This episode of The Art Newspaper's podcast covers three major art events opening this weekend. The largest career survey of 17th-century Spanish master Francisco de Zurbarán since the 1980s opens at the National Gallery in London, co-curated by Francesca Whitlum-Cooper. The 59th Carnegie International, titled "If the word we," opens at the Carnegie Museum of Art and other venues in Pittsburgh, directed by Eric Crosby. The Work of the Week is Walter Sickert's "Ennui" (c.1914), featured in the exhibition "Walter Sickert: Working Notes" at Charleston in Lewes, curated by Robert Travers of Piano Nobile in partnership with Charleston.
These events matter because they highlight significant moments in both historical and contemporary art. The Zurbarán survey offers a fresh, rounded perspective on a master known for religious austerity, while the Carnegie International—a prestigious recurring survey of global contemporary art—continues its tradition of showcasing diverse voices. The Sickert exhibition at Charleston, the historic home of Bloomsbury artists, connects early 20th-century British painting to ongoing curatorial dialogue. Together, they represent major institutional programming across Europe and the United States.