Art News. Vasari Codex

article news schedule Jul 11, 2025 visibility 12 link 6 artists

ulay wins case regarding against former collaborator marina abramovic

A Dutch court has ordered performance artist Marina Abramović to pay her former collaborator Ulay (Ulay Laysiepen) over €250,000 ($280,500) for violating a 1999 contract regarding joint works created between 1976 and 1988. The court ruled that Ulay is entitled to 20 percent net royalties on sales of those works, plus €23,000 in legal costs. Ulay had accused Abramović of failing to provide accurate sales statements and making only four payments over 16 years. The case stems from their decade-long artistic and romantic partnership, which ended in 1988 with their famous walk on the Great Wall of China.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 9, 2025 visibility 17 link 10 artists, 5 galleries

art basel 2025 blue chip galleries sales trend

ARTnews analyzed publicly reported sales from five blue-chip galleries—Hauser & Wirth, Pace, Thaddaeus Ropac, White Cube, and David Zwirner—at Art Basel 2025, finding a combined total over 35% lower than in 2024, around 8% below 2023, and just over 20% down from 2022. The high-water mark was $204 million in 2024, boosted by eight-figure works from Hauser & Wirth. Meanwhile, the number of artists sold by these galleries rose steadily from 109 in 2022 to 157 in 2025, indicating a shift toward broader, less concentrated inventory. Dealers reported mixed sentiments, though seven-figure deals still occurred, and some noted that market uncertainty has led to more scattershot presentations with wider price ranges.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 8, 2025 visibility 13 link 6 artists

work of the week emily carr

A painting by Emily Carr, titled *Fir Trees* (ca. 1935), sold for CA$576,000 ($418,370) at Cowley Abbott’s live auction of Canadian and international art in Toronto on May 28, more than doubling its low estimate. The work is a vivid example of Carr’s signature forest scenes, reflecting her deep connection to the British Columbian landscape and her association with the Group of Seven. The auction also saw strong results for other Group of Seven artists, including Franklin Carmichael’s *Old Orchard* (1940) at CAD$768,000, and for Marcelle Ferron’s untitled 1964 abstract painting at CAD$696,000.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 3, 2025 visibility 22 link 15 artists, 9 galleries

for asias art market 2025 has been about rapid fire change

Art Basel has concluded and the London sales have wrapped, marking a busy first half of 2025 for Asian art markets despite economic uncertainties and geopolitical challenges. New players and trends have emerged: international auction houses aligned their Hong Kong sales with Art Basel Hong Kong for the first time, South Asian art has had a banner year at auction and in institutions, and West Asia is rising with Sotheby's inaugural sale in Saudi Arabia and Art Basel's planned Qatar fair. Asian galleries are expanding into Western capitals, while Western galleries are picking up Asian talent, such as Korean artist Anna Park joining Lehmann Maupin and Rim Park partnering with Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler. Japanese artist Yu Nishimura had his first U.S. solo show at David Zwirner, and the Labubu plush toy by Kasing Lung became a pop culture sensation.

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article news schedule Jul 2, 2025 visibility 18 link 4 artists

khaled sabsabi reinstated for venice biennale

Creative Australia has reinstated Lebanese-born artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino as the representatives for Australia's pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, following an independent review and months of public backlash. The pair were initially removed in February after a column in The Australian criticized Sabsabi's 2007 video installation "You," which includes manipulated footage of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, accusing the artist and curator of favoring boycotts of Israel. The abrupt removal prompted resignations from senior Creative Australia staff and board members, widespread condemnation from the art community, and an open letter from shortlisted pavilion candidates demanding reinstatement.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jul 1, 2025 visibility 22 link 16 artists

