Hirshhorn Museum Director Melissa Chiu Leaves for Guggenheim, Another Smithsonian Departure

Melissa Chiu has been appointed as the new director of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, departing her long-standing role at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Starting September 1, Chiu will report to Mariët Westermann, CEO of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, effectively splitting the leadership responsibilities previously held by Richard Armstrong. During her decade-long tenure at the Hirshhorn, Chiu was known for staging massive blockbuster exhibitions, including the record-breaking Yayoi Kusama "Infinity Mirror Rooms" show, though she also faced criticism for commercial ventures like a reality TV competition.

A Launchpad for the Future

"Eine Startrampe für die Zukunft"

The article is a media roundup covering several stories from the art world. It includes an interview with Jeff Koons discussing his artistic process and philosophy, a portrait of artist Jorinde Voigt, a report on the robust Art Düsseldorf fair, a news piece about two valuable Gerhard Richter paintings on loan to a museum, and a review of the new LACMA building's non-linear curatorial approach.

‘The original triple threat’: two exhibitions celebrate Marilyn Monroe as creative pioneer

The British Film Institute (BFI) and the National Portrait Gallery have announced two major exhibitions to celebrate the centenary of Marilyn Monroe’s birth. The BFI will host a two-month film season titled 'Marilyn Monroe: Self Made Star,' featuring a comprehensive look at her filmography and a theatrical re-release of her final film, *The Misfits*. Simultaneously, the National Portrait Gallery will present 'Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait,' an exhibition exploring her influence on visual culture through works by artists like Andy Warhol and Richard Avedon, including rare photographs taken just before her death.

Art Paris 2026: 10 Booths for Great Discoveries

Art Paris 2026 : 10 stands pour faire de belles découvertes

The 28th edition of Art Paris has opened at the Grand Palais, marked by a vibrant and optimistic atmosphere. The fair features a diverse array of works ranging from Fabrice Hyber’s monumental inflatable bears at the entrance to a curated selection of contemporary ceramics, textiles, and innovative paintings. A central highlight is the "Reparation" thematic itinerary curated by Alexia Fabre, which connects various artists through the concept of healing and transformation.

The Great Lone Wolf of Art

Der große Einzelgänger der Kunst

Georg Baselitz, the German painter known for his radical, figurative works and iconic upside-down motifs, has died at age 88. Born Hans-Georg Kern in 1938 in Deutschbaselitz, Saxony, he fled East Germany for West Berlin in 1957 after being expelled from art school for "socio-political immaturity." Baselitz rose to international fame with his expressive, fractured depictions of the human figure, famously inverting his compositions starting with "Der Wald auf dem Kopf" (1969). He also worked as a stage and costume designer for operas by Harrison Birtwistle, György Ligeti, and Richard Wagner.

Judd Foundation Taps Copper Hewitt Curator as New Director of Design

The Judd Foundation has appointed Alexandra Cunningham Cameron as its first director of design, a new role overseeing Donald Judd Furniture LLC. Cameron, currently a curator of contemporary design at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, will start on April 27, guiding product development, operations, and strategic growth for the foundation's furniture line, which produces over 70 designs based on Donald Judd's original specifications.

A View From the Easel With Celia Paul

British painter Celia Paul provides an intimate look at her long-term studio and residence in London's Bloomsbury neighborhood, where she has lived and worked for 44 years. The artist describes a disciplined routine starting at 5am, emphasizing a need for silence and a pared-down environment to foster the introspection found in her seascapes and self-portraits.

Refik Anadol’s AI Art Museum DATALAND Will Open in Los Angeles in June

Refik Anadol and Efsun Erkılıç will open DATALAND, a museum dedicated to AI art, in Los Angeles on June 20, 2026. Located in the Grand LA complex designed by Frank Gehry, the 25,000-square-foot venue will feature five gallery spaces plus 10,000 square feet for supporting technology. Its inaugural exhibition, "Machine Dreams: Rainforest," created by Refik Anadol Studio, uses AI trained on ecological datasets to generate sensory experiences, including a version of Anadol's Infinity Room with a 1987 recording of an extinct Hawaiian bird and AI-generated scents. Membership starts at $350 per year.

Alexander Calder, Brilliant Sculptor of Air and Color Celebrated at the Fondation Vuitton

Alexander Calder, génial sculpteur de l’air et de la couleur célébré à la fondation Vuitton

The Fondation Louis Vuitton is hosting a major celebration of Alexander Calder, the American sculptor who revolutionized 20th-century art by introducing movement and play into the medium. The article traces Calder's formative years in Paris starting in 1926, where the young engineer-turned-artist gained avant-garde fame with his 'Cirque Calder'—a miniature circus of wire and fabric figurines. This period marked his transition from traditional painting to his signature 'drawings in space,' featuring wire sculptures of figures like Josephine Baker that projected dancing shadows and captured the kinetic energy of the era.

miamis design district will host art basels top galleries december 1914451

Following the cancellation of Art Basel Miami Beach 2020 due to the pandemic, the Miami Design District has announced plans to host a physical art and design event. Approximately 25 to 30 top-tier galleries will occupy storefronts for a ten-day period starting November 27, while the historic Moore Building will house 'Design Miami/ Podium,' a curated selling exhibition titled 'America(s)' led by Aric Chen.

