38 stories on The Cultural Signal
Oliver Beer's film 'The Cave' was filmed in one of the best-preserved prehistoric caves in southwestern France, home to some of the world's earliest known artworks.
On August 4, 2026, T: The New York Times Style Magazine published a feature naming the 25 most important sculptures made since 1945.
The 9th Nam June Paik Prize has been awarded to Ryoji Ikeda, a Japanese composer and artist known for his precise mathematical explorations of sound and light. The prize is given by the Nam June Paik Art Center, directed by Namhee Park.
On August 21, 2026, the LOTTE Museum of Art in Seoul announced a major solo exhibition of Lee Kang So, a representative figure in Korean contemporary art, titled "Emergence and Dissolution." Opening during Frieze Seoul 2026, the exhibition spans paintings, sculptures, photographs, videos, and per.
Heritage Auctions has released its spring season results, showing robust performance across multiple categories. The auction house reported that total sales exceeded expectations, with several high-value lots driving revenue.
On August 27, 2026, the Centre Pompidou in Paris highlighted Yayoi Kusama's 1964 work 'Macaroni Dress' following the artist's death on August 14, 2026, at age 97 in Tokyo.
The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam announced the death of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who died at an undisclosed age. Born in Matsumoto, Japan, in 1929, Kusama developed a distinctive visual language of polka dots, pumpkins, and mirrored environments over a career spanning more than seven decades.
On August 25, 2026, the Stedelijk Museum announced the seventh edition of its Post/No/Bills series, featuring a site-specific installation by artist Kexin Hao titled 'Anatomy of Obstruction'.
Gagosian gallery announced that Nan Goldin's film "You never did anything wrong, Part I" (2024) will screen on September 5, 2026, as part of the Cinema Galleggiante—Acque Sconosciute (Floating Cinema—Unknown Waters) festival in the Venice Lagoon.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York will present "nowhere," a daily dance performance by choreographer Sarah Michelson, from September 15 to October 11, 2026.
Christie's Paris jewelry sale on June 29, 2026, achieved €10,505,948, doubling its pre-sale estimate and closing the luxury week in Paris after a record handbags sale. The combined total for the two sales reached €16,342,615.
Gooding Christie's, the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, achieved over $159 million in total sales at its 22nd Pebble Beach Auctions on August 14–15, 2026, marking its highest-grossing sale to date.
On August 25, 2026, the Victoria and Albert Museum announced that eight costumes worn by Freddie Mercury will go on display at V&A South Kensington from October 24, 2026 to January 17, 2027.
Christie's announced on August 18, 2026, that a 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe sold for $43 million, making it the highest-grossing American car of all time.
Bonhams concluded its Asia Week in New York with total sales of $16.96 million, the highest ever for the series. The six sales included Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art, The Maitri Collection, Chinese Works of Art, and Fine Japanese and Korean Art.
On May 20, 2026, Kunsthaus Zürich announced a series of social engagement initiatives at the intersection of art, health, and society.
Kunsthaus Zürich has joined the 'Connect' dance training program for people with Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis, expanding the initiative launched in February 2024 by Ballett Zürich, the Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich, the performance group The Field, and the Dance & Creative Wellness F.
On April 15, 2026, Berlinische Galerie announced an exhibition of works by Austrian artist Erwin Wurm, featuring his signature Narrow House—a compressed reconstruction of his parents' home reduced to just over one meter in depth.
On June 9, 2026, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac Paris Pantin announced a performance by violinist and composer Ayumi Paul. Titled "Concert in 4 parts", the piece will be performed twice on the last day of Anselm Kiefer's exhibition "Für Andrea Emo".
The Mori Art Museum in Tokyo announced Mariko Mori: All That Shines, the artist's first major Japanese retrospective since 2002, opening October 31, 2026 and running through March 28, 2027. Co-organized with the Solomon R.
On August 29, 2025, Kunsthaus Zürich announced the appointment of Hendrik Folkerts as Chief Curator of Programme and Maja Wismer as Head of Collection and Research.
On May 27, 2026, Matthew Marks Gallery announced a solo exhibition of new works by Berlin-based artist Thomas Demand, running from September 1, 2026 to January 24, 2027. The show combines Demand's signature photographic methods with the visual language of theatre and opera.
Lehmann Maupin has announced the representation of Korean artist Sung Neung Kyung, whose interdisciplinary practice spans over five decades and has influenced performance, Conceptualism, and politics.
Lehmann Maupin announced its representation of Chilean multidisciplinary artist Cecilia Vicuña.
The National Gallery of Art will launch the fall season of its National Gallery Nights series on September 10, 2026, marking the 10th anniversary of the afterhours program. The free, themed events will take place every second Thursday of September, October, and November from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Frieze editors Chloe Stead, Vanessa Peterson, Marko Gluhaich, and Lou Selfridge convened a roundtable to discuss performance art trends in 2024, citing key works and events.
Bonhams' Fine Gems, Opals and Lapidary Arts sale achieved $2.2 million in total sales on May 2 in Los Angeles, led by an exceptional red spinel that sold for $504,000.
The fifth edition of Frieze Seoul will feature a Frieze LIVE programme in partnership with Seoul’s Art Sonje Center, running an off-site programme titled 'off-site 2: Eleven Episodes' from August 26 to October 26, 2026.
Bonhams announced the successful sale of The Contents of Monreith House, a historic Scottish estate of Clan Maxwell, across two auctions in July from its Edinburgh saleroom.
On August 14, 2026, the Whitney Museum of American Art and Little Island announced a new midnight performance by comedian Julio Torres and artist Martine Gutierrez as part of the Whitney Biennial 2026.
Ahead of Zurich's Street Parade, Art Basel published a feature tracing a century of crossover between art and club culture, examining the current DJ-booth boom in the art world.
Works & Process announced its fall 2026 season on August 4, 2026, featuring performances, residencies, and commissions at Guggenheim New York, Manhattan West, and Free Food Refettorio Harlem.
Frieze has partnered with Seoul's Art Sonje Center to present the LIVE programme for its Seoul fair, showcasing female, queer, and intersectional artists. The programme includes performances by Yagwang and Chang Younghae, among 11 Korean artists.
Tate Modern will present free performances of Yvonne Rainer's seminal dance work "Trio A" in the Turbine Hall on July 10 and 11, 2026, marking the 60th anniversary of the piece's creation.
Serpentine Galleries has announced Park Nights 2026, an experimental live programme of performances inside the 25th Serpentine Pavilion, designed by the LANZA atelier of Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo.
Hauser & Wirth presented a performative event at its Limmatstrasse gallery in Zurich on March 21, 2026, responding to KOO JEONG A's exhibition 'KANGSE X'.
Thaddaeus Ropac is presenting a one-off screening of Oliver Beer's video opera The Cave alongside the artist's London exhibition The Sky in the Cave.
June 3, 2026, Tate Modern unveiled gadzi, an original installation by nora chipaumire, recipient of the Infinities Commission 2026.
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