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The Pet Food Store Owner Behind the Venice Biennale’s US Pavilion, 400-Year-Old Pendant in English Painting Resurfaces, and More: Morning Links for April 20, 2026

The New York Times profiled Jenni Parido, the 37-year-old commissioner of the upcoming US Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, who has no professional arts background and previously ran a luxury pet food store in Florida. She selected Jeffrey Uslip as curator, and artist Alma Allen will represent the US after other artists reportedly declined.

art bites why tilda swinton napped moma 2618812

In 2013, visitors to New York's Museum of Modern Art encountered actress Tilda Swinton sleeping in a raised glass box in the lobby, a performance piece titled *The Maybe*. Swinton first performed the work at London's Serpentine Gallery in 1995, developed with Joanna Scanlan, and has reprised it only twice: at Rome's Museo Baracco in 1996 and at MoMA in 2013. The MoMA iteration, curated by Klaus Biesenbach, featured Swinton alone in the glass case for eight hours a day over seven days, without the historical curiosities that accompanied the original Serpentine installation. Swinton has stated in a 2024 interview that she intends to perform *The Maybe* again "when least expected."

art cannupa hanska luger aspen air installation

Cannupa Hanska Luger, a New Mexico-based artist, has created "Volume," an installation of clay whistles shaped like animal skulls that produce sound hourly using sensors and mechanical breath. The work is part of AIR, the Aspen Art Museum's inaugural retreat and festival, which explores the role of art in an era of rapid technological transformation. Luger discusses how the whistles, fired using multiple techniques, serve as a memento mori and draw on ancient globular whistle technology, Indigenous knowledge systems, and the idea that objects carry life.

Hamnet-era mourning jewel from celebrated painting rediscovered after 400 years

A rare 17th-century mourning jewel, depicted in the celebrated 1635 painting 'Sir Thomas Aston at the Deathbed of His Wife' by John Souch, has been rediscovered after 400 years. The heart-shaped pendant, which contains a tassel of hair from Aston’s deceased son Robert, was identified by its current owners during a chance visit to an exhibition featuring the portrait. Valued at £650,000, the gold and enamel memento mori features intricate Latin inscriptions that were previously illegible in the painting.

Wayne Thiebaud’s first UK show reveals the hidden depths of his deceptively simple paintings

Wayne Thiebaud's first museum exhibition in the UK has opened at the Courtauld Gallery, featuring 21 paintings on loan from US public and private collections, including the Wayne Thiebaud Foundation. The show, titled "Wayne Thiebaud: American Still Life," highlights the artist's deceptively simple depictions of cakes, pies, and deli counters, and includes a concurrent exhibition of works on paper called "Delights." Co-curator Barnaby Wright emphasizes that seeing the works in person reveals their extraordinary painterly quality, which reproductions flatten.

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.

Early summer shows at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art: Out Loud 2025, 2025 Gala Art Exhibition: The Factory

The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) is presenting two early summer exhibitions: "Out Loud 2025" and the "2025 Gala Art Auction: The Factory." Out Loud 2025 features work by 17 young artists from Utah high schools who completed a 12-week workshop series, exploring themes of queer identity, childhood nostalgia, and coming-of-age through diverse media including painting, ceramics, collage, and video. The 2025 Gala Art Auction showcases works by 57 Utah artists available for purchase.

Jake Messing’s Hyperrealistic Paintings Celebrate the Abundance of Nature

Jake Messing, a Northern California-based artist, creates hyperrealistic acrylic paintings that depict dense, maximalist clusters of flora and fauna, often combining creatures and plants in surreal arrangements. His works, such as "Coccinellidaes Hideaway 2" and "Bubbles and Blooms," draw on the tradition of Dutch Golden Age still-life painting while incorporating contemporary elements like color gradients and shiny fabrics.