March 9, 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 How to Do Things with Museums by Alistair Hudson for ArtReview. Hudson argues that museums must evolve to become socially engaged institutions that actively address contemporary challenges.
Airmail
Joel Lobenthal, Acting Up
The Art Newspaper
Anna Brady and Anny Shaw, Show me the money: gallery and auctioneer accounts reveal reality of a tough market
Alexander Morrison, Ancient Egyptian form of ‘Tipp-Ex’ identified on papyrus at UK’s Fitzwilliam Museum
Artforum
Rachel Wetzler, Opening Day: Rachel Wetzler’s Mini-Tour of the Whitney Biennial
Alex Jovanovich, Opening Day: Alex Jovanovich’s Whitney Biennial Standouts
Theo Belci, Opening Day: Theo Belci’s Best and Worst of the Whitney Biennial
Li Qi and Yu Ji, Yu Ji on Rodin, Khmer dance, and “Flesh in Stone”
From the Editors, Thaddeus Mosley, Acclaimed Self-Taught Sculptor, Dead at 99
From the Editors, DOGE Employees Used ChatGPT to Cancel Humanities Grants, Suits Allege
Artnet
Bryan Martin, He Was a Leathersmith Sought Out by Rock Stars. Then, Frank Diaz Escalet Turned to Art
Katya Kazakina, $450 Million Newhouse Trove Heads to Christie’s, Led by $100 Million Pollock, Brancusi
Sonia Manalili and Ben Davis, The Young Painter Curators Are Rushing to Work With
Jo Lawson-Tancred, Meet the Forgotten Women of the Flemish Golden Age
Eileen Kinsella, How Should We Live With A.I.? A New Group Show Probes Our Ties With Technology
Sarah Cascone, Michele Pred’s Art of Resistance Is More Necessary Than Ever
Vittoria Benzine, Sofia Coppola Is Bringing ‘Marie Antoinette’ Back to Versailles
Vittoria Benzine, Rare Roman Ingots Discovered by Metal Detectorists Declared Treasure
Jo Lawson-Tancred, Rothko to Lead $130 Million Mnuchin Trove at Sotheby’s—and More Art Industry News
Margaret Carrigan, What War in the Middle East Could Mean for the Art Trade
Sonia Manalili and Margaret Carrigan, War Casts Shadow on Art Dubai
William Van Meter, An Octopus in the Front Row: Artist Cosima von Bonin Invades Loewe’s Runway
ARTnews
Daniel Cassady, Icelandic Pavilion at Venice Biennale to Present Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir’s “Pocket Universe”
Anne Doran, Art by Infamous Prisoner Charles Bronson Will Head to Auction
Alex Greenberger, Thaddeus Mosley, Sculptor Who Wielded Heavy Wood with a Light Touch, Dies at 99
Daniel Cassady, Vanity Fair Launches Revamp of Nate Freeman’s Newsletter With Michael Govan Interview on LACMA’s New $720 M. Building
Daniel Cassady, Sotheby’s to Auction $130 M. Robert Mnuchin Collection Led by $70–100 M. Rothko Painting
Brian Boucher, Christie’s Nabs $450 M. S.I. Newhouse Cache, Led by Pollock, Picasso, and Brancusi Masterworks
Alex Greenberger, Pedro Friedeberg, Surrealist Artist Who Designed the Iconic Hand-Chair, Dies at 90
Sarah Belmont, Now in Its 45th Edition, Arco Madrid Follows Its Own Measured Tempo
Tessa Solomon, Lebanese Ministry of Culture Urges UNESCO to Grant Enhanced Protections to Cultural Property
George Nelson, Christie’s Triple-Header 20th and 21st Century Evening Sales Nets $265 M., as London Proves It’s Still a Draw to Collectors
Tessa Solomon, Zanele Muholi, South African ‘Visual Activist,’ Wins the World’s Top Photography Prize
