Artnet's Price Database analysis reveals that the most-searched artists by its users have remained remarkably consistent over the past decade. Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Marc Chagall continue to hold the top three positions, with David Hockney and Yayoi Kusama joining the list, while Salvador Dalí and Lucio Fontana have dropped off.
British portrait artist Jonathan Yeo is bringing his augmented reality exhibition, "Spectacular," to South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin following its debut at the Centre Pompidou. Developed in collaboration with Snap Inc., the showcase utilizes AR glasses to animate Yeo’s traditional oil paintings, including his famous portrait of King Charles III and a depiction of Cara Delevingne. The experience allows viewers to interact with the works, such as having a digital butterfly from the King's portrait land on their hand, while exploring the intersection of static portraiture and immersive technology.
The article is a table of contents for Issue 42 of Contemporary Art Review LA, which includes a review of an exhibition by artist Devin Troy Strother at ArtCenter. The review, written by Janelle Zara, is listed among other reviews, interviews, and features in the publication's November 2025 issue.
Qatar has announced details for its inaugural contemporary art quadrennial, Rubaiya Qatar, set to launch in November alongside Frieze Abu Dhabi. Organized by Qatar Museums, the event will feature over 50 artists and new commissions, with a major exhibition titled 'Unruly Waters' curated by Tom Eccles, Ruba Katrib, Mark Rappolt, and Shabbir Hussain Mustafa. Confirmed artists include Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Sophia Al Maria, Mohamed Bourouissa, and Lydia Ourahmane. Additionally, a previously unpublicized pavilion dedicated to Gerhard Richter will open within the quadrennial. Separately, revelations from the Epstein files show ties between Jeffrey Epstein and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, including a donated artwork and potential financial backing for a piece by Neri Oxman. A small Michelangelo drawing of a foot sold at Christie's for $27.2 million, setting a new auction record.
Artist Jeff Koons has issued a statement clarifying his limited interactions with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Koons confirmed he and his wife attended a dinner at Epstein's home at the invitation of an MIT professor, but denied that Epstein ever visited his studio, contradicting earlier reports based on newly released court documents.
London’s Courtauld Gallery will open two new contemporary art galleries at its Somerset House campus, funded by a £10 million ($13.8 million) gift from the Blavatnik Family Foundation. The top-floor spaces, originally built as a display area for the Royal Society in the 18th century, are expected to debut in 2029. The donation brings the foundation’s total support for the Courtauld to £20 million ($27.5 million), following earlier backing for the museum’s 2021 renovation. The new galleries will be programmed in part by students in the Courtauld’s curating master’s program and will host exhibitions connecting historical and contemporary art.
Evan Beard, a former Navy intelligence officer and Oxford economics graduate, is launching a new secondary market gallery called Beard & Co. on New York's Upper East Side after leaving Masterworks, the $1 billion art-tech startup where he ran its secondary market gallery Level & Co. Beard's career path includes stints at Deloitte and Bank of America, where he managed art financing operations and worked with major U.S. collectors. His new gallery will employ a half-dozen staff and function as a discreet private bank for collectors, offering services such as art loans, auction guarantees, consignments, and estate planning.
David Hockney has publicly condemned the planned loan of the Bayeux Tapestry from France to the British Museum, calling the transport of the 950-year-old, 224-foot-long embroidered chronicle across the English Channel “madness” and an unnecessary risk. Writing in an op-ed for The Independent, the 88-year-old artist warned that moving the fragile artifact—which has nearly 10,000 holes and 30 tears—could cause irreversible damage such as fiber contraction, expansion, or color fading. The tapestry is scheduled for a 10-month loan to the British Museum later this year, and despite a £800 million insurance scheme and assurances from museum director Nicholas Cullinan, Hockney remains unconvinced, noting that a museum representative who met with him had not read his book "Secret Knowledge." The tapestry has already been moved from the Bayeux Museum to a secret storage facility, its first relocation in 40 years.
The article details the ongoing release of documents related to disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, revealing his extensive ties to prominent art world figures. Key connections include former MoMA chairman Leon Black, who paid Epstein tens of millions for tax advice and engaged in art transactions involving a Giacometti sculpture and a Cézanne watercolor; retail mogul and art collector Leslie Wexner; and artist Andres Serrano. It also highlights the story of artist Maria Farmer, who was assaulted by Epstein and Maxwell and faced threats against her art career when she tried to report them in the 1990s.
