Vasari Art Codex

trending_up market schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 13 link 21 artists, 3 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 27, 2026 visibility 8 link 13 artists, 7 galleries

The Box Shutters in Los Angeles After Nearly Two Decades

The Box, a pioneering Los Angeles gallery known for its nonprofit-style support of experimental and performance art, has announced its closure after nearly two decades. Founded in 2007 by Mara McCarthy, the gallery’s final exhibition featured late California painter Wally Hedrick, and a closing event will include a fashion show by Johanna Went. Mara McCarthy cited the shifting market for her father Paul McCarthy’s work and the loss of family homes in the Eaton Fire as factors behind the decision.

newspaper Artforum open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 8 link 7 artists, 7 galleries

Art Fair Report: Stress Test

Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 drew 91,500 visitors and featured 240 galleries at the Convention and Exhibition Centre, alongside over 100 galleries at Art Central, three new boutique fairs, four new art spaces, multiple auction previews, and dozens of institutional shows and gallery openings. Despite a challenging 2025 that saw mega-galleries Pace and Perrotin close their Hong Kong spaces and auction results hit an eight-year low, blue-chip galleries reported strong sales, including David Zwirner’s USD 3.8 million sale of Liu Ye’s "Snow White" (2006) and Hauser & Wirth’s USD 2.95 million sale of a Louise Bourgeois work. The prevailing sentiment among collectors and gallerists was cautious optimism, with the phrase "Are you surviving?" overheard frequently.

newspaper ArtAsiaPacific open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Apr 29, 2026 visibility 5 link 15 artists, 2 galleries

Blue-Chip Names Anchor Showplace’s Art and Design Auction

New York's Showplace is hosting its Important Fine Art and Design Auction on May 14, 2026, featuring 145 lots that span Old Masters to contemporary works. Key highlights include Yayoi Kusama's *Infinity Nets* (1995, est. $100,000–$200,000), Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe's *Yellow Fanny Pack* (2021, est. $12,000–$18,000), Alexander Calder's *Paradis* (1976, est. $60,000–$80,000), Henri Martin's *L'Eglise de Labastide-du-Vert* (est. $60,000–$80,000), and Milton Avery's *Untitled (Winter Landscape Scene)* (est. $20,000–$40,000). The auction brings together blue-chip names like Warhol, Kusama, and Calder alongside emerging artists.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 2, 2026 visibility 2 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.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 5 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 Apr 30, 2026 visibility 5 link 1 artist, 2 galleries

Valerio Adami | Valerio Adami @Miart 2026 (2026) | Art & Prints

Valerio Adami, a prominent Italian painter born in 1935, is offering a new acrylic-on-canvas work titled "Valerio Adami @Miart 2026" (2026) through Dep Art Gallery. The painting, sized 198 × 147 cm, is a unique piece accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Adami is known for his graphic, comic-inspired narrative figuration, with works held in major museums including MoMA, Centre Pompidou, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

newspaper Artsy open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Apr 26, 2026 visibility 13 link 6 artists, 4 galleries

Hunt Slonem | Me (2022) | For Sale

Hunt Slonem's painting "Me" (2022), a small oil-on-wood work from his signature Bunnies series, is listed for sale at $8,000 through OA Fine Art in Paris and Hong Kong. The piece measures 10 × 8 inches, is hand-signed and dated by the artist, and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Slonem, born in 1951, is known for Neo-Expressionist paintings featuring repeated birds, bunnies, and butterflies, influenced by Andy Warhol's Pop art seriality.

newspaper Artsy open_in_new Read original

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

Marc Chagall | Sujet Biblique (1956) | For Sale

A limited-edition lithograph by Marc Chagall, titled *Sujet Biblique* (1956), is being offered for sale through Palm Beach Modern Auctions. The work is signed, bears a blind stamp, and is edition 2/15. It was originally published by Antoine Teriade in Paris for the Verve Vol. III art review, and its provenance includes a previous sale at Phi Auctions in 2021–2022. The lot is listed with a buyer's premium of 28% and is sold "AS IS" under the auction house's standard terms.

newspaper Artsy open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 5 link 1 artist, 2 galleries

Joan Miró | Quelques Fleurs Pour Des Amis: Milani (#25) (1964) | For Sale

A lithograph by Joan Miró from his "Quelques Fleurs pour des Amis" series, titled *Milani (#25)* (1964), is being offered for sale through Palm Beach Modern Auctions. The work is a limited-edition print on paper, signed in plate, from an edition of 150, printed by Mourlot, Paris, and published by Societe Internationale d'Art XXe Siecle, Paris. The listing includes details on condition, buyer's premium, and bidding terms.

newspaper Artsy open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Apr 27, 2026 visibility 8 link 4 artists, 2 galleries

Michael Jackson Accessories Hit the Market Amid Biopic Buzz

GWS Auctions is offering nine pieces of Michael Jackson memorabilia in a May 2 sale, including a signed pair of the late singer's Florsheim loafers. The auction features 734 items from the collection of Prince Lorenzo de' Medici, with highlights such as a crystal-studded white glove from Jackson's 1984 Victory tour and Swarovski-embellished socks from his Dangerous tour. The loafers, authenticated by Jackson's assistant Rosemary Chavira, carry a starting bid of $7,500, and the sale coincides with the record-breaking opening weekend of a new Michael Jackson biopic.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Apr 28, 2026 visibility 10 link 5 artists

Rare Roy Lichtenstein Work Could Net $60 Million at Auction

A long-lost Roy Lichtenstein painting from his iconic 'Girl' series, *Anxious Girl* (1964), has resurfaced after more than 30 years in a private collection and will be offered at Christie’s 20th Century Evening Sale in New York on May 18. The work, one of only 10 comic-inspired female portraits Lichtenstein produced during his breakthrough period between 1963 and 1965, carries an estimate of $40–60 million. The consignor acquired it from legendary Pop art patrons Horace and Holly Solomon over three decades ago.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Apr 29, 2026 visibility 10 link 11 artists, 1 gallery

A New York si è svolta un’asta di oggetti di design con risultati clamorosi (specchi da 30 milioni e altro ancora)

On April 22, 2026, Sotheby's in New York auctioned the first part of the Jean and Terry de Gunzburg collection, comprising around 125 exceptional design and contemporary art pieces. The sale, held at the Breuer Building, achieved a complete sell-out and became the most valuable design auction ever in the United States, totaling $96 million. A highlight was a new auction record for Claude Lalanne: a set of fifteen mirrors originally commissioned by Yves Saint Laurent sold for over $30 million, surpassing the previous record set by her husband François-Xavier Lalanne's Hippopotame Bar.

newspaper Artribune open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Apr 29, 2026 visibility 14 link 26 artists

Sotheby's May Marquee Sales unveiled | Led by Rothko's $70 - 100M Canvas

Sotheby's has unveiled its May marquee sales, headlined by Mark Rothko's monumental painting "Brown and Blacks in Reds" (1957), estimated at $70–100 million. The sales open with a dedicated auction of works from dealer and collector Robert Mnuchin, followed by The Now & Contemporary Art Evening Auction on May 14, led by a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting valued at over $45 million. Additional highlights include works from the collections of Jean and Terry de Gunzburg, Jennifer Gilbert, and David and Shoshanna Wingate, alongside a Modern Evening Auction on May 19 featuring Pablo Picasso's "Arlequin (Buste)" (est. over $40 million) and Vincent van Gogh's "La Moisson en Provence" (est. $25–35 million).

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