A major auction of Apple memorabilia and personal items belonging to Steve Jobs realized $8.1 million. The top lot was the first check ever issued by Apple, signed by founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976, which sold for $2.4 million. Other significant items included an early Apple-1 prototype board and personal effects from Jobs's childhood home, including his bedroom desk and a collection of bowties.
The Santa Fe home of the late actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa has been listed for sale at $6.25 million. The 13,000-square-foot hilltop compound, designed by architect Ed Boniface, includes a main residence, guesthouse, and a studio where Hackman painted, all set within a gated community with expansive mountain views.
Daisy Rockwell, granddaughter of Norman Rockwell, stated in an interview with the Bulwark that her grandfather was "antifa," pushing back against recent uses of his paintings by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Over the summer, DHS posted cropped and edited versions of Rockwell's works, including "Salute the Flag" (1971) and "Working on the Statue of Liberty" (1946), with captions urging readers to "protect your homeland" and "defend your culture." The Rockwell family had already publicly rebutted these posts in a USA Today op-ed, arguing that Rockwell would have been "devastated" to see his art used to promote persecution of immigrant communities and people of color.
Lewis Carroll's personal copy of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' from the original 1865 run has been acquired by Oxford's Christ Church college and the Bodleian Libraries. The rare volume, donated by American philanthropist and bibliophile Ellen Michelson, contains the author's handwritten notes, sketched plans for a future nursery edition, and 10 original pencil sketches by John Tenniel used for the wood engravings. The book had never before been exhibited in the United Kingdom.
The original painting for the 1977 Star Wars movie poster, created by artist Tom Jung, sold for $3.9 million at Heritage Auctions, becoming the most expensive object associated with the Star Wars franchise to date. The acrylic and airbrush artwork served as the half-sheet poster for Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope and features a triangular composition of characters like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Darth Vader. The painting was consigned by Melissa, daughter of producer Gary Kurtz, and surpassed the previous record for movie poster art.
A 1969 Fender Competition Mustang guitar owned by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain is being auctioned by Christie's in March, with an estimated price of $2.5–$5 million. The guitar was used on the albums *Nevermind* and *In Utero*, as well as in the music video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and numerous live performances. It is part of the Jim Irsay Collection, assembled by the late Indianapolis Colts owner, which includes instruments from John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, and others.
George Lucas made his long-awaited debut at Comic-Con's Hall H to present a sneak peek of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, set to open in Los Angeles next year. The panel, moderated by Queen Latifah, included filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and production designer Doug Chiang, and revealed details about the 300,000-square-foot building designed by Ma Yansong of MAD, with 33 galleries, two theaters, and 11 acres of green space. Lucas discussed his personal collection of over 40,000 works, emphasizing narrative art's role in shaping community and shared beliefs, and highlighted pieces by Norman Rockwell, Kadir Nelson, Beatrix Potter, and Frida Kahlo.
Maripol, the French-born photographer who documented downtown New York's 1980s cultural scene, is selling selections from her archive through Joopiter's Marketplace platform in a sale titled "Downtown Archive: '80s – '90s New York." The sale includes her Polaroid portraits of icons like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Madonna, Grace Jones, Debbie Harry, and Andy Warhol, as well as ephemera such as an invitation to Fiorucci's 15th anniversary party at Studio 54. Also featured are artifacts from Sophie Bramly, creator of "Yo! MTV Raps," including her custom bomber jacket and photographs of hip-hop pioneers like Kool Herc, Run-DMC, and Keith Haring. The sale is rounded out with vintage designer fashions from Chanel, Thierry Mugler, Bob Mackie, and Donna Karan, curated by retailer Vintage Grace.
A Roman erotic mosaic looted from Pompeii by a German Wehrmacht captain during World War II has been returned to Italy and is now on display at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. The heirs of the last owner contacted the Carabinieri in Rome, leading to a diplomatic repatriation via the Italian Consulate General in Stuttgart, Germany, in September 2023. The mosaic, dating to around 79 C.E., depicts a pair of lovers and is thought to have decorated a bedroom floor in a Roman villa.
A collection of 450 objects owned by the late filmmaker David Lynch was auctioned by Julien's Auctions, achieving a white-glove sale totaling $4.25 million. The top lot was a group of scripts from Lynch's unrealized film project *Ronnie Rocket: The Absurd Mystery of the Strange Forces of Existence*, which sold for $195,000. Other notable sales included scripts for *Mulholland Drive* ($104,000), *Twin Peaks* pilot ($91,000), and *Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me* ($78,000), as well as Lynch's director chair ($91,000), a personal 35mm print of *Eraserhead* ($52,000), and his La Marzocco espresso machine ($45,500).
