top artists december list

Artnet News published its quarterly list of the most exhibited living artists in U.S. museums for December 2025, compiled by tracking temporary exhibitions across hundreds of institutions. The list ranks artists based on the number and type of shows they appear in, prioritizing career retrospectives, dedicated exhibitions, and biennial appearances. Among the top artists featured are Marie Watt, whose touring print exhibition "Storywork" and numerous group show appearances earned her a high ranking, and Jeffrey Gibson, known for his installation at MASS MoCA. The article notes that Watt also won the $250,000 Heinz Award in September 2025.

fall art season new york galleries open

Mathieu Borysevicz, founder of Shanghai's Bank gallery, launched a six-month pop-up on New York's Lower East Side earlier this year, aiming to introduce his program to new audiences amid growing Asian art interest in the city. By mid-summer, however, Borysevicz observed a sharp market downturn as collectors withdrew, reflecting a broader trend of gallery closures, lawsuits, and fair cancellations that have marked a turbulent period for the art world.

kenny schachter aucton sales column

Kenny Schachter's column reveals that Jeff Bezos secretly bought Frida Kahlo's 1941 painting *Me and My Parrot* for over $130 million in a private auction hosted by Christie's in 2021, and that Mark Zuckerberg recently purchased René Magritte's 1964 painting *Le fils de l'homme* (The Son of Man) for roughly $150 million in another private treaty sale negotiated by Christie's. The article also discusses a new private auction Christie's is organizing for a major Magritte work valued north of $50 million, and critiques the growing influence of tech billionaires—the "Magnificent 7"—on the art market.

conditional authenticity appraisal reports recent cases

A Paris court seized 135 allegedly stolen paintings from Paris-based art authenticators ArtAnalysis in January, which had been holding the works for collector Mozes Frisch. The pieces are part of a 1,778-work collection supposedly by heavyweight Russian modernists. Palestinian businessman Uthman Khatib and his son Prince Castro Ben Leon claim the works were stolen from them by Frisch in 2019, and are suing in Germany for return of the works or $323 million. ArtAnalysis owner Laurette Thomas, Frisch, and collector Olivia Amar are countersuing Khatib for return of the Paris-held works plus $30.5 million in damages. The Khatibs' law firm Dentons hired Doerr Dallas Valuations to appraise the 135 disputed works, which assigned a $208 million valuation but included a caveat, likely related to the fact that many works were listed on the Art Loss Register in 2014 during an investigation into disgraced Israeli art dealer Itzhak Zarug, who was suspected of dealing fakes.

nada new york independent art fairs sales report

Two major New York art fairs—NADA New York and Independent—opened this week alongside Frieze and TEFAF, marking a crowded spring fair season. Despite a recent market downturn, both fairs reported strong attendance and early sales. NADA's executive director Heather Hubbs noted high-quality visitors and positive feedback on the new venue, while Independent founder Elizabeth Dee cited a 20% increase in opening-day attendance and robust buying from collectors and institutions. Sales ranged from lower-priced works under $50,000 to six-figure transactions, with galleries like Vielmetter Los Angeles, Andréhn-Schiptjenko, and Fleisher/Ollman Gallery reporting significant sales.

damien hirsts colorful spin painting of leonardo dicaprio just raised 1 3 million for charity

An enormous painting of Leonardo DiCaprio by Damien Hirst, titled *Beautiful Leonardo DiCaprio Looking Away Painting* (2016), sold for $1.3 million at the amfAR Gala in Cannes, France, on May 25. The work, a colorful spin painting signed by both the actor and artist, was donated by collector Christian Levett and auctioned by Simon de Pury. The gala raised $17 million total, with the top lot being a $1.6 million Aston Martin DB12, and also featured artworks by Claire Tabouret, Cecily Brown, Andres Valencia, and Robert De Niro.

In Paris, Highly Mobile Gallerists

À Paris, des galeristes très mobiles

The Parisian art scene is experiencing a significant wave of gallery expansions and relocations across both the Right and Left Banks. Major developments include Kamel Mennour acquiring the former Malingue gallery space on Avenue Matignon for secondary market masterpieces, and Christophe Person moving from the Marais to a redesigned space on Rue du Bac with the backing of collector Jean Claude Gandur. Other notable moves include London-based Waddington Custot opening a Parisian branch, Singapore's Cuturi Gallery settling in the Palais-Royal, and Vincent Sator inaugurating a new space in the David Chipperfield-designed Morland Mixité Capitale complex.

‘Sometimes you just have to go for it’: as others close, Ben Hunter expands his London gallery

London art dealer Ben Hunter is bucking the trend of gallery closures by expanding his gallery into a full townhouse at 44 Duke Street in St James’s, set to open this October. Hunter, who previously worked for Old Master dealer Derek Johns and sculpture specialist Robert Bowman, founded his gallery in 2018 and has gradually taken over more space in the building as other tenants left. The historic townhouse was originally where Jay Jopling launched White Cube in 1993. Hunter cites the need to match the ambition of his artists and seize opportunities as key reasons for the expansion, despite the challenging market.

Rediscovered Rubens and a woolly mammoth head star at Brafa fair in Brussels

Brafa, Belgium's premier art and antiques fair, has expanded for its 71st edition, now featuring 147 exhibitors across three halls in the Brussels Expo convention centre. Highlights include a newly rediscovered Peter Paul Rubens painting, *Portrait of an Old Man* (around 1609), priced at over €1 million, and a 50,000-year-old woolly mammoth head from Siberia that sold for €45,000. The fair runs from 25 February to 1 March, with a strong focus on painting from Old Masters to Modern art, and a notable presence of Belgian and early 20th-century French artists.

Former Sotheby's chairman recounts the birth of the London art market as we know it

James Stourton, former chairman of Sotheby's UK, has written a book titled "Rogues and Scholars" that chronicles the rise of London's art market after World War II. The article highlights key moments such as Sotheby's 1958 sale of the Goldschmidt collection of Impressionist art, which transformed auctions into glamorous evening events, and the introduction of the buyer's premium in 1975, which Stourton calls "the Big Bang of the art world." It also profiles influential dealers and galleries like Marlborough Gallery, Robert Fraser, Christopher Gibbs, and Robin Symes who shaped global tastes from London.