Gerd Harry Lybke, from artist’s model to gallery founder in East Germany showing in Mallorca

Gerd Harry ‘Judy’ Lybke, the founder of the influential German gallery Eigen + Art, is making his debut at the inaugural Art Cologne Palma Mallorca. Lybke, who began his career as a nude artist's model in East Germany before opening an underground flat-gallery in 1983, reflects on the evolution of the art market from a socialist system defined by censorship to the modern capitalist landscape. For this fair, he is presenting a diverse roster ranging from New Leipzig School star Neo Rauch to emerging talent Maja Behrmann, with works priced between €2,000 and €20,000.

Lakota artist’s solo exhibition captures the tradition of storytelling

Lakota artist Dyani White Hawk is presenting a solo exhibition that bridges the gap between traditional Indigenous art forms and contemporary abstraction. The showcase features a range of media, including painting, photography, and video, all centered on the enduring power of Lakota storytelling and the preservation of cultural heritage through visual language.

In A State Of Flux: Tumi Magnússon’s Exhibition Is A Meditation On Movement And Change

Contemporary artist Tumi Magnússon has opened a solo exhibition titled "Herefrom Thereto Therefrom Hereto" (Héðan þangað þaðan hingað) at the Reykjanes Art Museum in Keflavík, Iceland. Curated by Gavin Morrison, the show marks a significant return for both the Copenhagen-based artist and the U.S.-based curator to the Icelandic art scene. The exhibition features a dialogue between Magnússon’s early post-conceptual paintings from the late 1990s and his more recent explorations in video, sound, and digital imagery.

Coastal Discovery Museum hosting annual Beaufort County High School Regional Art Exhibition

The Coastal Discovery Museum is hosting the fifth annual Beaufort County High School Regional Art Exhibition, a juried showcase featuring over 100 works by local students. Running through May 5, the exhibition includes a diverse range of media such as painting, photography, ceramics, and digital art from eight public and private schools. A public reception and awards ceremony are scheduled for April 9 to celebrate the technical skill and creativity of these emerging young artists.

The portrait

López de la Serna CAC has launched a collective exhibition exploring the evolution of portraiture through the works of four major contemporary artists: Francesco Clemente, Alex Katz, David Salle, and Henry Taylor. The exhibition moves beyond traditional representation to examine how identity is constructed in the postmodern era, utilizing diverse approaches ranging from Clemente’s mystical pastels and Katz’s flat, vibrant aesthetics to Salle’s fragmented collages and Taylor’s socially conscious figuration.

Piacenza, Klimt's Portrait of a Lady is back at the Ricci Oddi Gallery of Modern Art

Gustav Klimt’s "Portrait of a Lady" has returned to the Ricci Oddi Gallery of Modern Art in Piacenza following a successful loan exhibition at the My Art Museum in Seoul. The masterpiece resumes its permanent display just as the gallery prepares to unveil a comprehensive renovation of its 22 exhibition rooms. Designed by Lissoni & Partners, the redevelopment project has modernized over 1,000 square meters of the institution's floor space.

From fields to fire: Lee Bae brings 30 years of charcoal art to Museum SAN

South Korean artist Lee Bae has opened a major solo exhibition titled "En attendant" at Museum SAN in Wonju, marking the first time the institution has dedicated its entire grounds to a single Korean artist. The retrospective spans thirty years of Lee’s career, showcasing his deep engagement with charcoal as a medium that bridges his heritage as a farmer’s son with the traditions of East Asian ink painting. The exhibition features monumental sculptures, installations, and video works that transform the museum’s indoor and outdoor spaces into a meditative journey.

Renoir Exhibition: 185th Anniversary of His Birth | Sanno Art Museum | Art in Osaka

The Sanno Art Museum in Osaka is hosting a comprehensive exhibition to commemorate the 185th anniversary of Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s birth. The show features 50 works drawn from the museum's permanent collection, including 12 pieces that are being publicly exhibited for the first time. Organized into five chronological chapters, the exhibition traces the artist's evolution from his early Impressionist experiments through his classical period and into the final decade of his life, where he continued to paint vibrant nudes and landscapes despite the physical limitations of rheumatoid arthritis.

Beeville Art Museum welcomes four portraiture artists for latest exhibition

The Beeville Art Museum has opened a new exhibition featuring the work of four contemporary portrait artists: John J. Martinez, Michael Ray Charles, Celeste De Luna, and John Mata. The show, titled "Portraiture: A Contemporary View," presents a diverse range of styles and mediums, from Martinez's traditional oil paintings to De Luna's printmaking and Mata's digital works.

Raja Ravi Varma Becomes The Highest Value Modern Indian Artwork At Auction

Raja Ravi Varma’s 1890s masterpiece "Yashoda and Krishna" has set a new record for the most expensive Indian artwork ever sold at auction. During Saffronart’s Spring Live Auction, the painting fetched Rs 167.2 crore (approximately $18 million), far exceeding its pre-sale estimate of Rs 80–120 crore. The work was acquired by billionaire Dr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla, chairman of the Serum Institute of India, who has pledged to make the national treasure available for periodic public viewing.

