“The Biennale was disrupted on Friday morning as some of the major artists at this year’s event shuttered their exhibitions in protest over Israel’s participation. … Some of the buzziest exhibitions at this year’s event, including those by artists representing Austria, Belgium, Egypt, Japan, the Netherlands and South Korea, were shut.” - The New York Times
The jurors had clearly stated, a few days before they quit, that they would not consider the entrants from Russia and Israel. The Israeli artist in the event then threatened lawsuits, and the Biennale warned jurors that they could be personally liable for damages. - Hyperallergic
Iran’s withdrawal is less a sudden decision than the result of converging geopolitical and economic pressures that are reshaping both the global art world and Iran’s place within it. - The Conversation
The Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art on Wednesday announced a $100 million expansion plan to open a second museum building, create a 325-acre campus, and a nature preserve with 10 miles of trails. - Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
Imagine that you live in an enormous, beautiful apartment designed by one of the world’s most admired architects in the most expensive street in Spain and for which you pay a derisory rent, with the right to live there until you die. - The Guardian
The second Trump administration’s call for proposals for the Venice Biennale said the American presentation should “reflect and promote American values” and foster “peaceful relations between the United States and other nations.” So how does that bear out in Allen’s US Pavilion? - ARTnews
“With the search for France’s crown jewels still ongoing, … plans are afoot for a new display of Empress Eugénie’s diamond-and-emerald crown. … In time, Christophe Leribault recently (said), the crown Emperor Napoleon III commissioned for his wife will become a new highlight, one only surpassed by the Mona Lisa.” - Artnet
“A small fire broke out Wednesday during the removal of San Francisco's Vaillancourt Fountain, sending flames and dark smoke from a section of the massive concrete sculpture as crews dismantled the controversial artwork at Embarcadero Plaza.” - San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)
“Wearing pink balaclavas, the protesters ran towards the Russian pavilion where they gathered outside and lit pink, blue and yellow flares while playing punk music and shouting slogans, including ‘Blood is Russia’s Art’. At one stage about 40 activists … attempted to enter the Russian pavilion but were pushed back by police.” - The Guardian
The 2026 Venice Biennale has experienced waves of uncertainty that have only grown in strength as the public opening of the world’s most prestigious international art exhibition nears on Saturday morning. - The New York Times
“Fashion is art” was meant to encourage attendees to think about how every human body is a canvas, and about how making an item of clothing—the precision that goes into selecting textiles, creating shapes, and combining colors—requires the same kind of artistry deployed by the painters and sculptors featured throughout the museum. - The Atlantic
“Traditionally one of the German capital’s top tourist attractions, (the Pergamon) will reopen next year after the first part of a painstaking restoration effort. ... The Pergamon Museum has been closed altogether since October 2023. The part of the building containing the Pergamon Altar has been closed for far longer, since 2014.” - AP
“There weren’t any paintings or sculptures in Russia’s pale green building, which dates to before the Revolution. Instead, … the Toloka Ensemble, a folk group, sat below a bulbous flower arrangement and sang traditional songs to a cluster of reporters eager to witness the country’s controversial comeback at the Biennale.” - The New York Times
The most-visible type is an artist who digs into the history of colonialism, surfaces some charged document or symbol, and highlights it by doing something poetic with it. The tone is more reflective than truly didactic. Often, the art is channeling the look of an exhibit in a science or history museum. - Artnet
“On Monday, in a statement, Biennale organizers announced that Iran had dropped out and would no longer be exhibiting its planned pavilion. The announcement comes … amid a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran. Organizers offered no information as to why Iran had decided to bow out.” - Artforum
