Rare ‘Ocean Dream’ Diamond Sells for Record $17.3 Million at Christie’s

A rare 5.5-carat blue-green diamond known as the 'Ocean Dream' sold for $17.3 million at Christie’s Geneva jewelry sale, setting a record for a fancy vivid blue-green diamond at auction. The sale far exceeded its presale estimate of $9 million to $13 million after a 20-minute bidding battle. In other auction news, Sotheby’s New York sold over $433 million worth of art in its contemporary art sales, including 11 pieces from the Robert Mnuchin collection. Meanwhile, London’s Wellcome Collection agreed to return around 2,000 sacred Jain manuscripts to the Jain religious community under a new restitution framework, acknowledging they were acquired unethically. Several art fairs were announced, including Zero 10 curated by Trevor Paglen at Art Basel in Switzerland, CAN Art Fair Ibiza’s fifth edition, and Art-o-rama’s 20th edition in Marseille. Notable gallery news includes the bankruptcy and closure of French gallery Air de Paris after 36 years, and Carine Karam becoming director of Opera Gallery’s New York outpost. Hong Kong’s M+ and Paris’s Centre Pompidou announced a multi-year strategic alliance, and New York’s Frick Collection entered a three-year partnership with Louis Vuitton.

The Wild Nine-Month Journey that Led to Nathaniel Mary Quinn Designing the Rolling Stones’ New Album Cover

Nathaniel Mary Quinn was commissioned to create the cover art for the Rolling Stones' new album *Foreign Tongues*, due July 10, after a three-way call with Mick Jagger and producer Andrew Watt. Over nine months, Quinn developed a composite portrait merging the faces of Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood, and also redesigned the band's iconic tongue-and-lips logo. The process involved regular conversations with Jagger and Richards, a private rehearsal session, and a lunch at the Baccarat Hotel, culminating in the band choosing Quinn's original composite over a second option featuring a vintage sports car.

Pace Gallery Takes Representation of Brâncuși Estate Ahead of $100 M. Sculpture Coming to Auction

Pace Gallery has taken global representation of Constantin Brâncuși's estate, announced hours before a $100 million Brâncuși sculpture, Danaïde (1913), goes to auction at Christie's. The sculpture comes from the collection of S. I. Newhouse and is among the most expensive works in New York's marquee sales. The announcement coincides with a major retrospective of the artist, organized by the Centre Pompidou, currently at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin and heading to the Museum of Modern Art in New York later this year.

Pace Gallery Lands Brancusi Estate on Eve of Potential $100 Million Sale

Pace Gallery has secured global representation of the Constantin Brancusi Estate, announcing plans for a London exhibition this fall curated by art historian Jérôme Neutres. The news coincides with the auction of Brancusi's 1917 sculpture *Danaïde* at Christie's New York, estimated at $100 million, from the collection of late media mogul S.I. Newhouse. The estate was previously represented by Kasmin gallery, which closed last year. Pace's CEO Marc Glimcher emphasized the gallery's investment in modernist expertise and its ambition to become a market center for Brancusi works.

‘The story can be almost as important as the piece itself’: philanthropist Christian Levett on his approach to collecting

Philanthropist and collector Christian Levett, who opened the Mougins Museum of Classical Art in 2011 in southern France, closed that institution in 2023 and replaced it with Female Artists of the Mougins Museum, reflecting his growing focus on abstraction by women artists. Levett, a former investment manager, now owns around 1,700 works spanning antiquity to contemporary art, with significant holdings in post-war American art, African cutting-edge works, and the Zero movement. He recently bought Françoise Gilot's 1942 painting 'Geneviève Pensive' privately through Christie's and will speak at Tefaf Talks in New York on a panel titled 'Collecting with a Mission for Public Access.'

Consignors Revealed: The Mystery Sellers Behind the $1.8 Billion May Auctions

Sotheby's kicked off the May auction season with a $433 million sale, including an 11-lot group from the estate of late dealer Bob Mnuchin, led by an $86 million Mark Rothko painting. The three major auction houses are offering $1.8 billion worth of art by low estimate, a 50% increase from last year, driven by consignments from estates of key figures like Mnuchin, philanthropist Agnes Gund, and dealer Marian Goodman. Christie's will stage a sale from publisher S.I. Newhouse's collection expected to bring $450 million, potentially setting records for Jackson Pollock and Constantin Brancusi. The article reveals that many top sellers are anonymous, but unmasked names include the Dennison family and French collector John Sayegh-Belchatowski.

