Valie Export, Groundbreaking Feminist Artist Who Questioned the Nature of Art, Dies at 85

Valie Export, the pioneering Austrian feminist artist known for challenging the conventions of art and cinema through body-centered, tactile works, died on May 14 at age 85, three days before her birthday. Her death was confirmed by Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, which represents her. Over six decades, Export created influential works such as "TAP and TOUCH CINEMA" (1968) and "Action Pants: Genital Panic" (1968), using her own body to question gender norms and the nature of film. Born Waltraud Lehner in Linz, she reinvented herself as VALIE EXPORT in 1967, a name symbolizing her exportation of personal ideas. She was associated with the Viennese Actionists but developed her own expanded cinema practice, producing works like "Abstract Film No. 1" (1967–68) that redefined the medium.

In Pictures: New Museum curator Gary Carrion-Murayari’s Frieze favourites

New Museum curator Gary Carrion-Murayari shares his personal highlights from the Frieze New York art fair, selecting works by artists including Arthur Simms, Haegue Yang, Abel Rodriguez and Aycoobo-Wilson Rodríguez, Sung Tieu, Maryam Hoseini, Pedro Neves, and Melvin Way. Each pick is accompanied by a brief commentary explaining why the work resonates with him, ranging from underappreciated talents to artists featured in the 2024 Venice Biennale.

Manhattan's Neue Galerie to Merge With Met Museum

Cosmetics billionaire Ronald Lauder's Neue Galerie, a private museum on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue known for its collection of Austrian and German art, will merge with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The merger takes effect in 2028, with the Neue Galerie retaining its physical space and staff. The announcement was made by The Met on May 14. The museum's star attraction is Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" (1907), and it also holds works by Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, and others. Lauder co-founded the Neue Galerie with dealer Serge Sabarsky in 2001. As part of the merger, Lauder and his daughter Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer will donate 13 additional paintings from their personal collection and make an undisclosed endowment gift.

Venice Biennale: The Must-Sees Off the Official Program

Biennale de Venise, les immanquables du off

The article highlights must-see exhibitions taking place in Venice alongside the official Biennale, curated by the magazine L'Œil. It features three major shows: "Le pli et le temps" at Fondazione dell’Albero d’Oro, exploring the fold as a material and temporal concept through the work of Patrick Saytour and Piero Manzoni; "Lorna Simpson. Third Person" at Punta della Dogana, a major European survey of Simpson's paintings, collages, and films organized by the Pinault Collection; and "Picasso, Morandi, Parmiggiani. Still Lifes" at Galleria di Piazza San Marco, a dialogue between three masters of still life, co-organized by Tornabuoni gallery and the Musée national Picasso-Paris.

Duane Michals, grand inventeur de récits et de mirages photographiques, est mort

Duane Michals, the American photographer known for his narrative sequences and hand-written texts, died on June 9 in New York at age 94. A self-taught artist, he rejected photojournalism's "decisive moment" and instead created photographic series that explored identity, desire, memory, time, death, and spirituality. His work is currently featured in the exhibition "Fragile Beauté. Photographies de la collection de Sir Elton John et David Furnish" at the Jeu de Paume in Paris.

Death of David Hockney: 12 works that tell the trajectory of a cult painter

Mort de David Hockney : 12 œuvres qui racontent la trajectoire d’un peintre culte

David Hockney died on June 11, 2026, at age 88. The article presents a slideshow of 12 iconic works spanning his career, from early portraits like *Portrait of My Father* (1955) to his famous California pool scenes such as *A Bigger Splash* (1967) and *Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)* (1972), as well as later iPad paintings and photocollages. The selection traces his evolution across mediums—oil, acrylic, photocollage, digital drawing—and themes including hedonism, English and Norman landscapes, and intimate personal reflections.

David Hockney est mort à l’âge de 88 ans. Retour sur une grande figure de l’histoire de l’art

David Hockney, the celebrated British painter known for his sun-drenched, experimental work, died on June 11, 2026, at his home in London at age 88. The article, published by Beaux Arts Magazine, offers a comprehensive retrospective of his life and career, highlighting his six-decade trajectory from California pool scenes to iPad drawings, his fascination with Old Masters and new technologies, and his recent years spent in Normandy. It includes biographical details, interviews, and coverage of major exhibitions, including a 2025 show at the Fondation Louis Vuitton and a retrospective at the Centre Pompidou.

