Strong sales and digital art buzz mark Art Basel Miami Beach opening

Art Basel Miami Beach opened with a VIP preview that saw strong sales across price points, from blue-chip acquisitions to mid-range works. David Zwirner led with a Gerhard Richter painting for $5.5 million, while Hauser & Wirth sold a George Condo for $4 million. The debut of Zero 10, a platform for digital art, sold out its presentation. Other notable sales included works by Alice Neel, Josef Albers, Louise Bourgeois, and Andreas Gursky, with galleries like Pace, White Cube, and Gladstone also reporting significant transactions.

A gold toilet and the most expensive modern artwork ever sold at auction boost the New York market

Sotheby's New York held a landmark auction evening on November 18, 2025, featuring two headline-grabbing lots: Gustav Klimt's 'Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer' (1914-16), which sold for $236.4 million, becoming the most expensive modern artwork ever sold at auction, and Maurizio Cattelan's solid-gold toilet 'America', which sold for a disappointing $12.1 million after a single bid. The Klimt came from the collection of the late cosmetics heir Leonard Lauder, whose two-night auction total reached $527.5 million. The toilet, previously owned by investor Steve Cohen, had been commissioned when gold prices were far lower, ensuring the seller a profit regardless of the modest bidding.

Modern & Contemporary African and Middle Eastern Art at Olympia Auctions

Olympia Auctions will hold a sale of Modern & Contemporary African and Middle Eastern Art on 29 October 2025, featuring 66 lots curated by specialists Janet Rady and Elikem Logan. Highlights include works by Ben Enwonwu, Oluwole Omofemi, Johnson Ocheja, Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, and South African women weavers from the Rorke’s Drift Art and Craft Centre, with estimates ranging from £1,000 to £25,000.

An expert’s guide to Robert Rauschenberg: five must-read books on the US artist

To mark the 100th anniversary of Robert Rauschenberg's birth, over half a dozen exhibitions have been organized worldwide, led by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. Shows include "Five Friends" at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne and "Robert Rauschenberg: Fabric Works of the 1970s" at the Menil Collection in Houston. Michelle White, senior curator at the Menil, has selected five key books that illuminate different facets of the artist's life and career, from Calvin Tomkins's biography to a catalogue on Rauschenberg's early 1950s work.

After 50 years, LA Louver is closing its gallery in Venice, California

LA Louver, the longest-running gallery in Los Angeles, is closing its Venice, California space after 50 years in business. Founder Peter Goulds, who turns 77 next month, is transitioning the gallery into a private dealing model with pop-up exhibitions from its Jefferson Boulevard warehouse in West Adams. The Venice space will be listed for sale but remain open by appointment to sell inventory. The gallery is also donating its extensive archive to the Huntington Library in San Marino, which includes papers of writers like Octavia Butler and Christopher Isherwood.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Announces Its MetLiveArts Fall and Winter 2025–26 Season

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced its MetLiveArts fall and winter 2025–26 season, featuring world premiere performances and commissions created specifically for the museum's galleries, as well as concerts in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium. The season highlights a significant number of new works by female artists, including composers and musicians Gabriela Ortiz, Wu Man, Hanzhi Wang, Emily Wells, Layale Chaker, and Leilehua Lanzilotti. Performances will draw inspiration from the Met's collection and special exhibitions like 'Man Ray: When Objects Dream,' with events beginning September 9, 2025, featuring Wu Man and The Knights. The season also includes the JACK Quartet as the museum's 2025–26 Quartet in Residence and the appointment of Sarah Jones as Head of Live Arts.

Artists Decry Centre Pompidou’s Cancellation of Caribbean Art Exhibition

Nearly 150 artists, curators, and cultural figures signed an open letter denouncing the Centre Pompidou-Metz's abrupt cancellation of an exhibition centering on contemporary Franco-Creole, Caribbean French, and Guyanese art. The survey, titled "Van Lévé: Sovereign Visions from the Maroon and Creole Americas and Amazonia," was slated to run from October 2026 to April 2027 and would have featured artists including Julien Creuzet, Gaëlle Choisne, and the late Hervé Télémaque. Guest curator Claire Tancons had raised concerns about a scheduling overlap with Maurizio Cattelan's ongoing exhibition, leading to tense exchanges with museum director Chiara Parisi before the museum formally canceled the show on June 10, citing a "particularly difficult budgetary context."

