This is in a way the dictatorship of novelty, the ruling of accelerated obsolescence. In order to be fasionable a growing number of permanent collections feel compelled to regularly change the order in which their works are hung. Is it a wish to imitate the temporary exhibitions that attract such a large public? To be honest this policy is also driven by the need to rotate Pharaonic collections. The Centre Pompidou has done it twice, rather succesfully (Big Bang and not too long ago The Movement of Images). The Tate Modern in London follows in its footsteps. Six years after its opening it is reorganizing its rooms in four rather traditional divisions, Cubism, Surrealism, abstract Expressionism and Minimalism. But the curators insist this presentation is not chronological and that they are exploring the premises and effects of each of these currents through an original installation, in which a hub is surrounded by spaces, satelites of some sort. Just like at Heathrow or Roissy. The Rijksmuseum had been a pioneer when it set up a micro-museum at the Schiphol airport. The Tate hits the ball right back by introducing the concept of an airport in a museum. As a matter of fact, with the security checks at the entrance and the shops that resemble duty free areas, we have almost succeeded in doing it. All that is missing is the noise from the jet engines.

New presentation of the Tate Modern collections (Millbank, London) as of 23 May 2006.

ROANNE- The UNESCO dedicated this year to the fight against desertification. A museum in the French province is presenting a very well thought-out exhibition on the relation between Western civilization and the myth of the desert. By searching in similar collections (museums of Nantes, Tours, La Rochelle, the Natural Sciences museum), in private collections (Berliet foundation), it shows how this fascination translated into military, scientific, artistic or automobile expeditions (the famous Citroën "cruises"). From 1850 with Fromentin's first trip, to 1974 with the last mission by archeologist Henri Lhote in the Tassili-n' Ajjer, hundreds of passionate artists, of which may spent some time at the villa Abd-el-Tif, the "villa Medicis of Algeirs", sketched the landscapes, the inhabitants, the customs, the frescoes and the animals. Well-known artists ar represented -Jouve, Iacouleff, Dinet- as well as others less known - career soldiers such as Henri Fournial who left a notebook on the Foureau-Lamy mission in 1898, or adventurous journalists such as Odette du Puigaudeau. Who will follow in their footsteps?

Painters of the desert, artistic missions in the Sahara, 1850-1975, at the Déchelette museum in Roanne, from 21 May to 26 November 2006

ZURICH-It has taken some time for the embroglio surrounding Giacometti's inheritance to be unravelled. Now we are in for a pleasant surprise. The Kunsthaus in Zurich has unveiled 75 plaster casts by the Swiss artist, which hardly anyone has seen until now. This is understandable as they were in the artist's Parisian workshop rue Hippolyte-Maindron(in the 14th arrondissement) when Giacometti left it in December 1965. Following his death a month later his widow Annette stocked the plaster casts and later they were in the midst of the legal quarrel between the Swiss family and Annette's executors in charge of creating a foundation in France. A decision was only reached in April 2004. We now can see, among others, Reclining woman or Unpleasant object to throw away in their intermediary version: they are no longer the first trial printed in the soft clay and not yet the final bronze version. When one considers Giacometti's hesitations, his reluctance to look at a final work, these pieces take on a special meaning.

Plasters by Alberto Giacometti, at the Kusthaus in Zurich, from 19 May to 30 July 2006.

ROME-The exhibition Raffaello, from Florence to Rome is the first stone of an ambitious project announced by the Borghese Gallery, programmed over a decade. The principle is simple, consisting in setting up monographic retrospectives, triggered off by a masterpiece from their collection. The first of the ten is Raffaello's The Deposition. Some thirty paintings and as may drawings have been brought together, including the Aldobrandi Madonna from the National Gallery in London, the Virgin with the candelabra from the Baltimore museum of Art, the Virgin with Child with Saint Jeremy and Saint Francis from Berlin. The paintings from the museum of Chantilly (among them The Three Graces) will not take part in this event as their status forbid any loan. Obviously, The Deposition will be at the center of the exhibition, with its eventful itinerary. Painted in 1507 in Florence, it was shown for a whole century in a church in Perugia before being stolen by Pope Paul V for his nephew collector. Nepotism in all its glory! The arrival of Napoleon was no blessing as he took the painting off to Paris in 1797 and the Borghese Gallery only got the central part in 1816, while the rest was given to the Vatican.

Raffaello, from Florence to Rome, at the Borghese Gallery, from 18 May to 27 August.

BARCELONA-For video amateurs the Loop fair has imposed itself as a worthy reference. 43 galeries from around the world will meet in the Catalan city for three days to gauge the state of creation, as well as discuss conservation problems (conference of 19 May at 11 AM, conducted by Christoph Blase from the ZKM Karlsruhe) or the protection of copyrights. This 4th edition will include, among others, Anne de Villepoix and Michel Rein (Paris), Mizuma(Tokyo), Fred (London), Chelouche (Tel-Aviv), Luxe and Nicole Klagsbrun (Nesw York),Olaf Stüber (Berlin) as well as twelve Spanish galeries. The event will be echoed throughout the city, in 140 different locations -galeries, museums, bars as well as banks or foreign cultural centers -and should present over 200 video artists.

Loop '06 at the Pulitzer hotel (calle Bergara 4, Barcelona), from 19 to 21 May 2006.