Greg Deda Sets £50,000 Auction Benchmark at Tate Ward’s Urban & Contemporary Art Auction

Artist Greg Deda's painting 'Neon Dreams' sold for £50,000 at Tate Ward's Urban & Contemporary Art auction, setting a new auction record for the artist. The sale was the top lot of the event, which saw strong overall performance with 85% of lots sold.

PRESS RELEASE: Christie’s First London-Based Middle Eastern Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Auction Builds On Dubai’s Success, Achieving £5,235,125 / $6,863,249 / €5,826,694 - Christie's

Christie’s successfully transitioned its Middle Eastern Modern & Contemporary Art evening auction from Dubai to London, achieving a total of £5.2 million ($6.8 million). The sale boasted high sell-through rates of 85% by lot and 88% by value, driven by bidders from 23 different countries. Significant highlights included world auction records for Iraqi artist Jewad Selim, whose painting "The Watermelon Seller" fetched over double its estimate, and Mahmoud Sabri, whose work "Grief" sold for more than ten times its high estimate.

MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY MIDDLE EASTERN ART - Christie's

Christie's London will host a live evening sale of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art on November 9, 2023. The auction features 58 works from artists across the Middle East and North Africa, including contemporary figures like Ahmed Mater and Sultan bin Fahad, and modern masters such as Etel Adnan and Mahmoud Sabri. Key lots include Mater's 'From the Real to the Symbolic City' and Adnan's 'Untitled'.

Elsa Schiaparelli

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Auctions of the week: Art, design, jewelry and comics

Auctions of the week: Art, design, jewelry and comics

The global auction calendar for the week of March 19–25, 2026, features a dense schedule of sales across major hubs including Milan, Rome, Paris, Hong Kong, and New York. Italian houses like Il Ponte, Wannenes, and Finarte are leading with diverse offerings in Modern and Contemporary art, design, and niche collectibles like European comics and militaria. Simultaneously, international giants Christie’s and Sotheby’s are hosting major sessions ranging from Modern British art in London to luxury spirits and private sales in Asia and the United States.

Post War & Contemporary Art

Rago / Wright has announced its upcoming Post War & Contemporary Art auction scheduled for March 18, 2026, in Lambertville, New Jersey. The sale features a diverse selection of works from influential 20th and 21st-century artists, headlined by Andy Warhol’s 1983 screenprint "Parrot" and a late-career acrylic painting by Sam Francis. Other notable entries include two canvases by Gertrude Abercrombie and pieces by contemporary figures like KAWS and Robert Longo.

13 Open Calls To Apply for in Spring 2026. The Season To Be Seen.

A curated selection of international open calls and residencies for Spring 2026 offers diverse opportunities for emerging artists across visual arts, photography, and film. Key highlights include the Krupa Art Foundation Young Prize, which has expanded its categories to painting, digital art, and sculpture with three major cash prizes, and the 14th edition of 'Wystaw się w CSW' for independent photographers in Poland. Other notable opportunities include 'Underneath the Floorboards,' a platform for avant-garde and experimental video work seeking to showcase non-traditional artistic languages.

Monumental Rubens ceiling painting revealed once more after two-year renovation

The monumental Whitehall Ceiling at London’s Banqueting House, painted by Peter Paul Rubens, is set to reopen to the public following a comprehensive two-year renovation and conservation project. Managed by Historic Royal Palaces, the initiative included the installation of advanced climate control systems to preserve the 17th-century canvases, structural stabilization of historic plaster, and the addition of a lift to provide the first-ever step-free access to the Main Hall.

Prague, opening of the exhibition “De Chirico – Painting is the Magical Art”

Prague, opening of the exhibition “De Chirico – Painting is the Magical Art”

The Italian Cultural Institute in Prague has inaugurated a major retrospective titled “De Chirico – Painting is the Magical Art,” dedicated to the master of Metaphysical art. Curated by Lorenzo Canova, the exhibition features over 70 works sourced from prominent private collections across Europe, spanning the artist's career from the 1930s through his final creative years. The display includes his iconic Italian Piazzas, Baroque-inspired horses, and "silent life" still lifes, alongside a significant selection of graphic works and lithographs.

‘La Musée’: The history and challenges behind a landmark acquisition of works by women artists

The Museums of Poitiers in France have officially acquired 'La Musée,' a landmark collection of 523 works by women artists spanning the 17th to the 21st centuries. Assembled by artist and historian Eugénie Dubreuil since 1999, the collection includes paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts intended as a 'counterproposal' to the male-dominated art historical canon. The acquisition was finalized in March 2024 following a rigorous two-year review process and was accompanied by a €150,000 grant from the Les Beaux Yeux endowment fund to support a five-year project dedicated to women artists.

