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This week's art industry roundup covers major developments including the sale of Frieze to Hollywood powerbroker Ari Emanuel for $200 million, the opening of Frieze New York amid a cautious market, and the appointment of Alexander Rotter as global president of Christie's. Other highlights include the collapse of a record $32 million Gustav Klimt sale due to restitution issues, Phillips adding country-of-origin details to lot descriptions due to tariff confusion, and gallery moves such as Petzel now representing Tschabalala Self and Hauser & Wirth selling its Upper East Side townhouse for $10.5 million. The Mellon Foundation announced $15 million in emergency funds for state arts councils to offset cuts by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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This week's art industry roundup covers major personnel shifts, fair announcements, and institutional news. Phillips named Robert Manley chairman for Modern and contemporary art and Miety Heiden chairman for private sales after the departures of Cheyenne Westphal and Jean-Paul Engelen. Art Basel Paris announced 203 galleries for its October fair at the Grand Palais, while Kiaf Seoul will host 176 exhibitors in September. Tony Karman is stepping down as director of Expo Chicago after 14 years. Pace Gallery added Friedrich Kunath, Galerie Nordenhake signed Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa, and Sylvia Kouvali now represents Luigi Zuccheri. Ariel Pittman is launching a new Los Angeles gallery, Official Welcome. The Louvre will return 258 works from Adèle de Rothschild's bequest to the Fondation des Artistes. President Trump dismissed Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet over DEI support, though his authority is questioned. The Centre Pompidou announced a new $240 million outpost in Brazil. The Art Institute of Chicago confirmed director James Rondeau will return after a flight incident. The Pérez Art Museum Miami appointed Karen H. Bechtel as board president. Frieze and Deutsche Bank detailed their 2025 Emerging Curators Fellowship. A rare Gustav Klimt portrait of an African prince was offered for €15 million.

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This week's art industry roundup covers NADA New York's 11th edition with 111 galleries at a new venue, the Starrett-Lehigh Building, and Photo London's 10th edition at Somerset House with 99 exhibitors. In auctions, Sotheby's London saw a Yoshitomo Nara work sell for £9.03 million, while Christie's achieved £10 million for René Magritte's 'La reconnaissance infinie' and over £3.3 million for a Nazi-looted Egon Schiele drawing, plus $728,784 in its first all-A.I. auction. Galleries saw moves including Charles Moffett's new Tribeca space, Lisson Gallery representing Tishan Hsu, and Mika Yoshitake joining Blum as senior curatorial director. Museums and institutions feature the opening of Khao Yai Art Forest in Thailand with works by Louise Bourgeois, and the J. Paul Getty Trust appointing Kelly S. Moody as vice president.

LA Artist Judy Baca Accused of Misusing Funds for Historic Mural; French President Stung by Louvre Chaos

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Renowned Chicano artist Judy Baca and the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC) are facing allegations of financial misconduct regarding the expansion of 'The Great Wall of Los Angeles.' Ten former employees claim that millions in grant funds were misused and that Baca inappropriately profited from the sale of archives and artwork related to the historic 2,700-foot mural. Both Baca and the SPARC board have issued strong denials against these claims.

The story behind Iran’s only Van Gogh: ‘At Eternity’s Gate'

A rare, inscribed lithograph by Vincent van Gogh, 'At Eternity's Gate,' resides in the collection of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. The work, one of only seven surviving examples, was acquired in 1975 by Farah Pahlavi, the wife of the Shah of Iran, for the museum. It passed through notable hands, including those of US Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, before arriving in Tehran just before the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Catherine Pégard Named French Culture Minister; Frieze Los Angeles Clocks Enthusiastic Sales; Morning Links for February 27, 2026

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French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Catherine Pégard, the former president of the Château de Versailles, as the new French Culture Minister. Pégard faces immediate challenges, including addressing the recent theft of the French crown jewels from the Louvre and managing Macron’s ambitious $1 billion overhaul of the museum. Meanwhile, the VIP opening of Frieze Los Angeles has reported robust sales, with dealers describing the atmosphere as a "frenzy" amidst a notable trend in textile-based art and photography.

