T/museums

In Philadelphia, Art Shows by Women Teem With Eros and Audacity
Arts, Today

Devotees of the human figure, Cecily Brown and Christina Ramberg turn the Benjamin Franklin Parkway into a showplace for the female gaze.

Boston Bets Big on Public Art With a New Triennial
Arts, Today

An ambitious citywide exhibition will feature 20 public art commissions at outdoor venues and partnering museums.

Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang Turn 75. Good Grief!
Arts, Today

The Miami Children’s Museum marks the moment with an exhibition that includes Snoopy, Lucy and more that will travel across the country for almost a decade.

In the Heart of Washington, Adam Pendleton’s Work Demands Deep Thought
Arts, Today

The new show at the Hirshhorn Museum, “Adam Pendleton: Love, Queen,” plumbs the past, the idea of presence and the possibilities of what painting could be.

He Built the Frick Collection with Passion, Patience and Bargaining
Arts, Today

Henry Clay Frick, aggressive in art collecting as well as business, acquired many of the masterpieces of the museum, whose renovated Fifth Avenue mansion recently reopened.

Museum Told to Surrender Schiele Drawing to Heirs of Man Killed by Nazis
Culture, Yesterday

A New York judge found that the Art Institute of Chicago’s drawing by Egon Schiele had been looted from an Austrian Jew who died in a concentration camp.

A Turner Prize Shortlist That J.M.W. Turner Might Have Appreciated
Culture, Yesterday

This year’s nominees for the prestigious art award include Mohammed Sami, an Iraqi painter, and Zadie Xa, a Canadian installation artist.

A Philadelphia Glass Artist Has Made a Secular Sanctuary for the Ages
Special Sections, Yesterday

As the artist in residence at the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, Judith Schaechter created a giant dome to spark joy. It’s now on view outside Philadelphia.

Plates Full of Beauty and History in Upper Manhattan
Special Sections, Yesterday

New additions to Adriana Varejão’s acclaimed “Plate” series are showing at the Hispanic Society Museum and Library, in her first solo museum exhibit in New York.

Glimpses of the Final Frontier at the American Museum of Natural History
Special Sections, Yesterday

Stranded astronauts and celebrity space tourism have piqued interest in space — and a photography exhibition in the museum is making the most of it.

Detroit Art Institutions Resist Political Challenges to Diversity
Special Sections, Yesterday

Leaders at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and others say their core mission of elevating Black voices will not change.

If You Think the School Lunch Battle is New — Go to Philadelphia
Special Sections, Yesterday

A science museum in the city looks back at the history of feeding children in schools and reminds us how fraught the efforts have been for more than 100 years.

A California Museum Weighs the Promise and Perils of Tech
Special Sections, Yesterday

Set in the heart of Silicon Valley, the Computer History Museum long cheered the developments around it. Now, it’s taking a more nuanced approach.

A Seaport Museum Faces an Unlikely Threat: The Sea Itself
Special Sections, April 22

Rising sea levels are forcing the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut to address the long-term sustainability of its campus.

A Guide to U.S. Museums to See This Year
Special Sections, April 22

Photography and portraiture are at the center of exhibitions this spring and beyond, examining their forms and themes and the people behind them.

Move Over Lone Ranger, Hopalong,Wyatt and Pals — History is Coming Your Way
Special Sections, April 22

An upcoming exhibition at the Autry Museum in Los Angeles and an earlier one at the Witte Museum in San Antonio reveal the roles of Black cowboys in the early American West.

New Voices Help Museums Tell New (or Forgotten) Stories
Special Sections, April 22

Across the United States, younger curators work to broaden audiences and redefine not only what an exhibition can be but also what an artwork is.

As It Turns 100, ‘The Great Gatsby’ Takes Several Turns in the Spotlight
Special Sections, April 22

The book by F. Scott Fitzgerald is the subject of exhibitions in New York, Minnesota, New Jersey and South Carolina.

When Pope Francis Touched New Yorkers’ Hearts
Metro, April 22

The pope visited the city in 2015, making stops that included Madison Square Garden, Central Park and a Harlem school.

How ‘Miss Chief’ Can Help Us Rethink Art History
Special Sections, April 21

Denver hosts the first U.S. museum survey of Kent Monkman, a member of the Fisher River Cree Nation whose large paintings are inspired in part by old masters.

