kerry james marshall frieze london royal academy

Kerry James Marshall's paintings are being offered at Frieze London, with two major works on view at different galleries. Alexander Gray Associates presents Marshall's 1992 painting *A Woman with a Heart of Gold* for $2.9 million, a collage-like work that critiques racial fantasies in mass-market romance. David Zwirner shows the 1990 painting *A Little Romance* priced at $3.2 million, depicting a dreamy reclining figure. Meanwhile, the Royal Academy's exhibition “Kerry James Marshall: The Histories” has drawn enthusiastic repeat visits from dealers and auction-house figures, generating significant buzz during Frieze week.

consignors november 2025 new york sales christies sothebys

As the fall auction season returns to New York, Christie’s and Sotheby’s are preparing for evening sales amid an uneven art market. The article reveals key consignors behind major lots, including a Frida Kahlo painting from 1931, estimated at $6–8 million, owned by Miami-based Francisco and Fiorella Pérez Díaz, and three French Post-Impressionist works from the collection of the late Argentine patron Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier. The market context includes underwhelming results at Art Basel in Switzerland but strong attendance at Frieze London and Art Basel Paris, with collectors showing willingness to spend only on exceptional, well-priced works.

dealers abuzz frieze los angeles vip day frenzy

The VIP opening of Frieze Los Angeles at Santa Monica Airport saw a surge of high-value transactions and heavy foot traffic from both local and international collectors. Major galleries reported multi-million dollar sales within the first few hours, including a $2.8 million work by Njideka Akunyili Crosby at David Zwirner and a sold-out booth of Conny Maier paintings at Hauser & Wirth. Dealers described the atmosphere as a "frenzy," noting that sales figures in some cases already tripled their performance at previous major fairs like Art Basel Miami Beach.

work of the week maria van oosterwijck

A rare 17th-century still life by Dutch Golden Age painter Maria van Oosterwijck sold for €406,400 ($477,000) at Christie’s Paris, nearly three times its high estimate, during the auction of the Stern family collection. The painting, titled *A bunch of fruit, berries and flowers hanging in a niche*, achieved the second highest auction price ever for the artist, who is believed to have produced only about 30 works in her lifetime.

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.

maurice sendak auction christies

Christie's will auction over 100 objects from Maurice Sendak's personal collection on June 10, 2025, at Rockefeller Center, with an online component from May 29 to June 10. The sale includes works by Dürer, Rembrandt, David Hockney, Pablo Picasso, George Stubbs, and William Blake, as well as rare editions of Blake's *Songs of Experience* (1794) and *Songs of Innocence* (1789), a vintage Mickey and Minnie Mouse tinplate toy, and 30 lots by Sendak himself, including a first-edition cover of *Where the Wild Things Are* (1963). Proceeds will support the Sendak Fellowship residency program at the Sendak Foundation in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

‘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.

Christie’s Holds Its Nerve Mid-Marathon as the 21st Century Evening Sale Secures a Steady $123.6 Million

Christie's 21st Century Evening Sale on November 20 achieved $123.6 million across 45 lots, with a 98% sell-through rate. The top lot was Andy Warhol's *The Last Supper*, selling for $8.1 million with fees, while works from the collection of Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson brought in $49.2 million. The sale included strong results for Christopher Wool, Cindy Sherman, and Diego Giacometti, though it lacked the record-breaking fireworks of earlier sessions.

$181.2 Million Pollock, $107.6 Brancusi Million Sell at Christie’s, as Records Fall

Christie's New York auctioned 16 works from the collection of late media magnate S.I. Newhouse for a total of $630.8 million, far exceeding the $450 million estimate. The top lot was Jackson Pollock's "Number 7A" (1948), which sold for $181.2 million, setting a new auction record for the Abstract Expressionist and making him the latest artist to join the $100 million club. Minutes earlier, Constantin Brancusi's bronze sculpture "Danaïde" (1913) achieved $107.6 million, also a record for the Romanian modernist and the second-highest price ever for a sculpture at auction.

