Paul McCarthy: ‘The world is now an extreme absurdity. The work is a reaction to that’

Paul McCarthy, the 80-year-old American artist known for his transgressive critiques of consumer culture, has opened a new exhibition titled "SS EE Saint Santa Eva Elf" at Hauser & Wirth in Paris. The show features large-scale drawings and a six-channel video installation created during filmed performances with his long-term collaborator, German actress Lilith Stangenberg, who plays the Elf. McCarthy revisits his iconic Santa Claus motif, portraying him as a dark, psychotic figure—the "god of capitalism and consumption." The exhibition also includes earlier drawings made with Stangenberg at Bowman Hal gallery in Madrid. The interview reveals that McCarthy's home and studios in Los Angeles were destroyed by wildfires, resulting in the loss of art, drawings, notebooks, and books, and the cancellation of a planned London show.

Raghu Rai obituary

Raghu Rai, the renowned Indian photographer known for capturing his country's post-independence history through singular, enduring images, has died at age 83 from cancer. Rai's career spanned six decades, during which he documented events from the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster to the Bangladesh war of independence, and photographed figures including Indira Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and the Dalai Lama. He joined Magnum Photos in 1977 after being invited by Henri Cartier-Bresson, and worked as a staff photographer for the Statesman and as picture editor for India Today.

Lost ‘cloud’ of artist who wrapped the Reichstag to be created in UK gallery

Six years after Christo's death, Gagosian London will realize a monumental installation he designed in 1968 titled "Air Package on a Ceiling," originally conceived for the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia but never built due to technical constraints. The plans and a detailed scale model were discovered by studio manager Lorenza Giovanelli in 2018, hidden inside a hollow plinth in Christo's studio. The work, a vast internally illuminated suspended form resembling a cloud, will fill a 16-meter-long, 10-meter-wide space at Gagosian London, descending just above head height, in collaboration with the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation.

Art Movements: New Museum Names Its First Artist Studio Residents

The New Museum has named Yun Choi, Alison Kuo, and Korakrit Arunanondchai as the first artists-in-residence for its new Artist Studio, a 730-square-foot space created by the museum's OMA-designed expansion. The residencies will run from spring 2025 through winter 2027, with each artist developing new work, onsite exhibitions, and public programs. Separately, Forge Project announced its 2026 fellows—six Indigenous artists including Jay Bellis, Heidi Brandow, and Tiare Ribeaux—who will each receive $25,000 and a three-week residency. In other news, the Robert Therrien Estate has left Gagosian for David Zwirner Gallery, Laurel Nakadate won the Maud Morgan Prize, and Frieze New York revealed a staff uniform designed by artist Reika Takebayashi.

Rare Keith Haring Self-Portrait and Other Intimate Works Go on View in NYC

A collection of intimate works by Keith Haring, including a rare self-portrait, a painted crib, and personal letters, has gone on view at Sotheby's Breuer building in New York City. The works were gifted by Haring to his childhood best friend and fellow artist, Kermit Oswald, over the course of their friendship from 1977 to 1989. The free public exhibition precedes a series of three auctions beginning May 14, with highlights including the self-portrait estimated at $3–5 million and a crib-and-dresser set expected to fetch $250,000–350,000.

A Venise, trois maîtres redéfinissent la nature morte

The article announces an exhibition titled "Picasso, Morandi, Parmiggiani – Still lifes" at the Istituzione Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa in Venice, running from May 7 to July 25, 2026. The show brings together three masters—Pablo Picasso, Giorgio Morandi, and Claudio Parmiggiani—to redefine the still-life genre through a curated dialogue of their works across six rooms. The exhibition is co-organized by Tornabuoni Art, the Musée national Picasso-Paris, and the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, with Cécile Debray, president of the Musée national Picasso-Paris, serving as curator. A fully illustrated catalogue accompanies the show.

Notes from New York: The World in a Convex Mirror

The article reviews the sixth edition of MoMA PS1's quinquennial survey 'Greater New York 2026,' which coincides with the institution's 50th anniversary. It highlights works by artists such as Covey Gong, Win McCarthy, Mekko Harjo, and Sophie Friedman-Pappas, noting how the exhibition's themeless structure and use of reflective surfaces create a hall of distorted reflections. The show includes 53 emerging and midcareer artists, mostly millennials, and is accompanied by a block party and gala rather than a dedicated commemorative exhibition like FORTY (2016).

