Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule Mar 7, 2026 visibility 21 link 17 artists

450 million newhouse trove heads to christies led by 100 million pollock

Christie’s has secured a prestigious collection of 35 to 40 artworks from the estate of the late media mogul S.I. Newhouse, valued at approximately $450 million. Scheduled for the May auction season, the selection is headlined by Jackson Pollock’s drip painting 'Number 7' (1948) and Constantin Brancusi’s bronze sculpture 'Danaïde' (1913), both estimated at around $100 million. The consignment marks the fourth time Christie’s has handled material from the Newhouse estate, which has previously set records for artists like Jeff Koons.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Mar 6, 2026 visibility 27 link 14 artists

christies triple header 20th and 21st century evening sales nets 265 m as london proves its still a draw to collectors

Christie’s London achieved a robust £197.5 million ($265 million) across a triple-header of evening sales, including the 20th/21st Century, Art of the Surreal, and the Vanthournout Collection auctions. The evening was headlined by a record-breaking £26.3 million sale of Henry Moore’s bronze sculpture 'King and Queen', alongside new auction highs for Surrealist artists Toyen and Dorothea Tanning. Despite some pre-sale withdrawals and a marathon four-hour runtime, the house achieved a 96 percent sell-through rate by lot.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Feb 23, 2026 visibility 32 link 15 artists, 8 galleries

sales roundup art basel qatar

The inaugural edition of Art Basel Qatar launched with a unique booth-less format, prioritizing single-artist presentations and regional connections over the typical high-speed frenzy of European fairs. While the pace of transactions was more measured, significant sales were reported, including a $250,000 video installation by Kutlug Ataman sold by Niru Ratnam to an institution and multiple works by regional stars like Ahmed Mater and Ali Cherri. High-value blue-chip items, including a $42 million Picasso, remained tucked away in private viewing rooms to accommodate the region's preference for discretionary collecting.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article policy schedule Feb 3, 2026 visibility 35 link 21 artists

hirshhorn museum loan program

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has launched the "50 for 50" loan program, a landmark initiative to disperse over 200 artworks from its collection to museums in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Major works by artists like Jackson Pollock, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Willem de Kooning will be loaned for up to five years, with a focus on reaching underserved and rural communities.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jan 14, 2026 visibility 23 link 15 artists

christies london belgian 54 million collection magritte

Christie's London will auction a major collection of modern and contemporary art from Belgian collectors Roger and Josette Vanthournout during its March marquee sales week. The collection, estimated at £40 million ($53.8 million), spans six decades of collecting and includes works by René Magritte, Henry Moore, Pablo Picasso, Yayoi Kusama, Lucio Fontana, Agnes Martin, and Max Ernst. It will be offered across three sales: a March 5 evening sale, a March 6 daytime sale, and an online sale from February 25 to March 12. Highlights include Magritte's 'La plaine de l'air' (1940) and Moore's 'Goslar Warrior' (1973–74), each estimated at £3.5–5.5 million.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Jan 14, 2026 visibility 25 link 46 artists

aldrich museum decennial 2026 survey connecticut artists

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut, has announced a new recurring exhibition series called the Aldrich Decennial, which will take place every ten years. The inaugural edition, titled “I am what is around me,” runs from June 7, 2026, to January 10, 2027, and features 40 artists living and working in Connecticut who have not previously exhibited in the state. Organized by chief curator Amy Smith-Stewart and curatorial and publications manager Caitlin Monachino, the survey spans the museum’s entire campus and includes high-profile names such as Dominic Chambers, Tammy Nguyen, Em Rooney, Aki Sasamoto, and Julia Wachtel, with artists ranging in age from Lucy Sallick (born 1937) to Remy Sosa (born 1995).

