Jenny Saville will have her first solo exhibition in Venice at the International Gallery of Modern Art at Ca’ Pesaro, running from March 28 to November 22, 2026, coinciding with the 2026 Venice Biennale. The show, supported by Gagosian, will feature 30 paintings curated by Elisabetta Barisoni. Separately, former Sotheby’s CEO Tad Smith expressed optimism about blockchain art ahead of Robert Alice’s NFT sale at Sotheby’s New York, and Ed Ruscha created a limited-edition chocolate bar shaped like California’s Central Valley. Other news includes the upcoming auction of Kirk Hammett’s Frank Frazetta painting and the closure of San Francisco’s Rena Bransten Gallery.
This article matters because it highlights key developments across the art world: a major institutional solo show for a leading contemporary painter during a prestigious biennial, ongoing debates about digital art and NFTs from a former auction house executive, and shifts in the gallery landscape with the closure of a long-running space. The coverage also touches on broader cultural questions, such as whether selfies should be banned in museums, reflecting tensions between audience engagement and preservation of the viewing experience.