A favorable court decision for contemporary stained glass at Notre-Dame

Une décision de justice favorable aux vitraux contemporains à Notre-Dame

A French court has ruled in favor of keeping contemporary stained-glass windows installed at Notre-Dame Cathedral, rejecting a legal challenge from traditionalists who sought their removal. The decision upholds the controversial replacement of 19th-century grisaille windows designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc with modern works by artist Pierre Soulages and others, as part of the cathedral's post-fire restoration.

ICA Watershed reopens for the season with industrial-inspired installations

The Institute of Contemporary Art's Watershed in East Boston has reopened for its 2026 season with the exhibition "Lucy Raven: Rounds," featuring two large-scale installations by New York-based artist Lucy Raven. The show includes "Hardpan," a kinetic light sculpture co-commissioned by the ICA and Barbican Centre, and "Murderers Bar," a 44-minute film documenting the demolition of a concrete dam on the Klamath River in Northern California. Both works explore themes of industrial history, extraction, and environmental transformation, with the Watershed's former factory setting amplifying the industrial resonance.

No, the courts have not cleared the way for contemporary stained-glass windows at Notre-Dame

Non, la justice n'a pas laissé la voie libre aux vitraux contemporains de Notre-Dame

The article clarifies that legal challenges against installing contemporary stained-glass windows in Notre-Dame Cathedral are still ongoing, contrary to misleading headlines. Two judicial procedures remain active: an appeal by the heritage association Sites & Monuments after losing a first-instance ruling on procedural grounds, and a separate case contesting the legitimacy of the works themselves. Although an emergency injunction was denied because the judge found no urgency, the core legal arguments—that replacing Viollet-le-Duc's windows is not conservation or restoration—remain strong. The author warns that if the windows are installed before the appeals are resolved, they may later have to be removed at great expense.

Panel Discussion: Regeneration — Long Island’s History of Ecological Care at Parrish Art Museum

The Parrish Art Museum is hosting a panel discussion on May 24, 2026, featuring artist Sara Siestreem and members of the Shinnecock Kelp Farmers, moderated by Associate Curator Scout Hutchinson. The conversation celebrates their collaborative work in the exhibition "Regeneration: Long Island’s History of Ecological Art and Care," which runs through June 14, 2026. The Shinnecock Kelp Farmers, an intergenerational collective of Indigenous women, restore ancestral seaweed harvesting traditions to address water pollution, while Siestreem’s artistic practice incorporates abstract mark making, basket weaving, and Xerox transfers to highlight Indigenous land rights and ecological restoration.

‘Lost forever, all because of this new tax’: fears for UK church heritage as VAT relief ends

The UK government has ended the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, a 25-year program that allowed churches to reclaim VAT on repair and maintenance work. Heritage experts warn that this policy change, which effectively adds a 20% surcharge to conservation projects, is causing delays, reassessments, and cancellations of restoration work. Immediate casualties include the Peel Tower at St Cuthbert’s Church in Cumbria and Phoebe Anna Traquair’s 1905 murals at St Peter’s Church in Nottinghamshire, both of which face funding shortfalls due to the new tax burden.

Sculpture as a Form of Architecture: Happening at the Foundation of Super Artist Anish Kapoor in Venice

La scultura come forma di architettura. Succede alla Fondazione del super artista Anish Kapoor a Venezia

Anish Kapoor has opened a major solo exhibition at Palazzo Manfrin in Venice, a 16th-century building he purchased in 2018, now home to his foundation. The show, running until August 8 during the 61st Venice Biennale, spans over fifty years of his practice, featuring models, studies, and installations that blur the line between sculpture and architecture. Works include the Monte Sant'Angelo metro station in Naples, the ArcelorMittal Orbit tower for the 2012 London Olympics, the inflatable concert hall Ark Nova, and the environmental installation Temenos. The palazzo itself remains under restoration, with exposed construction elements and workspaces visible, reinforcing the exhibition's theme of continuous transformation.

Notre-Dame: The Lie About Respecting Viollet-le-Duc's Light

Notre-Dame : le mensonge sur le respect de la lumière de Viollet-le-Duc

The article criticizes the planned replacement of the stained-glass windows in Notre-Dame Cathedral, designed by Claire Tabouret, arguing that the public establishment behind the project has made false claims about respecting the original light and colors of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's 19th-century windows. The author compares the existing and proposed windows baie by baie, asserting that the new designs do not match the chromatic balance or light quality, and calls the official justification a lie. It also highlights two additional alleged falsehoods: that the law for Notre-Dame's restoration deliberately omitted the Venice Charter (when the culture minister said it was unnecessary because the charter was already binding), and that the National Commission for Heritage and Architecture had approved the window replacement (which the author claims is contradicted by the commission's own minutes and multiple members).

At the GAM in Turin, the Fourth Resonance between drawing, paper and twentieth-century collections

From May 21 to November 1, 2026, the GAM—Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Turin—launches its new exhibition season titled "Fourth Resonance," a program dedicated to the languages of drawing, sign, and stroke. The season includes multiple exhibitions, notably "Un altro Novecento. Works on Paper from the GAM Collections," curated by Fabio Cafagna and Elena Volpato, which brings together over 600 works on paper spanning the 20th century, from Symbolism to the 1990s. Featured artists include Lucio Fontana, Giorgio Morandi, Filippo de Pisis, Max Beckmann, and many others, with monographic rooms and contemporary interventions woven into the museum's collections.

