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 Marcel Duchamps That Got Away: On Collecting His Work and the Sprawling MoMA Show

The article recounts the author's personal experience as a collector who passed up the opportunity to buy a complete set of Marcel Duchamp's readymades at a 2002 Phillips de Pury and Luxembourg auction. The set, editioned by dealer Arturo Schwartz in 1964, included iconic works like *Fountain* and *Bicycle Wheel*, but the sale was a financial failure, with many pieces bought-in or selling for far below expectations. The author later acquired some of the unsold works privately. The piece is framed around the concurrent Duchamp exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art and Gagosian.

the very quotable larry gagosian turns 80 and more juicy art world gossip

Larry Gagosian turned 80 on Saturday, and the art world marked the occasion with two blockbuster exhibitions: a de Kooning show in Chelsea and a Picasso exhibition uptown, curated by Paloma Picasso. This edition of Wet Paint, an Artnet News gossip column by Annie Armstrong, celebrates Gagosian's lesser-known talent for delivering memorable quotes to journalists, despite his legendary elusiveness. The article catalogs some of his most striking lines, including a menacing comment to an employee after the 2008 crash, a Bond-villain-style text to artist Issy Wood, and a six-word response to Jeff Koons leaving for Pace Gallery.

Bruno Bischofberger, Art Dealer of Stars Like Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Dies at 86

Bruno Bischofberger, the legendary Swiss art dealer who championed American artists like Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat in Europe, has died at age 86. His Zurich-based gallery announced his death on Saturday. Bischofberger founded his eponymous gallery in 1963, which became one of Switzerland's most important blue-chip art spaces. He forged deep personal and professional relationships with artists, including acquiring a stake in Warhol's Interview magazine, producing Warhol's film L'amour, and famously proposing the collaborative paintings between Warhol and Basquiat in 1984. Bischofberger also maintained a decades-long tradition of placing advertisements on the back page of every Artforum issue.

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Rosemarie Trockel, the elusive German artist known for her wildly varied and conceptually challenging work, is the subject of a rare profile in ARTnews. The article traces her emergence from the 1980s Cologne art scene, where she became notorious for refusing interviews and producing art that defies easy categorization—spanning knitting machines, video, sculpture, and drawing. A key photograph from her teenage years, showing her in a room plastered with celebrity cutouts, is presented as a rare origin story, though its authenticity is left ambiguous. The piece highlights her declared constants of "woman, inconsistency, reaction to fashionable trends" and her insistence that art should remain a process of discovery rather than a vehicle for fixed meaning.

Artist Trevor Paglen Will Curate the Swiss Edition of Art Basel’s Digital Art Sector

Artist Trevor Paglen will curate the third edition of "Zero 10," Art Basel's digital art sector, at the fair's Swiss edition from June 17–21. Major galleries including Marian Goodman, Hauser and Wirth, and Almine Rech will present works by artists such as John Gerrard, Agnieszka Kurant, Avery Singer, and Hito Steyerl. Paglen co-curates with digital art strategist Eli Scheinman, and the presentation, titled "The Condition," surveys seven decades of instruction-based and computational art, featuring pioneers like Vera Molnár, Mary Ellen Bute, Ted Nemeth, and Ben F. Laposky alongside contemporary stars.

One of Van Gogh’s greatest watercolours could achieve a record price

Sotheby's New York will auction Vincent van Gogh's watercolor *The Harvest in Provence* (June 1888) on May 19, with an estimate of $25–35 million. The work, larger and more elaborate than a related watercolor at Harvard, was created just days before van Gogh's celebrated oil painting of the same scene. It is signed and titled, suggesting the artist considered it a finished piece rather than a mere study, and he sent it to his brother Theo before completing the oil version.

10 Shows Around Venice Not to Miss During the Biennale

ARTnews has published a guide to 10 exhibitions in Venice worth seeing during the 2026 Biennale, beyond the central show "In Minor Keys" curated by the late Koyo Kouoh and the national pavilions. Highlights include a major survey of Lee Ufan at the San Marco Art Centre (SMAC Venice), organized by the Dia Art Foundation and curated by Jessica Morgan; "Helter Skelter: Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince" at Fondazione Prada, curated by Nancy Spector; and "Strange Rules" at Palazzo Diedo, conceived by Hans Ulrich Obrist with Mat Dryhurst and Holly Herndon, introducing the concept of "Protocol Art." Other venues include the Gallerie dell'Accademia, Pinault Collection, Berggruen Arts & Culture, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, and a three-night-only performance at Teatro Goldoni.

