The Artful Life: 8 Things Galerie Editors Love This Week
From the New Museum’s unveiling of a major commission by Sarah Lucas in its new outdoor plaza to the debut of Costa Brazil’s layered flagship at Hudson Yards.
1. The New Museum Launches Public Space with Major Commission by Sarah Lucas
A new public space was one of the gifts of the New Museum’s outdoor plaza on the Bowery. This week, it unveiled its very first exhibition: British artist Sarah Lucas’s Venus Victoria, ready for contemplation by anyone who walks past. Venus Victoria is a witty balloon-like nude in bright yellow high heels enthroned atop a washing machine. She waves her sprawling arms in the air like a joyful traffic cop made of noodles, injecting Lucas’s brand of sharp, zesty creativity into a busy New York day. It will be on view for the next two years as the starting point for an exciting series of woman-made public art, to be selected by an all-female all-star all-artist jury: Teresita Fernández, Joan Jonas, Julie Mehretu, Cindy Sherman, and Kiki Smith. Another four works by female artists will succeed Venus Victoria over the next ten years.—Rena Gross
2. Saint-Tropez’s Hôtel Byblos Unveils More Laura Gonzalez-Designed Suites
The fanciful interiors crafted by Laura Gonzalez layer punchy colors in an enchanting array of kaleidoscopic patterns, adding to the joie de vivre of dynamic hotel destinations like Casa Monti in Rome and the Hôtel Byblos in Saint-Tropez. Guests returning to the latter for the 2026 season will discover eight new suites—including four duplexes—and four rooms masterfully reworked by the Galerie Creative Mind, who began reimagining spaces at the heritage hotel in 2024. “I aimed to capture the warm, inviting essence of a family home in St. Tropez,” Gonzalez told Galerie at the time. “The vibrant palette of earthy tones, complemented by bold oranges and blues, mirrors the natural beauty and lively spirit of the French Riviera.” These new accommodations draw influence from the Mediterranean in rich coastal blues accented with textural highlights like patinated wood, rope, ceramics, and marquetry. In addition to the Gonzalez-designed areas, the hotel is also introducing four suites by Wanda Jelmini, a member of the Missoni family; a new fitness center with TechnoGym machines conceived by Antonio Citterio; an on-site boutique with limited-edition product collaborations; and Byblos Beach restaurant, which will serve light bites by chef Allan Gonthier under cheery orange parasols. The latest enhancements only further elevate the property’s overall atmosphere of Riviera glamour.—Jill Sieracki
3. Costa Brazil Debuts a Layered Flagship at Hudson Yards
When Francisco Costa opened the first standalone outpost for his beauty brand Costa Brazil at Hudson Yards, New York, he envisioned far more than a beauty boutique. Developed with creative partner Alexander May, the warmly appointed flagship channels the atmosphere of Costa’s Bellport home through stained black wood, concrete surfaces, and low-slung custom furnishings that encourage visitors to settle in and absorb the brand’s earthy sensibility. Two monumental 30-foot shelving structures stretch across the interior, displaying Costa Brazil’s full range of skincare, fragrance, bodycare, and home offerings alongside books from Costa’s personal library and striking polychrome pottery vessels from the Shipibo-Konibo communities of the Upper Amazon River Basin, curated by Peter Koepke. Brazilian furnishings sourced through Bossa Gallery and AALVO Gallery deepen the layered atmosphere. The store is also debuting two new products—the Breu Soap Bar and handcrafted Breu Incense—and is planning monthly conversations and rotating installations with artists and designers. —Ryan Waddoups
4. Concettina ai Tre Santi Lands in Italy’s Capital with Pop-Up at The St. Regis Rome
This month, Concettina ai Tre Santi will be serving its Michelin-recognized artisan pies at Lumen Garden during a limited-time pop-up at The St. Regis Rome. It marks the first time the famed pizzeria has landed in the Italian capital, and to celebrate, chef Ciro Oliva has unveiled a brand-new pizza inspired by the amatriciana sauce. The “Pizza Amatriciana” features a tomato sauce and guanciale base finished with crispy guanciale and Pecorino Romano. The pop-up menu also features some of Concettina’s most iconic pizzas and specialty dishes crafted by Lumen Executive Chef Francesco Donatelli. Available through May 20, a portion of the pop-up’s proceeds will benefit Altra Napoli Onlus and its mission to support culinary education for youth in Rione Sanità, which is where Concettina first began.—Alexandria Sillo
