arts6.06 min read
Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins Passes at 95, Leaving a Lasting Imprint on the Genre
1 hour ago•Source: NBC News
Arts News
The latest arts stories, summarized by AI
Featured Arts Stories
View original source
4.415 min•3 hours ago
Daniel Harding Named Next Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Daniel Harding has been named the Los Angeles Philharmonic's next music director, effective for the 2027/28 season on a six-year contract, as Gustavo Dudamel departs in 2026 to lead the New York Philharmonic but will remain connected as artistic laureate. Harding will oversee programming across LAPhil venues including Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and the Ford, alongside YOLA, and will conduct eight weeks in his first season (rising to 12 weeks later). He brings an acclaimed international conducting career and also works as an airline pilot, a parallel life he says informs his artistry; he will conduct as music director designate in late 2026/early 2027.
13.735 min•16 hours ago
Jazz Titan Sonny Rollins Passes at 95, Leaving an Unclassifiable Sound
More Top Stories
2
Colorful Heist Highlights Fashion’s Ethical Fault Lines
CNN•4 days ago
3
Elim Chan Breaks Ground as San Francisco Symphony Names Its First Female Music Director
The New York Times•4 days ago
More Arts Stories
A Painting-Dance Duet Reimagines Space at Marian Goodman
Mehretu teams with choreographer John Jasperse for Wandering, a performance weaving dancers through Mehretu’s translucent TRANSpaintings at Marian Goodman Gallery to make painting and movement influence each other. The project aims to treat both media as interdependent, creating a space where abstraction and representation mingle, using the gallery’s architecture and layered bodies to offer a living, evolving experience rather than a backdrop. Soundscapes on different floors deepen the immersive effect as viewers navigate the intimate, multi-level installation.
Christie’s $1.1B Art Night Breaks Records, Driven by Kidman Spotlight
Christie’s New York auction hauled in $1.1 billion in one evening, led by Brancusi’s Danaïde at $107.6 million and Pollock’s Number 7A, 1948 at $181.2 million, with Nicole Kidman starring in a promotional video for Danaïde as part of the Newhouse collection push—signaling a rebound in the top tier of the art market, even as buyers and observers note lingering questions about sustainability and the market’s long-term health.
Pollock drip masterpiece fetches $181 million at Christie's, setting a new auction record
Jackson Pollock's Number 7A, 1948 sold for $181 million at Christie's in New York, setting a new record for the artist and ranking as the fourth-most expensive work ever sold at auction; the sale from SI Newhouse's private collection included a Brancusi sculpture that fetched $107.6 million, the second-highest price for a sculpture at auction. Pollock's drip technique helped define abstract expressionism, and the previous pollock auction record was $61.2 million for Number 17, 1951 in 2021.
Nature's Patterns Come Into Focus in a Pandemic-Inspired Photo Essay
Photographer Jon McCormack turned pandemic-era beach walks into a years-long study of nature's patterns, producing the monograph Patterns: Art of the Natural World. From dunes that read as line drawings to micro-organisms seen through a microscope, his images reveal recurring motifs across deserts, glaciers, and wildlife. Using a long telephoto lens and focus stacking, he captures close-ups from remote expeditions and near-home scenes, aiming to make nature feel accessible to everyone and inspire its protection.
Lauder Heir Donates Klimt Masterpiece and Neue Galerie to the Met, Merging Two Museums
Ronald S. Lauder, Estée Lauder heir, will donate the entire Neue Galerie—along with Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I valued at $135 million and 13 additional Klimt works—to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, effectively merging the two institutions by 2028 and expanding the Met’s holdings of early 20th‑century German and Austrian art.
Beyoncé, Swift, and Weezer Enter the Nation’s Permanent Sound Registry
The Library of Congress announced the 2026 class of the National Recording Registry, honoring influential recordings across genres including Beyoncé’s Single Ladies, Taylor Swift’s 1989, Weezer’s Blue Album, Chaka Khan’s I Feel for You, the Go-Go’s Beauty and the Beat, and more, recognizing their cultural, historical, or artistic importance and preserving them for future generations.
The Flip Pinball Museum Moves to the Loop, Expanding to Downtown Space
Chicago’s only nonprofit pinball museum, The Flip, is relocating from Pilsen to Block 37 in the Loop this summer, growing from 550 to 2,900 square feet, with ticketed admission at the new site and more than 30 playable machines plus exhibits on the game’s history.
Venice Biennale 2026: Provocation, Mourning, and AI Futures in Focus
The 2026 Venice Biennale offers a spectrum of provocative pieces—from Florentina Holzinger’s nude, postapocalyptic pavilion to Lydia Ourahmane’s coin-operated, Venice-inspired installation and Ukraine’s journey of an origami deer—alongside Sanya Kantarovsky’s seance-like paintings and a wave of AI-inspired works in the Arsenale; the mood weaves stark political and personal mourning with bursts of inventive, boundary-pushing art under the In Minor Keys banner.
New York Art Week 2026: A Citywide Sprint Through Fairs, Galleries, and Museums
New York Art Week 2026 stitches together Frieze New York, NADA, TEFAF New York, Independent, gallery openings, museum shows, and auction previews across uptown to downtown (May 13–19), offering three curated routes—Uptown, Chelsea, and Downtown—plus talks, gallery walks, and a Whitney Biennial tie‑in; most gallery openings and auction previews are free, fairs require tickets, and a Google Map helps navigate the stops.
Glamour and Grands Pas: Stars Fill NYCB Spring Gala for Creation & Preservation
The New York City Ballet’s Spring Gala, 'Set in Stone: Creation & Preservation,' at Lincoln Center featured the premiere of Symphonie Espagnole choreographed by Tiler Peck with costumes by Robert Perdziola, a guest violin performance by Hilary Hahn, and a Diamonds segment from Balanchine’s Jewels in Karinska costumes; the night drew numerous celebrities and raised about $3.2 million to support NYCB programs, family initiatives, and education outreach.