Inspiration

 Munson Museum of Art  June 12 – Sept. 13, 2026Watercolor Stories: Art of Charles E. Burchfield presents the fascinating artistic relationship between renowned painter Charles E. Burchfield and Munson’s benefactor Edward Wales Root. The two met in 1929 and began a 25-year conversation about their mutual enthusiasm for art, music, and nature. Watercolor Stories features Munson’s collection of 24 expressive watercolors by the artist as well as a substantial collection of related artwork and archival material from the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo, N.Y. The exhibition is accompanied by a new catalogue of Munson’s drawings.Charles E. Burchfield (American, 1893–1967), The Sphinx and the Milky Way, 1946.

Willem de Kooning. Untitled [man and woman], about 1947–48. Matte opaque paint (possibly oil) with fine particulate filler, enamel, carbon transfer announce Willem de Kooning Drawing, on view June 14 through September 20, 2026. This is the first major exhibition to examine the artist’s expansive entire artistic process and production. The exhibition includes drawings along with major paintings, sculptures, and prints to showcase the totality of his graphic production, from his earliest existing works to his late calligraphic paintings.Rigorously trained at the Academy of Visual Arts and

later, one can trace the extraordinary arc of his artistic evolution. In many ways, the painting of Camille reveals the origins of everything that of Modern art.” Helena Newman Sotheby’s Chairman, Europe & Chairman, Impressionist & Modern Art Worldwide Two exceptional works by the paintings encapsulate both the origins and culmination of Monet’s revolutionary artistic practice, drawing on two of his most enduring sources of

Path to Fame, an exhibition that explores how an artist who received little recognition during his lifetime became one of the most famous artists in Theo also died. Theo’s widow, Jo van Gogh-Bonger, was left with hundreds of paintings, drawings and letters, as well as a young son. She could have sold the collection or broken it up. Instead, she took on a far more ambitious task: convincing the world of Vincent’s artistic genius.Jo gradually built Van Gogh’s reputation through exhibitions, loans, publications and a keen sense of timing. The exhibition shows how, over the decades that followed, Vincent grew from a relatively unknown Dutch artist into a figure of international importance. Vincent Willem van Gogh, the son of Jo and legacy accessible to a broad public.Featuring paintings, posters, photographs, letters and rarely exhibited archival material, Vincent’s Path to Fame

British Museum2 June – 4 October 2026Willy Lott's Cottage" by the English artist John Constable, created around 1832.Marking the 250th anniversary of Constable's birth in 1776, this display celebrates the painter's lifelong engagement with the landscapes of rural England.A precise observer, John Constable (1776–1837) spent much of his time sketching, drawing and painting outdoors. His most important subjects were the fields and waterways of poetic potential reshaped the British landscape tradition, making him one of England's most acclaimed painters. Then as now, his art speaks powerfully to the beauty, transience and fragility of the natural world.In 1888, a donation by the artist's daughter Isabel Constable greatly compositions, as well as fleetingly sketched impressions of clouds and rainbows. They show an artist drawn to the daily rhythms of rural life as much

 Kunstmuseum Basel April 18–August 23, 2026Curator: Anita Haldemann With over fifty works from six decades, the special exhibition Frankenthaler’s intensely colorful paintings, typically in large formats, light up the galleries and engage viewers. This comprehensive in-depth survey is the largest exhibition of her work in Europe to date and her first institutional solo show in Switzerland. A pioneering representative of Abstract Expressionism, Helen Frankenthaler (1928– 2011) occupies a central position in postwar American art. Her soak-stain technique revolutionized abstract painting and catalyzed the development of Color Field painting in the U.S. from the mid-1950s onward. A particular focus of the exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Basel is on her probing engagement with historic art she admired, which inspired many works throughout her career. For the first time, Frankenthaler’s paintings will be shown in conversation with artworks ranging from the fifteenth to the twentieth century, a juxtaposition that enriches our understanding of her abstract art. At the young age of twenty-three, Frankenthaler changed the course of modern painting when she came up with her innovative soak-stai

