Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule May 13, 2026 visibility 47 link 80 artists, 23 galleries

Frieze New York Kicks Off with Seven-Figure Sales and High Energy: ‘It’s a Fiesta’

Frieze New York kicked off its preview day at the Shed in Manhattan with strong sales and high energy, as many attendees arrived fresh from the Venice Biennale. Galleries reported brisk presales and early placements, with White Cube selling major works by El Anatsui and Antony Gormley for seven-figure sums, and other dealers like James Cohan Gallery nearly selling out their booths. Collectors, advisors, and celebrities including Anderson Cooper, Michael Stipe, and Leonardo DiCaprio were spotted, while the Brooklyn Museum made acquisitions through the new Sherman Family Foundation Acquisition Fund.

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trending_up market schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 60 link 17 artists, 1 gallery

The Marcel Duchamps That Got Away: On Collecting His Work and the Sprawling MoMA Show

The article recounts the author's personal experience as a collector who passed up the opportunity to buy a complete set of Marcel Duchamp's readymades at a 2002 Phillips de Pury and Luxembourg auction. The set, editioned by dealer Arturo Schwartz in 1964, included iconic works like *Fountain* and *Bicycle Wheel*, but the sale was a financial failure, with many pieces bought-in or selling for far below expectations. The author later acquired some of the unsold works privately. The piece is framed around the concurrent Duchamp exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art and Gagosian.

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trending_up market schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 57 link 21 artists, 1 gallery

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 57 link 35 artists, 1 gallery

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 55 link 15 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 18, 2026 visibility 42 link 9 artists, 3 galleries

Mark Rothko Painting Agnes Gund Hung in Her Living Room Sells for $98 M., Setting a Record

A Mark Rothko painting, *No. 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe)* (1964), formerly owned by prominent art patron and Museum of Modern Art president emerita Agnes Gund, sold at Christie’s on Monday night for $98.4 million (including fees). The work, which Gund purchased directly from Rothko in 1967 and kept in her living room until her death last September, received about a dozen bids before hammering at $85 million to a buyer represented by Christie’s specialist Rachael White Young. The sale broke Rothko’s previous auction record of $86.9 million set in 2012 for *Orange, Red, Yellow* (1961), also at Christie’s New York.

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trending_up market schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 49 link 27 artists, 3 galleries

Robert Mnuchin's $85.7m Rothko leads Sotheby's $407.5m auction in New York

Sotheby's evening auction in New York on May 13, 2025, realized $407.5 million ($433.1m with fees), led by Mark Rothko's "Brown and Blacks in Reds" (1957) from the collection of the late dealer Robert Mnuchin, which sold for $74m ($85.7m with fees). The sale opened with all eleven lots from Mnuchin's collection achieving a 'white glove' result, totaling $140.7m ($166.3m with fees), and continued with a mixed-vendor contemporary section that added $223m ($266.8m with fees), setting four new artist records.

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trending_up market schedule May 12, 2026 visibility 48 link 19 artists, 5 galleries

‘I am very decisive’: designer Jennifer Gilbert on what she collects and why

Designer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Jennifer Gilbert, based in Detroit, is selling select works from her contemporary art and design collections at Sotheby's in New York this spring to fund the opening of her own cultural space, Lumana, in Detroit's Little Village neighborhood. Highlights include Joan Mitchell's 1976 canvas *Loom II* (est. $5m-$7m) and Kenneth Noland's 1958 *Circle* (est. $4m-$6m), with proceeds supporting new generations of artists and institutions. Gilbert, who serves on the boards of Cranbrook Academy of Art and BasBlue, recently featured works from her collection in the exhibition *Seen/Scene* at the Shepherd art space.

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trending_up market schedule May 18, 2026 visibility 37 link 28 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.

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trending_up market schedule May 8, 2026 visibility 44 link 4 artists, 2 galleries

One of Van Gogh’s greatest watercolours could achieve a record price

Sotheby's New York will auction Vincent van Gogh's watercolor *The Harvest in Provence* (June 1888) on May 19, with an estimate of $25–35 million. The work, larger and more elaborate than a related watercolor at Harvard, was created just days before van Gogh's celebrated oil painting of the same scene. It is signed and titled, suggesting the artist considered it a finished piece rather than a mere study, and he sent it to his brother Theo before completing the oil version.

