basquiat museum security sothebys

Jean-Michel Basquiat’s monumental 1983 painting, 'Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown)', is set to headline Sotheby’s marquee contemporary evening auction this May with an estimate of $45 million. The seven-foot canvas was created during the artist's pivotal year in Los Angeles and features his signature blend of text and symbols, including wry commentaries on the institutionalization and commercial value of art. The work previously sold at Christie’s in 2013 for $14.5 million.

art basel miami beach dispatch 2025

The article recounts the author's experience at Art Basel Miami Beach 2025, beginning with a moment of reflection on the beach before the fair week's chaos. Three veteran attendees—an artist, an advisor, and a gallery owner—chose to skip the event this year, citing lackluster parties, declining collector interest in Miami compared to Paris, and poor sales attrition. Despite these doubts, the fair saw strong sales, with Hauser & Wirth reporting a 40% increase in the first three hours, and a new digital art sector boosting optimism. Pop-up exhibitions, like "The Body is The Body" at the Rice Hotel, were highlights, while Vanity Fair's party remained the most coveted invite.

gagosian rewrites art basel paris rulebook by bringing old master to modern and contemporary fair

Gagosian has secured special permission from Art Basel Paris to exhibit a rediscovered Old Master painting by Peter Paul Rubens, titled "The Virgin and Christ Child, with Saints Elizabeth and John the Baptist" (c. 1611–14), at a fair that typically restricts its main sector to works created between 1900 and 2025. The painting, last sold at Sotheby’s New York in 2020 for just over $7 million, will be shown alongside modern and contemporary works by artists such as John Currin, Jenny Saville, and Pablo Picasso. The exception was granted by Art Basel’s management and Selection Committee due to the work's exceptional quality and its resonance with the gallery's booth.

cai guo qiang fireworks protester white cube london

Protests erupted outside White Cube's London gallery last Thursday over a fireworks piece by Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang. The artwork, titled *The Rising Dragon*, was staged on September 19 at a high-altitude plateau in Shigatse, Tibet, and sparked online backlash over environmental concerns. Two UK-based groups, Tibetan Community in Britain and Free Tibet, led the protest, accusing Cai of committing "cultural violence." White Cube acknowledged the groups' concerns but continues to host Cai's exhibition, which opened in June and runs through early November.

tanya bonakdar gallery closes los angeles

Tanya Bonakdar Gallery is closing its Los Angeles location after seven years, with the final exhibition being a solo show for Ben Hyunjin that ends on August 29. The gallery, which opened on Highland Avenue in 2018, decided not to renew its lease, citing a natural pause to assess its accomplishments in the city. The closure follows recent shutdowns of other LA galleries, including Blum and Clearing.

The week around the world in 20 pictures

This photo essay from The Guardian presents 20 images capturing global events from the past week, including a protest by Femen and Pussy Riot activists against Russia's participation at the Venice Biennale art show, Israeli strikes in Gaza, the hantavirus outbreak, and Emma Chamberlain at the Met Gala. Other images document the war in Ukraine, with scenes of Russian military rehearsals in Moscow, damaged monuments, and drone strike aftermath, as well as a political protest in Nashville where Democratic state representative Justin J Pearson was removed from the house gallery during a redistricting protest.

At the Tate Modern, the Moving Renaissance of Tracey Emin

À la Tate Modern, la bouleversante renaissance de Tracey Emin

Tracey Emin has returned to the Tate Modern for a major retrospective titled "A Second Life," marking a poignant milestone in her career. The exhibition features over a hundred works, including the iconic and once-scandalous "My Bed," which first catapulted her to international fame during the 1999 Turner Prize. This survey explores her evolution from the "enfant terrible" of the Young British Artists to a Dame of the British Empire, showcasing her multidisciplinary practice across painting, sculpture, and installation.

15 Artists Explore the Potentiality of Fabric and Fiber in ‘Textile Art Redefined’

The Saatchi Gallery in London is hosting 'Textile Art Redefined,' a group exhibition featuring 15 artists who push the boundaries of fiber and fabric. Curated by Helen Adams, the show includes diverse works ranging from Ian Berry’s immersive installations made of recycled denim to Kenny Nguyen’s undulating silk wall pieces and Anne von Freyburg’s textile reinterpretations of Rococo paintings. The exhibition coincides with the release of Adams' new book, 'Textile Fine Art,' which explores the medium's evolution from functional craft to a celebrated pillar of contemporary art.

