art best most iconic photos of the 21st century

Cultured magazine asked 25 photographers to each select a single image for a time capsule representing the first quarter of the 21st century. The resulting portfolio includes works by Juergen Teller (a Balenciaga ad featuring Putin, Trump, and climate imagery), Sinna Nasseri (a cat amid a California wildfire), Naima Green (a domestic scene mediated by smartphones), Lele Saveri (a critique of property ownership), and Trevor Paglen (a CIA black site in Kabul), among others.

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.

Rothko from Robert Mnuchin collection fetches US$85.8m, becoming artist’s second-priciest work at auction

A red-and-black Mark Rothko painting, *Brown and Blacks in Reds* (1957), sold for US$85.8 million at Sotheby’s New York on May 14, becoming the artist’s second-most expensive work at auction. The canvas came from the collection of Robert Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs partner turned gallerist, and was the star lot of a dedicated 11-lot evening sale that totaled US$166.3 million. The winning bid was placed by Sotheby’s chairman Helena Newman on behalf of a telephone client, with the hammer falling at US$74 million against an estimate of US$70–100 million. The painting was originally owned by Joseph E. Seagram & Sons and hung in the lobby of the Seagram Building, a landmark of corporate modernism designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson.

Hydrojustice: A Review

A Non-Aspirational Justice: Review of Hydrojustice

The article is a critical review of Andreas Philippopoulos-Mihalopoulos's book 'Hydrojustice,' which uses the concept of water as a lens to critique traditional, top-down legal justice and propose a more fluid, collective, and embodied alternative. The review frames this analysis through the recent erasure of a Banksy graffiti piece on the London Courts of Justice, which depicted a judge violently silencing a protester.

Sotheby’s Pulls In $303.9 M. in a Solid but Subdued Modern Evening Sale Led by $48 M. Matisse

Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction on Tuesday night achieved $303.9 million in total sales, with 98% of lots sold, led by Henri Matisse’s *La Chaise lorraine* at $48.4 million—the second-highest price ever for a Matisse painting at auction. Other top lots included Pablo Picasso’s *Arlequin (Buste)* (1909), which sold for $42.6 million, and works by Alberto Giacometti and Vincent van Gogh. However, bidding was often cautious, with few prolonged contests, and the total fell below the presale high estimate of $320.2 million, reflecting a tempered market atmosphere.

At the Venice Biennale, Koyo Kouoh’s ‘In Minor Keys’ Looks Deeply at Lush Gardens and a Scarred Earth

Koyo Kouoh's exhibition 'In Minor Keys' at the 2026 Venice Biennale centers on the practices of two deceased artists, Issa Samb and Beverly Buchanan, whose ways of thinking animate the show through dedicated 'Shrines' in the Central Pavilion. The exhibition also draws on Marcel Duchamp's legacy, featuring works by over a dozen contemporary artists including Akinbode Akinbiyi, Guadalupe Rosales, Natalia Lassalle-Morillo, Guadalupe Maravilla, Sofía Gallisá Muriente, and Avi Mograbi, whose installation 'Between a River and a Sea' contrasts pre-1948 business directories with a 2023 Gaza Yellow Pages. A section called 'The Schools' highlights artist-run spaces such as Denniston Hill, Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation, blaxTARLINES, and the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute.

The Big Review: Rothko in Florence ★★★★★

The Palazzo Strozzi in Florence has launched a major exhibition exploring the profound influence of the Italian Renaissance on Mark Rothko. Co-curated by the artist's son, Christopher Rothko, the show spans three historic locations: the Palazzo Strozzi, the Museo di San Marco, and the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana. By placing Rothko’s abstract canvases in direct dialogue with Fra Angelico’s frescoes and Michelangelo’s architecture, the exhibition highlights how the artist’s visits to Italy in the 1950s and 60s shaped his spatial thinking and spiritual intensity.

2026 Guggenheim Fellowships Go to Sonya Clark, John Miller, and American Artist

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has announced its 101st class of fellows, awarding 223 scholars and artists across 55 disciplines for 2026. Selected from a pool of nearly 5,000 applicants, the new cohort includes prominent visual artists such as Sonya Clark, John Miller, American Artist, and Kota Ezawa. The fellowships provide significant financial grants to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts.

