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A New Yorker profile of Sotheby's and its billionaire owner Patrick Drahi reveals the chaotic aftermath of the auction house's failed 2024 fee restructuring. The plan, announced in February 2024 and enacted that May, standardized seller's commissions and buyer's premiums but backfired, driving away business and causing profits to plummet. By December, Sotheby's reversed course. The article quotes former and current employees who compare Drahi's management style to Donald Trump's tariff disputes, and recounts a tense June 2024 meeting where contemporary art chairman Grégoire Billault told Drahi he was losing business, only to be told by Drahi that everyone is replaceable.

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A number of artists have accused art dealer Reco Sturgis, founder of the now-closed Hugo Galerie in New York, of withholding artworks, failing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in owed funds, and making violent threats. Sturgis has been named in legal proceedings by artists seeking unpaid sales proceeds, and has been sued by his landlord and multiple companies for outstanding debts exceeding $1 million. Artists including British sculptor Beth Carter, Joseph Paxton, and French artist Patrick Pietropoli report that Sturgis owes them significant sums, sold works without payment, and refused to return pieces.

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Masumi Shinohara, a Japanese-born, French-bred former luxury executive who joined Sotheby's Japan in April 2024 to lead its operations, has been promoted to managing director for Asia within his first year. He succeeded Nathan Drahi, son of majority owner Patrick Drahi, and now oversees Sotheby's expansion across the region amid a recovering global art market. The article features an interview with Shinohara discussing his transition from luxury brands (Valentino, L'Oréal, Ermenegildo Zegna) to the auction world, his childhood immersion in art through his father, and the strategic benefits of Sotheby's new permanent Hong Kong premises, Sotheby's Maison, which allows year-round auctions and thematic sales.

Rare Zaha Hadid Pavilion Comes to Auction

A rare, clamshell-shaped VOLU Dining Pavilion designed by architect Zaha Hadid and Patrick Schumacher is heading to auction at Hermitage Fine Art in Monaco. The prefabricated outdoor structure, originally created for the 2015 Design Miami fair, is expected to fetch between €900,000 and €1.1 million. This marks only the second time a completed edition of this pavilion has been offered at auction.

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Alexander Calder's painted wood mobile "Painted Wood" (ca. 1943) sold for $20.4 million at Christie's 20th-century evening sale in New York, exceeding its $15–$20 million estimate. The work, from the collection of Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, was acquired over 30 years ago and made its auction debut. Bidding was competitive among Christie's staffers Alex Rotter, Max Carter, and Patrick Saich, with Saich winning the lot for a client after a brief technical hiccup. The result is the second-highest price ever for a Calder at auction, behind "Poisson volant (Flying Fish)" (1957) which sold for $25.9 million in 2014.

And this one shows the police evicting me: the fabulous fabric visions of Elizabeth Allen

The British textile artist Elizabeth Allen, who lived in a dilapidated hut and gained brief international fame in the 1960s after being discovered by artist Patrick Heron, is the subject of a major rediscovery. A new exhibition at Compton Verney in Warwickshire features works that have been hidden in storage or private collections for nearly fifty years, including the first public display of 'Autobiraggraphy,' a textile work documenting her wrongful eviction in 1934.

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Sotheby's will hold its first luxury marquee sales in Abu Dhabi from December 3 to 5 as part of Abu Dhabi Collectors' Week, featuring Formula 1 cars, an Aston Martin, diamonds, and rare Rolexes. The sales coincide with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and other major events, backed by a $1 billion investment from majority shareholder Patrick Drahi and Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund ADQ, along with support from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office. The auction house is focusing on luxury goods rather than fine art, with only a non-selling exhibition of Old Masters to contemporary works.

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A new mural by artist Adam Cvijanovic, titled *What’s So Funny About Peace, Love, and Understanding*, was unveiled at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York on September 17, 2025. Spanning 1,920 square feet across 12 panels, the work is the largest permanent artwork commissioned for the cathedral in its 146-year history. It reimagines the 1879 Apparition at Knock, Ireland, as a backdrop to immigrant life in New York, featuring figures such as St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Dorothy Day, and Pierre Toussaint among contemporary immigrants. The project was facilitated by art adviser Suzanne Geiss and funded by benefactors Kevin and Dee Conway, with installation handled by UOVO.

Made in LA biennial contemplates wildfires and immigrant arrests

The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles has opened the seventh edition of its Made in LA biennial, running until March 1, 2026. Curators Essence Harden and Paulina Pobocha selected 28 artists from over 200 studio visits, with no predetermined theme. The exhibition features works that respond to the city's recent challenges, including the January wildfires and ongoing ICE raids, as seen in pieces like Alonzo Davis's 'Eye on ’84' and Patrick Martinez's neon sign reading 'Agua Is Life; NO ICE'.

