Tracing the Arc of British Sculpture From Modernism to Today

A new exhibition titled “Modern British: Modern & Contemporary British Sculpture” has opened at Bowman Sculpture in London, tracing the evolution of British sculpture from Modernism to the present day. The show features iconic figures such as Henry Moore, Eduardo Paolozzi, and Lynn Chadwick alongside emerging talents like Rufus Martin and Joanna Allen, creating cross-generational dialogues. Highlights include Moore’s *Small Seated Figure* (ca. 1936) and Paolozzi’s *Richard Rogers as Newton* (1990). The exhibition runs through May 29, 2026, and reflects the gallery’s shift from focusing on Modern masters to embracing contemporary voices.

New catalogues reveal Royal Collection's vast sculpture holdings—and Queen Victoria's acquisition spree

A new four-volume catalogue, authored by former royal surveyor Jonathan Marsden, documents approximately 1,800 sculptures in the Royal Collection. The publication reveals the unsystematic nature of the collection's growth, driven by royal tastes and historical opportunities, and highlights significant discoveries like a previously unknown bronze satyr by Benvenuto Cellini.

Art Movements: Dozens Laid Off at Artnet and Artsy

Digital art giants Artnet and Artsy have implemented significant layoffs following their recent merger under the investment firm Beowolff Capital. The cuts, which occurred on April 16, impacted dozens of employees across both organizations, including senior editorial staff such as Sarah Cascone and Eileen Kinsella. The restructuring follows a reported 12% revenue decline for Artnet in early 2025 and involves the shutdown of Artnet's German entity as the two companies consolidate into a single team led by CEO Jeffrey Yin.

Heir of Goya and Abstract Expressionism, the painting of Roger-Edgar Gillet finally rediscovered in an unprecedented retrospective

Héritière de Goya et de l’expressionnisme abstrait, la peinture de Roger-Edgar Gillet enfin redécouverte dans une rétrospective inédite

A major retrospective at the Musée Estrine in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence finally brings long-overdue recognition to French painter Roger-Edgar Gillet (1924–2004), an artist who emerged from the post-war abstraction scene of the Nouvelle École de Paris but later forged a singular figurative style blending Goya, Delacroix, and Northern grotesque traditions. The exhibition follows two important donations—to the Centre Pompidou in 2017 and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes in 2022—that helped revive institutional interest in Gillet, whose work had been marginalized since the 1960s.

2026 Guggenheim Fellowships Go to Sonya Clark, John Miller, and American Artist

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has announced its 101st class of fellows, awarding 223 scholars and artists across 55 disciplines for 2026. Selected from a pool of nearly 5,000 applicants, the new cohort includes prominent visual artists such as Sonya Clark, John Miller, American Artist, and Kota Ezawa. The fellowships provide significant financial grants to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts.

Chloë Sevigny, Hari Nef, and Mickalene Thomas Just Partied at the Brooklyn Artists Ball

The Brooklyn Museum hosted its annual Brooklyn Artists Ball on Tuesday evening, serving as the opening celebration for the "Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses" exhibition. The event drew a crowd of artists, patrons, designers, and downtown figures, including event hosts Fabiola Beracasa Beckman, Sylvana Durrett, Jordan Roth, Lizzie Tisch, and Amanda Waldron; co-chairs Regina Aldisert, Megan Brodsky, Victoria Rogers, and Carla Shen; CULTURED Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson; designers Iris van Herpen and Wes Gordon; musicians Peggy Gou and Swizz Beatz; artists Mickalene Thomas, Keisha Scarville, Paul Arnhold, and Miles Greenberg; writer Derek Blasberg; and gallerist Saam Niami. Highlights included a special performance by dancers from the New York City Ballet in winged costumes, an afterparty with DJs Swizz Beatz and Runna, and a site-specific photo booth by artist Keisha Scarville.

Alma Allen’s US Pavilion Is One of the Emptiest Shows at the Venice Biennale

Alma Allen represents the United States at the 2026 Venice Biennale with a subdued, apolitical exhibition inside the US Pavilion. The show features roughly 25 sculptures—mostly in bronze, wood, and stone—many titled "Not Yet Titled," and deliberately avoids overt political messaging. This marks a stark departure from the previous two US pavilions, curated by Simone Leigh (2022) and Jeffrey Gibson (2024), which directly confronted colonialism and empire. The Trump administration’s call for proposals explicitly asked for work that "reflects and promotes American values," and Allen’s presentation has been criticized as safe, unremarkable, and lacking the incisive edge of contemporary American art.

