May 29, 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 Curating in the Cross Hairs: Is This the Smithsonian Chief’s Last Show? by Robin Pogrebin for The New York Times. Lonnie G. Bunch III says the Smithsonian’s new exhibition, examining the complexities of U.S. history ahead of America’s 250th anniversary, will likely be the last exhibition he curates before stepping down.
4columns
James Hannaham, David Hammons and Jannis Kounellis
Art in America
Emily Watlington, What We Miss When We Flatten Georgia O’Keeffe Into a Feminist Icon
The Art Newspaper
Elena Goukassian, Getty Center reveals details of upcoming campus renovations
Jon Sharples, Why artists’ works held in storage can be seized when a gallery goes bust
Ben Luke, Smithsonian Women’s Museum chaos, Oliver Beer and Rufus Wainwright, Jasper Johns in Bilbao—podcast
Martin Bailey, A century ago, Tate borrowed five Van Goghs to inaugurate its new “modern foreign” galleries
Artforum
From the Editors, Tiwani Contemporary, Bastion of African Diasporic Art, Closes
From the Editors, Christie’s London Taps Kering Scion François-Henri Pinault as New Chairman
From the Editors, Art Basel Paris Names 206 Exhibitors for 2026 Edition
From the Editors, Online Betting Platform Kalshi Introduces Prediction Markets for Art Auction Results
Artnet
Katya Kazakina, What the May Auctions Revealed About Art as an Asset Class
Jo Lawson-Tancred, Inside Jack White’s Eccentric Show of ‘Hardware Store Art’
Vittoria Benzine, Pre-Raphaelite Masterpiece Expected to Rake in $1.3 Million at Auction
Sonia Manalili and Ben Davis, Arthur Jafa’s Radical Theory of Readymade Art
Jo Lawson-Tancred, Art Basel Paris Releases 2026 Exhibitor List: Who’s In? Who’s Out?
Richard Whiddington, Ken Griffin’s Other Copy of the U.S. Constitution Makes Its Museum Debut
Vittoria Benzine, Lavish Gold Hoard Unearthed in Saudi Arabia’s Historic Desert City
Jo Lawson-Tancred, Tiwani Contemporary, Major African Art Gallery, Is Closing Its Doors
Richard Whiddington, The Vaults Under the Lincoln Memorial Are Finally Opening to the Public
ARTnews
Tara Anne Dalbow, Time and Material Feel Alive in the Hammer’s “Several Eternities in a Day” Exhibition
Gameli Hamelo, Zohra Opoku, a ‘Woven Storyteller,’ Is Shapeshifting Her Way into Africa’s Biggest Museums
Lilyanna D’Amato, After Viral Venice Pavilion, Florentina Holzinger Brings a 9-Hour Body-Art Spectacle to Vienna
Alex Greenberger, Alan Saret, ‘Anti-Form’ Artist Known for His Wire Sculptures, Dies at 81
Daniel Cassady, Sotheby’s $30 M. T. rex Is Further Evidence That Dinosaurs Are Becoming the Ultimate Trophy Object for the Ultra-Wealthy
Harrison Jacobs, British Painter Behind Proposed $250 Bill Says He Discussed Design With Trump
George Nelson, SXSW London’s Art Program Spotlights Spain’s ‘Underrated’ Contemporary Art Scene
Daniel Cassady, No-Bid Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Contract Swelled to $13.1 M. With “Inflated” Profit Margin, as Leak Problems Persist
Alex Greenberger, Tiwani Contemporary, Beloved Gallery with a Focus on Art of the African Diaspora, Closes After 15 Years
Harrison Jacobs, French Filmmaker Romain Gavras Is Turning the $102 M. Louvre Heist Into a Movie
Alex Greenberger, French Artists Call for Boycott of Pompidou’s Seoul Outpost over Partner Foundation’s Ties to Israel
ArtReview
Clive Chijioke Nwonka, What Arsenal’s League Win Tells Us About Britain – And Art
Philippa Snow, ‘Moss & Freud’: Both Complaining and Explaining
Frieze
From the Editors, Gallery Applications for Frieze Los Angeles 2027 Are Open
Marko Gluhaich, Making Connection Possible: the 59th Carnegie International
Will Ferreira Dyke, The Beautiful World of Walter Pfeiffer
From the Editors, Meet the Committee: Kibum Kim of Commonwealth and Council
The Guardian
Jonathan Jones, Green and pleasant views, digital dreams and a White Stripe sculpts – the week in art
Eddy Frankel, Don’t: Camille Henrot review – surreal sexual psychodrama for the digitally overwhelmed
Eddy Frankel, ‘I lived near a serial killer’: Steven Shearer on turning teen angst and death metal into high art
Hyperallergic
Emiline Smith, The Looter Who Built Your Favorite Museum
Valentina Di Liscia, Art Movements: Wolfgang Tillmans Wins Europe’s Richest Art Prize
Lakshmi Rivera Amin, Required Reading
John Yau, David Humphrey Is Allergic to Style
Isa Farfan, Figurative Expressionist Painter Jay Milder Dies at 92
Rhea Nayyar, A Look Into Frank Stella’s Mesmerizing Collection of Diné Textiles
The New York Times
EDITOR’S PICK - Robin Pogrebin, Curating in the Cross Hairs: Is This the Smithsonian Chief’s Last Show?: Lonnie G. Bunch III, the Smithsonian secretary under pressure from the White House, organized an exhibit exploring America’s founding ideals.
J Wortham, In the Art of Firelei Báez, Our Histories Are Ready for a Review
Observer
Christa Terry, Observer’s 2026 June Art Fair Calendar
Elisa Carollo, Erwin Wurm Transforms the Fortuny Museum into a Theater of the Absurd
Elisa Carollo, Wallace Chan’s Dual-Site Exhibition Bridges Not Only Geography But Also Matter, Energy, Past and Future
J. Scott Orr, Roberto Lugo On Thinking Larger Than Life in Madison Square Park
Siddhant Adlakha, Screening at Cannes: Los Javis’s ‘La Bola Negra’
Urgent Matter
Adam Schrader, Anthony Haden-Guest accuses Libbie Mugrabi of keeping 97 cartoons in Hamptons home
Adam Schrader, Charges dropped against woman accused in $45K Flagler Museum check fraud
Vogue
Ariana Marsh, A Visit to The Broad’s Engaging New Yoko Ono Exhibition
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.