ARTnews has announced the winners of its second annual ARTnews Awards, honoring excellence in exhibitions at US arts institutions across six categories. Ralph Lemon received the Lifetime Achievement Award, Claudia Alarcón and Silät won Emerging Artist of the Year, Wafaa Bilal was named Established Artist of the Year, and Jack Whitten took Historical Artist of the Year. Parker Gallery, Los Angeles won Best Gallery Group Show, and “Legacies: Asian American Art Movements in New York City” at 80WSE, New York won Best Thematic Museum Show. Separately, President Donald Trump hosted the 48th Kennedy Center Honors, becoming the first sitting president to do so, amid his ongoing takeover of the institution. Celebrated photographer Martin Parr died at age 73.
These developments matter because the ARTnews Awards highlight curatorial and institutional excellence in the US art world, setting benchmarks for exhibitions. Trump's involvement with the Kennedy Center Honors underscores a politicization of a major cultural institution, with implications for arts governance and funding. Martin Parr's death marks the loss of a distinctive voice in photography whose work critically examined consumer culture and tourism. The article also covers notable art thefts, restitution debates, and market news, reflecting the breadth of current art-world concerns.