These 16 Miami Art Week 2025 Exhibitions Are Already Creating Buzz Among Collectors

Miami Art Week 2025 is set to take place December 3–7, headlined by Art Basel Miami Beach (public days December 5–7) and concurrent fairs including Design Miami (20th anniversary) and NADA Miami. The article highlights 16 must-see exhibitions across venues such as the Miami Beach Convention Center, Wynwood, and the Miami Design District. Featured galleries include Pace Gallery (presenting Alexander Calder, Elmgreen & Dragset, James Turrell), Locks Gallery (Louise Bourgeois, Isamu Noguchi), Southern Guild (debuting at Art Basel with Zizipho Poswa and others), and Leon Tovar Gallery (focusing on Latin American women modernists).

Stephen Friedman to close New York gallery, two years after opening the Tribeca space

Stephen Friedman, the Canadian-born, London-based dealer, will close his New York gallery in Tribeca at the end of February 2026, less than three years after opening the space in October 2023. The decision is described as a strategic evolution to consolidate operations in London, where several new directors have been hired. The gallery's artist roster will remain unchanged, and Friedman plans to stay active in the US art scene through major fairs. The closure follows a challenging period marked by a £1.7m loss in 2023 due to renovation costs and a downturn in the art market, with cash flow currently tight after slow exhibition sales.

New York gallery Sperone Westwater to close after 50 years amid lawsuit between co-founders

Sperone Westwater, a prominent New York gallery representing artists like Richard Long and Bruce Nauman, will close at the end of 2025 after 50 years. The closure follows a lawsuit filed by co-founder Gian Enzo Sperone against fellow co-founder Angela Westwater, alleging unlawful handling of funds and a "parasitic deadlock" over the gallery's finances, including rent disputes and salary increases. The gallery will continue its current Richard Long exhibition until December 13 and participate in Art Basel Miami Beach before shutting down on December 31.

Comment | Galleries are looking to merch to keep spirits up—it's a joyful move in challenging times

The article discusses how galleries are increasingly turning to merchandise and playful, low-cost art items to maintain public engagement during a downturn in the art market. It cites the example of Lucy Sparrow's hand-stitched felt fish and chip shop at Lyndsey Ingram gallery in London, which drew large crowds and media attention but generated far less revenue than traditional fine art sales. The piece notes that while the global art market fell 12% to $57.5bn in the past year, according to the Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report, galleries like Unit and Palmer are offering items such as Gavin Turk T-shirts and Andy Holden records to attract visitors.

From New York to Cape Town: Discover 9 new galleries at Art Basel Paris

Art Basel Paris returns to the Grand Palais in 2025 with 206 exhibitors from 41 countries, including 29 first-time participants. The article highlights nine new galleries in the main sector, such as Stevenson (Cape Town), Lodovico Corsini (Brussels), Crèvecœur (Paris), Jan Kaps (Cologne), The Approach (London), and 47 Canal (New York), each presenting distinctive artists and works that reflect global contemporary art trends.

The Slow Death of the Contemporary Art Gallery

The article reports on the decline of the traditional contemporary art gallery model, driven by rising rents, changing collector behavior, and the rise of new artist categories. Tim Blum closed his Blum & Poe galleries in Los Angeles and Tokyo, citing systemic issues rather than market conditions. Art Basel and UBS data show the art market shrank overall but the number of sales increased, indicating a shift toward mid-priced works. Collectors are moving away from "blue-chip" artists toward "red-chip" artists who gain value through viral hype and cultural relevance, exemplified by Olaolu Slawn's accessible solo show at Saatchi Yates. Celebrities like actor Adrien Brody are also entering the market, though his work has been criticized as derivative. Meanwhile, smaller galleries like Tiwa Gallery, Landdd, and Marta are thriving by focusing on genuine connection, and retail spaces like Gentle Monster and Dover Street Market are blending art with commerce.

Basel's new satellite fair rides the wave of interest in contemporary African art

A new satellite art fair called Africa Basel has launched in Basel, Switzerland, founded by artist Benjamin Füglister and Photo Basel director Sven Eisenhut-Hug. The fair brings together 18 galleries, half from Africa, in a 14th-century building that once housed Dieter Roth's studio. Participants include non-commercial organizations like Ghana's Nubuke Foundation and Zambia's Modzi Arts, with prices ranging from SFr3,000 to SFr150,000. The fair aims to provide a platform for galleries specializing in contemporary African art and its diaspora to enter the global scene.