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trending_up market schedule May 3, 2026 visibility 50 link 29 artists, 9 galleries

A $15M De Kooning Leads Lévy Gorvy Dayan’s New Auction-Style Sales Experiment

Lévy Gorvy Dayan is launching LGD Hammer, a new live-bidding platform that blends private sales with auction dynamics. The inaugural sale on May 16 will feature a 1984 Willem de Kooning painting estimated at $10–15 million, led by co-founder Brett Gorvy, a former auction veteran. The article also reports on gallery closures (Stephen Friedman Gallery, Galerie Philipp Zollinger, Astor Gallery), artist moves (Zoe Leonard to Maxwell Graham, Kehinde Wiley among creditors), and Sotheby’s upcoming single-owner sale of Joe Lewis’s collection expected to exceed $200 million.

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trending_up market schedule Apr 27, 2026 visibility 41 link 3 artists, 3 galleries

$102 Million Verdict Over Robert Indiana Artwork May End Years-Long Legal Battle

A Manhattan federal jury awarded $102 million in damages to the Morgan Art Foundation in its lawsuit against art publisher Michael McKenzie, finding him guilty of making and selling unauthorized Robert Indiana artworks. The verdict, delivered on April 23, follows a complex legal battle that began just before Indiana's death in 2018, involving accusations of exploitation, fraud, and copyright infringement. McKenzie and caretaker Jamie Thomas were also accused of taking advantage of the elderly artist. The case has cast doubt on the authenticity of some late Indiana works and affected his market, with his auction record remaining at just over $4 million since 2011.

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trending_up market schedule May 22, 2026 visibility 31 link 36 artists, 5 galleries

17 New Artist Auction Records Set in May 2026

New York's spring auction week, starting May 18, 2026, saw record-breaking sales led by Christie's, which realized over $1.1 billion across two opening night sales. Major estate consignments from Condé Nast owner S.I. Newhouse, MoMA trustee Agnes Gund, dealer Marian Goodman, and financier Robert Mnuchin fueled the market, resulting in 17 new artist auction records.

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trending_up market schedule May 20, 2026 visibility 51 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

The shifting market for luxury: can legacy brands navigate new trends and buyers?

Bénédicte Épinay, president and CEO of Comité Colbert, is organizing 'Hidden Treasures,' an exhibition of French luxury brands at The Shed in New York in late May 2025, timed after Frieze art fair and auction week. The show features 96 French luxury brands, 17 cultural institutions, and six European luxury brands, including Musée du Louvre, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, and Cartier. The initiative is part of a broader cultural diplomacy strategy, following a similar exhibition in Shanghai in 2024 that helped reduce tariffs on cognac. The article also notes shifting luxury market dynamics, with strong US sales growth projected at 8% in 2026, while Europe remains stagnant, and emerging markets like India show new wealthy buyers driving auction house growth.

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trending_up market schedule May 19, 2026 visibility 31 link 8 artists, 3 galleries

15 Van Gogh Masterpieces that Set Auction Records

ARTnews published a listicle on May 19, 2026, detailing 15 Van Gogh masterpieces that set auction records, from *Landscape with Rising Sun* (1985) to *Portrait of Dr. Gachet* (1990). The article recounts landmark sales including *Sunflowers* ($39.9 million in 1987), *Irises* ($53.9 million in 1987), and *Portrait of Dr. Gachet* ($82.5 million in 1990), highlighting the buyers, provenance, and institutional homes such as the Sompo Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum.

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trending_up market schedule May 14, 2026 visibility 46 link 8 artists, 8 galleries

In Pictures: the best of Venice at Frieze New York

Frieze New York 2025 features a curated selection of works by artists also showing at the Venice Biennale, including Precious Okoyomon, Alma Allen, Dayanita Singh, Alvaro Barrington, and Paulo Nazareth. The fair highlights pieces ranging from Okoyomon's intimate works on paper at Mendes Wood DM to Allen's bronze wall sculpture at Perrotin, priced between $30,000 and $150,000. Other notable stands include Nabil Nahas's fractal-inspired painting at Lawrie Shabibi and P420, Singh's archival photographs at Frith Street Gallery, and Barrington's carnival-themed paintings at Emalin, alongside a sculpture by Sung Tieu.