The papal residence of Castel Gandolfo had been opened to museum visits by Pope Francis, now Pope Leo closes it again

La residenza papale di Castel Gandolfo era stata aperta a visite museali da Papa Francesco, ora Papa Leone la chiude di nuovo

Pope Leo XIV is closing the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo to the public as of July 2026, ending nearly a decade of museum access initiated by Pope Francis. Online ticket sales stop on June 30, and the palace will revert to its original function as the pope's summer residence. The decision follows preparatory works begun in May 2025 and is partly motivated by security concerns, as the current temporary lodging at Villa Barberini has logistical and access-control issues.

Extraordinary opening of Forte Aurelia in Rome. The military garrison becomes a new space for culture

Apertura straordinaria del Forte Aurelia a Roma. Il presidio militare diventa nuovo spazio per la cultura

After ten years of restoration, the Forte Aurelia complex in Rome has reopened to the public as a cultural space, museum, and venue for events and exhibitions. Built between 1877 and 1881 as part of Rome's defensive ring, the fort was later used as a shelter, Red Cross hospital, and logistics center for the Guardia di Finanza. The official inauguration took place on the symbolic date of Rome's founding, attended by Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, and Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli, who framed the project within a broader strategy to enhance the city's historical heritage.

Il Museo Nazionale d’Arte dell’Ucraina di Kiev colpito e danneggiato dai bombardamenti russi. Le immagini

Between the night of May 23 and the early hours of May 24, 2026, Russia launched a massive attack on Kyiv and other areas of Ukraine using 600 drones and 90 missiles. The National Art Museum of Ukraine (NAMU) in Kyiv suffered severe structural damage, along with government buildings. The attack was reportedly a response to a Ukrainian bombing of a dormitory in Russian-occupied Starobilsk. The museum, founded in the late 19th century and housed in a neoclassical building opened in 1904, holds nearly 40,000 works spanning over a thousand years of Ukrainian art, including medieval icons, Baroque masterpieces, and avant-garde pieces.

Hyderabad’s restored Sardar Mahal to open with cafe, art gallery and heritage stay

Sardar Mahal, a historic palace near Charminar in Hyderabad, has undergone restoration and will soon open to the public with a café, art gallery, cultural centre, and heritage accommodation. The ₹30-crore project, overseen by the Quli Qutb Shah Urban Development Authority (QQSUDA), is nearing completion and expected to be operational within two months. Built in 1900 by Nizam VI Mir Mahboob Ali Khan for his consort Sardar Begum, the building was declared a heritage structure by INTACH and later taken over by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in 1965.

Vibrant Miniature Dioramas Burst from Vintage Compacts by Shannon Taylor

Shannon Taylor creates vibrant miniature dioramas inside vintage cosmetic compacts, using watercolor on paper to depict scenes ranging from dusky woodlands to fantastical landscapes with mythical creatures like mermaids and unicorns. She sources the compacts from flea markets, vintage shops, and friends. Taylor is preparing for a solo exhibition titled 'Minor Mending' at Modern Eden in San Francisco opening August 6, and her work is also included in 'Common Waters' at Arch Enemy Arts. Additionally, she curated 'Fairyland @ 75: A Legacy of Magic' at the Oakland Museum of California, organized on behalf of Children's Fairyland, where she serves as Director of Art and Restoration.

The Mokka-Milch-Eisbar reopens on Karl-Marx-Allee

Die Mokka-Milch-Eisbar eröffnet wieder auf der Karl-Marx-Allee

The iconic Mokka-Milch-Eisbar, a legendary ice cream café from East Berlin's DDR era, is reopening on Karl-Marx-Allee after a heritage-sensitive renovation. The pavilion, built in the early 1960s as part of the second construction phase of the boulevard, was famously celebrated in a 1969 DDR pop song. New operators Natacha and Alexander Neumann are launching the venue under the name "Mokka Milch" as a restaurant, café, and bar, with an opening celebration on Wednesday. The building's distinctive yellow-tiled facade and large glass windows have been preserved under strict heritage guidelines, overseen by the state monument office.

National Art Museum of Kyiv Forced to Close After Russian Strike

Le Musée national d’art de Kiev contraint de fermer après une frappe russe

The National Art Museum of Ukraine (NAMU) in Kyiv was damaged during a massive Russian airstrike on the night of May 23-24, which involved 90 missiles and 600 drones. The museum has closed indefinitely after windows were blown out, window frames damaged, plaster fell from walls, and the skylight roof was hit. No staff or collections were harmed, as the main artworks had been evacuated to secret storage sites since February 2022. The museum had maintained partial activity with temporary exhibitions and conferences, and had loaned over sixty works to the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium for the exhibition 'In the Eye of the Storm.'

Baumgartner Restoration Painstakingly Brings a Neglected Portrait Back to Life

Art conservator Julian Baumgartner, who runs Baumgartner Fine Art Restoration in Chicago, received an anonymous portrait that arrived severely damaged—folded inside a mangled parcel with substantial creases, tears, and worn-away paint. Using reversible, archival materials and meticulous attention to detail, Baumgartner painstakingly restored the neglected painting, giving it a second chance at life.