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Digital artist Kevin Esherick's solo debut at New York’s Heft Gallery has sparked a legal confrontation with painter George Condo. The exhibition features AI-generated works trained to mimic the styles of prominent contemporary artists, including Beeple, Cindy Sherman, and Salman Toor. While most artists were receptive to the project, Condo’s legal team issued a cease-and-desist letter regarding three specific paintings, leading the gallery to shroud the disputed works in black velvet and display the redacted legal notice in their place.

10 Power Players in Paris

10 power players paris

The inaugural edition of Paris+ by Art Basel has opened in Paris, marking a significant shift in the city's art fair landscape. The article profiles ten key figures instrumental in shaping the French art market, including fair director Clément Delépine, dealer and committee president Marion Papillon, and institutional leaders like Suzanne Pagé of the Fondation Louis Vuitton and Rebecca Lamarche-Vadel of Lafayette Anticipations.

leon black art collection revealed jeffrey epstein file

A 51-page document released as part of the Jeffrey Epstein files appears to catalog the extensive private art collection of billionaire collector and former MoMA board chair Leon Black. The document, which lists works by masters from Michelangelo to Picasso under corporate entities linked to Black, reveals valuations and details of a collection largely kept from public view, including works held as promised gifts to major museums like MoMA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

paint drippings art industry news jan 9

This week's art industry roundup covers a postponement, financial losses, legal disputes, and leadership changes. New Jersey's Art Fair 14C has been postponed to May 2027, with organizers citing capacity issues unrelated to market conditions. Bonhams reported a 90% pre-tax loss jump to £213 million in 2024 due to impairment charges. A rediscovered Watteau drawing will be auctioned at Christie's Paris, and personal items of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter are featured in Christie's 'American Collector' sales. In galleries, Amy Sillman left Gladstone for David Zwirner, Trevor Paglen joined Jessica Silverman, and Maya Hewitt joined Theta. The Louvre partially closed after a staff strike demanding director Laurence des Cars' resignation and reassessment of a renovation plan. Belgium's plan to dismantle Antwerp's M HKA museum has sparked resignations and backlash. New appointments include Will Cary as COO of the Barnes Foundation and Patton Hindle as director of arts at the Knight Foundation. MATHAF museum in Doha announced a campus expansion by architect Lina Ghotmeh. Legal disputes emerged between Gian Enzo Sperone and Angela Westwater over the shuttered Sperone Westwater gallery.

9 artists whose markets artnet pro appraised in depth in 2025

Artnet Pro has published a roundup of nine artists whose markets it appraised in depth during 2025, including Dorothea Tanning, Gertrude Abercrombie, Emily Kam Kngwarray, Jack Whitten, and Olga de Amaral. The article highlights key market developments for each artist, such as record auction prices, growing international recognition, and shifts in collector interest, drawing on data and expert commentary from dealers, auction-house specialists, and advisors.

frieze london 2025 big galleries report strong sales afternoon

Frieze London 2025 opened with strong VIP preview sales, as major galleries reported brisk business by early afternoon. Thaddaeus Ropac sold a Robert Rauschenberg work for $850,000 and a Tony Cragg sculpture for $420,000, while Hauser & Wirth moved multiple pieces including a George Rouy for £275,000 and an Ellen Gallagher for $950,000. Gagosian sold a new Lauren Halsey sculpture before noon, and White Cube reported six sales. The fair's layout, which places mega-galleries at the back to encourage foot traffic to smaller booths, returned by popular demand.

okwui enwezor cuator duke collected writings

A new two-volume collection of Okwui Enwezor's writings, titled "Okwui Enwezor: Selected Writings, Volume 1: Toward a New African Art Discourse" and "Volume 2: Curating the Postcolonial Condition," has been published by Duke University Press in 2025, edited by Terry Smith. Spanning over a thousand pages and covering the years 1994 to 2019, the collection gathers Enwezor's catalog essays, exhibition reviews, and analyses, tracing his evolution as a poet, writer, curator, theorist, educator, and museum director who died in 2019 at age 56.

