Christie's to sell three early paintings by Lucian Freud for £20m

Christie's will offer three early paintings by Lucian Freud from a single private collection at its London evening sale on 15 October, with a combined estimate of £13m to £20m. The works span three decades of Freud's career: *Woman with a Tulip* (1944, est. £3m-£5m), *Self-portrait Fragment* (around 1956, est. £8m-£12m), and *Sleeping Head* (1961–71, est. £2m-£3m). All three have been in the same collection for many years and have been exhibited widely, including in major retrospectives at the National Gallery, London, and the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

Ten essential works of art to see at the Museum of Modern Art, New York

The article presents a curated list of ten essential artworks at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, coinciding with the departure of longtime director Glenn Lowry after 30 years and the appointment of Christophe Cherix as his successor. It highlights iconic pieces such as Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" (1907) and Matisse's "The Red Studio" (1911), while reflecting on MoMA's history, its founding vision by Alfred Barr, and its evolution through expansions including the incorporation of PS1 and the $450 million renovation of its 53rd Street building.

From Monet’s gardens to Kahlo’s bedroom — the best artists’ studios to visit

The article surveys several preserved or reconstructed artists' studios that are open to the public, including Francis Bacon's chaotic London workspace relocated to Dublin's Hugh Lane Gallery, Barbara Hepworth's serene Trewyn Studio in St Ives, Claude Monet's house and gardens at Giverny, and Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul. It also previews the National Gallery of Ireland's upcoming exhibition "Picasso: From the Studio" (October 2025–February 2026), which examines the key locations that shaped Picasso's life and art.

The 2025 Fall Arts Preview: Our picks in Art + Design

The 2025 Fall Arts Preview highlights a vibrant season in Atlanta, featuring the return of the Atlanta Art Fair (AAF) at Pullman Yards from September 25–28 with over 60 exhibitors, including local and international galleries. Key programming includes a curatorial presentation by Melissa Messina with abstract artists Krista Clark, Sonya Yong James, and Vadis Turner honoring Mildred Thompson. Additionally, the Hammonds House Museum and National Black Arts Festival present "Black Zeitgeist: Atlanta" through December 14, exploring the city's Black art legacy, while the revived art amusement park "Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy" opens at Pullman Yards on September 24.

Cranbrook Art Museum's "Eventually Everything Connects" Is Mid-Century Modern Design History

Cranbrook Art Museum has opened a new design exhibition titled “Eventually Everything Connects: Mid-Century Modern Design in the United States,” showcasing over 200 works by nearly 100 designers, including Harry Bertoia, Florence Knoll Bassett, and Charles and Ray Eames. The show draws from the museum's extensive collection of mid-century modern artifacts—furniture, textiles, ceramics, lighting, and graphic design—spanning 1945 to 1970, and is curated by director Andrew Satake Blauvelt and MillerKnoll Curatorial Fellow Bridget Bartal.

One Fine Show: “Ai, Rebel – The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei” at the Seattle Art Museum

The Seattle Art Museum has opened "Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei," the largest-ever U.S. survey of the Chinese artist and activist. Featuring over 130 works spanning performance, photography, sculpture, video, and installation from the 1980s to the present, the exhibition includes iconic pieces like *Sunflower Seeds* (2010) and *Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads (Gold)* (2010), as well as international debuts such as a LEGO recreation of the Mueller Report. The show runs through September 7, 2025.

Of the Love that Moves the Sun and the Other Stars: An Interview with Amalia Cross

DEL AMOR QUE MUEVE EL SOL Y LAS OTRAS ESTRELLAS. ENTREVISTA A AMALIA CROSS

The Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende (MSSA) in Santiago has inaugurated a major collection-based exhibition titled "Del amor que mueve el sol y las otras estrellas," curated by art historian Amalia Cross. The show revisits the museum's unique history—from its origins during Salvador Allende’s presidency and the international "Operation Truth" to its period of exile following the 1973 coup and its eventual return to Chile. Featuring works by global icons such as Alexander Calder, Lygia Clark, and Yoko Ono, the exhibition emphasizes movement and collective action across various mediums including sculpture, video, and installation.