From ‘Game of Thrones’ to ‘Downton Abbey’—Iconic Costumes Go on View in Scotland

An exhibition titled "Costume Couture: Sixty Years of Cosprop" is opening at Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh, featuring over 80 iconic costumes from major film and television productions such as 'Game of Thrones,' 'Downton Abbey,' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean.' The show, which premiered last year in London, celebrates the six-decade legacy of the renowned costume house Cosprop, founded by Oscar-winning designer John Bright.

quartet of masterpieces by monet signac degas and leger to headline sothebys spring modern contemporary sale in london

Four major paintings by Claude Monet, Paul Signac, Edgar Degas, and Fernand Léger will be offered at Sotheby's Modern and Contemporary evening sale in London on March 4. The works have a combined high estimate of £24 million, led by Monet's rare Italian Riviera scene 'Maison de Jardinier' (1884) with an £8.5 million high estimate.

moma ps1 greater new york 2026 artist list

MoMA PS1 has announced the 53 artists selected for the 2026 edition of its quinquennial exhibition, Greater New York. The show, opening April 16, is organized by the museum's in-house curatorial staff and focuses on artists living and working in New York City, with a strong emphasis on early and mid-career practitioners. It notably features only one deceased artist, painter Jay Carrier.

klimt record sothebys london

Gustav Klimt's final portrait, 'Dame mit Fächer (Lady With a Fan),' sold for £85.3 million ($108.4 million) at Sotheby's London, setting a new record for the most expensive work of art ever auctioned in Europe. The painting, which was still on Klimt's easel when he died in 1918, surpassed its pre-sale estimate of over £65 million after a ten-minute bidding war.

museum exhibitions shows europe 2026

Artnet News has published a preview of major European museum exhibitions opening in early 2026. Highlights include a monographic show on Paul Cézanne at Fondation Beyeler (January 25–May 25), featuring 80 works from his late career; “Yellow. Beyond Van Gogh’s Favourite Colour” at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (February 13–May 17), exploring the color yellow across art, fashion, and literature; a solo exhibition by conceptual artist Danh Vo at the Stedelijk Museum (February 14–August 2); and “The First Homosexuals” at Kunstmuseum Basel (March 7–August 2), examining the intersection of emerging homosexual identity and the arts in the late 19th century.

jack whitten 2025 artnews awards historical artist

Jack Whitten is the recipient of the 2025 ARTnews Award for his retrospective "Jack Whitten: The Messenger" at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, running from March 23 to August 2, 2025. Curated by Michelle Kuo with Helena Klevorn, Dana Liljegren, and David Sledge, the exhibition features 175 works spanning Whitten's six-decade career, highlighting his innovative use of acrylic paint, his custom squeegee-like tool called the Developer, and his mosaic-like paintings made from dried acrylic chips. The show includes early works from the civil rights era, mid-career homages to Black thinkers like W.E.B. Du Bois and Ralph Ellison, and a monumental abstraction memorializing 9/11.

sothebys modern sales by the numbers

Sotheby's three-part modern art evening auction in New York on Thursday night achieved a total of $304.6 million, a dramatic increase from the $93.1 million equivalent sale last year. The sale featured 69 lots, with three withdrawn and none bought in, resulting in a 95% sell-through rate. Top lots included Vincent van Gogh's still life "Piles de romans parisiens et roses dans une verre" (1887), which sold for $62.7 million with premium to private advisor Patti Wong, and a work by Frida Kahlo. Third-party guarantees covered 55% of the presale low estimate, but bidding remained competitive throughout.

sothebys modern pritzker exquisite corpse auction results

On Thursday night, Sotheby’s held a three-part sale of Impressionist, Modern, and Surrealist art at the Breuer Building in New York, generating $304.6 million against a cumulative estimate of $218.8 million to $301.2 million. The smallest sale, 13 lots from the collection of Cindy and Jay Pritzker, achieved a “white glove” result with $109.5 million, led by Vincent van Gogh’s *Romans Parisiens (Les Livres jaunes)* (1887) which sold for $62.7 million. The Surrealist offering, “Exquisite Corpus,” from the collection of Nesuhi and Selma Ertegun, featured Frida Kahlo’s *El sueño (La cama)* (1940) which set a record for the artist at $54.7 million, becoming the most expensive work by a woman artist at auction (nominal price).

