maurizio cattelan golden toilet theft sentencing

Two men have been sentenced for stealing Maurizio Cattelan's 18-carat gold toilet, titled "America" (2016), during a 2019 raid at Blenheim Palace in England. James Sheen received a four-year prison sentence, and Michael Jones received a 27-month sentence; a third accomplice, Frederick Doe, was found guilty of conspiracy to convert criminal property. The 227-pound toilet was dismantled in a five-minute raid just two days after being publicly displayed at the palace, and despite being insured for $6 million, it has not been recovered.

damien hirsts colorful spin painting of leonardo dicaprio just raised 1 3 million for charity

An enormous painting of Leonardo DiCaprio by Damien Hirst, titled *Beautiful Leonardo DiCaprio Looking Away Painting* (2016), sold for $1.3 million at the amfAR Gala in Cannes, France, on May 25. The work, a colorful spin painting signed by both the actor and artist, was donated by collector Christian Levett and auctioned by Simon de Pury. The gala raised $17 million total, with the top lot being a $1.6 million Aston Martin DB12, and also featured artworks by Claire Tabouret, Cecily Brown, Andres Valencia, and Robert De Niro.

sfmoma pastry plagiarism

Bay Area pastry chef Caitlin Freeman has accused the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) of copying her art-themed cakes after the museum replaced her Blue Bottle café with a new vendor, McCalls Catering. Freeman, who operated the café on SFMOMA's fifth floor from 2009, created pastries inspired by artworks by Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, and Roy Lichtenstein, including a signature Piet Mondrian cake, and published a cookbook titled *Modern Art Desserts* in 2013. After SFMOMA's renovation, the contract was awarded to McCalls Catering, which Freeman claims is now producing similar desserts.

justin sun gave silk road founder ross ulbricht cattelan banana

At the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas, crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun presented Maurizio Cattelan's artwork *Comedian* (2019)—a duct-taped banana that sold for $6.2 million at Sotheby's—to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road online marketplace. Ulbricht, recently pardoned by Donald Trump after receiving a life sentence, accepted the gift and joked about replacing the banana as it perishes. Sun had previously eaten the banana at a press conference in Hong Kong after purchasing it at auction.

hot lots and top flops 6 artworks that had shocking results at the marquee may auctions

Artnet News analyzed six standout lots from the marquee May auctions at Christie's and Phillips, highlighting both surprising successes and failures. Among the 'hot lots,' Mark Tansey's study for "The Enunciation" (1992–93) sold for $3.2 million at Christie's—over ten times its low estimate—while Henri Matisse's tiny portrait "Henriette, robe jaune" (1923) fetched $1.4 million, nearly quadrupling expectations. Firelei Báez's "Untitled" (2017) also soared, selling for $381,000 at Phillips, more than triple its high estimate. The article contrasts these with 'top flops,' though the provided text focuses on the successes.

art bites robert rauschenberg erased de kooning drawing

American Pop artist Robert Rauschenberg created his controversial work *Erased de Kooning Drawing* (1953) by taking a drawing from Abstract Expressionist legend Willem de Kooning and erasing almost all of its marks. Rauschenberg, then 28, had recently returned to New York after studies at Black Mountain College and the Art Students League. He convinced de Kooning to donate a drawing for the project with a bottle of Jack Daniels, and de Kooning insisted it be a work he would miss. The erasing took about a month and wore down roughly 40 erasers. The finished piece, framed in a traditional gilded frame and inscribed by Jasper Johns, is now held by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), which used infrared technology in 2010 to reveal traces of de Kooning's original charcoal-and-pencil figures.

rashid johnson nosedive auction

Rashid Johnson's mixed media work *Untitled Escape Collage* sold for $292,100 at Phillips's Modern and contemporary art day sale in New York on May 14, falling short of its low estimate and representing a 72 percent loss in value for the consignor, who had purchased it for $816,500 at the same auction house in 2022. The disappointing result coincides with Johnson's solo exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

cattelan gold toilet theft businessman sentencing

A British businessman, Frederick Doe, has received a 21-month suspended sentence at Oxford Crown Court for his role in the 2019 theft of Maurizio Cattelan's solid-gold toilet artwork "America" (2016), valued at $6 million. The toilet was stolen from Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site and former home of Winston Churchill, where it was installed as part of a Cattelan exhibition. Doe acted as a middleman, convicted of conspiring to transfer criminal property after being recorded offering to sell the 227-pound, 18-karat-gold toilet. Two other men, Michael Jones and James Sheen, were found guilty of planning the theft and are due to be sentenced next month. The gold has never been recovered and is believed to have been broken up and sold.

