Keeping up with the Kleins: exhibition brings together Yves’s talented artist family

The Stedelijk Museum Schiedam in the Netherlands has opened an exhibition titled 'Yves Klein and His Artist Family,' which presents the work of the iconic French artist Yves Klein alongside that of his father Fred Klein, his mother Marie Raymond, and his widow Rotraut Klein-Moquay. The show features 30 works by Yves and over 40 pieces by his family members, highlighting their distinct artistic contributions within 20th-century Modernism.

The Met’s blockbuster Raphael exhibition looks beyond the artist’s idealised Madonnas

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has opened "Raphael: Sublime Poetry," the first comprehensive exhibition of the Renaissance master in the United States. The ambitious show gathers 237 works, including 33 paintings and 142 drawings, spanning Raphael's entire career and featuring major loans like *The Alba Madonna* from the National Gallery of Art in Washington and *Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione* from the Louvre.

‘Relentless’: National Gallery of Victoria exhibition celebrates motherhood

The National Gallery of Victoria has launched "Mother," an expansive exhibition featuring over 200 works that explore the complexities of motherhood. Curated by Sophie Gerhard and Katharina Prugger, the show draws from the NGV collection and new acquisitions to move beyond idealized religious icons like the Virgin Mary. The selection spans centuries and cultures, juxtaposing 19th-century sketches by Queen Victoria with contemporary First Nations birthing skirts and raw depictions of domestic labor and maternal exhaustion.

Phallus, Vagina, Universe

Phallus, Vagina, Universum

Marina Abramović is presenting a major retrospective at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, shifting focus from her well-known explorations of physical pain to the erotic energy of the human body. The exhibition draws heavily on Slavic folklore and pagan traditions from her Balkan heritage, exploring how ancient rituals used sexuality and the body as tools for spiritual and cosmic connection.

‘Tide of Returns’: Ocean Space in Venice

The Repatriates Collective has launched 'Tide of Returns' at Ocean Space in Venice, an exhibition that redefines repatriation as a continuous process of spiritual and communal repair rather than a singular legal transaction. Set within the historic Church of San Lorenzo, the installation features immersive works such as 'From My Mother’s Country,' which utilizes thousands of handmade dolls from Namibia, and Verena Melgarejo Weinandt’s textile and video works exploring the symbolic power of water and braiding.

The Museum Breathing Life Into New York's Downtown Performance Scene

The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art in SoHo has emerged as a vital hub for New York’s downtown performance scene through its intergenerational exhibition, "Sacred and Profane." Featuring a collaborative residency between poet Pamela Sneed and performance artist Carlos Martiel, the programming centers on themes of Black maternal grief, queer identity, and the exhumation of suppressed histories. Recent performances included Martiel’s "No Resurrection," a ritualistic piece involving his mother and a mound of earth, and Sneed’s readings that address the collective trauma and "urgent care" status of the LGBTQ+ community.

Shaniqwa Jarvis: Only Love Can Break Your Heart

Artist Shaniqwa Jarvis is set to debut her first UK solo exhibition, "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," at London’s Public Gallery on April 30, 2026. The show features twelve new works that blend photography with silk, mirrored surfaces, aluminum, and collage to explore themes of grief, memory, and renewal. Central to the exhibition are immersive silk installations that create live double exposures and a new film work that weaves together personal archival footage with intimate conversations on motherhood, labor, and identity.

A Landmark Calder Exhibition with Over 300 of His Revolutionary Works Goes on View in Paris

The Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris has launched "Calder: rêver en équilibre," a massive retrospective featuring over 300 works by the American modernist Alexander Calder. The exhibition spans the artist's entire career, from his early engineering-influenced "Circus" performances and hand-wrought jewelry to his iconic suspended mobiles and monumental outdoor sculptures. Notably, the show marks the first time the Frank Gehry-designed institution has installed artworks on its exterior lawns, creating a dialogue between Calder’s geometric forms and the building's avant-garde architecture.

Roksana Pirouzmand’s Dual‑Site Meditation on Loss

Roksana Pirouzmand’s dual-site exhibition in Los Angeles, hosted at OXY ARTS and JOAN, features performance-based sculptures and installations that utilize literal erosion to explore themes of loss and displacement. The works include anatomical clay casts of the artist and her mother, which are subjected to water, vibration, and physical interaction, causing them to crack and deteriorate over the course of the show. At OXY ARTS, a kinetic metal floor involves the viewer directly, as their footsteps cause clay hands to collide and break, illustrating the physical impact of movement and presence.

JoEllen Brydon explores her late mother’s work as an advice columnist in Art Gallery of Peterborough exhibition

The Art Gallery of Peterborough is set to host "Elizabeth Thompson Advises," a multimedia exhibition by Cavan-based artist JoEllen Brydon running from April to June 2026. The show centers on the work of Brydon’s late mother, Jean Armstrong Brydon, who wrote a progressive advice column for The Globe and Mail under the pseudonym Elizabeth Thompson between 1966 and 1978. The exhibition integrates original letters and columns with JoEllen’s bold paintings, audio recordings, and short films to bring these mid-century narratives to life.

