May 8, 2026

Your morning brew of art world media

May 08, 2026

Welcome to Art Spell, a daily, comprehensive roundup of art news and reviews for the visual arts community. Today’s Editor’s Pick is An Unprecedented 24-Hour Strike Could Upend the Venice Biennale by Jo Lawson-Tancred for Artnet. A strike is escalating tensions over Israel’s participation, dividing artists between protest and using the event as a global platform for political expression.

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Emily LaBarge, Sarah Morris

The Art Newspaper

Gabriella Angeleti, Rio’s Museum of Image and Sound finally opens after 16 years in development

Gareth Harris, Banksy’s Venice mural has been restored and will now tour city

Gareth Harrus, Sound-based Holy See pavilion opens at Venice Biennale as Vatican’s contemporary art ambitions grow

Daniel Grant, Metropolitan Museum receives $23m to endow internship programme

Martin Bailey, One of Van Gogh’s greatest watercolours could achieve a record price

Anny Shaw, S&M-inspired Greek Pavilion in Venice confronts its fascist chains

Richard Conway, Thinking small and dreaming big in Isabel Nolan’s imaginary world

Sarvy Geranpayeh, ‘This is an opportunity that will never happen again’: Syrian artist Sara Shamma on rebuilding her country

Artforum

Thomas Patier, Venice Biennale 2026: Kosovo’s Brilant Milazimi on his monumental tableau

Pablo Larios and Dana Awartani, Venice Biennale 2026: Saudi Arabia’s Dana Awartani documents destroyed heritage sites

Nolan Kelly, To Beige or Not To Beige? The Devil Wears Prada Sequel Takes On Quiet Luxury

From the Editors, San Francisco’s Vaillancourt Fountain Catches Fire During Controversial Removal

From the Editors, Dialing Up the Dollars: Giorno Poetry Systems Names Inaugural Recipients of New Need-Based Grant

From the Editors, Wyeth-Centric Brandywine Museum Will Be Transformed by Kengo Kuma & Associates

From the Editors, Israel’s Artist Said to Have Threatened Legal Action Before Venice Biennale Jury Resignation

Artnet

EDITOR’S PICK - Jo Lawson-Tancred, An Unprecedented 24-Hour Strike Could Upend the Venice Biennale: A growing coalition said the event can no longer operate as ‘business as usual.’ Others are weighing solidarity against the rare visibility that participation provides.

Min Chen, Fair Warning Bets Big on a Banksy That Could Realize $18 Million

Richard Whiddington, Frank Stella’s Personal Collection of Navajo Textiles Goes on View for the First Time

Richard Whiddington, Never-Before-Seen Marilyn Monroe Letters and Artifacts Surface at Auction

Sonia Manalili and Kate Brown, The Most Provocative Performance in Venice

Richard Whiddington, A Vienna Theater Opens Its Prized Klimt Ceiling Paintings to Tours During Restoration

Lola Kramer, Milko Pavlov

William Davie, Georges Seurat: Seurat and the Sea

Financial Times

Melanie Gerlis, You can wait ages for a Rothko — now five have come along all at once

Josh Hickey, Why is Shoji Yamasaki pretending to be a discarded piece of paper?

Frieze

Marko Gluhaich, ‘In Minor Keys’ Review: Its Best Moments Live in the Institutions Koyo Kouoh Built

From the Editors, Alison Roman’s Top Picks from the Frieze Viewing Room

Sonja Teszler, ‘Afterimages’: What Does It Mean to See Through Overload?

From the Editors, 10 Works Under $10K at Frieze New York 2026

The Guardian

Jonathan Jones, Artists v fascists, Khmer Rouge horrors, fab flowers and an eye-popping nude – the week in art

Alexander Cheves, ‘I told his family he was HIV positive’: Keith Haring’s best friend on life with the artist as unseen works go on show

Steven Morris, Story of enslaved boy featured in 1748 Joshua Reynolds portrait emerges in new study

Kelly Burke, Archibald prize 2026: Richard Lewer’s portrait of artist Iluwanti Ken wins $100,000

Kate Hennessy, Khaled Sabsabi is finally at the Venice Biennale: ‘Being here is already a win’

Hyperallergic

Hrag Vartanian, “In Minor Keys” Hits All the Right Notes

Hakim Bishara, A Whole Lot of Nothing at the US Pavilion

Greta Rainbow, Artists Pay Tribute to Koyo Kouoh in Poetry Caravan at Venice Biennale

Arthur Nersesian, Keith Haring Before the End of the World

Valentina Di Liscia, Art Movements: New Museum Names Its First Artist Studio Residents

Aaron Short, American Folk Art Museum Workers Picket Gala, Calling for Higher Wages

Erin L. Thompson, An Unlikely Friendship Between Artist and Forger

Lakshmi Rivera Amin, Required Reading

The Los Angeles Times

Iris Kwok, Meet four artists behind the public art you’ll see at L.A. Metro’s new D Line stations

The New York Times

Jason Farago, An American Artist Plops His Sculptures on a World Stage

Deborah Solomon, A Paul Klee Angel Finally Lands in New York

Arthur Lubow, A Grieving Mother Safeguards Her Son’s Artistic Legacy

Zoey Poll, Why Is Everyone Obsessed With Bogs?

Annabel Keenan, A Question for Dealers: Show Solo Artists at Fairs or Group Exhibitions?

Observer

Wana Udobang, Nengi Omuku Sees Value in Beauty During Times of Global Disruption

Jordan Riefe, At Jeffrey Deitch and Matthew Marks, Charles Ray Is Still Full of Surprises

Elisa Carollo, The Philippines Pavilion Turns the Country’s Maritime History into an Archive of Universal Longing

Urgent Matter

Adam Schrader, Emmalea Russo skewers the art world in surreal sequel ‘The Moon Papers’

From the Editors, Pro-Palestine protestors demand end to ‘artwashing’ at the Venice Biennale

The Wall Street Journal

From the Editors, Manuela Hoelterhoff (1949-2026)

Kelly Crow, In Venice, the World’s Biggest Art Show Descends Into Infighting

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.

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