In Barcelona, the very political abstractions of Kapwani Kiwanga at the Miró Foundation

À Barcelone, les abstractions très politiques de Kapwani Kiwanga à la fondation Miró

Kapwani Kiwanga's retrospective at the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona presents her politically charged abstract works, including new textile pieces inspired by Joan Miró's habit of carrying a carob pod in a specially sewn pocket. The exhibition, titled "Kapwani Kiwanga. États changeants," features sisal fiber sculptures, gold leaf, mahogany, and beadwork, all chosen for their histories tied to colonial trade, post-colonial dynamics, and global exchange. Curated by Martina Millà, the show explores themes of protection, home, and the hidden power structures embedded in everyday materials.

5 must-see art galleries in Berlin

5 galeries d’art incontournables à Berlin

Beaux Arts Magazine highlights five must-see art galleries in Berlin, a city better known for its nightlife than its art scene. The article profiles Konrad Fischer Galerie, a historic gallery founded in 1967 that champions Minimalist and Arte Povera artists, now housed in a converted power station; and Sprüth Magers, a gallery founded by Monika Sprüth and Philomene Magers that focuses on contemporary art, particularly female artists. Other galleries are mentioned as part of a broader guide to Berlin's art offerings, which also includes major museums like the Pergamon Museum, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Neue Nationalgalerie, and the Hamburger Bahnhof.

From Cannes to Nice, via Grasse and Saint-Paul-de-Vence… 8 Refreshing Exhibitions on the Côte d’Azur

De Cannes à Nice, en passant par Grasse et Saint-Paul-de-Vence… 8 expos rafraîchissantes sur la Côte d’Azur

Beaux Arts Magazine highlights eight refreshing exhibitions across the French Riviera from spring to summer 2026. Featured shows include a Carole Benzaken survey at La Malmaison in Cannes, a hotel biennial at the Canopy by Hilton Cannes, a group exhibition on media theorist Nathalie Magnan at Villa Arson in Nice, and a dialogue between Henri Matisse and Yves Saint Laurent at the Musée Matisse in Nice. Other stops include Ellsworth Kelly at Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, and shows in Grasse featuring painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard, photography, and costumes.

In Venice, the Monumental Farewell of Georg Baselitz at the Cini Foundation

À Venise, l’adieu monumental de Georg Baselitz à la fondation Cini

The Fondazione Giorgio Cini on Venice's San Giorgio Maggiore island has opened "Georg Baselitz. Eroi d'Oro," an exhibition of the late German artist's final works, just one week after his death in 2026. The show, presented alongside the Venice Biennale, features monumental self-portraits and portraits of his wife Elke, painted over gold-leaf backgrounds. Created in the last two years of his life, these works represent Baselitz's ultimate creative gesture, synthesizing six decades of experimentation with his signature inverted figures and expressionist color, supported by Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac.

Duane Michals, photographer known for sequenced works, 1932–2026

Duane Michals, the American photographer celebrated for his pioneering photo sequences and surreal, narrative-driven works, has died at age 94. His gallery, DC Moore Gallery, announced his passing. Born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, Michals began his photography career after a trip to the USSR in 1958, and his first solo exhibition was held in 1963 at New York's Underground Gallery. He became known for series such as *Empty New York* (1964) and *The Spirit Leaves the Body* (1968), moving away from single-frame street photography to create sequenced, dreamlike narratives. His work was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in 1970, and he remained active into his 90s, later incorporating handwritten text and video collaborations with Josiah Cuneo. Recent retrospectives include shows at the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Morgan Library, and Fundación MAPFRE.

Julio Le Parc, artist committed to movement and light, 1028–2026

Julio Le Parc, the Argentine artist known for his pioneering work in kinetic and Op Art, has died at age 98. Le Parc moved to Paris in 1958, where he developed a systematic, machine-like approach to abstraction, creating grid-based paintings and later sculptures using Plexiglas. He introduced light into his work in 1968 and became known for installations involving distorted mirrors and labyrinths that disoriented viewers. A founding member of the activist Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel (GRAV), he was briefly expelled from France after the 1968 social unrest. He received the International Grand Prize for Painting at the 1966 Venice Biennale and had major retrospectives at the Serpentine Galleries (2025), Palais de Tokyo (2013), and Daros Foundation (2014).

VALIE EXPORT, pioneering artist who centred the female body, 1940–2026

VALIE EXPORT, the pioneering Austrian feminist artist known for her provocative performances centered on the female body, has died at age 85. Born in Linz in 1940, she adopted the name VALIE EXPORT in 1967 and quickly rose to prominence with iconic actions such as *TAP and TOUCH Cinema* (1968) and *Action Pants: Genital Panic* (1968), which challenged passive representations of women. Her work spanned photography, film, and expanded cinema, and she participated in major international exhibitions including documenta 6 and 12, and the Venice Biennale, where she and Maria Lassnig became the first women to represent Austria in 1980.

