Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule May 27, 2026 visibility 3 link 11 artists

Five Questions for Five Advisors on the May Marquee Sales

The article reports on the May 2023 marquee auction sales at Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips, which collectively topped $2.5 billion—nearly double the $1.3 billion from the same period last year. The sales were headlined by the record-breaking $181.2 million sale of S. I. Newhouse's Jackson Pollock painting, Number 7A, 1948, and buoyed by the $630.8 million generated from Newhouse's 16-lot collection. ARTnews asked five art advisors for their takes on the sales, including insights on high attendance at previews, the performance of specific works like a Gerhard Richter painting from Marian Goodman's collection, and the emergence of millennial and Gen Z buyers.

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trending_up market schedule May 27, 2026 visibility 3 link 5 artists

‘Prediction Markets’ Come to Art Auctions: Now You Can Bet on Basquiat and Monet, Courtesy of Kalshi

Kalshi, a prediction market platform, has launched a new category allowing users to bet on individual artwork auction prices and total auction sales values. Users can wager on outcomes such as whether auction records for artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Vincent van Gogh, and Pablo Picasso will be broken this year. The company positions this as a tool for collectors, art funds, dealers, and retail speculators to hedge against art market volatility, though critics raise concerns about potential insider trading. Major auction houses Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips have responded cautiously, with Christie’s stating its policies preclude employee involvement in such markets.

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trending_up market schedule May 27, 2026 visibility 1 link 8 artists

Collectors Anita and Poju Zabludowicz to Sell $20.1 M. in Art at Christie’s

Collectors Anita and Poju Zabludowicz, longtime fixtures on the ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list, are selling £15 million ($20.1 million) worth of art at Christie’s next month through an in-person auction in London on June 25 and an online sale. The 106-lot sale is led by Philip Guston’s painting *Mirror Head* (1977), estimated at up to £5.5 million ($7.38 million), alongside works by Beatriz Milhazes, Rose Wylie, Damien Hirst, Richard Prince, Takashi Murakami, Henry Taylor, and Charline von Heyl.

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trending_up market schedule May 27, 2026 visibility 2 link 1 artist, 2 galleries

Giant T. Rex Fossil Could Net a Monster Price at Sotheby’s

Sotheby's New York will auction a 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex fossil named Gus on July 14, with an estimated value of $20–$30 million—the highest estimate ever placed on a dinosaur skeleton. The specimen, discovered in Harding County, South Dakota, on land owned by the late rancher Gary "Gus" Licking, is approximately 63 percent complete with 183 fossil bone elements, including a well-preserved skull and rare humeri. Excavated over three summers from 2021 to 2023, Gus is comparable in size and integrity to only two other T. rex fossils that have come to market: Stan and Sue.

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trending_up market schedule May 26, 2026 visibility 7 link 6 artists

Kalshi Rolls Out Prediction Markets Tied to Art Auctions

Kalshi, an online prediction market platform based in New York, launched a new category of prediction markets tied to art auction prices on May 26. The platform offers 16 contracts, including bets on whether artists like Andy Warhol and Vincent van Gogh will break their auction records, and speculation on specific lots such as Gustav Klimt's *Portrait of Gertrud Loew* (1902) at Sotheby's London. The move follows Kalshi's earlier forays into luxury watches and Pokémon cards, and comes after New York's spring auction week generated $2.1 billion in sales at Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips.

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trending_up market schedule May 26, 2026 visibility 3 link 4 artists

Taiwanese Pop Star Is the Buyer of $20 M. Matisse Painting at Sotheby’s

Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou revealed himself as the buyer of Henri Matisse's 1924 painting *La Séance du Matin* at Sotheby's modern art evening sale, where it sold for $20 million before fees ($21.2 million with fees). Chou, who guaranteed the work, received an $800,000 rebate and shared his emotional connection to the piece on Instagram, recalling visits to Matisse's home in Nice. The sale was part of a larger auction that also featured another Matisse, *La Chaise lorraine* (ca. 1919), which sold for $48.4 million.

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King Arthur Manuscript Hidden in a Private Collection for 700 Years Is Coming to Auction

A 13th-century illuminated manuscript known as the Clermont-Tonnerre Grail, which has been hidden in a private collection for 700 years, will be offered at Christie’s Valuable Books and Manuscripts auction in July. The manuscript, devoted to the quest for the Holy Grail, Merlin, and King Arthur, is estimated at £1.5 million–£2 million ($2 million–$2.6 million). It is one of only three such manuscripts in private hands, with around 200 held by institutions.

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trending_up market schedule May 26, 2026 visibility 5 link 1 artist

One of the Rarest King Arthur Manuscripts Could Fetch Millions at Auction

Christie’s will auction the Clermont-Tonnerre Grail, a rare illuminated manuscript from the Lancelot-Grail Cycle (circa 1300), on July 8 at its Valuable Books and Manuscripts sale in London. Expected to fetch £1.5 million–£2 million ($2 million–$2.6 million), the artifact has remained in private hands for 700 years and is one of only three complete Vulgate Cycle manuscripts in private ownership. The 126 illustrations are attributed to the Master of the Liége Apocalypse, and the manuscript boasts a distinguished provenance including French nobility and British baron Thomas Phillipps.

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Mr. Brainwash | Absolute Brainwash (UNIQUE, HAND FINISHED, ART BASEL… (2011) | For Sale

The article lists a work by Mr. Brainwash titled "Absolute Brainwash (UNIQUE, HAND FINISHED, ART BASEL… (2011)" as available for sale on Artsy. The piece is described as unique and hand-finished, associated with Art Basel.

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Arthurian manuscript could make magic at Christie's London

A rare medieval manuscript containing early versions of the King Arthur, Merlin, and Holy Grail myths will be auctioned at Christie’s London on 8 July with an estimate of £1.5m–£2m. Known as the Clermont-Tonnerre Grail, the vellum manuscript (circa 1290–1310) features gold leaf illumination and 126 miniature illustrations by the Master of the Liège Apocalypse. It includes texts from the Old French Lancelot-Grail cycle and has a distinguished provenance, having belonged to figures such as Sir Thomas Phillipps and the comte de Clermont-Tonnerre.

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trending_up market schedule May 26, 2026 visibility 1 link 1 artist

Slawn | Dreadful (2026) | For Sale

The article announces that Slawn's artwork "Dreadful" (2026) is available for sale on Artsy. Slawn is a contemporary artist, and the piece is being offered through the online art marketplace.

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