No Need to Shed a Tear for the Jury

"Man muss der Jury keine Träne nachweinen"

The entire jury of the Venice Biennale resigned shortly before the opening, prompting criticism of Biennale President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco. Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli accused Buttafuoco of pursuing a misguided "pacificist fantasy" by readmitting Russia to the six-month exhibition, calling it failed "side foreign policy." Commentators in German media, including Niklas Maak (FAZ) and Marcus Woeller (Die Welt), see the resignation as a symptom of a crisis in the art world, with the jury having acted as a "political tribunal" by pre-judging artists based on nationality, particularly regarding Israel. The Biennale leadership defended inclusion, but the standoff has caused significant "image damage." Separately, Dirk Knipphals (wochentaz) delivers a scathing review of Wolfram Weimer's first year as cultural policy commissioner, accusing him of empty rhetoric and failing to counter right-wing cultural politics. Juliane von Mittelstaedt (Der Spiegel) reports on Saudi Arabia's use of a spectacular new art museum in Riyadh as a stability narrative amid regional conflict.

Archibald prize 2026: Richard Lewer’s portrait of artist Iluwanti Ken wins $100,000

Richard Lewer has won the 2026 Archibald Prize, Australia's most prestigious portraiture award, for his portrait of Pitjantjatjara elder, traditional healer, and senior artist Iluwanti Ken. The $100,000 prize was announced at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, with the judging panel selecting the work unanimously from 59 finalists. Lewer, a six-time Archibald finalist, painted Ken life-size against a yellow ochre background, capturing her quiet authority and role as a working artist. The Wynne Prize for landscape painting was also awarded to Gaypalani Waṉambi for *The Waṉambi tree*.

Cosmic, concrete, earthy: Nancy Holt’s Land Art on show in UK

Nancy Holt (1938-2014), a pioneering land artist who studied biology at Tufts University, is the subject of her first major UK exhibition at the Goodwood Art Foundation in West Sussex. The show includes the first posthumous installation of *Hydra's Head*, an earthwork of six pools aligned with the Hydra constellation, originally sited on the Niagara River in 1974, and *Ventilation System* (1985-92), which extends from the gallery into the landscape. Curated by Ann Gallagher, the exhibition draws on Holt's archives and the Holt/Smithson Foundation, which preserves her legacy and that of her husband Robert Smithson.

I’ve Got the Post-Duchamp Blues

The article is a review of the Marcel Duchamp retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the first such show since 1973. Featuring around 300 works from Duchamp's six-decade career, the exhibition includes his iconic readymades like "Fountain" (1917) and early paintings such as "Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2" (1912). Co-curated by MoMA's Ann Temkin and Michelle Kuo along with Matthew Affron of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the show runs through August 22, 2026, before traveling to Philadelphia.

Dallas Museum of Art acquires six works at 2026 Dallas Art Fair

The Dallas Museum of Art acquired six works from the 2026 Dallas Art Fair, held April 16–19 at the Fashion Industry Gallery in the Dallas Arts District. The acquisitions, made possible by the Dallas Art Fair Foundation + Dallas Museum of Art Acquisition Fund, include pieces by Nicole Eisenman, Gloria Klein, Caroline Monnet, Hasani Sahlehe, and Raymond Saunders. Selections were made by DMA curators including Dr. Vivian Li, Ade Omotosho, Dr. Emily Friedman, Dr. Nicole R. Myers, and director Brian Ferriso. This marks the tenth year of the fund, which has added 78 works to the museum's permanent collection since 2016 through over $1 million in donations.