Alan Saret, Author of Transcendent Wire Sculptures, Dead at 81

Sculptor Alan Saret, known for his ethereal wire sculptures and "Gang Drawings," died on May 26 in Brooklyn at age 81. His death was announced by the gallery Karma, which represented him. Saret created cloudlike organic forms from brass, copper, and steel wire, responding to Minimalism with a nature-attuned spirit. He studied under Robert Morris at Hunter College, assisted architect Paolo Soleri, and was included in Harald Szeemann's landmark 1969 exhibition "When Attitudes Become Form" at Kunsthalle Bern. After a rocky career that included a three-year stay in India and a decade-long hiatus from showing work, Karma secured representation of the artist in 2022, finally bringing him the notice he deserved.

Husband of Gallerist Brent Sikkema Found Guilty of Ordering His Killing

A federal jury in Manhattan found Daniel Sikkema guilty of hiring a hit man to murder his estranged husband, esteemed New York gallerist Brent Sikkema. The killing occurred in January 2024, when Brent Sikkema was stabbed to death in his Rio de Janeiro vacation home. The hit man, Alejandro Triana Trevez, a former security guard for the couple, testified that Daniel paid him over $10,000 for the murder. Daniel Sikkema, who denied the charges, now faces a mandatory life sentence and has said he will appeal.

VALIE EXPORT, Icon of Feminist Art, Dead at 85

VALIE EXPORT, the radical Austrian performance artist, filmmaker, and sculptor widely regarded as the most significant feminist artist of the postwar era, died in Vienna on May 14, just three days before her 85th birthday. Her death was confirmed by Thaddaeus Ropac gallery, which represents her. Known for provocative works such as *Tapp und Tastkino* (1968), in which she invited passersby to touch her bare breasts through a miniature theater, EXPORT faced hate mail, death threats, and indecency charges but remained undeterred in her mission to challenge patriarchal norms through the female body and sexual agency.

Art Dubai’s 20th edition rallies its local art community amid regional tensions.

Art Dubai, the UAE's premier art fair, opened its 20th edition as a scaled-down "Special Edition" from May 14–17 at Madinat Jumeirah, after being postponed due to the Iran–Israel war. For the first time, entry was free, and the lineup was pared to 50 galleries, most from the region, including Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Jeddah, Ramallah, and Dubai.

‘Keith Haring in 3D’ Highlights the Artist’s Prolifically Art-Filled Life

An exhibition titled 'Keith Haring in 3D' has opened at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, focusing on the artist's prolific career and his belief in art as an accessible, public experience. The show highlights Haring's subway drawings, his rapid-fire chalk works on black paper, and his engagement with the 1980s New York City street art scene, including figures like Fab 5 Freddy, Lady Pink, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. It features works from the collection of Larry Warsh and is curated by Glenn Adamson, with a rare surviving subway drawing on display.

Philadelphia opens its Van Gogh Sunflowers display with a very rare loan from London’s National Gallery

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is opening a special display, "Van Gogh’s Sunflowers: A Symphony in Blue and Yellow" (June 6–October 11), that brings together two of Van Gogh's iconic Sunflowers paintings: the Philadelphia museum's own version (January 1889) and a rare loan of London's National Gallery's version with a yellow background (August 1888). This marks the first time the London painting has crossed the Atlantic, and only its fifth loan abroad since 1924. The reunion was reciprocated after Philadelphia lent its Sunflowers to London's 2024 exhibition "Van Gogh: Poets & Lovers."

How Gedi Sibony Makes a Show, By Transforming Street Finds Into Magical ‘Frozen Moments’

Gedi Sibony's latest exhibition, "The Invisible Point," opened at Greene Naftali in New York, marking his eighth solo show at the gallery since 2008. The show features his signature assemblage sculptures crafted from street finds and discarded materials—including wooden bookshelves from trash dumps, broken plant stands, wire scraps, and a broomstick—alongside restrained, barely-there paintings. The press release, just four sentences long, describes his process as "powered by an intuitive momentum" and the works as "objects drafted from remnants and castoffs." Sibony's practice extends a tradition from Cubist collage through artists like Louise Nevelson, Robert Rauschenberg, and Richard Tuttle.

