fiona tan rijksmuseum asian art roundup 2641705

This roundup covers multiple developments across the Asian art world. Notable events include the death of Korean artist Suki Seokyeong Kang at age 47; Robin Peckham leaving his role as co-director of Taipei Dangdai; Lucy Liu becoming a partner at Rachel Uffner Gallery, which will rebrand as Uffner and Liu; STPI Creative Workshop and Gallery presenting the first Southeast Asian solo show for Cuban artist Wifredo Lam; Art Week Tokyo returning with Adam Szymczyk curating its AWT Focus platform; Japanese painter Yu Nishimura joining David Zwirner; and the Rijksmuseum inviting Fiona Tan to curate a major exhibition. Other highlights include the 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale, Tate Liverpool's planned 2027 reopening with a Chila Kumari Singh Burman retrospective, a Louvre-Doraemon collaboration, Boo Ji-hyun's permanent installation in Japan, Christie's Hong Kong Spring Asian Art Week sales totaling HK$567.6 million, and Sotheby's postponing a controversial Hong Kong auction of Buddhist relic-linked jewels. Hyundai Artlab named Jiaying Sim and Elvia Wilk as its 2025 Artlab Editorial Fellows.

michael werner to open second gallery in new york us government finally invites artist proposals for venice biennale sothebys to sell bhudda jewels morning links for may 5 2025 1234740589

The US State Department has finally posted a grant for artists to submit proposals for the 2026 Venice Biennale pavilion, after an unusual delay that sparked speculation the Trump administration might skip the event. The posting includes new "MAGA-fied criteria" that remove previous language about diversity and equity, instead requiring compliance with Federal anti-discrimination laws and prohibiting programs promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Meanwhile, the National Endowment for the Arts canceled grants and the Trump administration proposed eliminating the agency entirely. Other news includes a trove of Buddha relics heading to auction at Sotheby's Hong Kong, Michael Werner opening a second New York gallery, and the Art Institute of Chicago's president taking leave amid an investigation.

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The Museum Brandhorst in Munich has opened "Five Friends," a major exhibition exploring the interconnected creative and personal relationships among John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Cy Twombly. Spanning 180 works from the late 1940s through the 1970s, the show includes paintings, sculptures, costumes, musical scores, photographs, and letters, beginning with Cage's silent composition 4'33" and Rauschenberg's White Painting. It is the first exhibition to bring these five figures together, drawing on loans from Cologne's Museum Ludwig and U.S. institutions, and coincides with the centenary of Rauschenberg's birth.

ben lerner transcription artwork rose salane rings 1234779427

Novelist Ben Lerner reflects on Rose Salane’s installation '60 Detected Rings (1991–2021)' as part of a new series exploring impactful artworks. The piece consists of rings recovered by a metal detectorist over three decades in Atlantic City, which Salane subsequently analyzed through laboratory 'melt value' reports and psychic readings. Lerner describes the work as a profound exercise in 'revaluation,' where discarded objects are transformed into auratic relics through scientific and spiritual inquiry.

Claire Tabouret’s Stained-Glass Windows for Notre-Dame Divide French Society, with a Legal Threat Looming

French contemporary artist Claire Tabouret has been commissioned to create six new stained-glass windows for the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, replacing six existing 19th-century grisaille windows designed by architect Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. The project, announced by President Emmanuel Macron and the Archbishop of Paris as a "contemporary gesture" following the 2019 fire, has sparked a major public and institutional controversy, with a petition against it gathering over 335,000 signatures.

napoleon sale sothebys paris france famous antiques dealer 1234746214

On Wednesday in Paris, Sotheby's auctioned a collection of Napoleonic artifacts from the private collection of prominent French antiques dealer Pierre-Jean Chalençon, generating €8.7 million ($9.6 million) against a €6 million estimate. The 112-lot sale included imperial furniture, Old Master paintings, and personal relics such as Napoleon's worn stockings and a copy of his marriage certificate. Highlights included a portrait by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse that sold for €863,600 (20 times its estimate) and the only surviving remnant of Napoleon's first will, which fetched €482,600. However, Napoleon's bicorne hat underperformed, selling for €355,600 against a €600,000 low estimate, amid provenance questions raised by French newspaper Le Figaro.

kevin beasley storm king acoustic mirror 1234740204

Kevin Beasley has created a large-scale acoustic mirror for Storm King Art Center, opening May 7. The 11-foot-tall, 100-foot-wide four-part sculpture is inspired by World War I–era concrete acoustic mirrors used for detecting enemy aircraft. Unlike those obsolete relics, Beasley's work is made from recycled clothes cast in resin and will amplify visitors' voices and outdoor sounds. The piece engages with the history of the Hudson River School painters and themes of colonialism, Manifest Destiny, and contested land, while also celebrating agricultural cycles through its seasonal titles: Proscenium| Rebirth, Growth, Harvest, and Dormancy.