 GAGOSIAN NEW YORK April 30–July 2, 2026 Gagosian has announced Helen Frankenthaler: The Moment and the Distance, an exhibition organized in collaboration with the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation. Surveying four decades of paintings from 1960 to 1992, the exhibition features and innovative compositions—offer new perspectives on the artist’s continual reinvention of her practice. The exhibition’s title is derived from an incisive 1975 essay by Barbara Guest, a poet and friend of the artist, who wrote: “She has rewarded us with the astonishing combination of freedom their brilliant colors and varied gestures. Created with diluted oil paint applied directly to untreated canvas, Provincetown I (1961) acrylic paint, Frankenthaler shifted to composing with large, flat slabs of color. Mornings (1971) is distinguished by flowing descents of

 British Museum10 September 2026 – 11 July 2027In a historic loan agreement, for the Bayeux Tapestry to come to the British Museum for will travel to museums in Normandy, France.The agreement, which will provide immense cultural and educational benefits for citizens in both order to tell a rich story about this period of history.This will be the first time that the tapestry has been shown in the UK since it was made,

Burgh House11 June to 20 September 2026To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of iconic Suffolk-born artist John Constable, Burgh House is delighted to present John Constable in Hampstead, a new exhibition exploring the artist’s profound connection to Hampstead Heath and the surrounding from 11 June 2026, the anniversary of Constable’s birth, John Constable in Hampstead brings together key works from the artist’s Hampstead years, revealing how the area became both a creative inspiration and a refuge from London life. Through rarely seen paintings, mezzotints, portraits, and personal letters, this exhibition traces Constable’s deep engagement with the landscape, weather, and people of Hampstead during a pivotal and deeply personal period in his life.John Constable  Branch Hill Pond on Hampstead HeathConstable loved to paint cloud studies during his years in

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in On Balance, the ARTnews newsletter about the art market and beyond. Sign up here to receive it every Wednesday. Happy Wednesday! Here’s a round-up of who’s moving and shaking in the art trade this week. Earlier this month, news broke that the mega-gallery Pace Gallery was laying off 50 staff and cutting its roster by 50 artists. In interviews, CEO Marc Glimcher repeatedly blamed a more-is-more art system and called the cuts a “model correction.” That framing was a bit rich for many artists and critics who felt it was too much like Dr. Frankenstein lamenting the monster he created. Count longtime New York magazine critic Jerry Saltz among them. In a column last week, Saltz pulled no punches, dubbing Pace the “Fyre Festival of mega-galleries: all branding, hype, ambition, and promises of a future that never arrives.” And before one writes off Saltz as “Old Man Yells at Clouds,” the critic is devastatingly specific, saying his issue is not with mega-galleries, but with Pace, which in his estimation, became “more like a clearinghouse” under Glimcher that “chased almost every art-world fad and growth strategy of the last decade.” Ouch.

Art Basel, the world’s largest art fair, opened its 2026 edition in Basel, Switzerland, with a busy VIP preview day on Tuesday. In front of Hall 2, queues remained relatively smooth, while in previous years art aficionados had already begun to gather outside. Inside, a constant hum made it clear that the aisles would be packed as soon as the fair opened at 11 a.m.—and they were. The eager crowd rushed through the booths of 290 galleries from 43 countries, including 21 newcomers across all sectors. Novelties in Basel include the Zero 10 sector dedicated to digital and experimental practices, often including AI, immersive installations, and hybrid physical-virtual works. The point is highlighting new artistic formats rather than traditional gallery presentations. The New York–based Boesky Gallery marks a double milestone at Art Basel this year, celebrating 25 years since its first participation at the fair, a solo for Rachel Feinstein in 2001. Featuring works by gallery artists like Ghada Amer, Jennifer Bartlett, and Sanford Biggers, the booth above all pays tribute to Mary Lovelace O’Neal, who passed away in May, via the 11.5-foot-wide Purple Rain (ca. 1990). Most recently included

Those also interested in the history of 12-step programs but on a tighter budget might wish to bid on a signed first edition, first printing, signed by Wilson and estimated at $15,000 to $25,000.

