Posts by Forbes Washington DC
Nick Doyle’s “Mirror, Mirror” Turns the American Dream Inside Out
Nick Doyle, Mirror, Mirror, 2026. Photo: Guillaume Ziccarelli. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin Those who see cracks in the American Dream often see it as a mythic, multilevel symbolic imaginary, strategically crafted to colonize the psyche with aspirational goals and systems of values more aligned with Hollywood than with America’s economic realities. Artist Nick…
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Read MoreShaggy, a Perfect Sunset and $6.3 Million: Inside the 2026 Whitney Gala
Shaggy and Fern Tessler. Jason Lowrie/BFA.com A fiery sunset ignited the sky above the Whitney Museum of American Art on Tuesday (May 19), as a vibrant mix of artists and industry insiders gathered for the 2026 Whitney Gala. A cornerstone of New York’s arts and philanthropy calendar, this year’s fundraiser gala honored contemporary visual artist…
Read MoreMelting Mountain Ice Is Bringing Ancient Secrets to the Surface. Archaeologists Are Racing to Find the Artifacts Before They’re Lost to Time
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In Norway’s highest mountains, experts are scouring perilous terrain for pieces of the past, long stored in mint condition in ice patches. As temperatures rise across the world, glacial archaeologists must find the emerging artifacts before they degrade forever Anna Fiorentino | Freelance writer May 21, 2026 2:52 p.m. This arrow with a pressure-flaked arrowhead…
Read MoreGlobal Art Biennials: Renovation, Revelation—or Repetition?
A new atmosphere seems to be emerging across today’s global biennials that is grounded in immersion, affect and a carefully calibrated sense of experience. Photo: Alessandro Brasile, courtesy Diriyah Biennale Foundation Recent controversies surrounding major biennials suggest that these exhibitions are anything but neutral cultural platforms. The 2022 edition of documenta, curated by the Indonesian…
Read MoreAt TEFAF New York, the Masterpiece Market Had Plenty to Celebrate
With lines stretching down Park Avenue on the preview day, TEFAF New York made its triumphant return. Photo: JITSKE NAP For four days, TEFAF brought its unmistakable European flair to New York’s Park Avenue Armory, gathering 90 exhibitors that mounted presentations showcasing everything from modern and contemporary masterpieces to antiques, decorative arts and jewelry. While…
Read MoreArtists to Watch: Future Fair and 1-54’s Best Discoveries
Future Fair and 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair ran a short walk from each other in Chelsea. Courtesy Future Fair Colette Levette at Gillian Jason Colette LaVette, Umbilical Roots, 2026. Courtesy the artist and Gillian Jason A solo booth dedicated to Levette by London gallery Gillian Jason was extremely well received and sold out almost…
Read MorePainter Renée Levin’s Unhurried Eye
Renée Levin. Courtesy Renée Levin What makes a flower petal, a pearl or a seashell special? On the canvases of Renée Levin, who paints their details writ large, the formation of these objects becomes a kind of miracle. Her go-to motif—extremely detailed objects set against plain backgrounds—is a way of exploring and sharing that miracle.…
Read MoreFive Works That Stole the Show at Frieze New York
Sarah Sze, Badlands (2026) Many years ago, I profiled Sarah Sze (b. 1969) for this publication. Digging into her work and personality, I found her to be a bona fide genius—she was later named an actual genius with a MacArthur Grant—but I found myself wondering what it would be like to collect her. The question…
Read MoreDoes the Experience of Beauty Show Up in the Brain? With Electrodes and a Museum Collection of Artifacts, These Neuroscientists Aim to Find Out
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Researchers are tracing the brain and body’s response to aesthetic expression in search of a scientific value to art Manuela Callari May 15, 2026 7:30 a.m. By studying brain waves, heart rate and shifts in neurotransmitters and hormones, researchers aim to quantify the experiences of beauty and art. Illustration by Emily Lankiewicz. Images from: Wahyu…
Read MoreWhy a Single 5.51-Carat Diamond Commanded $17.3 Million in Geneva
The Ocean Dream diamond headlined Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction in Geneva. CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2026 There are high-quality diamonds, and then there are the diamonds that exist in a category so singular that the usual vocabulary of the trade barely applies. The fancy, vivid blue-green Ocean Dream, which sold yesterday (May 13) in Christie’s Magnificent…
Read MoreBezos Family’s $100M Gift to NYC’s Robin Hood Honors Jackie Bezos
Jeff Bezos pictured with his parents, Miguel and Jackie, at the National Portrait Gallery on Dec. 8, 2016, in Washington, D.C. Photo by Molly Riley/AFP via Getty Images The Bezos family is committing $100 million to New York City’s Robin Hood, the city’s largest poverty-fighting nonprofit. The funds are part of a Robin Hood campaign…
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