goodwood art foundation

The Goodwood Art Foundation, a new contemporary art destination set within the 11,000-acre Goodwood Estate in West Sussex, England, opens to the public on May 31. The inaugural season features works by Susan Philipsz, Rachel Whiteread (including a monumental staircase sculpture *Down and Up*), Veronica Ryan, Rose Wylie, Isamu Noguchi, and Hélio Oiticica (whose *Magic Square #3* will be the first outdoor sculpture by the late Brazilian artist in Europe). The estate, owned by Charles Gordon-Lennox, the 11th Duke of Richmond, is historically known for sporting events like the Festival of Speed and the Qatar Goodwood Festival, and houses a historic art collection including Canalettos and works by George Stubbs.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 27, 2025 visibility 23 link 15 artists

guerrilla girls feminist collective why so important

The feminist collective Guerrilla Girls began its activism in May 1985 by wheat-pasting posters in SoHo, New York, that listed prominent male artists and revealed that their galleries showed 10 percent or fewer women artists. The group formed after the 1984 MoMA exhibition 'An International Survey of Recent Painting and Sculpture' included only 13 women out of 169 participants, sparking protests that failed to gain traction. For 40 years, the Guerrilla Girls have used statistics-driven, provocative posters to call out sexism and racism in galleries, museums, and the broader art world. This year, their anniversary is marked by retrospective exhibitions at the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles, and the National Gallery of Bulgaria in Sofia.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 16 link 3 artists

sothebys offer 50m lichtensten

Sotheby's has announced the consignment of Roy Lichtenstein's painting *The Ring (Engagement)* (1962) for its May 12 spring contemporary evening sale in New York, with an estimated price of around $50 million. The work, one of the largest from Lichtenstein's iconic 1961–1964 comic-book-inspired series, has had only two owners in its 53-year history, most recently from the collection of Chicago philanthropist Stefan Edlis, who acquired it at Sotheby's in 1997 for $2.2 million.

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article policy schedule Jun 16, 2025 visibility 20 link 20 artists

new york mayoral candidates arts 2025

On June 24, New Yorkers will vote in the Democratic primary for mayor, with candidates including embattled incumbent Eric Adams, former governor Andrew Cuomo, and Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, who is gaining support from artists and art dealers. The article outlines the arts-related positions of several candidates: City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams restored $53 million in cultural funding after proposed cuts; Eric Adams has an uneven record, having proposed cuts but later launching the 'NYC Create in Place' pilot program; and Andrew Cuomo's arts stance is mentioned but not detailed.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 12, 2025 visibility 15 link 12 artists

metropolitan museum of art rockefeller wing reopening

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has unveiled the renovated Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, dedicated to the art of Africa, Oceania, and the ancient Americas. Designed by Kulapat Yantrasast of WHY Architecture with Beyer, Blinder, Belle Architects, the 40,000-square-foot wing opened to the public on May 31, showcasing 1,800 objects from 663 cultures across 90 countries. The collection originated from Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller, who began acquiring non-Western art in 1930 and later founded the Museum of Primitive Art in 1957 after the Met initially declined his donation.

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article policy schedule Jun 10, 2025 visibility 14 link 1 artist

donald judd foundation marfa national historic sites

The Texas Historical Commission announced that buildings repurposed by minimalist artist Donald Judd in Marfa, Texas, have been added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Approved by the National Park Service in May 2025, the designation expands the existing Fort D.A. Russell Historic District to include 15 buildings and a large-scale installation, all altered or created by Judd between 1973 and his death in 1994. The properties are managed by the Chinati Foundation and the Judd Foundation, which operate as separate entities. This is the second Judd-linked historic district in Marfa, following the Central Marfa Historic District’s designation in 2022.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 6, 2025 visibility 16 link 12 artists

inside va east storehouse

The V&A East Storehouse, a new museum space in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, opens to the public on May 31, 2025, offering free admission seven days a week. Housed in the former London 2012 Olympics Media and Broadcast Centre, the 172,222-square-foot facility displays over 250,000 objects, 350,000 books, and 1,000 archives from the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection. Designed by Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, the Storehouse features a glass-floored Collections Hall where visitors can freely explore shelves and mini-curated displays, with objects changed frequently. Highlights include the Agra Colonnade (1630s) from Shah Jahan's bathhouse and a section of the Robin Hood Gardens housing estate by Alison and Peter Smithson.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 6, 2025 visibility 17 link 6 artists

