Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule May 22, 2026 visibility 28 link 22 artists, 8 galleries

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.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 18, 2026 visibility 35 link 29 artists, 4 galleries

The 16 Most Expensive Artworks Ever Sold at Auction

ARTnews published an updated list of the 16 most expensive artworks ever sold at auction, highlighting recent record-breaking sales such as Gustav Klimt's *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* (1914–16), which fetched over $236.4 million at Sotheby's, and Jackson Pollock's *Number 7A, 1948*, which sold for well above its $100 million estimate at Christie's in May 2026 from the S. I. Newhouse collection. The article traces the history of top auction prices, including Vincent van Gogh's *Orchard with Cypresses* (1888), which sold for $117 million during the Paul Allen sale at Christie's in November 2022, part of a record $1.5 billion single-evening auction.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 21, 2026 visibility 19 link 16 artists, 2 galleries

Marian Goodman’s $35.1 M. Richter ‘Candle’ Leads Christie’s Tepid $162.7 M. Trio of Postwar and Contemporary Sales

Christie’s New York held a trio of postwar and contemporary art evening sales on Wednesday night, totaling $162.7 million with fees, just meeting expectations. The auction was led by a Gerhard Richter painting, *Kerze (Candle)*, which sold for $35.1 million, and featured a collection of eight Richter works from the estate of revered dealer Marian Goodman, which collectively hammered at $66 million. Other highlights included a Donald Judd stack from the estate of collector Henry S. McNeil, selling for $12.8 million, and a Richter *Mohn (Poppy)* that achieved $20.1 million. Only one lot, an Ed Ruscha canvas, failed to sell.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 18, 2026 visibility 31 link 58 artists, 32 galleries

Frieze New York 2026 Reports Major Sales and Acquisitions

Frieze New York 2026 closed its 15th edition at The Shed on May 17, drawing 25,000 visitors from 75 countries and featuring 68 galleries from 26 countries. The fair reported strong sales across market levels, including seven-figure transactions such as El Anatsui's *LuwVor I* sold by White Cube for $2.2 million and Georg Baselitz's *Stunde der Nachtigall* sold by Thaddaeus Ropac for €1.4 million. The inaugural Sherman Family Foundation Acquisition Fund enabled acquisitions by the Brooklyn Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art, with works by Bettina, Reika Takebayashi, Seba Calfuqueo, and Joanne Burke. Several galleries, including Johyun Gallery and James Cohan, reported sold-out or near-sell-out booths.

newspaper dscene magazine open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 22, 2026 visibility 7 link 14 artists, 1 gallery

Heffel’s spring sales, featuring rediscovered royal portrait and E.J. Hughes seascape, tally $16.2m

Heffel's spring auction in Toronto on 21 May achieved a total of C$22.4m ($16.2m), led by E.J. Hughes's seascape *Coastal Boats Near Sidney, BC (1948)*, which sold for C$5.7m ($4.1m)—more than tripling its high estimate and setting a new auction record for the artist. The painting was consigned by Emily Carr University of Art and Design, with proceeds benefiting student awards. Other highlights included works by Mary Pratt, Jean Paul Riopelle, Alex Colville, Takao Tanabe, Tom Thomson, Arthur Lismer, and A.J. Casson, with four lots crossing the million-dollar mark and a 93.75% sell-through rate.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 20, 2026 visibility 11 link 28 artists, 1 gallery

Sotheby’s $304M Modern Evening Auction Confirms the Market Has Found Its Footing

Sotheby's Modern Evening Auction on May 19 achieved $304 million with a 98% sell-through rate across 45 lots, more than doubling the total from the equivalent sale in November. The auction was anchored by fresh-to-market masterpieces, including Henri Matisse's "La Chaise Lorraine" from the Barbier-Müller collection, which sold for $48.4 million—the second-highest price for a Matisse painting at auction. Other highlights included works from the Enrico Donati collection, which generated a combined $58.9 million, and Pablo Picasso's "Arlequin (Buste)" (1909) selling for $42.6 million. The sale contributed to a running combined total of $839.6 million for Sotheby's marquee sales, following strong results from the Mnuchin collection and Contemporary Day Auction.

newspaper observer.com open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 19, 2026 visibility 10 link 58 artists, 20 galleries

At TEFAF New York, the Masterpiece Market Had Plenty to Celebrate

TEFAF New York returned to the Park Avenue Armory with record attendance on its Collector Preview day, May 14, featuring 90 exhibitors showcasing modern and contemporary masterpieces, antiques, decorative arts, and jewelry. Dealers reported strong sales across price tiers, including an Andy Warhol Mao sold by ML Fine Art within the first hour, a Lucio Fontana *Concetto Spaziale* for $2.3 million at Mennour, and works by Giorgio Morandi, Giosetta Fioroni, and Meret Oppenheim sold by Galleria d’Arte Maggiore g.a.m. A new secondary-market partnership, Pace Di Donna Schrader Galleries, debuted with a booth anchored by a 1956 Rothko, signaling renewed confidence in the market.

newspaper observer.com open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 20, 2026 visibility 6 link 12 artists

Early David Hockney piece expected to fetch thousands at upcoming auction

A rare early artwork by David Hockney, created when he was just 19, is heading to auction at Tennants Auctioneers' Modern and Contemporary Art Sale on June 13. The mixed media piece, titled *Bolton Junction Eccleshill, Bradford*, depicts scenes from Hockney's hometown and is expected to fetch between £7,000 and £10,000. Originally purchased by Hockney's tutor Malcolm Riley at the artist's end-of-year show, the work reflects the perspective lessons Hockney learned at Bradford Regional College of Art. The sale also features works by other notable northern artists, including two drawings by L.S. Lowry, pieces by mining artists Norman Cornish and Tom McGuinness, and ceramics by Pablo Picasso, alongside lots by Damien Hirst and David Bailey.

newspaper The Northern Echo open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 20, 2026 visibility 5 link 9 artists, 2 galleries

Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art: Online - Christie's

Christie's is presenting an online sale titled "Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art: Online" from June 2–16, 2026, in London. The auction features 62 lots by leading modern and contemporary artists from the Gulf, the Levant, Iraq, Iran, and North Africa, including works by Samia Halaby, Saliba Douaihy, Baya, Parviz Tanavoli, Mohamed Melehi, and Abdul Halim Radwi. The sale marks 20 years since Christie's inaugural Middle Eastern art auction in the UAE in 2006.

newspaper Press center open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 19, 2026 visibility 5 link 15 artists

Modern Art + Design Draw Active Bidders At Eldred’s

Eldred’s auction house held its Modern Art + Design sale on May 7, featuring 245 lots of art, furniture, decorative arts, rugs and collectibles. The sale achieved a total of $221,740 with an 81% sell-through rate, driven by active phone, online, and absentee bidding. Top lots included a Tiffany Studios Nautilus table lamp that sold for $23,040 (more than three times its estimate), a Handel reverse-painted glass table lamp that reached $10,880 against a $800–$1,200 estimate, and Frank Stella’s “Aiolio” from his “Imaginary Places III” series, which fetched $17,920. An abstract oil on canvas by Manabu Mabe also performed strongly, selling for $14,080.

newspaper Antiques And The Arts Weekly open_in_new Read original