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Maike Cruse, the new director of Art Basel's flagship fair in Basel, is preparing for the 2025 edition opening to VIPs next week. The fair will feature 285 galleries from around the world, including the Unlimited section for large-scale works and a conceptual wheat field by Agnes Denes originally planted at the World Trade Center in 1982, now growing at the Messeplatz. In an interview, Cruse discusses her transition from leading Gallery Weekend Berlin for a decade, the evolution of Basel as an art market hub, and her vision for rejuvenating the fair while maintaining its regional identity.

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Artnet News's 'Wet Paint' gossip column reports from Frieze Week in New York, noting a prevailing cultural pessimism fueled by essays on the death of culture and the impact of the second Trump administration. Amidst this, Jeff Koons's 'Hulk Elvis' sculptures at Gagosian's Frieze booth (priced at $3 million each, with one sold) offered a perverse relief. The column also highlights the second edition of the Esther art fair at the Estonian House, described as an 'aura fair' prioritizing community and a welcoming environment over strict commercial focus, contrasting with the more predictable Frieze fair.

10 Practical Reasons We Need to Defend the National Endowment for the Arts

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President Donald Trump's administration has renewed efforts to defund the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), proposing for the fourth consecutive year a budget that would zero out the agency. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that has staffed the current administration, continues to promote its 1997 report 'Ten Good Reasons to Eliminate Funding for the National Endowment for the Arts' as a key reference in debates. This article, originally published in 2020 and republished in response to these developments, systematically rebuts each of the Heritage Foundation's arguments against the NEA, beginning with the claim that private support alone is sufficient.

from artemisia gentileschi in paris to yoshitomo naras u k debut 9 must see european museum shows in 2025 2578017

Artnet News highlights nine must-see European museum exhibitions opening in 2025, spanning from Amsterdam to Zurich. Featured shows include Noah Davis's first U.K. museum survey at the Barbican in London, a dual Anselm Kiefer exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Tracey Emin's first major Italian retrospective at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, and a dedicated Artemisia Gentileschi show at Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris. Other notable exhibitions cover Marlene Dumas, Yayoi Kusama, and Yoshitomo Nara, among others.

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Days before a Louise Nevelson sculpture was to be auctioned at Sotheby’s in May 2022, Pace Gallery founder Arne Glimcher declared the work inauthentic, claiming it was assembled by the artist’s son, Mike, rather than by Nevelson herself. The consigner, the estate of collector Hardie Beloff, has now sued Pace Gallery in US District Court for Eastern Pennsylvania, alleging that Glimcher deliberately sabotaged the sale to protect Pace’s control over Nevelson’s market. The lawsuit centers on Glimcher’s call to Sotheby’s, where he warned the work would not be included in a forthcoming catalogue raisonné, and on a 1993 appraisal in which he had valued the same sculpture at $85,000 without questioning its authenticity.

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Artnet News and Morgan Stanley have collaborated on a report analyzing the art market's recovery after COVID-19, with a focus on Asia's emergence as a powerful engine. Using data from the Artnet Price Database and Artnet Analytics, the report shows that China (including Hong Kong) has become a dominant force, overtaking the U.S. and U.K. in fine-art auction sales. By 2020, China reclaimed the top-selling global fine-art auction market position, and as of mid-2021, it remains neck and neck with the U.S. The report also examines the role of Hong Kong, which has consistently contributed over 40% of China's fine-art sales, driven by its unique economic policies and integration into the global art market.

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The Venice Biennale, often called the 'Olympics of the art world,' is spotlighting Latin American art in its 2024 edition. Curated by Adriano Pedrosa, director of the São Paulo Museum of Art and the first South American and openly queer person to hold the role, the exhibition titled 'Foreigners Everywhere' features over 330 artists, with more than 80 having ties to Latin America—about 24 percent of the show, up from 11 percent in 2022. The article examines the market for Latin American art, noting that while auction records exist (e.g., Frida Kahlo's $34.9 million painting), total auction volume for Latin American artists has declined from $388.3 million in 2015 to $245.5 million last year, reflecting a specialized market dominated by a few internationally recognized figures.

