Art News. Vasari Codex

article culture schedule May 20, 2026 visibility 4 link 5 artists, 1 gallery

New Richard Avedon documentary chronicles how he shaped the evolution of photography

Imagine Documentaries, the nonfiction arm of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment, premiered a new documentary about photographer Richard Avedon at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17. The film, co-produced by the Richard Avedon Foundation, draws heavily from archival interviews conducted by Helen Whitney for the PBS series *American Masters*, supplemented by new interviews with Avedon's son John, muse Lauren Hutton, Isabella Rossellini, Twyla Tharp, and former *New Yorker* colleagues Tina Brown and John Lahr. The documentary explores Avedon's career, his technique of building rapport with subjects, and his iconic images such as *Dovima with Elephants*, which dealer Larry Gagosian notes sold for $2 million.

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rate_review review schedule May 20, 2026 visibility 5 link 4 artists

Fantastic visions and cosmic rhythms: how Whistler is making me see – and hear – differently

The article explores how the James McNeill Whistler exhibition at Tate in London prompts a reconsideration of the relationship between music and visual art. Whistler titled his works using musical terms like "Arrangement," "Symphony," and "Nocturne," arguing that painting should be abstract and independent of narrative, much like instrumental music. The exhibition, reviewed by Jonathan Jones, highlights Whistler's radical art-for-art's-sake philosophy, which influenced composer Claude Debussy, whose orchestral Nocturnes were directly inspired by Whistler's paintings of light and atmosphere.

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trending_up market schedule May 20, 2026 visibility 6 link 18 artists

Sotheby’s Pulls In $303.9 M. in a Solid but Subdued Modern Evening Sale Led by $48 M. Matisse

Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction on Tuesday night achieved $303.9 million in total sales, with 98% of lots sold, led by Henri Matisse’s *La Chaise lorraine* at $48.4 million—the second-highest price ever for a Matisse painting at auction. Other top lots included Pablo Picasso’s *Arlequin (Buste)* (1909), which sold for $42.6 million, and works by Alberto Giacometti and Vincent van Gogh. However, bidding was often cautious, with few prolonged contests, and the total fell below the presale high estimate of $320.2 million, reflecting a tempered market atmosphere.

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trending_up market schedule May 20, 2026 visibility 3 link 17 artists, 1 gallery

Phillips Posts $115.2 Million ‘White Glove’ Sale, Big Gain Over Last Year

Phillips’s evening sale of modern and contemporary art on Tuesday achieved a 'white glove' result, selling all 41 lots for a total of $115.2 million with fees, near the $121.7 million top estimate. The sale marked a 119 percent increase over the same sale last year, driven by strong bidding on works by Salman Toor, Lee Bontecou, P.S. Krøyer, Joseph Yaeger, Helen Frankenthaler, Anna Weyant, and Pat Passlof. Two works were withdrawn before the sale, and about half of the lots had third-party guarantees. Despite some lots hammering below their low estimates, including works by Andy Warhol, Francis Picabia, Henri Matisse, and a Jackson Pollock at the center of a lawsuit, the overall result signals renewed market confidence.

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trending_up market schedule May 20, 2026 visibility 6 link 16 artists, 2 galleries

Sotheby’s Hauls In $304 Million at Modern Art Auction, as Market Momentum Continues

Sotheby’s achieved $303.9 million in its modern art auction in New York, led by Henri Matisse’s *La Chaise Lorraine* (circa 1919) at $48.4 million and Pablo Picasso’s *Arlequin (Buste)* at $42.6 million. The sale included an auction record for a painted bottle, René Magritte’s *Femme-bouteille* (1955), which sold for $974,000. The auction featured conservatively priced material from smaller estates, with a 97.6% sell-through rate and a 63% increase over a similar sale last year.

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article news schedule May 19, 2026 visibility 2 link 6 artists

Six Artists Vie to Design Billie Holiday Monument in New York

Six artists have been selected as finalists to design a public monument honoring jazz singer Billie Holiday in Queens, New York, outside the Jamaica Performing Arts Center. The finalists—La Vaughn Belle, Nikesha Breeze, Nekisha Durrett, Tanda Francis, Thomas J. Price, and Tavares Strachan—submitted proposals after an open call in late 2025, site visits, and discussions with Holiday scholars and family. The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs released the designs on May 19 for public feedback through the end of May, with a final selection expected later this year. Proposals range from abstract silhouettes and bronze beans to more representational figures, reflecting Holiday's legacy and her connection to Queens.