shakespeare folios sothebys london auction

Sotheby's London will auction a rare set of all four Shakespeare Folios—the First (1623), Second (1632), Third (1663), and Fourth (1685)—as a single lot on May 23, with a presale estimate of £3.5–4.5 million ($4.7–5.99 million). The set, assembled in 2016, is led by the First Folio, which preserved 18 of Shakespeare's plays that might otherwise have been lost. The sale marks the first time all four volumes have been offered together since a 1989 Sotheby's New York auction, which was canceled after a private offer was accepted.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 5, 2025 visibility 22 link 9 artists

museum launches public appeal to buy rare barbara hepworth sculpture

The Hepworth Wakefield museum, supported by the Art Fund, has launched a public appeal to raise £3.8 million ($5 million) to acquire Barbara Hepworth's rare 1943 sculpture *Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red*. The work was purchased by a private collector at Christie's London in March 2024 for the same amount, but the UK government imposed a temporary export ban in December 2024, citing its outstanding historical and aesthetic significance. The museum has until August 27 to raise the remaining £2.9 million; the Art Fund has already contributed £750,000. If the goal is not met, the collector may export the piece.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 4, 2025 visibility 20 link 21 artists

old masters sales takeaways art detective

Sotheby's underperformed with the highly anticipated Saunders Collection of Old Masters, which was estimated at $80–120 million but sold for only $65.4 million, falling $14.6 million short of its low estimate. The sell-through rate was a dismal 58%, with 16 of 43 lots failing to sell in the standalone auction. Christie's also saw disappointing results, with a smaller sale totaling $6.89 million, 17% below its low target. The collection, amassed by the late banker Thomas A. Saunders III and his wife Jordan, was billed as the most valuable Old Masters collection ever to come to auction.

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article culture schedule Jun 4, 2025 visibility 14 link 6 artists

how to look at art

Art critic Ben Davis shares a personal three-and-a-half-step method for getting the most out of visiting an art exhibition alone. The process begins with a quick walkthrough of the entire show to build a cognitive map of the space and note artworks that immediately stand out. The second step involves a systematic, slower tour to read wall texts, examine individual works, and uncover connections and hidden details, with special attention to time-based media like video art.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 3, 2025 visibility 15 link 7 artists, 1 gallery

trial ron perelman insurance claim warhol ruscha twombly

The trial between billionaire collector Ron Perelman and a group of insurers began Monday in New York Supreme Court, nearly seven years after a 2018 fire at his Hamptons estate, the Creeks. Perelman claims the fire damaged five paintings—two by Andy Warhol, two by Ed Ruscha, and one by Cy Twombly—insured for a collective $400 million, arguing the works lost their "oomph" due to smoke, humidity, and relocation during the fire. The insurers, including Lloyd's of London, Chubb, and AIG, contend the works sustained no detectable damage and that Perelman's claim is a "money grab" filed amid serious financial difficulties, including margin calls and the sale of 71 artworks for $963 million between 2020 and 2022.

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article news schedule Jun 3, 2025 visibility 24 link 36 artists

whitney museum paused independent study program censorship

The Whitney Museum of American Art has suspended its storied Independent Study Program (ISP) for the 2025–2026 academic year, following widespread outcry over the censorship of a performance titled "No Aesthetic Outside My Freedom: Mourning, Militancy, and Performance" by artists Fadl Fakhouri, Noel Maghathe, and Fargo Tbakhi. The performance, scheduled for May 14, was canceled by museum leadership after reviewing a video in which Tbakhi made demands that supporters of Israel or America leave the venue. Director Scott Rothkopf informed the ISP community of the pause in an email, citing the need to search for a new director. The museum also confirmed that Sara Nadal-Melsió, hired in 2024 as the ISP's first associate director, will not retain her position. The cancellation drew condemnation from free speech advocates, including the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), which likened the museum's actions to an authoritarian approach.

