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Museo Reina Sofía Calls for Investigation into Incident Involving Visitors with Israeli Flags

The Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid, one of Spain’s top art museums, said on Monday that it was seeking an investigation into a widely publicized incident involving visitors who came to the museum with Stars of David and Israeli flags. Video of the incident went viral after being published by Okdiario , a conservative Spanish publication. In the video, security officers appear to call for the removal of three women from the museum. As they begin the process of escorting the women out, one officer says that “some members of the public are being bothered” by these visitors. Okdiario reported that before the incident, which the publication termed “racist harassment,” other visitors had shouted phrases such as “genocidal maniacs” at these women. The video, which runs nearly a minute and a half, does not show what preceded this incident. ARTnews could not independently confirm Okdiario ’s account, which stated that the women were tourists from Israel. The incident was also covered by cons...
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Sculptor Henrike Naumann Dies at 41, Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogota Fires Director: Morning Links for February 16, 2026

To receive  Morning Links  in your inbox every weekday, sign up for our  Breakfast with ARTnews newsletter . The Headlines MAMBO SACKING . Italian curator Eugenio Viola  has been fired from his position as artistic director of the Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogota (MAMBO) , which he held since 2019, reports The Art Newspaper . In a statement, Viola said he was abruptly dismissed following his “decision to raise concerns with the board in September 2025 regarding the progressive deterioration of working conditions—concerns shared by several team members.” He added: “I leave with my integrity intact, having acted in good faith, supported my team and consistently maintained ethical standards.” Meanwhile, the Colombian museum said the move was part of a “comprehensive review,” and the search was already underway for a replacement. IN MEMORIAM . Henrike Naumann , a sculptor who was preparing to represent Germany at the forthcoming Venice Biennale ...
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Henrike Naumann, Sculptor Who Exhumed East Germany’s Troubled Past, Dies at 41

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Henrike Naumann, a sculptor whose installations composed of furniture and design objects associated with East Germany’s troubled past made her a star of the German art scene, died on Saturday at 41. Her death preceded one of her biggest projects to date: the German Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, where the Berlin-based artist is set to represent the nation alongside Sung Tieu this year. The Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa), the organization that facilitates the German Pavilion, said in a statement that she died of a “short, serious illness.” “With Henrike Naumann’s passing, we have lost not only a significant figure in contemporary German art, but also a warm-hearted, insightful, and highly committed individual,” ifa said. “Her legacy lives on – in her works, in the numerous international collaborations she initiated, and in the many people who were inspired by her thinking and work.” Naumann’s art was by turns disturbing, intriguing, and heartfelt, attesting to a Germany th...
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Robotics Below Deck: Seaspan Taps Alberta Innovation to Transform Blast and Paint Operations

On Canada’s West Coast, inside the cavernous facilities of Seaspan Shipyards , a new generation of shipbuilding technology is taking shape — one that reaches beyond steel and welds into the realm of advanced robotics, sustainability, and workplace safety. On February 12, 2026, Seaspan announced it has awarded a contract to Alberta-based Confined Space Robotics (CSR) to develop and integrate semi-autonomous robotic systems designed to enhance blast and paint operations across its shipbuilding and submarine programs. At first glance, blast and paint work may not capture headlines the way new vessel launches do. Yet these operations are fundamental to both new ship construction and complex submarine repair and overhaul projects. They ensure structural integrity, corrosion resistance, and long-term durability — and they often take place in some of the most demanding environments inside a shipyard. Now, Seaspan is investing $1.5 million to bring Canadian-built robotics directly into tho...
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University of North Texas Cancels Victor Quiñonez Exhibition, Artist Claims Censorship over Anti-ICE Content in His Work

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The exhibition was intended to be a homecoming for artist Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez who grew up in the Dallas–Fort Worth metro area. The excitement built when he got the first batch of images showing his traveling solo exhibition being installed at the University of North Texas’s CVAD Gallery. Quiñonez was looking forward to receiving images of the work being fully installed and was working on managing the RSVPs for an opening reception to take place this month. Then, silence. Quiñonez continued to follow up with the university gallery’s director Stefanie Dlugosz-Acton. The exhibition was scheduled to open on February 3, but Quiñonez is unclear if that actually happened. It wasn’t until he began receiving DMs from UNT students, asking if it was closed or there was additional work being done on it. The blinds had been drawn over the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of CVAD Gallery, and the doors locked, the students said, providing him with photo and video documentation. When he ch...
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What happened 100 years ago: Part 1 Club Rugby

The winning Wellington club rugby 1926 Senior Championship side Athletic, featuring All Blacks Cliff Porter and Kenneth Svenson in the front row.  As we enter a new season of rugby in the Wellington region, a look back at how the season panned out 100 years ago. This year it is 1926. A recap of the...
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Queens Museum Promotes Debra Wimpfheimer to Executive Director

The Queens Museum has named Debra Wimpfheimer as its next executive director. She replaces Sally Tallant, who departed last month ahead of taking on the directorship of the Hayward Gallery in London. Wimpfheimer, a Queens native, has worked for the museum for more than two decades. She first joined as the institution’s director of external affairs in 2002, a role she held until 2006, when she left to serve as director of special projects at Lincoln Center for just over a year, according to her LinkedIn . She rejoined the Queens Museum in 2008 as director of strategic partnerships. She has twice served as the museum’s interim director, first in 2014 for nine months and then in 2018 for just over a year. After both stints in the top position, she assumed the role of deputy director. “No one knows the Queens Museum like Debra,” Queens Museum board chair Paula Kirby said in a statement. “Her many years of dedication have already shaped the Museum’s successes and as we look to the futur...
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