The art world is currently reflecting on the enduring legacy of Jasper Johns, highlighted by a new Gagosian exhibition focusing on his 1970s output. Critic John Yau explores Johns's career-long fascination with materiality and the inevitable decay of art, noting how the artist uses newsprint and wax to acknowledge that nothing remains static in time.
The second edition of Taipei Art Week has drawn a large crowd, anchored by Art Taipei—Asia's longest-running art fair—and the 14th Taipei Biennale. Galleries have raised their ambitions, with pop-up shows, talks, and collectors' parties filling the city. However, Taiwan's art market faces significant headwinds: art imports fell 15.2% in 2024, Ravenel's spring auction sales plummeted from $14.6 million in 2020 to $3.6 million in 2025, and Taipei Dangdai announced it would cease operations after its sixth edition. Geopolitical tensions with China have reduced Chinese collector participation and visitor numbers at the National Palace Museum.
Frieze Seoul returns for its fourth edition at Coex from September 3 to 6 with 120 galleries, maintaining last year's scale. Asian galleries now represent 64 percent of exhibitors, up from 48 percent, signaling a stronger regional identity. Notable non-returning galleries include Blum, Karma, and Neugerriemschneider. Meanwhile, Kiaf Seoul will run concurrently with 176 exhibitors, and Art021 Group suspended its 2025 Hong Kong show after a single edition. Gallery Weekend Beijing concluded its ninth edition with a new invitation-only model, and several Asian-rooted artists are featured in London Gallery Weekend. New institutions opened, including the Photography Seoul Museum of Art and the Naoshima New Museum of Art, while the inaugural Bukhara Biennial program was announced.
The 61st Venice Biennale opens amid significant turmoil. The entire jury of the International Art Exhibition resigned after a statement about withholding prizes from countries with leaders charged with crimes against humanity by the ICC, leading to the cancellation of the Golden Lion awards in favor of 'Visitors' Lions' to be given at the exhibition's end. The event has been further marred by the sudden death of artistic director Koyo Kouoh from liver cancer in early 2025, and the death of artist Henrike Naumann, who was set to debut work in the German pavilion. Additionally, the selection process for the American pavilion artist, Mexico-based sculptor Alma Allen, sparked controversy after a delayed grant application process.
The Cincinnati Art Museum has announced it will host Yayoi Kusama’s immersive installation, "All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins," from July 17 through October 18, 2026. On loan from the Dallas Museum of Art, the exhibition features one of the artist's signature Infinity Mirror Rooms filled with polka-dotted acrylic pumpkins, accompanied by twelve of her pumpkin paintings created between 1990 and 2004.
Cultured magazine has published a guide to the best off-site gallery shows during Frieze Los Angeles 2026, organized by neighborhood. The article highlights six exhibitions: Rodney McMillian's "Some lives in the sunshine" at Vielmetter, Emma McIntyre's "Aragonite and conchiolin" at Château Shatto, Cayetano Ferrer's "Object Prosthetics" at Commonwealth and Council, Vicky Colombet's "Eutierria" at Fernberger, Kye Christensen-Knowles's "ALL & ALL" at Gaylord Fine Arts, and Christina Quarles's "The Ground Glows Back" at Hauser & Wirth. Each entry includes details on dates, key artworks, and curatorial context.
Cultured magazine asked 25 photographers to each select a single image for a time capsule representing the first quarter of the 21st century. The resulting portfolio includes works by Juergen Teller (a Balenciaga ad featuring Putin, Trump, and climate imagery), Sinna Nasseri (a cat amid a California wildfire), Naima Green (a domestic scene mediated by smartphones), Lele Saveri (a critique of property ownership), and Trevor Paglen (a CIA black site in Kabul), among others.
Cultured magazine has published its first Young Dealers List, highlighting 23 galleries under five years old that are revitalizing the art world. The list was compiled from over 100 recommendations gathered from more than 40 collectors, advisors, and curators. The article profiles one of the selected gallerists, Adora Mba, founder of ADA Contemporary Art Gallery in Accra, Ghana, who opened her space in 2020 after working as a cultural news producer. Mba emphasizes supporting emerging African artists and has dedicated her 2025 program to women artists and curators.
The Holy See's pavilion at the Venice Biennale has opened, featuring a sound-based exhibition titled "The Ear is the Eye of the Soul" (9 May–22 November). The show, inspired by the medieval Benedictine nun Saint Hildegard of Bingen, includes commissioned audio works by high-profile artists and musicians such as Brian Eno, FKA Twigs, Patti Smith, Jim Jarmusch, and Precious Okoyomon. The exhibition takes place across two Venetian sites—the Mystical Garden of the Discalced Carmelite and the Santa Maria Ausiliatrice complex—and is co-organized by Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director of the Serpentine Gallery, and curator Ben Vickers, in collaboration with Soundwalk Collective.