In tough times for dealers, Art Basel debuts a section for new works

Art Basel is introducing a new section called Premiere at its upcoming fair, designed for galleries to present works created within the last five years by up to three artists, organized around a loose curatorial concept. The inaugural section features ten exhibitors, mostly smaller to mid-sized galleries showing mid-career artists, with prices ranging from €5,000 to $85,000. The section is priced at SFr22,000 for a 32 sq. m stand, cheaper than the main section but more expensive than the emerging-artist-focused Statements section, which can be financially risky for dealers.

‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way’: Georg Baselitz incorporates his wheelchair into his art

Georg Baselitz, the 87-year-old German painter, has incorporated his wheelchair into his artistic process for a new series of 22 large-format paintings, 14 ink-on-paper drawings, and his first sculpture in over a decade. The works, made by spreading canvases on the floor and using the wheelchair's tracks to create swirling parallel lines, are on view at Thaddaeus Ropac in Pantin, Paris, in an exhibition titled 'Ein Bein von Manet aus Paris' (until 26 July). The show continues Baselitz's long exploration of the human figure, particularly his wife Elke, while introducing a novel technique that turns his mobility aid into a mark-making tool.

A Struggle Between Artist and Machine

Ein Ringen zwischen Künstler und Maschine

Mario Klingemann, a pioneer of AI art, presents "Conflict of Interest," a pop-up exhibition at Sleek Art Space in Berlin during Gallery Weekend. Curated by Anika Meier and produced in collaboration with Art on Tezos, the show features works that challenge the flood of AI-generated imagery. Klingemann displays mundane landscape photographs from private slides, a series called "Weapons of Mass Distraction" where he disrupts an AI algorithm's image generation, and a haunting 2020 video in which AI-generated faces morph to music. The exhibition makes visible the struggle between human control and machine logic.

Georg Baselitz ist tot

German artist Georg Baselitz has died at the age of 88. According to Galerie Thaddeus Ropac, he passed away peacefully on Thursday. Born Hans-Georg Bruno Kern in 1938 in Deutschbaselitz, Saxony, Baselitz fled East Germany in 1957 after political repression and academic conflicts. His first solo exhibition in West Berlin in 1963 was shut down due to scandal, and works were confiscated. He became internationally known in the late 1960s for his radical upside-down painting, a signature inversion that destabilized pictorial logic. He also created an extensive sculptural body of work. Key career milestones include representing Germany at the Venice Biennale in 1980 alongside Anselm Kiefer, multiple Documenta appearances, the Praemium Imperiale in 2004, and election to the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 2019. Major late-career exhibitions included "Nackte Meister" at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna in 2023.

Nairy Baghramian and Ibrahim Mahama to create major new commissions for Art Basel 2026.

Art Basel has announced that Nairy Baghramian and Ibrahim Mahama will create major new site-specific sculptures for the 2026 edition of its flagship fair in Switzerland. Baghramian will present "Modèle vivant (S’empilant)" (2026), an elaborate installation designed for the Messeplatz fountain, while Mahama's commission details are yet to be fully disclosed. Both artists are part of Art Basel's inaugural class of Gold Awardees, with the commissions first revealed in February 2026.

2026 Art Basel Award Winners Announced

Art Basel has unveiled the 33 medalists for its 2026 global honors program, recognizing a diverse group of artists, curators, and institutions. The selection highlights a strong Southeast Asian presence, including architect Kulapat Yantrasast and filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul, alongside international figures like Laurie Anderson and Julie Mehretu. These awards celebrate practitioners across categories such as Emerging Artist, Established Artist, and Cross-Disciplinary Creator, with winners to be celebrated at the upcoming Basel fair in June.

paris art dealer found guilty harassing brigitte macron 1234768919

A Paris art dealer, Bertrand Scholler, cofounder of gallery 55 Bellechasse, was among 10 people found guilty of online harassment for falsely claiming that French First Lady Brigitte Macron was born male. The court issued suspended sentences, fines, and a six-month ban from X, with the defendants also ordered to pay compensation. Scholler, who has over 108,000 followers on X, announced he would close his account for six months in compliance with the court order.