‘He always had spirituality’: Spanish exhibition unpicks Picasso's religious influences

The cathedral of Burgos in Spain is hosting "Picasso: Biblical Roots," the first-ever exhibition of Pablo Picasso’s work to be held within a cathedral setting. Featuring 44 works, the show explores how the artist’s Catholic upbringing and religious iconography influenced his oeuvre, despite his self-proclaimed atheism. The exhibition includes early devotional paintings, Renaissance-inspired depictions of the Crucifixion, and secular adaptations of the Virgin and Child and the Good Shepherd.

A short guide to the hidden meanings in great paintings

Former picture researcher Caroline Chapman has released a new book titled "Painted Mysteries: Interpreting Great Paintings," which decodes the hidden symbolism in over 135 historic artworks. The publication serves as a guide for modern viewers to understand the complex visual language used by masters such as Botticelli, Rembrandt, and Raphael, unravelling layers of meaning that have become elusive over time.

A Francis Bacon self-portrait and a Surrealist avian painting: our pick of the March auctions

Major auction houses in London are preparing for a series of high-profile sales in March, featuring significant works by Francis Bacon, René Magritte, and Osman Hamdi Bey. Highlights include a 1972 Bacon self-portrait gifted to his doctor following a studio injury, a rare Magritte "leaf-bird" painting appearing at auction for the first time in 25 years, and a monumental 19th-century work by Turkish artist Osman Hamdi Bey being sold by the Penn Museum.

Kindred Spirits: Artists in the Tenth Street Studio Building, Celebrating Frederic Church at 200 Through Art, Community, and Connection

The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is launching "Kindred Spirits: Artists in the Tenth Street Studio Building" on March 7, 2026. This exhibition is part of the global Frederic Church 200 celebration, marking the bicentennial of the influential landscape painter's birth. Centered around Church’s "Scene on the Catskill Creek," the show highlights the collaborative environment of the nation’s first purpose-built artist studio space in New York City.

‘Painting continues to be viable’: Enrique Martínez Celaya on his sugar-coated show at the Wende Museum

Enrique Martínez Celaya has unveiled "The Sextant" at the Wende Museum in Culver City, marking the final installment of a decade-long trilogy exploring his Cuban childhood. The immersive installation features a full-scale recreation of his family’s Modernist home, entirely coated in 6,500 pounds of sugar to symbolize the industrial history of his hometown. Accompanied by paintings and sculptures, the exhibition uses personal artifacts, such as letters to his exiled father, to navigate themes of memory and displacement.

Artist Bria Edwards presents solo exhibition, What We Do, We've Always Done

Artist Bria Edwards has debuted a solo exhibition titled "What We Do, We've Always Done" at the Julio Fine Arts Gallery at Loyola University Maryland. The multidisciplinary showcase features oil paintings, photography, and video work resulting from two years of fieldwork and interviews with Black equestrians across Maryland. Curated by Lauren Davidson of Museum Nectar Art Consultancy, the exhibition explores the historical and contemporary presence of Black horse riders, moving from the era of enslavement to modern-day leisure and competitive spaces.

Magic: The Gathering in Miniature III: A $100,000 Artist Proof Exhibition

Curator Donny Caltrider recently concluded "Magic: The Gathering in Miniature III" at Gallery Nucleus in Los Angeles, a specialized exhibition featuring 333 artist proof cards. The show brought together original sketches, inks, and paintings from 111 global artists associated with the iconic trading card game. Marking the third iteration of this series, the event saw record-breaking attendance and a significant commercial reception, with over 70% of the works sold during its two-week run.

Bidding frenzy in Monaco as Fernand Léger painting sells for over €680,000

A Fernand Léger painting sold for over €680,000 at Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo on February 4, 2026, leading a modern and contemporary art auction in Monaco. The work, previously exhibited at London’s Tate Gallery in 1963 and held in a single family collection, depicts contrasting objects against a blue background. Other strong results included a Constantin Brancusi portrait of James Joyce that reached €95,000 (far above its €15,000–€20,000 estimate), and sculptures by Jean-Michel Folon (€70,000), Niki de Saint Phalle (€76,000), and Robert Indiana (€140,000).

Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art’s ‘Yes &…’ favors the process over the pretty

The Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (BMoCA) has opened a new exhibition titled 'Yes &…', inspired by the improvisational comedy rule of accepting and building on ideas. Guest curators Donald Fodness and Tobias Fike selected 18 artists whose work emphasizes process over polish, featuring visible seams, fingerprints, and evidence of human decision-making across painting, sculpture, video, installation, and performance. The exhibition includes interactive elements, such as a sculpture with hand-carved 'ice cubes' intended for viewers to take, and runs through May 3.

Modern and contemporary art: exceptional pieces at the Monte Carlo Auction House

The Monte-Carlo Auction House is holding a sale of modern and contemporary art on February 4th. The auction features a diverse catalogue of paintings, sculptures, and design objects, headlined by Fernand Léger's 1932 oil painting "Contrasting Objects on a Blue Background," which carries a high estimate of €800,000.