May 5, 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 Comment | Degenerate art all over again? Nazi attack on Modern art is not far away from trends in today’s world by John Paul Stonard for The Art Newspaper. Stonard argues that growing hostility toward modern art and shifting political and technological forces echo conditions that once enabled the Nazis’ “degenerate art” campaign.
Art in America
Kyle Dancewicz, Henrike Naumann Stared Down a Divided Germany’s Past While Eyeing Our Troubled Present
The Art Newspaper
José da Silva, An expert’s guide to Tracey Emin: five must-read books on the British artist
J.S. Marcus, How the adoption of canvas in Venice changed the way artists painted
Matthew Holman, Remembering Pat Steir, one of the 20th century’s late-blooming great artists
Sarvy Geranpayeh, Iran will not participate at the 2026 Venice Biennale
Senay Boztas, Van Gogh Museum in funding mediation with Dutch government following threats of closure
J.S. Marcus, Filippo Lippi painting—once the centrepiece of Florence’s Palazzo Medici chapel—to undergo two-year restoration
Hadani Ditmars, In new play, Norval Morrisseau forgery scandal prompts questions about authenticity and Indigenous identity
EDITOR’S PICK - John-Paul Stonard, Comment | Degenerate art all over again? Nazi attack on Modern art is not far away from trends in today’s world: When it comes to art, Trump is an utter vacuum—he makes the Nazis look like great connoisseurs, says author John-Paul Stonard.
Gareth Harris, The Venice Biennale has long been a sales platform—now no one is pretending otherwise
Artforum
David J. Getsy, Life After Death: Peter Hujar’s Last New York Statement
From the Editors, Iran Withdraws Pavilion From Venice Biennale
From the Editors, Hedwig Fijen to Depart as Founding Director of Manifesta
From the Editors, Ascendant Philanthropists Make $23 Million Donation to Met
From the Editors, Endangered Species? Venice Biennale Ditches Golden, Silver Lions for 2026 Edition
Artnet
Caroline Goldstein, Katie White and Min Chen, Here’s How Stars at the 2026 Met Gala Nodded to Art History
Andrew Russeth, Meet the Writer Who Sees Every Single Show at the Venice Biennale
Richard Whiddington, Iran Withdraws From 2026 Venice Biennale
Richard Whiddington, Derrick Adams Offers Monumental Tribute to Koyo Kouoh in Venice
Min Chen, This Rare ‘Star Wars’ Figurine Once Sold for $1.3 Million—Now, Another Is Up for Grabs
Richard Whiddington, A.I. Identifies Holbein Drawing as Possible Portrait of Anne Boleyn
ARTnews
Sarah Douglas, With Nearly 30,000 Clay Earth Bricks, Dana Awartani Remakes History in the Saudi Arabia Pavilion
Harrison Jacobs, Anish Kapoor Says the US Should Be Barred from the Venice Biennale over Trump’s ‘Politics of Hate’
Carly Thomas, BBC ‘Buried’ Footage of Banksy at NYC Mural Site, Former Reporter Claims
Alex Greenberger, Amy Sherald Dresses As Her Own Award-Winning Painting for Met Gala
Leigh Anne Miller, See Some of the Most Outrageous, Stylish Looks at the 2026 Met Gala
Alex Greenberger, The Met’s Costume Institute Needs an Art History Lesson
Leigh Anne Miller, AI Helps UK Researchers Identify Unknown Subject in Hans Holbein Drawing as Anne Boleyn
Daniel Cassady, Gold Statue of Trump Arrives at Doral After Artist Withheld It Over Money Dispute
Harrison Jacobs, Bard President Leon Botstein (Finally) Resigns, Following Epstein Revelations
ArtReview
Joyce Joumaa, The Interview: Gabrielle Goliath
Adeline Chia, Amanda Heng Walks the Walk
The Brooklyn Rail
Thierry de Duve, Duchamp Now
Thierry de Duve, What Fountain Changes to Art History (It’s Not What You Think)
Michael Taylor, Marcel Duchamp: Notes from Underground
Francis M. Naumann, SINfluence
Yasmine d’O and Saâdane Afif, Like a Stranger.
Financial Times
Kristina Foster, What’s it like to be a pearl? Sci-fi documentarian Stephanie Comilang taps into the non-human mind
The Guardian
Eddy Frankel, Lubaina Himid’s British pavilion at the Venice Biennale review – alienation in a green and pleasant land
Charlotte Higgins, ‘I paint the kind of people I’m attracted to’: Hernan Bas on hiding from the world in Venice
Lanre Bakare, ‘We put our heads above the parapet’: Lubaina Himid on winning her 40-year battle to storm the Venice Biennale
Steven Morris, Salisbury Cathedral restores stained-glass treasure by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris
Cath Clarke, Preemptive Listening review – artist’s film about sirens is buzzing with sonic ideas
Parisa Azadi, Women behind the lens: ‘After state massacres, I began burning the prints as an act of mourning’
Hyperallergic
Valentina Di Liscia and Isa Farfan, Rollicking Protest Against Bezos’s Met Gala Erupts in Manhattan
Ed Simon, The Carnegie International Looks Back at Itself
Julie Schneider, Is This What “Made in America” Looks Like?
Rhea Nayyar, Iran Will Not Participate in Venice Biennale, Organizers Say
Rhea Nayyar, First US Survey of Mexican Artist Teresa Margolles Coming This Fall
Isa Farfan, Met Gala Boycott Message Projected on Bezos’s Manhattan Penthouse
Hakim Bishara, I’ve Got the Post-Duchamp Blues
The New York Times
Zachary Small, The Venice Biennale and Its Many Flashpoints: An Explainer
Tariro Mzezewa, A Forum for African Voices Draws Inspiration From a Former Champion
Farah Nayeri, Venice Showcases an Array of Global Art Stars During the Biennale
Nina Siegal, A Dutch Art Studio Lights Up Venice’s Grand Canal
Farah Nayeri, Making Art With a ‘Sense of Responsibility’
Andrew Russeth, ‘I Have No Secrets’: At 90, a Revered Artist Finds Energy in His Art
Keridwen Cornelius, In Venice, an Ocean-Inspired Exhibition Takes Visitors Under the Sea
Dale Berning Sawa, A Show in Rome Sheds New Light on Francesca Woodman’s Haunting Images
Scott Reyburn, Meditating on Time and Place During a Leisurely Venice Bar Crawl
Jane Margolies, This Professor Won the ‘Bauhaus Bathroom’ Design Competition for the Gropius House
Observer
D. Scott Patria, Pinta Lima Offered Curated Content–and Context–for the Curious
Christa Terry, What to Watch in Sotheby’s Masterpieces From the Lewis Collection Sale
Elisa Carollo, Dominique Lévy, Brett Gorvy and Amalia Dayan Want to Bring Auction Urgency to Private Secondary Market Sales
Elisa Carollo, Sara Flores On Bringing Shipibo-Konibo Cosmology to Peru’s Venice Pavilion
Urgent Matter
Adam Schrader, Father-daughter duo plead guilty in $2M counterfeit art scheme
Adam Schrader, Court Documents: U.S. v. Bankowski & Bankowska
Adam Schrader, From its union to antiquities experts, Met Gala faces criticism from all sides
Adam Schrader, Read the report: Review details Leon Botstein’s Epstein ties as Bard president resigns
Adam Schrader, Iran withdraws from Venice Biennale after Israel, Russia separately faced controversy
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.