Posts for January, 2026

Congratulations to Carla Grace, for winning People’s Choice Award!

“ ‘Pride’ is an oil painting created on linen in collaboration with the Kevin Richardson Foundation. During a trip to South Africa, Carla and Kevin walked alongside the lions depicted in this painting and photographed them using a drone over five days. In the studio, Carla combined seven different images, skillfully unifying them through the use of shadow and light. After three months of dedicated painting, the final artwork tells the story of six lions who have been rescued, fought for their survival, and been given a second chance. This painting aims to immortalize the lives of key iconic lions that have raised awareness among millions about the canned lion industry, the abuse of circus animals, and more.”

Click here to see the People’s Choice Award!  

The mid-1800s in France was a tumultuous era that witnessed dramatic political, social, and cultural change. The impact of those transformations on the art of the period has often been measured by the painting and sculpture shown at government-sponsored Salons, Universal Expositions, and other prominent exhibition venues, which tended to uphold official narratives of progress.

Yet a focus on more private media, such as printmaking and photography, tells a different story. In fact, many artists felt at odds with their era’s celebration of material advancement and modernization.

Rejecting the prevailing current, such figures—described as “Shadow Visionaries” for this exhibition—chose dark subject matter oriented toward the irrational, spiritual, and fantastical. They used the distinctive characteristics of black-and-white media to convey intense emotions, while producing works of unsparing directness and rare beauty. Although some of the Shadow Visionaries evoked nostalgia, others dreamed boldly toward an alternate future, anticipating later art movements such as Symbolism and Surrealism.

Running from December 20, 2025 – March 8, 2026, the exhibition will be on display at The Clark Art Institute, 225 South St., Williamstown, MA 01267.

Click here to learn more.  

Visit the ARC Calendar for more events and exhibitions.

For the first time in history, see all nine of Jan van Eyck’s portraits together. 

Portraiture as we know it begins with van Eyck. His vision and skill launched painting into a new era of unrivalled realism.

Breathing life into van Eyck’s world, the exhibition introduces the men and women he spent his life around. They are not kings, queens and aristocrats; they are successful craftsmen, merchants and the artist’s relatives. This is a story of people. This is the moment when access to art widened. 

Precious and fragile, van Eyck’s paintings rarely travel, including 'The Arnolfini Portrait'. This is one of the most popular paintings in our collection and has only ever left the Gallery once in over 100 years. The exhibition marks the first and only time these works can be brought together. 

The exhibition runs until April 11, 2027 at The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London, UK. 

To learn more, click here. 

For more events, visit the ARC Calendar.

Tracing the trials and tribulations of the legendary Medici dynasty and their influence, power, and patronage over the Italian Renaissance, this evocative exhibition arrives in the United States for the first time, offering visitors to The AGB a rare opportunity to experience over 60 paintings of Renaissance portraiture and artifacts from the Stibbert Museum in Florence, Italy.

The exhibition runs from December 13, 2025 – April 12, 2026 at the AGB Museum of Art, 800 E Palmetto St., Lakeland, FL 33801.

To learn more, click here. 

For more events and exhibitions, visit the ARC Calendar.

The MEAM presents a new edition of REALISM 26. Figure and Time, an international exhibition celebrating the strength and vitality of contemporary figurative realism. Painting and sculpture come together in a journey that shows the diversity of approaches and languages within current realism, from hyperrealism to freer expressionism. The exhibition reflects on the body, time and identities, offering a renewed look at the human condition in a world saturated with images and speed. With artists from different countries, REALISM 26 invites the public to stop, observe and reconnect with the emotion and truth of figuration, consolidating the MEAM as a reference space for contemporary figurative art.

The exhibition runs from January 6 – May 17, 2026 at the MEAM Museum, Carrer de la Barra de Ferro, 5, Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, Spain.

For more information, click here. 

Visit the ARC Calendar for more events and exhibitions.

Inspired by breakthroughs in industry and technology, visual culture in the final quarter of the 19th century in France expanded well beyond the traditional media of painting, sculpture, and drawing to include advances in printmaking, photography, decorative arts, and fashion. Yet, 150 years later, French Impressionism single-handedly defines this period at American art museums. Unpacking the reasons why, Collecting Impressionism at LACMA offers a surprising narrative about the people and artists who shaped LACMA, interrogating how trends in "taste" inform the museum’s collection.

