‘Halo effect’ of powerful art dealers’ collections boosts Sotheby’s sale

Sotheby's held a successful three-part evening auction in New York on May 15, 2025, achieving a total of $154.2 million in hammer sales ($186.1 million with fees), within its pre-sale estimate. The sale included 12 lots from the estate of late dealer Barbara Gladstone, which sold 100% for $15.1 million, and 15 works from the collection of Daniella Luxembourg, which brought $33.6 million. The main event, Sotheby's The Now and Contemporary evening auction, featured 41 lots—including works from the Dorothy and Roy Lichtenstein collection and three deaccessioned by US museums—and achieved a 93% sell-through rate, hammering $105.4 million. A standout was Andy Warhol's 'Flowers' (1964) from the Gladstone estate, which sold for $3.1 million hammer, more than double its high estimate.

Comment | The greatest failure of PST Art: its successes are not travelling

The article critiques PST Art (formerly Pacific Standard Time), a $20 million Getty-funded initiative in Southern California, as its current edition wraps up. It highlights the closure of key exhibitions like "For Dear Life: Art, Medicine and Disability" at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego before major art events like Frieze Los Angeles, and notes that only 7 of the 72 exhibitions are traveling to other institutions. The piece questions the initiative's purpose and effectiveness in reaching broader audiences.

Whitney Museum of American Art invites visitors to take in the river view

The Whitney Museum of American Art is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its Meatpacking District building by inviting visitors to experience Mary Heilmann's installation "Long Line" on the fifth floor. The work features a large-scale mural of sea green and foamy white waves, accompanied by whimsically colored boxy chairs that visitors can rearrange. The installation, which runs until January 19, 2026, encourages rest and contemplation, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of the Hudson River. Curator Laura Phipps notes that Heilmann, who created the inaugural commission "Sunset" for the building in 2015, has long prioritized visitor comfort and seating in her work.

As the Met’s Gorgeous New John Singer Sargent Exhibition Proves, There’s Much More to Madame X Than That Scandalous Strap

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has opened a major new exhibition, "Sargent and Paris," organized with the Musée d'Orsay, focusing on John Singer Sargent's formative decade in the French capital. The show culminates with his iconic portrait *Madame X* (1883–84), which caused a scandal at the 1884 Paris Salon when its jeweled strap appeared to slip off the subject's shoulder. Curator Stephanie L. Herdrich spent six years developing the exhibition, which includes approximately 100 works and aims to provide a more nuanced retelling of the painting's creation and impact. The exhibition runs from April 27 to August 3 at the Met before traveling to the Musée d'Orsay, marking the first monographic show of Sargent's work in France and the first time *Madame X* has been exhibited there in over 40 years.

Seattle Art Museum Workers Move to Unionize

Over 100 employees at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) have announced their intention to unionize, forming Seattle Art Museum Workers United (SAMWU) and affiliating with the Washington Federation of State Employees/AFSCME Council 28. In a letter to Director and CEO Scott Stulen and the museum board, staff across departments including visitor experience, collections care, curatorial, and education cited unsustainable wages, subpar health benefits, and top-down decision-making as key grievances. They are urging voluntary recognition by May 27 to bypass a formal election, and also call for just-cause job protections. The effort follows a successful 2024 strike by SAM's unionized security guards.

Going Out: Top 20+ arts & nightlife events, April 16-24

The Haight Street Art Center is hosting 'I-Beam: Disco, Dancing and Modern Rock in the Haight,' an exhibition exploring the visual culture of San Francisco's historic nightlife and music scene. Other visual art highlights in the Bay Area include 'Hot Draw!', an erotic figure drawing session at the Mark I Chester Studio, and various community exhibits hosted at the SF LGBT Center.

“Magnanrama. Portraits, Networks, and News of Nathalie Magnan” at Villa Arson, Nice

Mousse Magazine reports on the exhibition “Magnanrama. Portraits, Networks, and News of Nathalie Magnan” at Villa Arson in Nice, which celebrates the life and work of Nathalie Magnan (1956-2016). Magnan was a media theorist, filmmaker, cyberfeminist, educator, webmistress, hacktivist, and interdisciplinary figure who navigated the internet and the high seas, contributing to the history of thought, technology, feminism, and LGBTQI+ struggles. The show presents portraits, networks, and news related to her legacy, positioning her as a mediator and artist despite her reluctance to use that term.