Dallas Art Fair Foundation Art Acquisition Fund 2026 Prizes Announced

The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) has selected several new works for its permanent collection through the Dallas Art Fair (DAF) Foundation Art Acquisition Fund. During the 2026 edition of the fair, curators and donors chose pieces by artists including Hasani Sahlehe, Caroline Monnet, Gloria Klein, Raymond Saunders, and Nicole Eisenman. The acquisitions span a variety of media, from large-scale abstract paintings and triptychs made of industrial materials to wood reliefs and works on paper.

A ‘bird of Mexico City’ strikes a revolutionary pose: Pieter Henket’s best photograph

Photographer Pieter Henket describes the creation of his portrait "La Mujer" (The Woman), part of his series "Birds of Mexico City." The image features Ixchel Paz, a young Mexican woman wearing a lucha libre wrestling mask, captured in a dignified pose on the first day of the project. Henket explains how the series evolved from an earlier project, "Birds of New York," which celebrated young people in New York during the first Trump administration. After the pandemic, he traveled to Mexico City with his husband Roger Inniss, collaborated with stylist Chino Castilla and his team, and encouraged subjects to express their identities through costume and culture.

Marietta Museum of Art & Whimsy closing for summer, but 37 other exhibitions on view at museums in May

The article provides a roundup of museum exhibitions on view in Southwest Florida during May, highlighting five new openings, eight closings, and 25 continuing shows across museums from Sarasota to Naples. Featured exhibitions include Molly Hatch's site-specific ceramic installation "Amalgam" at Sarasota Art Museum, Jillian Mayer's interactive "Slumpies" sculptures, a group show "Something Borrowed, Something New" with works by Louise Bourgeois, Chuck Close, David Hockney, Yoko Ono, Kara Walker, and Ai Weiwei, and Maria A. Guzman Capron's solo textile exhibition "Penumbra." The Marietta Museum of Art & Whimsy is noted as closing for the summer.

​Walid Nayif’s painting exhibition at Yassin gallery is not to be missed

Walid Nayif is holding a painting exhibition at Yassin gallery, which the article describes as not to be missed. The article also lists numerous other art events in Cairo, including photographic projects, immersive digital exhibitions, and ceramic showcases, featuring artists such as Judi Yassin, Tia Khalil, Mostafa El-Razzaz, Khaled Taher, Mahmoud Hamdi, and Pierre Jeanneret, as well as the 'Beyond Van Gogh' immersive experience directed by Mathieu Saint-Arnaud.

Black Designers as Fine Artists: Fashion Meets Sculpture

The article from Ebony.com explores the intersection of fashion and fine art, highlighting how Black designers are increasingly being recognized as fine artists whose work bridges clothing design and sculpture. It profiles several contemporary Black designers who create garments that function as sculptural objects, exhibited in galleries and museums rather than solely on runways. The piece examines how these creators challenge traditional boundaries between fashion and art, using materials and techniques that elevate their work into the realm of fine art.

Senga Nengudi: Performance Works 1972-1982

Whitechapel Gallery in London is presenting "Senga Nengudi: Performance Works 1972-1982," an archival exhibition featuring photographic works, archival materials, and films that focus on a pivotal decade in the pioneering African-American artist's career. The show highlights Nengudi's early performance pieces, including her "spirit flags" and works incorporating hosiery and her body, created in collaboration with artists like David Hammons and Maren Hassinger.

fashion yana peel chanel art

Yana Peel, president of arts, culture, and heritage at Chanel, is profiled in Cultured's 2026 CULT100 honorees feature. The article, accompanied by a photograph by Jason Schmidt, highlights her leadership in elevating Chanel's commitment to the visual arts, including supporting China's first public contemporary art library, transforming Gabrielle Chanel's French Riviera home into a creative retreat, and launching the Next Prize for emerging artists. Peel answers a series of personal and professional questions, discussing her influences, career highlights such as building pavilions with architects Frida Escobedo, Francis Kéré, and Liu Jiakun during her tenure as CEO of the Serpentine, and her ongoing work with Christo's final project in London.

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.

