consignors revealed new york auctions may 2025

The article reports on the upcoming May 2025 marquee auctions in New York at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips, which carry a combined low estimate of about $1.2 billion—similar to last year. However, the market faces headwinds from U.S. trade wars, stock market volatility, high interest rates, and ongoing global conflicts. Major consignors include estates (Len Riggio, Anne Bass), living patrons (Tiqui Atencio, Norman Braman), dealers (Daniella Luxembourg, Barbara Gladstone, Enrico Navara), and institutions (SFMOMA, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Phillips Collection). Notable lots include Sheldon Solow’s $70 million Alberto Giacometti at Sotheby’s and Riggio’s $50 million Mondrian at Christie’s. Collector Peter M. Brant is revealed as the seller of Basquiat’s Baby Boom (1982) and a John Currin painting at Christie’s.

may 2025 art auctions consignors

The article previews the upcoming May 2025 marquee art auctions in New York, led by Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips. Key consignors include the collection of late Barnes & Noble founder Leonard Riggio and his wife Louise, along with works from Anne and Sid Bass, Tiqui Atencio, Daniella Luxembourg, the estate of Barbara Gladstone, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Notable lots include Dorothea Tanning's 'Endgame' (est. $1M–$1.5M), Robert Motherwell's 'Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 160' (est. $3.5M–$5.5M), and Andy Warhol's 'Big Electric Chair' (est. $30M). The article also reveals undisclosed consignors through research, such as the family of Harold and Gertrud Parker for the Tanning work and the Hess Art Collection for the Motherwell.

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.

4 takeaways art business conference hong kong

Hong Kong's inaugural Art Business Conference brought together government officials, legal experts, and financiers to examine the city's strategic advantages as an art trading hub. Key takeaways included the need to maintain cultural exchange as a national strategy under China's 14th Five-Year Plan, with the West Kowloon Cultural District receiving over $6.5 billion in government funding. The Art Basel and UBS Survey of Global Collecting 2025, authored by Clare McAndrew, revealed that ultra-wealthy collectors are now allocating up to 20 percent of their wealth to art, up from 15 percent in 2024, as an estimated $83 trillion in intergenerational wealth transforms art trading into a sophisticated professional network.

sperone westwater gallery closing

Sperone Westwater, a pioneering New York gallery that launched artists like Bruce Nauman, Richard Long, and Francesco Clemente, will close on December 31 after 50 years. Co-founders Angela Westwater and Gian Enzo Sperone are pursuing separate endeavors. The gallery’s final show is a current exhibition for Long, and it will still participate in Art Basel Miami Beach next month. Founded in 1975 in SoHo, the gallery was known for championing Neo-Expressionism and transavanguardia, and later diversified its roster with artists like Joana Choumali and Gamaliel Rodriguez. Its eight-story Bowery building, designed by Norman Foster, faces an uncertain future.

another management shake up at sothebys asia and a rundown of the latest in asias art world

Sotheby's Asia faces another leadership shake-up as Elaine Holt departs her role as chairman of modern and contemporary art in Asia after just one year. Jasmine Prasetio, Sotheby's managing director for Southeast Asia, will relocate to Hong Kong to serve as interim chair. Meanwhile, European galleries Meyer Riegger and Galerie Jocelyn Wolff are partnering to open a new space in Seoul called Meyer Riegger Wolff, led by Gala Musi, with an inaugural show during Frieze Seoul. Design Miami will make its Asian debut in Seoul, and London-based artist Firenze Lai has joined White Cube's roster. In Taiwan, the Taichung Green Museumbrary, designed by SANAA, is set to open in December, and the Gwangju Biennale Foundation has appointed Youn Bummo as its new president.

morgan stanley intelligence report triumph contemporary

Morgan Stanley and Artnet have released an Intelligence Report analyzing the explosive growth of the ultra-contemporary art market—defined as work by artists born after 1974. Auction sales in this category surged 305% from 2019 to 2021, reaching $742.2 million last year, driven by strong demand in the U.S. and China. The report breaks down sales by region, price band, and leading artists, highlighting how galleries, fairs, museums, and collectors are capitalizing on this trend.

