April 3, 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 Unesco grants enhanced protection to 39 Lebanese heritage sites as war escalates by Sarvy Geranpayeh for The Art Newspaper. UNESCO expanded top-level protections to 39 more Lebanese heritage sites, reflecting the international community’s recognition that safeguarding cultural heritage is a global priority.
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Moyra Davey, The Wonderful World That Almost Was
Art in America
Kelly Presutti, “Manet & Morisot” Brings a Fabled Impressionist Friendship to Life
Emily Watlington and Alex Greenberger, 8 Books We’re Looking Forward to in April
The Art Newspaper
Fred Voon, Arts organisation enlists celebrities in fight to save Manhattan church
EDITOR’S PICK - Sarvy Geranpayeh, Unesco grants enhanced protection to 39 Lebanese heritage sites as war escalates: The cultural body has also unlocked more than $100,000 in emergency funding for urgent operations on the ground.
Senay Boztas, Ancient golden helmet recovered after Dutch museum heist
Gareth Harris, Arts and heritage organisations largely exempted from new UK regulations on memberships
Philippe Regnier, Gagosian chooses Paris location to present three important late paintings by Francis Bacon
Artforum
From the Editors, Beijing’s UCCA Announces New Guangzhou Outpost
From the Editors, Heirs to the Bic Empire Say They’ve Been Robbed of a Renaissance Masterwork
From the Editors, Priceless Golden Helmet Snatched in Dutch Museum Heist Recovered
From the Editors, Melvin Edwards, Sculptor of Searing “Lynch Fragments,” Dies at 88
Artnet
Sonia Manalili and Kate Brown, How Raphael Made—and Unmade—the Renaissance
Jo Lawson-Tancred, Cecily Brown Turns Pastoral Visions Into Painterly Chaos in Her London Museum Debut
Richard Whiddington, Gold Romanian Helmet Recovered After Explosive Heist at Dutch Museum
Vittoria Benzine, Ancient Roman Cargo Lost for 2,000 Years Resurfaces in Swiss Lake
Richard Whiddington, Stolen Van Gogh Back on View at Dutch Museum After Dramatic Restoration
Vittoria Benzine, Performance Artist Crackhead Barney Moves From the Streets to the Stage: ‘Art Should Be Going Insane’
Richard Whiddington, Two Monet Paintings, Unseen for a Century, Resurface at Auction
Naomi Rea, Dealer David Schrader’s Case for a More Fluid Art Market: ‘Volume Begets Volume’
Richard Whiddington, One of John Lennon’s Final Autographs Hits the Auction Block
ARTnews
Emi Eleode, A New Exhibition at the British Museum Dismantles the Popular Understanding of Samurai
Sarah Belmont, Ariana Papademetropoulos Discusses Her Immersive Paris Exhibition, Featuring a Nine-Foot-Wide Fish Tank
Daniel Cassady, Trump’s White House Ballroom Plan Stalls as Congress Balks
Tessa Solomon, Lebanese Artist Ali Cherri Files War Crimes Complaint Against Israel After 2024 Beirut Bombing
Leigh Anne Miller, Andy Warhol’s Former Studio Building Now Home to New Uniqlo Union Square Store
Harrison Jacobs, Art Dealer Larry Gagosian Recalls Rare Misstep With San Francisco Gallery: ‘Nobody Showed Up’
Brian Boucher, A Priceless Romanian Golden Helmet, Heisted from a Dutch Museum, Has Been Recovered
ArtReview
Mateus Nunes, Gê Viana: Afterlives of the African Diaspora
Frieze
From the Editors, Exhibitions to See Across the US This April
Marcus Civin, Suki Seokyeong Kang’s Works Are Still Unfolding
The Guardian
Eddy Frankel, Megamurals, Guerrilla Girls and something rotten in the Oval Office – the week in art
Alex Needham, ‘He’s the Pauline Kael of art criticism’: artists pay tribute to the Guardian’s Adrian Searle
Hyperallergic
From the Editors, 15 Shows to See in New York City This April
Isa Farfan, An Artist Embraces the Metaphorical Cracks of Matzah
Matt Stromberg, 10 Art Shows to See in Los Angeles This April
Valentina Di Liscia, Art Movements: Frieze Partners With ... the Whitney?
Lakshmi Rivera Amin, Required Reading
Ryan N. Dennis, Nine Lessons on My Path From Engagement to Leadership
Cat Dawson, Melvin Edwards, Who Sculpted a New Vocabulary for Political Art, Dies at 88
The Los Angeles Times
Darlene Superville, Trump’s White House ballroom gets final approval days after judge’s ruling halting construction
The New York Times
Robin Pogrebin, Seats Left Empty on Smithsonian Board as Strain With White House Persists
Alissa Wilkinson, ‘Jimmy & the Demons’ Captures an Artist at Work on His Grand Finale
Observer
Michael Venutolo-Mantovani, In Santa Fe, a Vibrant Contemporary Scene Has Been Taking Shape for Decades
Naima Morelli, Meet the Collector: Yasmine Berrada Wants to Change the Way the World Sees Moroccan Art
Elisa Carollo, Kamrooz Aram On Painting in the Space Between Grid and Gesture
Urgent Matter
Adam Schrader, Las Vegas’ Mob Museum offers free admission for TSA employees
Adam Schrader, Capron exhibition in Sarasota draws on migration, identity with hand-dyed fabrics
Adam Schrader, Photographer Jon McCormack’s new book explores patterns found in nature
Vanity Fair
Valerie Vantaggi, An Art Expert on Where The Magnani-Rocca’s Stolen Art Might Wind Up
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