Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule Nov 24, 2025 visibility 22 link 25 artists, 2 galleries

16 New Auction Records Set in November 2025

New York's fall auction week in November 2025 saw major houses Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips collectively bring in over $2 billion, signaling renewed market confidence after an uneven spring. The top lot was Gustav Klimt's *Portrait of Elizabeth Lederer* (ca. 1914–16), which sold for $236.36 million at Sotheby's—the second-highest price ever paid at auction and a new record for the artist. Other notable records included Frida Kahlo's *El sueño (La cama)* (1940), which became the most expensive artwork by a woman artist sold at auction, fetching $54.66 million. In total, 16 new artist auction records were set during the week.

newspaper Artsy open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Sep 19, 2025 visibility 26 link 13 artists, 3 galleries

The Art World This Week, 19 September 2025

Ocula's weekly briefing reports strong sales at viennacontemporary with 15,000 visitors and six-figure results for Galerie Zimmermann Kratochwill. Sotheby's announced $248 million in pre-tax losses for 2024 but achieved $100 million from the Karpidas collection sale and consigned the Pritzker and Lauder collections for November. Haegue Yang was appointed chair of the executive board at Kunst-Werke Berlin. Yemen's National Museum in Sanaa was damaged by Israeli airstrikes. Gallerist Sebastian Gladstone opened a new Los Angeles space, while L.A. Louver closed its Venice Beach gallery after 50 years. Taymour Grahne Projects opened in Dubai. Samia Halaby won the MUNCH Award, Jennifer Packer and Marie Watt received Heinz Family Foundation awards, and the Henry Moore Foundation distributed £100,000 to UK sculptors.

newspaper Ocula open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 21, 2026 visibility 9 link 10 artists

À New York, le Metropolitan Museum of Art absorbe la Neue Galerie et sa collection de Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka…

On May 14, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Neue Galerie in New York announced a historic merger set for 2028. The Neue Galerie, founded in 2001 by billionaire Ronald Lauder in a Fifth Avenue mansion, will become part of the Met under the name The Met Ronald S. Lauder Neue Galerie, modeled after the Met's Cloisters. The transfer includes the historic building and a collection of 600 works valued at over $1.5 billion, featuring artists such as Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Ludwig Kirchner, Max Beckmann, and Oskar Kokoschka. Lauder and his daughter Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer are also donating thirteen works from their personal collection, and a $200 million endowment fund has been established.

newspaper Beaux Arts Magazine open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Dec 18, 2025 visibility 22 link 12 artists

report rebounding art auction market 2025 arttactic

ArtTactic's year-end report reveals that the global art auction market rebounded to $4.55 billion in 2025, an 11.1% increase from 2024. Sotheby's saw a 17% sales jump and Christie's a nearly 7% rise. Historic single-owner sales, including estates of Leonard Lauder, Cindy and Jay Pritzker, and Pauline Karpidas, drove recovery with $884.9 million in total. Old Masters, Impressionist, and modern art surged 42.3% year-on-year, while contemporary and post-war art lagged. The trophy market (works over $10 million) grew 19.4% to $1.48 billion, led by Impressionist art up 80.4% to $1.04 billion, fueled by three Gustav Klimt canvases from the Lauder collection.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 source 3 sources visibility 29 link 22 artists

In major auction night, rare Klimt painting smashes records at $236.4 million

Sotheby's held its first sale at its new US headquarters in New York, where Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer" sold for $236.4 million, becoming the most valuable work of modern art ever sold at auction and the most expensive artwork ever sold by Sotheby's globally. The record-breaking 20-minute bidding war also saw strong results for works by Edvard Munch ($35.1 million) and a Klimt landscape ($86 million), while the evening's total reached $706 million. However, two top lots by Kerry James Marshall and Barkley L. Hendricks failed to sell, and Maurizio Cattelan's gold toilet "America" drew only a single bid from Ripley's Believe It or Not! for $12.1 million.

newspaper CNN open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 19 link 6 artists