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Larry Gagosian turned 80 on Saturday, and the art world marked the occasion with two blockbuster exhibitions: a de Kooning show in Chelsea and a Picasso exhibition uptown, curated by Paloma Picasso. This edition of Wet Paint, an Artnet News gossip column by Annie Armstrong, celebrates Gagosian's lesser-known talent for delivering memorable quotes to journalists, despite his legendary elusiveness. The article catalogs some of his most striking lines, including a menacing comment to an employee after the 2008 crash, a Bond-villain-style text to artist Issy Wood, and a six-word response to Jeff Koons leaving for Pace Gallery.

Georg Baselitz obituary

Georg Baselitz, the German painter and sculptor known for his provocative, expressionistic works and his iconic upside-down paintings, has died at the age of 88. The article traces his life from his childhood in war-torn Germany, through his early career as a rebellious artist in divided Berlin, to his rise as an international art star. It highlights his 1961 manifesto poster "Pandemonium I," his rejection of American abstraction, and his controversial 1963 exhibition that was raided by police for its explicit content.

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The 15th edition of Expo Chicago, scheduled for April 9–12, marks a significant transition as the fair's first outing under new director Kate Sierzputowski and its third since being acquired by Frieze. The upcoming edition features a streamlined roster of approximately 130 galleries, a 25 percent decrease from previous years. While blue-chip giants like Gagosian and Zwirner are absent, the fair maintains a strong lineup including Karma, Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, and local mainstays like Monique Meloche, complemented by satellite events and a high-profile benefit directed by Maurizio Cattelan.

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Art Basel Paris is undergoing a major transformation for its third edition, officially rebranding from 'Paris+ par Art Basel' and moving into the newly renovated Grand Palais. The historic venue, fresh from a $500 million restoration, allows the fair to expand its footprint by 26 percent, hosting 194 galleries compared to last year's 154. The move includes the opening of the ornate balconies for emerging galleries and a new sector called Premise, signaling the fair's transition from a successful 'preamble' to a permanent fixture in the French capital.

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Sotheby’s Hong Kong concluded its fall auction series with a robust $426 million total, headlined by a record-breaking $25 million sale for Yoshitomo Nara. Amidst this market momentum, Nara’s upcoming LACMA retrospective was announced to travel to Shanghai’s Yuz Museum. Meanwhile, the New York art scene is bracing for major institutional milestones, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 150th-anniversary plans and the imminent public opening of MoMA’s $450 million expansion.

Paint Drippings: Art Industry News November 21

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The Philadelphia Museum of Art has appointed Daniel H. Weiss, former head of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as its new director and CEO to provide stability following the controversial dismissal of Sasha Suda. The transition occurs amid a legal battle, with the museum filing court documents alleging Suda misappropriated funds and falsified records. Meanwhile, the auction market saw a historic moment at Sotheby’s, where Gustav Klimt’s 'Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer' sold for $236.4 million, setting a new record for the artist and becoming the most expensive Modern work ever sold at auction.

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Artnet Pro's 'The Asia Pivot' newsletter previews the 2026 Asian art market, highlighting a hopeful recovery after signs of improvement in late 2025. Key events include Art SG in Singapore (hosting S.E.A. Focus for the first time), the inaugural Art Basel Qatar in February, and Art Basel Hong Kong in March. Auction houses will align spring sales with these fairs. The article also notes regional shifts: South Korea's Art Asia partners with KINTEX for a new fair in India, Hong Kong's Kwai Fung Hin opens in Singapore, and Shanghai's Antenna Space expands to Hong Kong. Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets with artist Takashi Murakami to promote culture abroad, while geopolitical tensions with China threaten cultural exchanges.

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Artnet News highlights seven must-see museum exhibitions across Asia in 2026, with a focus on women artists and diverse themes. Key shows include a retrospective of Korean sculptor Kim Yun Shin at the Hoam Museum of Art in Yongin, a posthumous exhibition of Japanese painter Rey Camoy at the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art, a manga and fantasy art survey at M+ in Hong Kong, and a solo show by Belgian artist Carsten Höller at the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing.

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The Studio Museum in Harlem has reopened after a seven-year closure in a new building designed by David Adjaye, with Thelma Golden continuing as director and chief curator. The museum has expanded its indoor spaces, replacing a garden with a public staircase called the Stoop, and added a rooftop terrace with city views. Adjaye faced sexual misconduct allegations in 2023, leading to Pascale Sablan taking over the project, though Adjaye remains listed as founder and principal of his firm.