jack shainman gallery responds odili donald odita lawsuit

Jack Shainman Gallery has formally responded to a lawsuit filed by artist Odili Donald Odita, who accused the New York gallery of refusing to return his artworks. Odita, whose work has been shown at the Venice Biennale and who recently painted the atrium of the Museum of Modern Art, claimed the artworks were worth $1.12 million. In a late November filing, the gallery countered that it holds far less inventory than Odita alleges and that the artist still owes money for production costs. The gallery disclosed that it had paid Odita a monthly stipend starting in 2016—$14,000 per month at its peak—which stopped in 2024, and that Odita had received $586,000 in loans. The gallery claims it has the right to retain five works valued at $650,000, which were consigned to David Kordansky Gallery, and that Odita must repay over $292,000 in outstanding loans.

taipei art week taiwan market review

The second edition of Taipei Art Week has drawn a large crowd, anchored by Art Taipei—Asia's longest-running art fair—and the 14th Taipei Biennale. Galleries have raised their ambitions, with pop-up shows, talks, and collectors' parties filling the city. However, Taiwan's art market faces significant headwinds: art imports fell 15.2% in 2024, Ravenel's spring auction sales plummeted from $14.6 million in 2020 to $3.6 million in 2025, and Taipei Dangdai announced it would cease operations after its sixth edition. Geopolitical tensions with China have reduced Chinese collector participation and visitor numbers at the National Palace Museum.

the art market has lost its grip on price

Former Sotheby's rainmaker Brooke Lampley, now a director at Gagosian, discusses the art market's loss of control over pricing, citing a failed $70 million Alberto Giacometti bust at auction as a symptom of deeper market confidence issues. The article traces the evolution of art pricing from opaque, dealer-driven norms to a data-rich system enabled by Artnet's Price Database in 1989, which fueled a price spiral and attracted speculators. Now, in 2025, the market faces a correction with auction sales down 27.3 percent to $10.2 billion, and buyers are pausing as traditional pricing signals become scrambled.

Gulf art market feels the force of Middle East conflict

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East, involving the US, Israel, and Iran, has disrupted the Gulf region's art market. Key events like Art Dubai have been postponed, and the inaugural Frieze Abu Dhabi faces uncertainty, as the area's stability—crucial for attracting international dealers and auction houses—is now in question.

Ed Ruscha | Ed Ruscha - Reading Ed Ruscha (Hand Signed by Ed Ruscha) (2012) | Available for Sale

A hand-signed offset lithograph poster by Ed Ruscha, created for the 2012 "Reading Ruscha" exhibition at the Kunsthaus Bregenz in Austria, is available for sale. The poster features an iconic 1971 photograph of the artist by Jerry McMillan and is noted for its rarity, with Ruscha having signed fewer than 50 copies for the institution.

Lost Bob Dylan Lyric Sheet Resurfaces After 60 Years—and Other Rare Finds Heating Up the Market

A rare, typewritten lyric sheet for Bob Dylan’s song “I’m Not There” has resurfaced after being hidden for nearly 60 years inside a first-edition book of poetry by Allen Ginsberg. The document, which was discovered by a book dealer handling the estate of Sally Grossman, is set to be auctioned by Omega Auctions with an estimate of £20,000–£40,000. Other high-profile collectibles hitting the block include Stephen Curry’s game-worn sneakers at Sotheby’s and a signed Albert Einstein etching.

Art Market Minute: March 9

art market minute mar 9

The Gulf region’s art market is navigating a period of significant instability as escalating geopolitical tensions between the U.S., Israel, and Iran threaten the upcoming Art Dubai fair. Long considered a safe haven for global culture and commerce, the United Arab Emirates now faces questions regarding its perceived insulation from regional conflict just weeks before its major international art event.

basquiat crowns peso neto sothebys auction

An early Jean-Michel Basquiat painting, *Crowns (Peso Neto)* (1981), sold for $48.3 million at Sotheby’s contemporary evening sale on Tuesday night, exceeding its pre-sale estimate of $35–45 million. The work, making its auction debut, was created when Basquiat was 21 and features his signature motifs of crowns, black faces, and cartographic lines. Bidding lasted five minutes, with Sotheby’s chairman for China Jen Hua winning on behalf of a phone client. The painting had been held in three private collections over four decades and was previously exhibited at Basquiat’s first solo show at Annina Nosei, documenta 7, the Whitney Museum, and the Fondation Louis Vuitton.