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article culture schedule Jun 2, 2025 visibility 17 link 11 artists

art bites why tilda swinton napped moma

In 2013, visitors to New York's Museum of Modern Art encountered actress Tilda Swinton sleeping in a raised glass box in the lobby, a performance piece titled *The Maybe*. Swinton first performed the work at London's Serpentine Gallery in 1995, developed with Joanna Scanlan, and has reprised it only twice: at Rome's Museo Baracco in 1996 and at MoMA in 2013. The MoMA iteration, curated by Klaus Biesenbach, featured Swinton alone in the glass case for eight hours a day over seven days, without the historical curiosities that accompanied the original Serpentine installation. Swinton has stated in a 2024 interview that she intends to perform *The Maybe* again "when least expected."

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trending_up market schedule May 30, 2025 visibility 12 link 12 artists

georges lemmen record auction

Belgian Neo-Impressionist Georges Lemmen's painting *Jeune femme faisant du crochet (Julie Lemmen)* (1890) sold for $698,500 at Sotheby's New York on May 14, shattering its $50,000–$70,000 estimate and more than doubling the artist's previous auction record. The Pointillist portrait of the artist's sister, Julie Fréderique Lemmen, had been in a private Florida collection since 1960 and was consigned through Sotheby's online portal. The sale drew over a dozen bidders, including a museum, two dealers, and five private collectors, and was backed by an irrevocable bid.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 29, 2025 visibility 15 link 12 artists

berruguete restoration altarpiece

The Museum of Fine Arts in Bilbao has completed a restoration of Pedro Berruguete's *The Annunciation* (1485–1490), a painting that once formed part of an altarpiece likely for a church in Palencia, Spain. The work, on a five-year loan from the Arburu collection, had suffered from cracks, dirt, and oxidized varnish over centuries. Two specialists—Elisa Mora Sánchez for the paint layer and Mayte Camino Martín for the gilding—cleaned, repaired, and re-gilded the panel, revealing Berruguete's blend of Italian Renaissance, Flemish, and Castilian Gothic influences.

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article local schedule May 29, 2025 visibility 13 link 1 artist

washington dc street renamed alma thomas way

A street in Washington, D.C., where the acclaimed 20th-century painter Alma Thomas lived and worked for over seven decades was renamed "Alma Thomas Way" on Monday. The new signs now mark the block between 15th and Church streets and 15th and Q streets, near the red brick home at 1530 15th Street, NW, where Thomas maintained a studio in her kitchen. The renaming follows a bill introduced by D.C. council member Christina Henderson in May 2024, approved unanimously by the council, and signed into law by Mayor Muriel Bowser in October. A ceremony with about 30 attendees, including Thomas's grand nephew Charles Thomas Lewis and Susan Talley of the Friends of Alma Thomas group, commemorated the event.

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article policy schedule May 29, 2025 visibility 15 link 12 artists

neh stipends trump

The Trump administration is moving to eliminate the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) while simultaneously cutting its funding and reshaping its priorities. In early May, the NEH announced $9.55 million for 68 projects, a sharp drop from $26.2 million for 238 projects the previous year. The number of Summer Stipends was slashed from nearly 100 to just 18, with total funding cut by three-fourths to $144,000. Only one Media Project grant was awarded, down from ten. The administration has also sought to lay off NEH workers, cancel grants, and divert funds to a National Garden of American Heroes, a presidential pet project.

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trending_up market schedule May 26, 2025 visibility 20 link 9 artists

sothebys saunders old masters sale results

A Sotheby's single-owner sale of 55 Old Masters works from the collection of Jordan and Thomas A. Saunders III on May 21 achieved $64.7 million, falling well short of the $80–120 million estimate. The evening sale had a 58.5% sell-through rate, with 17 lots unsold and two withdrawn; a subsequent day sale on May 22 saw a similar 58.3% rate. Top lots included Francesco Guardi's Venetian views at $10.5 million, a record $8.8 million for Jan Davidsz. de Heem, and a record $7.37 million for Frans Post. Despite these highlights, the overall performance was dampened by high estimates, shifting collector tastes, and the prevalence of guarantees.