Rare Roy Lichtenstein Work Could Net $60 Million at Auction

A long-lost Roy Lichtenstein painting from his iconic 'Girl' series, *Anxious Girl* (1964), has resurfaced after more than 30 years in a private collection and will be offered at Christie’s 20th Century Evening Sale in New York on May 18. The work, one of only 10 comic-inspired female portraits Lichtenstein produced during his breakthrough period between 1963 and 1965, carries an estimate of $40–60 million. The consignor acquired it from legendary Pop art patrons Horace and Holly Solomon over three decades ago.

Lost John Constable Painting Rediscovered in Texas Bound for Auction

Lost John Constable Painting Rediscovered in Texas Bound for Auction

A long-lost, large-scale oil study by John Constable for his famous painting *The Cornfield* has been rediscovered and authenticated after decades in a rural Texas museum. Scientific analysis, including pigment tests and infrared reflectography, confirmed the materials and techniques match Constable's own, leading experts to declare it the largest known study for the 1826 masterpiece. The work, which had been mistakenly cataloged as a copy, will now be auctioned by Heritage Auctions in Dallas this June.

sothebys modern sales by the numbers

Sotheby's three-part modern art evening auction in New York on Thursday night achieved a total of $304.6 million, a dramatic increase from the $93.1 million equivalent sale last year. The sale featured 69 lots, with three withdrawn and none bought in, resulting in a 95% sell-through rate. Top lots included Vincent van Gogh's still life "Piles de romans parisiens et roses dans une verre" (1887), which sold for $62.7 million with premium to private advisor Patti Wong, and a work by Frida Kahlo. Third-party guarantees covered 55% of the presale low estimate, but bidding remained competitive throughout.

sothebys modern pritzker exquisite corpse auction results

On Thursday night, Sotheby’s held a three-part sale of Impressionist, Modern, and Surrealist art at the Breuer Building in New York, generating $304.6 million against a cumulative estimate of $218.8 million to $301.2 million. The smallest sale, 13 lots from the collection of Cindy and Jay Pritzker, achieved a “white glove” result with $109.5 million, led by Vincent van Gogh’s *Romans Parisiens (Les Livres jaunes)* (1887) which sold for $62.7 million. The Surrealist offering, “Exquisite Corpus,” from the collection of Nesuhi and Selma Ertegun, featured Frida Kahlo’s *El sueño (La cama)* (1940) which set a record for the artist at $54.7 million, becoming the most expensive work by a woman artist at auction (nominal price).

pritzker art collection sothebys breuer

Sotheby's will open its first auction season in the Breuer building this fall with the Pritzker collection, a private cache of paintings never before seen outside a Chicago living room. The collection, built by Cindy and Jay Pritzker, carries an overall estimate north of $120 million, with the lead lot being Vincent van Gogh's 1887 still life *Romans Parisiens (Les Livres jaunes)*, estimated at close to $40 million. Other highlights include works by Paul Gauguin, Henri Matisse, Max Beckmann, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Joan Miró, Camille Pissarro, and a 15th-century sea chart by Petrus Roselli.

sothebys to open its new breuer building hq on november 8 with blockbuster exhibition

Sotheby's has announced November 8 as the opening date for its new headquarters in the iconic Breuer Building at 945 Madison Avenue, New York. The auction house purchased the building from the Whitney Museum in 2023 and commissioned Pritzker Prize-winning architects Herzog & de Meuron, along with PBDW Architects, to renovate the landmarked structure. The opening will feature a blockbuster exhibition of modern and contemporary art, followed by major sales the week of November 17. The building, designed by Marcel Breuer and completed in 1966, previously housed the Whitney Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Frick Collection.

frank lloyd wright rollin furbeck home

A Frank Lloyd Wright home, the Elizabeth and Rollin Furbeck House (1898), has been listed for sale at $2 million in Oak Park, Illinois. The 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom property features a 9-foot-wide picture window thought to be the first such residential feature by Wright, along with Roman brickwork, diamond-paned windows, and a heated pool. The current owners, Tom and Deb Abrahamson, have lived there for 27 years and are seeking a buyer who will appreciate its historic and architectural significance.

emily fisher landau picasso sothebys

Pablo Picasso's 1932 painting *Femme à la montre*, depicting his lover Marie-Thérèse Walter, sold for $139.4 million (including fees) at Sotheby's New York during the highly anticipated Emily Fisher Landau sale. The work, estimated at $120 million, was the centerpiece of the auction, with bidding starting at $95 million and concluding after a two-minute standoff among three phone bidders, including one from Asia. Brooke Lampley, Sotheby's head of global fine art, secured the winning bid on behalf of a client. The sale was handled by Sotheby's, which won the right to auction the estate of Landau, a longtime Whitney Museum board member and private collector.