What Germany’s Art Market Reveals About the Limits of Localism

German art dealers are increasingly pivoting toward regional strategies as the national market faces a period of stagnation. While the broader European Union saw a modest rise in dealer sales, Germany’s market contracted by 4 percent between 2024 and 2025, hampered by high interest rates and a sluggish post-pandemic recovery. In response, major fairs like Art Cologne are launching satellite editions in locations like Mallorca to follow wealthy German collectors on vacation, while Art Düsseldorf prepares for a record-breaking edition despite the economic downturn.

rachel whiteread collaboration puiforcat silver

English artist Rachel Whiteread, the first woman to win the Turner Prize in 1993, has collaborated with French silversmith company Puiforcat on a new seven-piece silverware collection. Inspired by corrugated cardboard, the collection includes serving trays, a pitcher, tumblers, and napkin rings, with surfaces that mimic the grooves and overlapping corners of cardboard, as well as watermark-like concentric circles. The trays echo Whiteread's recent artworks, such as *Untitled (Silver Pallet)* (2023), a flattened cardboard cast in lacquered silver.

10 most expensive lots sold auction march 2025

In March 2025, major auction houses, particularly in London, achieved strong sales despite the month typically being quiet. Christie’s and Sotheby’s sold ten high-value lots, led by Jean-Michel Basquiat’s *Sabado Noche* (1984) at £8.4 million ($14.5 million). A standout result was M.F. Husain’s *Untitled (Gram Yatra)* (1954), which sold for $13.75 million at Christie’s New York, marking the first time an Indian Modern artwork exceeded $10 million at auction. Other notable sales included works by René Magritte, Yoshitomo Nara, Francis Bacon, Tamara de Lempicka, Amedeo Modigliani, Paul Delvaux, Michael Andrews, and Lisa Brice.

Van Gogh in 2025: Record prices, memorable shows and the first Korean acquisition

The article reviews the Van Gogh year in 2025, highlighting several key developments. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam faces potential closure unless the Dutch government increases its annual building subsidy from €8.5m to €11m, leading the museum to file a legal complaint. At auction, two Van Gogh paintings sold, with "Parisian Novels" (1887) fetching $62.7m at Sotheby's, a record for his Paris period, and eight drawings were sold, including "Sower in a Wheatfield with setting Sun" (1888) for $11.2m. Acquisitions included "Tarascon Stagecoach" (1888) given to LACMA via the Henry and Rose Pearlman Foundation, and "Head of a Peasant" (1885) bought by Korean-born gallery owner Hong Gyu Shin, marking the first known Van Gogh acquisition by a Korean.

Hauser & Wirth Heads to Palo Alto as Mega-Galleries Target Silicon Valley

Hauser & Wirth has announced plans to open a new gallery in Palo Alto, California, in spring 2026. The location, a historic former post office at 201–225 Hamilton Avenue, will offer 2,600 square feet of exhibition space, a bookshop, and a program of talks and events. Designed by architect Luis Laplace, it will be the gallery's sixth U.S. outpost and its third in California, joining existing spaces in downtown Los Angeles and West Hollywood. The expansion comes as the broader art market faces contraction, but mega-galleries continue targeting wealthy collector hubs like Silicon Valley.

"Es ist nur die Frage: Bist du reich genug oder nicht?"

A Christie's auction in New York saw Jackson Pollock's "Number 7A" sell for approximately $181 million, contributing to a total of $1.1 billion in sales for the evening. The auction, covered by Vanity Fair and the New York Times, featured intense bidding between figures like Iwan Wirth and Alex Rotter, while names such as Jeff Bezos and Ken Griffin were speculated to be involved. Combined with sales from Sotheby's and Phillips, the week generated around $2.5 billion. Meanwhile, a separate controversy erupted in France over artist Claire Tabouret's new stained-glass windows for Notre-Dame Cathedral, with critics arguing they violate heritage protection laws. Additionally, the Fondation Beyeler faces allegations that a Cézanne watercolor in its current exhibition may be Nazi-looted art from the collection of Jewish paper wholesaler Gustav Schweitzer.

art fairs luxury collaborations 2025 market

In 2025, art fairs and auction houses have deepened their integration with luxury brands, with Sotheby's and Christie's reporting that luxury items like handbags, jewels, and watches now account for a significant share of revenue—roughly a third at Sotheby's, with private luxury sales surging 350% year-on-year. Art fairs such as Frieze London and Art Basel's global editions have moved beyond traditional sponsorship, embedding luxury partners like Tiffany & Co., Ray-Ban, Stone Island, and De Beers into curated sections, mentorship programs, and immersive installations. Industry figures like Marc Spiegler and Emily Glazebrook emphasize that the most successful collaborations prioritize artists over brands, with initiatives like UBS's Unlimited sector and the Chanel Culture Fund serving as models.