The Wellcome Collection in London has opened a new exhibition titled "The Institute of Sexology," celebrating the history of erotic art, film, and photography. The show features a wide range of objects including archival material, ethnographic and medical artifacts, erotica, and works by contemporary artists such as John Stezaker, Sharon Hayes, Zanele Muholi, and Timothy Archibald. It highlights pioneers of sexology like Sigmund Freud, Alfred Kinsey, and Marie Stopes, and marks the first exhibition after the institution's £17.5 million expansion, inaugurating a new gallery for large, year-long shows.
Art Basel is expanding to the Middle East with a new fair in Doha, Qatar, set to launch in February 2026. The inaugural edition will feature around 50 galleries from local and international scenes, held across two venues: M7 and the Doha Design District. The fair is a partnership between Art Basel, Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), and QC+, a cultural commerce collective under Qatar Museums. A new artistic director will be announced soon, and the fair aims to scale up over time, with additional art activations in outdoor spaces like Msheireb Museums and Barahat Msheireb square.
New York's marquee auction season begins this week, headlined by Christie’s offering the $250 million art collection of Barnes & Noble founder Len Riggio, including Pablo Picasso’s *Femme à la coiffe d’Arlésienne sur fond vert (Lee Miller)*. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has released the grant application for the 61st Venice Biennale, introducing tighter deadlines and new ideological guidelines. Separately, Sotheby’s Hong Kong has postponed an auction of ancient Indian gemstones linked to the Buddha.
The article presents a curated collection of 33 photographs deemed to have caused public scandal, ranging from political and royal controversies to celebrity missteps and historical moments of defiance. It analyzes how these images, from Prince Andrew with Virginia Giuffre to Lee Miller in Hitler's bathtub, have exposed hidden truths, shattered carefully managed public images, and sometimes altered public perception or the course of events.
Max Ernst | Untitled (ca. 1949) | Available for Sale
A rare miniature gouache on paper by Surrealist pioneer Max Ernst, titled 'Untitled' (ca. 1949), has been made available for sale through PM Gallery in Paris. The unique work, measuring only 3.1 x 2.85 cm, is presented in a bespoke silver and 18K gold frame adorned with ruby beads, created by the artist and jeweler Marcial Berro. The piece boasts a distinguished provenance, having previously belonged to the influential Parisian gallery owner Édouard Loeb and featured in the 1970 retrospective at the Württemberg Art Association.
This article surveys the visual arts scene in Westchester County, New York, highlighting museums, galleries, public displays, and artist profiles north of Manhattan. It features institutions such as the Neuberger Museum of Art, ArtsWestchester, Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden, Hudson River Museum, and Hudson Valley MOCA, noting specific exhibitions like "Smoke in Our Hair: Native Memory and Unsettled Time" and "Bill Viola: Moving Stillness." The piece emphasizes that Westchester offers a vibrant, bucolic alternative to New York City's art scene, with historic estates and contemporary spaces showcasing both established and emerging artists.
LUCY + JORGE ORTA: FROM ROOT TO RAIN
Lucy and Jorge Orta present their third solo exhibition at Jane Lombard Gallery in New York, titled "From Root to Rain." The show features a diverse range of media, including paintings, embroideries, tapestries, and film, all stemming from over three decades of collaborative research into ecological instability. The works bridge disparate geographic regions, from the Amazon rainforest to the Saudi Arabian desert, translating scientific data and field research into poetic visual forms that address climate change, migration, and environmental resilience.
The European Cultural Centre Italy has announced the eighth edition of its biennial contemporary art exhibition, 'Personal Structures – Confluences,' set to run from May 9 to November 22, 2026, in Venice. Spanning Palazzo Bembo, Palazzo Mora, and the Marinaressa Gardens, the massive showcase will feature 175 artists from over 40 countries, including high-profile figures like ORLAN, Rashid Al Khalifa, and Hirohiko Araki. This edition introduces 'PS Design,' a new section dedicated to the intersection of art and architecture, and will host the national pavilions of El Salvador and Seychelles alongside a significant collaboration with the Palestine Museum US.
A new exhibition titled 'Conspiracies' has opened at the Warburg Institute in London, featuring works by contemporary artists Hannah Black, Caspar Heinemann, Sam Keogh, and Shenece Oretha, alongside an installation by ceramicist Edmund de Waal and panels from Aby Warburg's Bilderatlas Mnemosyne. The show explores the concept of conspiracy, tracing its history as both a response to power and a contaminating force in contemporary society, through multimedia installations, drawings, and speculative biographies.
The Frist Art Museum is presenting a new exhibition that spans 100 years of contemporary Indigenous art, featuring works from both established elders and emerging makers. The show aims to highlight the continuity and evolution of Indigenous artistic practices across generations.
Sta per debuttare nella cittadina di Fiuggi la fiera d’arte contemporanea più a sud d’Italia
A new contemporary art fair called ArteFiuggi is set to debut in September 2026 in Fiuggi, a small town in Lazio, south of Rome. Organized by Nicola Monti, son of renowned dealers Pio Monti and Liliana Maniero, the fair aims to become the southernmost art fair in Italy. It will be held at the Fiuggi Convention Centre, designed by Studio Valle and previously host to the 2024 G7, and will offer included hospitality for exhibitors at two local hotels.