Crystal Bridges’s New Expansion Makes Room for More of Its Story

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art will unveil a 114,000-square-foot expansion on June 6–7, 2025, designed by architect Moshe Safdie, who also designed the original 2011 campus. The expansion includes two new galleries—one for contemporary art and one for temporary exhibitions—a Learning and Engagement Hub with ceramic and artmaking studios, artist-in-residence spaces, a café called Quartz and Honey, and five acres of landscaped trails, gardens, and a pond. Museum founder Alice Walton insisted Safdie remain the architect despite his age, accelerating a 50-year plan into a five-year timeline.

Jack White review – former White Stripe’s art is like a 12-year-old visiting Tate Modern for the first time

Rock musician Jack White, formerly of the White Stripes, has mounted an exhibition of his visual art at Damien Hirst's Newport Street Gallery in London. The show features customised amplifiers by Ai Weiwei and Hirst, furniture inspired by Mondrian, and works referencing American folk music, including a series based on a statuette called Ukulele Joe. The review is scathing, describing White's art as derivative, glib, and at the intellectual level of a 12-year-old visiting Tate Modern for the first time.

Inside the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art's major expansion

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, will open a major expansion on June 6, adding 114,000 square feet to its campus. Designed by Safdie Architects, the $100 million project includes 29,000 square feet of new galleries, ceramics and digital-art studios, a community lounge, and an outdoor playscape. The expansion will display 200 previously unseen works from the permanent collection, including new acquisitions, and features the exhibition "Keith Haring in 3D" running through January 2027.

London's Royal Society of Arts launches new annual summer exhibition

The Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and AOAP Projects (formerly Art on a Postcard) are launching a new annual summer exhibition in London titled "Illuminated." Running from 10-24 June at the RSA's headquarters on John Adam Street, the show features over 100 artists including Caroline Coon, Susie Hamilton, and Helen Beard, with all works limited to seven inches by seven inches. Artists receive 50% of sales proceeds, with the remainder funding the RSA's social impact programs. The exhibition marks AOAP Projects' strategic shift from its long-running postcard auction format toward curated exhibitions and broader fundraising initiatives.

Sotheby’s Buoyant $303.4 Million Modern Art Evening Sale: By the Numbers

Sotheby’s modern art evening sale on Tuesday night generated $303.4 million, with a 97.6% sell-through rate and a hammer total of $256.5 million. The top lot was Henri Matisse’s *La Chaise Lorraine* (circa 1919), which sold for $48.4 million after a prolonged bidding war. The house withdrew three lots before the sale to improve optics, and 85% of the lots were guaranteed, mostly by third parties. Asian collectors were active at seven-figure price points, contrasting with sparse high-end bidding at Christie’s the previous night.

A $433 Million Boost for the Market

Sotheby's May 2026 auctions in New York generated $433.1 million in sales over under three hours, a 132.7 percent increase compared to the same period last spring, despite offering fewer lots. This strong performance signals a top-heavy recovery in the art market after three years of contraction. Separately, the Neue Galerie will merge with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2028, and Art Dubai continues despite disruptions from the U.S.-Iran war.

The Works, Trends, and Artists Artnet Specialists Can’t Stop Thinking About

Artnet Auctions has three sales currently live: Post-War and Contemporary Art (through May 20), Contemporary Editions (through May 29), and Private Sales for immediate purchase. Three Artnet specialists highlight key lots: Robert Rauschenberg's 'Corridor (Hoarfrost)' (1978), Emily Mason's 'Express Report' (1988), and Andy Warhol's 'Double Mickey Mouse' (1981). The specialists discuss market trends, including the growing importance of artist foundations in supporting scholarship and market health, the rapid revaluation of post-war women abstractionists like Mason, and shifts in the prints market as consignors leverage demand.

What ‘Costume Art’ Gets Wrong About the Body

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute spring exhibition, featuring nearly 400 objects, pairs garments and ensembles with Western figurative artworks from the museum's permanent collection in dyadic, associative displays. The show eschews traditional art-historical timelines and context in favor of visual and thematic parallels—comparing, for example, Rudi Gernreich's Pubikini with an Egyptian statuette, or Ying Gao's sound-responsive dress with a David Hockney drawing. The exhibition is sponsored by Jeff and Lauren Sánchez Bezos.

Crystal Bridges To Open $150 Million, 100,000 Square Foot Expansion

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, will unveil a $150 million expansion to the public on June 6–7, adding 114,000 square feet of new space. Designed by Safdie Architects, the project increases exhibition space by 50 percent and includes new galleries, a restaurant, artist-in-residence studios, a ceramic-making space, and five acres of forest trails. The expansion also features a 14,000-square-foot Learning and Engagement Hub and 29,000 square feet of new gallery space.