A Painter Famed for Recreating What She Lost, in the Spotlight
Special Sections, April 21

In 1999 Ann Craven lost nearly everything in a studio fire. Since then, she has made “revisitation” paintings. Next month, these works will be shown across Maine.

Francine Tint Is Finally ‘Having Her Time’
Special Sections, April 21

At 82, the widely admired artist is getting the higher level of recognition she has sought for decades.

In Seattle, a Deep Dive into the Provocative and Creative World of Ai Weiwei
Special Sections, April 21

A show now at the Seattle Art Museum is the largest in the U.S. in the 40-year career of the renowned Chinese artist.

A Symbol of Hope in St. Louis Is Now One of Renewal, Too
Special Sections, April 21

The 19th-century Old Courthouse, part of the city’s downtown and Gateway Arch National Park, is set to reopen in May after a $27.5 million renovation.

House Democrats Criticize Trump’s Smithsonian Order
Culture, April 18

In a letter to Vice President JD Vance, four U.S. representatives on a committee that oversees the cultural institution urged him to reject President Trump’s push to reshape it.

The Challenges of Opening Gleaming New Museums in a Fraught Art Landscape
Arts & Leisure, April 18

As Thelma Golden and Lisa Phillips put finishing touches on their expanded buildings, they assess their legacies, and the cultural shift ahead.

It’s All Rhythm: A New Festival Embraces Percussive Dance
Arts & Leisure, April 18

The Uptown Rhythm Festival will mix styles, including tap, swing and flamenco, that are flourishing despite problems of rehearsal and performance space.

El último cuadro de Van Gogh genera conflicto en un idílico pueblo francés
En español, April 18

Recientemente se ha determinado que el artista pintó su última obra, “Raíces de árbol”, en Auvers-sur-Oise. Las raíces aún existen, lo que ha provocado una lucha por su conservación.

Elaine Wynn, Billionaire Arts Patron Who Helped Modernize Las Vegas, Dies at 82
Obits, April 17

She and Steve Wynn were known as the king and queen of Las Vegas. After their divorce, Ms. Wynn became a force in her own right.

Rashid Johnson Finds His Promised Land at the Guggenheim
Weekend, April 17

The artist’s first major museum survey fills Frank Lloyd Wright’s spiral with a rich mix of media, a view of the polymathic flux of a 25-year career, and a sense of healing.

Sculpture Museum in Dallas Names a New Director
Weekend, April 17

Carlos Basualdo, a veteran curator who has spent most of his career at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, will take over the Nasher Sculpture Center next month.

The World’s Most Anticipated Museum Is Finally Open. (Well, Mostly.)
Travel, April 16

The Grand Egyptian Museum, outside Cairo, has been delayed by revolutions, wars, financial crises and a pandemic. At long last, here’s a look inside.

LeBron James, ASAP Rocky and Everything You Need to Know About the 2025 Met Gala
Styles, April 15

The co-hosts! The ticket prices! The dress code! A guide to the party of the year.

Van Gogh’s Last Painting Poses a Problem for an Idyllic French Village
Foreign, April 15

It was recently determined that the artist painted his final work, “Tree Roots,” in Auvers-sur-Oise. The roots still exist, igniting a fight over their preservation.

Saving Art from Climate Disasters
Special Sections, April 14

As storms and fires are on the rise, experts are under pressure to do more to protect collections in museums, galleries and even private homes from destruction.

At the Met Roof Reopening, These Sculptures Must Be Heard
Culture, April 13

Along the Manhattan skyline, Jennie C. Jones turns Minimalist sculptures into sonic ‘wind’ instruments. It’s the last Roof Garden commission until 2030.

A Masterpiece Doesn’t Have to End at the Borders of the Frame
Arts & Leisure, April 12

An artist finds there’s more to admire if you approach everything in a museum with an eye for things beyond the art.

What’s It Like to Inhabit Saya Woolfalk’s World of Plant-Human Hybrids?
Arts & Leisure, April 12

Step into the artist’s fantastical “Empathic Universe” at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, where everything seems moving and alive.