The Hole Gallery Sued Over Unpaid Back Rent

The Hole, a prominent contemporary art gallery founded by Kathy Grayson, has shuttered its West Hollywood location amid a wave of legal and financial troubles. Court filings reveal that the gallery faces multiple lawsuits for unpaid rent and real estate taxes across its Los Angeles and Manhattan outposts, with debts totaling over $180,000. Beyond real estate disputes, the gallery has been dogged by allegations of financial instability and delinquent payments to artists, including a 2019 lawsuit from artist Dan Lam regarding unpaid sales and damaged works.

gustav klimt portrait failed auction sale fraulein lieser

The sale of Gustav Klimt's *Portrait of Fräulein Lieser* (1917), which fetched €35 million ($37.51 million) at im Kinsky in Vienna in 2024, has collapsed after the anonymous Hong Kong buyer withdrew. The buyer had attempted to negotiate indemnification settlements with all known heirs of Adolf and Henriette Lieser for 60% of the sale proceeds, but one heir refused to sign, causing the deal to fall through. The auction house now faces estimated losses of at least €1.5 million ($1.7 million).

Phillips Collection sells O’Keeffe and other masterpieces amid outcry from supporters

The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., sold three masterworks from its permanent collection at auction on Thursday evening for a combined $13,413,000. The deaccessioned works were by Georgia O’Keeffe, Arthur Dove, and Georges Seurat. The sale proceeded despite strong outcry from some of the museum's influential supporters, who viewed the decision as a betrayal of the founders' vision and accused the director and board of prioritizing financial gain over the institution's mission.

Sotheby’s secures $120m Pritzker and $400m Lauder collections, with works by Matisse, Munch and Van Gogh

Sotheby’s has secured two major private collections for its autumn New York sales: the Pritzker collection, estimated at $120 million, and the Lauder collection, valued at around $400 million. The Pritzker collection includes Vincent van Gogh’s *Romans Parisiens* (1887) with a $40 million estimate, while the Lauder collection features Gustav Klimt’s *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* (1914-16) estimated at over $150 million, along with works by Matisse, Munch, and Martin. The sales will take place at Sotheby’s new headquarters in the Breuer Building this November.

‘Everyone's suffering right now’: New York and Los Angeles gallery Clearing will close

Clearing, the influential New York and Los Angeles gallery that launched the careers of many prominent artists, will close both locations. Founder Oliver Babin announced the closure on August 7, citing crushing overhead costs—rent, shipping, and art fair expenses—that outpaced declining revenue. The gallery opened in 2011 in Bushwick, later moved to the Bowery in Manhattan in 2023, and expanded to Brussels and Los Angeles. Babin described the decision as inevitable, noting that the gallery had been kept alive by hope but now faces no viable path forward. The closure follows a wave of US gallery shutdowns this summer, including Kasmin, Venus Over Manhattan, and Tim Blum’s spaces.

Dream Win With a Catch

Traumgewinn mit Haken

A 58-year-old sales engineer from Paris has won a 1941 Pablo Picasso portrait titled "Tête de femme" through a charity raffle. The winner acquired the masterpiece, valued at approximately €1.45 million, by purchasing a single €100 ticket. Organized to benefit Alzheimer’s research, the international lottery sold 120,000 tickets across 152 countries, raising a total of €12 million.

Sun, Sea, and Security

"Sonne, Meer und Sicherheit"

The Art Cologne Palma Mallorca art fair has emerged as a strategic hub for wealthy German collectors, positioning the Mediterranean island as a safe and accessible alternative to more volatile global markets. While sales have been strongest in the lower price segments, the fair's revival highlights a trend toward 'lifestyle' art events that prioritize security and leisure. Simultaneously, the German art market faces a broader crisis of regionalization, where galleries are increasingly focusing on local buyers despite declining overall sales and a lack of transformative economic growth.

Sotheby’s 7%

Les 7 % de Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s has reportedly begun offering sellers a 7% interest rate to delay the payout of their auction proceeds. This unusual financial incentive comes as the auction house, owned by billionaire Patrick Drahi, faces significant liquidity challenges and a reported cash crunch.