5. “Statics of an Egg” Brings 15 Japanese Artists to David Zwirner’s 52 Walker
In a 1973 film by Fujiko Nakaya, best known for her fog sculptures at Expo ‘70 and the Bilbao Guggenheim, the artist repeatedly tries to balance an egg on a flat surface. Using her own hands, she adjusts the angle, the pressure, the point of contact. Sometimes the egg holds, but mostly it doesn’t; gravity is palpable. Responding to an essay her physicist father wrote refuting the East Asian folk belief that eggs can only stand on the first day of spring, Nakaya’s film lends “Statistics of an Egg” its title and gravitational premise. Curated by Martin Germann at David Zwirner’s Tribeca outpost, the group show threads together the work of ten contemporary Japanese-born artists—including Yu Nishimura, Kenji Ide, Soshiro Matsubara, Miho Dohi, Reina Sugihara, and Ryoko Aoki—with postwar pioneers like Natsuyuki Nakanishi, Isamu Wakabayashi, and Nakaya herself. Each piece recognizes gravity in some form, whether physical, psychological, or cultural. Ide’s lauan-wood tabletop compositions hold the weight of memory in carved found objects. Sugihara’s paintings accumulate matter over months, building up heavy material layers, while Tomita builds his resin-and-ink works over years. Matsubara, working out of Vienna, fuses Butoh choreography with surrealist symbolism. See it through June 27 at 52 Walker Street, New York, N.Y. —Gogo Taubman
6. The Cabana Collection by Mish Features Hand-Carved Wood Shells Embellished with Diamonds
As fashionistas prepare for a sartorial shift into summer, colors tend to be brighter and accessories more whimsical. A longstanding favorite with the Palm Beach crowd, Mish Tworkowski produces delightful statement-making adornments using South Sea pearls, fossilized coral, and shimmering stones like pink tourmaline, blue topaz, and fire opal. His latest collection, Cabana, draws on the designer’s love of the beach with small and large nautilus, scallop, and conch shells as well as starfish, made for the first time from hand-carved wood. Produced by artisans in Italy, each of the sea-life shapes are embellished with diamonds set into a hand-twisted gold net. Available as an attention-grabbing necklace or charm bracelet when dangling from an 18k gold rope with signature toggle close as well as matching earclips, the Cabana collection is a dreamy step into summer soirees.—J.S.
7. The Glenrothes Reveals a Dramatic Redesign of Its Private Scottish Estate
The Glenrothes has unveiled a sweeping redesign of its private Speyside estate in collaboration with Studio Indigo, transforming the 4,500-square-foot manor house into a richly atmospheric retreat tucked within 300 acres of Scottish countryside. Inside the stone-clad residence, moody wallpaper, antique mirrors, and artwork from the Royal Scottish Academy mingle beneath sculptural chandeliers whose brass branches reference native flora such as Scotch broom and astrantia. Water, central to the distillery’s whisky-making process, threads throughout the interiors. In the formal dining room, artist Tess Newall hand-painted a deep blue mural depicting the distillery and its private springs while a lacquered ceiling gleams like a still loch. Studio Indigo revived original furnishings with fresh upholstery in Scottish tweeds, woolens, and sumptuous velvets sourced from local mills. Elsewhere, a glass-lined orangery gazes onto the River Spey while a monumental Scottish oak banqueting table by artisan Steven Burgess snakes with a dark resin inlay inspired by the nearby Burn of Rothes. —R.W.
8. New Title Revisits the Revolutionary Spirit of Jean-Michel Basquiat
A captivating new title from Assouline presents late artist Jean-Michel Basquiat through the community and world that formed around him during his career and after his untimely death. Basquiat: The World of Jean-Michel features text by Colour Themes, Bruno Bischofberger, and other contributors, including George Condo and Lenny Kravitz, alongside over two hundred artworks and archival photographs from his life. “This is a project that goes beyond an overview or specific aspect of Basquiat’s multifaceted art,” reflects Bruno Bischofberger, a Swiss art dealer and collector. The book revisits major themes in Basquiat’s work with the clamshell serving as a special tribute to his penchant for untraditional mediums.—A.S.