Welcome to Art Spell, a daily, comprehensive roundup of art news and reviews for the visual arts community. Today’s Editor’s Pick is Art Historicism and the Remaking of the Present by Jason Rosenfeld for The Brooklyn Rail. Rosenfeld explores how contemporary artists are using art history to reshape the present and create deeper connections in an era flooded with imagery.
Art in America
Andy Battaglia and Emily Watlington, Your Fall Guide: 17 Art World Highlights Not to Miss
The Art Newspaper
Martin Bailey, Rembrandt self-portrait returns to German city 80 years after it was illegally removed
J.S. Marcus, Answering to the AfD? What Germany’s regional elections could mean for arts funding
Gareth Harris, ‘We are united’: King Charles III and President Macron attend private preview of London’s Bayeux Tapestry exhibition
Hadani Ditmars, Man discovers Denmark’s largest Viking Age silver hoard while digging a terrace in his garden
Vincent Noce, Paris prosecutors seek trial for Giuliano Ruffini over allegedly forged Old Master paintings
Larry Humber, Leader of the Art Gallery of Ontario will step down after a decade at the helm
Brian Dillon, The Big Review: Frida, The Making of an Icon ★★★½
Artforum
Tyler Dean, Gateway Drag: Tim Curry’s Illicit Gifts to Queer Children
From the Editors, Serpentine Announces First Participants in AI-Centric Art Tech Fellowship
From the Editors, Anonymous Was a Woman Names Winners of 2026 Environmental Grants
From the Editors, Untitled Art, Miami Beach Announces 15th Edition Exhibitors for 2026
From the Editors, Trump Administration Dismantles Beloved Kennedy Center Sculpture
Artnet
Jo Lawson-Tancred, Kennedy Center Removes Beloved Joel Shapiro Sculpture
Jo Lawson-Tancred, ICE Seizes Thousands of Ancient Artifacts—and Other Art World Matters
Vittoria Benzine, A New James Turrell Work Just Landed at Miami’s Superblue
Vittoria Benzine, Meow Wolf L.A. Unveils Star-Studded Artist List
Jo Lawson-Tancred, Serpentine Taps Four Artists For New Tech-Focused Fellowship
Katya Kazakina, Billionaire Ken Griffin’s Leonardo da Vinci Loan to the Met Signals Big Ambitions
ARTnews
Hikmat Mohammed, King Charles, Emmanuel Macron, Andy Burnham Visit the Bayeux Tapestry for a VIP Preview
Maximilíano Durón, Nan Goldin Photographs 30th Anniversary Campaign for Acne Studios
Tessa Solomon, Politics Is Personal in “Turn the Volume Up!,” a Powerful Show of Protest Art at the Nasher Museum
Leigh Anne Miller, Kerstin Brätsch Wins the $160,000 Zurich Art Prize
Vivienne Chow, Dealers Are Betting on the Future of South Korea Despite Measured First-Day Sales at Frieze and Kiaf
Maximilíano Durón, Mildred Howard Wins $25,000 Artist Award, Anonymous Was A Woman Names Environmental Art Grants, and More: Industry Moves for September 2, 2026
Hikmat Mohammed, Paul Durand-Ruel’s €43 M. Collection of Monet, Picasso, and Renoir Comes to Christie’s During Paris Art Week
Hikmat Mohammed, Daniel Cassady and Sarah Douglas, Recent Key Departures at Phillips Point to a Pivot in Strategy
Francesca Aton, Experimental Sound Artist Ryoji Ikeda Wins 2026 Nam June Paik Prize
Hikmat Mohammed, The Media Reacts to John Galliano’s Canceled Exhibition at the Met Museum
Alex Greenberger, Joel Shapiro Would Have Been ‘Alarmed’ by Removal of Sculpture from Kennedy Center, Family Says
Alex Greenberger, Venice Biennale President Stands by Decision to Host Russian Pavilion: ‘I’d Do It All Over Again’
Andy Battaglia, David Nolan Gallery Moves from Upper East Side to Bigger Space in Tribeca
ArtReview
Adeline Chia, Taring Padi: Action – Nonstop
Mark Rappolt, The Self-Help Gwangju Biennale 2026
The Atlantic
Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, The Met’s Other Failure
Kelsey Ables, The White House Wants to Make the Smithsonian a Pariah
The Brooklyn Rail
EDITOR’S PICK - Jason Rosenfeld, Art Historicism and the Remaking of the Present: With the recent return to figuration and ascendance of portraiture in contemporary painting, historical reference has returned as a viable method to convey authenticity and engage with tradition in an unironic manner. Now, artists wade through six hundred years of borrowings, layered on top of each other, like strata in an ever-rising hillside.