Why the New Orleans Museum of Art Is One of the City’s Must-visit Cultural Gems

The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), housed in a Beaux-Arts building within City Park, is profiled as a cultural cornerstone of the city. Founded in 1911 as the Isaac Delgado Museum of Art, it now holds over 50,000 works spanning global artifacts, Japanese ceramics, Egyptian relics, and modern pieces by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Edgar Degas, and Wangechi Mutu. The museum also features the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, a 12-acre free-admission outdoor space with works by Rodin, Moore, and Oldenburg. Upcoming 2026 programming includes Japan Fest, an Edo-period Rinpa exhibition, and a long-term show of French porcelain from the Thomas B. Lemann collection.

5 Artists on Our Radar in May 2025

Artsy's May 2025 edition of 'Artists on Our Radar' highlights five emerging visual artists: Julia Jo, Raina Lee, Yaya Yajie Liang, and two others. Julia Jo, a Korean painter based in New York, showed new works at the Independent art fair with Charles Moffett, featuring emotionally charged, abstract figurative paintings. Raina Lee, a Taiwanese American ceramicist, presented pocket-sized glazed stoneware at NADA and Future Fair during New York Art Week, inspired by travel and cultural relics. Yaya Yajie Liang, a Chinese painter based in London, creates oil paintings with fluid brushstrokes exploring bodily sensations and interconnectedness.

A Chunk of Eiffel Tower’s Spiral Staircase Returns to Auction After 40 Years

A significant 8.5-foot segment of the Eiffel Tower's original 19th-century spiral staircase will be auctioned by Artcurial on May 21. This piece, removed during a 1983 renovation and one of only 24 sections created, has remained in private French hands since its initial sale that same year and is expected to fetch between €40,000 and €50,000.

the met agrees to repatriate artifacts to cambodia as douglas latchford fallout continues 2409554

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has agreed to repatriate 14 artifacts to Cambodia and two to Thailand following an investigation into the late antiquities dealer Douglas Latchford. Latchford, who was indicted in 2019 for trafficking looted Khmer Empire relics, died in 2020 before trial, but federal authorities have continued to track works sold through his network. The returned items include significant sandstone statues and bronze deities dating back as far as the 7th century.

india unveils piprahwa relics buddha narendra modi 1234768711

The Indian government has unveiled the Piprahwa relics, a collection of Buddha-linked artifacts repatriated after being slated for sale at Sotheby’s in 2024. The objects, some dating to the 6th century BCE, were excavated in 1898 and 1971–1975 and are now on view at the Rai Pithora Cultural Complex in Delhi in an exhibition titled “Light and the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One.” India’s government successfully blocked the Sotheby’s auction by arguing that the consignor, Chris Peppé, had no legal right to sell the stones and that the sale constituted “continued colonial exploitation.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the show, calling it a moment of great importance.

nanjing museum alleged art theft probe 1234768108

Chinese authorities have launched multiple investigations into allegations that staff at the state-run Nanjing Museum secretly removed cultural treasures from the collection and sold them on the open market. The scandal erupted after a 16th-century Ming dynasty painting, *Spring in Jiangnan* by Qiu Ying, appeared in a Beijing auction catalog with an estimate of 88 million yuan ($12.5 million), despite being part of a 1959 donation by collector Pang Laichen. The museum claimed the work and four others were deemed forgeries in the 1960s, deaccessioned in 1997, and sold to a provincial relics store in 2001 for 6,800 yuan. An 80-year-old retired employee, Guo Lidian, accused former museum director Xu Huping of orchestrating a large-scale theft and smuggling operation, including falsely certifying authentic works as replicas. Xu has denied involvement.

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Sotheby's has postponed the auction of the Piprahwa Gems of the Historical Buddha, a collection of over 300 ancient gemstones and metal sheets linked to the Buddha, after criticism from academics, Buddhist leaders, and India's Ministry of Culture. The gems, discovered in 1898 by colonial engineer William Claxton Peppé in Uttar Pradesh, India, were set to be sold by his descendants in Hong Kong on May 7, with bidding starting at HK$10 million ($1.3 million). The auction house stated it is now in discussions with the Indian government to find a resolution.