From early acquisitions of American and California Impressionism to donations of paintings by Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro from major Hollywood collectors, art was a tool of cultural legitimization that helped the institution grow in tandem with a developing city. Collecting Impressionism at LACMA illuminates the ways in which museum collections are constructed, and by extension, suggests how visitors can read the museum as a site of changing taste and changing narratives.

The exhibition takes place at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wiltshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036 from December 21, 2025 – January 3, 2027.

Click here for more information.

Visit the ARC Calendar for more events.  

Devoted to Frida Kahlo’s life and legacy, Frida: The Making of an Icon premieres at the MFAH in January 2026. This monumental exhibition features more than 30 works by the legendary Mexican artist and 120 by five generations of artists she inspired.

Departing from the traditional retrospective format, the exhibition revolves around a selection of Kahlo’s masterworks, memorabilia, and documents from her archives, as well as a vast array of works from artists across artistic and social movements who were inspired by her practice. A special gallery addresses the status of Kahlo’s legacy as a pop-culture figure.

The exhibition runs from January 19 - May 17, 2026 at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, 1144 Binz St. Houston, TX 77004.

To learn more, click here.  

For more events and exhibitions, visit the ARC Calendar.

This is a portrait drawing workshop where the student will learn the way Masters of the Renaissance and Baroque used to draw when pencils didn't exist yet. With 3 crayons, you can create some of the most beautiful, expressive portraits you'll ever draw.

In this workshop with Milixa Morón students work from live model and learn how limitation becomes freedom.

In this workshop, students will:

- Improve likeness and depth

- Understand light and form faster

- Create powerful portraits with confidence

-Experience a classical technique that still feels contemporary

The workshop runs from February 16-18 at MIFA, 5900 NW 74th Ave, Miami, FL 33166.

Click here to learn more.  

For more information, email info@mifamiami.com or call 305-470-0009.

This display celebrates the recent acquisition by the British Museum of two rare 17th-century drawings by prominent English portrait painters Samuel Cooper (1609–72) and Richard Gibson (1615–90).

Both artists were part of a thriving artistic community that grew in London in the second half of the 17th century. The circle also included leading painters Sir Peter Lely (1618–80), Charles Beale (1660–1714 or 26) and Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646–1723). Their world is reflected in the drawings selected for this display – informal and intimate portraits of family members, friends, tradespeople and servants, as well as of fellow artists.

The exhibition runs until January 25, 2026 at the British Museum, Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG. UK.

For more information, please click here.  

Visit the ARC Calendar for more events and exhibitions.

2 Week Intensive - July 6-17, 2026

In this workshop, students will work from a live model and draw inspiration from the great sculptural masterpieces of Rome.

Over a two week period, each participant will complete a 22 inch clay figure. A strong emphasis will be placed on capturing the dynamic movement of the figure, including aspects of gesture, volume, proportions, and anatomy in space. Concepts such as the golden section, dynamic symmetry, and “disegno” will be introduced, alongside historical design elements and the exploration of anatomical rhythms, known as “rhuthmós.”

Throughout the workshop, students will benefit from instructor led demonstrations, as well as individual and group critiques, which will incorporate principles from 15th to 19th century figurative sculpture. Complementing the class, there will be discussions about the phenomenological approach and observing model likeness.

There will also be several field trips to museums and churches to draw from and study the works of the great masters, immersing students in the beauty of Rome.

Participants will have the opportunity to package their 22 inch clay figure for carry on travel, perfect for bringing your work home with you. A custom sized wooden box will be provided for this purpose.

The workshop fee includes armature, clay and use of tools.

To learn more, visit the following link: The Dynamic Figure in Clay | The Rome Workshops

The Art Renewal Center® is pleased to present the winners and finalists of the 18^th International ARC Salon Competition.

For the first seven days that the results are live on the ARC website, from January 5 – January 11^th, we will be holding an election for our People's Choice Award! Visitors to the ARC website can vote for up to 10 of their favorite finalists or winning works. To view the results and place your votes, please visit the results pages.