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trending_up market schedule May 19, 2026 visibility 5 link 5 artists

Cindy and Howard Rachofsky’s Dallas Home Could Be Yours at a Discount, for $17.5 M.

Cindy and Howard Rachofsky, prominent art collectors and mainstays on the ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list, have reduced the asking price of their Dallas home, the Richard Meier–designed Rachofsky House, from $23 million to $17.5 million. The property, completed in 1996 and located in the affluent Preston Hollow neighborhood, has been on the market since October 2024. The Rachofskys, whose collection includes over 800 works, previously hosted the Two x Two gala in support of AIDS- and art-focused initiatives in Dallas, but stopped hosting the event in 2024.

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trending_up market schedule May 18, 2026 visibility 8 link 8 artists, 1 gallery

Christie’s S. I. Newhouse Sale Totals $630.8 M., Bringing Cumulative Total to $1 B.

Christie’s evening auction of 16 works from media magnate S.I. Newhouse’s collection totaled $630.8 million with fees, setting multiple records. The top lot was Jackson Pollock’s *Number 7A, 1948*, which sold for $181.2 million after a 10-minute bidding war, more than doubling Pollock’s previous auction record. Other highlights included Constantin Brâncuși’s *Danaïde* (ca. 1913), which set a new record for the artist at an undisclosed price above $82 million, and strong results for works by Joan Miró, Jasper Johns, and Pablo Picasso.

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trending_up market schedule May 18, 2026 visibility 6 link 5 artists

S.I. Newhouse’s Brâncuși Sells at Christie’s for Record-Breaking $107.6 M.

A Constantin Brâncuși sculpture titled *Danaïde* (1913), formerly owned by media magnate and top art collector S.I. Newhouse, sold at Christie’s on Monday night for a hammer price of $93 million, totaling $107.6 million with fees. This set a new auction record for the modernist sculptor, surpassing the previous record of $71.2 million set by another Brâncuși work in 2018. The bronze head with gold leaf and black patina attracted half a dozen bids before selling to a client represented by Maria Los, deputy chairman of client advisory Americas. The work was one of six bronze casts, the only gilded example still in private hands, and had notable provenance, having been purchased by Eugene and Agnes Meyer at Brâncuși’s first solo exhibition in 1914.

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trending_up market schedule May 18, 2026 visibility 6 link 10 artists, 2 galleries

$181.2 Million Pollock, $107.6 Brancusi Million Sell at Christie’s, as Records Fall

Christie's New York auctioned 16 works from the collection of late media magnate S.I. Newhouse for a total of $630.8 million, far exceeding the $450 million estimate. The top lot was Jackson Pollock's "Number 7A" (1948), which sold for $181.2 million, setting a new auction record for the Abstract Expressionist and making him the latest artist to join the $100 million club. Minutes earlier, Constantin Brancusi's bronze sculpture "Danaïde" (1913) achieved $107.6 million, also a record for the Romanian modernist and the second-highest price ever for a sculpture at auction.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 18, 2026 visibility 4 link 3 artists

Tate Britain previews new garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Tate Britain is previewing its new garden at the 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, offering a sneak peek of the forthcoming Clore Garden designed by Tom Stuart-Smith and scheduled for completion in 2027. The show garden features Barbara Hepworth's 1949 sculpture *Bicentric Form*, the first work Tate acquired by the artist, alongside Mediterranean plants adapted to London's warming climate, a wildlife pond, and recycled materials from the Millbank site. After the show, the garden will be relocated to Tate Britain.

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article culture schedule May 18, 2026 visibility 8 link 7 artists

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.

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article culture schedule May 18, 2026 visibility 4 link 3 artists

After dinosaurs, it’s spot the dog! But can a child really learn anything in a gallery?