Texas Man Who Orchestrated $20 M. Crypto Scam Based on Fictitious Van Gogh and Picasso Masterpieces Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison

A Houston man, Robert Dunlap, was sentenced to 23 years in federal prison for orchestrating a $20 million cryptocurrency scam. Between 2018 and 2023, Dunlap defrauded nearly 1,000 investors by promoting a digital asset called “Meta-1 Coin,” falsely claiming it was backed by a $1 billion art collection featuring works by Salvador Dalí, Vincent van Gogh, and Pablo Picasso, as well as $44 billion in gold. He used forged legal and insurance documents to conceal that he owned neither the art nor the gold. A federal jury in the Northern District of Illinois convicted him on mail fraud charges in 2025, and US District Judge LaShonda A. Hunt imposed the sentence, also ordering restitution.

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The article examines Gustav Klimt's iconic painting *The Kiss* (1907–1908) within the turbulent sociopolitical context of Vienna before World War I. It describes the city as a hotbed of ethnic tensions, anti-Semitism, and artistic ferment, where Klimt, alongside figures like Sigmund Freud and Gustav Mahler, explored repressed sexuality and decadence. The painting is presented as a symbol of this era, blending Symbolism, Japanese art, and Art Nouveau, and reflecting Klimt's role as a co-founder of the Vienna Secession, which broke with traditional aesthetics to pioneer modernism.

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A charity raffle organized by France's Fondation Recherche Alzheimer offers participants the chance to win a Pablo Picasso painting valued at €1 million ($1.2 million) for a €100 ticket. The work, a 1941 gouache on paper titled *Tête de femme*, will be drawn on April 14, 2026, at Christie’s Paris. The raffle is the third of its kind involving a Picasso to support charitable causes, following previous editions in 2013 and 2020 that each raised €5 million for different organizations. The initiative was spearheaded by French TV host Péri Cochin, with the support of the artist's late son Claude Picasso.

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Two New York art galleries run by dueling brothers are locked in a legal battle over the use of the name "Aicon." Projjal Dutta, representing Aicon Contemporary, filed a lawsuit in New York Supreme Court in October against his brother Prajit Dutta and director Harry Hutchison, who run Aicon Art and ArtsIndia.com. The suit alleges that the defendants have misleadingly used the names "Aicon Gallery" or simply "Aicon" instead of the agreed-upon "Aicon Art," causing confusion in the art market. The brothers previously operated the legacy Aicon Gallery together for 20 years before parting ways in 2019, but they still share the same address and phone number at 35 Great Jones Street.

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Sotheby's Hong Kong achieved a white-glove sale of 125 works from Japan's Okada Museum of Art, totaling $88 million and setting auction records for Japanese artists Kitagawa Utamaro and Hokusai. The sale was driven by museum founder Kazuo Okada's need to settle a $50 million legal dispute with casino magnate Steve Wynn. Meanwhile, Canada's minority Liberal government passed a budget that includes a commitment to introduce artist resale rights, granting artists royalties when their work is resold through auction houses or galleries, a policy long advocated by arts nonprofits and cultural leaders.

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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.

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The New Yorker has commissioned six contemporary photographers—Marilyn Minter, Awol Erizku, Ryan McGinley, Collier Schorr, Camila Falquez, and Alex Prager—to reimagine historical illustrated covers for the magazine’s centennial. Each photographer created a celebrity portrait inspired by a past cover, such as Erizku’s photo of Spike Lee as Eustace Tilley and Minter’s recreation of a 1925 cover featuring actress Sadie Sink. The project marks only the third time in the magazine’s history that photography has been used for its cover.

