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Newly released emails from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein reveal that he discussed a plan by billionaire art collector Leon Black to purchase a Picasso painting from Gagosian gallery for $100 million. In a 2015 email to Melanie Spinella, a representative for Black, Epstein questioned the lack of a written contract for the overseas transfer, calling it 'fishy.' The emails also show Epstein advising Black on broader art purchasing strategies, including assigning agreements to family members, and offering opinions on Artspace, the online art marketplace acquired by Black's publishing house Phaidon.

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Frieze Seoul returns for its fourth edition at Coex from September 3 to 6 with 120 galleries, maintaining last year's scale. Asian galleries now represent 64 percent of exhibitors, up from 48 percent, signaling a stronger regional identity. Notable non-returning galleries include Blum, Karma, and Neugerriemschneider. Meanwhile, Kiaf Seoul will run concurrently with 176 exhibitors, and Art021 Group suspended its 2025 Hong Kong show after a single edition. Gallery Weekend Beijing concluded its ninth edition with a new invitation-only model, and several Asian-rooted artists are featured in London Gallery Weekend. New institutions opened, including the Photography Seoul Museum of Art and the Naoshima New Museum of Art, while the inaugural Bukhara Biennial program was announced.

Under new ownership, Art Monte Carlo voices 'global ambitions'

The 10th edition of Art Monte Carlo took place from April 29 to May 1 in the Grimaldi Forum, featuring 26 exhibitors ranging from Old Master paintings to contemporary works by Picasso, Warhol, and Richter. The fair was acquired last year by Informa Prestige, a luxury offshoot of Informa, which also owns Miami's Untitled fair. Executive chair John Paton aims to grow the fair, nearly double its size within two years, and expand to another location, leveraging complementary audiences from yachting and supercars.

‘The challenge will be to sustain it’: was the autumn art market boom more than just a blip?

The autumn art market saw a significant upturn, with strong sales at Frieze London, Art Basel Paris, and New York auctions, including a $236.4 million Klimt and a $2.2 billion auction week in New York—up 77% year-on-year. Emerging London galleries like Ginny on Frederick, Rose Easton, and A. Squire have reinvigorated Frieze London, while Paris benefits from luxury-house funding, with the Fondation Cartier and Fondation Louis Vuitton hosting major shows. However, concerns persist about sustainability, as geopolitical volatility and post-Brexit challenges continue to affect the market.

London’s Timothy Taylor to Close New York Outpost After a Decade

London gallery Timothy Taylor will close its New York outpost next month after nearly a decade of operation. The gallery cited current market conditions and the high costs of maintaining a second permanent space as reasons for the consolidation, though it will maintain an office and viewing room in the city.

Basquiat’s 'Museum Security' leads Sotheby’s New York contemporary evening sale at US$52.7m

Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1983 painting 'Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown)' sold for US$52.7 million at Sotheby's Now and Contemporary Evening Auction in New York, becoming the fifth-most expensive Basquiat ever auctioned. The work, estimated at over US$45 million and backed by an irrevocable bid, hammered at US$45.3 million to a telephone bidder represented by Sotheby's Lucius Elliott. The auction totaled US$266.8 million with fees, selling 40 of 44 lots, and combined with the preceding Robert Mnuchin collection sale—led by Mark Rothko's 'Brown and Blacks in Reds' at US$85.8 million—the evening brought in US$433.1 million.

Raymond Pettibon, Chris Johanson | You're Not Worth Much (Hand Signed by Raymond Pettib… (2017) | For Sale

This article is a sales listing for a collaborative artwork by Raymond Pettibon and Chris Johanson, titled "You're Not Worth Much" (2017), hand-signed by Pettibon. The listing includes a biography of Pettibon, detailing his career, exhibitions, and gallery representation by David Zwirner, as well as his influences and major museum shows.

Five forces that reshaped the art market in 2025

In 2025, the art market faced significant challenges, including gallery closures and unfavorable auction results in the first three quarters, driven by geopolitical pressures such as US President Donald Trump's tariffs. However, a rebound occurred in autumn, with buoyant fairs like Frieze London and Art Basel Paris, and strong November auctions in New York totaling over USD 2 billion, carrying momentum to Art Basel Miami Beach. Key events included Gustav Klimt's *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* selling for USD 236.4 million at Sotheby's, a record for a Modern work, and a Frida Kahlo self-portrait setting a new record for a work by a woman. Meanwhile, several galleries closed, including Blum, Venus Over Manhattan, Clearing, Kasmin Gallery, Tilton Gallery, and Perrotin and Pace's Hong Kong outposts, while others expanded, such as Thaddaeus Ropac in Milan and Hauser & Wirth in Sicily.

Thinking bigger: gallery stalwarts Sadie Coles, Maureen Paley and Stuart Shave on why they're expanding to new London spaces

Three of London's major gallerists—Maureen Paley, Sadie Coles, and Stuart Shave—are opening substantial new spaces in the capital, defying pessimism about the London art market. Paley has moved into part of Wolfgang Tillmans's former studio at 4 Herald Street, Coles will occupy a townhouse at 17 Savile Row from 14 October, and Shave's Modern Art will open a double shopfront at 8 Bennet Street, St James's, from 14 November. In an interview with The Art Newspaper, they discuss their motivations: Paley cites serendipity and historical significance, Coles sought a different kind of space for her artists, and Shave needed consolidation under one roof after years of fragmentation.