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Top 200 Collector Steven A. Cohen has been revealed as the consignor of Maurizio Cattelan's golden toilet sculpture, *America* (2016), which will be auctioned at Sotheby's on November 18. The work, made of 18-karat gold and weighing over 100 kilograms, was purchased from Marian Goodman Gallery in 2017. It will be displayed in a bathroom at Sotheby's Breuer Building before the sale, with a starting bid expected around $10 million based on the price of its weight in gold. The piece has a notable history: one version was exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum, offered to the Trump White House as a loan alternative to a van Gogh painting, and another was stolen from Blenheim Palace in 2019, making Cohen's the only extant version.

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As the fall auction season returns to New York, Christie’s and Sotheby’s are preparing for evening sales amid an uneven art market. The article reveals key consignors behind major lots, including a Frida Kahlo painting from 1931, estimated at $6–8 million, owned by Miami-based Francisco and Fiorella Pérez Díaz, and three French Post-Impressionist works from the collection of the late Argentine patron Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier. The market context includes underwhelming results at Art Basel in Switzerland but strong attendance at Frieze London and Art Basel Paris, with collectors showing willingness to spend only on exceptional, well-priced works.

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A visitor at France's Pompidou-Metz ate a banana from Maurizio Cattelan's conceptual artwork "Comedian" (2019), which consists of a banana duct-taped to a wall. Security staff intervened calmly, and the work was reinstalled within minutes, as the fruit is regularly replaced per the artist's instructions. The incident occurred during the exhibition "The Endless Sunday," celebrating the museum's 15th anniversary, which features 30 works by Cattelan alongside over 400 others from the Musée National d'Art Moderne.

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An ancient bronze artifact at China's Luoyang Museum has gone viral for its striking resemblance to Labubu, a wildly popular collectible toy created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung in 2015. The artifact, an Eastern Zhou Dynasty ceremonial danglu used as horse armor, dates to the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 B.C.E.) and is on display until August. Meanwhile, some internet users have drawn comparisons between Labubu and the Mesopotamian demon Pazuzu, sparking baseless conspiracy theories and TikTok warnings from overly devout Christians.

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Art Basel returns to its Swiss namesake city from June 19 to 22, with VIP previews on June 17 and 18. The article recommends stepping outside the fair to explore top-tier exhibitions across Basel, including Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's rediscovered painting 'Tanz im Varieté' (1911) at Kunstmuseum Basel, a major survey of Medardo Rosso at the same museum, and a solo show by Thomas Ott at Cartoonmuseum Basel. It also highlights Clearing gallery's off-site project 'Maison Clearing' in a private house with works by over 40 artists.

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Günther Uecker, the German postwar artist known for hammering nails into canvases to create abstract works, died at age 95. His death was announced by his New York gallery, Lévy Gorvy Dayan, after he had been hospitalized in Düsseldorf. Uecker was a core member of the avant-garde ZERO group, founded in 1957 by Otto Piene and Heinz Mack, and his nail-based abstractions—applied to surfaces from canvases to lightboxes and TV sets—defined his practice from the 1950s onward. He participated in major exhibitions including Documenta and MoMA's 1965 "The Responsive Eye," and continued working daily in his Düsseldorf studio into his 90s.

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Artist Dan Colen and his nonprofit Sky High Farm are launching a new biennial exhibition titled “TREES NEVER END AND HOUSES NEVER END,” opening June 28 at a historic apple cold storage warehouse in Germantown, New York. The exhibition, curated by Colen, features over 50 artists including Alvaro Barrington, Nan Goldin, Roni Horn, and Rirkrit Tiravanija, and marks the farm’s relocation from its original 40-acre site in Ancramdale to a new 560-acre property in Ancram. The biennial serves as an alternative fundraising model for the organization, which grows nutritious food for communities lacking access to fresh produce and has never sold its harvest.

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The 2025 Met Gala, officially the Costume Institute Benefit, was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, launching the exhibition “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” The event drew a star-studded guest list, with celebrities channeling the theme of Black dandyism through tailored silhouettes, bold patterns, and luxurious fabrics. Several attendees, including Cardi B, Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz, Colman Domingo, and Janelle Monáe, wore outfits that directly referenced specific artworks, such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s *Veronica Veronese*, Frank Stella’s *Rectangular Orange Painting with Diagonal Pattern*, and Hyacinthe Rigaud’s portrait of Louis XIV.