A historic section of the Eiffel Tower's original staircase is set to go up for auction

Un tronçon historique de l’escalier d’origine de la tour Eiffel s’apprête à s’envoler aux enchères

The auction house Artcurial is set to auction a 2.75-meter-tall section of the original spiral staircase from the Eiffel Tower on May 21. This specific segment, consisting of fourteen riveted steel steps, was part of the structure connecting the second and third floors until it was dismantled in 1983 to make way for modern elevators. Estimated between €120,000 and €150,000, the piece holds significant historical value as it is the inaugural 'Lot No. 1' from the original 1983 dispersal sale.

Gangnam styles: South Korea’s brutalist gems – in pictures

Photographer Paul Tulett has captured the stark, concrete landscapes of South Korea in his new book, *Brutalist Korea*, published by Prestel. The photo series highlights a range of architectural landmarks, from Tadao Ando’s minimalist Jeju Glass House and Zaha Hadid’s futuristic Dongdaemun Design Plaza to the playful geometry of the Paju Kindergarten. Tulett’s work documents how the raw, monumental aesthetic of Brutalism has evolved from the country’s postwar industrialization into a sophisticated tool for modern urban experimentation.

At a Los Angeles exhibition, contemporary artists face off with decommissioned Confederate statues

The exhibition "Monuments" opens on 23 October in Los Angeles, co-curated by Hamza Walker, Bennett Simpson, and artist Kara Walker, and staged at both the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) and the Brick. It features nearly 20 decommissioned Confederate statues—including the melted-down Robert E. Lee monument from Charlottesville—displayed alongside contemporary works by artists such as Leonardo Drew, Martin Puryear, Nona Faustine, Kahlil Robert Irving, Bethany Collins, and Walter Price. The show was inspired by the 2017 Unite the Right rally and the subsequent removal of dozens of monuments across the US.

The Many Forms of Marcel Duchamp

The New Yorker's Hilton Als reviews "Marcel Duchamp," a major retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, running through August 22, 2026. Curated by Matthew Affron, Michelle Kuo, and Ann Temkin, it is the first North American retrospective of Duchamp's work since 1973, organized in collaboration with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The exhibition spans MoMA's entire sixth floor, showcasing Duchamp's shape-shifting practice—from iconic works like "Nude Descending a Staircase (No. 2)" (1912) and "Bicycle Wheel" (1951) to his readymades and conceptual pieces—emphasizing his rejection of commodification and embrace of intellectual freedom, play, and queer sensibilities.

Exhibition Opening | Rina Banerjee: Take me, take me, take me . . . to the Palace of love at the Yale Center for British Art

The Yale Center for British Art is set to debut its 2023 acquisition, Rina Banerjee’s monumental sculpture "Take me, take me, take me . . . to the Palace of love," in a dedicated exhibition running from February to July 2026. The work is a translucent, pink cellophane reimagining of the Taj Mahal, suspended from the ceiling and filled with a mix of colonial relics and mass-produced consumer goods like plastic beads and foam balls.

New Exhibition is a Compelling Rummage Through the Relics of an Artist's Radical Life

The New Mexico Museum of Art's Vladem Contemporary has opened "Lucy Lippard: Notes from the Radical Whirlwind," an exhibition curated by Alexandra Terry that showcases artworks gifted to the influential art critic and activist Lucy R. Lippard by artists she championed. The show features pieces by Melanie Yazzie, Ana Mendieta, and others, tracing Lippard's journey from a young art history graduate working at MoMA to a writer for Artforum and Art International, and ultimately to a vocal advocate for social justice who merged art with activism.

sothebys napoleons auction bicorne hat 1234743467

Sotheby's will auction approximately 100 lots from the private collection of French antiques collector Pierre-Jean Chalençon on June 25 in Paris, including Napoleon Bonaparte's iconic bicorne hat (estimated at €800,000), a herald sword and stick from his 1804 coronation, his personal gold and ebony seal, worn stockings, and a portable camp bed. The sale, described as one of the most significant offerings of Napoleonic material ever to come to market, spans imperial furniture, Old Master paintings, and personal relics. Chalençon, who has amassed the collection over four decades, is reportedly selling the items to repay a €10 million loan from Swiss Life Banque Privée, though he has denied being deeply in debt.