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The article examines the appearance of Antony Gormley's iconic 1998 sculpture *Angel of the North* in the zombie film *28 Years Later*. The Cor-Ten steel work, which towers 66 feet tall near Gateshead, appears in an overgrown field as a symbol of post-apocalyptic abandonment, reflecting the film's themes of failed quarantine and societal collapse. Director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland use the sculpture to critique conservative British politics, with the film's ending making explicit reference to a British celebrity posthumously accused of rape.

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Doyle Auctions will sell over 300 lots from the estate of television star Mary Tyler Moore, including memorabilia, contemporary art, and home furnishings. The auction runs in Beverly Hills from May 16 to 20 and in New York on June 4. Highlights include limestone sculptures by Mimmo Paladino, portraits by Peter Max and Al Hirschfeld, photographs by Annie Leibovitz, and jewelry by Paloma Picasso. Moore, who died in 2017, was a pioneering actress and philanthropist.

The great Cézanne exhibition and collector Deodato Salafia on Artbox on Sky Arte

La grande mostra su Cézanne e il collezionista Deodato Salafia ad Artbox su Sky Arte

The latest episode of Artbox on Sky Arte features a deep dive into the major Paul Cézanne retrospective at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, curated by Ulf Küster. The program explores the French painter's late-career obsession with the act of seeing and his use of color patches to redefine nature on canvas. Additionally, the episode highlights the exhibition "Virtue and Grace: Female Figures in Baroque Painting" at La Galleria Bper in Modena, featuring insights from curators Sabrina Bianchi and Lucia Peruzzi.

Maurizio Cattelan invites you to a dawn barter-breakfast in Milan's Piazza Duomo: bring an object and exchange it with others

Maurizio Cattelan ti invita a una colazione-baratto all’alba in Piazza Duomo a Milano: porti un oggetto e lo scambi con quello degli altri

Maurizio Cattelan and Nicolas Ballario will host a massive "barter breakfast" in Milan’s Piazza Duomo to kick off the 2026 Milan Design Week. Scheduled for the early morning of April 20, the event invites the public to bring a personal object—ranging from the iconic to the eccentric—to exchange with other participants. The gathering will feature live music from various performers and coffee provided by Lavazza, creating a communal performance piece centered on the symbolic and emotional value of objects.

Damien Hirst's studio has been recreated in Seoul for a major exhibition dedicated to him (including the original floor)

Lo studio del celebre artista Damien Hirst è stato ricreato a Seoul per una grande mostra a lui dedicata (c’è pure il pavimento originale)

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) in Seoul has launched "Nothing Is True But Everything Is Possible," the largest retrospective of Damien Hirst’s work ever held in Asia. Spanning 35 years of his career, the exhibition features over 50 iconic works, including his formaldehyde-preserved animals, diamond-encrusted skull, and a recreation of his Pharmacy Restaurant. A unique highlight is the meticulous reconstruction of Hirst’s London studio, complete with the original paint-stained floor transported to South Korea and 30 previously unseen unfinished canvases from his new "River" series.

Art Basel reveals 33 medalists for second edition of its awards

Art Basel has announced the 33 medalists for the second edition of its annual awards program, honoring a diverse group of artists, curators, collectors, and institutions. The cohort is divided into categories including emerging, established, and icon artists, as well as cross-disciplinary figures and art-world allies. Notable honorees include Julie Mehretu, Barbara Kruger, and the Studio Museum in Harlem, representing a broad cross-section of the global art ecosystem.

Dealer Scott Nichols on His Lasting Love for Iconic California Photographers

Veteran art dealer Scott Nichols reflects on his long-standing career and the evolution of his eponymous gallery, which specialized in 20th-century California photography for nearly three decades in San Francisco before relocating to Sonoma in 2019. The gallery is renowned for its deep expertise in Group f.64, maintaining one of the largest private collections of Brett Weston’s work alongside masterpieces by Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, and Imogen Cunningham.

