Eyes Wide Open! Kenny Schachter Dishes on Delinquent Dealers, Secret Deals, and That Other ‘Salvator Mundi’

Kenny Schachter offers a sardonic, first-person account of the spring 2025 art season in New York, weaving together observations from auctions, art fairs, and gallery openings. He notes brisk business at Sotheby's and Phillips, citing specific sales like James Ensor's tiny "Still life with Stingray" ($140,800) and Georgia O'Keeffe's double-sided "Maple Leaves and Flowering Cactus" ($1.68 million). Schachter also recounts his experience at Larry Gagosian's new Madison Avenue gallery, where security guards outnumbered the artworks, and reflects on the broader economic climate, including a tax lawyer moonlighting as a 3-D printer for his own sculpture project. He contrasts the wealthiest collectors—one driving a Lamborghini but staying at a Holiday Inn Express—with dealers wearing grim faces at TEFAF, painting a picture of a bifurcated art economy.

Sotheby’s Buoyant $303.4 Million Modern Art Evening Sale: By the Numbers

Sotheby’s modern art evening sale on Tuesday night generated $303.4 million, with a 97.6% sell-through rate and a hammer total of $256.5 million. The top lot was Henri Matisse’s *La Chaise Lorraine* (circa 1919), which sold for $48.4 million after a prolonged bidding war. The house withdrew three lots before the sale to improve optics, and 85% of the lots were guaranteed, mostly by third parties. Asian collectors were active at seven-figure price points, contrasting with sparse high-end bidding at Christie’s the previous night.

Robert Mnuchin’s Storied Art Gallery Townhouse Lists for $35 Million

The six-story, 17,600-square-foot Upper East Side townhouse that housed Robert Mnuchin's blue-chip gallery for over three decades has been listed for $35 million. Mnuchin and his second wife Adriana bought the 106-year-old property in 1983, and after an 18-month renovation, they lived there for 12 years before the gallery occupied the space from 1992 until Mnuchin's death in 2024. The gallery hosted major shows for artists including Willem de Kooning, Jeff Koons, Ed Clark, and Mary Lovelace O'Neal. The listing comes just months after the announcement that Mnuchin Gallery would close, and four months after Sotheby's sold $166.3 million worth of art from Mnuchin's collection.

TEFAF New York 2026: Contemporary Gains Ground

TEFAF New York 2026 is set to feature a stronger contemporary art presence, signaling a shift in the fair's traditional focus on Old Masters and antiques. The event will expand its contemporary offerings, attracting a broader range of galleries and collectors.

Studio 54 Fine Art Is Betting on a More Nimble Gallery Model

Studio 54 Fine Art, founded and directed by Gary Williamson, is pioneering a nimble gallery model without a permanent brick-and-mortar space, instead meeting collectors through rotating physical exhibitions and behind-the-scenes matchmaking. The gallery is currently presenting the exhibition “Empire of Silence: The Untamed Majesty of Rowan Blackwell” in Switzerland, featuring large-scale photographs of wild animals by artist Rowan Blackwell, on view through August 31. Williamson, who transitioned from luxury goods and property investment to founding the gallery in Milan in 2016, emphasizes a focus on quality, provenance, and long-term value, with a roster of artists selected for technical mastery and distinctive vision.

How Did Phillips Pull Off a $115.2 Million ‘White Glove’ Sale? Here’s What the Numbers Say

Phillips achieved a $115.2 million 'white glove' evening sale in New York on Tuesday night, with 41 of 43 lots sold and a 100% sell-through rate after withdrawals. The auction more than doubled last year's $52 million total, led by Andy Warhol's *Sixteen Jackies* (1964) at $16.2 million. Only three records were set—for P.S. Krøyer, Pat Passlof, and Joseph Yaeger—but the sale's success was driven by third-party guarantees on 21 lots and newly launched priority bids.

Could TikTok become the place to buy and sell works of art?

TikTok potrà diventare il posto dove comprare e vendere opere d’arte?

TikTok Shop has launched a new "Fine Art" category, allowing users to buy and sell artworks directly within the app. The initiative was spearheaded by British artist-influencer Sophie Tea, who sold a series of 20 oil paintings titled "Bric-a-Brac" during a three-hour live stream that combined performance art, studio visits, and televised sales. Each piece sold for around £2,800, with TikTok taking a 9% commission. The move applies discovery commerce—where products find users through social feeds rather than active searches—to the art market, bypassing traditional gallery intermediaries.

Auctions of the week: ancient art, design and antiques

A busy week of auctions is scheduled for May 21-27, 2026, spanning Milan, New York, and other global hubs. Italian auction houses including FarsettiArte, Wannenes, Gonnelli, Finarte, Capitolium AuctionHouse, Pananti, Aste Bolaffi, Il Ponte, Maison Bibelot, Babuino Fine Art Auctions, and Pandolfini will offer paintings, drawings, sculptures, antiques, design, jewelry, and vintage fashion. International houses Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Bonhams - Cornette de Saint-Cyr, and Dorotheum also hold sales in New York, Zurich, Paris, and Vienna, covering post-war and contemporary art, handbags, fine wine, and antiques.