The Moore Art Gallery has opened a new exhibition titled "All Hands on Deck: Edward Steichen and the WWII Naval Photographic Unit." The show presents black-and-white photographs taken by the influential photographer Edward Steichen and his team during World War II, offering an intimate look at the lives of sailors and aviators through dramatic and compositionally striking images. The exhibition includes prints annotated by Steichen with editorial instructions, revealing his meticulous process.
Tony Albert, a Girramay/Yidinji/Kuku-Yalanji artist, has spent his life collecting Aboriginalia—kitsch household items from the mid-20th century that feature naive or racist depictions of Indigenous culture. These objects, including ashtrays, velvet paintings, and figurines, form the basis of his upcoming exhibition *Tony Albert: Not A Souvenir* at the Museum of Contemporary Art, curated by Bruce Johnson McClean. Albert's practice transforms these mass-produced artifacts into a powerful critique of colonization, displacement, and erasure.
The Arlington Museum of Art has opened "More Than a Match," a large-scale exhibition exploring the history of soccer through World Cup memorabilia, historic jerseys, maps, and contemporary art. The show features items on loan from the National Soccer Hall of Fame, the University of Texas at Arlington's Special Collections, and the National Football Museum in Manchester, England. Highlights include a replica of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Trophy, a jersey worn by Pelé, and artworks by Andy Warhol, Kehinde Wiley, and Darío Escobar, as well as a mural by Dallas-based artist Colton Canava depicting Lionel Messi, Jude Bellingham, and Virgil van Dijk as saint-like figures. The exhibition runs through August 2, 2026, and is located near AT&T Stadium, which will host nine World Cup matches.
The Yale Center for British Art presents 'Painters, Ports, and Profits,' an exhibition of 115 items spanning a century of art and history, focusing on the East India Company's commercial empire. The show includes paintings, prints, drawings, books, and artifacts such as a 37-foot watercolor scroll of Lucknow (1826) and works by Indian artist Gangaram Chintaman Navgire Tambat, who emerges as the artistic star with 20 pieces. It also features prints of the company's opium factory and 'The Opium Fleet Descending The Ganges' by Walter Stanhope Sherwill, highlighting the company's role in the Opium Wars with China.
The Hong Kong Museum of Art has opened 'Blooming: The Art of Gardens in East and West,' a major exhibition featuring over 100 rare artifacts and paintings from the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Palace of Versailles. Highlights include Claude Monet's 'Water Lilies' (1906) and 'Water Lily Pond' (1900) on loan from Chicago, alongside works by Chinese masters Zhang Daqian and Wen Zhengming, plus an immersive digital recreation of the Orchid Pavilion Gathering.
The Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) presents 'Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture,' an exhibition running through August 23 that bridges the worlds of sports and visual art. Featuring over 100 works by international artists alongside sports memorabilia—including vintage sneakers, racing equipment, and FIFA World Cup soccer balls from 1930 to 2023—the show is organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and adapted for Miami with local additions. Curated by PAMM director Franklin Sirmans and co-curator Fabiana A. Sotillo, the exhibition is divided into six thematic sections such as Fandom, Winning and Losing, and Mind and Body, aiming to make both sports and art accessible to all visitors.
Santa Barbara's fall 2025 art season offers a diverse array of exhibitions across museums and galleries, from contemporary printmaking at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History to Impressionist masterworks at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Highlights include John Comer's seascapes at Santa Barbara Fine Art, David Florimbi's retrospective at the new Separate Reality gallery, and a joint show by Joan Rosenberg-Dent and Sarita Reynolds at Art & Soul Gallery. The California Nature Art Museum also celebrates its 25th anniversary with a solo exhibition by founder Patti Jacquemain.
Paris prosecutors have revealed that the theft of French crown jewels from the Louvre Museum was carried out by petty criminals, not organized crime professionals. Four individuals—three men and one woman—have been charged, with two of the men having multiple prior theft convictions. The heist occurred on October 19, when robbers used a cherry picker and angle grinder to steal nine pieces of jewelry worth an estimated $102 million from the Apollo Gallery. One crown belonging to Empress Eugénie was later recovered outside the museum, but eight artifacts remain missing.
Olivier Gabet, director of decorative arts at the Louvre Museum, has publicly opposed suggestions to replace the French crown jewels with copies or move them to less accessible storage after a theft on October 19. Thieves broke into the Apollo Gallery, stealing nine objects including Empress Eugénie’s crown, which was dropped and damaged during the escape. Two suspects were arrested on October 24. Gabet told Le Monde that the crown was deformed and flattened as thieves extracted it through slits cut in the glass case, but it has been recovered and is deemed restorable by experts, with only a few small diamonds and one gold eagle missing.