u/Sanpolo-Art-Gallery

The photographer Ray Banhoff is at the center of controversy over photos taken of thousands of women on the streets of Milan. His series "Fie," created in 2015, consists of three thousand shots of women unaware they were being photographed. While the project went unnoticed at the time of its publication, things are very different today. An investigation by AesteticaSovietica invited the women involved to come forward, bringing to the center of public discussion the tension between the artistic practice of street photography and the culture of consent.

Street photography, which aims to capture subjects in real, spontaneous situations in public spaces in order to highlight aspects of everyday society, often borders on outright voyeurism, verging on stalking. A famous example is Sophie Calle's "Suite Vénitienne" from 1983. For months, the photographer followed and photographed a man from Paris to Venice. Her investigation is both methodical, calling every hotel, visiting the police station, and arbitrary, following another stranger hoping someone might lead her to him.

Banhoff and Calle represent two ways of inhabiting the same gray zone between artistic gaze and invasion of privacy, one that today's culture of consent pushes us to question with eyes very different from those of ten, or forty, years ago.

Pierre Huyghe, Fondation Beyeler (24 May – 13 September 2026)
Conceived exclusively for the Fondation Beyeler, the exhibition presents Huyghe's practice, which inhabits a hybrid territory where cinema, technology, biology and digital systems intertwine within constantly evolving environments. What emerges, in the artist's own words, is a soulscape: an inner landscape composed of multiple temporalities, voices and overlapping material states.

Helen Frankenthaler, Kunstmuseum Basel (18 April – 23 August 2026)
This major retrospective dedicated to Helen Frankenthaler brings together over fifty works spanning six decades. A central figure of Abstract Expressionism, Frankenthaler revolutionised painting with her soak-stain technique, which involves saturating unprimed canvas with diluted paint, generating luminous surfaces and unprecedented chromatic fluidity.

Cao Fei. Testimonies to the Near Future, Gegenwart (30 May – 11 October 2026)
Cao Fei is an undisputed pioneer in the creation of digital worlds who, for over twenty years, has been investigating the effects of social and technological transformations on human life,  work that has cemented her reputation as one of the leading thinkers in the fields of art, media, technology and the future. The exhibition experience takes the form of a total, traversable environment in which visitors step directly into the artist's narratives.

Marc Glimcher of Pace Gallery, a giant in the global art market, has just announced it will cut 20% of its staff, 50 people out of the 250 currently employed, and the same number, 50 out of 130, of the artists and estates it currently represents. The news of such a massive downsizing by one of the most powerful and influential players in the art world speaks volumes about the crisis gripping commercial galleries, in stark contrast with the record-breaking sales volumes at the most recent New York auctions.

"The art world has changed drastically over the last decade, and the current gallery model is not just in crisis: it is beyond repair," Glimcher stated, framing the decision also as a break from the mega-gallery model, the dominant force that has shaped the art system and market for the past several decades.

It is worth noting the singular irony that the contradiction embedded in the model of relentless growth championed by mega-galleries is now being exposed by one of the very protagonists who helped build that mechanism, and who, in doing so, made the path considerably harder for those who couldn't keep pace, such as mid-sized galleries.

From this drastic restructuring, it becomes clear how the costs of maintaining multiple luxury outposts around the world and participating in dozens upon dozens of art fairs each year compounded by geopolitical instability, interest rates, and inflation are now hitting even the most established players.

Credits to: https://www.artribune.com/professioni-e-professionisti/mercato/2026/06/mega-galleria-pace-taglia-staff-artisti-crisi-mercato-arte/

On June 10th, in the presence of the Pope, exactly one hundred years after the death of Antoni Gaudí, the final tower of the Sagrada Família will be inaugurated. The Catalan master had already left instructions on how to complete his life's work: a statue of the Agnus Dei. The artist chosen to create it is Andrea Mastrovito, a 48-year-old Italian born in Bergamo.

