TIME magazine’s latest list of 100 influential people shaping the arts is out, and it comes with a healthy dose of editorial pushback. The magazine’s own Art Movements newsletter rounds up the winners and losers, and the results are not exactly even.
Sherald, Singh and Nguyen Land the Right Side
Amy Sherald is the lead name on the list, and she earned it after canceling a show at the Smithsonian Institution a few years ago rather than let her portrait of a trans woman be censored. TIME now includes her alongside Dayanita Singh and Tuan Andrew Nguyen, who the roundup describes as “laudable and deserving.”.
The list also includes Vanessa Horabuena, the “Trump-adored Christian speed painter,” though the newsletter questions why she belongs. Then there is billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin, who “derided Palestine protests on college campuses.” The newsletter offers a blunt assessment: “It also features people who range from irrelevant (Vanessa Horabuena, the Trump-adored Christian speed painter!?) to absolutely reprehensible, like billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin, who derided Palestine protests on college campuses.”
“It also features people who range from irrelevant (Vanessa Horabuena, the Trump-adored Christian speed painter!?) to absolutely reprehensible, like billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin, who derided Palestine protests on college campuses.”
The newsletter ties the list’s flaws to TIME’s ownership. “The latter two make total sense when you remember who owns TIME magazine,” it writes.
Lham Takes Home the $30,000 Prize
The collection includes a report on a major prize win. Bhutanese artist Pem Lham has claimed the 2026 Rubin Museum Himalayan Art Prize, a $30,000 annual award noted as the largest of its kind for contemporary artists in the region.
Lham responded to the news with a statement. “As artists, there are moments when we wonder if our stories are reaching anyone, but this prize is a reminder that our voices matter and that there are always people connecting with the work we create,” she said.
Galleries, Museums and a $13 Million Purchase
A steady stream of representation news, acquisitions and appointments is gathered together in the roundup. Painter Marina Adams has joined Peter Blum Gallery’s roster, and Bhutanese artist Pem Lham has taken home the 2026 Rubin Museum Himalayan Art Prize.
Artadia, the nonprofit grantmaker that supports contemporary artists throughout the United States, has appointed Allison Derusha as its executive director. The Pulitzer Arts Foundation in St. Louis has made two new hires: Jenny Harris is now associate curator, and Sarah Paulsen has been brought on as Programs and Events manager.
The Museum of the Moving Image has announced its MoMI LAB artists-in-residence lineup for the coming season: Toni Dove and Sougwen Chung x SCILICET. Márcia Falcão has a new representative in Alexander Gray Associates, while David Reed is now with Rodder gallery.
Pace Prints has acquired the printmaker and publisher Brand X Editions.
The Mauritshuis and the Rijksmuseum have joined forces to acquire Hendrick Avercamp’s c. 1625 work “Colf Players on the Ice”, paying $13 million for it. This buys back an iconic Dutch winter scene for the Netherlands, which had been loaned long-term to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has added 38 works by the Chinese ink painter Chang Dai-chien (Zhang Daqian) to its holdings, drawn from the collection of his daughter, Sing Sheng Chang.
Depp’s Sculpture Gets Its Due
The roundup closes with a note on Johnny Depp’s first sculpture. “Can’t he just stop?” the newsletter asks.
KEY FACTS BOX
– Pem Lham wins the 2026 Rubin Museum Himalayan Art Prize, $30,000
– Hendrick Avercamp’s “Colf Players on the Ice” sells for $13 million to Mauritshuis and Rijksmuseum
– The Met acquires 38 paintings by Chang Dai-chien (Zhang Daqian)
– Artadia names Allison Derusha executive director
Throughout the newsletter, the tone leans toward amused disbelief. It praises the selections that work while making light of those that miss the mark, and it raises the clear question of who stands behind the list. The summary stays short and focused on the facts alone.
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