July 8, 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 Zohran Mamdani’s Culture Budget Is Historic, But New York Needs a Broader Plan for Protecting Artists and the Arts by Elisa Carollo for Observer. Carollo argues New York City’s record arts budget is a promising start, but protecting its cultural sector will require a long-term strategy beyond increased funding.
The Art Newspaper
Vincent Noce, Gang steals jewellery worth €4.5m from Lalique Museum in France in 11-minute heist
Sophia Kishkovsky, Ukraine gives its troops a handbook on protecting cultural property
Annabel Keenan, The Nevada Museum of Art puts sustainability at its core
Simon Bainbridge, Patti Smith and Soundwalk Collective’s sprawling Arles installation offers haunting world view
David D’Arcy, Joseph Beuys was ambitious, ‘perhaps to the point of megalomania’, says a new book about the German artist
Gareth Harris, July Book Bag: from a selection of US folk art to a closer look at the work of YBA Gary Hume
Artforum
Raúl de Nieves, From Athens with Love
Theo Belci, Detroit Institute of Arts Director Attributes 17th-Century Portrait To Diego Velázquez
From the Editors, Yemen Identifies 28 Allegedly Looted Artifacts in London
From the Editors, Massimiliano Gioni Appointed Director of the New Museum
From the Editors, $4.5M in Jewelry Stolen in French Museum Heist
Artnet
Min Chen, Daniel Arsham Is Selling His Historic Firehouse Home and Studio
Andrew Russeth, Massimiliano Gioni Will Lead the New Museum
Jo Lawson-Tancred, This Giant Spider at Frieze London Will Transport You to a Digital World
Gabi Vidal-Irizarry, Breakups, Shake-Ups, and Make-Ups! Anne Imhof and Eliza Douglas Share the Stage Again, Upstate Art Weekend, and More Juicy Art World Gossip!
ARTnews
Maximilíano Durón, Warhol Foundation Announces $5.2 M. in Grants to 78 Arts Organizations, Including 33 First-Time Grantees
Leigh Anne Miller, Denmark’s Louisiana Museum Announces Remedios Varo Exhibition in Fall 2026
Leigh Anne Miller, Check Out the Art Behind the Scenes of Loro Piana’s Fall/Winter 2026 Ad Campaign
Maximilíano Durón, Fundación Kahlo Launches $50,000 Prize for Emerging Mexican Artists
Tessa Solomon, Pro-Palestinian Cultural Workers Call for Strike Over US Ambassador’s Visit to Venice
Daniel Cassady, Phillips Posts $507 M. in First Half of 2026 as Watch Business Drives 60 Percent Jump in Auction Sales
Daniel Cassady, Luísa Cunha, the Portuguese Artist Whose Sound Sculptures Explored the Power of Language, Dies at 77
Maximilíano Durón, Massimiliano Gioni Named Director of New York’s New Museum
Alex Greenberger, Valerie Brathwaite, Sculptor Who Drew Parallels Between Landscapes and Bodies, Has Died
Brian Boucher, An English National Is the First to Be Convicted of Violating Sanctions Against Russia
ArtReview
From the Editors, Massimiliano Gioni promoted to New Museum director
From the Editors, Valerie Brathwaite, artist who looked to the Caribbean’s landscape for inspiration, 1938–2026
The Brooklyn Rail
William Davie, Anthony van Dyck: Van Dyck, the European
Neil Baldwin, Tracey Emin: A Second Life
Amanda Gluibizzi, N. Dash: Geophilia
Saul Ostrow, Joseph Kosuth: I Shall Offer It To You As A Ready-Made Product
Stephen Frailey, Photography as a Way of Life: Minor White, Aaron Siskind, & Harry Callahan
Cultured
Giuliana Brida, NYC Tourists Get Statue of Liberty Keychains. In the Hamptons, You Can Now Buy the Real Thing.
Sophia Shyer, At Hauser & Wirth Paris, Ceramicist Erin Siena Jobs Gets Low Tech
Isabella Bernstein, Here Are the 14 Must-See Solo Shows in Paris This Summer
Frieze
Harriet Lloyd-Smith, Close Encounters with Chloe Wise
Galerie
Alexandria Sillo, Gerard & Kelly Re-Inhabit the Iconic Villa Benkemoun in Arles
Caroline Roux, Man’s Relationship to Animals Explored Through Finely Crafted Objects at Hôtel de la Marine in Paris
Caroline Roux, Discover the Stand Out Moments from PAD Saint-Tropez
The Guardian
Catherine Slessor, Ushida Findlay review: the mighty culture clash that gave us the dazzling Soft and Hairy House
Nino Bucci, ‘Pam the Bird’ has become a divisive fixture on Melbourne landmarks – but is it art or vandalism?
Hyperallergic
Phillip Pyle, Valerie Brathwaite, Abstract Sculptor of the Natural World, Dies at 87
Rhea Nayyar, Massimiliano Gioni Named Director of New Museum
From the Editors, 8 Art Books to Reframe America’s 250th
Tara Anne Dalbow, John Giorno Put Poetry on the Line
Lauren Moya Ford, John Constable’s Four Seasons
Isa Farfan, Texas Covers Up Beloved “Black Artists Matter” Mural in Austin
Rhea Nayyar, Belgium’s Magritte-Inspired Soccer Jersey Mirrors a Surreal World Cup
The New York Times
Jason Farago, New Museum’s Next Director Aims to Keep It ‘Edgy’
Walker Mimms, America250? Try Bangladesh 2.
Zachary Small, Decades Late, Museum Scrambles to Return 2,700 Native Remains
Observer
EDITOR’S PICK - Elisa Carollo, Zohran Mamdani’s Culture Budget Is Historic, But New York Needs a Broader Plan for Protecting Artists and the Arts: His securing a record $323.8 million for the Department of Cultural Affairs is a hopeful start, but the city’s cultural crisis demands a strategy that goes beyond emergency funding.
Sarah Moroz, Positioned for Growth, Riga Contemporary Is Small by Design and Serious About Staying That Way
Christa Terry, The Tennis Memoirs That Go Beyond the Game
Elisa Carollo, Stephanie Hessler’s Vision for Swiss Institute’s New Permanent Bowery Home
Puck
Marion Maneker, The Summer of de Kooning
The Wall Street Journal
Kelly Crow, Jewelry Thieves Strike Another French Museum
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