Claire Danes voices new Georgia O’Keeffe documentary.

A new documentary titled 'Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light' is set for release this spring, featuring actress Claire Danes as the voice of the iconic American Modernist. Narrated by Hugh Dancy, the film explores O’Keeffe’s life and artistic legacy, with digital distribution scheduled for June 1st and special screenings beginning on Mother's Day.

Work by incarcerated artists showcased in recent exhibit at IHM Sisters' gallery

The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Motherhouse Gallery in Monroe, Michigan, recently hosted an exhibition featuring artworks created by incarcerated individuals from across the state. Organized in collaboration with the University of Michigan's Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP), the show featured pieces made from unconventional materials like soap and graham crackers. The collection ranged from spiritual and hopeful works to those reflecting the harsh realities of the correctional system, with proceeds from sales supporting PCAP’s ongoing programming.

Work by incarcerated artists showcased in recent exhibit at IHM Sisters' gallery

The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Motherhouse Gallery in Monroe, Michigan, recently hosted an exhibition featuring artworks created by incarcerated individuals from correctional facilities across the state. Organized by the University of Michigan’s Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP), the show displayed pieces made from unconventional materials like soap and graham crackers, ranging from spiritual reflections to bright, hopeful compositions. The exhibit was curated from donated works by artists who are unable to keep their pieces or sell them directly due to Department of Corrections regulations.

Rocío Sáenz: Wild Order

ROCÍO SÁENZ: ORDEN SALVAJE

Mexican artist Rocío Sáenz presents "Orden salvaje" (Wild Order) at the Museo de las Artes de la Universidad de Guadalajara (MUSA), an exhibition featuring over 60 works created over three years. Spanning painting, ceramics, photography, and drawing, the collection explores the tension between beauty and horror, specifically addressing the harrowing reality of forced disappearances in Mexico. The exhibition is designed as an open studio, showcasing the artist's creative process alongside finished pieces that utilize black humor and satire to navigate themes of death and reconstruction.

Becoming Midwest: Mother and daughter artist pair mount museum collaboration

Watercolor artist Judy Thompson and her daughter, poet Kristin Gifford, have launched a collaborative exhibition titled “Becoming Midwest: Life Between” at the Washington Pavilion Visual Arts Center in Sioux Falls. The show features 27 artworks and 12 poems that explore shared themes of motherhood, the natural landscape of the Great Plains, and the complexities of regional identity. The project marks the first formal partnership between the pair, blending Thompson’s established watercolor practice with Gifford’s contemporary poetry.

This art exhibit takes climate change seriously

Ceramicists Savannah Jacob and Abby Jo Elle are co-curating "Respect Your Mother," a group exhibition at Patina Gallery dedicated to climate change and environmental activism. Opening in honor of Earth Day, the show features works from over 50 artists across various mediums, including sculptures, collages, and paintings, with a strict prohibition on artificial intelligence to emphasize human-centric craft.

François Ozon’s 'The Stranger': A Film Between Surface Aesthetics and Political Reinterpretation

“Lo straniero” di François Ozon. Un film tra estetica delle superfici e rilettura politica

Director François Ozon has adapted Albert Camus’s existentialist masterpiece 'The Stranger' into a new feature film, premiering at the 82nd Venice Film Festival. Shot in stark black and white by cinematographer Manuel Dacosse, the film departs from the 1967 Luchino Visconti adaptation by leaning into a cold, clinical aesthetic inspired by Michelangelo Antonioni. The narrative follows Meursault, an emotionally detached clerk in colonial Algiers, whose impassive reaction to his mother's death and the subsequent senseless murder of an Arab man leads to his legal and moral condemnation.

Who Gets to Save the World?

Franco-Malian artist Ladji Diaby presents 'Who’s gonna save the world?' at Lafayette Anticipations, a solo exhibition featuring sculptural installations crafted from found furniture and discarded objects. By repurposing second-hand furnishings through the lens of his mother’s domestic and spiritual rituals, Diaby transforms marginal items into talismanic vitrines of memory. The works challenge Western hierarchies of cultural value, positioning the act of salvaging as both an aesthetic and political gesture.

Wicked Stepmother No Longer, a Female Pharoah Gets a Reputational Makeover

A new analysis of damaged statues from ancient Egypt is reshaping the historical narrative of Queen Hatshepsut. Researchers have re-examined 3,500-year-old statuary, finding evidence that the deliberate defacement of her images occurred decades after her death, challenging the long-held belief that her successor, Thutmose III, orchestrated an immediate campaign of destruction against her legacy out of personal animosity.

