As 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the auction house Christie's is hosting multiple auctions later this month as part of "Americana Week." Was I the only one who didn't know that Jimmy Carter was also a painter? The lots include a painting by that president, Gilbert Stuart's portrait of George Washington for James Madison, and Grant Wood's original study for "American Gothic" (1930).
And what a year it's gonna be for the city's gallery-botherers, with blockbuster exhibition after blockbuster exhibition on the way over the next twelve months. There's monumental sculpture, pointillist landscapes and flashy photography, massive names from Renoir to Hockney, and so many big shows by women that the Guerrilla Girls might have to get a new schtick. RECOMMENDED: The best theatre shows in London for 2026.
A double dose of alma is on tap at the library's West Branch with tamales karaoke, a song session for tweens, teens and anyone who wants to unleash their inner Bad Bunny (or Selena), combining pop songs with a yummy Mexican dish.
The Napa Lighted Art Festival is a celebration of creative arts, technology and lights, and supports innovative techniques using light and light technologies as a growing art medium. This walkable outdoor experience is free in Downtown Napa, featuring 15 lighted art installations for 5 weeks from January 17 - February 15, 2026. Projection artwork will be displayed on three iconic downtown buildings for the first 9 nights of the festival: January 17-25, 2026.
The Napa Lighted Art Festival is a celebration of creative arts, technology and lights, and supports innovative techniques using light and light technologies as a growing art medium. This walkable outdoor experience is free in Downtown Napa, featuring 15 lighted art installations for 5 weeks from January 17 - February 15, 2026. Projection artwork will be displayed on three iconic downtown buildings for the first 9 nights of the festival: January 17-25, 2026.
When Cjay Roughgarden was crafting what would become the largest public art installation in Golden Gate Park's history, she sought inspiration from her favorite children's book. The Richmond-based artist and fabricator has long been captivated by the story of "Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent," a 1975 tale of an enormous maritime monster who is urged by a shark to sink a boat of civilians, but overcomes the peer pressure to save them from the dangers at sea.
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Whether you want to catch a cool concert or the Golden Globes, or just settle down to a decadent lasagna dinner, we are here for you. So let's get to it, shall we? (As always, be sure to double check event and venue websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines or other details.) Meanwhile, if you'd like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.
WooJung Park + 22 Category: Churches, Memorial Center Architects: Woojin Lim, Yunseok Kwak (AEV Architectures) + Jungim Yoo + Yunhee Lee (TONN Architect) Participating Artists: Andrea Roggi, Ignazio Campagna, Jeeyean Shim, Soon-phil Maeng More SpecsLess Specs WooJung Park Text description provided by the architects. A Place of Memory and Reconciliation Created by Light In the tranquil village of Mangyeong, located three hours south of Seoul, a deeply meaningful commemorative space has been established.
Located on Jambiani beach along Zanzibar's east coast, Drifting Cloud is a by Vincent Leroy that interacts directly with the wind. The sculptural work is constructed from carbon rods, joints, and kite- discs, forming a lightweight structure capable of responding to subtle air currents. The installation's modular components move independently while remaining part of a connected whole, generating a dynamic, constantly changing composition. Movements vary according to wind strength, ranging from fine vibrations to broader gestures, producing an organized yet unpredictable rhythm.
Supporting existing research on the benefits of viewing original artwork versus reproductions, a new study found that seeing authentic art can help drop cortisol levels, among other positive effects on the nervous system. Still in pre-print since its submission last October, "The Physiological Impact of Viewing Original Artworks vs. Reprints: a Comparative Study" was conducted by researchers from the Department of Psychological Medicine at King's College in London working in collaboration with the Courtauld Institute of Art.
"Spirit is Life. It flows thru the death of me endlessly like a river unafraid of becoming the sea." -Gregory Corso ST. LOUIS - At 2,340 miles, the "mighty" Mississippi River borders no fewer than eight American states. Missouri is among them, where the city of St. Louis has been the site of both tenacious (and pugnacious) expansionist gusto and, in the wake of midcentury de-industrialization, precipitous decline.
LOS ANGELES Alan Jackson, the high-power attorney representing Nick Reiner in the stabbing death of his parents, producer-actor-director Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner, withdrew from the case Wednesday. Reiner will now be represented by public defender Kimberly Greene. Wearing a brown jumpsuit, Reiner, 32, didn't enter a plea during the brief hearing. A judge has rescheduled his arraignment for Feb. 23.
Now, the nation's largest distributor of print books to public libraries Baker & Taylor is set for imminent closure. For nearly 200 years, Baker & Taylor has played a key role in getting books from manufacturers to warehouses to library patrons' hands. Partnering with more than 5,000 U.S. libraries, the company has been a staple in the industry, selling books at wholesale prices and providing them with labels and lamination so libraries don't have to.
A Parisian court has found 10 individuals, including a French gallerist, guilty of cyberbullying France's First Lady Brigitte Macron in a crackdown against a widespread conspiracy that she was born male. Among the individuals convicted on Monday, December 5, was 56-year-old art dealer Bertrand Scholler, who is listed as an owner of the gallery 55 Bellechasse, blocks from the Rodin Museum in Paris's 7th arrondissement.
Renowned for his classic pin-up illustrations, Al Moore created a series of elegant, playful images that appeared in a 1950 calendar. These works capture the optimism and charm of postwar American visual culture. h/t: vintag.es Before turning to art, Moore had an unusual path: he played college football at Northwestern University and briefly for the Chicago Bears. After studying at Chicago's Art Institute and Academy of Art, he opened a commercial studio in New York in the late 1930s.
For this exhibition, Reinecke presents variations of leisure activities in an imaginary wooded landscape and cozy warm interiors infused with sentimentality. Reinecke highlights common outdoor activities such as hiking, swimming and fishing to simple domestic pleasures such as applying nail polish to a loved ones toes upon a green shag carpet in front of a blazing fire ( Cherries in the Snow, 2025).