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jan 12, 2026 visibility 16 link 1 artist

sasha suda philadelphia art museum ceo title removed

Sasha Suda, the former director and CEO of the Philadelphia Art Museum, gave her first extensive interview since her firing last November to Philadelphia Magazine, alleging that the board attempted to strip her of the CEO title. She claims former board chair Leslie Anne Miller initially offered both roles but later tried to separate them, only allowing her to hold both temporarily. Suda says she rejected the revised offer, leading the board to backpedal. The article also reveals that Suda placed chief curator Carlos Basualdo on administrative leave in 2024, a decision that upset some trustees and may have contributed to tensions. Suda was abruptly fired on Election Day via email citing "cause," and she and the board have traded allegations over misuse of funds and unfair investigations.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Dec 22, 2025 visibility 16 link 17 artists

jeffrey epstein art world connections

The article details the ongoing release of documents related to disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, revealing his extensive ties to prominent art world figures. Key connections include former MoMA chairman Leon Black, who paid Epstein tens of millions for tax advice and engaged in art transactions involving a Giacometti sculpture and a Cézanne watercolor; retail mogul and art collector Leslie Wexner; and artist Andres Serrano. It also highlights the story of artist Maria Farmer, who was assaulted by Epstein and Maxwell and faced threats against her art career when she tried to report them in the 1990s.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Dec 2, 2025 visibility 31 link 22 artists

alma allen us venice biennale pavilion non political artist

Alma Allen, a sculptor known for sleek, abstract works, has been selected to represent the United States at the 2026 Venice Biennale, marking the country's 250th anniversary. The selection process, run by the US State Department and funded by the newly formed American Arts Conservancy—which the article notes is stocked with Trump allies—has drawn criticism for favoring politically neutral art. Allen's sculptures, often made of marble and wood with digital technology, are described as aesthetically inoffensive and reminiscent of Constantin Brâncuși, with no apparent commentary on current US issues.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Dec 1, 2025 visibility 27 link 12 artists

romare bearden digital catalogue raisonne

The Wildenstein Plattner Institute (WPI) and the Romare Bearden Foundation have launched the first installment of a digital catalogue raisonné for the artist Romare Bearden, covering his work from 1964 to 1969. The project, which began in earnest in 2017, has so far documented 3,000 artworks, including 210 in this initial chapter, and has uncovered previously unknown works such as a portrait of artist Edmonia Lewis. The research builds on three decades of archival work by the foundation, which digitized Bearden's ephemera to aid in tracking down works he often gave away informally.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Nov 21, 2025 visibility 21 link 14 artists

sfmoma fisher collection galleries reinstallation

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has announced a major reinstallation of its Fisher Collection galleries, titled “Reimagined: The Fisher Collection at 10,” opening April 18, 2026. The overhaul will feature 250 artworks by 35 modern and contemporary artists across 60,000 square feet of gallery space, organized by thematic and monographic floors. The project is led by curator Ted Mann and chief education officer Gamynne Guillotte. The Fisher Collection, a 100-year loan from the Fisher Art Foundation, includes blue-chip works by Alexander Calder, Gerhard Richter, Andy Warhol, and others, assembled by Gap Inc. founders Donald and Doris Fisher.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

rate_review review schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 17 link 7 artists, 3 galleries

jeff koons gagosian porcelain series review

Jeff Koons's latest exhibition at Gagosian Gallery in New York features his new series of large-scale porcelain and stainless-steel sculptures, including the centerpiece *Aphrodite* (2016–21), an eight-and-a-half-foot-tall nude. The show marks Koons's first solo presentation in New York in seven years and follows a turbulent period in his career, including record auction sales, a move to Pace Gallery and back to Gagosian, and two lawsuits. Critic Christopher Garcia Valle panned the works as unstimulating and banal, arguing they fail to awe viewers despite their technical ambition and massive scale.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 30 link 22 artists, 8 galleries