The 90 Years of Legendary Italian Artist Giorgio Griffa. All the Exhibitions Celebrating the Master's Birthday

I 90 anni del mitico artista italiano Giorgio Griffa. Tutte le mostre per celebrare il compleanno del maestro

Giorgio Griffa, the Italian painter known for his radical and minimalist approach, turned 90 on March 29, 2026. A comprehensive program of celebrations includes the exhibition "Summer 69" at the Fondazione Giorgio Griffa in Turin (through July 2, 2026), which revisits his breakthrough summer of 1969 with photographs by Paolo Mussat Sartor alongside his early and recent works. The Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea has opened a monographic room with works from its permanent collection, and the Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Torino will dedicate a similar space in May. The MAXXI – Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI secolo has acquired six monumental works spanning over thirty years of Griffa's career, from the 1970s to the early 2000s.

The Holy See Pavilion asks Venice Biennale Visitors to Slow Down and Listen, and Other News.

The Holy See's pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale presents "The Ear is the Eye of the Soul," a multi-sensory exhibition centered on deep listening and inspired by Hildegard von Bingen, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers with Soundwalk Collective, featuring new commissions by 24 artists including Patti Smith, Brian Eno, FKA twigs, and Dev Hynes across two Venetian sites. Separately, Chanel and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation have launched the Chanel Culture Fund Fellowship, a transatlantic curatorial program for postgraduate scholars at the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. In other news, a father-daughter duo from New Jersey pleaded guilty to a $2 million counterfeit art scheme involving forged works attributed to Andy Warhol, Banksy, and others; Vienna's Burgtheater is offering guided scaffolding tours of Gustav Klimt's early ceiling paintings during restoration; and the sixth edition of the Head Hi Lamp Show opens in New York.

The Enigma of Alison Knowles

Lauren Moya Ford reviews the only book dedicated to Fluxus artist Alison Knowles, who died six months ago. The book, "Performing Chance: The Art of Alison Knowles In/Out of Fluxus" by Nicole L. Woods (2026), attempts to illuminate Knowles's life and work, but Ford notes that much of her personal life remains mysterious despite the author's efforts. The article is part of a broader books newsletter that also features new tomes on Hans Holbein’s portraits, Jan Staller’s photographs of Manhattan construction sites, and a discussion of a Black Panther family album at the Studio Museum in Harlem.

The Clark presents exhibition of Giorgio Griffa

The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, presents "Giorgio Griffa: Paths in the Forest," the first solo museum exhibition in the United States dedicated to the Italian artist Giorgio Griffa (born 1936). On view from June 13 to October 12 at the Lunder Center at Stone Hill, the exhibition features works spanning nearly six decades, including highlights such as "Sessanta frammenti" (1980), "Rosa" (1968), and "Narciso" (1986). Griffa is known for his use of diluted acrylics on unstretched, unprimed canvases, and his practice emphasizes the intelligence of materials and an ecological ethic. The exhibition is curated by Robert Wiesenberger, John and Barbara Vogelstein Senior Curator of Contemporary Art at the Brooklyn Museum and former curator of contemporary projects at the Clark.

Meet the Mona Lisa! A free new immersive exhibition opens at Hong Kong Heritage Museum

A free immersive digital exhibition titled 'Meet Mona Lisa & Portraying the Renaissance' opens on May 1 at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, running through July 27. Created in collaboration with the Musée du Louvre and the Grand Palais Immersif, the show is split into two sections: a multimedia journey guided by a narrated Mona Lisa across six chapters, including an interactive photo booth, and a second section featuring over 100 Renaissance treasures from European institutions. Highlights include four original manuscripts of the human body and faces by Leonardo da Vinci, shown for the first time in Hong Kong, alongside loans from the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, the Musée national de la Renaissance, works by mainland artist Xu Lei, and items from the museum's own collection.

The New Installation of the Querini Stampalia Foundation in Venice Is a Game of Combinatory Art. Interview with Director Cristiana Collu

Il nuovo allestimento della Fondazione Querini Stampalia a Venezia è un gioco di arte combinatoria. Intervista alla direttrice Cristiana Collu

The Fondazione Querini Stampalia in Venice has unveiled a new permanent installation titled "The Dreamer," curated by director Cristiana Collu and opening May 5, 2026. The exhibition repositions over 170 works from the foundation's collection—including Giovanni Bellini's *Presentation of Jesus at the Temple*, Luca Giordano's *San Sebastiano*, and Palma il Vecchio's *Madonna with Child*—in dialogue with works by six contemporary artists: Giusy Calia, Silvia Giambrone, Daniela De Lorenzo, Davide Rivalta, Emanuele Becheri, and Chiara Bettazzi. Inspired by the dreams and passions of founder Giovanni Querini Stampalia (born May 5, 1799) and his sister Caterina, the installation is conceived as a non-chronological, emotionally driven journey likened to a "reverse cinema" where visitors move through space like directors constructing their own narrative.

