Designers of New York’s New Museum, SANAA have captivated London with their sleek, organic Serpentine Pavilion.

Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa started the firm in 1995, but it’s their minimalist projects of the past decade that have brought them international acclaim. From the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Japan to the Zollverein School in Germany, their buildings reveal an abstract approach to the investigation of space. Read More »

One of the most important Chinese artists of his time, painter, sculptor, and performance artist Zhang Huan is limited only by his imagination.

Zhang began his career creating performance pieces that confronted authority and tested his endurance. Now, with countless ideas, unlimited space and manpower, and endless opportunities to exhibit his work, he’s making massive paintings from temple ash, giant copper and animal-skin sculptures, and enormous works on paper in a 75-acre Shanghai studio that employs more than 100 assistants. Read More »

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Deitch Projects has mounted a large, spirited exhibition to honor the memory of the artist Dash Snow, who died at 27 from a drug overdose at the Lafayette Hotel in New York on July 13. Organized by gallery director Kathy Grayson, with the help of Snow’s friends and family, the show opened at 76 Grand Street on Friday and runs through August 15. Read More »

As Lance Armstrong cycled toward the finish in the Tour de France, his foundation, in conjunction with Nike, mounted a benefit art exhibition, STAGES, to engage the creative community in the fight against cancer. Taking place at Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, one of Paris’ premiere art venues, STAGES — whose title references both the daily parts of the race and the phases of cancer — offers a lively group of artworks by 20 established and emerging artists.

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One might think that after the Venice Biennale opened, Art Basel came and went, and the Athens Biennial added more to consider, the art world would be ready for a summer break, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. After returning from Europe, New York has offered one art event after the next. Read More »

This summer, Creative Time launches New York’s first public art quadrennial, PLOT, with The World & Nearer Ones, an exhibition on Governors Island featuring 19 individual artists and artist collectives from nine different countries. Minutes away from Manhattan and Brooklyn by ferry, Governors Island in New York Harbor was home to the US military for more than 200 years, but now its fortresses, officer’s houses, chapel, theater, and other sites hold contemporary art. Exhibition curator Mark Beasley divides the work, which engages the island’s history and future, between indoor and outdoor locales — making the discovery of the artists’ projects an adventure. Read More »

Alluring and timeless, Julie Heffernan‘s paintings are self-portraits that place her in an enchanting world of make-believe. Heffernan’s new works on view at Mark Moore Gallery in Santa Monica, California, portray the artist merged with nature and society in surreal, psychological ways.

In one, she wears a headdress of birds perching in woven branches, holding an extravagantly plumed beast in her hand, while surrounded by construction tractors at her feet. In another, she is woven into a fantastic forest of fruit, while tiny lions and tigers play below. Read More »

British fashion photographer Miles Aldridge credits luck for the reason he became a photographer. When he pitched photos of his girlfriend to help her become a model for British Vogue, the magazine’s editors ended up preferring his talent to her look. That was the mid-1990s, and since then, Aldridge’s career has skyrocketed. Working for Vogue Italia, Numero, Paradis, and The New York Times Magazine, he has established himself as an inventive artist with an acute sense of color and impeccable eye for style.

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What works did international art dealers, curators and collectors consider the most impressive at the 53rd Venice Biennale? It was surprising how consistently the same names came up. The US Pavilion (images here) ranked high, even before it was voted best pavilion of this year. And Elmgreen & Dragset’s “The Collectors” (images here) was another favorite. And everyone was impressed with Francois Pinault’s Punta della Dogana (images here).  Read More »

Neo Rauch, Ettape. David Zwirner, New York and Galerie Eigen + Art, Berlin/Leipzig

As Venice settles down to a calmer flow of visitors to the Biennale throughout the summer, the art-world caravan has journeyed to Switzerland for the 40th edition of the world’s most prestigious fair, Art Basel. Collectors stormed the booths of their favorite galleries at the preview, making quick acquisitions of high quality modern and contemporary art.

More than 300 international galleries are showing work in a variety of media by more than 2,500 artists. With the exception of the sections of the fair offering emerging art and experimental projects, most dealers have been cautious to bring the best work by known artists — a strategy that is already paying off. Read More »