While the world is ending outside

Während draußen die Welt untergeht

The ninth edition of the art festival "Various Others" opened in Munich amid rain, with galleries, institutions, and off-spaces presenting their exhibitions. Highlights include Jana Schröder's large-format paintings at Jahn und Jahn, juxtaposed with Willem de Kooning's works on newspaper; André Butzer's solo show at Galerie Christine Mayer, featuring his transition from monochrome 'N-Bilder' back to color; and Anselm Reyle's solo exhibition at Walter Storms in collaboration with Galerie Dirimart. Two standout shows are inspired by Persian miniature painting: Elif Saydam's 'Glory' at Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, where silver and gold leaf works will oxidize over centuries, and another exhibition exploring bodies in transitional states—pupating, oxidizing, and escaping fixed forms.

Louvre Reveals Architects for $1 Billion Expansion

The Louvre has announced an international team of architects—New York's Selldorf Architects and Studios Architecture Paris—to lead its "Nouvelle Renaissance" expansion, a project estimated to cost over €1 billion ($1.2 billion). The plan, first announced by French President Emmanuel Macron in early 2025, includes a new entrance to accommodate three million additional visitors annually and a dedicated 33,000-square-foot exhibition space for Leonardo da Vinci's *Mona Lisa*. The museum's new director, Christophe Leribault, is moving forward with the project despite significant budget uncertainty, with cost estimates ranging from €270 million to €1.1 billion.

Thousands Decry Right-Wing “Smear Campaign” Against Misan Harriman

Over 97,000 people have filed complaints with the UK's Independent Press Standards Organisation against right-wing news outlets, including the Telegraph, for articles characterizing Misan Harriman's social media posts as antisemitic. Harriman, a photographer, human rights activist, and chair of London's Southbank Centre, has rejected the accusations, stating he has long championed marginalized communities and that the backlash stems from his criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza. An open letter supporting Harriman has been signed by 245 figures, including Tracey Emin, Greta Thunberg, and Mark Ruffalo, while the Telegraph published two articles scrutinizing his Instagram activity, prompting calls from Labour MP David Taylor for his removal from the board.

John Chamberlain’s Former Studio Hosts a Star-Studded New Interview Series

The John Chamberlain Estate is launching "ON THE COUCH," a biweekly filmed interview series hosted by estate director Alexandra Fairweather, timed to what would have been the sculptor's 100th birthday. Season one features eight cultural figures including artist Daniel Arsham, architect Annabelle Selldorf, fashion designer Alexander Wang, interior designer Sasha Bikoff, entrepreneur Jon Gray, and painter David Salle. Episodes will be filmed at Chamberlain's former studio on Shelter Island, now a private museum, with guests seated on his iconic foam couches. The series launches May 19 across major streaming platforms.

The Met’s Frida & Diego Opera Imagines Feminist Revenge from Beyond the Grave

The Metropolitan Opera has opened "El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego," a new opera by composer Gabriela Lena Frank and librettist Nilo Cruz that imagines Frida Kahlo returning from the underworld during Día de los Muertos for a reunion with her husband Diego Rivera. The production features mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as Frida, Carlos Álvarez as Diego, and choreography by Deborah Colker, with sets by Jon Bausor that evoke Kahlo's iconic paintings and mirror. The opera explores themes of pain, creativity, and marital strife, granting Kahlo physical freedom denied to her in life while centering her perspective over Rivera's.

Art Dubai’s 20th edition rallies its local art community amid regional tensions.

Art Dubai, the UAE's premier art fair, opened its 20th edition as a scaled-down "Special Edition" from May 14–17 at Madinat Jumeirah, after being postponed due to the Iran–Israel war. For the first time, entry was free, and the lineup was pared to 50 galleries, most from the region, including Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Jeddah, Ramallah, and Dubai.

The art world remembers Valie Export, Austrian pioneer of feminist performance art

VALIE EXPORT, the Austrian pioneer of feminist performance art, died on 14 May, three days before her 86th birthday. Her death was confirmed by her representative, Thaddaeus Ropac. Born Waltraud Lehner in Linz in 1940, she developed a radical artistic language centered on the female body, known for works such as *Tap and Touch Cinema* (1968–1971) and *Body Configurations* (1972–1976). Tributes have poured in from artists, writers, and institutions, including the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin and the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, where director Stella Rollig noted their ongoing collaboration on the exhibition *Feminist Futures Forever*.

Hayward Gallery announces major Nan Goldin exhibition.

The Hayward Gallery in London has announced a major solo exhibition of American artist and activist Nan Goldin, titled "You Never Did Anything Wrong." Running from 24 November 2026 to 7 March 2027, the show will mark Goldin's first institutional exhibition in the UK since 2002, featuring her intimate photographs and slideshows that document personal relationships, addiction, and queer communities over five decades. The exhibition rounds off the Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary year and includes works such as "Flowers with cup and Gaja" (2024) and "Diana in the bath" (2024).

