April 20, 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 Art Galleries Are Quietly Embracing A.I. But Most Have No Guardrails in Place by Elisa Carollo for Observer. A report finds most galleries now use A.I. but lack clear policies or safeguards, raising concerns about data security and accuracy.
Airmail
Nicholas Fox Weber, An American in Paris
From the Editors, The Secret Life of Kurt Vonnegut
Art in America
Tyehimba Jess, Edmonia Lewis Was the Earliest Known Black Artist to Depict Emancipation. This Is Her First Retrospective.
The Art Newspaper
Hokhang Cheung, US-Israel war on Iran disrupts art transport routes as prices surge
Sarvy Geranpayeh, Lebanon appeals to Unesco to intervene amid fears protected citadel has been destroyed
Martin Bailey, Drum and trumpet with human skulls attached complicate plan for restitution from Los Angeles to Ghana
Gareth Harris, Recently restored castle in Norwich among five institutions shortlisted for UK’s top museum prize
Gareth Harris, British Art Show—exhibiting UK’s ‘most exciting’ art in past five years—announces line up for tenth edition
Artforum
Lola Kramer, Whining and Dining with Louis Osmosis
From the Editors, ADAA Art Fair Will Now Benefit the Whitney Museum
From the Editors, Walker Art Center Severs Ties With Restaurant, Citing ‘Core Values’
From the Editors, Theme and Artists Revealed for Ekow Eshun–Curated British Art Show 10
From the Editors, Ax Swings Following Artsy/Artnet Consolidation as Top Reporters Are Laid Off
Artnet
Sarah Cascone, Art Dealers Try Their Hand as Artists in This Unusual Exhibition
Margaret Carrigan, Sotheby’s Debt, Delays, and the Drahi Playbook
Min Chen, Lost Bob Dylan Lyric Sheet Resurfaces After 60 Years—and Other Rare Finds Heating Up the Market
Vittoria Benzine, Rare Books Stolen From Ex-MoMA President’s Home Recovered After Nearly 40 Years
Jo Lawson-Tancred, Thomas J. Price’s Monumental Sculpture Anchors V&A East’s Opening in London
Richard Whiddington, Collector Jennifer Gilbert Is Selling Modernist Masterpieces to Fund Her New Arts Space
Vittoria Benzine, Olivia Rodrigo’s New Music Video Is a Dizzying Romp Through Versailles
ARTnews
Anne Doran, Ruins of a ‘Unique‘ Temple Complex Discovered in Northern Sinai
Maximilíano Durón, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s Art Speaks in a Language Left for Us to Translate
Harrison Jacobs, Finland Pulls Back Venice Biennale Presence Over Return of Russian Pavilion
Leigh Anne Miller, Catalan Museum Has Yet to Follow Through on Court Order to Return Contested Murals to Aragon Monastery
Brian Boucher, Sotheby’s Paris Notches a $41 M. Modern and Contemporary Sale, Led by a $12 M. Monet Unseen for a Century
Daniel Cassady, Sotheby’s Returns to Profit as Sales Rise, Though Cash Pressures Persist
Tessa Solomon, Turkey Notches Another Successful Restitution After Denver Art Museum Returns 1500-Year-Old Marble Head
Daniel Cassady, Jennifer Gilbert Consigns Blue-Chip Works to Sotheby’s to Fund Detroit Arts Space
Andy Battaglia, Archaeologists Discover 6,000-Year-Old ‘Megastructure’ in Romania
Maximilíano Durón, The Triumphant New LACMA Has the Potential to Rewrite Art History
ArtReview
Yuwen Jiang, Guangzhou Image Triennial 2025 Review: The Case for Sensitivity
From the Editors, Mikala Tai to curate 2027 TarraWarra Biennial
Frieze
Agnish Ray, Must-See: Mirosław Bałka and the Fragility of Memory
The Guardian
Charlotte Jansen, Martin Parr: Global Warning review – the great photographer in all his gluttonous, giddy glory
Chloë Ashby, My toddler threw a toy pig at an artwork – and inspired this guide for small kids in galleries
Lanre Bakare, V&A East Storehouse and Norwich Castle among finalists for museum of the year
Dalya Alberge, Hamnet-era mourning jewel from celebrated painting rediscovered after 400 years
Hyperallergic
Hadley Suter, Tania El Khoury’s Soothing “Revenge Art”
Veronika Molnar, Dismantling Orbán’s 16-Year Grip on Hungary’s Art World
Aaron Short, Joan Semmel Is Doing Her Best Work at 93
Isa Farfan, In an Unlikely Pairing, Giacometti Sculptures Head to The Met’s Temple of Dendur
Sarah Rose Sharp, Harry Bertoia Gets His Moment
Lakshmi Rivera Amin, A View From the Easel With Celia Paul
The Los Angeles Times
Jessica Gelt, Inside LACMA’s lavish opening gala for the David Geffen Galleries with George Lucas, Ed Ruscha and Jeff Koons
Malia Mendez, Gagosian Beverly Hills hosts first Frank Gehry show since the iconic architect’s death
The New York Times
Zachary Small, With Trump Novices, Can the U.S. Win the ‘Art Olympics’?