Gustav Klimt portrait sale breaks modern art record

Gustav Klimt's portrait of Elisabeth Lederer sold for $236 million (£180 million) at Sotheby's in New York, setting a new record for the most expensive work of modern art ever sold at auction. The painting, completed between 1914 and 1916, depicts the daughter of Klimt's most important patrons and was part of the collection of the late cosmetics billionaire Leonard Lauder, who had purchased it in 1985. The sale took place during Sotheby's first evening sale at its new Manhattan headquarters, with bidding starting at $130 million and narrowing to two contenders before the hammer fell at $236 million.

newspaper The Times open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 18 link 8 artists

Gustav Klimt portrait sells for $236.4m, making it the second most expensive artwork ever sold at auction

Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer" sold for $236.4 million at Sotheby's New York on Tuesday night, becoming the second most expensive artwork ever sold at auction and the most expensive modern artwork ever auctioned. The six-foot-tall painting, created between 1914 and 1916, depicts the young heiress and daughter of Klimt's patrons. Six bidders competed for 20 minutes before the work was sold, though Sotheby's declined to name the buyer. The painting had been looted by the Nazis during World War II, returned to the Lederer family in 1948, and later acquired by Estée Lauder heir Leonard A. Lauder in 1985. Lauder died in June at age 92, and the sale was part of his collection auction that fetched $575.5 million total.

newspaper The Guardian open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 19 link 7 artists

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.

newspaper EL PAÍS English open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 20 link 4 artists

Gustav Klimt's rare 'Elisabeth Lederer' painting fetches record $236.4 million - Most expensive work of mo

Gustav Klimt's rare portrait 'Elisabeth Lederer' sold for $236.4 million at Sotheby's, setting a new record as the most expensive work of modern art ever sold at auction. The painting, created in the final years of Klimt's life, narrowly survived World War II after being separated from other works destroyed in a fire at Immendorf Castle. It came from the collection of Estée Lauder heir Leonard A. Lauder, who died earlier this year. The sale also featured Maurizio Cattelan's 18-karat gold toilet 'America', which drew only a single bid and sold for $12.1 million.

newspaper The Economic Times open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 25 link 23 artists

Record $236.3m Klimt leads Sotheby’s first night of auctions in Breuer Building

Sotheby's first evening auctions in its new Manhattan headquarters, the former Whitney Museum building designed by Marcel Breuer, achieved a record total of $605.1 million ($706 million with fees) on November 18. The night was headlined by the sale of 24 works from the collection of the late billionaire Leonard Lauder, which alone brought in $456.2 million. The standout lot was Gustav Klimt's 'Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer (Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer, 1914-16)', which sold for $205 million ($236.3 million with fees) after a nearly 20-minute bidding war, becoming the second-most-expensive painting ever sold at auction. A subsequent contemporary art auction added $148.8 million ($178.5 million with fees) across 44 lots.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 16 link 8 artists

Gold toilet, Klimt portrait sell for millions at Sotheby’s

A portrait by Gustav Klimt, *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* (1914–1916), sold for $236 million at Sotheby's in New York, setting a record for the auction house. The painting, depicting the daughter of Klimt's patron, was part of the collection of late billionaire Leonard A. Lauder. In the same sale, Maurizio Cattelan's solid gold toilet *America* (2016) fetched $12.1 million, with the piece satirizing superwealth. The toilet had previously been exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum and was stolen from Blenheim Palace in 2019; its current whereabouts remain unknown.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 14 link 32 artists

Christie’s $700M Night, Trump’s $7.25M Rockwell & Bonhams’ Big Names

The article reports on major auction results from Christie's, Bonhams, and other houses, including a $700 million evening sale at Christie's and a Norman Rockwell painting sold for $7.25 million linked to former President Donald Trump. It also highlights notable consignments and bidding activity from high-profile collectors and estates.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 27 link 28 artists

Kicking off New York November sales, Christie's nets healthy $690m from double-header 20th-century auction

