring auctions, highlighting continued strong market demand for blue-chip contemporary art.

Readymades, replicas, reiterations: MoMA show explores Marcel Duchamp the inventor

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York is launching the first major U.S. survey of Marcel Duchamp in over 50 years, organized in collaboration with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The exhibition features approximately 300 works, including iconic pieces like "Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2" and "Fountain," organized in a strict linear chronology. This approach highlights Duchamp’s practice of remaking and replicating his own work, presenting replicas only at the point in time they were physically created rather than as stand-ins for lost originals.

LACMA’s New Building Invites You to Chart Your Own Path

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is set to open its long-awaited and highly debated new building, the David Geffen Galleries. Designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, the $720 million concrete structure spans Wilshire Boulevard and replaces several older buildings with a single, elevated exhibition level. The opening marks the culmination of a decade-long project spearheaded by Director Michael Govan, featuring a non-linear layout that integrates the museum's encyclopedic collection into thematic displays rather than traditional chronological or regional divisions.

National Gallery picks Tokyo Olympic stadium architect to design new wing

The National Gallery in London has selected Japanese architect Kengo Kuma to design a major new wing as part of its ambitious £750m "Project Domani." Kuma, known for the Tokyo Olympic stadium and V&A Dundee, beat out high-profile competitors including Norman Foster and Renzo Piano. The expansion will occupy a site near Trafalgar Square currently housing a hotel and office complex, and is supported by record-breaking £150m donations from both the Julia Rausing Trust and the Crankstart foundation.

Inside LACMA’s 2026 Reopening: What to Know About the New David Geffen Galleries

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has announced that its highly anticipated David Geffen Galleries will officially open to the public on April 19, 2026. Designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Peter Zumthor in collaboration with director Michael Govan, the new facility features a horizontal, elevated design that spans Wilshire Boulevard. The structure will house 26 galleries on a single level, representing the culmination of a nearly two-decade redevelopment project.

How Alexander Calder Set Sculpture in Motion

Wie Alexander Calder die Skulptur in Bewegung setzte

The Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris has launched a major retrospective titled "Rêver en Équilibre," dedicated to the American sculptor Alexander Calder. Featuring over 300 works, the exhibition traces Calder’s journey from his 1926 arrival in Paris to his invention of the "mobile," a term coined by Marcel Duchamp. The show includes iconic large-scale hanging sculptures like "Rouge triomphant," wire figures from his famous "Cirque Calder," and rarely seen private loans, alongside paintings and jewelry that highlight his engineering background and poetic approach to abstraction.

They Painted the American West. History Painted Them Out

The exhibition "Women Artists of the American West: Colorado and Utah: 1885–1935" at History Jackson Hole spotlights seven forgotten female artists, including the adventurous mountaineer and painter Helen Henderson Chain. Curated by the founders of the Paris-based nonprofit AWARE, the show uncovers the lives of women who documented the Rocky Mountains and local communities while navigating the restrictive social norms of the late 19th century. Through paintings and photographs, the exhibition challenges the traditional, male-dominated "heroic" narrative of Western expansion.

An expert's guide to Alexander Calder: six must-read books on the US sculptor

An exhibition of nearly 300 works by Alexander Calder opens at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, exploring the development of his mobiles and wider practice. Guest curators Dieter Buchhart and Anna Karina Hofbauer have compiled a list of six essential books to deepen understanding of the artist's life and work.

Glassblower and porcelain heir Paul Arnhold on the art he loves to collect

The article profiles Paul Arnhold, a New York-based glassblower and fourth-generation heir to a major Meissen porcelain collection. He discusses how his hands-on practice as a maker directly informs his eclectic approach to collecting, which spans from ancient Etruscan artifacts to contemporary paintings by artists like Salman Toor. He emphasizes collecting based on personal joy and tactile presence rather than provenance alone.

What to See in Sydney This Spring 2026

Sydney's art scene is energized by the opening of the 25th Biennale of Sydney, titled 'Rememory' and curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, which explores histories carried in the body rather than physical monuments. Concurrently, four notable exhibitions across the city engage with similar themes of legacy and history. Kirtika Kain's 'Unkept' at the Chau Chak Wing Museum creates a fictional archive from anti-caste traditions to address Dalit lineage and colonial collection politics, while Ron Mueck's 'Encounter' at the Art Gallery of New South Wales uses hyperreal sculpture to confront contemporary brutality and vulnerability.

