notre dame windows climate activists acquitted morning links 1234765897

A Swedish court acquitted six climate activists who smeared red paint on a Claude Monet painting at Sweden's Nationalmuseum in June 2023, ruling they had no intent to damage the artwork. Separately, Claire Tabouret's designs for new stained-glass windows at Notre-Dame de Paris go on public display at the Grand Palais, despite controversy over replacing original 19th-century windows. Other news includes Pantone defending its 2026 Color of the Year choice, Brussels closing its Centrale for Contemporary Art due to budget cuts, the San Francisco Asian Art Museum returning looted Thai sculptures, and curator Pi Li leaving Hong Kong's Tai Kwun to help found a new museum in Shenzhen.

Photographer Zanele Muholi is named the 2026 Hasselblad Award laureate.

South African visual activist Zanele Muholi has won the prestigious 2026 Hasselblad Award, one of the highest honors in photography. The award, which includes a cash prize and a major exhibition at the Hasselblad Foundation in Gothenburg, Sweden, recognizes Muholi's decades-long dedication to documenting and celebrating Black LGBTQIA+ communities in South Africa and beyond. Their powerful portraits and self-portraits challenge historical erasure and create a profound visual archive of resistance and existence.

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Artist and activist Michele Pred has opened a solo exhibition at Nancy Hoffman Gallery in New York, showcasing a body of work that addresses the erosion of civil and reproductive rights. The exhibition features her signature electroluminescent wire-stitched vintage handbags, sculptures made from found objects like wooden gavels and disarmed bullets, and large-scale inflatable abortion pill sculptures. Pred’s practice, rooted in her upbringing between California and Sweden, utilizes approachable domestic objects to deliver urgent political messages regarding bodily autonomy and social justice.

swedish court acquits climate activists monet painting 1234765895

A Swedish court acquitted six climate activists from the group Återställ Våtmarker (Restore Wetlands) who smeared red paint on the protective glass of Claude Monet's painting *The Artist’s Garden at Giverny* (1900) at the National Museum of Sweden in June 2023. The painting, on loan from the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, was unharmed; the court ruled the activists had no intent to damage the work, noting they used water-soluble paint and targeted a glass-covered piece, though some paint reached the frame.

symbolism art institute chicag van gogh munch redon 1234758768

The Art Institute of Chicago has opened an exhibition titled 'Strange Realities: The Symbolist Imagination,' drawn entirely from its own collection. The show features works by Vincent van Gogh, Edvard Munch, Odilon Redon, and lesser-known artists like Gustaf Fjaestad, aiming to present Symbolism through its visual output rather than its often vague literary manifestos. The exhibition sidesteps strict definitions of the movement, instead offering a broad range of works from the late 1880s to early 1900s that evoke mystery, doubt, and inner realities.

Hunker Down With John Skoog

Artist John Skoog has premiered a new black-and-white feature film, 'Redoubt' (2025), starring Denis Lavant, and opened a concurrent exhibition at Moderna Museet in Malmö. The film follows a farmhand building an apocalyptic shelter, while the museum installation features the full-scale, fabricated bunker from the film's production.

Stockholm's Market Art Fair is a new model art fair from which to learn something

La Market Art Fair di Stoccolma è un nuovo modello di fiera d’arte da cui imparare qualcosa

The Market Art Fair in Stockholm, founded in 2006 by galleries from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland, held its 20th edition from April 23-26, 2026, at Magasin 9 during Stockholm Art Week. The fair features 54 exhibitors from 8 countries and 150 artists, with 80% of works tied to the Nordic context and 20% international. Highlights include a solo presentation by Olafur Eliasson at i8 Gallery (Reykjavík) featuring his sculpture *Rare metallic plant* (2026), and a preview of the Nordic Pavilion at the Venice Biennale by artist Benjamin Orlow at Season 4 Episode 6 gallery. The fair has recently opened its selection to international galleries, a shift welcomed by collectors.

The North Can Do More Than Design

Der Norden kann mehr als Design

During Stockholm Art Week, the Swedish capital showcases itself as a leading Nordic art destination. Highlights include textile sculptures by Diana Orving at Millesgården Museum, two concurrent art fairs—the independent Supermarket and the 20th edition of Market Art Fair—and numerous gallery exhibitions, artist talks, and studio visits. The Market Art Fair features 54 booths and over 150 artists, with a focus on Nordic positions, including works by Ólafur Elíasson and the duo Inka & Niclas. The city's art scene is growing, with many new galleries opening and strong private institutions like Bonniers Konsthall and Fotografiska participating.

