A previously obscure double-sided drawing by Vincent van Gogh, created in the final weeks of his life, will be auctioned by Christie's in Paris. The sheet features a study of female pea pickers on one side and a landscape on the other, complete with color notations indicating Van Gogh's intention to develop them into paintings. The work has been authenticated by the Van Gogh Museum and carries an estimate of €100,000-€150,000.
Three previously unknown drawings by Joan Miró have been discovered among the possessions of his friend, the artist and designer Edmond Vernassa. The works include a 1972 promotional drawing for Mallorca and two large-scale designs for interior balcony railings, created for the influential art dealers Aimé and Marguerite Maeght. The drawings are now set for auction in Antibes with estimates reaching up to €400,000 each, following a public showcase during Paris Drawing Week.
Christie's London will auction a major collection of Indian paintings and calligraphy from the Seattle-based collectors Mary and Cheney Cowles on April 28, with an estimated total exceeding £1.5 million. The sale is dominated by Mughal-era works from the 16th to 19th centuries, including a highlight piece from the Fraser Album estimated at £180,000, and features rare examples of "Mughal Occidentalism" where court artists incorporated European motifs.
A rare, clamshell-shaped VOLU Dining Pavilion designed by architect Zaha Hadid and Patrick Schumacher is heading to auction at Hermitage Fine Art in Monaco. The prefabricated outdoor structure, originally created for the 2015 Design Miami fair, is expected to fetch between €900,000 and €1.1 million. This marks only the second time a completed edition of this pavilion has been offered at auction.
A promotional poster for John Lennon and Yoko Ono's album 'Double Fantasy,' signed by Lennon on the morning of his murder on December 8, 1980, is being auctioned by Propstore in London. The lot, estimated between £60,000 and £120,000, includes the RKO Radio archives from Lennon's final interview.
A painting by Raja Ravi Varma titled 'Yashoda and Krishna' sold for $17.9 million at a Saffronart auction in Delhi, setting a new auction record for an Indian painting. The buyer was pharmaceutical billionaire Cyrus Poonawalla, founder of the Serum Institute of India.
A Patek Philippe pocket watch recovered from the body of John Jacob Astor IV, the wealthiest passenger aboard the RMS Titanic, is heading to auction. The watch, sold by Tiffany & Co. in 1904, will be the leading lot in a Freeman's Auction sale in Chicago on April 22, carrying an estimate of $300,000 to $500,000. A gold pencil found with it will also be sold.
A Statista chart published in April 2025 shows the geographical distribution of post-war and contemporary art auction revenue worldwide in 2024. The United States dominated with 48% of the combined post-war and contemporary market, followed by China (17%), the United Kingdom (15%), France (6%), Germany (2%), and other countries (11%). When broken down, the U.S. held 50% of post-war and 45% of contemporary revenue, while China captured 13% of post-war and 25% of contemporary revenue, reflecting its stronger position in the contemporary segment.
The article reports a significant shift in the Islamic art market, where traditional Persianate works from Iran are declining in sales and value, while art from India and historic Arab polities is rising. At Sotheby's April 2025 sale, 14 of 27 Persian works went unsold, continuing a long-term slump. Key factors include U.S. sanctions on Iran that restrict export of Iranian-origin works, aging collectors, maturing museums, and a generational shift away from classical art toward contemporary pieces. In contrast, Mughal art from India is experiencing a steady price increase, reflecting the repositioning of the market away from Persianate mainstays.
Rising tariffs, geopolitical instability, and extreme weather events are driving art collectors to move valuable items into secure, tax-friendly freeports, particularly in Switzerland. Experts Alexandre Ducamp of Natural le Coultre and Fritz Dietl of Delaware Freeport report a significant increase in clients over the past three years, citing the war in Ukraine, multiple ongoing conflicts, and President Trump's April 2025 'Liberation Day' tariffs as key factors. Collectors are using freeports in Geneva, Zurich, Basel, and Chiasso, as well as foreign trade zones in Delaware, to delay or avoid import duties on items like design furniture, antiques, and Chinese-origin artworks, with some purchases being cancelled due to new tariffs.