ARTnews has expanded its list of iconic feminist works by women artists, adding 15 new entries to a previous selection. The article highlights specific pieces, such as Edmonia Lewis's *The Death of Cleopatra* (1876), Mary Cassatt's *The Reader* (1877), and Alice Pike Barney's *Medusa* (1892) and *Lucifer* (1902), providing historical context for each artist and their contribution to feminist discourse through art.
A flurry of art fair activity across Asia marked the early weeks of 2026. Art Basel's inaugural Qatar edition broke format with single-artist presentations, focusing on MENASA artists and discreet institutional buying. The India Art Fair in New Delhi reported strong sales for local and international galleries, while new fairs launched in Jakarta, Manila, and Hong Kong. Tokyo Gendai announced its return, and Art Basel's digital platform Zero 10 expanded to Hong Kong.
somersets unlikely contemporary art scene is a welcome departure from the uks london centric thinking
Hauser & Wirth's Somerset gallery, established in 2014 in the rural town of Bruton, has transformed the local area into a significant contemporary art destination. The gallery complex, featuring exhibition spaces, a restaurant, meadow, and educational programs, has catalyzed gentrification and attracted other galleries, trendy hotels, and high-end amenities to a formerly unremarkable settlement.
Artnet News asked four curators and four art advisors from around the world to each select one artist they believe is poised to break out in 2026. The article profiles the first two of eight artists: Indonesian artist Bagus Pandega, known for kinetic plant-based installations, who has had solo shows at Kunsthalle Basel and Swiss Institute New York; and Max Hooper Schneider, a Los Angeles-based artist creating aquarium-like works blending organic and artificial materials, recently exhibited at 125 Newbury gallery in New York.
The article reports on the upcoming Art Basel in Miami Beach and the improved mood in the art market, driven by strong auction results. Sotheby's emerged as the clear winner over Christie's in the fall 2024 auctions, achieving over $2.2 billion in total sales across Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips. Key consignments included the Leonard Lauder Collection, featuring a record-making Klimt, a Frida Kahlo that became the highest-selling work by a woman artist, and Maurizio Cattelan's golden toilet. The article credits Sotheby's move into the Breuer building—formerly home to the Whitney, the Met, and the Frick—for enhancing the presentation and aura of the previews.
The article highlights eight standout art books recommended for gifting this season, covering a range of topics from architectural deep dives and contemporary art to fashion histories and experimental catalogs. Featured titles include "All of Us Stars: Bobby Busnach," a photo book capturing the gritty glamour of 1970s Upper West Side nightlife, and "Christopher Wool: See Stop Run," an exhibition catalog documenting Wool's unconventional 2024 show in a Manhattan office tower. Other books span monographs, boundary-pushing catalogs, and fashion histories, each offering unique perspectives on visual culture.
Dan Nadel, a curator recently hired by the Whitney Museum as curator of prints and drawings, is opening a new exhibition titled "Sixties Surreal" that aims to rewrite the history of 1960s art. The show, co-curated with Laura Phipps, Scott Rothkopf, and Elisabeth Sussman, features a wide range of artists from Luis Jimenez to Shigeko Kubota, alongside canonical figures like Andy Warhol and Yayoi Kusama. Nadel, known for championing marginalized and alternative figures in American art, previously curated "What Nerve! Alternative Figures in American Art, 1960 to the Present" at the Rhode Island School of Design and a Gertrude Abercrombie exhibition at Karma gallery. He is also the author of a recent biography of Robert Crumb.
This article from Artnet News recaps a series of holiday parties and galas in the New York art world during December 2016. Highlights include the New York Botanical Garden's 18th Annual Winter Wonderland Ball, attended by Anne Hathaway, Tinsley Mortimer, and Andrew Warren; artnet's own holiday party featuring the Bumbys and a magician; ACRIA's 21st Annual Holiday Dinner honoring the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation and actress Judith Light; and Project for Empty Space's Winter Bacchanal Benefit, which presented the first Badass Art Woman Awards to curators Rujeko Hockley, Rocio Aranda-Alvarado, and Deana Haggag.