Look Inside the Art-Filled Home of New York City's Cultural Crusaders

This profile explores the Upper West Side residence of Crystal McCrary McGuire and Raymond J. McGuire, a power couple deeply embedded in New York City’s cultural and financial sectors. Their home serves as a private gallery for a significant collection of African American art, featuring masterworks by Norman Lewis, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Elizabeth Catlett, and Romare Bearden. The couple’s shared passion for collecting began independently, sparked by their formative years studying in France, and has since evolved into a joint mission to preserve and live alongside Black artistic heritage.

New Zealand's Venice Biennale pavilion explores the secret life of birds

New Zealand returns to the Venice Biennale in 2025 with Fiona Pardington’s solo exhibition *Taharaki Skyside* at the Istituto Provinciale per l’Infanzia Santa Maria della Pietà. The show features 17 large-scale photographic portraits of taxidermied birds from the South Canterbury Museum Timaru’s collection, including the extinct whēkau (laughing owl) and the critically endangered kākāpō. Pardington, an artist of Māori and Scottish descent, draws on Māori cosmology in which birds serve as spiritual messengers, and her work continues a long-standing photographic investigation of objects that hold “mana” (power) for Māori people.

Never-Before-Seen Stanley Kubrick Photos Debut in New York

A collection of 18 previously unseen photographs by legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick will make its public debut at the Photography Show in New York. Discovered by the Duncan Miller Gallery within a larger archive purchase, these images date back to 1945 when a teenage Kubrick worked as a staff photographer for Look magazine. The series captures candid, late-night scenes within the New York City subway system, utilizing a concealed shutter release to document commuters in their most natural states.

rediscovering luis fernando zapata

Artnet News reports on the rediscovery of Colombian artist Luis Fernando Zapata (1951–1994), whose solo booth at Art Basel Miami Beach features works from 1988 to 1994 that resemble ancient artifacts. The booth, titled “The Immemorial: The Transcendence of Luis Fernando Zapata,” is presented by Bogotá’s Galería Elvira Moreno in the fair’s Survey sector, which highlights historically significant art made before 2000. Zapata’s pieces—including totemic shields, a mud-brown sarcophagus with cuneiform-like glyphs, barques, steles, and his “excavaciones”—are mostly hand-sculpted papier-mâché, evoking ritual and imagined cosmologies. Diagnosed HIV+ in the mid-1980s, Zapata died in 1994, leaving a body of work that has remained largely absent from the queer canon and art-world consciousness until now.

five more suspects arrested over louvre jewel heist

French authorities arrested five additional suspects in connection with the historic theft of Napoleonic jewelry from the Louvre Museum, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced on Thursday. The coordinated raids took place in Paris and its northern suburbs, with one suspect identified through DNA evidence. The investigation has advanced by studying encrypted communications from seized phones. The heist occurred on October 19, when four masked thieves broke into the Apollo Gallery during opening hours, stealing nine artifacts worth approximately $102 million, though one crown was dropped during the escape. Two suspects were previously arrested on October 25, one at Charles de Gaulle Airport. The stolen jewels remain unrecovered, and authorities are searching the black market for them.

rhea dillon sculpture new talent

Rhea Dillon, a 29-year-old artist and writer, is preparing for three exhibitions opening over the summer: a group show at the Whitney Independent Study Program (ISP), a solo exhibition at Heidelberger Kunstverein, and a booth in the Statements section of Art Basel Switzerland. Her work, which draws on Black and Caribbean intellectual traditions, uses everyday objects and symbols to critique postcolonial diasporic identity, as seen in sculptures like *Caribbean Ossuary* (2022) and *Swollen, Whole, Broken...* (2023). Dillon also discusses her linguistic approach, explored in drawings at Paul Soto Gallery, where she repeats and redefines the shape of a spade to transform a racial slur into new forms.

tehran galleries close israel air strike iran

Galleries across Tehran have begun closing their doors indefinitely following Israel's Friday air strike on the Iranian capital's nuclear and military facilities. Iran retaliated with dozens of missiles toward Israeli territory, calling the strikes a 'declaration of war.' Shirin Gallery postponed two exhibitions, including 'Uncollective Memories' by Leila Yaghoubi and 'Endless Joy' by Mazyar Tahouri. Laleh Gallery postponed its group show 'New Saghakhaneh,' while Moshen Gallery, Hoor Gallery, and Bavan Gallery announced closures until further notice. Ab-Anbar, a Tehran-rooted gallery now based in London, instead opened its doors for a community lunch. The Israel Museum in Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art also closed indefinitely citing national security guidelines.

