Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule May 18, 2026 visibility 43 link 9 artists, 3 galleries

Mark Rothko Painting Agnes Gund Hung in Her Living Room Sells for $98 M., Setting a Record

A Mark Rothko painting, *No. 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe)* (1964), formerly owned by prominent art patron and Museum of Modern Art president emerita Agnes Gund, sold at Christie’s on Monday night for $98.4 million (including fees). The work, which Gund purchased directly from Rothko in 1967 and kept in her living room until her death last September, received about a dozen bids before hammering at $85 million to a buyer represented by Christie’s specialist Rachael White Young. The sale broke Rothko’s previous auction record of $86.9 million set in 2012 for *Orange, Red, Yellow* (1961), also at Christie’s New York.

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trending_up market schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 16 link 7 artists, 1 gallery

The Works, Trends, and Artists Artnet Specialists Can’t Stop Thinking About

Artnet Auctions has three sales currently live: Post-War and Contemporary Art (through May 20), Contemporary Editions (through May 29), and Private Sales for immediate purchase. Three Artnet specialists highlight key lots: Robert Rauschenberg's 'Corridor (Hoarfrost)' (1978), Emily Mason's 'Express Report' (1988), and Andy Warhol's 'Double Mickey Mouse' (1981). The specialists discuss market trends, including the growing importance of artist foundations in supporting scholarship and market health, the rapid revaluation of post-war women abstractionists like Mason, and shifts in the prints market as consignors leverage demand.

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trending_up market schedule May 22, 2026 visibility 13 link 9 artists

Andy Warhol’s Patek Philippe Poised for $400,000 Sale—and Other Hot Finds on the Market

Christie's will auction a Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 570 watch formerly owned by Andy Warhol on June 12, with an estimate of $200,000–$400,000. The timepiece, double-signed by retailer Hausmann & Co., was first sold in Sotheby's 1988 sell-off of Warhol's estate and later resold at Christie's in 2021 for $150,000. The article also highlights other market offerings, including a collection of John Keats letters estimated at $1.5–$2.5 million at Sotheby's, celebrity-painted garden gnomes for a Chelsea Flower Show charity sale, and spy-themed memorabilia at Bonhams.

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trending_up market schedule Apr 28, 2026 visibility 26 link 5 artists

Wildenstein dispute over Monet work highlights art market opacity

A long-running dispute involving the Wildenstein art dynasty has resurfaced over a 2004 transaction for Claude Monet's *Adolphe Monet Reading in a Garden* (1867). The painting was acquired by Guy Wildenstein through a €4.5m deal that included works by Pierre Bonnard and Alfred Sisley, among them Monet's *Marine, Amsterdam* (1874). That work was later resold via Christie's, but a 2020 sale attempt revealed that the original canvas had been lost during a transfer process, significantly reducing its value. Court-appointed specialists concluded in 2024 that the alteration predated the transaction and that the gallery likely knew of the damage. The sellers have filed a claim alleging "vitiated consent" under French law, with a court date set for 7 May in Rouen. The disputed Monet now reportedly belongs to billionaire Larry Ellison.

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trending_up market schedule May 25, 2026 source 2 sources visibility 8 link 1 artist

Early David Hockney artwork to be sold at auction

A previously unseen early artwork by David Hockney is being offered at auction through Tenants Auctioneers. The piece was purchased directly from Hockney's end-of-year student show by a buyer named Riley and has remained in the same family ever since. Francesca Young, a modern and contemporary art specialist at the auction house, described the consignment as a rare and exciting discovery.

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

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 5, 2026 visibility 4 link 9 artists

Inside Christie’s 20th and 21st Century Art Day Sales: specialists share their picks

Christie’s specialists have selected standout works from the upcoming 20th and 21st Century Art Day Sales, offering personal insights into pieces by Pablo Picasso, Joan Mitchell, Claes Oldenburg, Donald Judd, Édouard Vuillard, and Andy Warhol. The article features detailed commentary on each work, including Joan Mitchell's 'Untitled' as a bridge between her early Black paintings and later color-filled works, Donald Judd's 'Menziken boxes' praised for their material honesty, and Andy Warhol's 'Little Electric Chair' described as a powerful exploration of death in America. The sale also includes works from the collection of Marian Goodman, highlighting her role in the development of Multiples, Inc.

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trending_up market schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 23

Deux nouveaux tableaux français du XVIIIème siècle pour le Musée Fabre

The Musée Fabre in Montpellier has acquired two 18th-century French paintings at auctions held by Artcurial in September 2025. The first is an "Allégorie de la Poésie" (1774) by Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, purchased for €250,000 with support from the museum's corporate foundation and a special grant from the Fonds du patrimoine. The painting, which depicts the early struggles of the future portraitist, was previously owned by Henry and Catherine Robert and had been exhibited in a major retrospective at the Grand Palais a decade ago.

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trending_up market schedule May 27, 2026 visibility 4

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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