Primitivism to Reinvent Art

Le primitivisme pour réinventer l’art

Philippe Dagen has published the third and final volume of his series on primitivism, covering the period from World War II to the late 1970s. The book traces how Western artists, from Barnett Newman and Jackson Pollock to members of the CoBrA movement and figures like Jean Dubuffet, Lucio Fontana, and Yayoi Kusama, engaged with so-called "primitive" art from Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, often as a means of rejecting or redefining modern civilization. Dagen also examines the intellectual debates surrounding primitivism, including the critiques of colonized peoples who refused the label "primitive," and the shifting attitudes of thinkers like Claude Lévi-Strauss, Michel Leiris, and Aimé Césaire.

The Violent Weather of Roger Brown’s Paintings

A curated selection of seven essential exhibitions in Milan highlights the city's vibrant art scene during the Miart fair. The guide features a diverse range of artists, including Cao Fei’s exploration of global farming practices and Anselm Kiefer’s monumental portraits of female alchemists, showcasing both international heavyweights and emerging voices across the city's premier institutions and galleries.

The message behind the US pavilion at the Venice Biennale

The article previews the 61st Venice Biennale, opening May 9 and running through November 22, highlighting early controversies. The five-person Golden Lion jury, led by Brazilian curator Solange Farkas, resigned after declaring they would not consider pavilions from countries under International Criminal Court investigation, targeting the Israel pavilion and its artist Belu-Simion Fainaru. Separately, the US pavilion has drawn scrutiny from the New York Times over its selection process, with commissioner Jenni Parido (a former pet food store owner) tapping curator Jeffrey Uslip and sculptor Alma Allen, bypassing traditional funders like the Ford and Mellon foundations.

Art Beat

A roundup of current art exhibitions and calls for work in Taos, New Mexico, highlights shows such as "Nicolai Fechin: Figures, Nature, and Expression" at the Taos Art Museum, "Taos Reimagined: Modernist Experiments in the High Desert," and "Rag Made Quilts" at the Taos Public Library. Other featured venues include 203 Fine Art, Stables Gallery, Revolt Gallery, and the Wheaton Museum of World Artifacts, with openings and deadlines spanning through fall 2026.

BlackBook Art Gallery Rewrites the Rules

BlackBook Art Gallery announces its 2026 season in Southampton, featuring two major exhibitions: "The Lost Generation: Then and Now," which pairs New York School legends like Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner with contemporary artists Julie Mehretu and Rashid Johnson, and "Summer Figuration," showcasing Amy Sherald, Kerry James Marshall, and Toyin Ojih Odutola. Founder Evanly Schindler frames the season around the concept of "urgency," drawing parallels between the postwar abstract expressionist era and today's climate of war, digital saturation, and political polarization. The gallery also plans to open a new location in Detroit's Eastern Market in fall 2026, with the Detroit Salon following in 2028.

Bruges’s new city art gallery BRUSK opens on Friday

Bruges' new city art gallery, BRUSK, opens on Friday in a substantial new building designed by architects Robbrecht and Daem and Olivier Salens. Located in the museum quarter, the gallery features two enormous first-floor exhibition spaces and a light, open ground floor. It debuts with two simultaneous exhibitions: 'Breedbeeld' ('Wide Angle'), a historical show curated by Oxford professor Peter Frankopan and Sibylla Goegebuer, exploring Bruges' medieval global connections through 250 objects including Hans Memling's 'The Passion of Christ'; and 'Latent City', a data-driven installation by Turkish-American artist Refik Anadol that delves beneath the city's surface.

An exhibition of an artist who brought post-impressionism to England

The Museum of Somerset is hosting "A Life in Art: Roger Fry," an exhibition dedicated to the painter, critic, and curator Roger Fry, who introduced post-impressionism to England. The show features nearly 40 of Fry's paintings from a recent Charleston exhibition, alongside works by his wife, Arts & Crafts artist Helen Coombe, whose career and life have been largely overlooked. Through artwork, archival photos, and a film, the exhibition explores Fry's complex personal life, including Coombe's institutionalization for mental illness, and his role within the Bloomsbury Group.

‘The pictures are evil!’ The great art-quake of 1910

The article reviews David Boyd Haycock's slim new book 'Art-Quake, 1910,' which examines the explosive 1910 exhibition 'Manet and the Post-Impressionists' at London's Grafton Galleries. The show introduced British audiences to revolutionary artists like Cézanne, van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse, and Picasso, provoking outrage from critics and the public, who called the works 'evil,' 'hysterical,' and a threat to civilization. The book is part of a series from Old Street publishing that also includes titles on the Degenerate Art exhibition and the Cultural Revolution.