mauritshuis loaning girl with a pearl earring to japan us withdrawing from international arts and cultural heritage groups morning links for january 9 2025 1234769316

The Mauritshuis in The Hague announced it will loan Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" (circa 1665) to the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka, Japan, this summer while the Dutch museum closes for building alterations from August 24 to September 20. Separately, President Donald Trump's administration released a memo on January 7 stating the US will withdraw from over 60 international groups, including ICCROM and IFACCA, which focus on arts and cultural heritage preservation, arguing these bodies operate contrary to US interests.

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The United States invaded Venezuela in a military operation that seized President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who will face federal charges in New York. The Trump administration has stated it will run the country until a favored government is installed, while Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as interim president. The operation has sparked global protests and mixed reactions among Venezuelans, with some celebrating Maduro's ouster and others condemning the violation of international law.

trumps tariffs upending decorative arts trade famsf gifted 1600 works by kirk edward long morning links for november 4 2025 1234760128

President Donald Trump's tariffs on wood imports, introduced to support American manufacturers, have inadvertently disrupted the international trade in antiques and decorative arts. Memphis-based antique dealer Millicent Ford Creech notes that the tariffs unfairly penalize dealers specializing in pre-1800 pieces with no domestic equivalent, as fine art is exempt but collectible furniture and decorative items are not. Separately, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) received a gift of 1,600 works from local collector Kirk Edward Long, rich in early modern European prints, paintings, antiquities, and decorative arts, as part of its multiyear 'Gifts of Art' initiative. Other news includes a rare jewelry box identified in Vermeer paintings, a Rembrandt drawing sold by Thomas S. Kaplan for conservation charity, and a popular 'Grumpy Guide' tour at Düsseldorf's Kunstpalast performed by artist Carl Brandi.

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The article reports on two major stories. First, the trial has begun in the legal battle between billionaire art collector Ronald Perelman and his insurance companies over five paintings by Cy Twombly, Ed Ruscha, and Andy Warhol, worth a combined $410 million. Perelman claims the works lost their 'oomph' after a 2018 fire at his East Hampton estate, while insurers dispute the damage and his claims about not trying to sell them. Second, President Donald Trump is accused of making a crude sketch of a naked woman for Jeffrey Epstein, as reported by the Wall Street Journal; Trump denied the drawing and sued the paper for libel. The article also covers Jennifer Saunders becoming the first woman director of the New York State Museum, layoffs at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, a dinosaur skeleton sale at Sotheby's, and a lawsuit over a Sam Gilliam painting.

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As President Donald Trump cuts U.S. art programs and funding, questions surround the country's participation in the 2026 Venice Biennale. A Vanity Fair piece by Nate Freeman reports that the selection process is already behind schedule, with the U.S. State Department's typical 18-month lead time now reduced to just one year. The National Endowment for the Arts, which convenes the advisory committee for the pavilion, has been halted, and a key assistant secretary position is vacant. The application portal remains open but now includes new language requiring art that "reflects and promotes American values" and scrubbing references to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

michael werner to open second gallery in new york us government finally invites artist proposals for venice biennale sothebys to sell bhudda jewels morning links for may 5 2025 1234740589

The US State Department has finally posted a grant for artists to submit proposals for the 2026 Venice Biennale pavilion, after an unusual delay that sparked speculation the Trump administration might skip the event. The posting includes new "MAGA-fied criteria" that remove previous language about diversity and equity, instead requiring compliance with Federal anti-discrimination laws and prohibiting programs promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Meanwhile, the National Endowment for the Arts canceled grants and the Trump administration proposed eliminating the agency entirely. Other news includes a trove of Buddha relics heading to auction at Sotheby's Hong Kong, Michael Werner opening a second New York gallery, and the Art Institute of Chicago's president taking leave amid an investigation.