Tony Fitzpatrick, indefatigable artistic polymath from Chicago, has died, aged 66

Tony Fitzpatrick, a prolific Chicago artist known for his collages, etchings, and works on paper, died of a heart attack on 11 October at age 66. He was also a poet, author, actor, and raconteur, with his work held in major museum collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Fitzpatrick ran the influential gallery World Tattoo and was a vocal defender of labor unions and underdogs. He had been awaiting a double lung transplant after being diagnosed with interstitial lung disease, but continued creating until his death, including a new book and a live show at Steppenwolf Theater.

LMU Student Art Featured in Design Museum of Chicago Exhibition

Nine studio arts students from Loyola Marymount University (LMU) have their poster designs featured in the Design Museum of Chicago's 2025 "Great Ideas of Humanity" exhibition. The students—Alfonzo Dave, Nicole Dressel, Olivia Giganti, John Leary, Jestene Passolt, Leila Walker, Dezia Washington, Lucien Weber, and Eddie Young—created the works as part of Professor Garland Kirkpatrick's Typography II course. The museum selected all nine student designs for the professional exhibition, where they are displayed alongside their professor's work, rather than in the museum's student showcase.

What We’ve Been Up To: Landscape

The Denver Art Museum has published a feature titled "What We’ve Been Up To: Landscape," showcasing a selection of recent photographic acquisitions focused on the American landscape. The featured works span from the late 19th century to the present, including images by Steve Fitch, Henry Wessel, Jr., Yamamoto Masao, Marion Post Wolcott, William Henry Jackson, John Ganis, Terri Weifenbach, Christina Fernandez, Linda Connor, and Patrick Nagatani. The photographs document diverse terrains—from New Mexico and Colorado to New Jersey and Hawai'i—and employ a range of processes, from albumen and gelatin silver prints to inkjet and pigment prints.

How much should art cost? The pitfalls and paradoxes of pricing works

The article examines the current state of the art market, which is in its third consecutive year of contraction. It traces how low interest rates fueled speculative price inflation, leading to a boom in ultra-contemporary art that has now burst, with collectors shifting toward Old Masters. Dealers like Larry Gagosian are now advocating for lowering primary market prices, while private sales stall due to sellers' 'anchoring' to peak valuations. The piece highlights the disconnect between high prices and long-term value, using examples such as auction records being manipulated (e.g., Patrick Drahi's anonymous bidding on a Francis Bacon triptych) and the reality that most artworks in even celebrated collections depreciate.

Review: Shows on view at Akron Art Museum reveal creative soul of a 200-year-old city

The Akron Art Museum is hosting a series of exhibitions that explore the identity and creative spirit of Akron, Ohio, as the city celebrates its 2025 bicentennial. The centerpiece is a large-scale retrospective of Alfred McMoore (1950-2009), a self-trained outsider artist from Akron who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent much of his life in psychiatric institutions. McMoore created massive pencil and crayon drawings focused on funerals and death rituals, and his work attracted a circle of supporters including the late antiques dealer Chuck Auerbach and journalist Jim Carney, whose sons Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney later founded the Grammy-winning band The Black Keys, named after McMoore's cryptic phrase.

How Two New Art Exhibitions Are Spotlighting Black Queer History

Two new art exhibitions are spotlighting Black queer history amid escalating government censorship and threats to federal arts funding. "In the Life: Black Queerness—Looking Back, Moving Forward" at the Carr Center in Detroit traces 80 years of Black queer culture, opening with LeRoy Foster's 1945 self-portrait and featuring works by Zanele Muholi, April Bey, and Pamela Sneed. Co-curated by Patrick Burton and Wayne Northcross, the show is produced by Mighty Real/Queer Detroit and will be part of the Detroit Queer Biennial in June 2026. A second exhibition, "The Gay Harlem Renaissance," runs from October 10 through March at the New York Historical Museum in Manhattan, curated by Allison Robinson, highlighting queer contributions to the Harlem Renaissance through artifacts like rent party tickets and works by Malvin Gray Johnson.

Denver Art Museum presents photography exhibition What We’ve Been Up to: Landscape

The Denver Art Museum has opened a new photography exhibition titled *What We’ve Been Up to: Landscape*, featuring works by over a dozen artists including Meghann Riepenhoff, Masao Yamamoto, Linda Conner, Terri Weifenbach, Tanya Marcuse, Christina Fernandez, Patrick Nagatani, Zora J. Murff, Marion Post Wolcott, William Henry Jackson, Mary Peck, Abelardo Morell, Steve Fitch, John Ganis, Frank Gohlke, and Henry Wessel, Jr. The photographs are loosely grouped by theme—ranging from intimate nature studies and scenic beauty to technology’s imprint and difficult histories of slavery, Indigenous conflict, and natural disasters. A related lecture by Terri Weifenbach is scheduled for September 30, 2025.

