The 59th Carnegie International opens in Pittsburgh, featuring 61 artists from around the world in the oldest survey of its kind in the United States. Critic Ed Simon reviews the exhibition, noting it captures the excitement of earlier editions while providing vital commentary on authoritarianism and militarism. In other news, activists protested Jeff Bezos's co-chair role at the Met Gala with a costumed action and guerrilla projections on his penthouse; Iran withdrew from its national pavilion at the Venice Biennale; MoMA PS1 announced the first US survey of Mexican artist Teresa Margolles; and Hakim Bishara reflects on MoMA's Marcel Duchamp exhibition.
The Carnegie International matters because it reaffirms Pittsburgh's role as a hub independent of the New York and LA art scenes, showcasing global contemporary art with a political edge. The surrounding stories highlight ongoing tensions between art institutions and corporate power (the Met Gala protests), geopolitical conflicts affecting cultural diplomacy (Iran's Venice Biennale withdrawal), and critical reappraisals of canonical figures (Duchamp at MoMA). Together, these events illustrate the visual art world's engagement with social justice, national identity, and institutional critique.