Disobedience Archive (Canopy for Broken Time) In Dialogue with Raqs Media Collective at Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zürich

The Disobedience Archive, a mobile video archive initiated by Marco Scotini in 2005, is presented in dialogue with Raqs Media Collective at the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst in Zürich. The archive contains over one hundred documentary and art films at the intersection of art and activism, documenting forms of resistance, social struggle, and collective self-organization.

The Spiritual Ear: On Daniel Heller-Roazen’s Far Calls

The article is a critical review of Daniel Heller-Roazen's new book, 'Far Calls: On Omens, Slips, & Epiphanies.' It examines the book's central thesis, which explores the historical and philosophical concept of a 'spiritual ear'—the interval between speaking and hearing where language escapes its intended meaning, giving rise to omens, slips of the tongue, and epiphanies. The review traces Heller-Roazen's genealogical investigation from ancient divinatory practices to modern psychoanalysis, highlighting his argument that linguistic accidents hold prophetic potential.

photographer documents her changing body with stunning self portraits

British photographer Polly Penrose documented her changing body over seven years in a nude self-portrait series titled "A Body of Work." The project involved physically demanding poses taken on self-timer, leaving her bruised and aching, as she hammered her body into various spaces. Penrose described the process as a punishing, repetitious fight to fit into each setting, with the resulting images capturing both visible physical transformations and concealed emotional changes.

LA museums to check out this Earth Month

Los Angeles museums are marking Earth Month with a series of exhibitions and events focused on sustainability and environmental consciousness. Highlights include the Hammer Museum’s exhibition, "Several Eternities in a Day: Form in the Age of Living Materials," which features works by 22 artists using organic substances like avocado, cochineal dye, and volcanic rock. Meanwhile, the Fowler Museum is hosting an immersive look at the indigenous rice cultivation practices of the Ifugao people in the Philippines.

Phillips’ Evening Sale of Modern & Contemporary Art More than Doubles Auction Total from the Previous Year

Phillips’ Evening Sale of Modern & Contemporary Art achieved a total that more than doubled the previous year's auction result, driven by strong demand for works spanning the 19th to 21st centuries. The sale opened with three lots exceeding their high estimates, including record prices for Lee Bontecou's rare 'Untitled' (1985-2001), which set a new record for any two-dimensional work by the artist after nearly five minutes of bidding. Other records were set for Pat Passlof, P.S. Krøyer, and Joseph Yaeger. Top lots included Andy Warhol's 'Sixteen Jackies' ($16.2 million), Claude Monet's 'La Route de Vétheuil, effet de neige' ($9.9 million), and Jackson Pollock's 'Untitled' ($9.2 million). The sale also featured works from The Collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr., which achieved a combined $8.4 million, with two Vilhelm Hammershøi works acquired by prominent institutions.

‘OC Made’ at Fullerton Museum Center showcases local artists

The Fullerton Museum Center has launched "OC Made," a new biennial juried exhibition dedicated exclusively to artists living and working in Orange County. Curated by Georgette Collard and Jasmine McNeal, the inaugural show features over 130 artworks by more than 100 local artists selected from a pool of 260 submissions. The exhibition includes a diverse range of mediums, from glass sculptures and ceramics to photorealistic paintings of local landmarks, and awarded top honors to artists Ramón Vargas, Jaime “Germs” Zacarias, and Mahta Jafari.

Painting from Elmhurst U. Collection Tours Prestigious Museums

Elmhurst University’s painting "Tree at Aledo" by Gertrude Abercrombie is currently on a national tour as part of the retrospective exhibition "Gertrude Abercrombie: The Whole World Is a Mystery." The work is presently on display at the Milwaukee Art Museum following stops at the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Colby College Museum of Art, with a final scheduled stop at the Norton Museum of Art through early 2027.

London National Gallery’s deficit bombshell, Simon Schama on birds and art, Vilhelm Hammershøi—podcast

The National Gallery in London has announced unexpected and significant budget cuts, including potential staff reductions, due to a projected deficit of £8.2 million for the upcoming year. This financial crisis comes as a surprise following the recent completion of a major building project and the announcement of another ambitious expansion planned for the 2030s.