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trending_up market schedule May 23, 2025 visibility 21 link 11 artists

saunders collection old masters sothebys

The collection of Old Masters assembled by Thomas A. Saunders III and his wife Jordan sold for $64.7 million at Sotheby’s on May 21, falling below its low presale estimate but still becoming the most valuable trove of Old Masters ever sold in a single auction. Seven artist records were set, including Luis Meléndez’s *Still Life of a Cauliflower…* ($6.3 million) and Jan Davidsz. de Heem’s floral still life ($8.8 million). The top lot was Francesco Guardi’s twin landscapes of Venice ($10.5 million). A further 14 paintings sold the next day, bringing the collection’s total to $65.4 million.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 21, 2025 visibility 15 link 11 artists

suzanne valadon post impressionist painter

Suzanne Valadon, a self-taught French post-impressionist painter known for her brash, unflinching style and commitment to representation, is the subject of a major retrospective at the Centre Pompidou in Paris through May 26. The exhibition, simply titled "Suzanne Valadon," features 200 works and is part of a recent swell of attention that includes six major exhibitions in six years, highlighting her self-portraits, nudes, and depictions of the human body with unidealized realism.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 21, 2025 visibility 11 link 7 artists

going beyond fashion with charles james at the met

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's new Anna Wintour Costume Center opens with the exhibition "Charles James: Beyond Fashion," showcasing the work of the mid-century couturier often called "America's First Couturier." The show presents James's sculptural gowns—made of silk, tulle, and taffeta—on pedestals, accompanied by quotations that frame his designs as art. Highlights include the famous 10-pound "Clover Leaf Gown" and the "Taxi dress," a precursor to the wrap dress. The exhibition features animated video imaging by Diller Scofidio + Renfro that uses robotic cameras to reveal the architectural layers within the garments. The show runs from May 8 to August 10, 2014.

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trending_up market schedule May 21, 2025 visibility 16 link 12 artists

lalanne ostrich bar sothebys paris

François-Xavier Lalanne's functional sculpture "Ostrich Bar" (1965) sold for €11.1 million ($12.5 million) at Sotheby's Paris on May 20, far exceeding its €3–4 million estimate after an 11-minute bidding war. The piece, one of only six ever produced, features two porcelain ostriches gripping a metal shelf with a central egg for ice cubes; it was the artist's personal favorite, kept in his bedroom for over four decades. The sale took place within Sotheby's Important Design sale curated by model Betty Catroux.

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candle obituary schedule May 20, 2025 visibility 20 link 8 artists

bill horrigan curator video wexner center dead

Bill Horrigan, a pioneering curator who transformed Ohio's Wexner Center for the Arts into a leading destination for film and video art, died on May 15 after a long battle with amyloidosis. Over 34 years at the Columbus museum, he built a celebrated film and video program that attracted world-renowned artists like Chris Marker and Julia Scher, and organized landmark exhibitions for Mark Dion, Gretchen Bender, and Shirin Neshat. He also served as a curatorial adviser for the 2008 Whitney Biennial, helped program the Video Data Bank, and led the 1989 edition of Video Against AIDS.

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article news schedule May 19, 2025 visibility 24 link 25 artists

whitney museum cancels palestine performance independent study program

The Whitney Museum of American Art canceled a performance piece titled "No Aesthetics Outside My Freedom: Mourning, Militancy, and Performance" scheduled for May 14 as part of the Independent Study Program's exhibition "A Grammar of Attention." The performance, by artists Fadl Fakhouri, Noel Maghathe, and Fargo Tbakhi, was grounded in the struggle for Palestinian freedom. The museum cited a zero-tolerance policy for harassment after reviewing a video of a previous iteration where an artist called for anyone who believes in Israel or America to leave the audience and valorized specific acts of violence. Participants and the program's associate director accuse the museum of censorship and seeking greater control over the historically autonomous program.

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