Filthy fossil fuels, a dizzying debut and the ominous side of the moon – the week in art

The Guardian’s weekly art roundup highlights the opening of 'Extraction' at Jupiter Artland, an exhibition featuring artists like Marguerite Humeau and John Gerrard that explores the environmental impact of fossil fuels. Other notable UK openings include Michaela Yearwood-Dan’s museum debut at The Whitworth, a survey of Paula Rego’s drawings at Victoria Miro, and a showcase of Thérèse Oulton’s textured landscapes at Vardaxoglou.

Dealers at TEFAF Maastricht Report Robust Sales, Offering Works Ranging from Two Inches to Room-Size

Dealers at TEFAF Maastricht Report Robust Sales, Offering Works Ranging from Two Inches to Room-Size

Dealers at the TEFAF Maastricht art fair reported strong sales, defying concerns over global unrest and geopolitical tensions that limited some collectors' travel. The fair, featuring 277 dealers from 24 countries, saw a high caliber of international collectors engaging with works ranging from monumental 18th-century sculptures to minuscule, intricately detailed pieces. First-time exhibitors and veterans alike expressed satisfaction, with one rare books dealer calling it his best year in three decades of participation.

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Art Basel has appointed artist Wael Shawky as the artistic director of its upcoming fair in Doha, Qatar, scheduled to open in February. This marks a departure from the company's usual practice of selecting directors from the commercial art world. Shawky, who represented Egypt at the Venice Biennale and has had solo exhibitions at Tate Modern and MoMA PS1, will curate around 50 single-artist presentations across two venues, M7 and the Doha Design District, with equal pricing for exhibitors initially. A selection committee including dealers from international and regional galleries will assist in choosing participants.

Wet Paint Does Frieze Week: The Dinosaur Dealer Downtown, David Zwirner Tribeca, and More Juicy Art-World Gossip

Artnet News' gossip column 'Wet Paint' covers the opening week of Frieze New York, beginning with the group show 'Statics of an Egg' at David Zwirner's newly renamed Tribeca gallery (formerly 52 Walker). Curated by Martin Germann, the exhibition features Japanese artists gathered by Yu Nishimura and Kenji Ide, with Nishimura's painting 'in waiting' highlighted. The column also reports on a private party at the River art-world hangout and a visit to Amanita gallery for 'A Land Before Time: Three Dinosaurs and a Gondola,' which includes a John Chamberlain sculpture. Notable attendees include artists Sasha Gordon, Olivia van Kuiken, Calvin Marcus, and Josh Smith, as well as dealers Marlene Zwirner and Matthew Brown.

At Frieze New York, Business Plunks Along, Leonardo DiCaprio Alights

At the VIP opening of Frieze New York, collectors were present but subdued, with galleries presenting modest displays and sales proceeding at a sensible, sedate pace. Despite the lack of urgency, business has improved since last year, buoyed by upcoming top-tier auctions. Thaddaeus Ropac confirmed four early sales, including a George Baselitz canvas for €1.4 million and an Alex Katz work for $400,000. David Zwirner’s booth of Joe Bradley paintings was among the buzziest, with all works on hold by early afternoon, while Cindy Sherman photographs at Hauser & Wirth sold steadily. Leonardo DiCaprio made visits, and Kelly Sinnapah Mary’s paintings at James Cohan Gallery sold out, the largest to a museum.

Who Went to Venice Last Week? Jenny Saville, Glenn Lowry, Jewel, and Many Other Power Players

Artnet News reporter Katya Kazakina recounts her experience at the opening week of the 61st Venice Biennale, describing a whirlwind of art, parties, and chance encounters. Notable figures spotted include former MoMA director Glenn Lowry, singer-songwriter Jewel (who debuted her visual art show "Matriclysm: An Archaeology of Connections Lost"), and Japanese Nintendo heir and collector Banjo Yamauchi. High-profile events included Thaddaeus Ropac gallery's reception for Georg Baselitz's final paintings (priced up to $1.5 million) and François Pinault's annual party at Fondazione Giorgio Cini, attended by Selma Hayek, Lorna Simpson, and JR. The article also highlights the social dynamics of the biennale, where dealers, curators, and collectors network across historic palazzos and hotels.