Kenny Schachter's article for Artnet News draws a parallel between President Jimmy Carter's 1977 energy-crisis plea to lower thermostats and the current art-market response to Trump-era tariff turmoil. He reports that the spring 2025 auction cycle generated $1.25 billion, continuing a decade-long decline from the 2014 peak, with bidders spending less and big-ticket sellers stuck. Schachter also promotes his own no-reserve auction, "Hoarder #6," scheduled for July 8–17 at Phillips, and critiques Trump's economic policies and crypto ventures, name-dropping Justin Sun as a major holder of $Trump tokens.
Artnet News's 'Wet Paint' gossip column reports from Frieze Week in New York, noting a prevailing cultural pessimism fueled by essays on the death of culture and the impact of the second Trump administration. Amidst this, Jeff Koons's 'Hulk Elvis' sculptures at Gagosian's Frieze booth (priced at $3 million each, with one sold) offered a perverse relief. The column also highlights the second edition of the Esther art fair at the Estonian House, described as an 'aura fair' prioritizing community and a welcoming environment over strict commercial focus, contrasting with the more predictable Frieze fair.
Designer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Jennifer Gilbert, based in Detroit, is selling select works from her contemporary art and design collections at Sotheby's in New York this spring to fund the opening of her own cultural space, Lumana, in Detroit's Little Village neighborhood. Highlights include Joan Mitchell's 1976 canvas *Loom II* (est. $5m-$7m) and Kenneth Noland's 1958 *Circle* (est. $4m-$6m), with proceeds supporting new generations of artists and institutions. Gilbert, who serves on the boards of Cranbrook Academy of Art and BasBlue, recently featured works from her collection in the exhibition *Seen/Scene* at the Shepherd art space.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has unveiled the David Geffen Galleries, a $724 million architectural feat designed by Peter Zumthor. This massive, horizontal structure spans over Wilshire Boulevard, replacing several older buildings with a single, elevated concrete form. The new space abandons traditional chronological and geographical silos in favor of rotating, thematic displays that integrate the museum’s diverse encyclopedic collections.
April in Los Angeles features a diverse array of art exhibitions, from major institutional retrospectives to politically charged group shows. Highlights include a 60-year retrospective of the influential printmaking studio Gemini G.E.L. at its own space, a survey of the Grunwald Center at the Hammer Museum, and shows celebrating LA performance art icons Bob & Bob and Rachel Rosenthal. The month also sees a newly discovered collection of matchbook miniatures by Joe Brainard and Dave Muller's work on social connection at ArtCenter.
Artnet News' gossip column 'Wet Paint' covers the opening week of Frieze New York, beginning with the group show 'Statics of an Egg' at David Zwirner's newly renamed Tribeca gallery (formerly 52 Walker). Curated by Martin Germann, the exhibition features Japanese artists gathered by Yu Nishimura and Kenji Ide, with Nishimura's painting 'in waiting' highlighted. The column also reports on a private party at the River art-world hangout and a visit to Amanita gallery for 'A Land Before Time: Three Dinosaurs and a Gondola,' which includes a John Chamberlain sculpture. Notable attendees include artists Sasha Gordon, Olivia van Kuiken, Calvin Marcus, and Josh Smith, as well as dealers Marlene Zwirner and Matthew Brown.
This month's May auctions in New York are projected to generate between $1.8 billion and $2.6 billion across Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Phillips, and Bonhams. Major highlights include the estates of legendary dealers Marian Goodman and Robert Mnuchin, with top lots such as Gerhard Richter's *Kerze (Candle)* (est. $35m–$50m) at Christie's and Mark Rothko's *Brown and Blacks in Reds* (est. $70m–$100m) at Sotheby's. Additional offerings include works from the late S.I. Newhouse collection, featuring Jackson Pollock's *Number 7A* and Constantin Brâncuși's *Danaïde*, each estimated at $100m, as well as pieces from the collections of Agnes Gund and Marilyn Arison.