christies 21st century auction may 2025 marlene dumas

Christie's 21st century evening sale on May 14, 2025, generated $96.4 million against a presale low estimate of $79.5 million, with 39 lots offered and a sell-through rate of 90% before withdrawals. The top lot was Jean-Michel Basquiat's 'Baby Boom' (1982), which sold for $23.4 million with fees, consigned by collector Peter M. Brant. Marlene Dumas's 'Miss January' (1997) achieved $13.6 million, setting a new record for the most expensive living female artist, surpassing Jenny Saville's previous record. Other notable sales included Simone Leigh's 'Sentinel' (2020) at $5.7 million, while works by Ellsworth Kelly and Felix Gonzalez-Torres failed to sell.

german photography typologien prada foundation milan richter bechers

The Fondazione Prada in Milan is hosting “Typologien,” a survey of 20th-century German photography curated by Suzanne Pfeffer of Frankfurt’s Museum für Moderne Kunst (MMK). The exhibition features works by Karl Blossfeldt, Lotte Jacobi, Hilla Becher, Thomas Struth, Andreas Gursky, Sybille Bergmann, and Candida Höfer, among others, all arranged in dead-on, grid-like typologies. It highlights the formal rules and ethical underpinnings of German photographic traditions, including the influential legacy of Bernd and Hilla Becher and their students from the Düsseldorf Art Academy.

phillips nets lean 52 million in new york led by basquiat that david bowie bought for

Phillips’s Modern and contemporary art evening sale in New York totaled $52 million, a sharp decline from $86.3 million last year. Four lots were withdrawn before the sale, including works by Pablo Picasso and Jasper Johns, and five lots failed to sell, yielding an 86% sell-through rate (78% including withdrawals). The hammer total of $41.8 million fell below the pre-sale low estimate of $52.3 million. Notable sales included a Basquiat piece once owned by David Bowie, which sold for $6.59 million (Bowie bought it in 1995 for $93,400), and a Kiki Kogelnik painting that set a new artist record at $356,000. Five auction records were set overall, including for Ilana Savdie, Olga de Amaral, Grace Hartigan, and James Turrell.

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.

who was l s lowry british painter auction

L.S. Lowry's painting *Going to the Mill* (1925) sold for just over £800,000 ($1 million) at Mall Galleries in London on May 2, after being acquired in 1926 for only £10. The sale underscores Lowry's enduring market appeal, though it falls short of his auction record of £5.6 million set in 2011 for *The Football Match*. The article profiles Lowry, a 20th-century British painter known for his bleak industrial cityscapes filled with anonymous figures, and explores why he remains a beloved but often overlooked figure in the art world.

art institute of chicago investigation james rondeau

James Rondeau, president and director of the Art Institute of Chicago since 2016, has voluntarily stepped away from his role amid an investigation into an alleged incident on a flight from Chicago to Munich in April. According to a CBS News report citing anonymous sources, police were called after a passenger reportedly stripped off his clothes following consumption of alcohol and prescription medication; sources identified that passenger as Rondeau. The museum confirmed it has opened an independent investigation and that Rondeau is taking time off during the process.

martha stewart joopiter contemporary art sale

Martha Stewart has curated a contemporary art sale for Joopiter, the auction platform founded by Pharrell Williams. Titled "The Contemporary Take," the auction runs from April 28 through May 6 and features nearly 50 artworks by leading artists, including Amy Sherald, Hank Willis Thomas, Adrian Ghenie, Alex Katz, Damien Hirst, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Stewart handpicked a selection of works for the Spring season, focusing on themes of growth, regeneration, and vitality. The sale marks Joopiter's first auction of contemporary art, following collection sales by Kim Jones, Kid Cudi, and Nigo.

from the studio to the auction block morgan stanley

This article from Artnet News Pro analyzes how early auction market interest impacts the long-term prospects of contemporary artists, using data from Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips. It focuses on two categories: "Ultra-Contemporary" art (artists born 1975–present) and "Postwar and Contemporary" art (artists born 1900–1974). The study examines macro trends over the past 20 years and presents five case studies of living artists whose auction sales peaked at different points. Key findings show that from 2013 to 2021, sales of Ultra-Contemporary art grew by over 700%, from $91.4 million to $739.3 million, while sales for the older cohort peaked in 2014 at $6.95 billion, a modest 16% increase. The number of Ultra-Contemporary lots sold also surged by 250%.

state of the art market trophy lots and the new competitive auction landscape

The article examines the growing financialization and opacity of the fine-art auction market, highlighting how auction houses like Christie's and Sotheby's have made it increasingly difficult for outsiders to understand true demand for individual lots. It details how buyer's premiums, guarantees, and irrevocable bids (third-party guarantees) obscure the actual bidding dynamics, with only a small group of wealthy financiers and intermediaries having clear insight into the market's inner workings.