At the Architecture Biennale, the U.S. Says ‘Come Sit By Me’
Arts, April 11

To heal a nation, the U.S. Pavilion in Venice showcases the surprising permutations of the porch.

At the Architecture Biennale, the U.S. Says ‘Come Sit by Me’
Culture, April 11

To heal a nation, the U.S. Pavilion in Venice showcases the surprising permutations of the porch.

Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts Names Next Director
Culture, April 10

Pierre Terjanian, the museum’s current chief of curatorial affairs and conservation, will start in his new role in July.

Martin Wong, Medici of the Aerosol Art Set
Weekend, April 10

A patron saw the beauty in graffiti when most of the world thought it was mere nuisance. Now the writing (of Lee Quiñones, Rammellzee, Futura and others) is on the museum wall.

It’s Springtime in Paris for David Hockney
Weekend, April 9

A huge new exhibition at the Louis Vuitton Foundation is a late-career retrospective with a sense of new beginnings.

American Library Association Sues to Stop Trump Cuts
Culture, April 8

The group argues that efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services imperil the nation’s libraries and violate the law.

This Is the Holocaust Story I Said I Wouldn’t Write
Magazine, April 6

For years, my friend’s father asked me to recount his childhood escape from the Nazis. Why did it take me this long?

The White House Frames the Past by Erasing Parts of It
Business, April 5

As the Trump administration pulls government websites and data offline, it is selectively stripping away the public record, letting the president declare his own version of history, archivists and historians said.

Head of African American Museum Departs As Trump Targets Smithsonian
Arts, April 4

Kevin Young, who has led the National Museum of African American History and Culture since 2021, went on leave before the president criticized the institution in an executive order.

Head of African American Museum Departs as Trump Targets Smithsonian
Culture, April 4

Kevin Young, who has led the National Museum of African American History and Culture since 2021, went on leave before the president criticized the institution in an executive order.

States Challenge Trump’s Effort to Dismantle Library Agency
Culture, April 4

In a lawsuit, 21 state attorneys general argued that the steep cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services violate the Constitution and other federal laws related to spending.

Hiding ‘Girl With a Pearl Earring’ From the Nazis
Culture, April 4

Vermeer’s masterpiece and many other important artworks survived Nazi looting and destruction with the help of hideaways and some clever diplomacy.

Ruth Asawa’s Astonishing Universe Began at Her Door
Culture, April 4

As the artist’s posthumous retrospective opens at SFMOMA, a reporter visits her family home and studio in Noe Valley, the center of her pioneering sculpture practice.

Paul McDonough, Whose Photographs Evoked Street Life, Dies at 84
Obits, April 3

His candid black-and-white images, prosaic yet provocative, captured the faces of a wide range of New Yorkers. He also took occasional side trips to the West.

What to Do in New York City in April
Weekend, April 3

Looking for something to do in New York? Experience 4/20 with Cheech & Chong, sample some of Harlem’s finest musical offerings, or go on a journey with undersea puppets.

Trump’s Order Puts the Smithsonian’s Chief in the Hot Seat
Culture, April 3

The president’s executive order demanding change at the institution presents a perilous test for Lonnie G. Bunch III, its secretary, whom the White House calls a partisan Democrat.

Everything We Ask of Art Is in These Marbles
Culture, April 3

The 2,000-year-old Torlonia collection of Roman sculptures, now at the Art Institute of Chicago, has the urgency of the greatest contemporary art.

The ‘Monstrous Beauty’ of Pretty Porcelains
Weekend, April 3

A show at the Met offers a feminist revision of Chinoiserie, a decorative style that swept through Europe in the age of empires and seeded stereotypes of Asian women.

36 Hours in Carmel, Calif.
Interactive, April 3

On California’s Central Coast, three storybook enclaves draw visitors with dramatic cliffs, sandy beaches, zany architecture and more.

At New Directors/New Films, the Faces Tell the Story
Culture, April 2

They’re the great cinematic landscape in stories as diverse as “Familiar Touch,” about dementia, and “Timestamp,” about Ukrainian schoolchildren.

DOGE Demands Deep Cuts at Humanities Endowment
Culture, April 1

The National Endowment for the Humanities, which supports museums, scholarship and historical sites, could see grants curtailed and staffing slashed by up to 80 percent.