15 Van Gogh Masterpieces that Set Auction Records

ARTnews published a listicle on May 19, 2026, detailing 15 Van Gogh masterpieces that set auction records, from *Landscape with Rising Sun* (1985) to *Portrait of Dr. Gachet* (1990). The article recounts landmark sales including *Sunflowers* ($39.9 million in 1987), *Irises* ($53.9 million in 1987), and *Portrait of Dr. Gachet* ($82.5 million in 1990), highlighting the buyers, provenance, and institutional homes such as the Sompo Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum.

Venice Biennale 2026: all the national pavilions, artists and curators so far

The 61st edition of the Venice Biennale, the world's oldest and most prestigious art biennial, will open on 9 May 2026 and run through 22 November. The main exhibition follows the curatorial plan of the late Koyo Kouoh, while national pavilions have been announcing their participating artists and organizers. The article provides a comprehensive list of confirmed pavilions so far, including artists such as Genti Korini (Albania), Matías Duville (Argentina), Khaled Sabsabi (Australia), Florentina Holzinger (Austria), Faig Ahmed (Azerbaijan), and many others, with details on venues and organizers.

'It’s like the natural world. Nothing lasts forever': Tadashi Kawamata on creating his temporary sculptures

Japanese artist Tadashi Kawamata created a temporary wooden vortex sculpture titled "Tornado" inside the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, made from 5,000 individual pieces of wood and installed on the grand staircase for just two weeks in February. The work was commissioned by Ruinart as part of its "Conversations with Nature" series, which presents a piece in Paris before permanently installing it at the champagne house's headquarters in Reims. Kawamata, who has lived in Paris for 18 years, is known for using found materials and creating site-specific, temporary interventions on or inside architecture, emphasizing spontaneity and impermanence.

From You, Me & Tuscany to Euphoria: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead

The Camden Art Centre in London is hosting a significant survey of the late Guyanese-British artist Donald Locke, marking the final stop of a UK touring exhibition. Locke is celebrated for blending the formal language of minimalism and modernism with the potent symbols of Guyanese and Black American culture, effectively challenging the traditional art world's Eurocentric perspectives through his work in ceramics, painting, and sculpture.

Japan's Art Market Growth and Asian Art News

japans art market growth asian art news

Japan’s art market demonstrated remarkable resilience in 2024, growing by 2% to reach $692 million despite a 12% contraction in the global art market. A government-commissioned report by economist Clare McAndrew revealed that the Japanese market is characterized by high-volume, lower-value transactions, with 93% of sales occurring at price points under $10,000 and dealers accounting for the vast majority of trade.

alejandro jodorowsky taschen art sin fin monograph

Taschen has released a monumental two-volume monograph titled "Art Sin Fin" (2026) dedicated to the 96-year-old Chilean filmmaker and polymath Alejandro Jodorowsky. The book, priced at $1,500 and packaged in a Plexiglass box, spans over 2,000 pages and includes film stills, collages, drawings, photographs, comic strips, and performance images curated by Jodorowsky himself in collaboration with Donatien Grau, head of contemporary programs at the Louvre Museum. It covers his entire career, from his surrealist films "El Topo" (1970) and "The Holy Mountain" (1973) to his failed "Dune" adaptation, his comic series like "The Incal" and "The Metabarons," his psychomagic therapy practice, and recent collaborations with his wife Pascale Montandon.

renovated frick expansion reopening highlights

The Frick Collection reopens to the public on April 17 after a five-year closure and a $220 million expansion and renovation by Selldorf Architects. The project adds 18,000 square feet, including 10 new galleries in the family's original second-floor living quarters, a marble staircase, cafe, gift shop, and a new auditorium. The percentage of the collection on view has increased from 25% to 47%, and Ukrainian artist Vladimir Kanevsky has created porcelain floral arrangements for the reopening. New director Axel Rüger, who joined from London's Royal Academy of Arts, welcomed journalists at a press preview.