Yves Saint Laurent’s Lalanne Mirrors Set for $15 Million Sale

Sotheby’s has announced the sale of a monumental set of 15 gilt-bronze mirrors by Claude Lalanne, originally commissioned by fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent for his Paris apartment. The mirrors are the centerpiece of a 123-lot auction from the collection of Jean and Terry de Gunzburg, scheduled for April 22 at the Sotheby’s Breuer building. Estimated to fetch between $10 million and $15 million, the mirrors represent a significant appreciation in value since the de Gunzburgs acquired them for approximately $2.4 million at the historic 2009 Saint Laurent estate sale.

One of John Lennon’s Final Autographs Hits the Auction Block

A promotional poster for John Lennon and Yoko Ono's album 'Double Fantasy,' signed by Lennon on the morning of his murder on December 8, 1980, is being auctioned by Propstore in London. The lot, estimated between £60,000 and £120,000, includes the RKO Radio archives from Lennon's final interview.

At Palm Beach’s Hottest Fair, Blue-Chip Meets Emerging Art

The ninth edition of the Palm Beach Modern and Contemporary (PBM+C) art fair opened with a VIP preview benefiting the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens. The fair, presented by Art Miami, features 55 international galleries showcasing a mix of blue-chip modern works, contemporary art, and emerging talent, with highlights including special exhibitions dedicated to Russell Young's Marilyn Monroe centennial works and a satellite exhibition at the sculpture garden.

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The exiled Belarus Free Theatre will stage a major exhibition titled "Official. Unofficial. Belarus." as an official collateral event at the 61st Venice Biennale. In the absence of a formal national pavilion, the group show will occupy the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista, featuring works by artists like Sergey Grinevich and Vladimir Tsesler that utilize religious iconography and prison materials to critique state surveillance and political repression.

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The Darwin D. Martin House in Buffalo, a landmark of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie School architecture, has launched a new exhibition titled “Collecting Ourselves.” The show highlights the museum's decades-long, painstaking effort to track down and repatriate the original furniture and decorative objects designed specifically for the site. While the structural restoration of the complex was completed in 2017, the task of reuniting Wright’s holistic interior vision—including his iconic Barrel chairs and intricate art glass—remains an ongoing archival and curatorial challenge.

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Gwyneth Paltrow is partnering with Julien’s Auctions for a two-day sale on March 24–25 featuring personal items from her homes and wardrobe. The auction includes high-profile red carpet gowns by designers like Atelier Versace and Dior, design sketches for her iconic 1999 Oscars dress, and luxury furniture including pieces by Lindsey Adelman and Julian Mayor. A portion of the proceeds will benefit World Central Kitchen, a non-profit providing meals in response to humanitarian crises.

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Nahmad Contemporary is presenting a new exhibition at Tarmak22 in Gstaad, Switzerland, focusing on Pablo Picasso's 1963–65 series 'Le Peintre et Son Modèle' ('The Painter and His Model'). The show features 14 paintings that explore the artist's gaze, power dynamics, and the relationship between painter and sitter. Uniquely, British supermodel Naomi Campbell contributes her personal reflections on the works, drawing from her own experience of being photographed and observed throughout her career.

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Frank Frazetta's iconic painting *Conan the Berserker* (1967) is being auctioned at Heritage Auctions with an opening bid of $10 million. The work, originally created for the cover of the 1967 paperback *Conan the Conqueror*, has become one of the definitive images of the fantasy hero. This year alone, five Frazetta paintings have sold for over $1 million, including *Man Ape* (1966) which fetched $13.5 million in September. The artist's total sales volume was just $674,640 in 2018, according to the Artnet Price Database.

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Johnny Depp has directed a new film titled "Modigliani – Three Days on the Wing of Madness," based on a play by Dennis McIntyre, which dramatizes 72 hours in the life of Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani. The film stars Riccardo Scamarcio as Modigliani and follows the artist's struggles with relationships, money, police, and a meeting with a collector, set against his bohemian life in early 20th-century Paris. It marks Depp's first directorial effort since 1997's "The Brave."