The Met and Neue Galerie Embark on Historic Merger

The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Neue Galerie in New York have announced a historic merger set for 2028. The Met will acquire the Neue Galerie's Beaux-Arts mansion, renaming it the Met Ronald S. Lauder Neue Galerie (or Met Neue Galerie), while preserving its museum experience. The merger comes ahead of the Neue Galerie's 25th anniversary and its renovations from May to August 2026. Founder Ronald S. Lauder will remain involved, and the Met will supplement the Neue Galerie's programs, research, and digital initiatives. Major fundraising is underway, with the endowment target of $200 million already 80 percent met, supported by Lauder, his daughter Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer, and trustee Marina Kellen French.

La nature morte : une exposition novatrice

Le Journal des Arts reports on a new exhibition titled "La nature morte" (Still Life), presented by a gallery as a continuation of its previous monographic shows on Boetti and Burri and the thematic exhibition "On Fire." The exhibition focuses on the classical genre of still life, positioning it as a field of experimentation that accompanies the renewal of painting in the 20th century. It brings together three artists—Picasso, Morandi, and Parmiggiani—who, though not from the same school or direct lineage, each explore the subject through distinct artistic languages: Picasso asserts the presence of the object, Morandi delves into its meditative and silent dimension, and Parmiggiani pushes the reflection toward a form of disappearance. The show is curated by Cécile Debray, president of the Musée national Picasso-Paris, and involves collaborations with institutions such as the Museo Morandi.

Museum diplomacy in action at ICOM UK 2026: museums in a changing world

ICOM UK hosted its 2026 annual conference in Oxford, bringing together delegates from over 20 countries to explore the theme of 'Museum Diplomacy.' Keynote speaker Dr. Sascha Priewe of the Aga Khan Museum and ICOM Canada framed the current geopolitical moment as a 'GZERO World,' where no country is willing or able to lead globally, and discussed how sanctions, export controls, and shifting alliances are straining international museum collaborations. Sessions featured case studies from the Science Museum Group and International Arts & Artists, emphasizing that trust and networks, not grand gestures, are essential for enduring partnerships.

Art Fund launches UK-wide touring programme

Art Fund has launched a UK-wide touring programme called Going Places, backed by £5.36 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Julia Rausing Trust. The first exhibition, *Making Her Mark: A Celebration of Women in Art*, opened at Penlee House Gallery & Museum in Penzance, featuring over 60 works from three museum collections alongside community responses. It will travel to Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum and Kirkcaldy Gallery through 2027. The programme plans 12 major touring shows over five years, with six already scheduled, including exhibitions on green spaces, journeys, radical living, art and nature, and community making.

Two Monet paintings have arrived in Hong Kong and entry is completely free

The Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) has opened a new free exhibition titled 'Blooming: The Art of Gardens in East and West', featuring over 100 paintings and artefacts. A major collaboration between the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Palace of Versailles, the show includes masterpieces by Claude Monet—specifically 'Water Lilies' (1906) and 'Water Lily Pond' (1900)—on loan from Chicago, alongside works by Chinese artists such as Leng Mei, Wen Zhengming, and Zhang Daqian. The exhibition explores garden imagery across cultures, from the royal grounds of King Louis XIV to the imperial retreats of Emperor Qianlong, and runs until July 29, 2026, with free admission.

M+ in multi-year strategic partnership with Centre Pompidou

M+, Hong Kong's premier art museum, has signed a multi-year strategic partnership with Paris's Centre Pompidou. The agreement, signed on May 15, 2026, by Centre Pompidou President Laurent Le Bon and M+ Museum Director Suhanya Raffel, covers joint curatorial research, exhibition development and sharing, co-commissions and artwork displays, and collection exchange. A major co-curated exhibition will be presented at both venues, with a series of jointly developed exhibitions staged at M+ from 2027 onwards, featuring works from both institutions' collections.

Berlin Institutions Join Together to Form Museum Quarter

Berliner Institutionen schließen sich zu Museumsquartier zusammen

Several museums in Berlin are joining forces to form a new "MuseumsMeileMitte" (Museum Mile Mitte) district. The participating institutions are the Museum für Naturkunde, the Hamburger Bahnhof, the Futurium, and the Medizinhistorisches Museum der Charité. The initiative will launch on June 13 with a neighborhood festival offering free admission to all four venues, which are located within a 10-15 minute walk of each other near the Hauptbahnhof.

Collecting Now 2: Six Collectors exhbit at the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Arts (YSMA)

Six prominent Nigerian art collectors are exhibiting selections from their private collections at the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA) in Lagos. The exhibition, titled 'Collecting Now 2', showcases contemporary African art and highlights the personal tastes and motivations of these influential individuals.