August 13, 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 Reasons to Have Faith in the Art World by Kate Guadagnino for T Magazine. Five art world leaders share what continues to inspire optimism about the future of the arts.
The Art Newspaper
Gareth Harris, Elvira Dyangani Ose appointed artistic director of Cape Town’s Zeitz MoCAA
Carlie Porterfield, Mamdani administration expected to drop plans to replace popular New York sculpture garden with affordable housing
Angella d’Avignon, San Diego Museum of Art lays off 11 employees
Gareth Harris, Teodora Axente unveils trophy banner for Palio di Siena horse race
Anzhela Khachaturova, Christian Bernard, founding director of Geneva’s Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, dies aged 76
Hadani Ditmars, Archaeologists uncover ancient, live-work ceramic studios linked to Moche civilisation in Peru
Gareth Harris, What’s it like organising the Venice Biennale? Former curators dish the dirt
José da Silva, Five must-read books on Pan-Africanism and art
Gareth Harris, August Book Bag: from a collection of ‘sizzling’ portraits to a survey of little-known US museums
Gareth Harris, Hurvin Anderson commission to feature in ‘Beyond Bayeux’ exhibition spotlighting contemporary British tapestries
Anzhela Khachaturova, Christian Bernard, founding director of Geneva’s Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, dies aged 76
Artforum
Red Cameron, The Flaunted Mansion
From the Editors, Michael J. Anderson Named as Next Director of the Portland Art Museum
From the Editors, Victoria & Albert Museum Announces New Break Policy in Response to Union Pressure
From the Editors, San Diego Museum of Art Lays Off Nearly a Dozen, Citing Budget Crunch
Artnet
Margaret Carrigan, Zeitz MOCAA Taps Elvira Dyangani Ose as Artistic Director
Katya Kazakina, Tom Holland Has the Collecting Bug—and Other Art World Matters
Andrew Russeth, Want to Lead a Big Art Museum? Some Are Hiring!
Richard Whiddington, An Apartment in Virginia Woolf’s Childhood Home Just Hit the Market
Richard Whiddington, The Vatican’s Latest Salvo Against A.I.? An Art Triennial
ARTnews
Harrison Jacobs, Leading Industry Group ICOM Releases Statement in Support of Smithsonian Institution
Anne Doran, Sale of a “Stunning” UK Fossil Collection to the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi Sparks Controversy
Tessa Solomon, San Diego Museum of Art Lays Off 11 Employees, Citing ‘The Current Landscape’
Daniel Cassady, Sotheby’s Lands Another Blockbuster Collection as Blaquier Family Parts With $450 M. of Impressionist Treasures
Brian Boucher, The New York Gallery That Brought You Adrien Brody Is Suing a Collector for More than $800,000 in Unpaid Invoices
Andy Battaglia, ‘The Last Museum’ Search Engine Serves Up Millions of Artwork Images from More Than 3,000 Institutions
Tessa Solomon, Sharjah is Set for the Region’s First Contemporary Craft Museum
Tessa Solomon, Former National Gallery Executive Accuses Institution of ‘Soft Censorship’ After DOGE Visit
Brian Boucher, Atlanta Art Fair’s Third Edition Will Host 67 Galleries, Hailing From as Far as Korea, Spain, and Uganda
ArtReview
Mark Rappolt, ‘The Tonality of Thought’ by Byung-Chul Han, Reviewed
From the Editors, Elvira Dyangani Ose named artistic director of Zeitz MOCAA
Frieze
Ben Broome, In Dora Budor’s Hands, Everything Is Architecture
The Guardian
Arifa Akbar, Buggers review – phenomenal flesh and blood portrait of Francis Bacon and George Dyer
Hyperallergic
Phillip Pyle, SF Camerawork, Photo Champion for Five Decades, Abruptly Announces Closure
Rhea Nayyar, “American Doctor” Is an Indictment of US Leadership and Media
Brian Karl, The Living World Feels Dead at the Hammer
Rhea Nayyar, Elvira Dyangani Ose to Succeed Koyo Kouoh at Zeitz MOCAA
Lisa Yin Zhang, Remembering Christian Bernard, Al Gury, and Hermione Carline
Valentina Di Liscia, 15 Artists Named 2026 Joan Mitchell Fellows
The New York Times
Walker Mimms, A Print Maestro With a Birdwatcher’s Eye and a Socialist Soul
Observer
Caleb Anderson, With an Inherited Watch Collection, Doing Less Is the Smartest Move
Elisa Carollo, The Runway-Ready Fashion of ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Is Coming to Christie’s
Mána Taylor, “It’s About Time”: At 86, Gladys Nilsson Gets Her First Major Retrospective
Elisa Carollo, Inside the Calvert Brothers’ Art Club for Everyone
Elisa Carollo, Fine Art Insurance Is Often Worth More for What It Prevents Than What It Pays Out
Daniel Grant, The Bad Planning That Leaves Many Artist Estates Tangled in Lawsuits
T Magazine
EDITOR’S PICK - Kate Guadagnino, Reasons to Have Faith in the Art World: At a time when news can be dispiriting, we ask five creative people about what makes them optimistic — still — about their field.
Urgent Matter
Adam Schrader, Karoline Leavitt steps down after defending Trump’s arts overhaul from the podium
Adam Schrader, Labor board dismisses South Street Seaport Museum workers’ first contract charge
Adam Schrader, FOIA Documents: The NLRB file on the South Street Seaport Museum first-contract charge
Adam Schrader, Experiential Orchestra asks audiences to share how war has touched their lives
Adam Schrader, Indigo Arts Alliance artists pair their work with the Haggerty’s African collection
Adam Schrader, Beanie Babies billionaire lays out legal strategy in Santa Barbara museum suit appeal
The Wall Street Journal
Karen Wilkin, ‘Willem de Kooning Drawing’ Review: Laying Down the Line
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