A Smaller Art Brussels Represents a Shift in the Fair Ecosystem Toward a ‘Quality-First’ Approach

Art Brussels, now in its 42nd edition (April 23–26), has downsized from 164 to 138 participating galleries, a 15% reduction that allows the fair to fit entirely within one hall of Brussels Expo. Director Nele Verhaeren openly acknowledged the shift, framing it as a deliberate move toward a 'quality-first' approach that prioritizes visitor experience over sheer scale. The fair introduces a new section called Horizons, curated by Devrim Bayar of the upcoming Kanal-Pompidou museum, featuring seven large-scale works in the freed-up space. Dealers like Xavier Hufkens and Nadja Vilenne support the strategy, noting that galleries must now carefully choose which fairs to attend amid rising costs and geopolitical tensions.

Private Sales Are Surging as Auction Houses Lean into Exclusive, Experience-Led Selling

Sotheby's and Christie's are increasingly turning to private, invitation-only sales to move high-value artworks, bypassing the traditional auction model. Sotheby's recent "The Apartment" exhibition in London, featuring works by David Hockney, George Condo, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, sold half its $40 million inventory before the public even saw it. Christie's reported that its three most expensive paintings sold in 2025 were all private transactions, with the house trading $1.5 billion privately last year—nearly a quarter of its global sales.

Claude Lalanne’s set of bronze mirrors shatters artist's auction record at Sotheby's

A set of 15 bronze and copper mirrors by Claude Lalanne sold for $33.5 million at Sotheby's in New York, shattering the artist's previous auction record and surpassing the record price for works by her late husband and collaborator, François-Xavier Lalanne. The ensemble, which far exceeded its $15 million high estimate, drew fierce competition from five bidders over ten minutes.

KAWS | BEAUTIFUL LOSERS EXHIBITION POSTER (2004) | Art & Prints

An auction listing for KAWS's "Beautiful Losers Exhibition Poster" (2004) is featured on a digital marketplace, with bidding having ended. The work is an offset lithograph in color, measuring 17 × 11 inches, published by the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati. The listing includes a detailed biography of KAWS (born Brian Donnelly), highlighting his career from street art subversion in the 1990s to high-profile brand collaborations with Nike, Uniqlo, and Dior, and his record auction sale of $14.8 million at Sotheby's in 2019.

Collector Julia Stoschek Closes Down Berlin Exhibition Venue After 10 Years In Favor of International Projects

Julia Stoschek, a leading art collector and ARTnews Top 200 figure, is closing her Berlin exhibition venue after a decade of operation. The 3,000-square-meter space in the former Czech Cultural Center, which opened in 2016, will shut at the end of October 2026, having hosted 22 exhibitions and attracted 450,000 visitors. The Stoschek Foundation will maintain its Düsseldorf venue, while Stoschek shifts focus to international projects, such as the recent Los Angeles exhibition “What a Wonderful World: An Audiovisual Poem,” curated by Udo Kittelmann.

Which Auction House Led the Pack in 2025?

Christie's led the global fine-art auction market in 2025 with $3.5 billion in sales, a 10.1% increase from 2024. Its top lot was Mark Rothko's 'No. 31 (Yellow Stripe), 1958,' which sold for $62.1 million. Sotheby's followed closely with $3.3 billion in sales, a 31% annual increase, highlighted by the record-breaking $54.7 million sale of Frida Kahlo's 'El sueño (La cama).' Phillips placed a distant third with $390.9 million in sales, a 14.2% decline.

Rare art lands in new downtown Calgary gallery ahead of auction

Cowley Abbott Fine Art, a Toronto-based auction house, has opened its first permanent western Canada gallery in Calgary's East Village. The new space launches with a three-day public preview of museum-quality artworks heading to its Spring Live Auction on May 27 at the Globe and Mail Centre in Toronto. Highlights include rare works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh, Emily Carr, and members of the Group of Seven such as Lawren Harris and A.Y. Jackson. Among the standout pieces is Emily Carr's 1936 canvas "Wind," estimated at $500,000 to $700,000, and a Lawren Harris painting valued similarly. The gallery aims to attract both collectors and casual visitors, with Peter Ohler, Western Canada Representative and Director of Private Sales, emphasizing that the space is open to anyone interested in art.