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Dubai has announced plans for its first museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art, the Dubai Museum of Art (DUMA), designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Located along Dubai Creek, the five-story museum will feature a curved shell inspired by the sea and pearl, with a central roof opening, library, study rooms, and flexible spaces for art fairs. The project is developed by the Al-Futtaim Group with support from Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. No opening date has been set.

art market minute dec 8 2725081

The article reports strong sales across Miami art fairs, particularly at Art Basel Miami Beach, where Beeple's "Regular Animals"—robotic dogs with hyper-realistic heads of billionaires—were a major attraction in the new digital art section Zero10. It also notes that three art-world heavyweights are launching a new gallery focused on secondary market sales, and that the Art Dealers Association of America is launching a new art fair after canceling its long-running Art Show.

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The Art Angle podcast team reviews three major art stories from June. First, Canyon, a new museum-like venue dedicated to immersive video art, has been announced for New York's Lower East Side. Second, the team discusses the outcomes of Art Basel in Switzerland, the art world's most important fair, and ongoing volatility in art pricing. Third, they examine the buzz—and mockery—surrounding Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody's painting exhibition in New York City. Culture editor Min Chen joins host Ben Davis and senior editor Kate Brown to analyze these developments.

Walter Pichler “Die Bleche und ich gehen heim” at Contemporary Fine Arts, Basel

Walter Pichler's exhibition "Die Bleche und ich gehen heim" (The Sheets of Metal and I Are Going Home) is being presented at Contemporary Fine Arts in Basel. The show features a significant body of the artist's work, stemming from a long-standing relationship between the gallery and Pichler that began with an invitation in 1994.

[Interview] Framing Space Through the Human Experience: Michael Najjar x Samsung Art Store

German artist and future astronaut Michael Najjar has partnered with the Samsung Art Store to feature his work "europa" (2016) as part of the Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 Collection. Najjar, who is scheduled to become the first contemporary artist in space via a 2027 Virgin Galactic flight, uses his practice to explore the intersection of technology, space exploration, and human ambition. The collaboration allows his large-scale digital constructions to be displayed on Samsung Art TVs, bridging the gap between the physical art fair and domestic environments.

Otobong Nkanga: ‘I Dreamt of You in Colours’

Artist Otobong Nkanga has unveiled a major new installation titled 'I Dreamt of You in Colours' at the Kunsthalle Basel. The immersive, site-specific work explores themes of memory, landscape, and the extraction of natural resources through a complex tapestry of textiles, drawings, and sculptural elements.

Photomontage of Israel bombing Gaza will go on show at Art Basel Qatar

Pakistani artist Rashid Rana's photomontage 'Black Square (2025)' will be presented at the inaugural Art Basel Qatar fair. The work, composed of hundreds of stills from a Gaza CCTV camera, depicts a night of Israeli bombardment and is priced at $30,000, with all proceeds directed to Gaza relief funds. It is being shown by Mumbai gallery Chemould Prescott Road.

Sotheby’s Origins II Returns to Riyadh

Sotheby’s is returning to Riyadh for the second edition of its Origins sale, titled Origins II, with a live auction scheduled for 31 January. The sale will feature over 70 lots spanning Modern and Contemporary Art, Ancient Sculpture, and 20th-Century Design, including works by Saudi pioneer Safeya Binzagr, Iraqi artist Mahmoud Sabri, and Pablo Picasso. The auction coincides with the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale and the debut of Art Basel Doha, and will be preceded by a public exhibition at Diriyah’s Bujairi Terrace from 24 to 31 January.

Observer’s 2025 Art Market Recap: Recovery After a Year of Recalibration

After a turbulent start marked by gallery closures and market contraction, the art market in 2025 rebounded decisively, driven by a secondary-market surge in high-quality consignments. Major auction houses reported strong year-end results: Sotheby's projects $7 billion in consolidated sales (up 17%), Christie's expects $6.2 billion (up 7%), and Phillips reported $927 million (up 10%). Key sales included the $272 million Leonard & Louise Riggio collection at Christie's, the $527.5 million Lauder collection at Sotheby's (led by a $236.4 million Gustav Klimt), and the $136 million Karpidas sales. The year began quietly but gained momentum after summer, with deep bidding and strategic pricing driving a 26% increase in Sotheby's auction revenue and an 11% overall rise in fine art sales across Old Masters, Impressionist, Modern, Post-War and Contemporary categories.