gustav klimt portrait of elisabeth lederer auction record

Gustav Klimt's 'Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer' (1914–16) sold for $236.4 million at Sotheby's New York on November 18, 2025, after 20 minutes of bidding. The painting, which started at $130 million, was won by a phone bidder represented by Sotheby's specialist Julian Dawes, with the hammer price at $205 million. The work was the highlight of the Leonard A. Lauder Collection sale, a 55-work trove valued at over $400 million, and proceeds will go to the Lauder trust. The portrait had been restituted after Nazi-era confiscation and was acquired by Lauder in the mid-1980s.

napoleon sale sothebys paris france famous antiques dealer

On Wednesday in Paris, Sotheby's auctioned a collection of Napoleonic artifacts from the private collection of prominent French antiques dealer Pierre-Jean Chalençon, generating €8.7 million ($9.6 million) against a €6 million estimate. The 112-lot sale included imperial furniture, Old Master paintings, and personal relics such as Napoleon's worn stockings and a copy of his marriage certificate. Highlights included a portrait by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse that sold for €863,600 (20 times its estimate) and the only surviving remnant of Napoleon's first will, which fetched €482,600. However, Napoleon's bicorne hat underperformed, selling for €355,600 against a €600,000 low estimate, amid provenance questions raised by French newspaper Le Figaro.

sothebys london contemporary evening summer sale report

Sotheby's London contemporary evening sale on Tuesday brought in nearly £62.5 million ($84 million), within its pre-sale estimate of £55 million to £74 million. The 48-lot sale achieved an 83% sell-through rate, with five works selling for over £5 million each, led by Tamara de Lempicka's 'La Belle Rafaëla' (1927) at £7.4 million and Pablo Picasso's 'Nu assis dans un fauteuil' (1964–65). The auction saw strong bidding for a Basquiat work on paper, 'Untitled (Indian Head)', which sold for £5.4 million, and a standout result for Yu Nishimura's 'through the snow' (2023), which tripled its high estimate at £230,000.

Let’s dress like a Mark Rothko! How gen Z fell for the king of colour field paintings

Mark Rothko, the abstract expressionist known for his color field paintings, is experiencing a cultural resurgence among Generation Z on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Videos inspired by his work amass hundreds of thousands of views, with creators styling outfits based on his canvases, assigning his paintings to personality archetypes, and comparing his palettes to dream pop bands like the Cocteau Twins. The Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas, has also seen a wave of curious young visitors drawn to the meditative, confrontational experience of his art.

untitled art miami beach 2025 exhibitor list

Untitled Art, Miami Beach has announced the 157 exhibitors for its 2025 edition, running December 3–7 on Miami Beach. The fair introduces a new “Artist Spotlight” section organized by artist Petra Cortright, alongside its main Galleries section and the reimagined Nest section curated by Jonny Tanna. Notable first-time exhibitors include Meliksetian | Briggs, PALMA, and Soho Revue in the main section, while several galleries have switched from NADA and Art Basel Miami Beach, including Kavi Gupta returning after a lawsuit hiatus. The fair also features Allison Glenn as curator of site-specific Special Projects.

roberto lugo princeton university art museum exhibition

Roberto Lugo's solo exhibition "Orange and Black" at Art@Bainbridge, Princeton University Art Museum, presents his recent ceramic works that blend ancient Grecian vessel forms with contemporary narratives of Black and Latinx culture. The show features vases from his "Orange and Black Series" and "What Had Happened Was" series, depicting figures like Roberto Clemente, Selena Quintanilla, Ruby Bridges, Jackie Robinson, and the Central Park Five, alongside sculptural fragments designed to appear weathered and ancient. The exhibition runs through July 6, 2025.

Christo, Jeanne-Claude | The Pont-Neuf Wrapped (1976-2020) | Art & Prints

An auction listing for Christo and Jeanne-Claude's limited edition print 'The Pont-Neuf Wrapped' (1976-2020) has closed. The work is an archival digital print on wove paper, part of an edition of 450, accompanied by the exhibition book 'Christo et Jeanne-Claude Paris!'. The listing includes details on the artists' legacy, their monumental public projects like 'The Gates' and 'Wrapped Reichstag', and notes that similar works by Christo are available for purchase from various galleries.