Marian Goodman’s personal collection of Gerhard Richters

Christie's will auction seven paintings by Gerhard Richter from the personal collection of legendary gallerist Marian Goodman in May 2026, headlining a series of sales titled "Breaking Ground: The Private Collection of Marian Goodman." The group includes the iconic 1982 work *Kerze (Candle)*, estimated at $35–50 million, and spans Richter's career from 1982 to 2009. Goodman, who died in 2024, began representing Richter in 1985 after writing him a letter, and her collection reflects their decades-long professional and personal relationship.

Who Were the Best-Selling Old Masters at Auction in 2025?

The article reports on the best-selling Old Master paintings at auction in 2025, highlighting Canaletto's "Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day" which sold for $43.8 million at Christie's—three times the next-highest Old Master price. Other notable sales include a $7.55 million triptych of Jesus performing miracles by an unknown 15th-century artist, noted for its pristine condition. The analysis draws from the Artnet Intelligence Report: Year Ahead 2026.

Who Were the Best-Selling Old Masters at Auction in 2025?

The article reports on the best-selling Old Master paintings at auction in 2025, highlighting Canaletto's *Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day*, which sold for $43.8 million at Christie's—three times the next-highest Old Master price. Other notable sales include a $7.55 million triptych of Jesus performing miracles by an unknown 15th-century artist, noted for its exceptional condition and quality.

Aste a Parigi: nuovo record per Claude Monet da Sotheby’s e per Ettore Spalletti da Christie’s

Sotheby's Paris achieved a new French auction record for Claude Monet on April 16, 2026, with 'Vétheuil, effet du matin' (1901) selling for €10.2 million, far above its €6-8 million estimate. The evening sale generated €35 million total, an 84% increase over the 2025 session, also featuring strong results for Marc Chagall, Lucio Fontana, and Rembrandt Bugatti. Meanwhile, Christie's Paris celebrated the 25th anniversary of its 'Thinking Italian' section with a complete sell-out of 11 lots, including a new auction record for Ettore Spalletti's 'Mobile' (1974) at €203,200. The overall Paris modern and contemporary art week reached a record €80.9 million, up 39% year-on-year.

Untitled (Second Night), 2021 by Louise Lawler, Dye sublimation print on museum box, 121.9 x 182.2 cm (2)

This article is a promotional description for an art platform that partners with leading galleries to showcase artists, artworks, and exhibitions. It highlights a membership model vetted by industry peers, offering visibility and access to influential galleries, collectors, and auction houses. The piece also mentions a specific artwork by Louise Lawler, "Untitled (Second Night), 2021," a dye sublimation print on a museum box.

Collectors' collective: Private art enthusiasts work together to bring world-renowned artists to Daejeon

Fourteen Korean collectors have formed a collective called Arche II to jointly acquire and display works by world-renowned artists in Daejeon, a city 140 km from Seoul. Their exhibition "Tracing the Unfinished" at the multidisciplinary complex Heredium features 30 works, including 14 jointly owned pieces, by artists such as Le Corbusier, Robert Longo, Olafur Eliasson, David Hockney, Yang Hae-gue, Anicka Yi, and Choi Byung-so. The group, founded in 2017 by business leaders including a radiologist and a former prosecutor, contributes a fixed annual budget to purchase three to five works at major art fairs, focusing on emerging artists rather than established names.

A Gauguin Portrait for Budapest

Un portrait de Gauguin pour Budapest

The Szépművészeti Múzeum (Museum of Fine Arts) in Budapest has acquired a portrait by Paul Gauguin. The painting was part of the collection of André and Françoise Kostolany, which was recently dispersed at auction by De Baecque & Associés in Versailles. The sale saw strong results, particularly for Hungarian paintings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with works by József Rippl-Rónai fetching high prices.

$450 Million Worth of Newhouse Trophies Come to Christie’s

Christie’s will hold a special evening sale in May featuring 16 artworks from the collection of the late Condé Nast chief S.I. Newhouse Jr., valued at a combined $450 million. The works are considered museum-quality trophies from one of the most significant private collections assembled in recent decades.

