Who's the Best British Romanticist of Them All?
Tate Britain's British landscape face-off, influencers apply for artist visas, remembering Kathleen Goncharov, and Ayoung Kim's digital stargazing.
For my first art show of 2026, I visited a behemoth exhibition focused on the friendship between in-laws Berthe Morisot and Édouard Manet at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. It felt like a good omen for the start of the year — hopefully one of friendship, exchange, and growth. History is littered with lore of legendary artistic friendships and even of rivalry, including Manet's own relationship with Degas and the dynamic between Matisse and Picasso. (The former was the subject of a show at The Met in 2023.)
Our London critic Michael Glover, however, isn't convinced that an exhibition at Tate Britain earns the right to apply the term "rivalry" to J.M.W. Turner and John Constable, two giants of Romanticism. Witty as ever, he asks the question that's on so many of our minds at art museums these days: "Is there any truth in it? Or is it a crude PR exercise to lure us through the door?"
If nothing else, I hope this year grants all of us the wisdom to know the difference. Enjoy, and have a lovely Wednesday!
—Lakshmi Rivera Amin, associate editor
J.M.W. Turner and John Constable seem to define between them much about the nature of art in England at the turn of the 19th century, but do they have anything in common? Michael Glover has some thoughts.
New York City Ballet Art Series Presents Thibaut Grevet
The French director and photographer’s work will be on view at three special performances in January and February.
News
- O-1B visas, originally designated for those "with an extraordinary ability in the arts," are now overrun with influencers and OnlyFans models, according to a new report.
- Artists and colleagues remember the life of luminary curator Kathleen Goncharov, whose career began at Manhattan's legendary Just Above Midtown gallery in 1980. She passed away at age 73 on New Year's Eve.
Taxes for Humans: A Radical Reimagining of Financial Empowerment
For artists, freelancers, and the self-employed, tax season can feel like a looming cloud. A new book by artist-turned-tax-specialist Hannah Cole offers an antidote.
From Our Critics
Ayoung Kim Is Stargazing in a Digital World
Her exhibition at MoMA PS1 synthesizes live-action footage, video game engines, and generative AI to create an interlocking series of speculative narratives | Lisa Yin Zhang
Mapping a Feminist Cosmos
Without didacticism, Sandra Vásquez de la Horra makes visible the connection between the exploitation of the natural world and the subordination of women. | Tara Anne Dalbow
Member Comment
Victoria Hamlin on "The Best Art Shows Around the World in 2025" (and a debate we editors have yearly!)
From the Archive
The Dance Between Manet and Degas
What’s fascinating about Manet/Degas at The Met is the degree to which the work of each artist seemed to possess whatever the other lacked. | Thomas Micchelli
