Vasari Art Codex

trending_up market schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 3 link 3 artists, 4 galleries

Robert Therrien Estate Leaves Gagosian After Nearly Three Decades and Joins David Zwirner

The Robert Therrien estate has left Gagosian after nearly three decades and joined David Zwirner, a rival mega-gallery. The move follows a major survey of the late sculptor's work at the Broad museum in Los Angeles, which featured 120 works and was the largest exhibition of his career. Therrien, who died in 2019, is best known for monumental sculptures of domestic objects, such as Under the Table (1994), and his towering plate columns held by institutions including the Tate and Glenstone.

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trending_up market schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 27 link 17 artists, 1 gallery

Picasso Painting That Cost S. I. Newhouse a MoMA Board Position Heads to Christie’s for $55 M.

Christie’s New York will auction 16 masterpieces from the collection of late Condé Nast magnate S. I. Newhouse on May 18, with an estimated total of $450 million. The highlight is Pablo Picasso’s Cubist painting *Homme à la guitare* (1913), estimated at $35–55 million, which Newhouse acquired in 2000 for $10 million after MoMA sold it from its collection. Newhouse, then a MoMA board member, violated museum policy by buying the work and subsequently resigned from the board.

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trending_up market schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 4 link 39 artists, 19 galleries

Ceramics Are Everywhere, in Museums, Galleries, and Fairs—Has the Market Caught Up?

Ceramics are experiencing a surge in visibility across museums, galleries, and art fairs in major US cities. The article catalogs numerous recent and upcoming exhibitions, including Kathy Butterly's sold-out show at James Cohan with pieces at $45,000 each, Nicole Cherubini's nearly sold-out show at Friedman Benda with prices up to $65,000, and Ruby Neri's work at Salon 94 peaking at $75,000. Other highlights include Ron Nagle at Matthew Marks, Theaster Gates' Gagosian show celebrating David Drake, NADA Ceramics in Tribeca, and ceramic presentations at Frieze Los Angeles, Post-Fair, Expo Chicago, and David Zwirner. Institutional shows include Toshiko Takaezu at Princeton University Art Museum and a ceramic collection at RISD Museum.

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trending_up market schedule May 3, 2026 visibility 15 link 22 artists, 3 galleries

A $35 M. Warhol, a $45 M. Basquiat, and More: Who’s Selling The Top Works in the May Sales?

The article reports on the upcoming May marquee sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, detailing high-value consignments from major collections. Christie’s will offer works from the estates of S. I. Newhouse (including a Brâncuși sculpture and a Jackson Pollock painting, each estimated at $100 million), former MoMA board president Agnes Gund (a Rothko estimated at $80 million), and the late dealer Marian Goodman (a Gerhard Richter estimated at $50 million). Sotheby’s counters with a Rothko from the collection of the late Robert Mnuchin (estimated at $100 million) and works from David and Shoshanna Wingate, including a Giacometti sculpture. The article also reveals previously unnamed consignors for top lots, such as collector John Sayegh-Belchatowski for a $45 million Basquiat and the Moore family for an Elizabeth Peyton painting.

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trending_up market schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 25 link 22 artists, 4 galleries

Artist Foundations’ Net Worth Has Nearly Tripled to $9 B., Led by Cy Twombly Foundation’s $1.5 B. in Art and Assets

New research from the Aspen Institute’s Artist-Endowed Foundation Initiative (AEFI) reveals that artist-endowed foundations in the U.S. now control roughly $9 billion in assets, nearly triple the $3.5 billion reported in 2011 and up 17% from $7.7 billion in 2018. The Cy Twombly Foundation leads with $1.5 billion in art and assets, followed by foundations for Alexander Calder, Joan Mitchell, Helen Frankenthaler, and Robert Rauschenberg, each holding over $500 million. The data, drawn from public tax forms, shows that just five of roughly 500 foundations account for more than half the total, with most established by postwar American artists born before 1931.

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trending_up market schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 27 link 35 artists, 4 galleries

The 20 Most Expensive Artworks Hitting the Auction Block This Season

The May 2026 New York auctions at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips will feature 20 high-value lots priced at $30 million or more, including works by Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Cy Twombly, Gerhard Richter, and others. The sales are staggered around the Venice Biennale and Frieze New York, with Sotheby’s holding its contemporary evening auction on May 14 and Christie’s its 20th-century sale on May 18. Notable consignments come from the estates of S.I. Newhouse, former MoMA board president Agnes Gund, and dealer Marian Goodman.