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trending_up market schedule May 14, 2026 visibility 18 link 10 artists, 2 galleries

What is Nicole Kidman Doing in a Christie’s Video Promoting the Upcoming S.I. Newhouse Sale?

Christie’s has released a two-minute promotional video featuring actress Nicole Kidman interacting with Constantin Brancusi’s bronze sculpture *Danaïde* (1913), ahead of the S.I. Newhouse collection sale in New York. The sculpture carries a pre-sale estimate of $100 million, and the video—inspired by a Man Ray film of Lee Miller—shows Kidman dancing around the work to David Bowie’s “Golden Years.” The sale, scheduled for May 18, includes 16 masterpieces from the late media magnate’s collection, expected to total around $450 million.

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trending_up market schedule May 20, 2026 visibility 14 link 18 artists, 3 galleries

Sold-out Phillips auction in New York brings in $115.2m, more than double 2025 result

Phillips’s marquee spring auction in New York achieved a sold-out result, bringing in $91.73 million hammer ($115.2 million with fees), more than double the equivalent sale from a year ago. The top lot was Andy Warhol’s *Sixteen Jackies* (1964), which sold for $13.5 million ($16.2 million with fees), while a Jackson Pollock drip painting that had failed to sell in a previous auction found a buyer at $7.4 million. Fierce bidding occurred for contemporary works by artists with tightly controlled primary markets, such as Salman Toor, whose *Two Friends* (2020) surpassed its high estimate.

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trending_up market schedule May 3, 2026 visibility 46 link 21 artists

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 5, 2026 visibility 29 link 25 artists, 5 galleries

How to Buy Minimalist Art

Artsy Editorial offers a guide on buying Minimalist art, explaining the movement's core principles of geometric shapes, limited color palettes, and material reduction. The article highlights key artists such as Carl Andre and Polly Apfelbaum, and emphasizes that Minimalism focuses on the idea behind the work rather than the artist's technical skill.

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trending_up market schedule May 10, 2026 visibility 22 link 20 artists, 1 gallery

Canadian Masterworks Lead Heffel’s Spring Sales

Heffel Fine Art Auction House will hold its Spring Auction on May 21, 2026, featuring two sessions: Post-War & Contemporary Art and Old Master, Impressionist, & Modern Art. The sale, held in Toronto and online, includes works by Canadian masters such as Alex Colville, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Guido Molinari, and E.J. Hughes, with top estimates reaching up to $1.75 million CAD for Hughes' 'Coastal Boats Near Sidney, BC'.

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trending_up market schedule May 9, 2026 source 2 sources visibility 28 link 9 artists, 6 galleries

Ed Ruscha | Billy (1968) | Art & Prints

Ed Ruscha's 1968 exhibition catalogue 'Billy', designed for a show of works by his friend Billy Al Bengston, is being offered for sale. The catalogue features a flocked sandpaper cover, satin ribbon bookmark, and machine screw and hex nut binding, and was published by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for an exhibition that traveled to the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Vancouver Art Gallery. The work is listed on an art marketplace platform with a price of €62,600, and the listing includes details about its condition, provenance, and the artist's broader career.

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trending_up market schedule May 21, 2026 visibility 16 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

Christie’s Posts ‘Rock Solid’ Contemporary Sale, Led by Marian Goodman’s Gerhard Richters

Christie’s 21st-century evening auction in New York on May 20 brought in $162.7 million, a 69 percent increase from the same sale last year and the house’s highest New York evening total in the category since 2021. The sale featured 42 lots, including a single-owner collection of Minimalist works owned by Henry S. McNeil Jr. and eight Gerhard Richter works from the collection of the late gallerist Marian Goodman. The top lot was Richter’s photorealistic painting *Kerze (Candle)* (1982), which sold for $35.1 million, falling short of its $50 million high estimate. Other notable results included a Donald Judd Plexiglas stack that sold for $12.8 million and works by Richard Artschwager and Carl Andre that far exceeded their low estimates.