Neil Osborne and his three-year-old daughter Daisy visit the National Museum Cardiff (NMC), where they explore both dinosaur exhibits and art galleries. Daisy, like many toddlers, engages with paintings by describing what she sees—calling a JMW Turner seascape "a fish." The article follows the author as she investigates whether children under five can learn from art in museums, speaking with parents and Catrin Rowlands, head of learning at NMC. NMC is one of 15 UK museums participating in Mini Wonders, a fully funded program by Art Fund and Nesta that offers eight-week courses for families from disadvantaged backgrounds, providing digital cameras and scrapbooks to encourage repeated museum visits and school readiness.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 18 link 22 artists, 10 galleries

Inside TEFAF New York’s Annual Wealth Pageant

The 12th annual TEFAF New York fair took place at the Park Avenue Armory from May 15 to 19, attracting wealthy collectors with a mix of blue-chip art, design objects, and jewelry. Highlights included Kathleen Ryan's bejeweled 'Bad Fruit' sculptures at Gagosian, Cai Guo-Qiang's gunpowder paintings at White Cube (which sold 11 of 12 works), Sheila Hicks's textiles at Demisch Danant, and a new David Hockney painting at Annely Juda Fine Art. The fair featured 88 galleries from 14 countries, with VIP previews drawing art advisors and high-net-worth clients.

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trending_up market schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 11 link 20 artists, 9 galleries

TEFAF New York Opened to Crowded Aisles, Bullish Collectors, and Strong Booths

TEFAF New York opened at the Park Avenue Armory with unexpectedly strong crowds and a buoyant mood, defying the typical afternoon lull. Dealers reported heavy foot traffic and sustained conversations, with gallerist Sean Kelly calling it the best edition in years. The fair, running through May 19, features a mix of antiquities, design, modern, and contemporary art, with standout booths including Alison Jacques’s pairing of Dorothea Tanning, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Gordon Parks, and Sean Kelly Gallery’s display of works by Shahzia Sikander and Sam Moyer. The newly launched Pace Di Donna Schrader Galleries made its TEFAF debut with works by Eugène Delacroix, Willem de Kooning, and Alexander Calder.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 14 link 19 artists, 7 galleries

The Can’t-Miss Moments at TEFAF New York 2026

TEFAF New York 2026 opened to packed crowds at the Park Avenue Armory, showcasing a mix of historic and contemporary works. Highlights include Gagosian’s solo booth of Kathleen Ryan’s bejeweled “Bad Fruit” sculptures, Thaddaeus Ropac’s presentation of monumental canvases by Danish painter Eva Helene Pade, and Axel Vervoordt Gallery’s spotlight on overlooked Italian painter Ida Barbarigo. The fair also features collectible design and perennial favorites like Alexander Calder mobiles and Alighiero Boetti tapestries.

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trending_up market schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 15 link 24 artists, 4 galleries

Rothko from Robert Mnuchin’s Estate Sells for $85.8 M., Leading Sotheby’s New York’s $433.1 M. Contemporary Art Sale

Sotheby’s New York held a $433.1 million modern and contemporary art sale at its Madison Avenue headquarters, led by Mark Rothko’s *Brown and Blacks in Reds* (1957), which sold for $85.8 million. The auction opened with 11 works from the estate of legendary dealer Robert Mnuchin, totaling $166.3 million, including a second Rothko and pieces by Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, and Pablo Picasso. The contemporary art segment followed, with Jean-Michel Basquiat’s *Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown)* (1983) selling for $52.7 million. The overall sale was described by advisers as robust but not particularly exciting, and it significantly exceeded the $186.1 million equivalent sale from last year.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 14, 2026 visibility 12 link 5 artists

Does L.A’s Bold New LACMA Museum Work?

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has debuted a long-awaited new building designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, costing $750 million. The museum opened to the public last month with a gala for the David Geffen Galleries, and its charismatic director Michael Govan promises a new vision for how museums show art and relate to the public. Art critic Carolina Miranda joins Artnet News's Ben Davis to discuss the building's significance, having published her own analysis calling it an instant LA icon.

