April 14, 2026
Your morning brew of art world media
Welcome to Art Spell, a daily, comprehensive roundup of art news and reviews for the visual arts community. Today’s Editor’s Pick is A Data Analysis of the 2026 Venice Biennale Signals a Shift to the Present by Jo Lawson-Tancred for Artnet. Koyo Kouoh’s 2026 Venice Biennale marks a return to contemporary art, spotlighting living mid-career artists from a globally balanced roster.
The Art Newspaper
Anna Brady, Marc Restellini’s ‘atom bomb’ of a Modigliani catalogue raisonné is finally published
Gareth Harris, Staff at Goldsmiths art college plan industrial action ahead of redundancies
Vincent Noce, France’s new restitution law passes final vote
Nicole Martinez, As Cuban crisis deepens, diaspora artists have a message of compassion
Gareth Harris, FKA Twigs and Brian Eno among artists included in the Vatican’s sound-based 2026 Venice Biennale pavilion
Louisa Buck, Defiant women and daring paintings: Emin, Webster and Wylie create a buzz in the UK’s exhibition calendar
Constanza Ontiveros Valdés, New Bienal de Yucatán to spotlight Mexican region’s growing art scene
Karen Chernick, Berlin exhibition focuses in on women photographers of the Bauhaus
Artforum
From the Editors, Rirkrit Tiravanija to Assemble “A Gathering of Remarkable People” for Qatar Pavilion at Venice Biennale
From the Editors, Tanka Fonta Wins $35,000 Wi Di Mimba Wi Prize
From the Editors, Inaugural Medina Triennial in Western New York Will Include 39 Artists
From the Editors, Institute of Museum and Library Services Allowed to Operate: Settlement
Artnet
EDITOR’S PICK - Jo Lawson-Tancred, A Data Analysis of the 2026 Venice Biennale Signals a Shift to the Present: With more than 90 percent of the artists in the main exhibition still living, this Biennale marks a clear return to contemporary practice.
Min Chen, The Untold Story of Peter Hujar and Paul Thek’s Intimate—and Complex—Bond
Cathy Fan, Which City Will Be the Next Asian Art Hub? That’s the Wrong Question
Vittoria Benzine, This French Castle Is Crowdfunding Its Own Restoration
Vittoria Benzine, 21 Renoirs From the Collection of the Artist’s Muse Hit the Market
Margaret Carrigan, Which Country’s Art Market Came Out on Top in 2025?
Richard Whiddington, The Personal Collection of ‘Last Surrealist’ Enrico Donati Heads to Auction
Margaret Carrigan, Two Growing London Galleries Launch Second Spaces—and More Art Industry News
Richard Whiddington, Lost-Lost Film by French Cinema Pioneer Turns Up in Michigan
Eileen Kinsella, Go Time! Gagosian Christens New Madison Avenue Space With Duchamp Readymades
ARTnews
Daniel Cassady, Dubai’s Alserkal Art Week Expands to Month-Long Program as Gulf’s Art Calendar Adjusts to Regional Strain
Alex Greenberger, Did This Photographer’s Provocative Work Inspire a Key Plot Point in The Drama?
Tessa Solomon, Sharjah’s Barjeel Art Foundation Is Building its First Museum
Anne Doran, Andrew Lloyd Webber Is Writing a Musical About the Heist that Made ‘Mona Lisa’ Famous
Daniel Cassady, Walker Art Center Restaurant Cuts Front-of-House Staff as QR Codes Take Over
Harrison Jacobs, Trump Wants to Paint the Eisenhower Building White, But Experts Say His ‘Magic’ Paint Won’t Work on Granite
Maximilíano Durón, European Commission Tells Venice Biennale to ‘Clear Its Name’ Regarding Russian Pavilion or Risk Losing $2.3 M. Grant for 2028
Alex Greenberger, Sotheby’s Tries Again to Sell $40 M. Picasso Painting That Didn’t Make It to Auction in 2008
Alex Greenberger, New York’s Newest Triennial Lines Up 39 Artists for Star-Studded First Edition Along the Erie Canal
ArtReview
Aliide Naylor, The Politics of Russia’s Return to the Venice Biennale
Adeline Chia, Biennale Jogja 18 Review: Occasional Moments of Brilliance
From the Editors, Settlement allows Institute of Museum and Library Services to continue operations
The Brooklyn Rail
Norman L. Kleeblatt, Steven Cohen: Long Life
Justin Duyao, Rana Begum: Reflection
Patricia L Lewy, Ron Nagle: Irrational Discovery
Barbara A. MacAdam, David Novros
Ann McCoy, Raquel Rabinovich: Gateless
Saul Ostrow, Peter Saul: Peter Saul’s Art History
Frieze
Annabel Keenan, Isa Genzken Asks What Stories Buildings Tell Us
The Guardian
Dale Berning Sawa, ‘It was life-changing’: the celebrated art historian who spent 46 years sitting for Frank Auerbach
Alexander Cheves, ‘They accomplished so much, even as they were dying’: the groundbreaking gay art of Peter Hujar and Paul Thek
Julian Baggini, Art, sex, nature: why is everything sold to us as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself?
David Smith, ‘An open letter to the nation’: National Gallery of Art reckons with America at 250
Hyperallergic
Aaron Short, Celeste Dupuy-Spencer, Artist Who Confronted Injustice, Dies at 46
Rhea Nayyar, Gagosian to Debut New Gallery With Duchamp’s “Readymades”
Emma Cieslik, Trump Plays Christ and Gets the Wound Wrong
Isa Farfan and Rhea Nayyar, Chicana Painter Criselda Vasquez Says ICE Detained Her Father
John Yau, Steve DiBenedetto’s Cosmic Sense of the Absurd
From the Editors, Jeremy Frey: The Generational Impact of a New Artistic Path
Hakim Bishara, Ai Weiwei and the Art of Keeping Your Mouth Shut
The New York Times
Michael Kimmelman, Daring and Dazzling, a New LACMA Floats Above Los Angeles
Janelle Conaway, Route 66, a ‘Linear Museum Stretched Across Eight States,’ Turns 100
Mekado Murphy, Why Do People Flock to the Rocky Statue? This Show Aims to Find Out.
Michael Janofsky, San Francisco’s Modern Art Museum Reimagines the Fisher Collection
Shivani Vora, A Boston Museum Celebrates 50 Years of Flowers and Art
Sarah Bahr, In Indianapolis, a New Contemporary Art Museum Comes With a D.J.
Observer
Jenny Gibbs, The Politics of Print: What the Medium’s Last Renaissance Can Teach Us About Our Current Market
Elisa Carollo, Dealer Estates Will Once Again Headline New York’s May Marquee Auctions
Elisa Carollo, Neighbors in Chicago Reimagined the Art Fair as a Gilded Age Cultural Salon
Urgent Matter
Adam Schrader, Trump administration agrees to allow pride flag at Stonewall Inn after settlement
The Wall Street Journal
Karen Wilkin, ‘Édouard Vuillard: Early Interiors’ and ‘Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony’ Review: Feasts of French Painting
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