Kew Gardens to host largest-ever open-air Henry Moore show

Kew Gardens in London will host the largest-ever open-air exhibition of Henry Moore's sculptures from May to September 2026, titled "Henry Moore: Monumental Nature." Thirty works, including major bronzes like "Large Two Forms" and "Oval with Points (1968-70)," will be displayed across the 320-acre Unesco World Heritage site, with additional pieces in the Temperate House. The Henry Moore Foundation is lending most works, while 90 more pieces—including prints and drawings—will be shown indoors at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery, with loans from Tate and the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts. Four sculptures will also be exhibited at Kew's Wakehurst botanic garden in Sussex alongside contemporary commissions.

Global Art Market Report 2024–2025

The global art market saw total sales of $57.5 billion in 2024, a 12% decline year-on-year, marking the second consecutive annual drop. Transaction volumes rose 3% to about 40.5 million, driven by works under $50,000 which made up 85% of dealer sales. Sotheby's and Christie's together accounted for roughly half of global fine-art auction turnover, though both saw significant auction revenue declines. The United States led with 43% of global sales, while China's market share fell to 15%, its lowest since 2009. Online art sales grew to 18% of total value, and new buyer momentum was strong, with 44% of dealer buyers being new and 91% of high-net-worth collectors optimistic.

Phillips Installs Robert Manley and Miety Heiden in Top Posts Amid Market Shifts

Phillips has appointed Robert Manley as chairman of modern and contemporary art and Miety Heiden as chairman of private sales, following the departure of Cheyenne Westphal and Jean-Paul Engelen. Manley, who joined Phillips in 2016, has secured major consignments including the collection of Francesco Pellizzi and the Pop Art trove of Miles and Shirley Fiterman, while Heiden has driven a 46 percent growth in annual private sales. The appointments come after Phillips' $51.9 million Modern and Contemporary Evening Sale, which reinforced the auction house's strength in the contemporary segment.

Somali Artists Take Issue With Nation's First-Ever Venice Biennale Pavilion

Somalia's first-ever national pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale has sparked controversy, with local cultural organizations accusing organizers of excluding Somalia-based artists. The pavilion, titled SADDEXLEEY, features only diaspora artists—Somali-Swedish painter Ayan Farfah, Somali-Danish poet Asmaa Jama, and Somali-British poet Warsan Shire—while the Somalia Arts Foundation (SAF) and queer collective Warbixinta Cidda have denounced the appointment of Italian co-curator Fabio Scrivanti, citing colonial tensions. SAF founder Sagal Ali and others allege that artists in Somalia were not meaningfully consulted, and that organizers used intimidation tactics against critics. The pavilion's organizers claim it includes Mogadishu-based painter 4C and will host accompanying events, but details remain unconfirmed.

Jitish Kallat appointed Kochi-Muziris Biennale president

The Kochi Biennale Foundation has appointed contemporary artist and curator Jitish Kallat as the new president of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. He will chair the selection committee for the next edition's curator, succeeding co-founder Bose Krishnamachari, who resigned earlier this year.

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Appoints Essence Harden as Senior Curator

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) in San Francisco has appointed Essence Harden as senior curator, effective May 18. Harden currently serves as curator of Expo Chicago and has organized the Focus section of Frieze Los Angeles since 2024, roles they will continue with YBCA's support. An independent curator, Harden recently co-curated the 2025 Made in L.A. biennial at the Hammer Museum and previously held positions at the California African American Museum, Orange County Museum of Art, Art + Practice, Museum of the African Diaspora, and Oakland Museum of California. A Bay Area native, Harden's hiring marks a homecoming.

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Carly Murphy, Christie’s head of client strategy for the Americas, is leaving the auction house to join Art Basel as global head of collector and institutional relations, a newly created position. She will report to Vincenzo de Bellis, the fair’s chief artistic officer and global director of fairs, and begins later this month. The move comes as the art market faces slowing sales, with global art and antiques sales falling 12% in 2024 to $57.5 billion, according to the latest Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report.

dealer michael ward charged by manhattan da 2379589

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has charged veteran New York antiquities dealer Michael Ward with criminal facilitation following an investigation into the illicit trade of cultural property. Ward, who operated his Upper East Side gallery for nearly forty years, was convicted in September for his role in facilitating the sale of stolen artifacts, including a 1st-century gilded bronze plaque. Court documents reveal a broader pattern of misconduct involving 40 objects stolen from Italy, Greece, and Turkey, with a total value reaching into the millions.

art criticism lynne tillman paying attention book

Lynne Tillman celebrated the publication of her new collection, *Paying Attention: Essays on Art and Culture*, from David Zwirner Books, at an event hosted by Coco’s at Colette. The article features a conversation between Tillman and the author, in which she discusses her origin story as a critic, her background in fiction writing, and her unconventional entry into art criticism through an invitation from Craig Owens at *Art in America*. She recounts writing a Madame Realism story about a Renoir exhibition after eavesdropping on museum tours, a piece that angered some art historians.

