Fraenkel Gallery has partnered with New York's Metrograph theater to present a film series curated by six of its represented artists. The series, titled "Fraenkel Gallery Presents," runs from May 8–17, with each artist selecting a film and several introducing their screenings. The collaboration includes an opening event featuring artist Carrie Mae Weems and director Joel Coen.
Several major Los Angeles institutions are opening new exhibitions in February. Highlights include the Academy Museum's interactive "Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo" show, the Autry Museum's "Desert Dreams and Coastal Currents" exhibition on Southwestern art, a performance by Wild Up at The Broad, the Getty Center's "Photography and the Black Arts Movement" survey, LACMA's display of modern masterpieces from the Pearlman collection, and the Marciano Art Foundation's Bruce Conner retrospective.
"The World of Studio Ghibli," a traveling immersive exhibition dedicated to the Japanese animation studio, will open at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi from May 30 to August 20, 2026. The show features large-scale theatrical sets from 16 Studio Ghibli films, including iconic scenes from My Neighbor Totoro, and tickets are available for 125 AED (about $34). The exhibition launched in 2013 and has previously toured Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Singapore.
Los Angeles is hosting a diverse array of major museum exhibitions this spring, ranging from cinematic retrospectives to ancient history and automotive culture. Key highlights include the Academy Museum’s immersive look at Studio Ghibli’s 'Ponyo' and a massive 50th-anniversary tribute to 'Jaws,' while the Getty Villa explores ancient Egyptian spirituality through the 'Book of the Dead.' Other notable shows include a 1990s fashion retrospective at the ASU FIDM Museum and a unique exploration of soccer culture at LACMA through the miniature sculptures of Lyndon J. Barrois, Sr.
Studio Ghibli has donated over 120 rare production artifacts to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, marking the first time the legendary animation studio has gifted such materials to an external institution. The donation includes original Japanese release posters, artboards, and key animation drawings from the 2008 film 'Ponyo,' which were revealed to be hand-drawn by Hayao Miyazaki himself. These items are currently featured in the museum's new interactive exhibition, 'Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo.'
Christie’s is set to host a landmark auction in New York titled “Anime Starts Here: Japanese Subculture Imagines Tradition,” marking the first sale of its kind dedicated to the intersection of anime, manga, and traditional Japanese art. The auction features a diverse range of items, from Katsushika Hokusai’s iconic 19th-century woodblock print "The Great Wave" to original production materials and posters from modern masterpieces like Studio Ghibli’s "My Neighbor Totoro" and Osamu Tezuka’s "Astro Boy."