New York Art Week 2026 Frieze And TEFAF Report

New York Art Week 2026 featured major art fairs including Frieze New York at The Shed, which drew 25,000 visitors from 75 countries and launched the Sherman Family Foundation Acquisition Fund, placing works by four artists into the Brooklyn Museum and Baltimore Museum of Art. TEFAF New York at the Park Avenue Armory presented over 90 international galleries across historic period rooms, while satellite fairs Independent, NADA New York, and 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair offered focused alternatives. Auction houses Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips opened free spring sale previews featuring highlights such as Roy Lichtenstein's 'Anxious Girl' and the Lewis Collection.

Horst Antes at 90: Major Shows Celebrate German New Figuration Pioneer

German artist Horst Antes, born in 1936, is being celebrated with two major exhibitions timed to his 90th birthday. Galerie Koch in Hannover presents a solo show titled “Horst Antes: Exhibition Marking the Artist’s 90th Birthday,” while the Sprengel Museum Hannover concurrently mounts “A Collection,” featuring roughly 80 works from its holdings. The shows highlight Antes’s pioneering role in New Figuration, particularly his iconic “Kopffüßler” (Head-Footer) character, which appears across paintings, sculptures, and works on paper from 1969 to 2014. The Galerie Koch exhibition also foregrounds his “House Pictures,” which explore architecture through non-hierarchical color planes and ambiguous perspective.

A $433 Million Boost for the Market

Sotheby's May 2026 auctions in New York generated $433.1 million in sales over under three hours, a 132.7 percent increase compared to the same period last spring, despite offering fewer lots. This strong performance signals a top-heavy recovery in the art market after three years of contraction. Separately, the Neue Galerie will merge with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2028, and Art Dubai continues despite disruptions from the U.S.-Iran war.

Funding for Ballroom Security Shot Down by Senate Authority, Art Dubai Stages Scaled-Back Edition Delayed by War, and More: Morning Links for May 18, 2026

France's minister of culture has announced the winners of an architecture competition to renovate the Louvre and build a new room for the Mona Lisa. The winning firms are STUDIOS Architecture (founded in San Francisco, now Paris-based) and New York's Selldorf Architects, with BASE handling landscaping. The project, called Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance, was delayed due to criticism over cost and necessity following the October theft of France's crown jewels from the museum. Louvre president Christophe Leribault and the culture minister have refocused the renovation on upgrading security and preserving the aging structure, with a budget of €1 billion ($1.16 billion) and construction set to begin by 2028.

A Major Martin Puryear Retrospective Reveals an Artist Who Has Never Stopped Evolving

The Cleveland Museum of Art has opened "Nexus," a major retrospective of Martin Puryear featuring over 50 works, the first comprehensive survey of the artist's career in some time. The exhibition includes rarely displayed early pieces from Puryear's personal collection alongside recent works, organized in consultation with the 84-year-old artist. Highlights include the titular 1979 piece "Nexus" made of Alaskan yellow cedar, and other works like "Night and Day" and "Alien Huddle" that showcase his mastery of wood and cold-molding techniques.

Let’s dress like a Mark Rothko! How gen Z fell for the king of colour field paintings

Mark Rothko, the abstract expressionist known for his color field paintings, is experiencing a cultural resurgence among Generation Z on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Videos inspired by his work amass hundreds of thousands of views, with creators styling outfits based on his canvases, assigning his paintings to personality archetypes, and comparing his palettes to dream pop bands like the Cocteau Twins. The Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas, has also seen a wave of curious young visitors drawn to the meditative, confrontational experience of his art.

‘Depraved in all the right ways’: why forgotten no wave visionary Gordon Stevenson is about to take off

The article profiles Gordon Stevenson, a forgotten visionary of the no wave movement in late-1970s New York, who was an artist, jewelry designer, musician, and filmmaker best known for the notorious film *Ecstatic Stigmatic*. Decades after his death from AIDS, a storage unit full of his lost work has been discovered, including jewelry, mail-art collaborations with Ray Johnson, and clues to a surviving print of his film. His family has also recovered hundreds of letters he wrote to his parents, chronicling his life in downtown New York and his experiences as one of the city's first AIDS patients. The piece traces his journey from a small town in Georgia, where he met his wife Mirielle Cervenka (who later renamed Exene Cervenka), to their punk-era jewelry brand LHOOQ and his lasting influence on gothic fashion.

Printmaking skills of Manet, Van Gogh and more celebrated in Bath show

An exhibition titled *Beyond Impressionism* at the Holburne Museum in Bath showcases over 50 prints by artists such as Édouard Manet, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, James McNeill Whistler, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Pablo Picasso. The show, running from 23 May to 13 September, highlights how impressionist, post-impressionist, and cubist painters revived printmaking in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, elevating it from commercial reproduction to a respected artistic medium. Works are drawn from public collections including the Courtauld Gallery and Ashmolean, as well as private collections.

