March 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 The Art Fair as Cultural Policy Platform by Elisa Carollo for Observer. Exploring the concept of art fairs being used as tools of state “soft power” to boost influence and global image.
Art in America
Emily Watlington, Camille Henrot Returns to Film After a Decade—with An Instant Classic
The Art Newspaper
Melissa Gronlund, British Museum did not remove Palestine from labels due to pressure campaign, museum sources say—as backlash continues
Gabriella Angeleti, The new New Museum: now with twice the space
Gareth Harris, Dalí painting that inspired Schiaparelli dress to be shown in UK for first time
Angelica Hankins, Exhibition explores how the US shaped Joan Miró—and he it
Garry Shaw, Comment | Climate change is forcing tough choices—how much heritage can we save before it is too late?
Artforum
From the Editors, UK Museums Face Criticism For Collections Of Human Remains
From the Editors, Nearly 200 Venice Biennale Participants Call for Israel to Be Barred from Exhibiting
From the Editors, Timothy Taylor Gallery Will Close Its NYC Location to Focus on London
From the Editors, Board Votes Unanimously to Shut Down Kennedy Center for 2 Years
Artnet
William Van Meter, Paige Powell Captured Warhol’s Final Days Up Close
Richard Whiddington, In John Constable’s Hometown, a Trio of Shows Marks His 250th Birthday
Vivienne Chow, This Small Dorothea Tanning Painting Sold for $120,000 per Square Inch—and Set a New Record
Vittoria Benzine, Archaeologists Identify Lost Medieval Village in Polish Forest
Vittoria Benzine, Meryl Streep Makes Seven-Figure Donation to National Women’s History Museum
Jo Lawson-Tancred, Prado Implements New Crowd Control Measures to Combat Overtourism
Henri Neuendorf, Banksy’s Identity Was Already Revealed—Decades Ago
Vittoria Benzine, Rare Atlas Owned by Queen Mary I Heads to Market—With $1.6 Million Price Tag
ARTnews
Harrison Jacobs, Tate Liverpool Director Helen Legg Appointed to Lead Royal Academy of Arts
Brian Boucher, Sotheby’s and Gagosian Veteran Publishes a History of the Art Market, From the Renaissance to Today
Anne Doran, Monet Once Pledged His Paintings to Secure a Loan, a Letter Reveals
Brian Boucher, Paris Dealer Kamel Mennour Buys Galerie Malingue, Founded Over Five Decades Ago
Daniel Cassady, Christie’s Turns Pop Culture Into a Stadium Event With $94.5 M. Jim Irsay Sale
Andy Battaglia, Dizzy, Nauseous Columbus Art Museum Workers Issue Complaints About Chemical Fumes
Tessa Solomon, Major Corporate Sponsor Withdraws from Sydney Biennale, Citing Alleged Hate Speech
Alex Greenberger, Man Causes ‘Catastrophic Damage’ to Chihuly Glass Museum in Seattle
Daniel Cassady, Praise Shadows’s New Sales Director and Para Site Names Executive Director: Industry Moves for March 18, 2026
Jonah Flicker, Wine and Spirits Sales at Sotheby’s Grew 12% Last Year to $127.5 M.
Julie Brener Davich, Competition in the Auction Business’s Middle Market is Fierce, and Growing Fiercer
George Nelson, Venice Biennale Says No Sanctions Have Been Broken in Allowing Russia Pavilion to Reopen
Maximilíano Durón, Curator Liz Munsell Named Vice President of Curatorial and Arts Programs at New York’s Powerhouse Arts
Maximilíano Durón, National Gallery of Art Acquires Hundreds of Works, from Civil War Photographs to a Salman Toor Painting
ArtReview
Farid Rakun, The Emanent Museum
J.J. Charlesworth, So That’s Banksy. Anyway…
From the Editors, Glasgow International announces full 2026 programme
From the Editors, Helen Legg appointed artistic director of Royal Academy
The Brooklyn Rail
Tom McGlynn, Colour, Form and Composition
Matt Moment, Uman: After all the things …
Saul Ostrow, James Rosenquist: Waiting for an Idea
Collin Sundt, The House of Pikachu: Art, Anime, and Pop Culture
Financial Times
Jessie Lau, What happened to China’s fake Van Goghs?
Frieze
Louisa Elderton, Klara Lidén Brings Berlin’s Streets into the Gallery
The Guardian
Felix Bazalgette, Homework till midnight and ‘one breakdown a week’: the mysterious art school keeping a forgotten style alive
Veronica Esposito, ‘Absolutely transformative’: Willem de Kooning exhibition uncovers raw intensity of early work
Hyperallergic
From the Editors, What Do We Really Think of the New New Museum?
Lakshmi Rivera Amin, Remembering Axel Burrough, Kazumasa Nagai, and Éliane Radigue
Rhea Nayyar and Isa Farfan, What to See During New York’s Asia Art Week
Leila Seyedzadeh, Flying Back With the Birds to My Hometown of Tehran
Isa Farfan, Suspect Arrested for $240,000 Damage to Chihuly Glass Artworks
The Los Angeles Times
Katie Simons, LACMA’s David Geffen Galleries, Lucas Museum, Meow Wolf set to open during huge year for art in L.A.
The New York Times
Zoey Poll, On a Majorcan Estate, a Collage Made Over Hundreds of Summer Holidays
Aimee Farrell, A Home That Became Lovelier the More It Fell Apart
Aimee Farrell, In Oslo, a Concrete Fortress Where Artists Come to Play
Observer
Dan Duray, One Fine Show: “Cezanne” at the Fondation Beyeler
Sarah Moroz, The Louche, Romantic, Feral World of Sébastien Tellier
EDITOR’S PICK - Elisa Carollo, The Art Fair as Cultural Policy Platform: As the traditional art fair model faces growing strain, a new way forward is emerging: the state-backed, commercial art exposition designed to build soft power.
Puck
Marion Maneker, Condition Report: Massimiliano Gioni, The New Museum
Marion Maneker, Fuhrman of the House
Sculpture
Lauren Levato Coyne, Maneuvering the Consequences: A Conversation with Alison Hiltner
Michaël Amy, Emphasizing Tension: A Conversation with Lili Dujourie
T Magazine
Gazelle Mba, For Tschabalala Self, Art Is Romantic
James Draney, In the Catskills, a Lunch Where the Guests Glazed Their Own Pots
Zoë Lescaze, Why One Artist Routinely Destroys Her Sculptures
Urgent Matter
Adam Schrader, Sa’dabad complex latest damaged as blast waves hit more of Iran’s cultural sites
Adam Schrader, SVA’s ‘Mentors’ show pairs students with top photo professionals
Wallpaper
Jamilah Rose-Roberts, Amoako Boafo expands his practice and mentors the next generation
Ifeoluwa Adedeji, Meet Orfeo Tagiuri, the artist using cartoons to explore humour and melancholy
The Washington Post
From the Editors, Museum and gallery exhibits in the D.C. area this week
Whitehot
Colleen Dalusong, Exhibition Review: Gao Yutao Turns Light Inward
Addison Bale, Notes from a walkthrough of “A Partial Refusal” at Field Projects
Cece Ryder, Review from a Rando: Dazed and Amazed at the 99CENT Craze
Anna Shukeylo, Etty Yaniv Making Waves In Tampa’s Experimental OXH Gallery
J. Scott Orr, Outsider Art’s New York Moment
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.