Venice, Here We Come
A guide to the 2026 Venice Biennale, Joan Semmel still killing it at 93, Hungary's post-Orbán art world, and much more.
The 61st Venice Biennale is just around the corner, and you can already tell it’s going to be a charged, eventful edition. That may be less about the art on display than the haywire world around it. Will protests overshadow the art inside the national pavilions? Will the main exhibition In Minor Keys, conceived by the late Koyo Kouoh, rise to the moment or shy away from it? We will have to wait and see.
And see we will, as I will be reporting to you from the biennale with our editor-at-large, Hrag Vartanian, and other colleagues. Meanwhile, enjoy Hrag’s spirited roundup of the major exhibitions and events taking place in Venice in May and beyond. Also, don’t miss his online conversation with artist Jeremy Frey on April 29 (3–4pm ET). The event is free for Hyperallergic members. If you’re not a member yet, and can afford a few bucks a month, please join in to support our work as a truly independent art publication.
Enjoy other must-reads in this edition, including a studio visit with the inimitable Joan Semmel, who’s still kicking ass at age 93; Lebanese artist Tania El Khoury speaking about her “revenge art” from bombarded Beirut; Ed Simon’s musings about Hans Holbein, and much more. Thanks for reading and enjoy your weekend.
—Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief
Hyperallergic’s Guide to the 2026 Venice Biennale
Here’s what to see and do at this year’s edition, including national pavilions, collateral exhibitions, and notable events. | Hrag Vartanian
Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments
Featuring works from antiquity to today, the exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art explores the Rocky statue and its impact on the city’s culture, community, and public art.
News
- Artist Barbara Chase-Riboud speaks about her decision not to represent the US at the 61st Venice Biennale, noting that now is “not the moment.”
- A heart-wrenching image of a tearful family torn apart by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) wins the 2026 World Press Photo Award’s top prize.
- A historic $116M gift to the National Gallery of Art (NGA) will endow a new artwork lending program.
- Satellite imagery confirms that Azerbaijan destroyed the Armenian Holy Mother of God Church in Artsakh’s former capital city of Stepanakert.
- A high-speed passenger line in Mexico will be diverted after archaeologists discovered 16 pre-Hispanic drawings and petroglyphs along the planned route.
- Beloved abstract painter and Argentine art legend Ides Kihlen dies at 108.
From Our Critics
A Blockbuster Take on Ovid’s “Metamorphosis”
The Rijksmuseum exhibition raises questions about gender, sexuality, and transformation that it is not prepared to answer. | Zoe Guy
Hans Holbein Painted the Human
He surpassed all of his colleagues in the sheer depth, visceral intimacy, and empathy conveyed in his renderings of nobles, aristocrats, and thinkers. | Ed Simon
Jule Korneffel Finds Meaning at the End of Light
Her paintings compress Roman mythology, Italian Renaissance paintings, color relationships, and that moment before disappearance.| John Yau
Tale of a Riderless Horse
When George Stubbs paints a horse, it comes alive. | Michael Glover
Leonardo Madriz’s Monuments to the Precarity of Now
His sculptures are a striking metaphor for the fragile equilibrium of American life. | Jonah Goldman Kay
Jeremy Frey: The Generational Impact of a New Artistic Path
Join us this coming Wednesday, April 29, for a conversation with artist and recent MacArthur Fellowship winner Jeremy Frey and Hyperallergic Editor-at-Large Hrag Vartanian.
Interview
Joan Semmel Is Doing Her Best Work at 93
“You say, ‘Fuck you. I’m good and you’re wrong,’” she told Hyperallergic. “This is who I am, this is what I do, and this is what I care about.”| Aaron Short
Tania El Khoury’s Soothing “Revenge Art”
The Lebanese artist and Bard College professor spoke with Hyperallergic about her recent projects and precarious life under bombardment in Beirut. | Hadley Suter
Opinion
The Future of Museums Is a Dance Floor
The rave offers a temporary homeland, a space where belonging is felt rather than declared. | Naz Cuguoğlu
Dismantling Orbán’s 16-Year Grip on Hungary’s Art World
As a Hungarian curator living in the United States, I cannot help but see my country as both a cautionary tale and a source of hope for artistic freedom. | Veronika Molnar
Community
Required Reading
This week, a museum as a site of motherhood, the amazing and terrible ways writers make their livings, Nara Smith as a performance artist? And more.
A View From the Easel With Celia Paul
“The main thing I love about my studio is that it is mine. No one can enter without permission.”
Art Movements: Meet the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s New Director
Plus: Turner Prize shortlist announced, Print Center New York’s 2026 New Voices cohort, and a surprising acquisition backstory.
In Memorium: Remembering Desmond Morris, James Hayward, and Flo Oy Wong
This week, we honor a surrealist and zoologist, a monochrome abstractionist, and a pillar of Oakland’s Chinatown.