A Political Anthology of the United States: The Great Exhibition of Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince in Venice

Un’antologia politica degli Stati Uniti. La grande mostra di Arthur Jafa e Richard Prince a Venezia

Fondazione Prada presents "Helter Skelter: Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince" at Cà Corner della Regina in Venice, the 15th exhibition produced by the foundation in the city. Curated by Nancy Spector of the Brooklyn Museum, the two-person show brings together over fifty works—photographs, videos, installations, sculptures, and paintings—that explore the fractured identity of the United States through the lens of race, masculinity, popular culture, and appropriation. Both artists, though separated by more than a decade in age, share a practice of scavenging and recontextualizing images from film, comics, advertising, and social media to critique American society.

The Museums of Verona have a new director. "This city can become a cultural laboratory," says Lorenzo Balbi

I Musei di Verona hanno un nuovo direttore. “Questa città può diventare un laboratorio culturale”, dice Lorenzo Balbi

Lorenzo Balbi, currently director of MAMbo in Bologna, has been appointed as the new director of the Musei di Verona, a civic museum network that includes the Arena di Verona, Casa di Giulietta, Museo Archeologico al Teatro Romano, Museo Civico di Storia naturale, Museo degli Affreschi di G. B. Cavalcaselle, Museo di Castelvecchio, Museo Lapidario Maffeiano, and Galleria d’Arte Moderna Achille Forti. He will take office in September 2026, selected for his strategic vision to revitalize the system as a hub for cultural production, civic participation, and international dialogue.

The best and worst we saw at the Venice Art Biennale 2026. Artribune's hits and flops

Il meglio e il peggio che abbiamo visto alla Biennale d’Arte di Venezia 2026. Top e flop di Artribune

The 61st Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" and directed by Koyo Kouoh, opened amid significant turmoil: the death of a newly appointed curator, diplomatic tensions over the presence of Russia and Israel, political protests, and the unprecedented collective resignation of the jury, which led to the Golden Lions being awarded by public vote for the first time. Despite this chaotic backdrop, the exhibition—featuring a record 100 national pavilions—has been widely praised for avoiding moralistic pedagogy and instead embracing visual seduction, formal quality, and sensory joy while addressing themes of identity, memory, colonialism, ecological crisis, and violence. The article highlights top and flop moments from the opening week, including strong showings by Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco and a standout exhibition at Fondazione Prada.

Beauty by Volume: On the Art-Book Trail of Chicago

This article is a guide to finding art books in Chicago, tracing a walking trail that begins at the Chicago History Museum and continues to the Graham Foundation and the Newberry Library. The author reflects on beloved but now-closed art bookstores like Rizzoli's Water Tower Place, Prairie Avenue Bookshop, and Golden Age, then proposes a contemporary route for discovering art, architecture, and design books in the city's remaining cultural institutions and museum shops.

Three artists, three questions: Immersed in colors

Three Israeli artists—Vera Kunis, Avraham Kan, and Tal Tenne Czaczkes—are featured in a column exploring their use of color amid the ongoing war with Iran. Kunis, a data engineer and artist, opened her first solo exhibition, "Imagination Algorithm," at the Global Art Gallery in Tel Aviv on March 10, 2026, during the conflict. The interview was conducted remotely due to war conditions, with a siren interrupting the conversation. The artists discuss their inspirations, definitions of art, and what makes their work unique, emphasizing resilience and optimism through color.

Art and politics clash at Venice Biennale, as world conflicts upstage exhibition's opening

The 61st Venice Biennale, the world's most prestigious art exhibition, opens under unprecedented turmoil. For the first time, its vision was shaped by the late Cameroonian curator Koyo Kouoh, who centered artists from Africa and its diaspora. However, political conflicts over Russia and Israel have overshadowed the art. All five jurors resigned after the Italian culture minister investigated their decision to withhold prizes from Russia and Israel over alleged crimes against humanity. Protests erupted at the Russian pavilion, with Pussy Riot activists denouncing Russia's participation, while the Israeli pavilion artist threatened legal action over the jury's snub. The Biennale will proceed without a jury, with visitors voting for two awards, and the fate of the Golden Lion remains uncertain.

Australian artist Khaled Sabsabi reveals details of presentations in the Australia Pavilion and in the International Exhibition In Minor Keys at Biennale Arte 2026 – News Hub

Australian artist Khaled Sabsabi will present two major installations at the 2026 Venice Biennale. At the Australia Pavilion, he unveils "conference of one’s self," an immersive multisensory work featuring eight monumental canvas paintings, video projections, and a soundscape inspired by a 12th-century Sufi allegory. Simultaneously, he becomes the first Australian artist to also exhibit in the International Exhibition, titled "In Minor Keys" curated by Koyo Kouoh, with a second installation called "khalil" at the Arsenale. Both works explore spirituality, migration, and shared humanity through a framework of Sufi thought.