George Baselitz, Purveyor of the Tortured Male Genius Myth, Dies at 88

Georg Baselitz, the influential German Neo-Expressionist painter known for his emotionally charged, often violent works and his controversial statements about women artists, has died at age 88. His final paintings will be shown in the exhibition "Eroi d’Oro" at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice starting May 6. Baselitz rose to prominence with his "Heroes" series of monumental male soldiers and his signature "upside down" paintings, which forced viewers to focus on painterly gesture over representation. He was a key precursor to Germany's Neue Wilde movement and confronted Germany's World War II trauma in works that combined expressionistic brutality with Wagnerian grandeur.

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.

Getty Center in Los Angeles Is Closing for Year of Renovations

The Getty Center in Los Angeles has announced it will close to the public for a full year starting in March 2027. This significant hiatus is required to facilitate a major infrastructure overhaul, primarily focusing on the replacement of its aging computer-operated tram system and the modernization of several gallery spaces within the Richard Meier-designed campus.

Getty Center to Close in Los Angeles as Major Renovation Looms

The Getty Center in Los Angeles will close for a full year starting March 15, 2027, to undergo its first major renovation since opening in 1997. The "modernization initiatives" include updates to the galleries, a redesign of the Welcome Hall with a new café, and the replacement of the iconic tram system to increase passenger capacity. During the closure, the Getty Villa in Malibu will remain open and display highlights from the Center’s permanent collection, while additional programming will be held at a temporary space on Sepulveda Boulevard.

Modern heroes and a ravaged Earth: reboot of 1950s space comic Dan Dare has liftoff

The legendary British space hero Dan Dare is set for a 21st-century revival with the upcoming graphic novel "Dan Dare: First Contact." Created by writer Alex de Campi and artist Marc Laming under B7 Comics, the project reimagines the 1950s icon for a modern audience while retaining core characters like Digby and Professor Peabody. The reboot follows a successful Kickstarter campaign and aims to provide a fresh alternative to dominant sci-fi franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek.

Overdue payments to artists, landlords and workers at a popular gallery reflect pressures squeezing the dealer sector

The Hole, a prominent gallery with locations in New York and Los Angeles, is facing significant financial distress characterized by shuttered spaces and mounting legal disputes. Following a period of rapid expansion fueled by the 2021–2023 art market boom, the gallery has permanently closed its West Hollywood location and is currently facing multiple lawsuits from Manhattan landlords alleging over $180,000 in unpaid rent and taxes. Founder Kathy Grayson attributes the crisis to a sharp decline in sales starting in late 2023, which has left the gallery struggling to pay artists, staff, and creditors.

The Dallas Art Fair: A Balance Of Growth And Consistency

The Dallas Art Fair (DAF), founded in 2009 by developer John T. Sughrue and curator Chris Byrne, concluded its eighteenth edition this past weekend. Director Kelly Cornell, who started as an intern and became director in 2016, has strengthened partnerships with the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, and Dallas Contemporary, while securing sponsors like Bank of America. The fair has grown from 35 to over 90 galleries, though it still lacks mega-galleries like Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, David Zwirner, and Pace. International participation this year included about 20 galleries, with notable names such as Perrotin, Anat Egbi, and Hesse Flatow, while galleries from Germany and China were absent.

Want to check out LACMA’s new building? Here’s how you can get tickets—for free

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is set to open its highly anticipated David Geffen Galleries to the public on May 4, 2026, following a members-only preview starting April 19. Designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, the $724 million, 110,000-square-foot concrete structure spans Wilshire Boulevard and houses the museum's permanent collection in a single-floor layout. The opening will be celebrated with a public block party on June 20, featuring free admission, tours, and live performances.

The Colors of Mark Rothko Conquer Florence: A Major Exhibition Across Three Venues

I colori di Mark Rothko conquistano Firenze: una grande mostra in tre sedi

The city of Florence is hosting a major three-venue retrospective dedicated to Mark Rothko, centered at Palazzo Strozzi with extensions into the Museo di San Marco and the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana. Curated by Christopher Rothko and Elena Geuna, the exhibition features 70 works spanning the artist's career, from his early Surrealist-influenced paintings of the 1930s and 40s to his iconic 'Multiform' and classic color-field abstractions. A unique highlight of the show is the installation of Rothko’s smaller works within the historic cells of the Museo di San Marco, directly alongside frescoes by Beato Angelico.

Sebastiaan Bremer: Super Modern Things

Edwynn Houk Gallery presents "Super Modern Things," an exhibition of new works by Sebastiaan Bremer. The artworks blend photography and painting, starting from historical source images such as 17th-century Dutch botanical catalogues and Golden Age still life paintings. Bremer photographs these reproductions and adds ink and acrylic marks—dots, lines, stains, and washes—creating rhythms that evoke language, music, emotion, and constellations. The exhibition continues his long-standing exploration of flowers and the layered histories of still life, addressing themes of beauty, mortality, value, ecology, and global exchange. An accompanying monograph of his flower series is scheduled for Fall 2026.