shanghai art021 west bund art recap

Shanghai's West Bund Art & Design fair and Art021 opened last week with unexpectedly strong sales, despite economic headwinds and regional competition. Many galleries reported brisk first-day sales, with Thaddaeus Ropac placing five works including a Martha Jungwirth painting for €500,000, and Hauser & Worth selling two works for over $1 million. However, major blue-chip galleries like Gagosian and Pace opted out entirely, while others like Almine Rech, White Cube, and David Zwirner scaled back their participation. The fairs took place against a backdrop of China's ongoing property slump and the overlapping Art Collaboration Kyoto, which siphoned attention from international collectors.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Oct 23, 2025 visibility 16 link 3 artists, 1 gallery

gen z art collecting continuum 2025

The Art Basel & UBS Survey of Global Collecting 2025 reveals that Gen Z collectors are reshaping the art market by treating art, sneakers, digital assets, and luxury goods as a single continuum of collectibles. Gen Z allocates 26% of their total wealth to art and collectibles—the highest of any generation—and spends 56% of that on non-traditional items like limited-edition sneakers, handbags, and digital artworks. Digital art ownership has rebounded sharply, with 23% of collectors planning to buy digital works, up from 19% in 2024, and Gen Z shows the strongest appetite for sculpture.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Oct 22, 2025 visibility 29 link 31 artists, 13 galleries

art basel paris vip preview sales report

Art Basel Paris opened its VIP preview on Wednesday, following a new invite-only preview called Avant Première on Tuesday. Major galleries reported strong sales, including Hauser & Wirth's $23 million Gerhard Richter abstract, the highest reported sale at the fair. Other notable sales included Julie Mehretu's $11.5 million painting at White Cube, a $4.7 million Bruce Nauman neon at Hauser & Wirth, and a $2.5 million Marlene Dumas painting at David Zwirner. Dealers noted that the staggered two-day opening helped spread out crowds and allowed collectors to return for the official VIP day, with many describing the fair as the most successful edition in Paris to date.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Oct 11, 2025 visibility 16 link 5 artists, 3 galleries

jeff koons first new york show 2025 gagosian

Jeff Koons will present his first solo show at Gagosian in seven years, titled “Porcelain Series,” opening November 13 at the gallery’s 541 West 24th Street location. The exhibition features new and recent sculptures and paintings that explore beauty and mythology, including mirror-polished stainless steel figurines modeled on 18th- to early-20th-century porcelain and oil paintings incorporating historical engravings. Koons, who left Gagosian in 2021 for Pace and returned in 2025, debuted new work at Frieze New York in May.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Aug 28, 2025 visibility 15 link 5 artists, 3 galleries

jeff koons gagosian representation

Gagosian Gallery will once again represent Jeff Koons, the star sculptor who left the mega-gallery to join Pace in 2021. The announcement completes a return that began in May with a solo presentation at Frieze New York, where Koons showed three sculptures from his “Hulk Elvis” series. Koons had also been represented by David Zwirner at the time of his departure from Gagosian, but he does not appear to have rejoined Zwirner. Reports indicate that Koons split with Pace after a costly Meissen-inspired sculpture series required $50–100 million in investor support, which fell through when additional funds were needed.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Jul 16, 2025 visibility 21 link 13 artists

kaws take over new york botanical garden

The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) has announced that artist KAWS (Brian Donnelly) will take over its 250-acre landscape in 2027 with a large-scale, unnamed exhibition featuring his iconic sculptures such as Companion, BFF, and Chum. The show follows the model of NYBG's 2021 "Cosmic Infinity" exhibition by Yayoi Kusama, which drew around 845,000 visitors. The announcement also coincides with NYBG's current "Van Gogh's Flowers" display and a planned 2026 orchid show by Mr. Flower Fantastic.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Jul 8, 2025 visibility 11 link 3 artists