"Adorata: The Path of Enlovement" art exhibition and book debut in Phoenix

Rogue Valley artist and spiritual teacher Tiziana DellaRovere has launched a multi-media exhibition and book debut titled "Adorata: The Path of Enlovement" at the Langford Art Gallery in Phoenix, Oregon. The project features a collection of sculptures, paintings, and an illustrated book that explores the divine feminine through the figure of Mother Mary, focusing on themes of compassion and introspection.

Springfield couple sharing Route 66 artwork for centennial kickoff

Photographers Randy Bacon and Heidi Herrman-Bacon have launched their first collaborative exhibition, "Two Voices, One Road," at the C-Art Gallery in Springfield. The show features 37 black-and-white photographs and 18 mixed-media works that document the architecture and human history of Route 66. While Randy Bacon focuses on the soulful portraiture of desolate structures and signs, Heidi Herrman-Bacon utilizes vintage handkerchiefs and photography to highlight the often-overlooked contributions of women who maintained the diners and motels along the historic highway.

Route 66, a ‘Linear Museum Stretched Across Eight States,’ Turns 100

Cultural institutions across the United States are launching a series of exhibitions and preservation projects to commemorate the centennial of Route 66. From the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to local galleries along the 2,448-mile corridor, these programs examine the highway's evolution from a vital migration artery to a kitschy symbol of Americana. The initiatives aim to provide a nuanced look at the road’s history, including the experiences of marginalized travelers who relied on the Green Book to navigate segregated landscapes.

Graduates’ artwork showcased at Tarble during studio art exhibition

The Tarble Arts Center hosted the opening reception for the 2026 Master of Arts in Studio Art Exhibition, featuring thesis projects from 11 graduate students. The exhibition showcased a diverse range of mediums, including an immersive installation by Vitória Kazanovski that recreated her grandmother’s Brazilian kitchen using audio and textured cookbooks, and a ceramic series by Wendy Peters that highlighted the technical mistakes and evolution of her craft.

Lily's grandmother defied 50s' social norms to be both an artist and a mother

The article profiles an unnamed Australian artist who, in the 1950s, pursued a career in art while raising a family, challenging the era's restrictive social expectations for women. Her story, shared by her granddaughter Lily, highlights the personal and societal barriers faced by women artists of that generation.

Brigitte Meese Dies at 96

Brigitte Meese stirbt mit 96 Jahren

Brigitte Meese, the mother, manager, and long-time artistic companion of German artist Jonathan Meese, has died at the age of 96. She was a formative figure in her son's artistic environment, providing organizational support for decades while also serving as his muse, model, and co-performer.

Jinsun Kim: C.O.C.O.O.N.: HEALING

Interdisciplinary artist Jinsun Kim presents a solo exhibition titled 'C.O.C.O.O.N.: HEALING' at K Space Contemporary in Corpus Christi, Texas. The exhibition features mixed-media sculptures that create immersive, cocoon-like environments exploring themes of healing, survival, and transformation. The works are informed by Kim's childhood memories of her mother's illness and recovery, translating personal experience into universal spatial narratives.

Louisville exhibit explores history and heritage across the African diaspora

The Kentucky Center for African American Heritage in Louisville has launched "Celebrating the Black Experience," a traveling exhibition showcasing diverse artistic mediums from across the African diaspora. Featuring works ranging from hand-built porcelain to traditional hand-quilted textiles, the show highlights personal narratives, cultural identity, and the preservation of generational legacies. Notable contributions include Debra Harley’s completed quilts started by her great-great-grandmother and J. Everett Young’s return to physical painting and drawing from digital art.

Two Sales at Bonhams in Paris

Deux ventes chez Bonhams à Paris

Bonhams has launched its annual "Classic Week" in Paris, featuring two distinct yet complementary auctions. The sales showcase a diverse range of works, most notably a previously unknown drawing of Marie Serre, the mother of the celebrated painter Hyacinthe Rigaud. This rare portrait adds a new dimension to the iconography of Serre, who was famously depicted by both her son and the sculptor Antoine Coysevox.

The Top Exhibitions To See In London: May 2026

London’s art scene prepares for a major influx of high-profile exhibitions in May 2026, headlined by a comprehensive survey of Francisco de Zurbarán at the National Gallery and the grand opening of the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration in Clerkenwell. Other significant highlights include a sprawling outdoor installation of Henry Moore’s monumental bronzes at Kew Gardens, the debut of the 'Rising Voices' contemporary art exhibition at the newly opened V&A East, and a rare European retrospective of James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain featuring the iconic 'Whistler's Mother'.

Walk & Talk: ‘Jewelry of the Afrofuture’ at The Walters with Baltimore Jewelry Center

The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore has debuted "Douriean Fletcher: Jewelry of the Afrofuture," a major exhibition dedicated to the self-taught metalsmith known for her costume designs in the film Black Panther. The showcase features large-scale gold and brass pieces alongside a recreation of Fletcher’s original workbench and personal ephemera, such as family photos and her mother’s Bible. The exhibition highlights her journey from working at a social justice nonprofit to becoming an international figure in narrative jewelry.