Weekly Newsletter
Explore The Met’s latest Raphael exhibit, discover a curator’s insights on community engagement, catch shows in New York and LA, and enjoy an April Fools’ special edition.
Salvador Dalí’s depictions of Christ remain some of his most debated works. Do they distance us from spirituality or draw us nearer to transcendence? This week, Ed Simon explores Dalí’s “nuclear mysticism,” a blend of quantum physics and Catholic belief, resulting in a Crucifixion that was attacked twice due to its unsettling nature.
For a weekend of spiritual or secular exploration, Emily Drew Miller uses matzah to analyze political divides in the Jewish faith; Natalie Haddad guides us through The Met’s new Raphael exhibit; and curator Ryan N. Dennis recounts her path from community involvement to leadership.
Also: Discover our exclusive interview with the unidentified woman from numerous gallery press photos and enjoy our 2026 April Fools edition. This annual Hyperallergic tradition reminds us that humor is essential to revolution.
—Valentina Di Liscia, senior editor
Salvador Dalí’s Frustrating Vision of the Divine
Dalí’s “Nuclear Mysticism” forsakes worldly richness for metaphysical austerity. | Ed Simon
Mondays at Pratt Institute: Weekly Openings of Work by Graduating Artists
Enjoy free public access to Pratt Shows, featuring MFA and BFA works in Brooklyn, New York, this spring.
Learn more
News
- Melvin Edwards, known for his groundbreaking abstractions, has passed away at 88.
- Marica Vilcek, an advocate for immigrant artists and scientists, has died at 89.
- Colorado is considering becoming the first state to establish Artist Corporations, a new business model aimed at securing intellectual property rights and enhancing healthcare access for cultural workers.
- Organizers report over 8 million people protested against Trump in 3,300 demonstrations nationwide last weekend. View our images from New York’s No Kings’s Day marches.
- In a swift heist lasting less than three minutes, thieves stole $10 million in artwork by Renoir, Cézanne, and Matisse from a small museum in northern Italy.
- A decade after the Arts of Africa became an independent department at the Brooklyn Museum, the institution is creating a permanent space for its collection of more than 4,500 pieces.
Tonika Lewis Johnson: Segregation and How to Disrupt It
Join us on April 15 for a discussion with social justice artist and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Tonika Lewis Johnson, alongside Hyperallergic Senior Editor Valentina Di Liscia.
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From Our Critics
Kamrooz Aram Breaks Down the Grid
Kamrooz Aram challenges the structure of the grid, rather than dismantling Western modernism or reinstating Islamic visual themes. | Aruna D’Souza
Juan Uslé’s Childhood Shipwrecks
A retrospective at Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid charts Uslé’s evolution from a Spanish shipwreck to his artistic revival in New York City. | Lauren Moya Ford
A Palestinian-American Photographer’s Intimate Gaze
Dean Majd’s decade-long project captures personal moments with his inner circle, exploring masculinity. | Aaron Boehmer
Turner and Constable Hit the Screen
A film attempts to bring the rivalry between these two masters to life, with sweeping views of historic English landscapes. | Michael Glover
Guides: April Shows to See
New York City: Margaret Curtis’s critique of American narratives, Marsden Hartley’s everyday items, and Wendy Red Star’s beadwork-inspired installation.
Los Angeles: David Alekhuogie’s bold collages, Hannah Tishkoff’s poetic visuals, a renowned Angeleno printmaking studio, and images of Palestinian journalists.
Upstate New York: Lisa Karrer’s “warm technology,” Deirdre O’Connell’s affectionate portraits, and Caleb Weintraub’s imaginative worlds.
More to Read
Inside the Met Museum’s Historic Raphael Exhibition
“Requesting loans of Raphael’s works is akin to asking for a royal heir,” noted Carmen C. Bambach, curator of the first comprehensive U.S. exhibition of the artist. | Natalie Haddad
Taking a Seat at Robert Therrien’s Table
The Broad invites us into Robert Therrien’s world, where oversized tables and chairs give way to more elusive and personal creations. | Matt Stromberg
Nine Lessons on My Path From Engagement to Leadership
My career has been marked by efforts to bridge gaps: between curatorial and educational roles, institutions and communities, and the past and potential future of museums. | Ryan N. Dennis
15 Art Books for Your Spring Reading List
Highlights include Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s first catalog in 25 years, Molly Crabapple’s chronicle of the Jewish Bund, and a photographer’s depiction of a Southern Black waterway.
An Artist Embraces the Metaphorical Cracks of Matzah
“These images’ fractures mirror the current disconnect among Jewish individuals,” Emily Drew Miller shared with Hyperallergic. | Isa Farfan
Opportunities in April 2026
Discover residencies, fellowships, grants, and open calls from the Banff Centre, Vilcek Foundation, and others in our monthly opportunities roundup for artists, writers, and art professionals.
Art Movements: Frieze Partners With … the Whitney?
Additionally, the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts director retires, the Speed Museum’s new residents, and a sneak peek at engaging art!
A View From the Easel
“Creating a successful mold still feels magical to me!”
In Memoriam: Remembering Glen Baxter, Pat Steir, Melvin Edwards
This week, we remember an absurdist cartoonist, a pioneering feminist artist, and a sculptor who explored America’s violent history.
Required Reading
This week: Calida Rawles’s exploration of Blackness and water, the artists who defined Fire Island, translating literature during the Tehran blackout, the shortcomings of weather apps, and more from the web.