PARIS-All of those who are nostalgic for the sixties should attend this sale. Photography, prices that are rather constrained (no estimate is superior to 4000€) and a whole era that comes to life through Jean-Marie Périer's snapshots. An assistant to Daniel Filipacchi, he started in the magazine Salut les copains (Hi Gang!) where he immortalized the idols of the generation, all present in this sale: Sheila, Sylvie Vartan, Françoise Hardy, France Gall. Followed by Johnny Halliday, Alain Delon and an increasingly international clientele, including The Beatles, Mick Jagger, James Brown, Bob Dylan. This was the prelude to an American adventure in the 80s, when he turned toward advertising. The nostalgia for the 60s considered the golden age after WW II, is a solid phenomenon: in 2001, Jean Marie Périer's photos attracted over 150 000 fans at an exhibition at town hall in Paris.

Jean-Marie Périer, my 60s, Camard study, Hôtel-Drouot, 22 May 2006

Black plague, black Virgin, black holes, black humour: Humanity would be missing something if this color did not exist to express its states of mind, its suffering, its mysteries. But when it comes to representation, we sometimes hesitate. Certain periods of History almost banished black from their frescoes and paintings. Such was the case during the Middle Ages and the XVIIIth century, totally turned towards its faith in progress.Others on the contrary turned it into a true cult. Just think of the Romantics or at our XXth century so full of revolutions. From Malevitch to Rothko, Barnett Newman and Soulages, black is present everywhere. And it does not always have a negative conotation: we can well remember an advertising campaign in France that praised Portugal as "the country where black is colour". In order to expose the adventures of this colour like no other, the author started in the decorated grotto in the neolithic period and Dürer's prints. Before reaching our era he looked at turning points represented by Piranese, Caravaggio, Friedrich, Goya, Munch. He even made a few unexpected encounters, such as the Nabis or Matisse. The last chapter looks into contemporary creators: the adventure is far from over.

Black (Le noir) by Gérard-Georges Lemaire, Hazan editions, 2006, 256 p. 50€.

DUBAI-Christie's is opening offices in the Arab Emirates and will hold its first sale on 23 May with contemporary art from the Middle East, India and Pakistan. Among the highest estimates (beyond 150 000$) works by Egyptian artist Ahmed Moustafa and Indian artists Maqhool Fida Husain and Francis Newton Souza.

LONDON-It does not have the aura of the Paris Photo but is a direct competitor not be to scoffed at: Photo London will be held from 18 to 21 May at the Royal Academy of Arts.

MOSCOW-There is intense commercial activity in the Russian capital. Prior to the opening of the Moscow World Fine Art Fair (see here below), the Art Moscow contemporary art fair will be held from 17 to 21 May.

MULHOUSE-On 20 May the first two lines of the tramway will be inaugurated. The project also gave way to public orders. Catalan artist Peret designed the yellow, red and black decoration of the cars. Daniel Buren conceived the signs as arches. The oral announcements were commissioned to composer Pierre Henry while Tobias Rehberger drew the plastic works set up near the stations.

NEW YORK-A selfportrait of Frida Kahlo will be the highlight of the sale of Latin-American art at Sotheby's on 24 May. It is estimated between 5 and 7 billion $.

PARIS-The French association of artistic action will merge with the Association for the spreading of French thinking to give birth to Culturesfrance. This organization, led by Olivier Poivre d'Arvor, will be in charge of spreading French culture throughout the world, with an annual budget of 30 million €.

PARIS-A homage is paid to museums this week in Paris, throughout France and in Europe. On 18 May, the ICOM(International Council of Museums) will celebrate museum day. On 20 May, it will be the turn of museum night 2006 with free entry and museums closing late at night.

PARIS- Among the interesting sales this week, Christie's will be offering the last works from Degas' workshop that are still owned by private individuals (24 May). The Farrando-Lemoine study will be auctioning the original Greze collection, totally dedicated to the circus world (22 May).

PARIS - The international fair of old books will be held like every year at the Mutualité, from 18 to 21 May.

PARIS-Two concomitant events will have galleries and antique dealers buzzing in the 6th and 7th arrondissements: Carré Rive gauche and Art Saint-Germain. (from 18 to 21 May)

PARIS-Denise René, the oldest gallery owner, is still at it. She presents one of the great post-war artists, Gottfried Honegger.

RENNES-Elie Azagury was one of the most active architects in Morocco after WW II. He hosted many friends -César, Rotella, Restany, etc- who often found their inspiration there. His archives are up for sale on 23 May at 2 PM at Bretagne Enchéres.

SAINT-LOUIS (Alsace) -The Fernet-Branca space dedicates an important retrospective to Catalan painter Antoni Clavé who died last year at the age of 92: 65 large format paintings, done between 1959 and today, including the ones he presented at the Biennale of Venice in 1984, when he was the artist of the Spanish pavilion.

MOSCOW-80 international art dealers are present for the third edition of the international art fair in Moscow, from 22 to 27 May. Furniture, objets d'art as well as photographs and contemporary creations will be shown in the spectacular context of the Manège.

BARCELONA-It takes a few seconds for a catastrophe but 24110 years for plutonium 239 to lose half of its radioactivity...The Center of Contemporary Culture looks for the first time at the drama of Tchernobyl through an exhibition that brings together in particular photographs, decorations of "liquidators" and children's drawings.