In 2023, he was invited by the artistic committee of the Junta Constructora – Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, along with other internationally acclaimed artists, to submit his project, which was selected last year to complete the world's tallest church.

For Mastrovito, the Lamb suspended between heaven and earth symbolizes the relationship between matter and energy, between the Son and the Father. The Lamb will be crafted in hollow glass and covered with glass fragments, and will be suspended inside a hyperboloid illuminated with gold leaf. The relationship with light is, in fact, a key element of the work.

In addition, to commemorate the great architect, Lego has released a new set — its largest ever. The replica of the Barcelona cathedral will consist of 12,060 pieces, priced at €750, and will be available from November 1, 2026. The Lego Sagrada Família can be divided into sections, revealing the interior lit by faithfully recreated artistic stained-glass windows. "Our goal was to honor Gaudí's vision with the utmost respect," said Rok Žgalin Kobe.

 

Credits to: https://www.finestresullarte.info/arte-contemporanea/andrea-mastrovito-vince-concorso-per-realizzare-agnus-dei-sagrada-familia-barcellona

https://www.ilpost.it/2026/02/03/andrea-mastrovito-agnus-dei-sagrada-familia/

https://www.artribune.com/progettazione/design/2026/06/lego-set-sagrada-familia-centenario-gaudi/

The new Ferrari Luce has just been unveiled, the first fully electric model from Ferrari however, its aesthetics have failed to win over the general public, fuelling strong criticism toward the automotive brand.

Behind the project is LoveFrom, the creative collective founded by Jony Ive and Marc Newson, two figures who over the past thirty years have redefined the relationship between technology and luxury. A British designer born in London in 1967, Sir Jonathan Paul Ive was the principal formal interpreter of the Apple revolution, not by coincidence, the new shape of the Ferrari Luce reminded some of an Apple mouse.

The Ferrari Luce thus emerges from the encounter between the Ferrari Design Studio, led by Flavio Manzoni, and the interdisciplinary approach of the LoveFrom group. The result is a car that abandons part of the sculptural aggressiveness typical of the brand in favour of a decidedly more domestic aesthetic.

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, Ferrari's historic president from 1991 to 2014, commented harshly on the project, going so far as to evoke the risk of "destroying a myth." A weighty statement, especially coming from someone who led the brand during one of its most glorious eras. Behind his words, however, one can read something far deeper than mere aesthetic criticism: the fear that Ferrari, in its transition to electric, may lose that visceral, mechanical quality that has built its legend.

 

Credits to: https://www.artribune.com/progettazione/2026/05/nuova-ferrari-luce-designer/

The famous banana by Maurizio Cattelan has once again been the target of theft at the Centre Pompidou-Metz since the artist's solo exhibition began. On the afternoon of Saturday, May 30, an as-yet unidentified visitor stole Comedian, which was promptly replaced.

Created in 2019, the artwork has been the target of several similar incidents over the years: from David Datuna's "performance within a performance" at Art Basel 2019 to the South Korean student who ate the banana while it was on display in Seoul in 2023. Another similar act occurred last July, when a visitor ate the banana at the Serralves Museum in Portugal and later claimed responsibility for the gesture on social media.

At the time, the Pompidou Center did not file a complaint, but this time it has decided to do so because "the perpetrator has not been identified and therefore no dialogue is possible," said the head of communications, adding that "this is the second time it has happened" and that there is an issue of "respect for the artwork."

Normally, the fruit is replaced every three days, according to the protocol governing its display. Therefore, being forced to replace the banana ahead of schedule due to this unexpected incident also affects the value of the artwork, which "lies in its certificate of authenticity and the protocol that governs its presentation."

Credits to: https://www.artribune.com/arti-visive/arte-contemporanea/2026/05/banana-maurizio-cattelan-furto-pompidou-metz/

https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/mondo/2026/05/31/rubata-la-banana-di-cattelan-nel-museo-pompidou-di-metz-denunciato-il-furto_7c87654e-b9e9-4b62-9a1e-e5e4aaa2891f.html

From June 6 to 28, acclaimed urban and visual artist JR (Paris, 1983) presents La Caverne du Pont Neuf, a new monumental public artwork conceived as a tribute to Christo and Jeanne-Claude, 40 years after the Pont Neuf Wrapped of 1985.

