Pastoral play, AI portraits and a radical utopia for kids – the week in art
Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, 26 July to 2 November
Virtual BeautyThe human body and self in the AI age, explored by artists from Orlan to Qualeasha Wood.
Somerset House, London, until 28 September
Pablo BronsteinThe artist's fascination with architectural history is unleashed on the Temple of Solomon.
Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire, until 2 November
Monster Chetwynd: Thunder, Crackle and MagicRadical utopian art for the kids as Chetwynd creates this summer's Tate Play installation.
Tate Modern, London, until 25 August
Darwin in Paradise CampA queer take on evolutionary theory and Gauguin's Tahiti paintings, by Japanese-Samoan artist Yuki Kihara.
Sainsbury Centre, Norwich, until 3 August
A disagreement over this painting, Trans Forming Liberty, in which American painter Amy Sherald poses a trans woman as the Statue of Liberty, has led to the artist cancelling her hit exhibition American Sublime from showing at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC.
In March, Trump signed an executive order targeting the Smithsonian, claiming it had 'come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology' and the administration would restore it 'to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness'.
The artist said she was told that the painting might be removed from the show to avoid provoking President Trump. The gallery later proposed an accompanying video of people discussing both the painting and transgender issues at large. She said this decision would have 'opened up for debate the value of trans visibility' which she rejected. Read the full story.
A Norfolk woman handed over a 16th-century painting that was on Interpol's most-wanted list
The Guardian's head of photography had her favourites at Arles photo festival
Many of Russell Newell's photographs of Peckham, south-east London, have not been seen for the past 40 years
The salty nooks of Folkestone were the setting for a bleakly brilliant coastal festival
A pioneering female Renaissance artist got her due
A visionary Australian artist got her first retrospective aged 90
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In the US, Black Girls in Art Spaces is bridging the cultural gaps
You don't need a car in Los Angeles
An exhibition is interrogating white-dominated AI
Stormy Landscape With Ruins on a Plain by Georges Michel, c 1830s
Nature is an unforgiving, awe-inspiring power in this French Romantic painting. Just like his British contemporaries Constable and Turner, Georges Michel worked in the open air. He mostly painted landscapes near Paris. He had a lot of imitators, hence the uncertainty about his attribution. You can see why this approach was popular. Even though the countryside spread out under those massive clouds is ordinary, even a bit nondescript, the artist finds sublimity in two archetypally Romantic themes: ruins and storms. The raised hill in the foreground is bleak and barren, and it's crowned with the shattered, eroded shell of a great house that time has reduced to little more than a fireplace and stumps of walls. Above it, low, dark storm clouds whip up to unleash brutal rain. It's an exciting blast of bleakness to hang in a cosy room.
National Gallery, London
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I am happy that that chapter in my life is closed and I'm enjoying the new one I'm in,' she continued. 'I don't need anything else from the world because I already have the people and the things I need to feel whole. For me, that is a true blessing.' Carrie left Washington after her divorce was finalized last year and is now spending time with her family in her home state of Michigan, where she is rebuilding her life from scratch and has opened a consulting business. Carrie's full statement I don't know why this conversation is occurring, because it isn't important. This only registered in my life to the extent that people in it, who were there for me through my divorce, did not want to see me hurt by anything further with regard to that situation. For me, the saddest part about this story is that the conversation surrounding it was very hurtful to a lot of people who had nothing to do with it. For that pain, I am very sorry. I firmly believe that people should be defined by their actions and how they regard others and not by sexual preference. I am not as well-known as my former-husband, but I don't need to be. I know exactly who I am and what I am and am not. I am not someone who needs attention and external validation to prove that I am important. 