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article news schedule May 14, 2026 visibility 12 link 4 artists

The Met and Neue Galerie Embark on Historic Merger

The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Neue Galerie in New York have announced a historic merger set for 2028. The Met will acquire the Neue Galerie's Beaux-Arts mansion, renaming it the Met Ronald S. Lauder Neue Galerie (or Met Neue Galerie), while preserving its museum experience. The merger comes ahead of the Neue Galerie's 25th anniversary and its renovations from May to August 2026. Founder Ronald S. Lauder will remain involved, and the Met will supplement the Neue Galerie's programs, research, and digital initiatives. Major fundraising is underway, with the endowment target of $200 million already 80 percent met, supported by Lauder, his daughter Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer, and trustee Marina Kellen French.

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article news schedule May 14, 2026 visibility 11 link 5 artists

The Met Teams Up with Band-Aid on Art-Themed Adhesive Bandages

The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Band-Aid have reunited for a second collaboration, releasing a new set of art-themed adhesive bandages in 2026. The bandages feature details from three flower paintings in the Met's collection: Claude Monet's *Water Lilies* (1919), Vincent van Gogh's *Irises* (1890), and Odilon Redon's *Bouquet of Flowers* (ca. 1900–1905). The 50-count assortment includes small, medium, and large fabric bandages packed in a collectible tin, available exclusively at Target for $7.29. The 2025 Hokusai collection, which sold out quickly, is also back on sale at major retailers.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 13, 2026 visibility 10 link 19 artists, 11 galleries

The Best Booths at Frieze New York, From Cindy Sherman’s Newest Photos to UFOs

The article reviews the best booths at Frieze New York 2026, held at the Shed in Hudson Yards. It highlights eight standout presentations, including Hauser & Wirth's debut of new Cindy Sherman photographs, Andrew Edlin Gallery's themed booth featuring artists like Paulina Peavy and Melvin Way who explore extraterrestrial themes, and Carlos/Ishikawa's display of Evelyn Taocheng Wang's monumental paintings that engage with Agnes Martin and Georgia O'Keeffe. The author notes that while art fairs prioritize commerce, some galleries successfully balance good art with monetization.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 13, 2026 visibility 13 link 4 artists

Garment, body and space merge in Iris van Herpen’s first major New York show

The Brooklyn Museum is hosting Iris van Herpen's first major New York exhibition, featuring over 140 haute couture looks from the Dutch fashion designer. Van Herpen, who founded her house in 2007, pioneered 3D printing in fashion and uses unconventional materials like upcycled marine debris and fermented fibers. The touring show, which originated at Paris's Musée des Arts Décoratifs, includes contemporary art, scientific objects, and natural-history specimens alongside her garments. Curated by Matthew Yokobosky, the Brooklyn iteration draws on the museum's own collections and loans from the American Museum of Natural History, the Staten Island Museum, and the Yale Peabody Museum. Highlights include a dress made with living bioluminescent algae and a re-creation of Van Herpen's atelier.

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trending_up market schedule May 13, 2026 visibility 13 link 11 artists

Contemporary Icons and Modern Masters Headline This Major May Sale

Rago/Wright is hosting two major spring sales on May 14, 2026: 'Pure Edge: American Geometric Abstraction, Selected Works from the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Buenos Aires' and a Post War and Contemporary Art sale. The first features 19 works from the museum's premier collection of American geometric abstraction, while the second spans 20th- and 21st-century art. Highlighted lots include Sam Gilliam's 'Sun Woman' (1970, est. $300,000–$500,000), Annie Morris's 'Stack 7 (Ultramarine Blue)' (2015, est. $150,000–$200,000), Miyoko Ito's 'Adam and Eve' (1957, est. $200,000–$300,000), and Maria Martins's 'Impossible' (1946, est. $150,000–$200,000).