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US artists Spencer Finch and Lindsay Adams have been commissioned to create new installations for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, which is set to open in early 2026. Finch will produce a 70-foot-long tiled mural for the Forum building's lobby, inspired by Barack Obama's memoir *Dreams from My Father*, while Adams will adapt a 2024 painting into fabric panels for the center's public café. The commissions are led by museum director Louise Bernard and curator Virginia Shore, who are building a collection of approximately 20 public artworks for the campus, including pieces by Julie Mehretu, Richard Hunt, and Maya Lin.

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Valparaiso University in Indiana has finalized the sale of two valuable paintings from the Brauer Museum of Art—Childe Hassam's *The Silver Veil and the Golden Gate* (1914) and Georgia O'Keeffe's *Rust Red Hills* (1930)—and is in the process of selling a third, Frederic Edwin Church's *Mountain Landscape* (c. 1849). The sales, collectively valued at up to $20 million, are intended to fund renovations of freshman dormitories amid budget shortfalls. The decision has sparked vocal protests, a lawsuit, and a vote of no confidence from the faculty senate against university president José Padilla, who announced his retirement. Moody's Ratings downgraded the school's credit rating to junk status, partly due to the controversy.

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This week's art industry roundup covers major developments across art fairs, auction houses, galleries, and museums. At Expo Chicago, emerging artist Auudi Dorsey sold her painting *Rumble* (2025) for $14,000 on opening day at Palo Gallery, while the fair featured 170 exhibitors including 20 from South Korea amid tariff concerns. Vienna Contemporary appointed Abaseh Mirvali as artistic advisor for 2025-2026. Sotheby's was selected by Barbara Gladstone's estate trustees to sell her collection, starting with a May 15 single-owner sale of 12 works estimated at over $12 million. Nine artworks from the Anne and Sid Bass collection head to Christie's New York, and Sotheby's secured a $70 million Alberto Giacometti sculpture for its May 13 evening sale. Philipp Kaiser departed Marian Goodman Gallery after six years. Customs backlogs from President Trump's import policy changes are causing shipping headaches, with DHL halting business-to-consumer shipments over $800 to the U.S. Air de Paris withdrew from Art Basel. Mexico City gallery OMR hired Agustina Ferreyra as director. Angelica Jopling is expanding her London gallery Incubator to New York. Alexander Gray Associates now represents Donald Moffett. In museums, the National Endowment for the Humanities, following DOGE staff cuts, is offering grants up to $600,000 for statues for Trump's National Garden of American Heroes. CCS Bard appointed Lauren Cornell as artistic director and Mariano Lopez Seoane as graduate program director. The New York Academy of Art named Paul R. Provost president. The Artists' Legacy Foundation appointed Daisy Murray Holman executive director. The Speed Art Museum named Diallo Simon-Ponte assistant curator. The Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow appointed Daria Kotova director. The Nasher Sculpture Center named Carlos Basualdo director. The Cultural Infrastructure Index reported a 17% drop in completed cultural projects in 2024.

Saudis Renege on Met Opera Financial Aid, Berlin’s Culture Senator Resigns, and More: Morning Links for April 24, 2026

The Metropolitan Opera has announced that Saudi Arabia reneged on a noncommittal memorandum of understanding that would have provided up to $200 million over eight years to the cash-strapped New York institution. Met general manager Peter Gelb said the Saudis blamed the war in Iran and the blocked Strait of Hormuz, but funding had already failed to materialize before the conflict, prompting preemptive layoffs in January. Separately, Berlin culture senator Sarah Wedl-Wilson resigned after a state audit found she illegally authorized €2.6 million for 13 projects meant to combat antisemitism, violating budget regulations. Other news includes President Trump's plan to renovate the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, Ontario increasing support for the Art Gallery of Ontario and Royal Ontario Museum, Rome's new photography museum, and the appointment of Thiago de Paula Souza as curator of the eighth Athens Biennale.