Leah Ki Yi Zheng’s Personal I Ching

Artist Leah Ke Yi Zheng's exhibition "Change, I Ching (64 Paintings)" at the Renaissance Society in Chicago presents a series of oil and acrylic paintings on silk, each depicting one of the 64 hexagrams from the ancient Chinese divination text, the I Ching. The artist physically altered the gallery's architecture to control light and create a specific viewing rhythm, synthesizing materials and techniques from Chinese ink painting traditions with Western geometric abstraction and oil painting.

Melissa Chiu Appointed Head of Guggenheim New York

Melissa Chiu nommée à la tête du Guggenheim New York

Melissa Chiu has been appointed as the new director of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, effective September 1. Currently the head of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., Chiu succeeds Mariët Westermann, who will transition to a strategic role overseeing the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s international network. Chiu brings a proven track record of fundraising, having secured nearly $250 million during her tenure at the Hirshhorn, and is credited with significantly increasing attendance and diversifying the museum's collections.

The Triumphant New LACMA Has the Potential to Rewrite Art History

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is set to open its new $724 million David Geffen Galleries, designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. The building features a radical, non-linear layout that eschews traditional chronological and geographical hierarchies, allowing artworks from 15 different curatorial departments to be displayed in conversation with one of another. Despite years of controversy regarding its concrete design and a 10 percent reduction in exhibition space, the museum is positioning the new structure as a flexible "laboratory" for global art history.

Giant Golden Toilet Sculpture Appears Near Lincoln Memorial in D.C.: ‘A Throne Fit for a King’

An anonymous artist collective known as the Secret Handshake has installed a 10-foot-tall golden toilet sculpture titled 'A Throne Fit for a King' near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The work is a satirical monument to former President Donald Trump's controversial renovation of the White House's Lincoln Bathroom, which he outfitted with gold fixtures during a government shutdown.

Here’s What LACMA’s Lavish New Building Looks Like

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has finally unveiled its new flagship building, the David Geffen Galleries, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. The concrete-and-glass structure famously straddles Wilshire Boulevard, featuring a continuous glass facade that offers panoramic views of the Los Angeles landscape and newly installed outdoor sculptures. Inside, the layout encourages a non-linear experience, moving visitors through varying light conditions and diverse gallery sizes that house a mix of contemporary and classical works.

Billionaire Collector Ken Griffin’s Basquiat Buying Spree Continues

Billionaire collector Ken Griffin has significantly expanded his holdings of Jean-Michel Basquiat, notably acquiring the 1983 masterpiece 'In Italian' from the collection of Peter Brant. The acquisition came to light through press materials for an upcoming exhibition at the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) titled "Basquiat: Figures, Signs, Symbols," which will showcase nearly a dozen works from Griffin’s private collection. The show, curated by PAMM director Franklin Sirmans and Griffin’s curator Megan Kincaid, includes other high-profile acquisitions such as the 1982 'Untitled (Skull)' previously purchased from Yusaku Maezawa.

‘Designed to disorient’: LA art museum unveils enormous concrete gallery, 20 years in the making

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has unveiled the David Geffen Galleries, a $724 million concrete structure designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. Spanning Wilshire Boulevard, the building features 110,000 square feet of elevated gallery space characterized by curving walls and massive windows. The project marks the culmination of a nearly 20-year revitalization effort led by director Michael Govan, replacing several older buildings with a single, fluid architectural statement.

Art Movements: Meet The Met's New Photography Curator

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has appointed Oluremi C. Onabanjo as its new curator of photographs, bringing her expertise in African and Black diasporic histories from MoMA. This announcement leads a series of industry shifts, including Melissa Chiu’s move from the Hirshhorn to direct the Guggenheim, and the relocation of the influential gallery 47 Canal to Chelsea. Additionally, the New York Foundation for the Arts distributed nearly $500,000 in grants to 129 artists and organizations in Queens.

