Art News. Vasari Codex

article news schedule Jan 26, 2026 visibility 37 link 31 artists, 7 galleries

paint drippings art industry news jan 26

This week's art industry roundup covers major developments across auctions, galleries, and institutions. Christie's will auction René Magritte's 'Les grâces naturelles' (ca. 1961) as the star lot of its Art of the Surreal evening sale in London on March 5, with an estimate of £6.5–9.5 million. Zona Maco in Mexico City has announced 241 exhibitors for its 22nd edition, including a new section called Forma. The London Art Fair reported strong sales for British women abstract painters, while Vienna's Spark Art fair canceled its 2025 edition for a strategic pause until 2027. In gallery news, Amy Sherald signed with Creative Artists Agency, and several other artist-gallery representation changes were announced. The U.K. government pledged £1.5 billion to support cultural organizations from 2025 to 2030, and Tarek Atoui was named the next Turbine Hall commission artist at Tate Modern.

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article news schedule Jul 10, 2025 visibility 20 link 9 artists

albright college is selling its art collection to cut 20 m deficit but donors oppose the move

Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania, is selling over 500 works from its art collection via an online auction at Pook & Pook Inc. scheduled for July 16, in an effort to address a $20 million deficit. The sale, titled "Fine Art from an East Coast Educational Institution," includes works by Bridget Riley, Jasper Johns, Romare Bearden, and Jacob Lawrence, and is expected to raise around $200,000. The college has also laid off staff and sold non-contiguous properties to cut costs. Donors, including the daughters of late collector Doris C. Freeman, have opposed the move, arguing it violates the original intent of the gifts.

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article news schedule Sep 25, 2025 visibility 22 link 21 artists

aspen art museum redefining future

The Aspen Art Museum is undergoing a strategic shift under director Nicola Lees, moving away from its reputation as a collector's clubhouse toward becoming a global institution. The museum's annual ArtCrush gala and fundraiser week, once centered on wealth-displaying collector home visits and glitzy parties, now emphasizes intellectual programming like the inaugural AIR festival, a $20 million artist-led interdisciplinary initiative featuring talks by Werner Herzog and Hans Ulrich Obrist. This change comes amid soaring local real estate prices, including a $108 million home co-purchased by Steve Wynn and Thomas Peterffy, and contrasts the area's deep pockets with the museum's free admission since 2008.

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article news schedule Jul 3, 2025 visibility 18 link 17 artists

Pennsylvania college moves to sell its entire art collection amid $20m budget shortfall

Albright College, a liberal arts institution in Reading, Pennsylvania, is selling its entire art collection of mostly works on paper to address a $20 million budget shortfall. The online-only sale, held on July 16 at Pook & Pook auction house, includes 524 lots featuring works by artists such as Karel Appel, Romare Bearden, Jasper Johns, Jacob Lawrence, and Bridget Riley. College administrators, including vice-president James Gaddy, describe the collection as "not core to our mission" and estimate the consigned pieces are worth $200,000, while the cost of maintaining the gallery and collection exceeds $500,000 annually. The sale is part of broader cost-cutting measures that have already included laying off 53 employees and selling non-contiguous properties.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Dec 12, 2025 visibility 13 link 4 artists

blenheim palace conservation graffiti

Conservators restoring paintings in the Great Hall of Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the UK, discovered graffiti names written on the ceiling dating back to 1843. The names, found over 60 feet up, include workers such as a plasterer from 1843 and individuals from 1968, along with dates like 1931 and 1939. The discovery was made during a $16 million roof restoration project that began in 2024 and is set to finish next year.

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article news schedule May 7, 2026 visibility 14 link 5 artists

Museum Moves 1 – 7 May 2026

Tate has appointed Daisy Desrosiers as its Britton Family Curator at Large, North America, based in the US, focusing on developing North American art in Tate’s collection through research and acquisitions. Meanwhile, Lycia Lobo, chief operating officer at the Design Museum, has been confirmed as chair of the board of trustees of Chiswick House & Gardens Trust. Several new exhibitions are opening across UK museums, including 'Colour' at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery in Exeter, 'Aleksandra Kasuba: Shelters for the Senses' at Tate St Ives, 'Wildlife Photographer of the Year' at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, and 'Helios' by Luke Jerram at National Museum Cardiff. Additionally, the Museum of Archaeology at Palace Green Library has received a £217,844 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for gallery redevelopment.

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article news schedule Mar 3, 2026 visibility 19 link 5 artists

Spot the difference: Bridget Riley work enjoys new green cleaning treatment

Tate Britain has completed the first-ever cleaning of Bridget Riley’s landmark 1964 Op art painting, 'Hesitate,' using a pioneering 'green' conservation method. Developed through the international Greenart research program, the treatment utilizes specialized hydrogels that lift dirt from the surface without the mechanical pressure of traditional swab rolling. This breakthrough allows conservators to safely clean the sensitive, unvarnished polyvinyl acetate house paints Riley favored, which were previously deemed too fragile for standard restoration techniques.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original