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Restorer Bruno Valentinetti admitted to painting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's face onto an angel fresco at the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Rome, sparking backlash from lawmakers who called it "covert propaganda." The Vatican ordered the image removed, and Valentinetti complied, erasing his homage. Experts are now studying photographs of the original angel to guide a new restoration. Separately, President Trump announced plans to install a repaired statue of Christopher Columbus on the White House grounds, and an open letter with 500 signatories demanded curatorial independence at the Art Gallery of Ontario after it declined to acquire a Nan Goldin work.

smithsonian drops text about trumps impeachments legendary painter beatriz gonzalez dies at 93 morning links for january 12 2025 1234769447

The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery removed wall text referencing President Donald Trump's two impeachments from its "America's Presidents" exhibition after installing a new portrait of him. The original label had noted Trump's political accomplishments and his impeachments for abuse of power and inciting insurrection, which had reportedly been a sore point for the Trump administration. Separately, Colombian painter Beatriz González died at age 93; she was known for reworking Old Master paintings in garish colors and later addressing political upheaval in her country.

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Barack Obama discussed the Obama Presidential Center, set to open spring 2025 on Chicago's South Side, in a New York Times interview. The four-building complex will include a museum, library, auditorium, basketball court, gardens, and commissioned works by 25 artists, including Julie Mehretu, Maya Lin, Nick Cave, Jenny Holzer, Kiki Smith, and Richard Hunt. Designed by Tod Williams and Billie Tsien Architects, the centerpiece is an eight-story granite museum nicknamed "the Obamalisk," featuring an 83-foot-tall abstract glass work by Mehretu. Obama emphasized the center's role as a public space to inspire community action, not a presidential mausoleum.

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British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan has written to the Guardian to reassure the public that the nearly 900-year-old Bayeux Tapestry will be safely transported from France to the UK for a landmark loan exhibition scheduled from September 2026 to July 2027. The unprecedented agreement, seen as a diplomatic gesture between France and Britain, has sparked protests from French art historians who claim President Emmanuel Macron ignored expert warnings that the tapestry is too fragile to move; a petition against the loan has gathered over 71,000 signatures. Cullinan insists that rigorous planning and due diligence by experts on both sides of the Channel are underway to ensure safe transport and conservation.

kennedy center audience boos trump french carpenters sentenced for selling fake 18th century chairs moca stays closed morning links for june 12 2025 1234745004

The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles (MOCA) has extended the closure of its Geffen Contemporary space through the weekend as National Guard troops continue to confront anti-ICE protesters nearby. The museum cited safety concerns for staff and visitors, and also halted Pussy Riot member Nadya Tolokonnikova's durational performance 'POLICE STATE,' which had continued even after the initial shutdown on June 8. In other news, two Frenchmen—expert Bill Pallot and carpenter Bruno Desnous—were sentenced to suspended prison sentences and fines for selling fake 18th-century furniture, including chairs falsely attributed to Queen Marie Antoinette, duping the Château de Versailles and a Qatari prince. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump was booed by the audience at a Kennedy Center performance of Les Misérables, and Tamara de Lempicka's painting 'La Belle Rafaëla' (1927) is headed to auction at Sotheby's London with a high estimate of £9 million.

smithsonian stands up to trump moca closes its geffen branch amid protests is putins daughter dealing art morning links for june 10 2025 1234744759

The Smithsonian Institution publicly affirmed its independence from the Trump administration after President Donald Trump attempted to fire National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet, citing her perceived criticism of him. Sajet has continued reporting to work, and the Smithsonian's Board of Regents backed Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch's authority over personnel decisions, while also directing him to ensure exhibits remain nonpartisan. Separately, Los Angeles's Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) closed its Geffen branch early on June 8 as National Guard troops clashed with anti-ICE protesters, though Russian artist Nadya Tolokonnikova continued her durational performance "Police State" inside the closed museum. The protests unfolded in front of Barbara Kruger's 1990 mural "Questions," which Kruger said was a prophetic commentary on the current political moment.