mschfs king solomons baby at pioneer

MSCHF, the Brooklyn-based art collective known for viral stunts like the Big Red Boot and a Damien Hirst dot-selling ATM, has unveiled a new participatory sculpture titled *King Solomon's Baby* (2025). The work is a large-scale polystyrene foam and paint sculpture that will be progressively dismembered and sold in thin slices as more buyers join. Priced at $100,000 for a single buyer, the cost drops as more participants purchase shares, down to $100 each if 1,000 people buy in. Sales open July 10 at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, with the fully deconstructed work on view July 13.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jun 27, 2025 visibility 39 link 111 artists, 18 galleries

price check art basel basel 2025

Art Basel in Basel has concluded, with galleries reporting hundreds of sales despite low expectations set by lackluster New York auction results. Dealers shared prices ranging from $1 million to $17 million, with top sales including David Hockney's *Mid November Tunnel* (2006) at Annely Juda Fine Art ($13M–$17M), a Ruth Asawa sculpture at David Zwirner ($9.5M), and a Gerhard Richter painting at David Zwirner ($6.8M). Other notable transactions include works by Keith Haring, Mark Bradford, Georg Baselitz, and George Condo, though many galleries provided only price ranges and withheld exact titles or mediums.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 12 link 5 artists

jeff koons split rocker lacma resnicks

Lynda and Stewart Resnick have donated a monumental Jeff Koons sculpture, *Split-Rocker*, to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The 37-foot-tall work, made of a metal skeleton and planted with 50,000 flowers, resembles a hybrid toy head—half rocking horse, half dinosaur. It will be installed near a new group of galleries endowed by trustee David Geffen. The Resnicks listed an unnamed piece given to LACMA on their 2023 tax filings valued at $9.6 million. The donation is part of director Michael Govan’s long-term plan to add another major sculpture to LACMA’s campus, alongside works like Chris Burden’s *Urban Light* and Tony Smith’s *Smoke*.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jun 20, 2025 visibility 34 link 57 artists, 13 galleries

art basel 2025 sales report

Art Basel 2025 in Switzerland, now in its 55th edition, opened with 289 exhibitors amid a soft and unpredictable art market. Major sales included a Ruth Asawa sculpture for $9.5 million at David Zwirner, a Gerhard Richter painting for $6.8 million, and a Keith Haring from 1983 for $3.5 million at Gladstone. The top reported sale was David Hockney's 'Mid November Tunnel' (2006) for $13-17 million at Annely Juda Fine Art. Hauser & Wirth headlined with a moody Mark Rothko from the early 1960s, while galleries adopted strategies of offering wide price ranges and diverse styles to hedge against market uncertainty.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jun 19, 2025 visibility 25 link 27 artists, 10 galleries

art basel 2025 major works sales

Art Basel 2025 opened in Basel, Switzerland, with nearly 300 leading galleries showcasing high-value artworks despite a turbulent art market. Major works include a Gerhard Richter abstraction (1987) at David Zwirner, priced around $30 million, a Ruth Asawa hanging sculpture sold for $9.5 million, and Picassos at Pace and Helly Nahmad Gallery, with the latter's *Femme nue couchée jouant avec un chat* (1964) listed at $28 million after fetching $21.2 million at auction two years ago. The fair runs through Sunday, offering rare opportunities to view and purchase blue-chip pieces.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jun 17, 2025 visibility 21 link 4 artists

maurizio cattelan gold toilet trial theft video

A judge has sentenced two men for stealing Maurizio Cattelan's 18-carat gold toilet, titled "America," from Blenheim Palace in England during a 2019 raid. Michael Jones received 27 months in prison for burglary, while James Sheen was sentenced to four years, added to his existing 19-year term for other crimes. The theft took less than five minutes, causing major flooding and water damage when the toilet was ripped from the plumbing. Police arrested four men in November 2023, with evidence including DNA, phone messages, and CCTV footage leading to convictions. Fred Doe received a suspended sentence, and Bora Guccuk was found not guilty. None of the gold has been recovered and is believed to have been chopped up and sold.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 29, 2025 visibility 15 link 9 artists