7 Essential Museum Exhibitions to Visit in Paris

Paris is hosting a major art week with Art Basel Paris returning to the renovated Grand Palais, alongside numerous other fairs like Paris Internationale, Design Miami.Paris, and Asia NOW. To complement the fair circuit, Galerie has curated a list of seven essential museum exhibitions across the city, including shows on Pontus Hulten with Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely at the Grand Palais, a Gerhard Richter retrospective at the Fondation Louis Vuitton featuring over 270 works, and a survey of Melvin Edwards at the Palais de Tokyo, among others.

Manhattan's Neue Galerie to Merge With Met Museum

Cosmetics billionaire Ronald Lauder's Neue Galerie, a private museum on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue known for its collection of Austrian and German art, will merge with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The merger takes effect in 2028, with the Neue Galerie retaining its physical space and staff. The announcement was made by The Met on May 14. The museum's star attraction is Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" (1907), and it also holds works by Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, and others. Lauder co-founded the Neue Galerie with dealer Serge Sabarsky in 2001. As part of the merger, Lauder and his daughter Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer will donate 13 additional paintings from their personal collection and make an undisclosed endowment gift.

Remembering Bruno Bischofberger, Manuela Hoelterhoff, and Steven Durland

This week's In Memoriam column from Hyperallergic honors seven figures from the art world who recently passed away, including Swiss collector and dealer Bruno Bischofberger (1940–2026), Pulitzer-winning arts critic Manuela Hoelterhoff (1949–2026), and artist-editor Steven Durland (1951–2026). Other notable losses include British painter Ray Burgoyne, iconographer Christina Dochwat, German gallerist Jenny Falckenberg, realist painter Ward Nichols, and MoMA preparator Pamela A. Popeson. Each entry provides a brief biography and highlights their contributions to visual art, criticism, and cultural organizing.

10 must-see exhibitions in Berlin this spring 2026

10 mostre da vedere a Berlino in questa primavera 2026

Artribune's article highlights ten must-see exhibitions in Berlin for spring 2026, curated by Nicola Violano. Key shows include Marina Abramović's "Balkan Erotic Epic" at Gropius Bau, exploring Balkan ritual, body, and sexuality; Giulia Andreani's "Sabotage" at the Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, which uses near-monochrome painting to critique historical narratives; and Shilpa Gupta's "What Still Holds" at the same venue, reflecting on borders and fragility in dialogue with Joseph Beuys. The selection spans major museums and galleries, emphasizing conceptual depth over pure aesthetics.

10 Exhibitions to See in Upstate New York This May

Hyperallergic's guide highlights 10 exhibitions opening in Upstate New York this May, including the Hessel Museum of Art's annual showcase of thesis exhibitions by graduates of the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, featuring works by Alice Aycock, Arthur Jafa, Mike Kelley, and Ana Mendieta. Other notable shows include Daniele Frazier's camera-less photography at September Gallery, Onnis Luque's investigation into resource exploitation at Art Omi, and Japanese woodblock prints at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center. The guide also covers Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo's mixed-media works and Maria Auxiliadora da Silva's paintings.

The US Pavilion Is Taking Online Donations

The American Arts Conservancy (AAC), the nonprofit tasked with executing Alma Allen's 2026 US Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, is soliciting online donations from the public after receiving no corporate or foundation funding. Unlike previous pavilions backed by major foundations like Ford and Mellon, AAC's fundraising relies on private citizens, with a minimum $100 donation requested via its website. The State Department provided $375,000 but requires additional funding, and AAC's Executive Director Jenni Parido, a former pet food store owner, declined to name specific donors, though Instagram posts suggest wealthy Trump allies attended benefit events. Perrotin Gallery, which represents Allen, is providing operational support but not funding.

