Arts news

• Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Abstract Painter Who Refused to Conform, Dies at 84

  13-05-2026 23:58 via artnews.com
  Mary Lovelace O’Neal, whose gestural abstractions consistently ran against the grain, defying the demands placed upon Black painters by critics and artists alike, died on Sunday in Mérida, Mexico. She was 84. Her galleries, Jenkins Johnson and Marianne Boesky, announced her passing on Wednesday.Lovelace O’Neal produced sprawling paints defined by tangles of drippy, roiled strokes. This was a style that placed her outside the orthodoxy of Minimalism, the dominant movement when
  
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• The Best Booths at Frieze New York, From Cindy Sherman’s Newest Photos to UFOs

  13-05-2026 23:25 via artnews.com
  Cashing in typically comes before supporting artists at art fairs, and Frieze New York is no different from the rest in that regard. The main priority for dealers is to make money, and the point for attendees is to spend it, if not on art, then at least on overpriced coffees and sandwiches. Which is to say little of the entrance fee, which can reach $200, a sum I was fortunate not to have paid as an industry professional. There are, in any case, plenty of better places to see art in New York tha
  
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• Cynthia Shange, Who Defied Apartheid at a Beauty Pageant, Dies at 76

  13-05-2026 22:59 via nytimes.com
  She was the first Black South African to enter the Miss World contest, placing in the top five in 1972.
  
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• Israel Advances Bill Granting Sweeping Civilian Authority over West Bank Archaeological Sites

  13-05-2026 22:57 via artnews.com
  Israel advanced a bill on Tuesday that would expand Israeli civilian authority sweeping authority over antiquities and archaeology in the occupied West Bank, a move that human rights groups warned would lead to the annexation of the Palestinian territory.As first reported by Haaretz, the Likud-backed bill would empower a new government body under the purview of the Israeli heritage minister to purchase and expropriate land. The proposed “Judea and Samaria Heritage Authority”—us
  
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• Koji Suzuki, Sometimes Called the Stephen King of Japan, Dies at 68

  13-05-2026 22:52 via nytimes.com
  His “Ring” trilogy helped create a genre known as J-horror and spawned a multimedia franchise, including one of the highest-grossing horror films ever made.
  
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• Artist Alleges Hair Dress in the Met’s ‘Costume Art’ Show Copies Her Design

  13-05-2026 22:24 via artnews.com
  An artist has accused Andrew Bolton, curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s spring 2026 exhibition, of displaying and collecting what she has described as a “counterfeit” of her work, without credit or compensation.In a series of now-viral Instagram posts, the first of which was published on May 11, the London-based sculptor, textile designer, and filmmaker Anouska Samms claimed joint-authorship of Corpus Nervina 0.0, a garment included in the recently op
  
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• French Parliament Accuses Louvre of Prioritizing ‘Prestige And Influence’ Over Security Prior to Jewel Heist

  13-05-2026 21:26 via artnews.com
  Alexis Corbière and Alexandre Portier, the French MPs overseeing the government commission investigating the shocking October 19, 2025, Louvre jewel heist, have accused the museum of deprioritizing security at the museum.The full parliamentary report was released today and also casts doubt on French president Emmanuel Macron’s nearly $1 billion plan to revamp the Louvre, which he announced in January 2025 (nine months before the heist) and referred to as a “new renaissance&rdq
  
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• Addiction Counselor Who Helped Supply Ketamine to Matthew Perry Sentenced to Two Years

  13-05-2026 20:24 via nytimes.com
  Erik Fleming, a licensed drug addiction counselor, had admitted to selling 51 vials of ketamine to the actor, including the dose that killed him.
  
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• Arts & Culture: A Reflection - The Commentator

  13-05-2026 18:30 via news.google.com
  Arts & Culture: A Reflection  The Commentator
  
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• At Cannes 2026, Gaza Becomes a Political Flashpoint

  13-05-2026 17:54 via nytimes.com
  The event’s leaders immediately jumped into the debate over whether festival participants should speak out on issues like Israel and Gaza.
  
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• Iran Pushes Back on Venice Biennale Withdrawal Reports: ‘We’re Still Coming’

  13-05-2026 17:35 via artnews.com
  Last week, the Venice Biennale announced that Iran had dropped out of the exhibition. Now, it appears, that report was incorrect.On Tuesday, Aydin Mahdizadeh Tehrani, the director-general of visual arts at the Iranian ministry of culture and Islamic guidance told the Iran Students News Agency that it still plans to participate.“Iran never withdrew from participating in the Venice Biennale,” Tehrani said, as translated by Google Translate. “Incidentally, we had the initial agree
  
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• Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Announces 314 New Acquisitions During 50th Anniversary Year

  13-05-2026 17:29 via artnews.com
  The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden used its 50th anniversary year to dramatically expand its collection, announcing 314 new acquisitions in 2025 that reflect a broader push into photography, mixed-media work, and artists shaping contemporary American visual culture. The acquisitions range from large-scale mixed-media works by Lorna Simpson, Sarah Sze, and Mickalene Thomas to documentary photography by Danny Lyon and Gra
  