Emma and Chloe Fineman Talk Prosthetic Boobs, Bible Sluts, and Late-Life Lesbianism

Emma Fineman, a visual artist based in London, is presenting her first solo show at Alexander Berggruen gallery in New York, on view through June 24. The exhibition features 18 paintings that explore her queer identity and self-acceptance, drawing from Christian mythology and the Book of Genesis to celebrate female desire. In a conversation with her sister Chloe Fineman, a cast member on SNL, the two discuss their creative processes, the overlap between comedy and painting, and how they support each other through artistic blocks.

Paloma Elsesser, Joan Jonas, and Isha Ambani Descended Upon Beacon for a Day at Dia

On a warm spring Saturday, the Dia Art Foundation hosted its annual Spring Benefit at Dia Beacon, drawing a cross-disciplinary crowd of artists, curators, museum leaders, and fashion figures. The event celebrated the opening of seven major exhibitions across the Beacon campus, featuring works by John Chamberlain, Lee Ufan, Kishio Suga, and Jack Whitten, and marked the rollout of a new partnership with Chanel. Guests explored over 20 galleries, enjoyed a seasonal lunch amid Chamberlain's sculptures, and participated in a special children's program, all set within the former Nabisco box-printing factory along the Hudson River.

art venice biennale gallery exhibition guide

Cultured magazine has published a guide to art exhibitions during the Venice Biennale, highlighting several major shows across the city. Featured exhibitions include "If All Time Is Eternally Present" at Palazzo Nervi-Scattolin with works by Tai Shani, Meriem Bennani & Orian Barki, and Kandis Williams; "Michael Armitage: The Promise of Change" at Palazzo Grassi; "Amoako Boafo: It doesn’t have to always make sense" at Palazzo Grimani; "Transforming Energy" by Marina Abramović at Gallerie dell’Accademia; and "Helter Skelter" by Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince at Fondazione Prada. The guide provides details on dates, locations, and curatorial themes for each show.

art criticism cameron rowland anne imhof

The article reviews several notable art events and exhibitions from 2025, beginning with Cameron Rowland's controversial work "Replacement" at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, where the French flag was replaced with the flag of Martinique, leading to the artwork being deemed potentially illegal. It also covers Johanna Fateman's review of Rowland's "Properties" at Dia Beacon, Ross Simonini's reflection on Joseph Beuys and the Eaton fire in Los Angeles, John Vincler's critiques of Cady Noland at Gagosian and Nicole Eisenman at 52 Walker, and Fateman's year-end roundup including figures like Anne Imhof, Laura Owens, and Jack Whitten.

art best and worst art of 2025 list

Cultured's art critic reflects on the best and worst of 2025, highlighting standout moments including Salman Toor's 2007 portrait of Zohran Mamdani (now mayor-elect of New York), the posthumous Jack Whitten survey "The Messenger" at MoMA, and Anne Imhof's epic production "DOOM: House of Hope" at the Park Avenue Armory. The article also notes Mamdani's arts-friendly transition committee and the broader resilience of artists amid political turmoil.

art loie hollowell sophia cohen pregnancy parenting

Sophia Cohen, five months pregnant, interviews artist Loie Hollowell about navigating motherhood and artistic practice. Hollowell discusses how pregnancy, childbirth, and perimenopause have influenced her abstract geometric works exploring the female body. The conversation covers the physical and emotional transformations of pregnancy, the fear of loss, and how these experiences manifest—or don't—in her art. Hollowell's recent museum survey at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, “Loie Hollowell: Space Between, A Survey of Ten Years,” mapped the parallel evolution of her visual language and her body.

art christine berry martha campbell gallery

Gallerists Christine Berry and Martha Campbell, founders of Berry Campbell gallery, have spent 13 years rediscovering and championing overlooked 20th-century female artists such as Ethel Schwabacher, Judith Godwin, Bernice Bing, and Lynne Drexler. They will present works by these artists at Art Basel Miami Beach for the second consecutive year, following a record-breaking $2 million sale of Drexler's painting at Christie's in 2025. The duo, who previously worked under Ira Spanierman, launched their gallery in 2013 and have since built a market for artists whose careers were marginalized by gender bias.

parties project eats gala lauren halsey dana irwin

Project EATS held its 2025 benefit gala at New York's IAC Building, honoring food writer and former Food & Wine editor-in-chief Dana Cowin and artist Lauren Halsey, a 2025 CULT100 recipient. The event brought together a crowd of artists, patrons, and cultural leaders including Cindy Sherman, Glenn Ligon, Iwan and Manuela Wirth, and Glenn Lowry, with a culinary experience led by chefs Aretah Ettarh and Camari Mick. The evening featured speeches celebrating Cowin and Halsey, and highlighted Project EATS's mission of transforming vacant lots into urban farms and community spaces that provide access to food and culture.