Tim Barringer, Historicism’s Modernity: Modernism is History
Craig Dykers, Time Without Time
Amanda Gluibizzi, Prehistoricism
Nile Greenberg, Research as Ornament
Cultured
Johanna Fateman, Post-Banana, Can Maurizio Cattelan Escape His Reputation as a Readymade Rabble-Rouser?
Naomi Rea, Art Fair Season Is Approaching. Here’s How to Get the Most Out of Your Visit.
Ella Martin Gachot, How Painter Sam McKinniss Captured Troye Sivan For Our Latest Artist Cover
Family Style
Adriana Blidaru, Making Space
Frieze
From the Editors, Taro Nasu Awarded the 2026 Frieze Seoul Stand Prize
From the Editors, Pipe Gallery: Winner of the Focus Stand Prize at Frieze Seoul 2026
The Guardian
Mark Brown, Public given rare access as Thomas More painting goes under microscope
Hyperallergic
Rhea Nayyar, Venice Biennale President Defends Russia Inclusion in New Interview
Lisa Yin Zhang, Remembering Geles Cabrera, Helch, and Jay Maisel
Anna Lee, Israel’s Smotrich Calls to Destroy 40 Palestinian Memorials in West Bank
Teju Adisa Farrar, The Missing Colors of Black American Pigment-Making
Emma Cieslik, Critics Slam “Petty” Removal of Joel Shapiro Sculpture From Kennedy Center
Rhea Nayyar, NYC Exhibition Celebrates Snoopy’s Enduring Influence on Art and Fashion
The Los Angeles Times
Leah Ollman, 16 ambitious art shows to see in and around L.A. this fall
Jesse Bedayn, Kennedy Center disassembles ‘Blue’ sculpture from its grounds
The New York Times
Matt Stevens and Robin Pogrebin, What Is ‘Narrative Art’? The Lucas Museum Finally Shows Us Its Vision.
Zachary Small, The Mysterious and Lonely Final Decade of Yayoi Kusama’s Life
Elizabeth Williamson and Julia Jacobs, Kennedy Center Removes ‘Blue’ Sculpture That Was an Artist’s Gift
Jin Yu Young and Murphy Zhao, China Boycotts a Top Art Festival Over Taiwan Exhibition
Siddhartha Mitter, Chain Saws and Joy: A Sculptor’s Evolution
Observer
Hok-Hang Cheung, Taiwan’s Gallerists Are Rerouting Their Ambitions Away From the Mainland
Elisa Carollo, The Venice Biennale and Central Asia’s Rise in the Global Art World
John Scott Lewinski, As South Korea’s Creative Industries Converge, Fine Art Is Riding the Wave
Kristine Hansen, Where Burning Man Art Ends Up After the Burn
Puck
Marion Maneker, The Art of Corporate Commissions
Dan Duray, When Jerry Met Roberta
The Wall Street Journal
Robert L. Pincus, ‘Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Running Fence at 50 Years’ Review: Commemorating a Shimmering Spectacle
Chavie Lieber, Anna Silman and Kelly Crow, How Anna Wintour’s Quest to Salvage John Galliano’s Legacy Was Thwarted
The Washington Post
Fritz Hahn and Maxine Wallace, America, the beautiful, one gorgeous state flower at a time
Jonathan Edwards, Trump administration threatens to cut off agencies’ ties to Smithsonian
Whitehot
J. Scott Orr, Janette Beckman at Atelier Jolie: The Other Punk Scene Gets its Due in the East Village
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