The monumental installation (approximately 120 metres long, 20 metres wide and 18 metres tall) uses an inflatable fabric structure printed with a trompe-l'œil stone surface that creates the illusion of a vast cave.

The work also incorporates a sonic dimension, provided by Thomas Bangalter, former member of the celebrated electronic duo Daft Punk. Bangalter has created a bespoke electroacoustic environment that helps transform the installation into a temporary landscape merging environmental scale and sound.

Visitors will be invited to enter and walk through the cave, sharing emotions and footage, accompanied by an augmented reality experience and the musical composition. JR describes it as a "multisensory journey", a phrase increasingly used to define this kind of interactive installation: "A symbolic crossing, a step into the unknown, a journey into oneself."

 

Credits to: https://www.artribune.com/arti-visive/street-urban-art/2026/05/parigi-installazione-jr-omaggio-christo-jeanne-claude-la-caverne-du-pont-neuf/

https://www.ilgiornaledellarte.com/Mostre/JR-trasforma-il-Pont-Neuf-in-una-caverna-instagrammabile

In Venice, Austrian choreographer and artist Florentina Holzinger dedicated her first public opening of the performance Étude, a prelude leading to the spaces of SEAWORLD, the title of the Pavilion's project.

A platform on the lagoon, a crane, and Venice in the rain as a backdrop. A group of women, naked, dressed only in harnesses, combat boots or waders, await the arrival of the audience. Their bodies are powerful, modified, tattooed, incised, scarified, their skulls partially shaved. The cyberfeminist, post-punk, grindcore imagery, as throughout Holzinger's body of work, is rendered through the forms, bonds, and aesthetics of a lesbian-queer community.

Some of them climb scaffolding, harnessed and hanging from hooks, with amplified electric guitars whose riffs resonate across the lagoon. A conductor, a soprano in her everyday life, already a protagonist in other works by the choreographer, directs the chaos, the sea, the storm with her baton, herself naked save for a collar and a few elements that loosely paraphrase the conventional attire of the orchestral world.

A crane lifts a bell from the waters, from which Holzinger emerges, hanging upside down, her blond hair cascading downward. Like a posthuman clapper, evoking a detail from the famous Triptych of the Last Judgment by Bosch (1486), she strikes her hips against the bell's inner rim from within, making it toll, while South American performer Luz de Luna prepares to suspend herself from hooks pierced into her flesh, and floats with the grace of a dragonfly skimming the water as blood flows gently through the dance of her movements.

 

Credits to: https://www.exibart.com/arte-contemporanea/non-solo-padiglione-austria-la-performance-di-florentina-holzinger-nella-laguna-di-venezia-e-un-

The merger announced between the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Neue Galerie New York is scheduled for 2028, which will create The Met Ronald S. Lauder Neue Galerie, further expanding the institution's cultural dominance along the museum mile on Fifth Avenue.

The deal will allow the Met to incorporate one of the most significant collections of early twentieth-century Austrian and German art outside Europe. At its core are works by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, Max Beckmann, and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner; among the most celebrated pieces is Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, the museum's iconic work.

Leading the operation is Ronald S. Lauder, founder of the Neue Galerie and a historic figure in American collecting. The merger will also bring a substantial strengthening on the financial and asset front. The project includes a new personal donation of 13 works by Lauder and his daughter Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer, as well as a major endowment fund dedicated to the preservation of the Neue Galerie and significant financial support from numerous Metropolitan trustees.

However, the deal also carries controversial aspects tied to the figure of Ronald Lauder himself. President of the World Jewish Congress since 2007, Lauder is a conservative Republican, close to Donald Trump and a longstanding supporter of Likud, the Israeli far-right nationalist party, since the 1980s; over the years he has frequently been associated with strongly pro-Israel positions. The announcement of the merger thus comes against a backdrop already marked by a growing debate over the role of major private patrons in American museums.