BRAFA 2026: the art market heats up from the opening

The 71st edition of BRAFA art fair in Brussels opened with strong sales, signaling a promising start to the 2026 art market. During the first three invitation-only days, major works were sold by galleries including Greta Meert, which placed a €500,000 Enrico Castellani, and Mulier Mulier Gallery, which sold a Tom Wesselmann for €80,000. Other notable sales include a Kim Tschang Yeul work at Boon Gallery, a Renoir painting at Stern Pissarro, and a James Ensor piece at Patrick Derom Gallery. The fair features 147 exhibitors and has attracted loyal collectors, with many galleries reporting multiple red dots and strong interest from younger buyers.

Art Show in London Canceled Over Allegations of Antisemitism from Pro-Israel Group

An exhibition by artist Matthew Collings at Delta House Gallery in London was canceled after UK Lawyers for Israel raised allegations of antisemitism. The show, titled "Drawings Against Genocide," had previously been displayed in Margate, where a review in the Telegraph described the works as "dripping with Jew-hate." One drawing depicted Sotheby's owner Patrick Drahi eating babies alive, while others showed Jews with horns or standing on skulls. Tom Berglund, chairman of Pineapple Corporation, which owns Delta House, said the exhibition was arranged without consultation and expressed hope for resolution in the Middle East. Collings defended the work on Instagram, arguing it satirizes the use of art to whitewash what he called "Zionist atrocity."

Art: Passion is Volcanic – Desire in Southeast Asian Art at National Gallery Singapore

National Gallery Singapore has opened a major exhibition titled 'Passion is Volcanic: Desire in Southeast Asian Art.' The show, which carries an unprecedented R18 rating and prohibits photography, presents a comprehensive exploration of eroticism, pleasure, and the body through a wide range of artworks from the region's collection and loans. It is curated by Dr. Patrick Flores, Dr. Adele Tan, and Dr. Kathleen Ditzig, who frame desire as a culturally specific yet universal force shaped by history and power.

Creativity takes the stage at fifth annual ‘Art and Autism’ exposition

Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) partnered with the City of Boynton Beach to host the fifth annual 'Art and Autism' exposition. Held at the Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center in honor of Autism Awareness Month, the event featured approximately 50 artists—a significant increase from the three or four participants at its inception in 2021. The showcase included a diverse array of media, from graphic illustrations and children's books by artists like Kiora Slate to live musical performances by Patrick Fahely, providing a public platform for neurodivergent creators to sell their work and share their personal stories.

Fall Arts Preview

The article previews the Fall 2025-26 arts and entertainment season in Richmond, Virginia, highlighting cultural venues and events across the city and surrounding counties. Key highlights include the new Foyer Gallery, which opens with a solo exhibition by Patrick Berran titled "Burn Blue," and the Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront, which closes its inaugural season with performances by James Taylor, Leon Bridges, Steve Martin and Martin Short, and Tedeschi Trucks Band. Other venues mentioned include The National, The Valentine, and Hanover Tavern, along with events like "InLight" at Abner Clay Park and a concert by Jason Mraz.

San Francisco De Young Museum Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

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Ezra Iturribarria, a long-time security guard at the De Young Museum in San Francisco, has filed a lawsuit alleging severe sexual harassment and retaliation. The complaint names the city, the Corporation of the Fine Arts Museums, and supervisor Patrick Smithwick, detailing instances of verbal abuse, unwanted sexual advances, and physical intimidation. Iturribarria claims that after reporting the behavior, the museum conducted a 'sham investigation' and allowed the supervisor to continue contacting her, eventually forcing her to take a leave of absence.

Dilys Blum, longtime curator of clothes at the Philadelphia Art Museum, dies at 77

Dilys Blum, the longtime curator of fashion and textiles at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, has died at age 77. She retired last summer after 38 years at the museum, where she served as head of the costumes and textiles department, overseeing the care and interpretation of historic clothing and fabric-based art. Blum began her career at the Museum of London, later working at the Brooklyn Museum and the Chicago Conservation Center before joining the Philadelphia Museum in 1987. She curated notable exhibitions including "Off the Wall" (2019) and "BOOM: Art and Design of the 1940s" (2025), and authored several books on fashion history, including works on Elsa Schiaparelli, Roberto Capucci, and Patrick Kelly.

