u/Sanpolo-Art-Gallery

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/