Through Bamboo, the Artist Lap-See Lam Explores Her Family’s History

Swedish artist Lap-See Lam has opened her first solo exhibition in Asia at the Tai Kwun Contemporary in Hong Kong. The show, titled "The Dream of the Lion's Way," features her signature multimedia installations, including video, sculpture, and sound, which weave together Cantonese opera, family narratives, and 3D-scanned environments of Chinese restaurants in Sweden.

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Artist, designer, architect, and Olympian skateboarder Alexis Sablone has been inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame as part of its Class of 2026, announced on January 15. The 18 inductees were selected for shaping skateboarding culture and global impact, with the ceremony set for May 15 at Vans Headquarters in Costa Mesa, California. Sablone is known to the art world for skateboarding down the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum's spiral ramp in 2023 to promote her first sneaker design for Converse, and for creating skateable public art like 'Lady in the Square' in Sweden and 'Candy Courts' in New Jersey.

Monuments & Weapons: How Public Space Prepares Us for War Without Us Even Realizing It

Monumenti&armi. Così lo spazio pubblico ci prepara alla guerra senza che neppure ce ne rendiamo conto

Public squares and urban spaces are densely populated with war-related monuments that condition society to accept conflict as a historical inevitability. A study by Philadelphia’s Monument Lab reveals that nearly 60% of U.S. monuments focus on war themes, outnumbering themes of peace thirteen-fold, while Italy maintains over 12,000 memorials dedicated solely to World War I. These structures often prioritize military hierarchy and territorial conquest over themes of care, gender equality, or social diversity.

‘I'm going to miss the quiet life we had’: Greenlander artist Inuuteq Storch on Trump, travel and his ambitions to build a photography museum

Greenlander artist Inuuteq Storch, who gained international recognition for his takeover of the Danish pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, discusses the impact of Donald Trump's renewed claims about taking over Greenland. Storch, whose work focuses on everyday life in Greenland, expresses concern that the political rhetoric could disrupt the quiet, preserved way of life in his community. He is currently showing a new iteration of his Venice exhibition at the Hasselblad Center in Gothenburg, Sweden, and has a major show at MoMA PS1. Storch's practice includes archiving historical images, such as those by Greenland's first photographer John Møller, and using his art to address colonial legacies and resistance.

Scandinavian art exhibition brings rare Nordic works to Hagerstown

The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown is hosting a major exhibition titled 'The Scandinavian Home: Art and Identity, 1880-1920' from February 7 to May 17, 2026. The show features over 80 objects, including paintings, textiles, ceramics, and furniture, drawn primarily from the private collection of Dr. David and Susan Werner. It is organized into thematic sections exploring movements like Norwegian Revival, Art Nouveau, Vitalism, and Symbolist Experimentation, showcasing works from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.

Why This Swedish Gallery Set Up Shop in a 19th-Century Chapel

Loyal, a gallery founded by Martin Lilja and Amy Giunta, has relocated from Stockholm to a 19th-century chapel in the university town of Lund, Sweden. The move represents a deliberate shift away from the fast-paced commercial art world towards a slower, more contemplative model of exhibition-making.

mutter museum expansion philadelphia 1234762184

Philadelphia's Mütter Museum is expanding into the adjacent Swedenborgian Church and Parish House, which it purchased for $9.3 million in 2023. Construction is set to begin in phases in early 2026, funded by $27 million raised so far. The expansion will unify the campus, add new rotating galleries, a larger museum store, and more educational spaces, allowing the museum to display more of its nearly 500,000 objects currently not on view. The Gothic Revival church, designed by Theophilus Parsons Chandler Jr., was built in 1881 and closed in the mid-1980s before being used as medical offices.

mutter museum expansion philadelphia 1234762184

Philadelphia’s Mütter Museum is expanding into the adjacent Swedenborgian Church and Parish House, with construction set to begin in early 2026. The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, which oversees the museum, purchased the property for $9.3 million in 2023 and has raised $27 million to create a unified campus. The expansion will add new rotating galleries, a larger museum store, and multi-purpose educational spaces, allowing the museum to display more of its nearly 500,000 objects currently in storage.

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The White House published a list denouncing artworks and exhibitions at the Smithsonian Institution, including a painting by Amy Sherald of a Black trans woman as the Statue of Liberty, which Sherald later pulled from a National Portrait Gallery show alleging censorship. Separately, Shanghai’s Rockbund Art Museum faced operational challenges after introducing free admission in 2025, including overcrowding and visitor complaints, leading to a hybrid reservation system. Other news includes Frieze London and Frieze Masters announcing collaborations and prizes, Sweden moving a historic church for a mine expansion, and Chanel partnering with the Pinacoteca de São Paulo for a women artists residency.