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Project Native Informant, a London gallery known for its focus on internet-influenced art, announced it will close after 12 years. Founder Stephan Tanbin Sastrawidjaja cited the volatile global economic, political, and social environment, along with personal factors, as reasons for the decision. The gallery launched in 2013 in a Mayfair garage before moving to the East End, and its final show was a solo exhibition for Sean Steadman that closed over the summer.

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Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier has filed a motion in federal court in Manhattan to recover 91 artworks valued at an estimated $100 million, which he claims were entrusted to French dealer Pascal de Sarthe. Bouvier is seeking to compel at least 15 banks and two major auction houses—Sotheby's and Christie's—to provide information about the artworks' whereabouts. The legal action, initiated in Hong Kong in October, targets de Sarthe, who disputes Bouvier's ownership. Bouvier alleges that after his long-running legal battle with Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, he was blacklisted by auction houses and entered into an oral agreement with de Sarthe and dealer Jean Marc Peretti for custody of the artworks, but de Sarthe has allegedly failed to respond to inquiries. A Hong Kong hearing was held in early October for orders including injunction and preservation.

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John Brandler, a British street art specialist, loaned three Banksy works to Metamorfosi, a Rome-based touring exhibition company, for shows in Italy and Switzerland. After a two-year contract expired and was extended with a monthly fee, Brandler claims Metamorfosi has fallen behind on payments and has not returned the artworks, including the mural "Season's Greetings" (2018), "Heart Boy," and "Computer Robot." Another Banksy dealer, Acoris Andipa, says he is owed £45,000 for curatorial services. Metamorfosi disputes the claims, stating it has paid monthly installments and attempted to return the works, blaming storage issues for the delay.

Art market 2025 review: all eyes on the Gulf as Trump destabilises global order

The global art market continued to contract in 2025, with prominent galleries such as Blum, Clearing, Sperone Westwater, Tilton, Kasmin, TJ Boulting, Project Native Informant, Nir Altman, and Altman Siegel closing due to challenging macroeconomic conditions. However, a rebound emerged at the top end by autumn, driven by Sotheby's white-glove sale of the Pauline Karpidas collection, strong VVIP sales at Art Basel Paris, and New York's November auctions, where Klimt's *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* (1914-16) sold for $236.3 million and Frida Kahlo's *El Sueño (la cama)* (1940) for $54.7 million. Christie's and Sotheby's reported increased sales from 2024, with second-half auctions up 26% year-on-year, though recovery remains uneven and concentrated in classic secondary-market tastes.

Willem de Kooning | Kneeling Woman (1966)

Willem de Kooning's 1966 work "Kneeling Woman" has ended its bidding process, with the listing appearing on a platform that aggregates auction results and available works. The piece, an oil on paper on board measuring 23.5 by 11.5 inches, is signed and has a known provenance including Harold Diamond, a private collection in Baltimore, Solomon & Co. Fine Art, Robert Peyser, and a Sotheby's sale in 2019. It was previously exhibited at the Nassau County Museum of Art in 1981 as part of "The Abstract Expressionists and Their Precursors" show.

Winfred Gaul | May (1969) | For Sale

A screenprint titled "May (1969)" by German Abstract artist Winfred Gaul is being offered for sale through RoGallery Auctions on Artsy. The work, edition 6/100, was originally featured as the image for May in the 1969 Domberger calendar, which included screenprints by 12 prominent artists. The print is signed and numbered in pencil, with an estimated value of $600–$900 and a starting bid of $250. The listing includes a biography of Gaul, noting his studies at the University of Cologne and the Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart, his first solo exhibition in 1956 at Gurlitt Gallery in Munich, and his participation in Documenta 2 in 1959. His work is held in major museum collections including MoMA, the National Gallery of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

How NADA is Cultivating the Next Generation of Collectors Through Salons

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The New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) has launched a new initiative called NADA Collects, a series of salons and educational events designed to demystify the art-buying process. Through gallery walks, dinners, and informal Q&A sessions, the program addresses the intimidation factor that often prevents potential buyers from entering the contemporary art market. By fostering a space where "no question is too dumb," NADA aims to bridge the gap between galleries and a new generation of collectors who may feel alienated by the perceived elitism of the art world.

Paris gallery directors join forces to launch ‘open-ended’ advisory

Two Paris-based art dealers, Samy Ghiyati and Nicolas Nahab, have launched NG, a new multi-pronged art advisory business. The venture combines traditional advisory services with a roving exhibition programme, collection management, and foundation management. Nahab previously led Mendes Wood DM’s Paris gallery and worked at Marian Goodman and Yvon Lambert; Ghiyati was a director at David Zwirner’s Paris gallery after a stint at Kamel Mennour. Their first public project will be a selling exhibition of videos by Meriem Bennani in Essaouira, Morocco, opening in December.

Post-War to Present

On 26 June, a live auction at a London saleroom achieved £9,284,310, led by Victor Man's 'The Chandler' at £705,600 and David Hockney's iPad painting at £504,000. Other top lots included works by KAWS, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Tracey Emin, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Raymond Pettibon. An online auction closed on 3 July with a total of £1,247,904, featuring Manolo Valdés's 'Amélie II' as the top lot at £56,700, along with works by George Condo, Sylvie Fleury, and Gilbert & George.

Salvador Dalí | Don Quixote

A Salvador Dalí metal bas-relief titled "Don Quixote" is being offered for bidding through Palm Beach Modern Auctions. The work is a limited edition sculpture in metal with platinum patina, signed and numbered 111/175, published by Martin Lawrence Ltd. Editions. The listing appears on Artsy's platform and includes details on dimensions, condition, and auction terms.