Sam Smith announces new album amidst major international art exhibitions

Singer Sam Smith is set to release their fifth studio album, ‘Hazel Eyes’, on August 21. The project, described as a ‘traditional queer-love romance’ album, is inspired by the artist's life in New York and their relationship with designer Christian Cowan. The sound shifts toward more intimate influences, including blues, folk, and R&B. Smith has also revealed they are already working on a subsequent project that will feature a more intense, electro-driven sound.

In the visual arts, several major exhibitions are concluding. The Palazzo Strozzi in Florence is hosting the final days of ‘Rothko in Florence’, a retrospective of American artist Mark Rothko that explores his work alongside Florentine artistic traditions. Additionally, the National Gallery in London is concluding its monographic exhibition dedicated to the Spanish Baroque painter Francisco de Zurbarán.