Maine art galleries showcase dozens of artists in summer shows

A roundup of summer art exhibitions across Maine highlights dozens of artists showing at galleries and pop-up spaces from Rockport to Portland. Notable shows include Alexandre Gallery's pop-up featuring charcoal works by the late Cooper Union-trained artist Emily Nelligan, who spent decades depicting Cranberry Island; Karma's annual summer pop-up at artist Ann Craven's deconsecrated church in Thomaston; and solo exhibitions at Caldbeck Gallery, Courthouse Gallery, and Cove Street Arts. Other venues such as Carver Hill Gallery, Corey Daniels Gallery, Dowling Walsh, and Moss Galleries present group and solo shows spanning landscape painting, mythical imagery, and works addressing social resistance.

Who is Gladys Hynes? Show reinstates forgotten artist who once represented Britain at the Venice Biennale

The exhibition "Gladys Hynes: Radical Lives" opens this month at Charleston in Lewes, aiming to resurrect the career of Gladys Hynes (1888-1958), a forgotten artist who once represented Britain at the 1924 Venice Biennale. The show brings together 120 paintings, drawings, graphic designs, and sculptural pieces, including works by Hynes and her contemporaries, curated by Sacha Llewellyn. Hynes trained with Stanhope Forbes, Frank Brangwyn, and William Nicholson, worked with Roger Fry's Omega Workshops, associated with Wyndham Lewis and the Vorticists, and was commissioned by Ezra Pound to illustrate his Cantos. Despite her achievements, only one of her paintings is in a British public collection.

food ruthie rogers austin butler paul mccartney

Ruthie Rogers, the chef behind London's Michelin-starred River Cafe, has launched a digital podcast called "Ruthie's Table 4," where guests like Tina Fey, Austin Butler, and Paul McCartney discuss their lives through food. The conversations have been compiled into a new book, "Table 4 at The River Cafe." Rogers reflects on her career, her socially active upbringing, and the restaurant's role as a cultural hub where artists such as Cy Twombly, Ellsworth Kelly, and Damien Hirst have contributed menu illustrations.

Rare, World-Class Masterworks from Picasso to Dalí Meet Contemporary Artists in Front Royal at Ichiuji Fine Arts Gallery

The Melissa Ichiuji Studio Gallery in Front Royal, Virginia, opened a new exhibition titled 'Slow Image: Material Intelligence Across Generations' on April 25th. The show features original prints by major 20th-century artists including Picasso, Miró, Matisse, Dalí, Chagall, Calder, and Giacometti, displayed alongside contemporary artists working in clay, steel, textiles, collage, drawing, and paint. Gallery proprietor and artist Melissa Ichiuji conceived the exhibition over two years, aiming to create a museum-level experience in an intimate setting for the local community.

Currents of the 61st Biennale: Inside Venice’s Flow of Art and Power

The 61st Venice Biennale jury, composed of five curators—Solange Oliveira Farkas, Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi—resigned on April 30th amid internal tensions over decisions that conflicted with the late Koyo Kouoh's curatorial vision. The jury had previously stated it would refrain from considering countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. Meanwhile, Filipino artist Jon Cuyson prepares to present his installation at the Philippine Pavilion, featuring works shipped 60 days before geopolitical conflict escalated, navigating unstable maritime routes. His project includes the film series "Sea of Love (Dagat ng Pag-ibig)" and a new fourth film, "Sea of Echoes," exploring themes of migration, queer experience, and ecological resilience through mussels as non-human protagonists.

Mojave Shadows: Reception and Curator's Talk

The Nevada Humanities Program Gallery is hosting a reception and curator's talk for the exhibition "Mojave Shadows." The event, scheduled for Tuesday, April 14, offers the public an opportunity to engage directly with the curatorial vision behind the show, which explores regional themes through a specific lens of light and landscape.

The 10 Best Venice Films

Die 10 besten Venedig-Filme

Monopol magazine has published a ranking of the ten best films set in Venice, timed to coincide with the opening of the Venice Art Biennale. The list includes titles such as Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989), Joseph L. Mankiewicz's "The Honey Pot" (1967), and Kenneth Branagh's "A Haunting in Venice" (2023), highlighting how the lagoon city serves as a central character in action films, comedies, and love dramas.