contemporary art

Yayoi Kusama, iconic ‘Infinity Room’ artist, dies at 97

Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese avant-garde artist whose polka-dot motifs, pumpkin sculptures, and immersive Infinity Mirror Rooms made her one of the most recognizable figures in contemporary art, has died at the age of 97. Her death, caused by multiple organ…

Dutch museum covers floor in peanut butter to honor late artist

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam has recreated one of the most eccentric works in Dutch contemporary art — a floor covered entirely in smooth peanut butter — as a tribute to conceptual artist Wim T. Schippers, who died on…

James Turrell opens his 100th Skyspace in Denmark

American artist James Turrell's largest Skyspace in a museum context opened to the public today at ARoS Aarhus Art Museum in Denmark, marking both his 100th such installation and a milestone timed to coincide with the summer solstice.

Pace Gallery drops 50 artists, lays off 50 staff

Pace Gallery, one of the art world's most prominent institutions, announced Thursday that it is cutting approximately 50 artists from its roster and laying off around 50 staff members in what CEO Marc Glimcher called a rejection of the mega-gallery…

Cattelan’s $6.2M banana artwork stolen from French museum

A banana duct-taped to a wall — the perishable core of one of the most polarizing works in contemporary art — was stolen from a museum in eastern France on May 30, prompting the institution to file a criminal complaint…

Tate names four artists to 2026 Turner Prize shortlist

Tate Britain on Thursday named four artists to the 2026 Turner Prize shortlist: Simeon Barclay, Kira Freije, Marguerite Humeau, and Tanoa Sasraku. Their work spans spoken word performance, sculpture, installation, and film, and will be exhibited at the Middlesbrough Institute…

Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 opens this week with new Echoes sector

Art Basel Hong Kong returns to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from March 27 to 29, bringing together 240 galleries from 41 countries and territories as the city gears up for its busiest week on the international art…

Ibrahim Mahama is first African to top ArtReview Power 100

Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama has secured the top position on ArtReview's Power 100 list for 2025, becoming the first person from the African continent to lead the influential ranking in its 24-year history. The 38-year-old artist's ascent from 14th place…

Sonnabend art collection opens permanent museum home in Mantua

A major contemporary art museum showcasing nearly 100 works from the celebrated Sonnabend Collection opened its doors on November 29 in Mantua, Italy, marking the first permanent home for one of the 20th century's most influential private art collections.

Chanel opens art library at Shanghai museum

Chanel officially opened Espace Gabrielle Chanel to the public Tuesday at Shanghai's Power Station of Art, marking mainland China's first public library dedicated to contemporary art. The 18,000-square-foot cultural space represents the culmination of a long-term strategic partnership between the…

Artist David Shrigley selling piles of old rope for $1.3M

British artist David Shrigley opened "Exhibition of Old Rope" at Stephen Friedman Gallery in London on Thursday, featuring four enormous piles of discarded rope with a £1 million price tag—a literal interpretation of the idiom "money for old rope" that…

Wes Anderson to recreate Joseph Cornell’s studio at Gagosian Paris

Filmmaker Wes Anderson is collaborating with curator Jasper Sharp to resurrect the New York studio of Joseph Cornell at Gagosian Paris, offering a rare glimpse into the workspace of the reclusive artist who never traveled to Europe but whose imagination…

Maurizio Cattelan’s gold toilet to be auctioned at Sotheby’s

Sotheby's announced on October 31 that it will auction Maurizio Cattelan's notorious 18-karat solid gold toilet, titled "America," on November 18 with a starting bid of approximately $10 million—the first time an artwork's opening price will be determined by its…

James Turrell to open largest Skyspace at Denmark museum

Renowned Light and Space artist James Turrell is set to open his most ambitious Skyspace installation to date at Denmark's ARoS Aarhus Art Museum on June 19, 2026, marking the completion of a decade-long project that has faced significant delays…

Cai Guo-Qiang stages farewell fireworks on Centre Pompidou facade

Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang transformed the iconic facade of Paris's Centre Pompidou into a monumental canvas this evening, staging a spectacular daytime fireworks display titled "Le Dernier Carnaval" (The Last Carnival) to mark the museum's closure for a five-year renovation.