Christie's kicked off New York's November auction season with a double-header 20th-century evening sale on November 17, generating $574.7 million before fees and $690 million with fees. The sale featured 80 lots, including 18 from the collection of supermarket magnate Robert Weis and his wife Patricia Ross Weis, with highlights such as Pablo Picasso's *La Lecture (Marie-Thérèse)* selling for $45.4 million and Mark Rothko's *No. 31 (Yellow Stripe)* achieving $62.1 million. Two artist records were set, including for Leonor Fini, and the sale achieved a 94% sell-through rate, with 59 lots backed by third-party or house guarantees.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 18, 2026 visibility 9 link 13 artists

A New York il Metropolitan museum ingloba la Neue Galerie: ovvero la più importante collezione d’arte austriaca e tedesca fuori dall’Europa

The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Neue Galerie in New York have announced a merger set for 2028. The Neue Galerie, founded by collector Ronald S. Lauder, will become The Met Ronald S. Lauder Neue Galerie, absorbing the most significant collection of early 20th-century Austrian and German art outside Europe, including Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I." Lauder and his daughter Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer will donate thirteen major works from their private collection, and a fundraising campaign has been launched to support the integration.

newspaper Artribune open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Dec 26, 2025 visibility 17 link 14 artists

10 top lots auction 2025

Gustav Klimt's portrait of Elisabeth Lederer topped the list of the most expensive artworks sold at auction in 2025, achieving $236.3 million at Sotheby's New York on November 18—far exceeding its $150 million estimate and setting a new record for the artist. The painting came from the collection of the late Leonard Lauder, who died in June at age 92. Other top lots included two more Klimts from Lauder's collection, a newly offered Basquiat, and a record-setting Frida Kahlo work, alongside notable sales by van Gogh, Rothko, Mondrian, Monet, and Picasso, with many of the highest prices achieved during the blockbuster November auctions at Sotheby's and Christie's.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 12 link 2 artists

klimt waldabhang unterach attersee lauder sale

Gustav Klimt's landscape painting *Waldabhang in Unterach am Attersee* (1916) sold for $70.8 million at Sotheby's on Tuesday night, hammering at $61 million. The work was the third Klimt painting sold by Sotheby's from the collection of the late mega-collector Leonard A. Lauder, and was the first Klimt landscape Lauder ever purchased. The sale comes after Lauder's other Klimt landscapes achieved record prices, including *Blumenwiese* ($86 million) and his portrait of Elisabeth Lederer ($236.4 million).

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 15 link 6 artists

gustav klimt blumenwiese blooming meadow lauder sale

Gustav Klimt's 1908 landscape painting *Blumenwiese* (Blooming Meadow) sold for $86 million at Sotheby's, slightly above its $80 million-plus estimate. The work was part of the Leonard A. Lauder Collection, a major consignment also featuring pieces by Matisse, Munch, and Martin. Lauder had acquired the painting in 1985, drawn to Viennese modernism and Klimt's Attersee period. The sale marks the second-highest price ever for a Klimt landscape, trailing the $104.5 million record set by *Birch Forest* in 2022.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jan 6, 2026 visibility 23 link 14 artists

In a ‘K-shaped’ economy, the art market's recovery could rely on the super-rich

Sotheby's and Christie's held a series of high-profile auctions in New York in late 2025, generating a combined $2.2 billion from major collections including the Leonard A. Lauder collection, the Cindy and Jay Pritzker collection, and the Robert F. and Patricia G. Ross Weis collection. Star lots included Gustav Klimt's portrait of Elisabeth Lederer ($236.4m), a Vincent van Gogh still life ($62.7m), a Frida Kahlo self-portrait ($54.7m), and a Mark Rothko abstract ($62.2m). Despite these strong results, the total was still 30% below the equivalent sales in 2022, and the article notes a growing number of contemporary gallery closures in 2025.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Nov 21, 2025 visibility 19 link 9 artists