Sotheby’s Unveils Plans for Breuer Building, Announces Opening Date

Sotheby's will open its new global headquarters in the Marcel Breuer–designed building at 945 Madison Avenue on November 8, 2025, after a renovation by Herzog & de Meuron with local partner PBDW Architects. The Brutalist landmark, originally completed in 1966 for the Whitney Museum of American Art, later housed the Met Breuer and the Frick Collection during its renovation. The project restores Breuer's original open gallery floors, adds state-of-the-art lighting and climate control, and preserves period details like the lobby's domed ceiling lights. The opening will feature a free public exhibition of Modern and Contemporary art ahead of marquee auctions starting November 17, with design sales and Luxury Week following on December 5, and a fine-dining restaurant by Roman and Williams opening later in the winter.

Thelma Appel | Thelma Appel - Worlds (2010) | Available for Sale

The representational and abstract painter Thelma Appel is seeing a resurgence in market and institutional interest, highlighted by the sale of her 2010 work "Worlds." This specific piece, part of her "Journey of the Tarot" series, was a centerpiece of her 50-year career retrospective at the Brattleboro Museum and reflects her unique fusion of Kabbalistic mysticism, landscape, and abstraction.

The 10 Most Expensive Auction Works in 2025

The article reports on the ten most expensive auction lots of 2025, led by Gustav Klimt's 'Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer (Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer)' (1914), which sold for $236.36 million at Sotheby's, making it the second-most-expensive artwork ever sold at auction. The top end of the market rebounded after a quieter 2024, with the 100 most expensive lots totaling $2.13 billion, up from $1.8 billion the previous year. Nine of the top ten lots were sold during the marquee New York sales in November, where Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips together generated over $2 billion and set 16 artist auction records. The list includes multiple Klimt works from the collection of American philanthropist Leonard A. Lauder, as well as a Vincent van Gogh still life that sold for $62.71 million.

Acquisitions round-up: an ‘exceptionally rare’ portrait of an enslaved person and two large-scale donations

The article reports on three major acquisitions and donations in the art world. The Mississippi Museum of Art and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art jointly acquired an 'exceptionally rare' portrait of Frederick, an enslaved person in pre-emancipation Mississippi, painted around 1840 by C.R. Parker. The portrait sold for $508,750 at Neal Auction Company. Separately, entrepreneur and collector Hermann Gerlinger donated 42 works by the German Expressionist group Die Brücke to Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, including a marriage portrait by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. Additionally, the family of late Korean artist Suki Seokyeong Kang donated around 400 of her works to Ewha Womans University in Seoul, where she studied and taught.

Tefaf New York wish list: objects and treasures to suit every collector’s taste

Tefaf New York presents a curated wish list of objects and treasures catering to diverse collector tastes. Highlights include Lee Bontecou's monumental mixed-media sculpture 'Untitled (1980-2001)' shown by Ortuzar and Marc Selwyn Fine Art, a rare René Magritte collage from 1926 offered by Di Donna Galleries, an ancient Egyptian bronze Osiris statue from David Aaron, and an Aboriginal painting by Mantua Nangala from Salon 94. Each piece is accompanied by price estimates and provenance details, reflecting the fair's focus on high-quality, historically significant works.

Art Problems: How Do I Get Gallery Representation?

Art Problems: How Do I Get Gallery Representation?

Paddy Johnson, in a Hyperallergic advice column, demystifies the process for artists seeking gallery representation. She explains that galleries primarily seek artists with proven sales records to mitigate their own high financial risks, such as exorbitant rent and operational costs. Johnson advises artists to build this track record independently by selling work themselves or securing spots in low-pressure group shows, then aggressively promoting those exhibitions to demonstrate market potential to dealers.

