August 19, 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 State of the art: Is the gallery world on the brink of collapse or correction? by Orlando Whitfield for Monocle. The art market is changing, but the shift could create a more sustainable and artist-focused gallery ecosystem.
Art in America
Terry Nguyen, The Mythic, Mutable Worlds of Elizabeth Glaessner
The Art Newspaper
Gameli Hamelo, Artist-led space in the Democratic Republic of the Congo launches ‘urgent call’ for funding
Hannah Sage Kay, Donald Judd’s retrofitted Artillery Sheds in Texas to undergo extensive restoration work
Anny Shaw, A guide to artist agents and consultancies
Helen Stoilas, Online art competition raises millions for charity—and many questions
Artforum
Barry Schwabsky, William Anastasi Finds Beauty in What Isn’t There
Bradford Nordeen, Witch World: Queer Occultism Blooms in the Desert
From the Editors, Repatriated Skull To Be Displayed in Community Museum in Oaxaca
From the Editors, New York City Department Of Cultural Affairs Announces Two New Leadership Appointments
From the Editors, The Oldest Existing Fragment of ‘The Odyssey’ is on Display at the Met
Artnet
Gabi Vidal-Irizarry, Hunting the Marina Abramović at the Brand-New Balloon Museum—and More Juicy Art-World Gossip
Caroline Goldstein, Maya Lin Plans First Texas Piece—and Other Art World Matters
Vittoria Benzine, Rare 300-Year-Old Book by Forgotten Dutch Master Resurfaces
Jo Lawson-Tancred, Auction Houses’ Collector Car Sales Rev Up, Led by a $43M Shelby
ARTnews
Devorah Lauter, Anna Weyant Captures Marc Jacobs in Painting on Cover of ‘Vanity Fair’
Tessa Solomon, Mafia Involvement Feared in Heist of Renaissance Paintings in Sicily
Andy Battaglia, Rijksmuseum Receives Rare Book of Drawings from the 17th Century
Alex Greenberger, How a 31-Year-Old New York Dealer Got His Artists into the Whitney Biennial and the Venice Biennale
ArtReview
Marcus Verhagen, Hurvin Anderson’s Scattered Dreams
Nirmala Devi, ‘The Devil’s Grin: Book One’ by Alex Graham, Reviewed
From the Editors, Brett Littman to helm MCA San Diego
Financial Times
Cyrus Naji, South Asian art’s biggest problem? Fakes
Frieze
Lulu MacDonald, The Year I Almost Gave Up Being An Artist
From the Editors, Gothic Shoes and Divine Lovers – Extraordinary Objects at Frieze Masters 2026
The Boston Globe
Daisy Levine, The answer to the art museums’ crisis is … AI?
Cultured
Sam Falb, Rivals, Colleagues, or Insurance Fraudsters? These Art World Twins Are Breaking Their Silence
Sarah Cascone, Rosa Elena Curruchich Made Paintings Small Enough to Smuggle. Now, They’re Seeing the Light.
Galerie
Rena Gross, A 50-Year Collection of Hiroshige Prints Is Heading to Christie’s
Nadja Sayej, 5 Essential Facts About Yayoi Kusama
Alexandria Sillo, Earliest Known Fragment of Homer’s Odyssey Is On View at The Met
Lucy Rees, Ross Bleckner Opens Two Must-See Exhibitions in the Hamptons
The Guardian
Caroline Davies, David Shrigley London exhibition will find the funny side of old masters
Hyperallergic
Sarah Reisman, Art as Infrastructure at the Medina Triennial
Anna Lee, Taiwanese Artists Accuse South Korea’s Gwangju Biennale of Censorship
Aditya Lyer, Why Won’t Britain Return Looted Gold to Ghana?
Anna Lee, School of Visual Arts Faculty “Blindsided” by Course Cuts Amid $22M Deficit
Livia Caligor, Shu Lea Cheang Gives Trans Artists the Wings to Fly
Anna Lee, Halloween Comes Early With New Kristi Noem Statue in South Dakota
Monocle
Claudia Jacob, The Basque art museum with big ambitions
EDITOR’S PICK - Orlando Whitfield, State of the art: Is the gallery world on the brink of collapse or correction?: The days of buyers schlepping to DIY art spaces on the outskirts of big cities might be over but there are reasons for optimism amid the change.
The New York Times
Graham Bowley, The Odyssey of Priam’s Treasure, an Ancient Trove of Artifacts
Laura Cappelle, The High Cost of Being Present at the Venice Biennale
Observer
Simon Coates, How the Bayeux Tapestry Became a Tool For Diplomacy
Elisa Carollo, Ho Tzu Nyen Wants the Gwangju Biennale to Honor the Past, Not Relive It
Elisa Carollo, The Biggest Gifts to University Art Museums in 2026
Dan Duray, Grey Art Museum’s Alison Weaver On the Breadth of the University Museum Mandate
Urgent Matter
Adam Schrader, Chazen adds lynching prints in traveling ‘Pressing Issues’ show of WPA-era art
Adam Schrader, Artists stop selling to the EU over new packaging rules
Adam Schrader, Ralph Steadman ends his tour in Colorado, where regulators once banned his beer labels
Vulture
Jerry Saltz, Mary Heilmann, Troublemaker
The Wall Street Journal
Kelly Crow, 8 Stolen Henri Matisse Prints Have Been Found
Art Spell is a free daily roundup of art news and reviews to help you stay current with what’s being reported on in the visual arts community. Help us grow the Art Spell community by subscribing and sharing the newsletter with friends and colleagues who want to stay connected to the art world.