Long Overdue, First Museum Retrospective of Mavis Pusey Explores Artist's Geometric Abstraction Over Five Decades

The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at the University of Pennsylvania is hosting "Mavis Pusey: Mobile Images," the first museum retrospective of Jamaican-American artist Mavis Pusey (1928-2019). Curated by Hallie Ringle and Kiki Teshome, the exhibition spans five decades and features over 60 works, including seven paintings shown publicly for the first time. Pusey, who studied at the Art Students League and worked at Robert Blackburn's Printmaking Workshop, was known for her geometric abstraction at a time when many Black artists focused on figuration. The show will travel to the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles and the Studio Museum in Harlem.

Ovartaci at auction: The Art Brut master behind surreal figures and smoking phantoms

On September 23, Bruun Rasmussen will auction ten works by Ovartaci, the Danish Art Brut master born Louis Marcussen. Ovartaci, who lived at the psychiatric hospital in Risskov for 56 years, created surreal figures, abstract female forms, and distinctive 'smoking phantoms'—handcrafted cigarette holders turned into magical beings. His breakthrough came in 1979 with the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art's 'Outsider' exhibition, and he has since been shown at the Venice Biennale and the CoBrA Museum of Modern Art. The online auction is already open for bidding, with a preview in Aarhus.

Beatriz González travelling show kicks off in São Paulo

The Pinacoteca de São Paulo is hosting the first leg of a touring retrospective of Colombian artist Beatriz González, featuring nearly 100 works from across her career. The exhibition, co-curated by Pollyana Quintella and Natalia Gutiérrez, takes an art-historical reading from the perspective of the Global South and highlights González's direct confrontation with Colombia's history of violence, as well as her engagement with kitsch and popular culture. The show will travel to the Barbican Art Gallery in London and the Astrup Fearnley Museet in Oslo in 2026.

Newly attributed Turner painting, last sold for £500, goes under the hammer at Sotheby's with £300,000 estimate

A painting attributed to JMW Turner, titled *The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, from St Vincent’s Rock, Bristol*, is set to be auctioned at Sotheby’s London on 2 July with an estimate of £200,000–£300,000. The work was sold last year at Dreweatts Donnington Priory for just £524.80, then catalogued as a follower of Julius Caesar Ibbetson. After a collector purchased it and arranged restoration, Turner’s signature was uncovered, and leading Turner scholars unanimously endorsed the attribution. The painting, made in 1792 when Turner was 17, depicts Hot Wells House in Bristol and was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1793.

Small Formats, Great Tensions

Kleine Formate, große Spannungen

The Paper Positions art fair in Berlin is celebrating its tenth anniversary, held in the vast Tempelhof Airport hangar with around 70 galleries. The fair focuses exclusively on works on paper, showcasing artists like Kubra Khademi, whose series "Women in simple situations" features nude female bodies as acts of resistance and political visibility. Other highlights include Annegret Soltau's pierced paper works, Una Ursprung's layered collages, Dirk Krecker's typewriter compositions, and Tina Heuter's tissue-paper sculptures, alongside photography by Stefanie Moshammer and vibrant works by Madita Kloss.

Peter Blake’s studio brought to life at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery

Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery in West London has announced a major retrospective of Sir Peter Blake, scheduled to open in November 2026. The exhibition, titled 'Peter Blake: In the Studio,' features a full-scale reconstruction of the artist's Hammersmith workspace, providing an immersive look at the environment where his seven-decade career unfolded. The show will display a wide range of media, including his iconic Pop Art paintings, sculptures, and recent collages that respond to the works of William Hogarth.

Sir Peter Blake’s Studio Comes to Pitzhanger Manor in a Landmark West London Exhibition

Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery in West London has announced a major exhibition, "Peter Blake: In the Studio," scheduled to run from November 2026 to April 2027. The landmark show will feature a full-scale recreation of the artist’s Hammersmith workspace, providing an immersive look at the environment where the 'Godfather of British Pop Art' conceived his most famous works. The exhibition will span seven decades of Blake's career, showcasing paintings, collages, and sculptures alongside his personal collection of curiosities and memorabilia.

Shaniqwa Jarvis: Only Love Can Break Your Heart

Artist Shaniqwa Jarvis is set to debut her first UK solo exhibition, "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," at London’s Public Gallery on April 30, 2026. The show features twelve new works that blend photography with silk, mirrored surfaces, aluminum, and collage to explore themes of grief, memory, and renewal. Central to the exhibition are immersive silk installations that create live double exposures and a new film work that weaves together personal archival footage with intimate conversations on motherhood, labor, and identity.

