Art News. Vasari Codex

article news schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 27 link 27 artists, 6 galleries

paint drippings art industry news nov 14

This week's art industry roundup covers major developments across auctions, galleries, and art fairs. Highlights include $1.6 billion in art heading to auction at Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips in New York; the sale of the 'Mellon Blue' diamond for $25 million at Christie's Geneva; and the Vanderbilt jewels achieving $4.2 million at Phillips Geneva. In galleries, Sperone Westwater faces possible closure or transformation after 50 years, while Upsilon Gallery opens a new space in Milan. The IFPDA Print Fair expands to include drawings and rebrands, and Abu Dhabi Art will relaunch as Frieze Abu Dhabi next year. The Gallery Climate Coalition reports significant emissions reductions among its members.

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article news schedule Jun 5, 2025 visibility 21 link 10 artists, 1 gallery

omai portrait joshua reynolds national portrait gallery fundraising campaign

The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in London is in a last-minute push to raise £50 million ($60 million) to acquire Joshua Reynolds's 1776 portrait of Omai, a Polynesian visitor to Britain, before a temporary export ban expires on March 10. Despite raising roughly £25 million through a grassroots campaign involving public donations, a £2.5 million grant from the Art Fund, and £10 million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the NPG remains short of its goal and is reportedly in secret talks with the Getty Museum to jointly purchase the painting.

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article news schedule May 22, 2026 visibility 15 link 4 artists, 2 galleries

Elle Pérez Envisions New Residency Built on Family Legacy

Artist Elle Pérez is raising $100,000 to buy out relatives from a family home in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, that has been in their family since the 1920s, with the goal of transforming it into an artist residency called Casa Pérez. To fund the project, Pérez is selling a portfolio of chromogenic studio prints for $1,795 each, produced in collaboration with the cultural office Public Relations. The artist’s work, known for intimate portraits and scenes of underground music, has been featured in the Whitney Biennial and solo exhibitions at the Baltimore Museum of Art and Carnegie Museum of Art.

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article news schedule Apr 29, 2026 visibility 39 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

U.S. Crowdfunds Its Venice Biennale Pavilion

The United States is crowdfunding its pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale, which opens in ten days, due to the absence of major sponsors like the Ford Foundation and the Mellon Foundation. The pavilion, featuring sculptures by Alma Allen, is being organized by the American Arts Conservancy (AAC), which is soliciting donations through a campaign that has been live since at least November. The U.S. government contributes $375,000, but the installation costs significantly exceed that amount. Donors include Nevada-based Republican donors Jim and Aimee Battista, talent manager Tom Ierna, and actor Alex Pita. The AAC has not disclosed the campaign's fundraising goal, amount raised, or end date.

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article news schedule Mar 19, 2026 visibility 24 link 8 artists

new museum 43 million expansion

The New Museum in New York has announced a major $80 million capital campaign to double its physical footprint on the Bowery. The expansion will utilize an adjacent building already owned by the institution, increasing the total space from 58,000 to over 100,000 square feet. The museum has already secured $43 million of its goal, bolstered by a record-breaking undisclosed donation from longtime supporter Toby Devan Lewis.

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article news schedule Feb 5, 2026 visibility 18 link 7 artists

national portrait gallery shells record 4 million artemesia gentileschi self portrait

London's National Gallery has acquired a recently rediscovered self-portrait by Artemisia Gentileschi, 'Self Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria' (c. 1615–17), for £3.6 million ($4.7 million). The painting was purchased from a London dealer who had secured it at a Paris auction in December, where it set a new auction record for the artist. The acquisition marks a significant addition to the museum's holdings, as it is only the 21st work by a female artist in its collection of over 2,300 pieces.

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article news schedule Jan 19, 2026 visibility 19 link 6 artists

prado museum moves to curb overcrowding

Madrid's Prado Museum has announced it will cap visitor numbers after a record-breaking 3.5 million visits in 2025, with director Miguel Falomir declaring the institution does not want or need 'a single visitor more.' The museum unveiled 'Plan Host,' a new strategy prioritizing visitor experience over volume, including measures to limit crowds and attract more local Spanish audiences, as 65 percent of current visitors are overseas tourists. Falomir warned against chasing ever-higher attendance, citing the Louvre as a cautionary example where overcrowding has led to deteriorating conditions, staff strikes, and calls for the director's resignation.

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article news schedule Oct 1, 2025 visibility 16 link 3 artists

british museum ball international partnerships

The British Museum in London has announced a new fundraising event called the British Museum Ball, scheduled for October 18, with a pink theme inspired by the colors and light of India, tied to its exhibition 'Ancient India: Living Traditions.' The gala will be co-chaired by Isha Ambani, a patron of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in Mumbai, and will feature a silent auction, music by Anoushka Shankar and Jules Buckley, and a guest list including Zadie Smith, Naomi Campbell, Idris Elba, Miuccia Prada, and others. Proceeds will support the museum's international partnerships and its goal of making its collection more accessible worldwide.

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article news schedule Dec 9, 2025 visibility 17 link 5 artists

professor terminated art history paintings muhammad

An adjunct professor at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, Erika López Prater, lost her job after showing her art history class two Medieval paintings depicting the Prophet Muhammad during an online lecture on October 6, 2022. She issued a content warning before displaying the images, which came from a 14th-century manuscript by Rashīd al-Dīn and a 16th-century work by Mustafa ibn Vali. A student, Aram Wedatalla, complained, and the university's administration, including associate vice president David Everett, decided not to renew her contract, calling the incident Islamophobic. The decision has sparked widespread debate, with a Change.org petition signed by over 2,500 scholars and a condemnation from PEN America.

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article news schedule Jun 16, 2025 visibility 17 link 9 artists

Orange County Museum of Art in talks to merge with University of California, Irvine

The University of California, Irvine (UCI) has entered talks to take over the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA), a move announced last week. The discussions come shortly after OCMA director Heidi Zuckerman revealed she will leave when her contract expires in December. If an agreement is reached, the proposal will go to the University of California Board of Regents this autumn. The potential merger follows OCMA's reopening in a new $94 million building in 2022 and the upcoming edition of its California art biennial.

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article news schedule Nov 26, 2025 visibility 21 link 12 artists

More than 160 artists selling their work to raise funds for medical, humanitarian aid in Gaza

More than 160 artists have donated works to an online charity auction called "100 Artists for Gaza," with all proceeds going to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) for humanitarian aid in Gaza. Organized by artists Mai-Thu Perret, Vidya Gastaldon, Sarah Benslimane, and art specialist Anne Lamunière, the sale features works by notable figures including Kara Walker, Wolfgang Tillmans, Peter Doig, and Olafur Eliasson. The pieces, each roughly 8 by 12 inches, have been exhibited at the organization's Geneva headquarters since November 11, with a live auction concluding on December 2.

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article news schedule Jul 14, 2025 visibility 12 link 1 artist

Vandalised portraits of Windrush generation restored and reinstated in London square

A series of 20 photographic portraits depicting members of the Windrush Generation, displayed in Windrush Square in Brixton, south London, were vandalized on 3 July when they were slashed and daubed with green paint. The Metropolitan Police arrested a 24-year-old man on 5 July on suspicion of vandalism, stating the incident was not a hate crime. The portraits, part of the Windrush Untold Stories exhibition by photographer Amit Lennon, have since been restored with new prints produced by Photofusion and reinstalled in the square. A crowdfunding campaign has raised £7,625 of a £15,000 goal to cover costs, and the UK Home Office is in talks to display the work later.

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