Artnet News rounds up the standout auction moments of 2025, highlighting both triumphs and disappointments. M.F. Husain's *Untitled (Gram Yatra)* (1954) smashed expectations at Christie's, selling for $13.8 million—more than double the artist's previous record and the first South Asian Modern work to exceed $10 million. In contrast, Piet Mondrian's *Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue* (1922) fell short of its $50 million estimate at Christie's, missing the artist's auction record, while Alberto Giacometti's *Grande tête mince* (1955) failed to sell at Sotheby's despite a $70 million asking price, underscoring market volatility.
Alma Allen, a sculptor known for sleek, abstract works, has been selected to represent the United States at the 2026 Venice Biennale, marking the country's 250th anniversary. The selection process, run by the US State Department and funded by the newly formed American Arts Conservancy—which the article notes is stocked with Trump allies—has drawn criticism for favoring politically neutral art. Allen's sculptures, often made of marble and wood with digital technology, are described as aesthetically inoffensive and reminiscent of Constantin Brâncuși, with no apparent commentary on current US issues.
Es Devlin, the renowned set designer behind iconic pop culture moments for Beyoncé, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, and Miley Cyrus, is shifting focus from large-scale commercial spectacles to more personal artistic projects. A new monograph and retrospective at the Cooper Hewitt, titled "An Atlas of Es Devlin," catalogues her three-decade career, while her latest installation "Surfacing," commissioned by BMW and unveiled at Art Basel 2024, marks a turn toward fine art. Devlin, now 50, describes this phase as a liberating new chapter where she feels "nothing to lose."
The Wildenstein Plattner Institute (WPI) and the Romare Bearden Foundation have launched the first installment of a digital catalogue raisonné for the artist Romare Bearden, covering his work from 1964 to 1969. The project, which began in earnest in 2017, has so far documented 3,000 artworks, including 210 in this initial chapter, and has uncovered previously unknown works such as a portrait of artist Edmonia Lewis. The research builds on three decades of archival work by the foundation, which digitized Bearden's ephemera to aid in tracking down works he often gave away informally.
ARTnews has published a guide to Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on artists' tools and studio supplies, tracking discounts from US retailers on items ranging from tech gear like Samsung's The Frame TV and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to software subscriptions like Topaz Studio. The article advises readers to move fast as products may sell out, and explains the selection process involves research on art supply usage, customer reviews, expert advice, and the authors' own expertise as artists and teachers.
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has announced a major reinstallation of its Fisher Collection galleries, titled “Reimagined: The Fisher Collection at 10,” opening April 18, 2026. The overhaul will feature 250 artworks by 35 modern and contemporary artists across 60,000 square feet of gallery space, organized by thematic and monographic floors. The project is led by curator Ted Mann and chief education officer Gamynne Guillotte. The Fisher Collection, a 100-year loan from the Fisher Art Foundation, includes blue-chip works by Alexander Calder, Gerhard Richter, Andy Warhol, and others, assembled by Gap Inc. founders Donald and Doris Fisher.
Jeff Koons's latest exhibition at Gagosian Gallery in New York features his new series of large-scale porcelain and stainless-steel sculptures, including the centerpiece *Aphrodite* (2016–21), an eight-and-a-half-foot-tall nude. The show marks Koons's first solo presentation in New York in seven years and follows a turbulent period in his career, including record auction sales, a move to Pace Gallery and back to Gagosian, and two lawsuits. Critic Christopher Garcia Valle panned the works as unstimulating and banal, arguing they fail to awe viewers despite their technical ambition and massive scale.
Shanghai's West Bund Art & Design fair and Art021 opened last week with unexpectedly strong sales, despite economic headwinds and regional competition. Many galleries reported brisk first-day sales, with Thaddaeus Ropac placing five works including a Martha Jungwirth painting for €500,000, and Hauser & Worth selling two works for over $1 million. However, major blue-chip galleries like Gagosian and Pace opted out entirely, while others like Almine Rech, White Cube, and David Zwirner scaled back their participation. The fairs took place against a backdrop of China's ongoing property slump and the overlapping Art Collaboration Kyoto, which siphoned attention from international collectors.
Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips are holding their marquee fall 2025 sales in New York next week, with an unusually high volume of inventory. Christie's alone will offer 80 works on Monday night, and across the week 27 lots carry estimates above $10 million—a stark contrast to the tepid May sales. The season is top-heavy, with the $2 million–$5 million range considered the trickiest. Notable consignments include the estate of Leonard Lauder and the collection of Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson, while many discretionary sellers remain absent. Day sales feature works with significant price drops, such as a Steve Parrino painting last sold for nearly $1 million now estimated at $300,000–$500,000, and an Avery Singer work that sold for $3 million in 2022 now estimated at $600,000–$800,000. Several pandemic-era speculative purchases are also returning to market at steep discounts.
