Hauser & Wirth has announced the addition of a Palo Alto location to its 17 global galleries.
Hauser & Wirth will open its first Bay Area gallery in Palo Alto in spring 2026, expanding its California presence to three locations. The new space, housed in a former post office near Stanford University, will be renovated by architect Luis Laplace. While other major galleries have retreated from the region in recent years, Hauser & Wirth appears to be making a more strategic, long-term investment in the area’s influential collector base. Local patrons, including Komal Shah, cited the gallery’s ties to the community and confidence in its ability to foster meaningful programming.
The finaglings of a late “fake philanthropist” have New York’s uppermost echelon up in arms.
Intelligencer reports that the late Matthew Christopher Pietras embedded himself in New York’s elite arts institutions by posing as a wealthy philanthropist, donating millions he had quietly embezzled from employers like Courtney Sale Ross and Greg Soros. His extravagant lifestyle—helicopter rides, luxury galas, and private jets—masked a web of lies that extended to falsified documents, stolen funds, and a carefully curated persona. Though many in his orbit suspected inconsistencies, Pietras’ access and apparent generosity shielded him from scrutiny until a promised $15 million gift to the Met Opera failed to arrive. Days later, he was found dead, leaving behind unanswered questions, a stunned social circle, and a major fraud scandal roiling the city’s cultural institutions.
Ignazio Gardella’s modernist agriculture pavilion in Milan has been demolished.
Ignazio Gardella’s Padiglione dell’Agricoltura, built in the early 1960s for Milan’s trade fairgrounds, has been demolished to make way for a new RAI production center. The pavilion, once a key feature of the Fiera Campionaria, stood out for its blend of modernist materials and Milanese design cues, including red clinker bricks and Vicenza stone. Though recognized in Lombardy’s cultural heritage census, the building did not meet the age requirement for official protection. Its demolition is part of a broader restructuring of the state broadcaster’s footprint in the city.
A Guess ad featuring an A.I. model in Vogue has sparked online controversy.
A Guess ad in the August issue of Vogue featuring an A.I.-generated model has sparked criticism across social media, with some readers accusing the magazine of lowering its standards. Though the model appeared in a paid advertisement—not editorial content—the backlash has centered on concerns about authenticity, aesthetics, and the erosion of already unrealistic beauty norms. Critics also took aim at the model’s generic, digitally perfected appearance, created by agency Seraphinne Vallora at the request of Guess co-founder Paul Marciano. While Vogue clarified it did not commission the A.I. figure, the controversy reflects growing discomfort with artificial imagery in fashion media.
After a blackout across three European countries, tough questions about power systems persist.
The blackout that swept across Spain, Portugal, and southern France in April of this year revealed critical weaknesses in modern power infrastructure as countries transition to renewable energy. While the cause is still under investigation, experts point to outdated grids and poor planning as key factors behind rising global instability. As more clean energy sources come online, the lack of adequate storage, flexible systems, and updated regulations makes blackouts more likely. Industry leaders argue that the technology exists to stabilize these networks, but systemic reform and better preparedness are essential to prevent future failures.
Today’s attractive distractions:
A 19th-century woman artist and mycologist has shaped our understanding of mushrooms.
Pharrell’s latest collab is a Napa Valley-inspired “tourist hub” in Tokyo.
The Princess of Wales has curated a mini display of decorative objects with V&A.
Here are the previously unwritten rules of art collecting.
