Henrike Naumann, one of the two artists representing Germany at this year’s Venice Biennale, has died at the age of 41. Born in Zwickau in East Germany in 1984, Naumann was best known for installations exploring elements of German history, such as reunification and right-wing extremism. The Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations, which commissioned the German pavilion, said that Naumann had ‘conceptually complete[d]’ her work for the pavilion so that it could ‘be realised in Venice according to her artistic vision’. The pavilion, curated by Kathleen Reinhardt, will also show work by Sung Tieu. In a statement shared on the artist’s website, Naumann’s family said that the artist, who died of cancer, would ‘continue to have an impact through her works and connections’.
In other Venice Biennale news, the South African pavilion will be empty this year, a government spokesman told the Art Newspaper. Last month the department of Sports, Culture and Arts cancelled Gabrielle Goliath’s project for the pavilion and, this week, the country’s high court dismissed her attempt to overturn the decision. Goliath and the pavilion’s curator, Ingrid Masondo, intend to appeal against this latest ruling. The artist’s Elegy project (2015–ongoing) deals with violence against women and LGBTQ+ in South Africa. In Venice, she planned to show a new version addressing violence against women in Namibia and Gaza. In December the South African culture minister asked for the Gaza section to be changed, a request Goliath refused.
The Hungarian artist Dóra Maurer has died at the age of 88. Born in Budapest in 1937, Maurer studied at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts from 1955–61 under the painters Gyula Hincz and Sándor Ék before beginning her career as a printmaker. It was in the 1970s that Maurer began creating the layered, geometric works for which she is best known. A professor at her alma mater and later president of the Széchenyi Academy of Literature and Arts, Maurer had exhibitions at major institutions including Tate Modern and the Ludwig Museum in Cologne. Her work can also be found in the permanent collections of MoMA, the Centre Pompidou and the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin.
Devyani Saltzman, director for arts and participation at the Barbican, has been made redundant, The Stage reports. She will leave her post in May after just under two years in the role. Her departure comes only months after she announced a five-year plan for the venue and weeks after the new Barbican CEO Abigail Pogson, took up her post. In a statement posted on LinkedIn, Saltzman said that the role would not be replaced. The Barbican announced that her departure comes as it prepares for the ‘first stage of Barbican Renewal’ – a £240m refurbishment project that means the centre will close for a year from June 2028. Saltzman’s sudden departure has caused concern across the art world, with at least 170 cultural figures, including Salman Rushdie and John Akomfrah, signing an open letter to the Barbican expressing concerns about its commitment to diverse leadership and asking for clarification.
Plans for President Trump’s $400m White House ballroom were approved by the Commission of Fine Arts on Thursday, the New York Times reports. They were first announced in July 2025 and the White House’s East Wing was demolished in October to make room for it. The administration will now need the National Capital Planning Commission’s approval to begin construction work, which could take place – if the president has his way – within months. The Washington Post reports that a federal judge is considering whether to halt the project, while architects and conservation groups say that, at 90,000 square feet, the building is ‘too large’.
In other White House news, the New York Times reports that officials have recommended that the National Portrait Gallery, home to the President’s official portrait, should create a new section to display more images of him. The idea was said to have been floated in December. A spokesperson for the administration this week stated that ‘President Trump receives an unprecedented amount of beautiful artwork from patriotic Americans’ and that ‘it is important to the People’s President that their creations are showcased throughout the halls of our Nation’s Capital.’
The Institut du Monde Arabe has a new president: Anne-Claire Legendre, a diplomat and advisor to president Emmanuel Macron. She takes over after the resignation of Jack Lang, who resigned earlier this month after revelations about his friendship with the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