IS BASEL BACK? As the aisles cleared yesterday evening from Art Basel’s VIP preview day, one could say that Basel was back. Not that it had ever left. But dealers at the fair told ARTnews that their first day of sales was stronger than last year’s. Swift deals closed at a steady pace, rather than frenzied one. Admittedly, that part of the fair was not back. Some dealers said that the day’s “even” rhythm, and the fact that many big-ticket works had not sold yet, was also a sign of a healthier, less-speculative market headed in the right direction. Many have worried that the trend toward more historic, modern, and established art is leaving contemporary artists in the dust, but by the sounds of it yesterday, dealers confirmed strong interest in the latter category, with broader sales made across their program. Could the auction enthusiasm for historic and ultra-established art be spreading over to other categories? It may be too early to tell, but so far, this year’s Swiss fair marks a moment of transition in a better direction.Related ArticlesDealers 'Cautiously Optimistic' About Art Basel, Lawsuit Over National Garden of American Heroes, and More: Morning Links for June 16, 2026Kyi

Christophe Leribault, the Louvre’s president-director since February, addressed the French Senate Wednesday, delivering an assessment that the storied Paris museum is “à bout de souffle,” or “at the end of its rope.” The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum, and its aging infrastructure and outdated security have been a topic of international headlines since October 2025, when a group of thieves entered the museum by ascending a cherry picker and breaking into an upper-floor window, grabbing $102 million worth of crown jewels from its Galerie d’Apollon within eight minutes, and then escaping the same way they came in. While French authorities have been making arrests in the case, the jewels have still not been recovered. The aftermath of the heist sparked multiple partial closures, delayed openings, and staff strikes this past December and January, with staff saying they are overworked and understaffed and that the museum needed greater investment in its infrastructure. Given the high-profile attention that the heist has received in the past nine months, Leribault told the Senate committee that he is addressing “the necessary emergencies head-on” and that a new video surveillanc

By Andy Battaglia Executive Editor, ARTnews & Art in America The US House Appropriations Committee, chaired by Republican Tom Cole of Oklahoma, advanced a budget proposal that could cut funding from the Department of Education’s only arts grant. Erin Harkey, CEO of the advocacy nonprofit Americans for the Arts, told Hyperallergic that eliminating the department’s Assistance for Arts Education program “would reduce support for critical work that students, educators, and communities depend on, including teacher professional development, accessible arts education programming, community partnerships, and arts education outreach.” The Assistance for Arts Education program was established in 2015 in part to support initiatives related to “disadvantaged students” and children with disabilities. “The program has awarded millions in grants to institutions providing arts education to organizations serving families living below local poverty lines,” according to Hyperallergic. “Americans for the Arts’s ideal funding for the grant program is $40 million.” But a report issued by the House Appropriations Committee says that funding “should be focused on core education such as reading, writing, a

Russian artist Robert ⁠Kuzovkov, known as Seymon Skrepetsky, was gunned down Monday in Biała Podlaska, in eastern Poland. Two Belarusian nationals have been detained, though not yet charged, reports ArtReview, which adds that one was arrested close to the Belarusian consulate. The victim was found with five bullet wounds, reports UK’s Telegraph. An artist and performer, Skrepetsky gained notice with his cutting portraits of Russian president Vladimir Putin, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, and a conservative Moscow bishop, Patriarch Kirill. Ukrainian authorities had been targets for his criticism, notes the Telegraph, as had Russian opposition figures such as Alexei Navalny and his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, as well as Maxim Katz, whose YouTube account criticizing the Russian government has nearly 2.5 million subscribers. Marcin Kozak, the spokesman for the district prosecutor’s office in Lublin, is quoted in the Telegraph saying that an unidentified individual had “fired three shots from a handgun” and then, “As the man fell, the perpetrator approached him and fired two more shots at close range. An examination of the body revealed five entry w