Remembering Desmond Morris, James Hayward, and Flo Oy Wong

This week's obituaries mark the passing of several significant figures in the visual arts. They include British surrealist painter and zoologist Desmond Morris, known for his 'biomorph' paintings and experiments with chimpanzee art; West Coast monochrome abstractionist James Hayward, who developed a cult following for his thickly painted canvases; and Chinese American artist Flo Oy Wong, a foundational storyteller of Oakland's Chinatown and the Asian American experience. Also remembered are assemblage artist Aldwyth, Ethiopian painter and educator Behailu Bezabih, Anglo-Irish conservator and designer Alec Cobbe, Bangladeshi art director Tarun Ghosh, and New Mexico painter Michael Hurd.

Celeste Dupuy-Spencer, Artist Who Confronted Injustice, Dies at 46

Acclaimed painter Celeste Dupuy-Spencer has passed away at the age of 46 in Los Angeles, just days before a scheduled solo exhibition at Jeffrey Deitch’s gallery. Known for her visceral and politically charged figurative works, Dupuy-Spencer gained national recognition for her contributions to the 2017 Whitney Biennial and the 2018 Made in LA biennial. Her practice often deconstructed American mythologies, the rise of domestic fascism, and global human rights issues, including a high-profile stance against the conflict in Gaza.

Despite Uncertainty, Gulf Art World Projects Normalcy

Galleries and museums in Gulf states like the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are reopening and projecting normalcy despite the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, which has entered its fourth week. Major events like Art Dubai have been postponed, and institutions like the Sharjah Art Foundation have delayed gatherings, but many cultural venues are operating with adjusted formats or by appointment.

10 Ausstellungen, die Sie zum Gallery Weekend nicht verpassen sollten

The article highlights ten must-see exhibitions during Berlin's Gallery Weekend, curated by the editorial team of Monopol magazine. Featured shows include Jiyoon Chung's installation "Dead End" at Anton Janizewski, which explores perception and anxiety through subtle triggers; Giorgio Griffa's retrospective at Walter Storms Galerie, showcasing his poetic abstract paintings on un-stretched linen; Walid Raad's "Like a Rubber Rung on a Ladder" at Galerie Thomas Schulte, referencing the Lebanese Civil War with a crashed VW Beetle and graffiti; and Thomas Demand's exhibition at Sprüth Magers, where his photographs printed on copper plates reflect on current events like the Gaza war and climate change.

Difficult search for new culture senator in Berlin

Schwierige Suche nach neuem Kultursenator in Berlin

Berlin's culture senator Sarah Wedl-Wilson resigned on Friday after a state audit found that her allocation of anti-Semitism prevention funds was unlawful. The CDU politician is being succeeded by former justice senator and Bundestag member Thomas Heilmann (CDU), who is reportedly the favorite for the post. Heilmann, 61, studied law, ran a successful advertising firm, and served as Berlin's justice senator from 2012 to 2016 before sitting in the Bundestag from 2017 to 2025. Governing Mayor Kai Wegner has not yet made a final decision, but transport senator Ute Bonde publicly endorsed Heilmann, citing his experience with Berlin's administration.

Georg Baselitz (1938-2026)

Georg Baselitz, born Hans-Georg Kern in 1938, has died at age 88. The German painter and sculptor, who changed his name in 1961, built a career on aesthetic dissent. Expelled from art school in East Berlin, he first gained notoriety with a 1963 exhibition at Galerie Werner and Katz in Berlin, where two works were seized for obscenity. His signature gesture—inverting his images, beginning with "Der Wald auf dem Kopf" in 1969—became his most recognizable trademark, shifting focus from subject to the act of painting itself. Baselitz also produced significant sculptures, often carved with a chainsaw and axe, and his work was the subject of major retrospectives at the Centre Pompidou (2021-2022) and the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris (2011-2012).

Heir of Goya and Abstract Expressionism, the painting of Roger-Edgar Gillet finally rediscovered in an unprecedented retrospective

Héritière de Goya et de l’expressionnisme abstrait, la peinture de Roger-Edgar Gillet enfin redécouverte dans une rétrospective inédite

A major retrospective at the Musée Estrine in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence finally brings long-overdue recognition to French painter Roger-Edgar Gillet (1924–2004), an artist who emerged from the post-war abstraction scene of the Nouvelle École de Paris but later forged a singular figurative style blending Goya, Delacroix, and Northern grotesque traditions. The exhibition follows two important donations—to the Centre Pompidou in 2017 and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes in 2022—that helped revive institutional interest in Gillet, whose work had been marginalized since the 1960s.