Stockholm’s 10 Contemporary Art Galleries You Should Visit

Rebecca Steel's article for Google News highlights ten contemporary art galleries in Stockholm, Sweden, that are essential for visitors interested in the local and international art scene. Featured spaces include Wetterling Gallery, which has championed Swedish and international artists since 1978; Magasin III Museum & Foundation for Contemporary Art, housed in a 1930s warehouse and known for its ambitious shows and private collection; Fotografiska, a premier photography museum in an Art Nouveau building; and Bonniers Konsthall, named after the Maria Bonnier Dahlin Foundation, which presents themed group and solo shows. The list also includes artist-run initiatives and galleries specializing in photography, all promoting Swedish talent alongside global artists.

The Colors of Mark Rothko Conquer Florence: A Major Exhibition Across Three Venues

I colori di Mark Rothko conquistano Firenze: una grande mostra in tre sedi

The city of Florence is hosting a major three-venue retrospective dedicated to Mark Rothko, centered at Palazzo Strozzi with extensions into the Museo di San Marco and the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana. Curated by Christopher Rothko and Elena Geuna, the exhibition features 70 works spanning the artist's career, from his early Surrealist-influenced paintings of the 1930s and 40s to his iconic 'Multiform' and classic color-field abstractions. A unique highlight of the show is the installation of Rothko’s smaller works within the historic cells of the Museo di San Marco, directly alongside frescoes by Beato Angelico.

sandra poulson moma ps1 venice biennale interview

Sandra Poulson, a 30-year-old Angolan artist, has opened her first museum exhibition at MoMA PS1 in New York, titled "Este quarto parece uma República!" ("This bedroom looks like a Republic!"). The show features sculptures that explore how everyday objects carry social and political meaning, including a work critiquing the influence of mega-churches in Angola. Poulson, who splits her time between Luanda, London, and Amsterdam, drew inspiration from her childhood, local furniture practices in Luanda, and colonial-era wood exploitation. The works were initially produced for Condo London and commissioned by Jahmek Contemporary Art.

The Best New York City Exhibitions of 2025

Hyperallergic's staff and contributors present their picks for the best New York City exhibitions of 2025, highlighting a year marked by major museum reopenings, including the Studio Museum in Harlem after a seven-year hiatus and the Frick's expansion. Notable shows include Amy Sherald's 'American Sublime' at the Whitney Museum, Rashid Johnson at the Guggenheim, Wifredo Lam at MoMA, and surveys of Indigenous design at the Ford Foundation Gallery, Seydou Keïta at the Brooklyn Museum, and hometown heroes like Jack Whitten at MoMA and Coco Fusco at El Museo del Barrio. The list also features Saya Woolfalk at the Museum of Arts and Design, Nayland Blake at Matthew Marks Gallery, and Ben Shahn at the Jewish Museum.

12 new art shows in India we’re excited about this November

Vogue India highlights 12 new art shows opening across India in November 2025, including the expanded Art Mumbai fair featuring 82 galleries at Mahalaxmi Racecourse, and exhibitions at venues like NGMA Delhi, MAP Bengaluru, Tao Art Gallery Mumbai, and Experimenter Kolkata. Notable shows include a centenary tribute to Krishen Khanna, a display of 200 Taj Mahal images, and curations exploring celestial escorts and feminist works.

Tara Anne Dalbow

Tara Anne Dalbow has been appointed as the new director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, succeeding Madeleine Grynsztejn. Dalbow previously served as deputy director at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where she oversaw strategic planning and institutional operations. Her appointment marks a significant leadership transition for one of the United States' leading contemporary art institutions.

Thaddaeus Ropac opens its first gallery in Milan.

Thaddaeus Ropac opened its first gallery in Milan on September 20, 2025, located in the neoclassical Palazzo Belgioioso near Via Monte Napoleone. The inaugural exhibition, “L’aurora viene,” features works by Georg Baselitz and Lucio Fontana. The 280-square-meter space is the mega-gallery’s seventh location worldwide. Elena Bonanno di Linguaglossa, a veteran with experience at Lévy Gorvy Dayan, Fondazione Pastificio Cerere, and Blain|Southern, will lead the Milan branch.