A Piece of the Eiffel Tower Is Heading to Auction

A historic section of the original Eiffel Tower staircase is set to be auctioned by Artcurial in Paris on May 21. The nearly nine-foot-tall segment consists of 14 spiral steps that once connected the monument's second and third levels before being dismantled in 1983 to make way for elevators. Estimated to fetch between $140,000 and $175,000, the piece has been held in a private collection for over forty years.

ancient buddhist relics wat dhammachak semaram thailand 1234741985

A trove of ancient Buddhist relics, including gold, silver, and bronze items, was discovered beneath Wat Dhammachak Semaram temple in Nakhon Ratchasima, northeastern Thailand, during conservation work in April. The finds, found in an earthenware container just over a meter deep, include gold rings, silver earrings, bronze ornaments, a gold repoussé plaque of a seated Buddha, and a lead-tin repoussé of a standing Buddha with attendants, dating back over 1,300 years to the Dvaravati era.

Between Ruins: Zazou Roddam by Ben Broome

London-based artist Zazou Roddam explores the intersection of pop culture nostalgia and historical trauma through the manipulation of found objects and archival media. Her practice, rooted in a long-standing fascination with the 'detritus of history' found in London’s Portobello Road Market, gained significant attention following her debut solo exhibition at Brunette Coleman. Central to her recent work is the video piece 'Pop Inflection (The City)', which meticulously edits footage from 'Sex and the City' to track the architectural and psychological shifts in New York City before and after the 9/11 attacks.

nanjing museum artifacts sale corruption investigation report 1234772930

A major investigation into China's Nanjing Museum has uncovered decades of systemic corruption and mismanagement that led to the secret sale of national treasures into the private art market. The scandal erupted after five paintings from a 1959 donation by the Pang family were found missing, with one, a Ming dynasty painting by Qiu Ying titled 'Spring in Jiangnan,' appearing at auction in 2025 valued at $12.7 million. The probe found that former vice-director Xu Huping authorized illegal transfers of donated works to a state-run cultural relics store for sale, where they were drastically undervalued and sold to private collectors.

gaza artifacts removed school building 1234751722

Archaeological treasures from Gaza's five main archaeological sites were evacuated from the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem's storehouse in Gaza City, following an Israeli order to vacate the building before a threatened military strike. The operation, described by school director Olivier Poquillon as a "high-risk" and "last-minute rescue," involved improvised transport and logistics in a context where almost no international actors remain on the ground. The relics include artifacts from a fourth-century monastery designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

jewels buddha auction sothebys hong kong piprahwa gems 1234740600

Sotheby’s Hong Kong will auction a collection of several hundred ancient Indian gem relics linked to Buddha’s mortal remains, known as the Piprahwa Gems, on May 7. The gems, dating to the Mauryan Empire (circa 240–200 BC), were unearthed in 1898 by British engineer William Caxton Peppé in Piprahwa, India, and have been held in a private British collection for over a century. The sale is estimated at HK$100 million (about $12.9 million USD).

the hunt sanxingdui civilization china 2715270

The article recounts the rediscovery and ongoing excavation of the ancient Sanxingdui civilization in Sichuan, China, beginning with a peasant's accidental find of jade relics in 1929. After decades of political disruption, large-scale digs resumed in the 1980s, uncovering over 50,000 artifacts—including distinctive bronze masks with gold foil—that offer the only clues to this Bronze Age city's culture, trade networks, and mysterious collapse around the 11th century B.C.E.

great sphinx origin 2631406

The article examines the enduring mystery of who the Great Sphinx of Giza was modeled after. While the 66-foot-tall statue is universally recognized, its origins remain debated among Egyptologists. Some believe Pharaoh Khafre commissioned it in his own image, citing a 1853 discovery of a Khafre statue nearby and a connecting road to his pyramid. Others argue it was built by Khafre's brother Redjedef to honor their father Khufu, the builder of the Great Pyramid. Damage to the Sphinx's nose from erosion and human conflict complicates identification.

design salon art fair new york guide

Salon Art + Design returns to the Park Avenue Armory in New York for its 14th edition, running from November 6–10. The fair features nearly 50 booths from top international dealers, blending antique discoveries with contemporary masterpieces, and uniquely juxtaposes fine jewelry, mid-century furniture, and ancient relics. Members of the fair's Design + Art Advisory Council—including interior designer Andre Mellone, photographer Douglas Friedman, creative director Gabriella Khalil, and others—share the specific treasures they are most excited to see, such as Jean Royère nesting tables, a Fernando Jorge jewelry piece, and a Head of Apollo sculpture from Ariadne.