Art Paris: A Better Result Than Expected

Art Paris, un bilan meilleur que prévu

The 28th edition of Art Paris concluded with stronger-than-expected sales despite a sluggish start and a volatile global climate. Featuring 165 galleries, the fair solidified its position as a key regional event for French collectors, offering a price range typically between €10,000 and €40,000. While mega-galleries like Almine Rech participated with accessible works, the fair also welcomed newcomers like Esther Schipper and In Situ-Fabienne Leclerc, who reported positive results across various media including ceramics, photography, and painting.

Diane Keaton artworks and personal collection will go to auction.

The personal art collection and belongings of the late actor and style icon Diane Keaton will be sold at auction this June. Bonhams, in partnership with The Fine Art Group, will conduct the sales under the title "Diane Keaton: The Architecture of an Icon" across four events in New York and Los Angeles.

rare greek funerary sculpture tefaf david aaron

A rare ancient Greek funerary sculpture, the Stele of Medeia (375-350 BCE), is being offered for sale at the TEFAF art fair by the London gallery David Aaron. The piece, priced at £450,000, depicts an unmarried young woman and retains significant original pigment. It has already attracted significant interest from a major US museum.

The Surreal Economics of the Contemporary-Art Market

A conceptual artwork titled "Comedian" by Maurizio Cattelan, consisting of a banana duct-taped to a wall, sold at auction for over $6 million to billionaire Justin Sun. This sale occurred amid widespread speculation that the contemporary-art market has peaked, with global art sales dropping 12% in 2024. However, a painting by Marlene Dumas defied the trend, fetching $13.6 million and setting a record for a living female artist. The article explores the bewildering economics of the art market, featuring insights from economist Canice Prendergast and journalist Bianca Bosker, who describe a market where prices seem divorced from traditional logic.

tefaf new york art fair trump tariffs impact

New tariffs imposed under the Trump administration are causing significant disruptions for art professionals shipping works to major New York art fairs, particularly TEFAF New York. Shipping companies report a 'torturous road' as galleries navigate complex import taxes—including 7.5% on Chinese artworks, 25% on steel and aluminum sculptures, and 10% on jewelry, furniture, and design pieces—while many original artworks, antiques over 100 years old, and collector's pieces remain exempt. Galleries are modifying operations by renting booth furniture, showing items already stored in the US, and avoiding shipments from China, with some classifying antiquities broadly as 'sculpture' to simplify customs clearance.

Art market bounce back continues in New York with Christie's $123.5m 21st-century sale

Christie’s 21st-century evening sale at Rockefeller Centre in New York on 19 November achieved $99.5 million before fees ($123.5 million with fees), surpassing last November’s equivalent sale of $106.5 million with fees. The sale featured 45 lots, with only one unsold (a Cecily Brown abstract), resulting in a 2% buy-in rate. Three artist records were set for Firelei Báez, Joan Brown, and Olga de Amaral. A major highlight was the collection of Chicago collectors Gale Neeson and the late Stefan Edlis, comprising 19 lots that realized $40.3 million ($49.2 million with fees), including works by Andy Warhol, Richard Prince, and Diego Giacometti. Other notable sales included Cindy Sherman’s *Untitled Film Still #13* (1978) at $2.2 million with fees, Ed Ruscha’s *How Do You Do?* at $6.7 million with fees, and a Warhol *The Last Supper* (1986) sold to Paris dealer Frederic Larroque for $8.1 million with fees.

This month’s New York auctions could bring up to $2.3bn

New York's leading auction houses, including Sotheby's and Christie's, expect to generate between $1.7bn and $2.3bn during their November sales, driven by major consignments such as 55 works from the estate of Leonard Lauder and 37 works from the collection of Jay and Cindy Pritzker. Sotheby's, which has moved its headquarters into the former Whitney Museum's Breuer Building, leads the season with estimated sales of $863m to $1.175bn, featuring Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer (estimated at $150m) and Frida Kahlo's El Sueño (La Cama) (estimated at $40m-$60m).