A Bird Flying Through a Tunnel, 2019 by Matt Connors, Acrylic on canvas, 304.8 x 244.5 x 3.2 cm (3)

The article is a promotional piece for an art advisory platform that partners with leading galleries to showcase artists, artworks, and exhibitions. It highlights a curated membership model vetted by industry peers, offering access to influential galleries, collectors, and auction houses. The featured image is Matt Connors' painting "A Bird Flying Through a Tunnel" (2019), an acrylic on canvas work measuring 304.8 x 244.5 x 3.2 cm.

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.

Southern Guild’s New York moment signals a shift for African art

Southern Guild, a Cape Town-based gallery, opened a permanent location in New York's Tribeca district on Friday, marking a major expansion for the gallery and a milestone for contemporary African art's international visibility. The inaugural exhibitions feature South African painter Mmangaliso Nzuza's "Ballad of the Peacock" and conceptual artist Usha Seejarim's "Used," both on view until May 17. Co-founder Trevyn McGowan described the 371m² space in a historic cast-iron building as both instinctive and strategic, following the closure of the gallery's Los Angeles outpost, which served as a testing ground for American audiences.

From gallery to gavel: investment-grade art collection open to public

The Ann Bryant Art Gallery in East London, South Africa, is hosting a public viewing of an investment-grade art collection from a deceased estate before it goes to online auction through Thompson Property Sellers. The collection includes over 800 paintings, 600 collectables, a 1975 VW Beetle, and a 1976 Vespa, featuring works by artists such as Gabriel and Tinus de Jongh, Hargreaves Ntukwana, Amos Langdown, Christian Nice, Chris Tugwell, Jack Lugg, Tony Durheim, and Otto Klar. The event is part of the "Jazz in the City" festival, pairing jazz music with visual art to create a cultural experience.

The Box Shutters in Los Angeles After Nearly Two Decades

The Box, a pioneering Los Angeles gallery known for its nonprofit-style support of experimental and performance art, has announced its closure after nearly two decades. Founded in 2007 by Mara McCarthy, the gallery’s final exhibition featured late California painter Wally Hedrick, and a closing event will include a fashion show by Johanna Went. Mara McCarthy cited the shifting market for her father Paul McCarthy’s work and the loss of family homes in the Eaton Fire as factors behind the decision.

Artists Sell More Than $1 M. in Art at Sotheby’s in Support of a Debt-Free Yale MFA Program

A group of artists including Mickalene Thomas, Tammy Nguyen, and Richard Prince are donating works to a Sotheby’s contemporary art day sale next month, with proceeds expected to exceed $1 million. All funds will go toward making Yale University’s MFA art program tuition-free. The sale features works by Yale alumni both historical—Walker Evans, Josef Albers—and contemporary, such as Dominic Chambers and Do Ho Suh, whose $200,000–$300,000 piece is among the lots. The highest-estimated work is a Richard Prince photograph from his “Spiritual America” series, valued at $500,000–$700,000.

Is A Random Unknown Artist More Valuable Than Picasso? AI Thinks So.

An experiment using a custom AI model to evaluate artistic value independent of market context found that the model assigned a seven-figure price to an unknown street artist's work while valuing a Picasso at under $1,000. The project, run by an art journalist with a data scientist and an AI expert, trained a Fine Art Large Vision Model on millions of images and price data. Without metadata like artist name or gallery affiliation, the model's predictions were technically interesting but commercially useless; only when those market signals were added did predictions align with real auction outcomes.

EFG LATIN AMERICA ART AWARD PRESENTS THE NOMINATED ARTIST AT SP ARTE 2026

The EFG Latin America Art Award, in partnership with ArtNexus, has named Brazilian artist Cristiano Lenhardt as the nominated artist at SP-Arte 2026. Lenhardt, represented by Fortes D'Aloia & Gabriel, was selected for his work *Lieoe* (2025), a mixed-media piece combining ceramic and embroidery on cotton that responds to the devastating floods in Rio Grande do Sul in May 2024. The selection was made with input from Fernando Oliva, curator of MASP, and Celia Sredni de Birbragher, director and editor of ArtNexus.