Credits to: https://www.artribune.com/arti-visive/arte-moderna/2026/05/met-neue-galerie-new-york/?utm_source=Newsletter+Artribune&utm_campaign=9d773ea882-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_05_19_01_13&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_dc515150dd-9d773ea882-578184462

https://www.exibart.com/musei/il-met-ingloba-la-neue-galerie-la-fusione-firmata-ronald-lauder-divide-il-mondo-dellarte/

A luminous red rectangular abstract by Mark Rothko sold for $85.8 million on Thursday.” Brown and Blacks in Red”s was the most anticipated work among the 24 pieces that made up Sotheby's sale.

The monumental canvas, nearly two and a half meters tall, belongs to the most important decade of the artist's output, when Rothko developed his mature visual language, defined by broad, overlapping rectangular fields of color. Dominated by a powerful range of deep reds, the composition stands as one of the most intense examples of his exploration of color's emotional perception.

The work belonged for twenty years to Robert Mnuchin, a celebrated New York banker who comes from an American Jewish family connected to finance and art collecting, and before him spent 50 years in the Seagram collection. The Rothko was purchased by phone after a bidding battle lasting just a few minutes. It may not have blown past expectations, but it was always going to be a stretch to exceed the $70–100 million estimate.

Credits to: https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/fine-art/mark-rothko-abstract-sells-for-85-8-million-dab34442

https://www.ilgiornaledellarte.com/Articolo/-milioni-di-dollari-per-Mark-Rothko-il-suo-abisso-rosso-e-un-trionfo-a-New-York

https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/cultura/2026/05/15/oltre-86-milioni-di-dollari-per-un-rothko-da-sothebys_427c1f03-148d-4560-a9ec-e4e4fcccd023.html

"The Migrant Child," a work by the renowned Banksy that appeared in Venice on the night of May 8th, 2019, depicts a child standing with his feet in the water, signaling for help with a fuchsia-colored flare, and has become a symbol of the tragedies of migrants lost at sea. After years of exposure to the elements and progressive deterioration, with an estimated loss of 30% of the original work, it was secured in 2025 thanks to an intervention promoted by Banca Ifis and carried out by restorer Federico Borgogni.

At the Venice Arsenale, Banca Ifis presented the results of the restoration of "The Migrant Child," recovered from the facade of Palazzo San Pantalon and now ready to be returned to the city. On Friday May 8th and Saturday May 9th, the work travelled through the canals of Venice on a boat, giving citizens the opportunity to see it again following the restoration. Upon completion of the works on Palazzo San Pantalon, expected by 2027, "The Migrant Child" will be reinstalled in its original position and permanently returned to the city.

The president of Banca Ifis, Ernesto Furstenberg Fassio, commented: "The project will cost more than 15 million euros, including the purchase of the palazzo, the conservative restoration of both the building and the artwork, and the organisation of events to promote the protection of children's rights."

 

Credits to: https://www.exibart.com/progetti-e-iniziative/a-venezia-il-restauro-del-migrant-child-di-banksy-con-il-sostegno-di-banca-ifis/ 

https://www.ilmessaggero.it/viaggi/italia/venezia_banca_ifis_conclude_il_restauro_del_migrant_child_di_banksy-9520105.html

 

During the Renaissance, the artist was not an individual, an absolute self, but part of an elite of scientists and artists, within a larger machine, with a clear objective: the will to power. Then modernism transformed the artist into a fake rebel, an individualist, somewhat mad and lost within himself.

In this context, we are witnessing a subtle neutralization of contemporary art and its own critical and self-critical devices: its irrelevance manifests itself in being fully present within institutions, exhibitions, biennales, critical discourses, while remaining totally absent on the real plane, incapable of making a structural impact outside its own small circle, and often not even within it. And so art is produced for other artists, the so-called "insiders," within a ridiculously self-referential system.