A lawsuit filed in February by a group of Vietnam veterans to block the construction of the arch alleged that at 250-feet-high—twice the size of the the Lincoln Memorial—the structure would exacerbate traffic around the busy thoroughfare and obstruct the view of the Arlington National Cemetery. “It will dominate the views of and the relationship between the surrounding memorials … disrupting the historic and symbolic link between the two,” the lawsuit reads.  Trump’s monument-building efforts around Washington have triggered a wave of litigation. In March, a federal judge ruled that Trump acted beyond his authority in razing the White House East Wing, and ordered that construction on the ballroom intended to replace it “has to stop.” Meanwhile, a coalition of Washington-based preservation and cultural groups has sued to halt progress on Trump’s proposed “National Garden of American Heroes.” The lawsuit, filed on Monday, argues that the statuary garden planned for West Potomac Park has not secured congressional approval.

The American South will have a new and expanded museum to visit come December 6, when Tennessee’s Memphis Art Museum (formerly the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art) reopens. The 123,500-square-foot cultural campus, designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architects Herzog & de Meuron, expands the institution’s gallery space by half and, per the museum, offers “six times more art-filled free public space.”  The two-acre campus is structured around a reconstructed bluff on the Mississippi River, known locally as the promenade. It will offer a 10,000-square-foot courtyard, a 50,000-square-foot rooftop art garden, an outdoor amphitheater with river views, a large pedestrian plaza, and light-filled education spaces.  “This new museum creates an extraordinary place where world-class art, iconic architecture, and the creative energy of our city come together,” Zoe Kahr, the museum’s director, said in a statement. “It will offer Memphians and visitors alike new opportunities for inspiration, connection, and discovery for generations to come.” The museum, which bills itself as the Volunteer State’s largest and oldest, opened as a city-owned institution in 1916 in the Overton Park neighborhood. It wa

Arts workers affiliated with Umoja Art Gallery, based in Kampala, Uganda, were denied Swiss entry visas the week before the Africa Basel art fair opened on June 17. The Art Newspaper reported the news, noting that the gallery’s empty booth featured a sign explaining that the gallery’s “participation remains impossible due to the denial of visas.” The booth is currently devoid of artworks, which are in the process of being shipped to Basel: “An empty booth stands as a reminder that despite the ambition of a global art ecosystem, physical borders and administrative barriers still determine whose voices can be present,” the sign reads. Umoja Art Gallery was founded in 2011 and represents over two dozen emerging and established artists. Since 2025, the gallery has also supported a residency program. One of the artists whose work Umoja planned to bring to Africa Basel is Makano, a young (born in 2000) Congolese artist based in Kampala. On Umoja’s website, Makano writes about how his work, which addresses corrupt governments and societes, is “born out of depression and frustration.” The Umoja Gallery sign calls out the disconnect between the idealized global nature of the art world and t

The Menil Collection in Houston will reopen its Fresco Building in late 2027, converting the space into a site for site-specific commissions. The first artist to take up the challenge will be New York–based Teresita Fernández. “Creating an immersive, site-specific installation for this building is especially meaningful to me because of the Menil’s deep commitment to artists and the transformational power that contemplative art experiences can offer,” Fernández said in a statement. “For the last thirty years my practice has questioned how we construct notions of landscape and place; this project gives me a unique opportunity, on a monumental scale, to continue to unravel the intimacies between human beings and matter as well as the more numinous landscapes we carry within.” The commission came about when Fernández came to the Menil last year for another site-specific commission, for the exhibition “What drawing can be: four responses.” Menil director Rebecca Rabinow invited Fernández to visit the Fresco Building as it was undergoing renovations. Per a release, Fernández “had an immediate sense of the possibilities for the refreshed space, connecting with the materiality, the archite