The Nearly Sixty-Year Career of Legendary Gallerist Enzo Cannaviello: A Wide-Ranging Interview

I quasi sessant’anni di carriera del leggendario gallerista Enzo Cannaviello. Intervista a tutto campo

Legendary Italian gallerist Enzo Cannaviello reflects on a career spanning nearly sixty years, marked by the opening of his ninth gallery space in Milan. The interview traces his journey from founding his first space in Caserta in 1968 to his influential years in Rome and his ultimate establishment in Milan, which he considers the only true art market in Italy. Cannaviello discusses his unwavering commitment to painting, his pivotal role in promoting the German Neo-Expressionists (Neue Wilde), and the current exhibition dedicated to Mimmo Rotella.

Gisela Colón on Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny, and the Power Beneath the Island

Artist Gisela Colón is the subject of two concurrent solo exhibitions: "Radiant Earth" at the Bruce Museum in Connecticut and "The Mountain, The Monolith" at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico. This dual presentation marks a significant career milestone and a homecoming for the Puerto Rican-born artist, who has built an international profile over the past decade with installations from Desert X AlUla to sites near the Pyramids of Giza.

How a Hopi Potter Named Nampeyo Became a 19th-Century Art Star

The Hopi-Tewa artist Nampeyo (1859–1942) is being celebrated as a foundational figure in modern ceramics for her role in the Sikyátki Revival. By studying ancestral pottery shards from archaeological excavations, Nampeyo revitalized centuries-old techniques and motifs, transforming Pueblo pottery into a globally recognized art form. Her career spanned from selling works at regional trading posts to becoming a celebrated figure who demonstrated her craft at the Grand Canyon and exhibited at major fairs in Chicago.

UK National Gallery to recoup £2m a year after completing voluntary redundancy process

The National Gallery in London has successfully reached a target of £2 million in annual savings following a voluntary redundancy program and a recruitment freeze. Initiated in February to address a projected £8.2 million deficit, the voluntary exit scheme allowed the institution to avoid compulsory redundancies among its nearly 500 employees. While the gallery has met its initial savings goal, it must still find ways to bridge a remaining multi-million pound shortfall through non-staff cost reductions.

London’s National Gallery announces architects for new £350m wing

The National Gallery in London has selected Japanese architecture firm Kengo Kuma and Associates to design a new £350m wing, scheduled to open in the early 2030s. Chosen from a shortlist of six finalists, Kuma’s design features a Portland stone exterior and will be constructed on the site of the soon-to-be-demolished St Vincent House. The extension will provide nearly double the space for temporary exhibitions and an additional 1,500 square meters for the permanent collection, connected via bridges to the existing Sainsbury Wing and Wilkins building.

Dealer Scott Nichols on His Lasting Love for Iconic California Photographers

Veteran art dealer Scott Nichols reflects on his long-standing career and the evolution of his eponymous gallery, which specialized in 20th-century California photography for nearly three decades in San Francisco before relocating to Sonoma in 2019. The gallery is renowned for its deep expertise in Group f.64, maintaining one of the largest private collections of Brett Weston’s work alongside masterpieces by Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, and Imogen Cunningham.

A Century of Esoteric and Occult Artistry in “A Queer Arcana” at Palm Springs Art Museum

The Palm Springs Art Museum has unveiled "A Queer Arcana," an ambitious exhibition exploring the intersection of LGBTQ+ culture, occultism, and esoteric spirituality. Spanning the 20th and 21st centuries, the show features a diverse array of media—including a major four-banner commission by the collective Hilma’s Ghost—and is organized into thematic sections such as Tarot, Sex Magick, and healing. The project emerged from the museum’s Q+Art initiative, a unique program dedicated to queer art histories within a general art museum context.

LACMA Got a Makeover

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has unveiled its new David Geffen Galleries, featuring an unconventional open-plan design that encourages non-linear exploration. The building's layout, which eschews traditional chronological narratives in favor of free-floating associations, has sparked debate among critics regarding its navigability and the restoration of key works like Alexander Calder’s "Three Quintains (Hello Girls)."