Frieze London opens with strong sales and celebrity crowds

Frieze London 2025 opened its doors on October 15 with a robust VIP preview that attracted significant crowds and generated substantial early sales, signaling confidence in the contemporary art market as the world's leading galleries descended on Regent's Park.

Louvre acquires its first video work in historic collection

The Musée du Louvre has made history by acquiring its first-ever video work, "Les 4 temps" (The 4 Seasons) by Algeria-born artist Mohamed Bourouissa. The milestone acquisition marks a significant step forward for the world's most visited museum as it…

BTS leader RM to co-curate art exhibition at SFMOMA

BTS leader RM made history this week as the first K-pop artist to collaborate with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art since its founding in 1935, announcing a groundbreaking exhibition titled "RM x SFMOMA" that will showcase his personal…

Jeff Koons returns to Gagosian after Pace split

Jeff Koons has returned to Gagosian Gallery after departing the mega-dealer four years ago for an exclusive partnership with Pace, marking a dramatic reversal for the world's most expensive living artist. Gagosian announced the reunion on August 27, confirming Koons…

Ai Weiwei makes rare visit to Ukrainian front lines

Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei made a rare and remarkable visit to Ukrainian front lines near Kharkiv last week, meeting soldiers and cultural figures as Russia's war against Ukraine continues to devastate the country. The 67-year-old artist documented his time…

Egypt revives historic Alexandria Biennale after 12 years

After a 12-year hiatus, Egypt's historic Alexandria Biennale will return in September 2026, marking the revival of the world's third-oldest biennial exhibition after Venice and São Paulo. Curated by renowned Egyptian artist Moataz Nasr under the title "This Too Shall…

Studio Museum in Harlem reopens after 7-year expansion

The Studio Museum in Harlem will officially reopen on November 15, 2025, after a seven-year closure that enabled one of the most ambitious museum expansions in New York City's recent history. The institution announced the opening date today, marking the…

Visitor eats Maurizio Cattelan’s ‘Comedian’ banana at Centre Pompidou-Metz

A visitor at the Centre Pompidou-Metz in France consumed Maurizio Cattelan's infamous "Comedian" artwork—a banana duct-taped to a wall valued at $6.2 million—on July 13, 2025. The museum-goer, who identified himself only as "Peter," reportedly stated he was "shocked" by…

KAWS to bring monumental art to New York Botanical Garden in 2027

Internationally acclaimed artist KAWS is set to transform the New York Botanical Garden with a garden-wide takeover from May 22 to October 24, 2027, featuring his signature characters and monumental sculptures spread across the 250-acre landscape in what promises to…

Marina Abramović wins major 2025 global art prize for sculpture

Serbian performance artist Marina Abramović has been awarded the 2025 Praemium Imperiale Award for sculpture, one of the world's most prestigious international arts prizes presented by the Japan Art Association under the patronage of Japan's Imperial Family, alongside Peter Doig…

Pompidou Metz cancels Caribbean art show, sparking discrimination row

The Centre Pompidou's outpost in Metz, France, has sparked controversy after canceling "Van lévé," a planned survey of Caribbean and Guyanese art originally scheduled for 2026-2027, with the institution citing budgetary constraints while the exhibition's Guadeloupean curator Claire Tancons and…

The Bronx Museum of the Arts names Shamim M. Momin as new director

The Bronx Museum of the Arts has appointed Shamim M. Momin as its new director and chief curator, bringing her extensive experience from twelve years at the Whitney Museum of American Art where she co-curated two Whitney Biennials and directed…

Venus Over Manhattan gallery closing after 14 years of art exhibitions

Venus Over Manhattan, the New York gallery founded by collector Adam Lindemann in 2012, will close after its current exhibition of works by painter Susumu Kamijo concludes on July 18, 2025, ending a respected institution that bridged historical and contemporary…

Brooklyn art collective MSCHF unveils ‘King Solomon’s Baby’ sculpture

Brooklyn-based art collective MSCHF is set to unveil "King Solomon's Baby," a provocative 15-foot sculpture that will be physically sliced according to the number of buyers, with prices ranging from $100,000 for a single buyer to just $100 per slice…

Open Studio spotlights artists with disabilities in downtown New York

Rachel Carle Cohen and David Fierman are launching Open Studio, a downtown New York gallery dedicated to showcasing work by artists with disabilities, continuing a tradition of inclusive art spaces that have emerged across North America since the 1970s and…