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trending_up market schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 27 link 6 artists, 6 galleries

Philadelphia Is Rich With Museums and Galleries. ‘Elsewhere’ Aims to Find Out If It Can Support an Art Fair

Philadelphia gallerist Megan Galardi is launching a new art fair called Elsewhere, set to debut June 4–6 at the Yowie Hotel on South Street. The fair will feature 27 exhibitors from cities including London, New York, and Philadelphia, with seven local dealers such as Fleisher/Ollman, Blah Blah Gallery, and Fjord. Galardi, who founded Blah Blah Gallery in 2023 and has participated in small New York fairs like Spring/Break and Future Fair, designed Elsewhere as a boutique, hotel-based event that offers a lower-cost, more intimate alternative to large-scale art fairs.

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trending_up market schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 9 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

Botticelli Painting Banned from Export Will Stay in the UK

A Botticelli painting, *The Virgin and Child Enthroned* (1470s), previously placed under an export ban to keep it in the UK, has been acquired by the Klesch Collection. The work, valued at £10.2 million, will remain in England through a three-year loan to the Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford. The painting was bought in 1904 by Harriet Sarah Jones Loyd (Lady Wantage) from Italian dealer Elia Volpi, who had acquired it from the Magherini Graziani family.

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trending_up market schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 12 link 4 artists, 1 gallery

Metropolitan Museum of Art Announces $23M. Gift from Top 200 Collectors Jennifer Rubio and Stewart Butterfield

Jennifer Rubio and Stewart Butterfield, both listed on ARTnews's Top 200 Collectors, have pledged $23 million to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Rubio, founder of Away, and Butterfield, co-founder of Flickr and Slack, made the donation just two months after Rubio became a Met trustee. The gift will fund the museum's internship program, ensuring all undergraduate and graduate internships are fully paid positions, building on a previous $5 million gift from Adrienne Arsht.

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trending_up market schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 1 link 3 artists, 2 galleries

Claude Monet’s Market Triumph: 12 Record‑Smashing Paintings That Define an Era

Claude Monet's market dominance is analyzed through twelve record-breaking paintings sold at auction over the past decade, led by *Meules (Haystacks)* (1890), which achieved $110.7 million at Sotheby's New York in 2019—a record for any Impressionist work. The article highlights key sales including *Le Bassin aux Nymphéas* (1919) at $80.45 million, *Nymphéas* (1906) at $54 million, and *Le Pont du chemin de fer à Argenteuil* (1873–74) at $41.4 million, tracing how Monet's serene yet radical landscapes have consistently commanded top prices across Christie's and Sotheby's.

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trending_up market schedule May 2, 2026 visibility 4 link 1 artist, 1 gallery

Lévy Gorvy Dayan Bets on Urgency With New LGD Hammer Sales Platform

Lévy Gorvy Dayan has launched LGD Hammer, a new sales platform that blends gallery exhibition with auction-style urgency. The first work offered is Willem de Kooning's *Milkmaid* (1984), estimated at $10–$15 million, which will be on view by appointment from May 2 until the sale on May 16. Gallery cofounder Dominique Lévy will serve as auctioneer, drawing on her Christie's experience, while bidding occurs by phone with online observation. Cofounder Brett Gorvy emphasized the platform is not a market overhaul but a response to slowed private sales and cautious collectors who still respond to competitive pressure.

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trending_up market schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 7 link 3 artists, 1 gallery

London Dealer Stephen Friedman Owes $10.6 M. to Dozens of Creditors, Including Artists Deborah Roberts and Kehinde Wiley

London-based gallery Stephen Friedman has accumulated debts of approximately $10.6 million, according to official documents filed with Companies House. Creditors include Coutts & Co. bank (£3.2 million), Pentland Group Ltd. (£1.4 million), the UK tax authority, the Pollen Estate, art logistics company Crozier, and several prominent artists—Alexander Diop (£341,905), Deborah Roberts (£289,232), and Kehinde Wiley (£163,849). The gallery closed its New York space in November 2024 after just two years, then abruptly shut its London location and entered insolvency proceedings in February 2025, shortly after pulling out of Art Basel Qatar. A restructuring proposal by FRP Advisory was approved on 22 April.

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trending_up market schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 2 link 3 artists

Billionaire Collector Ken Griffin Buys Second Rare Constitution Printing

Billionaire collector Ken Griffin has quietly acquired a second rare first printing of the US Constitution, known as the Van Sinderen copy, through a private deal after it was pulled from a planned Sotheby’s auction in 2022. Griffin, who previously paid $43.2 million at Sotheby’s in 2021 for another copy, now holds the only two copies of the 1787 document still in private hands. The newly acquired document will go on public display starting May 27 at the South Street Seaport Museum in New York, headlining an exhibition titled “The Promise of Liberty” that includes other foundational texts.

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