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• Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Announces 312 New Acquisitions During 50th Anniversary Year

  13-05-2026 17:29 via artnews.com
  The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden used its 50th anniversary year to dramatically expand its collection, announcing 312 new acquisitions in 2025 that reflect a broader push into photography, mixed-media work, and artists shaping contemporary American visual culture. The acquisitions range from large-scale mixed-media works by Lorna Simpson and Mickalene Thomas to documentary photography by Danny Lyon and Graciela Iturbide, a
  
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• Venice Biennale Controversies Continue, French Parliament Report Finds Flaws in Museum Security, and More: Morning Links for May 13, 2026

  13-05-2026 15:56 via artnews.com
  Good Morning!Iran denies ever withdrawing from the Venice Biennale, and the Somalia Pavilion sparks controversy.A new report led by France‘s parliament has revealed wide-ranging flaws in the country’s museum security management.US Interior Department staff are concerned that Trump‘s Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool repairs are behind schedule and of poor quality.The Headlines VEXED IN VENICE. News from this year’s politically mired&
  
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• Bodies, Bodies, Bodies: Artists Revisit the Nude in Shows Across New York

  13-05-2026 15:29 via artnews.com
  This spring in New York, it’s bodies, bodies, bodies, with artists across the city reveling in the pleasures of the flesh and the horror of harm done upon it. These are themes that are core to at least one major museum show on view in the city—the New Museum’s exquisite “New Humans: Memories of the Future”—and that may be one reason we’re seeing so much body-oriented art right now. But more than simply meditating on all matters corporeal, a smattering of
  
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• Jade Manns Is Breathing New Life Into Dance

  13-05-2026 14:18 via nytimes.com
  Jade Manns is part of a generation of young dance artists who dig deep inside the body’s inner landscape. Nature leads the way.
  
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• Las Vegas Arts District: An Antidote to the Glitz - The New York Times

  13-05-2026 13:27 via news.google.com
  Las Vegas Arts District: An Antidote to the Glitz  The New York Times
  
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• Mel Brooks Donates His Archives to the National Comedy Center

  13-05-2026 11:03 via nytimes.com
  The comedian is contributing some 20,000 documents and photos covering his career, including his time in the Army and the lyrics for “Springtime for Hitler.”
  
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• Cy Twombly, From Intimate Angles

  13-05-2026 11:02 via nytimes.com
  In photos by his wife, whose negatives were discovered by his granddaughter, we see more personal sides to the 20th-century master.
  
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• Can Three Auction Houses Sell $2.6 Billion Worth of Art in One Week?

  13-05-2026 11:02 via nytimes.com
  Five luxury artworks hold the key to the spring season, one of the most anticipated sales in years. Major buyers are looking past female and younger artists and toward tradition.
  
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• ‘A New Leaf’: A Romantic Comedy, With Murder on the Mind

  13-05-2026 11:02 via nytimes.com
  This 1971 movie, restored and revived for a week at the IFC Center, offers ample evidence of Elaine May’s screwball genius.
  
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• ‘They Shooting at Us’: Rihanna and ASAP Rocky Outlined Attack to Police

  13-05-2026 11:01 via nytimes.com
  The singers discussed their stalkers and their experience inside a trailer struck by gunfire, according to a police report. A woman has been charged with attempted murder.
  
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• ‘The A List’ Review: The Diaspora, Described

  13-05-2026 11:01 via nytimes.com
  This documentary spotlights the individual histories and struggles of 15 figures from all walks of life, connected by their inclusion in the Asian and Pacific diasporas.
  
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• ‘Ragtime’ Star Joshua Henry Is Bringing Broadway to Its Feet

  13-05-2026 11:01 via nytimes.com
  Joshua Henry, a Tony nominee for his thrilling performance in “Ragtime,” credits the demanding role with helping him “feel like I have mastered the voice.”
  
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• Are These the Bones of the Fourth Musketeer? This Dutch Village Hopes So.

  13-05-2026 11:01 via nytimes.com
  Wolder, near the Belgian border, is waiting to see if the skeleton it dug up in a church is Count d’Artagnan, from Alexandre Dumas’s tale.
  
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• Matt Dillon’s Lesser-Known Life as a Visual Artist

  13-05-2026 11:00 via nytimes.com
  The actor’s large scale, Neo-Expressionist-inspired paintings are now on view in New York.
  
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• Jada Manns Is Breathing New Life Into Dance

  13-05-2026 11:00 via nytimes.com
  Jada Manns is part of a generation of young dance artists who dig deep inside the body’s inner landscape. Nature leads the way.
  
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• Closed-Door Romance Books That Will Make You Swoon

  13-05-2026 11:00 via nytimes.com
  The best-selling author Lynn Painter recommends low-heat love stories that deliver on juicy tension, crackling banter and plenty of swoon.
  
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• Jordan Klepper Wants the President to Get More Sleep

  13-05-2026 08:15 via nytimes.com
  “Well, well, well, looks like the Sleepy Joe-er has become the sleepy Joe-ee,” Klepper said after President Trump was seen with his eyes closed during an event in the Oval Office.
  
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