The Victoria and Albert Museum is expanding its footprint with the opening of V&A East Museum in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on April 18. Led by Director Gus Casely-Hayford, the new five-story institution joins the recently opened V&A East Storehouse as part of the East Bank cultural quarter. The museum will debut with the "Why We Make" galleries, featuring over 500 objects and new commissions by artists such as Tania Bruguera, Carrie Mae Weems, and Thomas J. Price, whose 18-foot bronze sculpture anchors the museum's entrance.
The Guardian has announced the finalists for the 2026 Archibald Prize, Australia's premier portraiture award, featuring 30 works including Loribelle Spirovski's 'Fingerpainting of Daniel Johns', Vincent Namatjira's self-portrait 'The Dust Bowl', and portraits of notable sitters such as Virginia Trioli, Jan Fran, Ahmed al-Ahmed, Layne Beachley, and Governor-General Sam Mostyn. The list also includes the Packing Room Prize winner, Sean Layh's 'The tragicall historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke', and works by artists like Mitch Cairns, Marikit Santiago, and Michael Zavros, with all finalist images published in a photo gallery.
The article titled "The Art Diary May 2026 – Revd Jonathan Evens" appears to be a diary or column by Revd Jonathan Evens, published on Artlyst, covering art-related events, reflections, or commentary for May 2026. The specific content is not provided in the snippet, but the format suggests a curated overview of exhibitions, cultural happenings, or personal observations from the author's perspective.
Renowned British sculptor Antony Gormley is preparing for a major creative season, marked by two upcoming exhibitions at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp and Galleria Continua in San Gimignano, alongside the release of a new book dedicated to his drawings. Speaking from his David Chipperfield-designed studio in London, the artist reflects on his rigorous daily practice and his background in art history, contrasting his own ascetic, industrial aesthetic with the fleshy opulence of Flemish masters like Rubens.
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.
Lee Sharrock selects five must-see highlights at the 61st Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" and conceived by the late curator Koyo Kouoh, who passed away in 2025. The Biennale runs from May 9 to November 22, 2026, at the Giardini, Arsenale, and various Venetian venues. Featured highlights include Marina Abramović's historic exhibition "Transforming Energy" at the Gallerie dell'Accademia—the first major show for a living woman artist there—the Holy See Pavilion's "The Ear is the Eye of the Soul" with artists like Patti Smith and Brian Eno, and Lubaina Himid's British Pavilion presentation "Predicting History: Testing Translation."
The Vatican has announced a star-studded lineup of musicians and artists for its pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "The Ear Is the Eye of the Soul." Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers in collaboration with Soundwalk Collective, the exhibition features commissioned sound works from figures including Brian Eno, FKA Twigs, Patti Smith, and the late Alexander Kluge. The project is inspired by the 12th-century mystic Saint Hildegard of Bingen and will be staged across two historic Venetian locations: the Mystical Garden of the Discalced Carmelites and the Complesso di Santa Maria Ausiliatrice.
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*.
Hans Ulrich Obrist, the prolific Swiss curator and artistic director of Serpentine Galleries, discusses his lifelong passion for books in a new interview timed to the U.S. release of his memoir "Life in Progress." Obrist reveals his daily ritual of buying a book, which has amassed an archive of over 40,000 volumes housed at LUMA Arles, and shares current reading recommendations including Kenneth O. Stanley's "Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned." He also reflects on the serendipitous origins of his Instagram Post-it note project, inspired by philosopher Umberto Eco and artist-poet Etel Adnan.
The article, part of a series on e-flux, presents a theoretical analysis of the 1965 Watts rebellion through the lens of Guy Debord's Situationist thought. It examines how the rioters' destruction and theft of commodities, like refrigerators they couldn't power, acted as a rejection of capitalist integration and exposed the false promise of consumer affluence.
CULTURED magazine has launched its inaugural Young Dealers List, highlighting 23 galleries under five years old that are reshaping the art world. Selected from over 100 recommendations gathered from more than 40 collectors, advisors, and curators, the list features ambitious new spaces in cities from Accra to Berlin. One featured gallerist, Adora Mba of ADA \ Contemporary Art Gallery in Accra, comes from a family of collectors and opened her gallery after working as a cultural news producer; she has dedicated her 2025 program to women artists and curators.
Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) is hosting its 2nd annual summer group exhibition from July 1–31, 2025, featuring forty-two Northern Nevada artists. The show, titled "Myself/My Space: Collage Interpretations of Self-portraits & Environment," is presented by WEDGE OUTSIDE THE BOX in connection with Artown 2025. An opening reception will be held July 9 at TMCC’s Main Art Gallery in the V. James Eardley Student Center, Reno, NV. The exhibition explores identity and place through two- and three-dimensional mixed-media collage works.
V&A East Museum is launching its inaugural exhibition, 'The Music is Black: A British Story,' a comprehensive exploration of Black British music spanning over a century. Curated by Jacqueline Springer, the show features more than 200 objects—including instruments, fashion, and personal artifacts—alongside significant artworks by figures such as Sonia Boyce and Frank Bowling. The exhibition traces the evolution of genres from early 20th-century compositions to contemporary grime and drill, framing them as vital expressions of migration, resistance, and cultural identity.
Joan Shogren, a chemistry graduate from San José State University (SJSU) in the early 1950s, created some of the world's first computer-generated art in 1963 while working as a secretary in the chemistry department. Collaborating with graduate student Jim Larson and assistant professor Ralph Fessenden, she developed a theory that computers could create art if given "rules" of proportion, balance, and center of interest. Fessenden translated her "laws of art" into code on an IBM 1620 computer, producing artworks that were printed as number arrays and later hand-colored by artist Marvin Coon. Shogren exhibited these works in May 1963 at the campus bookstore, recognized as the first public display of computer art. Two decades later, she was commissioned by software company T/Maker to create the first clip art, "ClickArt," released in 1984 for Macintosh computers, designed pixel by pixel.
CULTURED magazine hosted a party at the Beverly Hills outpost of Michael Werner Gallery to celebrate its September issue featuring actor Vicky Krieps on the cover. Guests including artists, designers, directors, and collectors gathered to view late artist Per Kirkeby's abstract paintings while enjoying Ruinart champagne and LALO Tequila cocktails. Attendees departed with copies of the issue, which features Krieps wearing Issey Miyake and Comme des Garçons.
The Women’s Art Registry of Minnesota (WARM), one of the oldest feminist art collectives in the United States, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Founded in 1973 in Minneapolis, the collective emerged as a grassroots response to the systemic exclusion of women from mainstream galleries and museums, eventually establishing its own gallery space and a robust mentorship program that continues to support female-identifying artists today.
The Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida is launching a major exhibition titled "Florida in the Frame: A Century of Artists’ Reflections on the Sunshine State." Drawing from the extensive Samuel H. and Roberta T. Vickers Collection, the show features over 65 artists including American masters like Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, and Thomas Moran alongside Florida Highwaymen painters. The exhibition is organized into three thematic sections that explore the state's natural landscapes, the development of its urban centers, and its evolution into a global tourism destination between 1850 and 1950.
The Denver Art Museum (DAM) has announced its winter and spring 2025 programming, including exhibitions, events, and activities from February through April. Highlights include the closing exhibitions "Pissarro's Impressionism" (final day February 8) and "A Constant Sky" by Andrea Carlson (through February 16), the opening of photography show "What We’ve Been Up To: People" on February 8, fashion exhibition "Conversation Pieces: Stories from the Fashion Archives" on February 15, and "Space Is the Place: Art & Design in the Atomic Age" and "'Round the Clock: 24 Hours of Colorado in Prints" on March 1. Special events include Slam Nuba's 5th Annual Poetry Slam on February 21, lectures by Didier William and Zora J. Murff in March, and the major exhibition "The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art" opening April 19. The museum also offers free general admission for members and visitors 18 and under.
The Denver Art Museum announced an upcoming exhibition titled "Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection," featuring over 150 artworks by Kahlo, Rivera, and their contemporaries including Lola Alvarez Bravo, Gunther Gerzso, María Izquierdo, and Carlos Mérida. Organized by MondoMostre and curated locally by Rebecca Hart, the show will run from October 25, 2020, to January 17, 2021, in the museum's Anschutz and Martin & McCormick Galleries, highlighting the role of art and indigenous culture in forging national identity after the Mexican Revolution.
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.
Prague Art Week 2025 (PAW25) took place from September 25 to 28 across multiple venues in Prague, including the Mánes Exhibition Hall, galleries in Prague 1 and Prague 7, and the Trade Fair Palace of the National Gallery. The program featured exhibitions such as HAC#2 celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Havrlant Art Collection, group shows like Interlude at C12 gallery and IT at HYB4, solo exhibitions by Lenka Glisnikova and Stanislav Zábrodský, the Jindřich Chalupecký Award exhibition, and the duo show With Feathers and Flesh. Activities included guided tours, artist talks, and open studios, with works by Czech and international artists exploring themes of digital transformation, corporeality, identity, environmental crisis, and spirituality.