A new artistic elite cannot be born from recognition alone: it is born from a decisive, powerful, and culturally self-assured impact. To make an impact means getting one's hands dirty, exposing oneself, compromising oneself politically, creating real artistic and intercultural lobbies, seeking dialogue with politics and building alliances with scientists, musicians, and architects. Because the will to power must be sought, desired, and conquered: with culture and political intention.

As long as the artist produces only physical works, he will remain irrelevant. He must be an intellectual, write and theorize like Leonardo and Michelangelo. The solution lies in expanding direct interventions in the public space with concrete objectives, sensitive to public opinion, and above all in learning to master new media rather than being mastered by them.

 

Credits to: Vincenzo Profeta

https://profetalandia.substack.com/p/the-new-italian-artistic-elite-or

https://operavivamagazine.org/una-nuova-elite-artistica/?fbclid=PAb21jcARkJJ5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81NjcwNjczNDMzNTI0MjcAAacy6lMTHkU9dOF25qLrXROMMCCn_17nwHrVD5IJOBtqhaLDE7pN0CIU2EcS7g_aem_3x1bUWzGlYjUNx_CcynSBA

The controversies surrounding Italy's most important cultural event show no sign of stopping. The latest tremor to hit the Biennale arrived yesterday with the mass resignation of the entire international jury. Just the day before, the Biennale had come under scrutiny from the ministry led by Alessandro Giuli, with officials sent to Cà Giustinian to acquire documentation and clarify certain aspects related to the organisation of the 2026 edition. At the centre of the inquiry were in particular the management of Russia's controversial return to the exhibition and the decisions taken by the international jury. However, the Ministry of Culture has stated that it had no involvement in the jury's resignation.

In response, the Biennale has decided to establish two Visitors' Lions to be awarded: one for the best participant and one for the best National Participation. Russia and Israel have been reinstated into competition, and the official inauguration ceremony has been cancelled. On May 9th there will therefore be a simple opening of the doors to visitors, while the Golden Lion award ceremony has been moved to November 22nd (the last day of the Exhibition) a precedent that has already occurred in other exceptional circumstances such as the Covid period.

How will the Visitors' Lions be awarded? A statement explains that holders of a ticket who have visited both exhibition venues will be eligible to vote for the Visitors' Lions. The visit to both venues will be verified through tracking carried out by the ticketing system. Each ticket holder will be able to cast a single vote for each of the two awards, in a single session.

 

Credits to: https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2026/04/30/biennale-venezia-giuria-dimissioni-notizie/8371891/

https://www.huffingtonpost.it/politica/2026/05/01/news/lultimo_terremoto_in_biennale_perche_si_e_dimessa_la_giuria-21823020/

https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/politica/2026/04/30/si-e-dimessa-la-giuria-internazionale-della-biennale-di-venezia_3ba29cb2-1a5a-45c1-97f5-d38165ecc2f9.html

A new statue has appeared in the St. James's area, on a pedestal in Waterloo Place, depicting a man in elegant attire striding forward confidently, his face covered by a large waving flag. The author, who signed the work and later confirmed its authorship on social media, is Banksy himself who this time offers the public not his usual stencils or murals, but a fully three-dimensional installation. The statue stands in close proximity to the Crimean War memorial and the statues of Edward VII and Florence Nightingale.

Credits to: https://www.artribune.com/arti-visive/street-urban-art/2026/04/banksy-nuova-opera-londra-waterloo-place/

A new statue has appeared in the St. James's area, on a pedestal in Waterloo Place, depicting a man in elegant attire striding forward confidently, his face covered by a large waving flag. The author, who signed the work and later confirmed its authorship on social media, is Banksy himself who this time offers the public not his usual stencils or murals, but a fully three-dimensional installation. The statue stands in close proximity to the Crimean War memorial and the statues of Edward VII and Florence Nightingale.