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trending_up market schedule May 22, 2026 visibility 14 link 43 artists, 14 galleries

TEFAF New York 2026: Contemporary Gains Ground

TEFAF New York 2026 is set to feature a stronger contemporary art presence, signaling a shift in the fair's traditional focus on Old Masters and antiques. The event will expand its contemporary offerings, attracting a broader range of galleries and collectors.

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trending_up market schedule May 20, 2026 visibility 15 link 24 artists, 1 gallery

Phillips’ $115.2 Million Evening Sale Was a Testament to the Power of Pre-Planning and Priority Bidding

Phillips’ Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale on May 19 achieved a white-glove result, totaling $115.2 million across 41 lots—a 122 percent increase from May 2025. The sale saw strong performances from works by Lee Bontecou, Salman Toor, and Cecily Brown, with Bontecou’s 1985 pastel on canvas setting a record for a two-dimensional work by the artist at $4.2 million. Other top lots included Andy Warhol’s *Sixteen Jackies* (1964) at $16.2 million, a Monet landscape at $9.3 million, and a Joan Mitchell at $6.9 million. Notably, less than half of the lots were guaranteed, with Phillips’ Priority Bidding incentive—offering a 4 percent discount on buyer’s premium—contributing to the strong results, as more than half of the lots attracted such bids.

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trending_up market schedule May 18, 2026 visibility 34 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.

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trending_up market schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 23 link 58 artists, 22 galleries

New York Is About to Sell $3 Billion in Art. Who’s Buying?

Vanity Fair's Nate Freeman reports on New York's spring art season, where auction houses are poised to sell at least $2.6 billion in art alongside major museum exhibitions (Raphael at the Met, Duchamp at MoMA, Matisse at Acquavella) and the opening of Frieze New York at The Shed. The article follows the social and commercial frenzy, highlighting a David Shrigley gong installation at Anton Kern Gallery's booth and the enduring dominance of New York, where nearly 90% of U.S. art sales occur.

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trending_up market schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 25 link 29 artists, 2 galleries

Sotheby’s $433 Million Contemporary Evening and Mnuchin Sales Kicked Off New York’s May Marquee Auctions

Sotheby's held two major evening sales in New York—the Mnuchin collection sale and The Now & Contemporary Evening Auction—generating a combined $433.1 million. The Mnuchin sale achieved a white-glove result of $166.3 million, led by Mark Rothko's *Brown and Blacks in Reds* (1957) which sold for $85.8 million, while the contemporary auction reached $266.8 million, with Jean-Michel Basquiat's *Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown)* as the top lot. The results fell within presale estimates but marked a 133% increase over last May's contemporary sales.

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trending_up market schedule May 12, 2026 visibility 31 link 1 artist, 6 galleries

Damien Hirst | Hands in Prayer (Coral) (2010) | For Sale

This article is a sales listing for Damien Hirst's sculpture "Hands in Prayer (Coral)" (2010), a limited-edition bronze work from his series "Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable." The piece is offered by Kristy Stubbs Gallery in Dallas, Texas, priced at $225,000. The listing includes details about the work's materials, dimensions, edition number (2/3), and condition, along with a biography of Hirst highlighting his career as a Young British Artist, his major exhibitions at institutions like Tate Modern and the National Gallery of Art, and his record-breaking auction sales.

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trending_up market schedule May 4, 2026 visibility 22 link 2 artists, 1 gallery

Tracking the Biggest Market Players at the Venice Biennale

The 61st Venice Biennale is underway, and while it is officially a non-commercial exhibition, market forces are increasingly influential behind the scenes. Artnet News host Margaret Carrigan reports on auction houses actively participating in opening week, and highlights Sotheby’s upcoming single-owner sale in London featuring works from billionaire Joe Lewis’s collection, expected to exceed $200 million. Meanwhile, Whitechapel Gallery has created a new economist-in-residence position to address ongoing financial strain in museums.

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