ArtReview Podcast | Episode 7: Zineb Sedira

The ArtReview Podcast episode 7 features artist and photographer Zineb Sedira in conversation with digital editor Alexander Leissle. Sedira discusses Algerian cinema, the Scopitone, and her new Tate Britain Commission titled "When Words Fall Silent, Cinema Speaks," a site-specific installation in the Duveen Galleries open until January 2027. The episode explores three works chosen by Sedira, including Agnès Varda's "Salut les Cubains" (1963) and William Klein's "The Pan-African Festival of Algiers" (1969), as lenses into her practice and themes of displacement, identity, and cinema as a tool of resistance.

Still in Sound

The Clyfford Still Museum in Denver, Colorado, has opened a new exhibition titled "Still in Sound," which pairs abstract paintings by Clyfford Still with original sonic interpretations by contemporary sound artists. Co-curated by Bailey Placzek, the museum's curator of collections, and British multidisciplinary artist Ben Coleman, the exhibition features works by artists Maria Chávez, Maya Dunietz, Kalyn Heffernan, Matana Roberts, and Michael Schumacher. Each artist selected a Still painting and composed a sound piece in response, with the compositions playing in shuffled order to create a non-linear, immersive experience. A digital guide offers full recordings, and Denver artist Phillip David Stearns designed an interactive component based on Still's pastel drawings. The exhibition runs through February 2027.

At the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp a major exhibition on Antony Gormley, with more than one hundred works

The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) is hosting a major exhibition titled "Geestgrond" dedicated to British sculptor Antony Gormley, running from May 23 to September 20, 2026. Curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, the show features over 100 works made from diverse materials including clay, stone, wood, glass, bread, iron, lead, and steel. The exhibition places Gormley's sculptures in dialogue with the museum's historical collection, spanning from a 14th-century Flemish Crucifixion to works by James Ensor, Auguste Rodin, and Julio González. It also extends beyond the museum walls into the streets of Antwerp and along the Scheldt River, with works from the Domain and Weave Works series appearing in urban spaces.

Nan Goldin will present major London exhibition at the Hayward in 2026.

American artist and activist Nan Goldin will present a major exhibition titled "You Never Did Anything Wrong" at London's Hayward Gallery from November 24, 2026, through March 7, 2027. This marks her first institutional presentation in the U.K. since 2002 and will conclude the Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary year.

M+ in Hong Kong and Centre Pompidou in Paris Plan New Five-Year Partnership

M+ in Hong Kong and the Centre Pompidou in Paris have announced a new five-year partnership beginning next year. The agreement, announced at M+ on May 15, includes lending artworks for exhibitions, collaborative research and commissions, curator exchanges, and a four-year postdoctoral fellowship. A major exhibition focusing on visual culture in France and Greater China will debut at the Pompidou when it reopens in 2029 or 2030, then travel to M+.

Hong Kong’s M+ And Centre Pompidou Announce Strategic Partnership

M+, Hong Kong's museum of modern and contemporary art, has announced a multi-year strategic partnership with the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The collaboration includes co-organized exhibitions at M+ starting in 2027, a joint exhibition at the renovated Pompidou around 2030, and a four-year postdoctoral fellowship funded by the Huo Family Foundation, established by philanthropist Yan Huo in 2009. The Huo Research Fellow will focus on twentieth- and twenty-first-century Western and Asian art.

Review. VARIOUS OTHERS 2026

The 2026 edition of VARIOUS OTHERS in Munich featured a tightly curated program of exhibitions across participating galleries, institutions, and artist-run spaces. For the first time, the event awarded the "VARIOUS OTHERS Prize" (VO Award) to both a gallery and an off-space: Gallery Sperling and space n.n. won for their respective exhibitions. Notable presentations included solo shows by Paola Siri Renard at nouveaux deuxdeux, Milena Muzquiz at Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, and a dual exhibition at Knust Kunz Gallery Editions featuring Robert Motherwell and Merce Cunningham. Museum Brandhorst also opened the "Carrying" project with works by international artists.

Our Highlights From Frieze New York 2026

Frieze New York 2026 took place from May 13 to 17 at The Shed in Manhattan, featuring nearly 70 galleries. Highlights included Cindy Sherman’s new photographs at Hauser & Wirth (many sold on preview day, with Leonardo DiCaprio visiting), the Focus section curated by Lumi Tan and sponsored by Stone Island, and the Frame section where Diedrick Brackens’ woven works were acquired by the Brooklyn Museum. Frieze Sculpture at Rockefeller Center, curated by Brett Littman, showcased 14 international artists including Nick Cave and Hank Willis Thomas. Mapuche artist Seba Calfuqueo won the Focus Stand Prize for hair-centered works exploring feminism and indigenous heritage.