The 61st Venice Biennale is underway, with art world figures flocking to Venice for the opening. While the Biennale is officially a non-selling curatorial platform, commercial interests are increasingly visible: galleries are funding artists' projects to recoup investments, auction houses like Christie's are hosting private selling exhibitions (including a 'Ghost Pavilion' at the Ca' Dario Palazzo), and fashion houses such as Bottega Veneta and Chanel are sponsoring events. Sotheby's has pulled support for the U.S. Pavilion, which is now crowdfunding, while Frieze is bankrolling the British Pavilion for a second time.
The 2026 IFPDA Print Fair opened at New York’s Park Avenue Armory, placing a significant spotlight on the contributions of women artists to the medium. High-profile offerings include a new release by Laura Owens from Crown Point Press, Louise Bourgeois’s "Spirals" woodcut series presented by Carolina Nitsch, and large-scale sculptural works by Joan Hall and Orit Hofshi. The fair demonstrates the technical breadth of modern printmaking, ranging from traditional woodcuts to unique, hand-embellished compositions and experimental collaborations between artists and master printers.
The IFPDA Print Fair is returning to the Park Avenue Armory from April 9–12, featuring 80 international exhibitors presenting 500 years of prints and drawings. The fair highlights the historical and conceptual relationship between the two mediums, with notable works including an Edward Hopper charcoal study and unique or hybrid pieces by artists like Françoise Gilot and Edgar Degas.
Thomas J Price, Artist Behind Viral Times Square Sculpture, Unveils New Bronze in London
Thomas J Price has unveiled a monumental new bronze sculpture, *A Place Beyond*, at the entrance to the V&A East museum in London. The 18-foot-tall figure, his tallest work to date, depicts a young Black woman in contemporary clothing holding a cell phone, created from a composite of many individuals rather than a single model. The sculpture will greet visitors when the new museum branch opens next month.
At the opening of San Francisco's FOG Design and Art fair, prominent collector Komal Shah navigated the crowded aisles, stopping to chat with a who's who of the Bay Area art scene, including FOG founder Stanlee Gatti, ICA San Francisco director Ali Gass, and SFMOMA director Christopher Bedford. Shah, known for her collection focused on women artists, was scouting works with a handwritten list, considering pieces by Ruth Asawa and Joan Brown, though she passed on a $425,000 Asawa sculpture. The fair's gala serves as a fundraiser for SFMOMA, and Shah's collection is currently on view at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive in the exhibition "Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection."
ARTnews reporter Daniel Cassady recounts his experience navigating the nightlife and social events surrounding Art Basel Miami Beach 2024. The article details his week from Monday to Wednesday, including parties at Untitled Art's venue at The Moore, a dinner at Joe's Stone Crab hosted by dealer Rob Dimin, Gagosian's party at Mr. Chow, and late-night gatherings at Casa Tua and Mac's Club Deuce. He spotlights art-world figures such as dealer Lindsey Jarvis, collector Beth DeWoody, and artist Lucy de Kooning Villeneuve, while noting the chaotic, phone-thieving atmosphere of the Deuce.
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.
Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo relaunched his New York mayoral campaign as a third-party candidate on July 14, after losing the Democratic primary to Zohran Mamdani by 12 points on June 24. A recent ARTnews data analysis reveals that prominent art world figures have donated to both campaigns, with Cuomo receiving contributions from Christie's executives, Phillips and Sotheby's staff, Gagosian directors, art dealers, and museum leaders, while Mamdani drew support from foundation directors, museum curators, gallery directors, and numerous artists. The pro-Cuomo super PAC Fix the City received $5 million from billionaire Michael Bloomberg and $250,000 from Top 200 collector Daniel Loeb, while the pro-Mamdani super PAC raised about $1.4 million.