'Am I loved' is a question that I stopped asking myself a long time ago and I think that says a lot about the life I have now. The love I have in my life is very real, and the things in it are very fulfilling. I don't ever wonder whether I matter because that is clear to me every day. Hurt is real. But so is healing. Divorce is a difficult thing, but it doesn't have to be devastating when you have love and strength behind you. Moving on with my life came with a lot of clarity about myself and I only wish the same for anyone going through it. I am happy that that chapter in my life is closed and I'm enjoying the new one I'm in. I don't need anything else from the world because I already have the people and the things I need to feel whole. For me, that is a true blessing. This comes after Carrie issued a private statement to her close friends on Instagram earlier this week, which was obtained by In the emotional post, Carrie admitted that she hadn't looked at her ex-husband's engagement photos and wanted to keep it that way 'for her own peace.' 'I have really tried to handle this with as much care and grace as I can muster,' she told her friends and family. 'Being early in the first wave of divorce for my peers, I wanted to set a tone that is respectful and dignified - two things that I believe everyone deserves, no matter what,' she continued. Taking the high road, Carrie also spoke out against the 'bigotry, cruelty and vitriol' that had been sent Robby's way online. 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Soave popped the question with a Tiffany and Co. ring over candles and champagne in Taormina, Sicily, while the pair were on a romantic getaway together. Announcing the news on X, formerly Twitter, he wrote, 'Some personal news from my Sicily trip earlier this month, in case anyone missed it: I got engaged!' There was no mention of Soave's longtime wife Carrie, who he celebrated his ninth anniversary with in Positano, Italy, back in October, 2023. Robby and Carrie were high school sweethearts who went on their first date back in 2004. The Rising host often posted photos with Carrie on Instagram, and was never shy when it came to gushing about their marriage. In a 2019 post, he wrote, 'Today, five years ago, @carriesoave and I got married, following just over 10 years of dating that began when we were in high school and continued through college and after. 'Despite having to spend years and years and years apart from each other, we always knew where we wanted to end up: Together. I love you so much babe!' While celebrating their wedding anniversary in 2023, Soave gushed, 'Could not be more overjoyed to celebrate nine years married to @carriesoave! 'The most wonderful woman on earth, and the love of my life. Of course it's actually been a lot longer… we fell in love as high schoolers in the early 00s. There's no one else I'd rather travel the world with. Italy is almost as beautiful as you!' The former couple were often seen out at events in Washington, D.C., and would dress up together on Halloween. Robby hasn't posted anything with Carrie since their ninth wedding anniversary in late 2023. Last fall, Carrie officially left D.C. to return home to Michigan to be with her family and to open a consulting business. Discussing her move with the Grosse Pointe News in March, Carrie said, 'My family is here and I'd been wanting to come back.' hears that the Soaves' split has been the talk of the town in D.C.'s social circles since the news got out. While some are happy to see Robby out of the closet, the overwhelming sympathy is with Carrie, who was with Robby for 17 years before fleeing D.C. for a 'fresh start' in Michigan after their divorce was finalized. Others have said that Robby's sexuality has been part of the D.C. gossip mill for years, so few people were surprised to see him end up with a man. One insider said, 'He's acting like we should all be celebrating his engagement less than a year after his breakup with Carrie!' They added, 'Everyone here in D.C. is talking about it and none of it's good.' Robby hasn't shared much about his relationship to fiance Shih, but he did tell Politico that they met at a bar on U Street in D.C. and that it was 'love at first sight.' contacted Robby and Carrie for comment. Since publicly sharing his engagement, Soave has been inundated with cruel and often homophobic comments from his followers. 'The amount of extremely homophobic comments this is getting is truly astounding and disgusting,' wrote one person. 'Why can't people just be happy for other people's happiness? The haters had no call to spew their irrational hatred like that. Very disappointed. Idiots never stop to amaze.' Despite the backlash, Soave has received support from a number of other prominent political pundits, including former Rising co-hosts Kim Iversen and Ryan Grim. 'Congratulations Robby! Wishing you both many great years ahead!' Iversen gushed. Soave is a decorated journalist who made it onto Forbes' 30 under 30 list in 2016. He's published two books, is a regular on Fox News and is currently the longest-serving co-host on Rising, which is one of YouTube's biggest political talk shows. His partner Jie Jung Shih is a student at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. Shih is active in the LGBTQ+ community, and was one of a group of med students who volunteered at Capital Pride Festival in Washington last year.