Pablo Picasso and Safeya Binzagr headline Sotheby’s second sale in Saudi Arabia

Sotheby's will hold its second auction in Saudi Arabia, Origins II, on January 31 in Diriyah, featuring works by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Anish Kapoor, and Middle Eastern artists including Safeya Binzagr and Mohammed Al Saleem. The sale spans categories from ancient sculpture to contemporary South Asian art, with highlights including Picasso's 'Paysage' (1965, est. $2-3 million) and Binzagr's 'Coffee Shop in Madina Road' (1968, est. $150,000-200,000).

A Calibrated Market: How 2025 Shaped the Landscape for Collectors in 2026

The article analyzes the art market in 2025, describing a year of divergence rather than a single trend. While aggregate sales remained below post-pandemic peaks, the year ended with a billion-dollar New York auction week, a record-setting Klimt portrait, and strong demand for exceptional works. Segments like Old Master auctions and the $1 million–$10 million band saw growth, while the ultra-contemporary segment struggled. Key events included the May marquee auctions in New York, the second edition of Art Basel Paris, and November sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, which demonstrated a split-level market with record highs at the top and discipline elsewhere.

Ecuador's Bienal de Cuenca marks 40th anniversary with a playful theme but a serious tone

The 17th Bienal de Cuenca, titled "The Game," opened on 24 October in Cuenca, Ecuador, marking its 40th anniversary. The biennial features 51 artists selected by 17 international curators, with works displayed across multiple venues including museums, gardens, and the airport. The event highlights artists and curators from the Global South, focusing on social and political concerns rather than market priorities. It opened just two days after political protests ended, with a ceremony featuring an Andean ritual led by artist Carmen Vicente, whose installation "Infinite Steps" won the acquisition prize.

Art Week holdovers: Here are some exhibits you can still catch in Miami

Miami Art Week has concluded, but several exhibitions remain on view for locals to enjoy. The article highlights shows at venues including Collective 62, El Espacio 23, Fifth & Biscayne Micro Gallery, KDR Gallery, Spinello Projects, and Locust Project, featuring artists such as Tara Long, Susan Kim Alvarez, and Jennifer Basile. These exhibitions range from text-based art and photography to large-scale installations, with closing dates extending through early 2026.

Museum acquires massive Martin Wong triptych from Art Basel Miami Beach

Martin Wong's monumental 12-foot-wide triptych *Tai Ping Tien Kuo (Tai Ping Kuo)* (1982) sold for $1.6 million to a US museum during Art Basel Miami Beach. The work, shown publicly for only the second time ever, was displayed at the booth of New York gallery PPOW. It had previously been exhibited in 1987 at New York's Asian Arts Institute and remained in storage for decades. The painting will next travel to Wrightwood 659 in Chicago for a forthcoming Wong exhibition.

Comment | Fine balance: fairs up the exclusivity while appealing to younger clients

Art Basel Paris in October introduced a new ultra-exclusive preview called Avant Première, catering to top-tier galleries with seven- and eight-figure works, while some emerging exhibitors felt sidelined. Meanwhile, the fair's organizers dropped the term "VIP," renaming its dedicated department to "collector and institutional relations," as CEO Noah Horowitz explained that the term could be off-putting to a new generation of buyers. Parallel events like Trauma, a curatorial platform founded by artist Adrian Ghenie, and the Basel Social Club offered more inclusive, youth-driven alternatives, though they still maintained guest lists.

At Art Basel Miami Beach, a new space reimagines art in the digital age

Art Basel Miami Beach will debut a new curated space called Zero 10, dedicated to digital and new media art, at its upcoming fair in the Miami Beach Convention Center. The centerpiece is an interactive installation by American artist Beeple featuring robot dogs with human heads modeled after public figures like Andy Warhol, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk, which will photograph fairgoers and offer NFTs. The space, curated by Eli Scheinman, includes works by pioneers such as Manfred Mohr and Larva Labs, alongside galleries like Pace Gallery and platforms like Art Blocks, exploring themes of AI, robotics, and generative systems. The name references Kazimir Malevich's 1915 exhibition '0,10', signaling a push into new artistic terrain.