Daniel Cassady, Russian Archaeologist Arrested in Poland Amid Ukraine Probe Into Crimean Excavations
Andy Battaglia, Sculpture in Rome Reattributed to Michelangelo, Who May Have Also Painted a Work Analyzed in Belgium
Brian Boucher, San Francisco and De Young Museum Hit With Sexual Harassment Lawsuit, Alleging ‘Outrageous Conduct’
ArtReview
From the Editors, The Museum in Crisis: A Symposium
Jenny Wu, Whitney Biennial 2026 Review: The Revolution Will Be Cute
Alistair Hudson, How to Do Things with Museums
Sarah Jilani, The Polite Art of Lending Loot
From the Editors, Jeamin Cha wins Hermès Foundation Missulsang
The Brooklyn Rail
Phong H. Bui, Dear Friends and Readers
Nancy Princenthal, DIKE BLAIR with Nancy Princenthal
Sabo Kpade, JOHN AKOMFRAH with Sabo Kpade
EJ Hauser, KATHY BUTTERLY with EJ Hauser
Dan Cameron, PAT OLESZKO with Dan Cameron
Saul Anton, The Monster’s Monster
Financial Times
Cristina Ruiz, Water, Japanese paper and a vacuum cleaner — the secrets of restoring Michelangelo’s Last Judgment
Enuma Okoro, Why we should embrace human complexity
The Guardian
Phil Hoad, The Great Arch review – a visionary architect crushed by the politics of prestige
Kate Wyver, ‘The smell wasn’t healthy’: the artist who wore 24 nappies to highlight sewage pollution – and fell ill
Hyperallergic
Matt Stromberg, 10 Art Shows to See in Los Angeles This March
Isa Farfan, Israel-US Strikes Damage Tehran’s Historic Golestan Palace
AX Mina, The Political Potential of the Chinatown Storefront
Emma Cieslik, “Jeffrey Epstein Walk of Shame” Pops Up in DC
Cat Dawson, Petrit Halilaj’s Opera of Kosovan Memory and Myth
Rhea Nayyar, Forget About Getting Your AI Art Copyrighted
The New York Times
Kenneth Chang, MoMath Brings Prime Numbers to a Prime New Location
Julie V. Iovine, From 1999: Charlotte Perriand, Designer, Is Dead at 96
Observer
J. Scott Orr, Hanging by a Thread: Inside the Death-Defying World of Rappel Graffiti
Elisa Carollo, The 2026 Whitney Biennial Delivers American Art for a Fractured Age
Dan Duray, One Fine Show: “Ann Hamilton, still and moving • the tactile image” at the Cleveland Museum of Art
Elisa Carollo, London Saw Few Auction Shakeups as Guarantees Steadied the Market
Paco Barragán, Inside the Global Art Fair Wars
Urgent Matter
Adam Schrader, Kennedy Center sues jazz performer; National Symphony Orchestra boss resigns
Adam Schrader, Court Documents: Kennedy Center Lawsuit Against Jazz Musician Chuck Redd
Adam Schrader, De Young Museum security guard files sexual harassment lawsuit
Adam Schrader, Court Documents: Ezra Iturribarria v. San Francisco Sex Harassment Lawsuit
Adam Schrader, Foreign tourist arrested for stealing $40K statue from Galleries Bartoux in Miami
Adam Schrader, Court Documents: Stevan Milovanovic Miami Theft Allegations
Adam Schrader, Italy’s Carabinieri recover Medieval wooden sculpture stolen in 1977
Adam Schrader, Aicon gallery dispute erupts into assault accusations and arrest claims
The Wall Street Journal
Michael J. Hatch, ‘Samurai’ Review: A Military Mythology at the British Museum
From the Editors, Arts Calendar: Happenings for the Week of March 8
From the Editors, America 250 Calendar: Ways to Celebrate the Nation Across the Nation
Brian P. Kelly, ‘Whitney Biennial 2026’ Review: Somnolent Survey
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.