robert colescott market

The article examines the posthumous market resurgence of painter Robert Colescott, who died in 2009. After his commercial profile faded, Los Angeles dealer Tim Blum and his gallery Blum & Poe began working with the artist's estate in 2017, staging five solo shows and rescuing a disorganized estate with works stored in shipping containers in Arizona. Major auction prices followed, including a record $15.3 million for 'George Washington Carver Crossing The Delaware' in 2021. In 2024, after Blum & Poe closed, Gladstone Gallery took over representation. A current exhibition at the Tacoma Art Museum, 'The One-Two Punch: 100 Years of Robert Colescott,' runs through March 29.

global reach and local appeal defined artissimas latest edition

Artissima, Italy's only contemporary art fair, closed its 32nd edition on November 2, 2025, at the Oval Lingotto Fiere in Turin, drawing 34,500 visitors and 176 galleries from 36 countries. Directed by Luigi Fassi for the fourth year, the fair ran from October 30 to November 2, featuring 63 monographic presentations and 26 first-time exhibitors. The edition introduced a new 5% VAT rate on artworks in Italy, awarded 13 prizes including the new Vilnius Residency Prize, and saw the Fondazione Arte CRT Acquisition Fund acquire 26 works for GAM Torino and Castello di Rivoli, marking its 25th anniversary. Special projects included "From Japan: Anonymous Art Project" and a film screening by Basim Magdy at Parco Michelotti.

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Machteld Rullens, a Dutch artist based in The Hague, is presenting her second solo exhibition with Page (NYC) titled “Beacon Road,” jointly staged at Andrew Kreps Gallery in New York. The show features works created during a residency at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation in Connecticut, using discarded cardboard boxes that Rullens collects from recycling bins and other sources. Her sculptures, which initially appear ceramic or metallic, are actually intricate assemblages of cardboard, exploring form, commodity, and waste. The exhibition marks a departure from her earlier work, with crushed and folded forms and exposed bolts conveying a sense of restrained energy.

gladstone gallery robert colescott estate representation

The estate of Robert Colescott, the influential American painter who died in 2009, has signed with Gladstone Gallery for representation. Gladstone will debut Colescott's work at Art Basel Miami Beach next month and mount its first solo exhibition for the artist in 2025. Colescott is best known for satirical, large-scale paintings like "George Washington Carver Crossing the Delaware: Page from an American History Textbook" (1975), which critiques the exclusion and caricaturing of Black figures in American history and art. The estate sought new representation after its longtime gallery, Blum, closed this summer. Gladstone senior partner Max Falkenstein said the gallery had long admired Colescott and that the partnership felt like a natural fit given the gallery's focus on identity and politics.

racquel chevremont mickalene thomas lawsuit new allegations

Racquel Chevremont, a model, curator, and reality TV star, has filed a 31-page lawsuit against her former romantic partner, artist Mickalene Thomas, in the Supreme Court of the State of New York. The suit expands on earlier harassment allegations from August, detailing claims of an abusive work environment and financial exploitation. Chevremont alleges that Thomas denied her promised compensation from sales of artworks featuring Chevremont, including a painting that sold for $1.83 million, and that Thomas paid herself significant sums while Chevremont received nothing from their joint company, MT Special Projects (also known as Deux Femmes Noires). Thomas has denied the allegations through a spokesperson, calling them false and a desperate attempt to profit from her reputation.

gordon robichaux gallery profile

Gordon Robichaux, a gallery located on the ninth floor of a high-rise in New York's Union Square, has opened two exhibitions dedicated to the late artist and curator Jenni Crain, who died suddenly from Covid-19 in 2021 at age 30. The shows feature an unrealized floor sculpture by Crain, completed by her foundation and collaborators, and an untitled exhibition including works by artists who influenced her, such as Tee Corinne, March Avery, and Kate Millett. The gallery is also dedicating its booth at Frieze New York to Crain, highlighting her role as a friend, curator, and salesperson during the gallery's early years.

georgian russian artist zurab tsereteli has died

Georgian-Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli has died at age 91. He served as the chief artist of the USSR’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and headed Russia’s Academy of Arts, and was a known supporter of Vladimir Putin. His monumental sculptures, favored by Russian elites, were controversial in his native Georgia.

Trevor Paglen Wins 2026 LG Guggenheim Award

Multidisciplinary artist Trevor Paglen has been awarded the 2026 LG Guggenheim Award. The honor, established by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and LG, includes an unrestricted $100,000 grant and recognizes artists working at the intersection of art and technology.