The $236m Klimt, Cop 30 and the art world, Caravaggio’s Victorious Cupid—podcast

This podcast episode from The Art Newspaper covers three major art-world stories. Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer" (1914-16) sold for the second-highest price ever at auction during Sotheby's New York sale of works from the late billionaire Leonard Lauder's collection, a "white-glove" auction that has sparked debate about a market recovery. Additionally, the episode discusses COP30-related art commissions appearing on posters across the UK and Brazil under the theme "It's Not Easy Being Green," alongside the Gallery Climate Coalition's new Stocktake Report on carbon emissions. The episode's Work of the Week is Caravaggio's "Victorious Cupid" (1601-02), which has traveled from Berlin's Gemäldegalerie to the Wallace Collection in London for an upcoming exhibition.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Sep 16, 2025 visibility 25 link 20 artists

Sotheby’s secures $120m Pritzker and $400m Lauder collections, with works by Matisse, Munch and Van Gogh

Sotheby’s has secured two major private collections for its autumn New York sales: the Pritzker collection, estimated at $120 million, and the Lauder collection, valued at around $400 million. The Pritzker collection includes Vincent van Gogh’s *Romans Parisiens* (1887) with a $40 million estimate, while the Lauder collection features Gustav Klimt’s *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* (1914-16) estimated at over $150 million, along with works by Matisse, Munch, and Martin. The sales will take place at Sotheby’s new headquarters in the Breuer Building this November.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 6, 2026 source 2 sources visibility 26 link 2 artists, 2 galleries

Art Market Auctions Recovered Late 2025, But Not A "Comeback" – Citi Wealth

Citi Wealth's report, "State of the Art Market 2026: Don’t Call It A Comeback," finds that the global art market entered 2026 with renewed optimism, but confidence is highly selective and concentrated at the high and accessible ends. The November 2025 Modern and Contemporary Art auctions in New York surged 77% year-on-year to $2.2 billion, driven by the record-breaking $236.4 million sale of Gustav Klimt's *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* from the Leonard Lauder collection. However, numerous galleries closed in 2025, including BLUM gallery and Venus Over Manhattan, and traditional hubs like London and New York face slow growth while emerging regions gain influence.

newspaper Wealth Briefing open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 14, 2026 source 4 sources visibility 12

The Met Will Expand by Merging With the Nearby Neue Galerie

The Metropolitan Museum of Art will acquire the Neue Galerie's Fifth Avenue building and its collection of 20th-century Austrian and German art, starting in 2028. The collection was built by cosmetics magnate Ronald S. Lauder, who founded the Neue Galerie in 2001.

newspaper New York Times Art Also: Google News, Le Journal des Arts open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Dec 19, 2025 visibility 13 link 3 artists

Bing Crosby’s collection brings a white-glove Christmas to Sotheby’s

Sotheby's achieved a white-glove auction of Bing Crosby's personal collection in New York, selling all 100% of lots for $6.7 million against an estimate of $3.9–$6.3 million. Highlights included musical arrangements from Crosby's 1954 film *White Christmas* ($19,050), a Tiffany & Co cigarette box gifted by John F. Kennedy ($15,240), a Sheraton-style grand piano from *High Society* ($95,250), and a Fabergé sapphire mouse ($355,600). Top prices were led by paintings by Sir Alfred James Munnings ($1.2 million) and Charles Marion Russell.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 20, 2025 visibility 20 link 4 artists

Klimt portrait sets new modern art record at $236.4 million New York auction

Gustav Klimt's portrait *Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer* (1914–1916) sold at Sotheby's New York on November 18 for $236.4 million, becoming the second most valuable artwork ever sold at auction and the most valuable modern work. The painting was the highlight of the Leonard Lauder collection sale, which totaled over $600 million. After a 20-minute bidding war, the portrait hammered at $205 million before fees, surpassing its $150 million estimate. The work, stolen by the Nazis during World War II, was acquired by Lauder in the 1980s.

newspaper Just Collecting open_in_new Read original