Quelques œuvres choisies au gré des 6 salles d’exposition

The article presents a thematic tour through six exhibition rooms dedicated to still life painting, focusing on works by Giorgio Morandi and Pablo Picasso. Each room explores a different conceptual angle: the grammar of objects in Morandi's metaphysical still lifes, the poetic dimension of Picasso's cubist compositions, contemporary vanitas motifs, the anti-Albertian nature of the genre, the interplay of presence and erasure, and the dislocation of form in Morandi's etchings. The exhibition draws on art historical references from Norman Bryson and Cesare Brandi to frame the evolution of still life from tradition to radical abstraction.

Abbas Akhavan Transforms the Canada Pavilion Into a Greenhouse, Daring Viewers to Leave Behind Their Preconceptions

Artist Abbas Akhavan has transformed the Canada Pavilion at the Venice Biennale into a functioning greenhouse for his exhibition "Entre chien et loup." The pavilion now houses a 6,000-gallon pool containing giant Victoria water lilies, with modifications including grow lights, water misters, a new ventilation system, and structural reinforcements to support the 25-ton water tank. The installation evokes Victorian-era Wardian cases and London's Crystal Palace, but Akhavan emphasizes that his interest in the lilies began intuitively, not as a commentary on colonialism or empire. The project, developed with curator Kim Nguyen, involved collaboration with Kew Gardens and the Orto Botanico di Padova to cultivate the plants, and the outcome remains uncertain as the lilies may thrive or wither over the exhibition's six-month run.

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art unveils first 'Star Wars' exhibition

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles has announced its first 'Star Wars' exhibition, titled 'Star Wars in Motion,' opening on September 22. The exhibition will feature props, costumes, and illustrations from George Lucas' six-film saga, including Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder and General Grievous' Wheel Bike, as part of the museum's inaugural lineup of 18 thematic exhibitions across 30 galleries.

New for 2026: Philly's Newest Museums, Galleries & Attractions

Philadelphia is celebrating America's 250th anniversary (the Semiquincentennial) in 2026 with the opening of several new museums, galleries, and attractions. These include Calder Gardens, a dedicated space for Alexander Calder's work on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway; Ministry of Awe, an immersive six-story art experience by Meg Saligman in a former bank; a new permanent Indigenous gallery at the Penn Museum; and a Netflix House experience at King of Prussia mall. The article also mentions the First Bank of the United States museum, the Philly Pride Visitor Center, and the Pennsylvania Hospital Museum as part of the city's anniversary additions.

Here is what you'll see at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art when it finally opens

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles will finally open on September 22, 2026, at Exposition Park. Founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the 300,000-square-foot spaceship-like building designed by MAD Architects will house a collection of over 40,000 objects, with 1,200 works on display across 30 galleries. The inaugural exhibitions span children's literature illustrations, manga and anime, comics, photography, cinematic storytelling, and classic American illustration, featuring artists from Norman Rockwell and Frida Kahlo to Jack Kirby and Alison Bechdel. A special cinema exhibition, 'Star Wars in Motion,' will showcase props and costumes from the first six films.

Musée d’Orsay displays Renoir and Degas works looted by Nazis

The Musée d’Orsay in Paris has opened a new gallery dedicated exclusively to artworks suspected of being looted or forcibly sold during the Nazi occupation of France. Among the 13 works on display is Edgar Degas's *Dinner at the Ball* (1919), originally owned by Jewish collector Fernand Ochsé, who was deported to Auschwitz with his wife in 1941. The painting passed through multiple hands before being identified as one of over 100,000 artworks plundered by the Nazis. The museum has assembled a team of six provenance researchers to spend three years tracing the original owners of these works, which are part of the "MNR" (Musées nationaux récupération) collection—some 2,200 pieces deemed too important to sell but whose owners remain unknown.