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museum exhibitions schedule May 12, 2026 visibility 11 link 12 artists

Public art blossoms around New York

New York City's public spaces are blooming with large-scale outdoor art this spring, complementing the gallery and museum season. From the High Line to Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Bronx to Stuyvesant Square, artists including Derek Fordjour, Raven Halfmoon, Monira Al Qadiri, Judith Modrak, Woody De Othello, Shellyne Rodriguez, and Graciela Cassel have installed sculptures, murals, and interactive works. Highlights include Fordjour's mural *Backbreaker Double* (2025), Halfmoon's ceramic bust *West Side Warrior* (2025), and Rodriguez's *Phoenix Ladder: Monument to the People of the Bronx* (2025), which commemorates housing loss in the 1970s.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 12, 2026 visibility 22 link 10 artists, 5 galleries

‘I shared a single bed with my mother for three years’: Sung Tieu on her monument to immigrant workers in Venice

Artist Sung Tieu has clad the German pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale with a mosaic replica of the Gehrenseestrasse complex, a now-abandoned housing estate in Berlin where she lived as a child. The work, titled "Human Dignity Shall Be Inviolable," uses three million mosaic stones to recreate the facade of the prefabricated blocks that housed Vertragsarbeiter—contract workers from Vietnam, Mozambique, Angola, and Cuba who bolstered East Germany's economy. Tieu, who shared a single bed with her mother in the complex for three years, conceived the pavilion alongside the late artist Henrike Naumann.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 11, 2026 visibility 15 link 2 artists

Delayed by War in Iran, Paul Klee Painting from Israel Finally Joins New York Show

A long-delayed loan of Paul Klee's painting *Angelus Novus* (1920) has finally arrived at the Jewish Museum in New York, completing the exhibition "Paul Klee: Other Possible Worlds." The work, on loan from the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, was stuck in Israel due to the ongoing war in Iran, which began with joint US-Israeli bombardments on February 28. Until its arrival, the painting was represented by an authorized facsimile with a note citing transport delays. The exhibition, which opened March 20, focuses on Klee's final decade and runs through July 26.

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trending_up market schedule May 11, 2026 visibility 19 link 3 artists, 2 galleries

Market Outlook for New York’s May Sales

New York's May sales season is underway with over $1.8 billion worth of art heading to auction at major houses including Sotheby's, where a monumental Rothko consigned by Robert Mnuchin is expected to fetch $70–100 million. Frieze New York opens at the Shed with 68 galleries, half of them local. Other notable developments include a major Banksy work hitting the auction block with one of its highest estimates ever, and the estate of sculptor Robert Therrien leaving Gagosian after nearly 30 years to join David Zwirner.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 11, 2026 visibility 24 link 8 artists

Exhibitions marking 250th anniversary of the US open in New York

Several New York museums have opened exhibitions marking the 250th anniversary of the United States, which falls on 4 July 2026. The New-York Historical Society presents "Old Masters, New Amsterdam," drawn from the Leiden Collection, focusing on the lives of Dutch colonists. The Hispanic Society Museum & Library offers "Goya and the Age of Revolution," linking the American Revolution to European upheavals and Goya's depictions of war. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has installed "Revolution!" in its American Wing, reexamining the nation's founding through art. A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence handwritten by Thomas Jefferson will also be on view at the New York Public Library.

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article news schedule May 11, 2026 visibility 17 link 13 artists

More than 70 Venice Biennale artists withdraw from awards

More than 70 artists participating in the 2025 Venice Biennale have withdrawn from consideration for the Golden Lion awards, which this year will be decided by public vote. The artists, including Walid Raad, Laurie Anderson, and Yto Barrada, signed a statement published on e-flux on May 9, withdrawing in solidarity with the entire prize jury that resigned last month over a dispute regarding the participation of Israel and Russia. The Biennale management replaced the traditional jury-selected awards with a new "Visitor Lion" system where ticket holders can vote, but the Biennale has acknowledged that if any of the withdrawing artists win, they will not collect the award.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 9, 2026 visibility 22 link 11 artists

Venice Diary Day 3: Offsite Highlights Include Fleshy Films and Vegetarian Videos

The article reports on the author's third day at the Venice Biennale, focusing on offsite exhibitions. Highlights include Li Yi-Fan's animated video "Screen Melancholy" (2026) at the Taiwan Pavilion, described as chaotic, absurdist, and uncanny, featuring a naked CGI character interacting with ChatGPT. The author also praises Janis Rafa's video installation "Baby I'm Yours, Forever" (2026) at Fondazione In Between Art Film, which transforms scenes from a meat refrigeration plant into haunting surreal imagery. The piece notes the resurgence of video art, aided by LED screens that create immersive environments.

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