In Seine-Saint-Denis, the clever housing for migrants by architect Patrick Rubin

En Seine-Saint-Denis, les logements futés pour les migrants de l’architecte Patrick Rubin

Architect Patrick Rubin of the firm Canal has transformed the former National Road Information Center, known as Bison Futé, in Rosny-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis) into a housing complex for 169 migrants. The project, commissioned by social landlord Batigere Habitats Solidaires, preserves the original 1986 half-moon building by Ludwik Peretz and Gilbert Delecourt, adding a new floor and a rear half-crown structure. Rubin used 79 prefabricated modules (17–25 m² each), built in workshops near Lyon, each equipped with a bed, kitchenette, bathroom, and window. Inspired by ship cabin manufacturing in Dunkirk and traditions of tiny houses and capsule hotels by Charlotte Perriand, Herman Hertzberger, and Shigeru Ban, the modules were craned into place. The project faced delays due to differing tolerances between concrete and wood construction, pushing delivery from early 2026 to late 2026.

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Artnet News editor Kate Brown hosts a podcast roundtable with three gallerists ahead of the 2025 edition of Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland. The fair features over 200 galleries and is set against a backdrop of a softening art market, with declining sales and cautious demand. The guests are Robbie Fitzpatrick of Fitzpatrick Gallery (who also founded the Art Basel Social Club), Lisa Offermann of LC Queisser (with spaces in Tbilisi and Cologne), and Freddie Powell of Ginny on Frederick (making its Art Basel debut). The discussion focuses on the challenges and strategies for emerging and mid-tier galleries selling works under $250,000.

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Belgian fashion designer Dries Van Noten and his partner, chef Patrick Vangheluwe, have acquired the historic 15th-century Palazzo Pisani Moretta on Venice’s Grand Canal to establish the Fondazione Dries Van Noten. The nonprofit foundation, set to open in April 2026 just before the 61st Venice Biennale, will host exhibitions, residencies, and events dedicated to the art of craftsmanship, blending traditional techniques with modern forms like AI and 3D printing. The 43,000-square-foot palazzo, known for its Carnival masquerade balls and film appearances, contains artworks by Tiepolo and was sold only to a buyer with a strong stewardship plan.

Patrick Mukabi: Inside the life and legacy of artist who nurtured a movement

Legendary Kenyan painter Patrick Mukabi, known as Panye, has died at age 56 after an illness. Born in Nairobi in 1969, he studied graphic design at the Technical University of Kenya before dedicating himself to fine art. His bold, colorful works were displayed at venues like Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Java House outlets, and in over 20 countries. He developed the Cover Girls series celebrating curvy women and worked at major art spaces including the Nairobi National Museum, Kuona Artists Collective, GoDown Arts Centre, and the Railway Museum. At Dust Depo Studio, he mentored many young artists, teaching them both technique and the business of art. His protégé Jimmy Kitheka recalls Mukabi's warmth and discipline, and how the studio became a creative hub. Even during his illness, the art community rallied to support him through benefit exhibitions like the Patrick Mukabi Medical Fund Benefit Art Exhibition in April 2026 and a solo show at Banana Hill Art Gallery.

Philadelphia Museum of Art has canceled The Philadelphia Show for 2026

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has canceled the Philadelphia Show for 2026, an annual antique, art, and design exhibition and fundraiser that has run since 1962. The museum confirmed the pause on Tuesday, citing the need to prioritize resources for its 150th anniversary and participation in the national America 250 commemoration in 2026. The 2025 edition featured over 40 dealers from Philadelphia, New York, London, France, Portugal, and across the U.S., showcasing decorative arts, antiques, fine arts, and jewelry. Exhibitors were informed in April that the 2026 dates were in jeopardy, and the museum has not committed to the show returning in 2027.

Sotheby’s Returns to Profit as Sales Rise, Though Cash Pressures Persist

Sotheby’s has reported a return to profitability in 2025, posting a $53 million pre-tax profit following a significant $190 million loss the previous year. Driven by a 20 percent increase in sales totaling $7.1 billion, the auction house benefited from a broader 4 percent recovery in the global art market. Despite these gains, the company is navigating complex financial pressures, including a $10.2 million commission lawsuit from Cushman & Wakefield and the need to refinance $765 million in debt by 2027.

Seven emerging Tampa Bay artists to watch in 2026 and beyond

Creative Loafing Tampa Bay's 2026 Spring Arts Issue highlights seven emerging visual artists from the Tampa Bay area, identified through recommendations from local curators. The artists include Clancy Riehm, Zack Wittman, Jesi Cason, Patrick Carew, Mary-Helen Horne, Tatiana Mesa Paján, and Fary Charles (aka Junkyrd), each with distinct practices and upcoming projects.