Alina Tugend, U.S. Museums Reach Deep into America’s Past
Shivani Vora, A Time of Growth for Museums for Children
Shivani Vora, A New Museum in California Aims to Draw Children to Science
Ted Loos, Finding a New Approach to Displaying a Museum Collection
Sam Lubell, After the Heists: Securing Museums Without Closing Them Off
Michael S. Rosenwald, Paul Waldman, Creator and Curator of Art Museum for Birds, Dies at 89
Alex Williams, Celeste Dupuy-Spencer, Painter of Hotly Topical Images, Dies at 46
The New Yorker
Zachary Fine, Was Raphael the Runt of the Renaissance?
Observer
Dan Duray, Jean Cooney Is Back at Creative Time and Ready to Take New Risks
Dan Duray, Charles Chemin Has Been Training to Lead Watermill His Whole Life
Christa Terry, YoungArts’ Glamorous Raúl Àvila-Designed Gala Returns to the Met’s Iconic Temple of Dendur
EDITOR’S PICK - Elisa Carollo, Art Galleries Are Quietly Embracing A.I. But Most Have No Guardrails in Place: A new report reveals that A.I. adoption among gallery professionals is widespread, ungoverned and accelerating.
Elisa Carollo, At the Bronx Museum Gala, a Community-Built Institution Prepares for Its Next Chapter
Daniel Grant, Is That a Caneletto? Kind of.
T Magazine
Julia Halperin, What Is Performance Art?
Julia Halperin, When Is Art Actually Surreal?
M.H. Miller, So You Bought a Hole in the Desert
Julia Halperin, Artists on the Must-See Works at Their Favorite Museums
M.H. Miller, What You Need to Know About Contemporary American Art
Julia Halperin, 10 Painting Movements Everyone Should Know
Julia Halperin, 10 Important Works of Pottery
Julia Halperin, 11 Masks That Define World Culture
Julia Halperin, 9 Technical Innovations That Changed the Art of Painting
Julia Halperin, 8 Defining Works of American Land Art
Julia Halperin, 6 Famously Controversial Works of Art
Julia Halperin, What Is Conceptual Art, Actually?
Urgent Matter
Adam Schrader, U.N.’s human rights office expresses concern over Gao Zhen trial
Adam Schrader, FBI closed probe into stolen Picasso aquatint with no arrests, recovery firm says
Adam Schrader, Artist appeals dismissal of lawsuit targeting Smithsonian over his pro-Trump painting
Adam Schrader, Court Documents: Julian Raven appeals dismissal of lawsuit over his pro-Trump painting
Adam Schrader, Denver Art Museum repatriates marble sculpture to Turkey
Adam Schrader, Cherry blossoms inspire multinational exhibition at Romanian Cultural Institute
Adam Schrader, Carved wood ‘arbrasson’ blends sculpture and sound, echoing lost musical tradition
Vanity Fair
Nate Freeman, It’s LACMA’s World, and Hollywood Wants to Play in It
The Wall Street Journal
Kelly Crow, The Museum Director Who Likes to Host Meetings at 3 a.m.
From the Editors, Arts Calendar: Happenings for the Week of April 19
Eric Gibson, Dazed and Confused at the New LACMA
Art Spell is a subscription-based daily roundup of art news and reviews to help you stay current with what’s being reported on in the visual arts community. The profits from Art Spell are donated to organizations supporting art journalists and writers.