design inspiration summer interiors collecting

Cultured magazine's article "design inspiration summer interiors collecting" presents five distinct stories exploring the intersection of art, design, and collecting within private homes and studios. It profiles designer John Gachot's Shelter Island studio where his paintings coexist with his father Richard Gachot's sculptures; the Montauk home-workshop of Roman & Williams founders Stephen Alesch and Robin Standefer; artist David Salle's Hamptons residence and his approach to selecting artworks; real estate investor Carl Gambino's art collection featuring emerging and established artists; and author James Frey's personal collection, which he began by purchasing a Picasso with cash.

art charlie marder east hampton

Cultured magazine's Hamptons issue features an interview between designer Robin Standefer and Charlie Marder, the East End horticulturalist known as the 'tree whisperer.' Marder, who co-founded an eponymous Bridgehampton nursery with his wife Kathleen—dubbed 'a horticultural MoMA' by the New York Times—has assembled a sprawling field of massive geological specimens across from the nursery. The rocks, some weighing 10 tons, are salvaged from development sites and quarries. Standefer, who purchased one of Marder's boulders for her birthday, discusses with Marder the ethics of placement, the personalities of stones, and the human urge to give new life to ancient matter.

the critics table aspen artweek diary matthew barney

The article is a first-person diary of an art critic's trip to Aspen for ArtWeek, centered around Matthew Barney's performance "TACTICAL parallax" (2025) at the Aspen Art Museum. The author navigates travel delays, attends the dress rehearsal, and participates in a whirlwind of events including the Aspen Art Museum's AIR festival, a public conversation with artist Issy Wood, and dinners with art-world figures like MoMA board president Sarah Arison and artists Paul Chan and Aria Dean. The narrative weaves personal observations with the broader art scene in Aspen, touching on themes of the American West and contemporary art.

adrien brody beniecio del toro leslie bibb top june stories

Cultured magazine's June issue features a mix of celebrity profiles and art-world news. Highlights include Benicio del Toro opening up to Scarlett Johansson about filmmaking, Leslie Bibb sharing summer style tips, and Adrien Brody promoting his solo art show 'Made in America' at Eden on Madison Avenue, alongside his musical pursuits. The issue also introduces Cultured's inaugural Young Dealers List, spotlighting 23 galleries under five years old selected from over 100 recommendations by collectors, advisors, and curators.

art basel best of art guide

Cultured's "Art Basel Best of Art Guide" highlights key exhibitions and events in and around Basel, Switzerland, during the summer art season. Featured shows include Jordan Wolfson's VR installation "Little Room" at Fondation Beyeler, a Medardo Rosso retrospective at Kunstmuseum Basel, a Meret Oppenheim showcase at Hauser & Wirth, the second annual "Air Service Basel 2025" group show at Lo Brutto Stahl, Suzanne Lacy's video installation "By Your Own Hand" at Museum Tinguely, and works by Ser Serpas. The guide provides practical details such as dates, locations, and insider tips for each exhibition.

larry gagosian bookhampton summer reading

Larry Gagosian, the world-renowned art dealer, has purchased BookHampton, an independent bookstore in East Hampton, after its original owner put it up for sale last fall. In an interview for CULTURED's new column "Required Reading," Gagosian discusses his reading habits, his plans to maintain the store as a community hub while expanding its art and design offerings, and shares his personal summer reading list, which includes biographies of Douglas Cooper and Albert Barnes.

Sotheby’s $304M Modern Evening Auction Confirms the Market Has Found Its Footing

Sotheby's Modern Evening Auction on May 19 achieved $304 million with a 98% sell-through rate across 45 lots, more than doubling the total from the equivalent sale in November. The auction was anchored by fresh-to-market masterpieces, including Henri Matisse's "La Chaise Lorraine" from the Barbier-Müller collection, which sold for $48.4 million—the second-highest price for a Matisse painting at auction. Other highlights included works from the Enrico Donati collection, which generated a combined $58.9 million, and Pablo Picasso's "Arlequin (Buste)" (1909) selling for $42.6 million. The sale contributed to a running combined total of $839.6 million for Sotheby's marquee sales, following strong results from the Mnuchin collection and Contemporary Day Auction.