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Ai Weiwei has accused Lego of refusing to supply a bulk order of bricks for a politically charged artwork destined for the National Gallery of Victoria. The artist announced the refusal via Instagram, claiming Lego cited an inability to approve the use of its products for political works. Ai linked the decision to Lego's business interests in China, noting the announcement of a Legoland in Shanghai during President Xi Jinping's UK state visit. Lego denied political motivation, stating it sold its Legoland division years ago and that it declines bulk orders when political context is involved. Supporters have launched a Facebook page to donate bricks, and Ai has accepted the offers.

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France's historic loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to the British Museum has sparked controversy over the proposed £800 million ($1.1 billion) insurance cover, which critics argue is unsuitable for such a fragile, 950-year-old textile. Art historians and conservators have raised concerns that the U.K.'s Government Indemnity Scheme does not cover damage from preexisting conditions or inherent vice, and that no sum can adequately insure an irreplaceable heritage object. A French petition calling on President Emmanuel Macron to cancel the loan has garnered over 75,000 signatures, but the U.K. government has proceeded with plans, including a practice "dry run" using a facsimile and a custom crate designed to minimize vibrations.

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On December 15, 2025, the Musée du Louvre in Paris was forced to close as approximately 400 of its 2,100 employees went on strike, picketing outside the museum's glass pyramids and turning away visitors. The strike follows a series of crises at the institution, including a $102 million jewel heist in broad daylight two months prior, a flooding incident from a burst water pipe in November, and ongoing concerns about deteriorating facilities, long lines, and substandard restrooms and dining areas. Workers are demanding higher wages and better conditions, with three trade unions—CGT, SUD, and CFDT—warning in an open letter that staff feel like "the last bastion before collapse."

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The Louvre has temporarily closed employee offices and the Campana Gallery in the southern Sully wing due to structural concerns identified in a November 14 building assessment report, which warned of fragile floor beams. The closure affects 65 staff members and a nine-room gallery of ancient Greek ceramics. The museum has launched an investigation and plans repairs, following a year of challenges including a staff walkout in June and a dramatic theft of imperial jewels from the Gallery of Apollo in October.

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The Louvre Museum in Paris failed to open on Monday morning after front-of-house staff, including security guards, gallery attendants, and receptionists, staged a spontaneous protest over chronic understaffing and overcrowding. The walkout began after a routine internal meeting, forcing thousands of visitors to wait outside for hours without explanation. The museum eventually opened at 2:30 p.m. local time and offered refunds to affected ticket holders. The protest follows a leaked letter from director Laurence des Cars to culture minister Rachida Dati detailing severe infrastructure problems, including temperature fluctuations endangering artworks, leaky roofs, and inadequate visitor facilities.

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California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) will establish the Chanel Center for Artists and Technology, funded by the Chanel Culture Fund. The initiative focuses on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital imaging, creating dozens of new roles, fellowships for artists and technologists-in-residence, and graduate student support, along with cutting-edge equipment. CalArts president Ravi S. Rajan described it as among the largest corporate partnerships the school has had, potentially the largest for any art school.

private messages reveal lead up to canceled anti ice show at north texas uni art market edges back to growth morning links for march 12 2026 1234777199

Internal communications from the University of North Texas have revealed that school leadership intentionally canceled an anti-ICE exhibition by artist Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez to avoid political backlash from state officials. The leaked messages show President Harrison Keller and Provost Michael McPherson weighing the risks of “barking from Austin” before opting for a total cancellation, while Dean Karen Hutzel specifically instructed staff not to express regret or apologize to the artist.

tate director explains departure david hockney blasts bayeux tapestry loan trump eyeing site for garden of american heroes morning links for january 15 2025 1234769918

David Hockney has publicly criticized plans to loan the Bayeux Tapestry to the British Museum, calling the move 'madness' and warning that the fragile medieval embroidery could be damaged during transport. Meanwhile, Maria Balshaw is stepping down as director of Tate, citing a sense of mission accomplished after nearly a decade leading the institution, during which she championed female artists and will co-curate a Tracey Emin exhibition before departing. Other headlines include Kosovo selecting Brilant Milazimi for the Venice Biennale, Donald Trump eyeing a site for his 'Garden of American Heroes,' and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco hosting a second Baby Rave event.