Art, museum exhibits in Kenosha, Racine counties this week

This article highlights a series of art exhibitions and events taking place in Kenosha and Racine counties this week. The Anderson Arts Center in Kenosha is hosting a watercolor exhibition in collaboration with the Watercolor USA Honor Society through May 24. Additionally, the Kenosha Art Association is offering a Tatakizome (hammering plants) Flower Printing class with instructor Jill Montgomery. In Racine, an exhibition titled "Flying Kites in a Windless World" featuring works by Vanessa Filley continues.

Views from Behind. A Figure Without a Portrait

Vu[e]s de dos. Une figure sans portrait

The exhibition "Vu[e]s de dos. Une figure sans portrait" at Les Franciscaines in Deauville, running from February 28 to May 31, 2026, explores the artistic motif of figures seen from behind. Curated by director Annie Madet-Vache, the show was inspired by a small painting from the museum's own collection, André Hambourg's *L'Enterrement de Poincaré*. Unable to secure loans of iconic works such as those by Friedrich, Delacroix, Ingres, or Vermeer, Madet-Vache instead displays large black-and-white reproductions of these masterpieces alongside contemporary works they inspired, turning the absence of the originals into a conceptual strength.

churchill marrakech heffel sale 2025

A Winston Churchill painting, *Churchill’s Marrakech* (circa 1935), sold for $1.3 million at Heffel Fine Art Auction House in Toronto, more than double its high estimate of $600,000. The work was the top lot in a 27-lot sale of deaccessioned works from the Hudson’s Bay Company corporate collection, which realized $4.9 million in total hammer price. Churchill had gifted the painting to his wife, Lady Clementine Ogilvy Spencer-Churchill, who donated it to Hudson’s Bay in 1956.

how nebra sky disc made study

Researchers from Otto-von-Guericke University in Magdeburg, Germany, and the Saxony-Anhalt-State Museum of Prehistory, in collaboration with engineering firm DeltaSigma Analytics and coppersmith Herbert Bauer, have successfully replicated the manufacturing process of the Nebra Sky Disk, a 3,600-year-old bronze artifact depicting the cosmos. By analyzing a small sample of the disk using advanced techniques like energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron backscatter diffraction, the team determined the disk was cast and then forged at least 10 times through repeated heating and hammering. Bauer replicated this by annealing a similar metal mixture 55 times, revealing that the disk's microstructure matches a stage after 10 forging cycles, not the final 55, indicating the original preform was thinner and wider than assumed.

The LA Art World’s New Obsession Is a Theater Where Artists Run the Show

Calla Henkel and Max Pitegoff, former artistic directors of Berlin's Grüner Salon, launched New Theater Hollywood in 2024 as a nonprofit venue on Santa Monica Boulevard. The 49-seat theater specializes in genre-defying, multidisciplinary collaborations, staging works like Sophie Becker's ventriloquist act *Ronnie's Big Idea* and Diamond Stingily's *The Driver*. Every performance sells out, attracting a cult following of literary, art world, and pop culture figures who often linger to discuss shows.

Joe Lycett to showcase artwork via Birmingham exhibition

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery will stage the first major solo exhibition of artwork by comedian and artist Joe Lycett, titled 'EVERY THING MUST GO', opening on July 29, 2026. The exhibition will feature dozens of new, mixed-media works exploring themes of nostalgia, grief, and loss through Lycett's signature colorful and humorous style, focusing on subjects like deceased celebrities, extinct animals, and discontinued products.

Arts Listings: Week of May 7, 2026

This article is a local arts listings roundup for the week of May 7, 2026, in Ventura County, California. It includes opening theater productions such as "¡Ay Chihuahua! A Mariachi Musical" at California State University, Channel Islands, "Eleanor" at Rubicon Theatre Company, and "It's a Trip, Man: An Evening with a Hollywood Has-Been" at Ojai Art Center Theatre. Art openings feature the Camarillo Art Center's gourd class and exhibition "May I Have Your Attention!," Canvas and Paper's show of work by L.S. Lowry, and the Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation's "r/evolve: celebrating the circular" by Christopher Noxon. The piece also lists auditions for "The Importance of Being Earnest" at Moorpark College and a call for submissions to the Ojai Art Center Theater's 2027 season.