A Lavish Party Inside the Frick’s $220 Million Renovation
Styles, April 1

A joyous reunion for art lovers at the Frick Collection’s gala offered a private viewing of iconic works from the 14th through the 19th centuries.

At the New Frick, Magicians Come Out of the Woodwork
Culture, April 1

Textile weavers, tassel-makers, lighting restorers, cabinet makers and muralists forged new traditions at the sumptuous Beaux-Arts museum.

Taking Aim at Smithsonian, Trump Wades Into Race and Biology
Culture, March 31

His executive order faulted an exhibit which “promotes the view that race is not a biological reality but a social construct,” a widely held position in the scientific community.

Lee Zeldin, E.P.A. Head, Shuts National Environmental Museum
Climate, March 31

The exhibits were dedicated to the agency’s history. Mr. Zeldin said closing the collection would save $600,000 annually.

Trump Administration Moves to Shutter Library Agency
Culture, March 31

The staff of the independent Institute of Museum and Library Services, the largest source of federal funding for museums and libraries, were put on leave.

A New Dinosaur Museum Rises From a Hole in the Ground in New Jersey
Science, March 31

The museum hopes that after learning about the planet’s prehistoric past, people will do more to preserve Earth’s future.

After 120 Years Stored in a Museum, an Indigenous Shrine Returns Home
Culture, March 30

Taken from a First Nation community in Canada, the shrine recently began a more than 3,000-mile journey back from the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

La orden ejecutiva de Trump para el Smithsonian: lo que sabemos
En español, March 29

La orden del presidente pedía frenar la independencia de la extensa red de museos y la instaba a promover la “grandeza estadounidense”.

What to Know About Trump’s Order Taking Aim at the Smithsonian
Culture, March 29

The president’s order called for curbing the independence of the sprawling network of museums and urging it to promote “American greatness.”

Last Tango in the Guggenheim
Arts & Leisure, March 29

Members of the dance company Ballet Hispánico weren’t the only ones who swirled amid the art in the museum’s rotunda during a recent presentation and tango class.

MoMA’s Hunt for a New Director Ends With the Ascension of an Insider
Culture, March 28

The Museum of Modern Art in New York is promoting Christophe Cherix, the chief curator of its drawings and prints department. It will be his first time leading an institution.

A Tropical Haven for Design and Seafood Is Back on the Tourist Map
T Style, March 28

Insider tips on where to eat, sleep and shop in the Sri Lankan city of Colombo.

Trump Calls on Smithsonian Institution to Promote ‘American Greatness’
Culture, March 28

The president complained in an executive order that the Smithsonian had advanced “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”

Climate Activists Who Threw Soup at van Gogh Painting Are Changing Tactics
Express, March 28

Just Stop Oil, the group that made headlines for high-profile stunts to protest use of fossil fuels, said it was ending protests in museums after achieving its initial demand.

The American Picture Book’s Unsung Parent: Japan
Book Review, March 28

Missing for decades from the Anglophile version of its origin story was another great visual narrative tradition, of the East.

David M. Childs, Skyline-Shaping Architect, Dies at 83
Obits, March 27

He was the chief architect of 1 World Trade Center, which soared in the wake of 9/11. As chairman of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, he left a mark on New York.

La tumba de un faraón desconocido es descubierta en Egipto
En español, March 27

La cámara funeraria probablemente perteneció a un gobernante de una línea de reyes antaño perdida para la historia, dijeron los investigadores.

Jazzed About Abstraction: Jack Whitten’s Show Is a Peak MoMA Moment
Culture, March 27

Over nearly six decades, this fantastically inventive artist experimented with paint, turning it into a sculptural medium. Our critic calls his survey “scintillating and sweeping.”

Archaeologists Find Huge Tomb of Unknown Pharaoh in Egypt
Foreign, March 27

The burial chamber most likely belonged to a ruler in a line of kings once lost to history, researchers said. “It’s a new chapter in investigating this dynasty,” one noted.

In His Play, a Guard at the Met Finds Solace in the Museum
Metro, March 27

Patrick Bringley stars in a version of his book, which tells how the Metropolitan Museum’s works of art helped him work through grief.