One of Vancouver's hottest art parties returns with immersive lineup next month

The Vancouver Art Gallery will host its annual Art Party on Saturday, June 6, 2026, from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. The late-night immersive celebration features drinks, performances, and interactive experiences under the theme "Ancient Futures." Guests are encouraged to wear outfits made from upcycled materials and can explore exhibitions including "That Green Ideal: Emily Carr and the Idea of Nature," "Future Geographies: Art in the Century of Climate Change," and "Highlights from the Collection." Performances include "Landings for Six" by Action at a Distance Dance Society, a rhythmic ensemble by Shion Skye Carter, and a wearable-art activity led by FakeKnot. Tickets are on sale now, with proceeds supporting the gallery's exhibitions, education, and public programs.

Beyond the Sagrada Família: These 6 Surprising Places in Barcelona Reveal a Lesser-Known Gaudí

Au-delà de la Sagrada Família, ces 6 lieux étonnants à Barcelone qui révèlent un Gaudí méconnu

Beaux Arts Magazine highlights six lesser-known architectural works by Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona, beyond his famous Sagrada Família. The article features Casa Vicens (1883–1885), his first private commission; Torre Bellesguard (1900–1909), a medieval-inspired tower with panoramic views; Casa Calvet (1897), a residential building with textile-themed details; and the Finca Güell and Palau Güell, experimental projects for his patron Eusebi Güell. These sites showcase Gaudí's organic style, fusion of nature and architecture, and influences from Japanese, Arabic, and Catalan Gothic traditions, with several recently opened to the public.

Annual photo show at MacNider Museum showcases local talent

The Charles H. MacNider Art Museum in Mason City, Iowa, has opened its 46th Annual Cerro Gordo Photo Show in the Center Space Gallery, sponsored by the Safford and Lena Lock Photo Endowment Fund. Sixty-two entries were submitted by residents of Cerro Gordo County and students at North Iowa Area Community College, with 36 photographs by 20 artists selected for exhibition. An opening reception and awards ceremony will be held on May 7, 2026, with cash prizes including $125 for Best in Show. The exhibition runs through July 11, 2026, and admission is free.

'Greater New York' Exhibit Gets Real at MoMA PS1

MoMA PS1 opened the sixth edition of its quinquennial exhibition 'Greater New York,' featuring over 50 artists from the New York area. The show, which debuted in 2000 as the first joint project between the Museum of Modern Art and P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, fills all floors of the Queens museum with works addressing local themes such as immigration, taxi drivers, massage parlors, rats, and bodega cats. Notable installations include 'Unfree Free Time' by fields harrington, which pays a delivery driver minimum wage for each hour his bike is displayed, and a mural by the Cevallos Brothers, known for their posters for local businesses.

Meet the Canadian artists heading to Venice Biennale

Five Canadian artists have been selected for the main exhibition of the Venice Biennale, titled *In Minor Keys*, which opens to the public next Saturday. The participants are Abbas Akhavan (featured in the Canada Pavilion), Manuel Mathieu, Rajni Perera, Marigold Santos, and one additional artist. The exhibition is the first Biennale curated by a Black woman, Cameroonian-Swiss curator Koyo Kouoh, who died suddenly in May last year after a cancer diagnosis, just six months after her appointment. Despite her death, the Biennale proceeded with her plans, with her team completing the work.

Exhibition | Daniel Crews-Chubb, 'The Belt of Venus' at Patricia Low Contemporary, Venezia, Venice, Italy

Daniel Crews-Chubb presents 'The Belt of Venus,' an exhibition of six new monumental paintings at Patricia Low Contemporary in Venice. The works draw inspiration from the atmospheric phenomenon of the same name, using its ethereal pinkish glow as a color palette. Crews-Chubb explores pareidolia—the brain's tendency to see faces in abstract forms—pushing his long-standing interrogation of the human figure into increasingly abstract territory. The paintings reference classical mythology, including the Roman goddess Venus, and incorporate fragmented forms reminiscent of ancient statuary, serving as memento mori.