Khaled Sabsabi Unveils Biennale Arte 2026 Showcase

Khaled Sabsabi will represent Australia at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026 with two major installations. At the Australia Pavilion, he presents "conference of one's self," an immersive multisensory installation featuring eight monumental canvas paintings, suspended video projectors, and an analogue soundscape, all inspired by the 12th-century Sufi allegory "The Conference of the Birds." In a historic first for an Australian artist, Sabsabi also debuts a second work, "khalil," in the Biennale's main exhibition "In Minor Keys" curated by Koyo Kouoh at the Arsenale. Both works explore spirituality, migration, and shared humanity through a Sufi philosophical framework.

Recommissioned Rebels

The exhibition "Monuments," co-organized by The Brick and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), features ten former Confederate monuments removed from public spaces across the American South. Highlights include Kara Walker's reconfigured "Unmanned Drone" (formerly Charlottesville's Stonewall Jackson monument), Richmond's toppled Jefferson Davis statue, and a graffitied Matthew Fontaine Maury statue. Co-curator Hamza Walker explains the show began after the 2015 Charleston church shooting and gained urgency following George Floyd's murder in 2020, involving complex negotiations with city governments and stewards to secure the politically charged pieces.

Turner prize 2026 shortlist points to sculpture as a way of thinking about power, ecology and belief

The Turner Prize 2026 shortlist has been announced, featuring four artists—Simeon Barclay, Marguerite Humeau, Kira Freije, and a fourth unnamed artist—whose practices are rooted in sculpture and installation. The jury, chaired by Alex Farquharson (director of Tate Britain) and including Sarah Allen, Joe Hill, Sook-Kyung Lee, and Alona Pardo, praised the artists for their material intelligence and ability to link sculptural language to systems of power, memory, and belief. Barclay's work combines performance and industrial materials to explore British national identity, Humeau's speculative sculptures investigate non-human intelligence and belief systems, and Freije's hybrid figures examine vulnerability and identity through fabric and metal.

Sally Tallant, director of New York’s Queens Museum, to lead London’s Hayward Gallery

Sally Tallant, currently director of the Queens Museum in New York, has been appointed director of the Hayward Gallery and visual arts at the Southbank Centre in London. She will succeed Ralph Rugoff, who steps down in spring after 20 years. Tallant previously worked as an assistant curator at the Hayward in 2001 and later led the Liverpool Biennial from 2011 to 2019. She will begin her new role in July, while Rugoff will oversee a major Anish Kapoor retrospective opening in June.

Thai pharma dynasty opens doors to 1,000-piece contemporary collection

The Dib Bangkok museum, housing a 1,000-piece contemporary art collection amassed by the late Thai businessman and musician Petch Osathanugrah, opened this month in a converted 1980s warehouse in Bangkok. The project was completed by his son Purat 'Chang' Osathanugrah, president of Bangkok University and CEO of Zipcode, with inaugural director Miwako Tezuka (formerly of Asia Society Museum) leading the institution. The 7,000 sq. m space, designed by architect Kulapat Yantrasast of WHY Architecture, features 11 galleries, a courtyard, sculpture garden, and a satellite project space called Dib26.

Under the Bridge, Beyond the Gloss: DUMBO’s Art Scene Defies Its Gentrified Image

The article reports on the First Thursday Gallery Walk in DUMBO, Brooklyn, a monthly event where galleries, artist studios, and creative spaces stay open late for exhibitions, artist talks, and performances. The author attended the latest iteration, starting with a rooftop cocktail party at the Jay 20 building, which houses nearly 200 artists and programs like the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program. The walk highlighted over 20 galleries and 170 artist studios, including Smack Mellon and A.I.R. Gallery, as well as public art initiatives like the Dumbo Projection Project.

The Getty hires Justine Ludwig of Creative Time to run PST Art

The Getty has hired Justine Ludwig, currently the executive director of Creative Time in New York, as the creative director of PST Art, a newly created position. Ludwig will relocate to California and start on October 27, leading a team that includes Zachary Kaplan and Tina Lee, with plans to expand the department. The Getty has spent around $50 million on PST Art over two decades but previously lacked a dedicated team for the event. Ludwig's appointment comes as the Getty prepares for the 2030 edition and aims to refine the program, including working closely with smaller partner museums and non-profits.