Credits to: https://www.artribune.com/arti-visive/street-urban-art/2026/04/banksy-nuova-opera-londra-waterloo-place/

The jury of the Venice Art Biennale has decided to exclude Russia and Israel from the awards of the 61st International Exhibition. The all-female jury, chaired by Solange Farkas and composed of Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi, a diverse group in terms of geographical backgrounds, approaches, and critical trajectories, has claimed its responsibility regarding the thorny issue that has recently marked the history of the Biennale.

"As jury members, we also have a responsibility toward the historical role of the Biennale as a platform capable of connecting art with the urgencies of its time" reads the jury's statement published on e-Flux Notes. "This jury will refrain from considering those countries whose leaders are currently accused of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court." The measure directly targets Russia and Israel, implicated respectively in the international arrest warrants issued for Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Biennale Foundation, chaired by Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, responded by clarifying that the jury operates with "full autonomy and independence of judgment." The institution described the jurors' choice as a "natural expression of the freedom" that the Biennale itself guarantees, while reaffirming its longstanding policy of inclusion of recognized state representations.

Credits to: https://www.artribune.com/arte-contemporanea-2/2026/04/russia-israele-premio-biennale-arte-venezia-2026/https://www.rainews.it/articoli/2026/04/biennale-arte-2026-russia-e-israele-saranno-escluse-dai-premi-per-crimini-contro-lumanita-3707edd7-4110-408a-868c-ce28a87cecf5.html

President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed sanctions on five Russian cultural figures linked to Moscow's participation in the Venice Biennale, according to a decree published on Friday, April 10th. Those sanctioned are Anastasia Karneeva, commissioner of the Russian pavilion; Mikhail Shvydkoy, Russia's representative for international cultural exchanges and former Minister of Culture; and artists Artem Nikolaev, Ilya Tatakov, and Valeria Oleinik.

The announcement was made by Culture Minister Tetyana Berezhna, who stated that the individuals "are directly involved in promoting state-backed cultural projects linked to propaganda, the military-industrial complex, and the normalization of war crimes." The measures include asset freezes, a ban on entry into Ukraine, and the suspension of all forms of cultural cooperation.

Ukrainian officials said Russia's participation in international cultural events is being used to legitimize its aggression and spread propaganda narratives. "The Venice Biennale is one of the world's most authoritative art platforms, and it must not become a stage for whitewashing the war crimes that Russia commits daily against the Ukrainian people and our cultural heritage," said Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Culture Minister Tetyana Berezhna in a joint statement over the weekend.

Credits to: https://www.kyivpost.com/post/73656

https://www.exibart.com/attualita/padiglione-russia-alla-biennale-darte-sanzioni-ucraine-e-fondi-ue-a-rischio/ 

https://www.huffingtonpost.it/politica/2026/04/11/news/lue_avverte_la_biennale_stop_ai_russi_o_niente_fondi_sanzioni_da_zelensky-21663026/

The European Education and Culture Executive Agency has confirmed, via a letter to the Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia, the suspension of a 2 million euro grant allocated for the 61st Art Biennale. The reason cited is Russia's participation.

 Three days earlier, the European Commission had notified the Biennale of the possible revocation of funding designated for cinematographic activities for the 2025–2028 triennium, giving the Venetian institution 30 days to present its position.

The response came swiftly. The Biennale, chaired by Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, stated that it had followed the rules of national and international law, reaffirming its refusal to be subject to logics of cultural exclusion.

EU Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier fired back: "Cultural events funded with European taxpayers' money should safeguard democratic values, promote open dialogue, diversity and freedom of expression — values that are not being upheld in today's Russia."

 Credits to:

https://www.artribune.com/professioni-e-professionisti/politica-e-pubblica-amministrazione/2026/04/ue-sospesa-sovvenzione-2-milioni-biennale-arte-russia/

https://www.exibart.com/attualita/padiglione-russia-alla-biennale-darte-sanzioni-ucraine-e-fondi-ue-a-rischio/