damien hirst will keep making artworks after dies

Damien Hirst, the 59-year-old British artist and one of the world's wealthiest living artists, has revealed a plan to continue creating artworks after his death. In an interview with the London Times, Hirst described a system of 200 notebooks, each representing one year after his demise, which will contain instructions for artworks that collectors can buy the rights to produce. These rights will be tradable certificates, and the works will be signed by his descendants. The scheme allows for back-dating of works, including a sculpture of a pig in formaldehyde conceived in 1991 but never made, which could be fabricated 145 years after his death and dated to 1991. This follows criticism Hirst faced in 2024 for assigning 1990s dates to formaldehyde sculptures actually produced recently, which his company Science Ltd. defended as conceptual artworks dated by conception.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 16, 2025 visibility 29 link 17 artists, 4 galleries

new york frieze auctions

Frieze New York kicked off at the Shed in Hudson Yards with a notable sale: Jeff Koons's Incredible Hulk sculpture (Tubas) purchased for around $3 million, signaling a reunion between the artist and Gagosian after his departure to Pace in 2021. Despite a cautious market amid President Trump's tariff uncertainties, dealers reported better-than-expected sales on VIP day, with a focus on affordable works in the $50,000-to-$200,000 range. However, challenges emerged including U.S. Customs delays affecting international shipments and tariff confusion that led some fashion designers to withdraw from the Esther II fair.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 15, 2025 visibility 26 link 22 artists

marlene dumas record women artist christies sale

Marlene Dumas set a new auction record for the most expensive living female artist when her 1997 painting *Miss January* sold for $13.6 million at a Christie’s evening sale. The work, featuring a nude woman with a ghostly white face, was pre-sold with a third-party guarantee. Other women artists also broke personal records that night, including Simone Leigh (sculpture for $5.7 million) and Emma McIntyre (painting for $201,000). However, the top five priciest works of the week were all by men: Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, René Magritte, and Piet Mondrian, with Mondrian’s *Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue* selling for $47.6 million.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Apr 29, 2025 visibility 17 link 2 artists, 3 galleries

jeff koons gagosian for frieze new york 2025

Jeff Koons will reunite with Gagosian for a solo presentation at Frieze New York 2025, less than four years after leaving the gallery. The booth will feature three sculptures from his Hulk Elvis series—Hulk (Organ), Hulk (Tubas), and Hulk (Dragon and Turtle)—staged against a custom backdrop from his painting Triple Hulk Elvis III. All works come from Koons's personal collection, and he supervised every aspect of the presentation. The reunion follows a turbulent period: Koons left Gagosian and David Zwirner in 2021 to join Pace Gallery exclusively, but that partnership ended after three years amid reported financial disputes over a Meissen-inspired sculpture project that involved $50–100 million in investor funding.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 25, 2026 visibility 3 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

How Betye Saar Set Black Dolls Free

An exhibition at the New York Historical celebrates Betye Saar’s promised gift of her collection of over 100 Black dolls to the institution, coinciding with her upcoming 100th birthday. The show, on view through October 4, features dolls alongside Saar’s paintings, prints, and sculptures, including works like “The Liberation of Aunt Jemima” (1972) and “Indigo Mercy” (1975). Saar began collecting Black dolls in 1949 and has incorporated them into her art since the 1970s, using watercolors during the COVID-19 pandemic to reimagine them in mystical scenes.

newspaper Hyperallergic open_in_new Read original

candle obituary schedule May 14, 2026 visibility 18 link 12 artists, 1 gallery

Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Painter and Civil Rights Luminary, Dies at 84

Mary Lovelace O’Neal, a painter, educator, and Civil Rights activist, died on May 10 at age 84 in Mérida, Mexico. Known for her monumental canvases and inventive “lampblack” works, she moved fluidly between abstraction and figuration, using layers of black pigment to assert Blackness and presence. Her career included studies at Howard University and Columbia University, activism with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and connections to the Black Arts Movement.

newspaper Hyperallergic open_in_new Read original