ARTnews sent correspondents Daniel Cassady and George Nelson to cover the social scene at Art Basel, documenting their experiences across three nights of parties, dinners, and cocktail hours. Cassady's journey was marred by travel delays, but he eventually attended a dinner hosted by Thaddaeus Ropac at Safran Zunft, a garden party by Sean Kelly Gallery, and a late-night gathering organized by multiple galleries. Nelson arrived smoothly and joined Cassady for drinks, noting the challenges of street noise and cabbage smells near their Airbnb.
Two major New York art fairs—NADA New York and Independent—opened this week alongside Frieze and TEFAF, marking a crowded spring fair season. Despite a recent market downturn, both fairs reported strong attendance and early sales. NADA's executive director Heather Hubbs noted high-quality visitors and positive feedback on the new venue, while Independent founder Elizabeth Dee cited a 20% increase in opening-day attendance and robust buying from collectors and institutions. Sales ranged from lower-priced works under $50,000 to six-figure transactions, with galleries like Vielmetter Los Angeles, Andréhn-Schiptjenko, and Fleisher/Ollman Gallery reporting significant sales.
Pace Gallery and Judin Gallery have opened a shared exhibition space in a converted 1950s gas station in Berlin's Schöneberg neighborhood, just ahead of Gallery Weekend Berlin. The venue, known as Die Tankstelle, was previously a museum dedicated to German artist George Grosz. Pace rents half the space from Judin founder Juerg Judin, with both galleries sharing operational costs. For the inaugural shows, Judin is exhibiting works on paper by Tom of Finland downstairs, while Pace shows works by Jean Dubuffet, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Robert Nava upstairs. The galleries will alternate exhibitions, each mounting about three per year.
ArtReview editors highlight the must-see national pavilions at the 61st Venice Biennale, running from 9 May to 22 November 2026. Notable presentations include Austria's Florentina Holzinger turning her pavilion into a toilet and sewage-treatment plant with naked performers, and Germany's pavilion featuring works by Sung Tieu and the late Henrike Naumann, who died in February 2026, exploring East German memory and conceptual minimalism.
The Turner Prize shortlist for 2026 has been announced, featuring four artists: Simeon Barclay, nominated for his spoken-word performance 'The Ruin'; Tanoa Sasraku, recognized for her solo exhibition 'Morale Patch' exploring the political history of oil; Kira Freije, shortlisted for her first major solo show 'Unspeak the Chorus'; and Marguerite Humeau, nominated for her exhibition 'Torches'. The shortlist was selected by a jury chaired by Alex Farquharson, director of Tate Britain, who praised the diverse range of work spanning installation, performance, and sculpture. An exhibition of the shortlisted artists will be held at Teesside University's Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (Mima) from September 2026 to March 2027, with the winner announced on December 10, 2026, receiving £25,000.
The article reports on the opening of the 61st Venice Biennale, highlighting the central exhibition "In Minor Keys" conceived by the late Koyo Kouoh, along with national pavilions and collateral events. It notes standout contributions from artists such as Alvaro Barrington, Kaloki Nyamai, Florentina Holzinger, Ei Arakawa-Nash, Li Yi-Fan, and Dries Verhoeven, while describing the American pavilion as lackluster and the overall commercial offerings as uneven. The text also covers performances and exhibitions featuring nudity and body horror, including Tino Sehgal's "The Kiss" and Maja Malou Lyse's video with the collective DIS.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) have announced a massive collaborative exhibition titled "A Nation of Artists" to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Featuring over 1,000 works, the show spans from colonial-era masterpieces like Charles Willson Peale’s portrait of George Washington to contemporary Indigenous art and modern portraiture by Barkley L. Hendricks. The exhibition will also debut 120 works from the Middleton Family Collection, including significant Hudson River School and American Impressionist pieces.