Maurizio Cattelan has been awarded the 2026 Preis der Nationalgalerie, administered by Berlin’s Nationalgalerie. The prize, given every two years to an influential contemporary artist, includes a solo exhibition at the Neue Nationalgalerie. Cattelan was selected by a jury of international directors including Emma Lavigne, Sam Keller, and Klaus Biesenbach. His exhibition will open in September 2026 during Berlin Art Week, curated by Biesenbach and Lisa Botti. Cattelan previously co-curated the 4th Berlin Biennale in 2006.
András Szántó has published the third volume of his trilogy on the future of museums and the art world, titled "The Future of the Art World." The book compiles 38 interviews conducted between April 2024 and June 2025 with a wide range of art-world stakeholders, including artists, curators, collectors, dealers, auctioneers, art fair directors, sociologists, philosophers, and policymakers. Unlike his previous books, which focused on museum directors and architects, this volume gives significant voice to artists, who offer provocative critiques and predictions about the future of museums, art education, and digital art.
Jeff Koons will present his first solo show at Gagosian in seven years, titled “Porcelain Series,” opening November 13 at the gallery’s 541 West 24th Street location. The exhibition features new and recent sculptures and paintings that explore beauty and mythology, including mirror-polished stainless steel figurines modeled on 18th- to early-20th-century porcelain and oil paintings incorporating historical engravings. Koons, who left Gagosian in 2021 for Pace and returned in 2025, debuted new work at Frieze New York in May.
Sean Combs, the rapper and record executive known as Diddy, was sentenced on Friday to 50 months in federal prison and fined $500,000 for two counts of transportation for prostitution. He was acquitted of racketeering and sex trafficking charges. The sentencing followed a trial that included testimony from his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and an anonymous former employee alleging abuse. Combs apologized in court, calling his behavior "disgusting, shameful and sick." Judge Arun Subramanian noted that Combs's "immense financial resources enabled his crimes."
Dom Pérignon has partnered with artist Takashi Murakami to design limited-edition labels and packaging for its Vintage 2015 and Rosé Vintage 2010 releases. Murakami’s signature smiling floral motifs appear on black backgrounds, and the collaboration is framed as an exploration of time, transformation, and the intersection of historical craftsmanship with contemporary art. Murakami worked with Dom Pérignon’s Chef de Cave Vincent Chaperon, and the project is part of a broader series titled “Creation is an eternal journey,” which also involves actors, musicians, and chefs.
The Almaty Museum of Arts (ALMA) opened on September 12 in Kazakhstan's largest city, becoming the country's first private museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art. Founded by auto and real estate tycoon Nurlan Smagulov, the museum houses his collection of over 700 artworks by Kazakh, Central Asian, and international artists. Led by artistic director Meruyert Kaliyeva and chief curator Inga Lāce, the museum's opening features a retrospective of Almaty-born artist Almagul Menlibayeva and a group show titled "Qonaqtar" that explores Kazakh art history and hospitality.
Agnes Gund, a towering art collector and patron of New York's Museum of Modern Art, died Thursday in Manhattan at age 87. Following the announcement, artists and cultural workers including Roxana Marcoci, Glenn Ligon, Lorna Simpson, and Hoor Al Qasimi honored her memory on social media, recalling her friendship, generosity, and commitment to social justice. Gund spearheaded MoMA's 1990s expansion, founded the arts education nonprofit Studio in the School in 1977, and in 2017 sold Roy Lichtenstein's "Masterpiece" (1962) to launch the Art for Justice Fund, a $100 million grant initiative for criminal justice reform.
Agnes Gund, one of the most influential art patrons in the United States, has died at 87. Her collecting and philanthropy transformed the American art world, particularly at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where she served as president from 1991 to 2002 and remained a life trustee. Gund helped fund MoMA's 2004 expansion, designed by Yoshio Taniguchi, and played a key role in bringing MoMA PS1 under the museum's aegis in 1999. She was a longtime donor of over 250 works to MoMA, including pieces by Jasper Johns, Elizabeth Murray, and Julie Mehretu, and appeared on the ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list every year from 1990 to 2018.
Gagosian Gallery will once again represent Jeff Koons, the star sculptor who left the mega-gallery to join Pace in 2021. The announcement completes a return that began in May with a solo presentation at Frieze New York, where Koons showed three sculptures from his “Hulk Elvis” series. Koons had also been represented by David Zwirner at the time of his departure from Gagosian, but he does not appear to have rejoined Zwirner. Reports indicate that Koons split with Pace after a costly Meissen-inspired sculpture series required $50–100 million in investor support, which fell through when additional funds were needed.