36 Hours in Budapest
Interactive, March 27

New museums, galleries and spruced-up parks counterbalance this Central European city’s classic architecture and thermal baths.

When the Wild Child Egon Schiele Grew Up
Culture, March 26

Some of the artist’s most psychologically insightful work came in the final years of his life — a mature period cut short by a pandemic.

How the Intrepid Moved a World War II Fighter Plane
Metro, March 13

The 33-foot Corsair, on loan from Florida, had to be “rigged up on skates” to get to the Intrepid’s hangar deck.

5 Years After Covid Closed the Theaters, Audiences Are Returning
Culture, March 12

Broadway is almost back, and pop music tours and sports events are booming. But Hollywood, museums and other cultural sectors have yet to bounce back.

Brooklyn Museum Will Lay Off Employees and Scale Back Exhibitions
Culture, February 7

The museum, which faces a projected $10 million deficit, said it planned to cut more than a tenth of its employees and mount fewer exhibitions.

California Historical Society to Dissolve and Transfer Collections to Stanford
Culture, January 28

The society faced financial challenges that were exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Its nearly 600,000 items stretch back before the Gold Rush.

The Met Museum Is Rebounding, but Not With International Visitors
Weekend, July 24

The museum said it attracted more local visitors during the past year than it did before the pandemic, but only half the international visitors.

San Francisco’s Arts Institutions Are Slowly Building Back
Culture, July 3

Although attendance remains down from prepandemic levels, the city’s arts groups are having some success getting audiences to return.

A Steadying Force for the Africa Center Is Stepping Down
Culture, April 11

Uzodinma Iweala, chief executive of the Harlem institution, will leave at the end of 2024 after guiding it through pandemic years and securing funds.

Downtown Los Angeles Places Another Big Bet on the Arts
Culture, April 9

The pandemic was tough on city centers and cultural institutions. What does that mean for Los Angeles, whose downtown depends on the arts?

Audience Snapshot: Four Years After Shutdown, a Mixed Recovery
Culture, March 12

Covid brought live performance to a halt. Now the audience for pop concerts and sporting events has roared back, while attendance on Broadway and at some major museums is still down.

Through Catastrophe, and in Community, the Art of Daniel Lind-Ramos
Weekend, May 4

A storm, a pandemic, and Black Puerto Rican history pervade his work at MoMA PS 1, with materials sourced from daily life.

Spider-Man, We Know Where You Live
Metro, February 7

Letters on display at a small museum in Brooklyn were sent to the same address in Queens as where the comic book hero lived.

Looking for Elbow Room, Louvre Limits Daily Visitors to 30,000
Culture, January 6

With attendance surging back, the museum wants to offer “a moment of pleasure” — and relieve that Mona Lisa problem.

Why One World Trade Is Winning R.T.O.
Interactive, December 13

The tower, next to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, is doing something right; it's at 94 percent occupancy.

Your Thursday Briefing: Iran’s Protests Intensify
N Y T Now, October 26

Plus Myanmar gets closer to Russia and a dire climate report.

After a Covid Contraction, Museums Are Expanding Again
Special Sections, October 20

Projects all over the country include renovations and new wings as institutions continue to bet on bricks and mortar.

San Francisco’s Art Market Struggles in the Shadow of Los Angeles
Culture, August 29

Though some small galleries are opening or expanding, the mega dealers have closed shop, a blow to an area with a vibrant artistic history.

In the Mile High City, Festivals and Food Are on the Rise
Travel, August 11

Denver has regained its prepandemic vibrancy, with a plethora of new restaurants and hotels, and the return of some old favorites.

Covid. A Coma. A Stroke. José Parlá Returns From the Edge.
Culture, July 31

After a lengthy recovery, the artist comes back with the most vigorous work he’s made: “It took me a really long time to understand what had happened to me.”

Covid Memorials Offer a Place to Put Our Grief
Culture, May 5

From “anti-monuments” to ephemeral sand portraits, four art exhibitions encourage viewers to slow down and take stock of our pandemic losses.

Manhattan Springs Back to Life
Travel, May 5

Broadway enthusiasts, art aficionados and food lovers will find new offerings in and around Times Square and in neighborhoods below 42nd Street, heralding the promise of a vibrant recovery.