Exhibition | 'Goodman Gallery x Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier' at Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

Goodman Gallery is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a high-profile collaborative exhibition at Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier in Paris. Running from April 17 to August 29, the showcase features major works by leading artists from the African continent and the diaspora, including El Anatsui, William Kentridge, and Kapwani Kiwanga. The presentation places contemporary African art in direct dialogue with the high-end furniture and interior architecture of Pierre Yovanovitch, marking the start of a series of international events for the gallery this summer.

Gropius Bau öffnet abends länger

The Gropius Bau in Berlin has extended its evening opening hours by one hour, now open until 8 PM (closed Tuesdays), due to high demand for its exhibition of performance artist Marina Abramović. The show, titled "Balkan Erotic Epic," opened two weeks ago and drew long queues from the start. It features both new and older works, including performances where Abramović carved a star into her abdomen or lay in a burning installation until losing consciousness. The exhibition explores eroticism, politics, Balkan folklore, sexual energy, death, the political dimension of the body, and the Yugoslav wars.

Contemporary US Art is Sick with Problems

"Die zeitgenössische US-Kunst ist von Problemen krank"

Artist Josh Kline has sparked a heated debate with a scathing critique of the American art scene, particularly targeting New York City as an unsustainable hub driven by market logic and inequality. Kline argues that contemporary art is "sick with problems" and urges young artists to abandon the city, calling for a shift from institutional critique to a broader industry-wide analysis of class and power. Meanwhile, the German art world sees significant movement with the upcoming auction of Georg Kolbe’s "Tänzerinnen-Brunnen" following a Nazi-looted art settlement, and the Berlin State Museums announcing a phased reopening of the Pergamon Altar starting in 2027.

Where Does "Guernica" Belong?

Wohin gehört "Guernica"?

Basque Prime Minister Imanol Pradales has formally requested the temporary transfer of Pablo Picasso’s masterpiece "Guernica" from Madrid to the Basque Country. The proposal seeks to exhibit the monumental 1937 anti-war painting at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao for nine months starting in late 2026 to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the town's bombing. While the work depicts the destruction of the Basque town of Gernika by Nazi and Italian fascist forces, it has resided at the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid since 1992.

Cult grocery store Erewhon opens café at new LACMA galleries.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has opened a new café operated by the upscale organic grocery chain Erewhon on its W.M. Keck plaza. The café, located in the plaza's northeast pavilion with a view of Alexander Calder's 1964 sculpture, opened for member previews on April 19th and will be accessible to the general public starting May 4th, running through the summer season.

New York Gallery The Hole Sued Over Back Rent, Accused of Not Paying Artists and Workers

The Hole, a prominent New York-based contemporary art gallery, is facing multiple lawsuits and allegations of financial instability. Legal filings from landlords at both its Bowery and Tribeca locations indicate significant rent arrears totaling over $180,000, alongside unpaid real estate taxes. Founder Kathy Grayson confirmed the closure of the gallery’s Los Angeles outpost, attributing the crisis to a sharp decline in sales starting in late 2023 and a destabilizing period of rapid expansion.

Pooh in pencil: sketches for original Winnie-the-Pooh book shared for first time

Two previously unseen preliminary pencil sketches of Winnie-the-Pooh by illustrator E.H. Shepard have been revealed to the public for the first time. Shared by the artist’s family to mark the centenary of A.A. Milne’s classic stories, the drawings depict scenes from the "expotition" to the North Pole and the hunt for a "Woozle" that were never included in the final 1926 publication. These rare works are set to go on display at Peter Harrington Rare Books in London starting April 17.

Paris’s Centre Pompidou to Welcome Seoul Outpost in June

The Centre Pompidou is expanding its global footprint with the opening of a new satellite museum in Seoul this June. Housed in a former aquarium within the Hanwha Group's headquarters in the Yeouido financial district, the Centre Pompidou Hanwha is the result of a four-year partnership between the French institution and the Hanwha Foundation of Culture. The renovated 108,000-square-foot space, designed by architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, will debut with an exhibition titled "The Cubists: Inventing Modern Vision," which explores the evolution of Cubism and its intersections with Korean art.

These Are the Winners of the 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has announced its 2026 fellowship recipients, naming 223 individuals across 55 disciplines. The cohort includes 76 professionals from the visual arts, photography, and fine arts research sectors, featuring notable figures such as Sheida Soleimani, American Artist, Kenneth Tam, and Sonya Clark. This year's selection process was notably competitive, drawing 5,000 applicants—a significant increase from previous years.

Art Paris: A Better Result Than Expected

Art Paris, un bilan meilleur que prévu

The 28th edition of Art Paris concluded with stronger-than-expected sales despite a sluggish start and a volatile global climate. Featuring 165 galleries, the fair solidified its position as a key regional event for French collectors, offering a price range typically between €10,000 and €40,000. While mega-galleries like Almine Rech participated with accessible works, the fair also welcomed newcomers like Esther Schipper and In Situ-Fabienne Leclerc, who reported positive results across various media including ceramics, photography, and painting.