A painting by Mark Rothko was sold for nearly $86 million at auction. The sale, conducted by an undisclosed auction house, achieved a price within the upper range of expectations for the artist's mature abstract works, reflecting sustained demand for top-tier modern art.
Jackson Pollock's painting *Number 7A* (1948) sold for $181.2 million at Christie’s in New York, shattering the previous auction record for the Abstract Expressionist artist by nearly three times. The evening sales also set new auction records for Mark Rothko and Constantin Brâncuși, and realized over $1 billion in a single evening, only the second time in auction history that threshold has been crossed.
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.
French-Lebanese artist Ali Cherri, in collaboration with the International Federation for Human Rights, has filed a civil complaint in a French court regarding a 2024 Israeli airstrike in Beirut. The strike, which occurred in the Noueiri neighborhood just hours before a ceasefire, destroyed Cherri’s family home and killed seven civilians, including his parents and their domestic helper. The legal action, submitted to a specialized war crimes unit, alleges that the targeting of a civilian residence constitutes a war crime under both French and international law.
On 8 May, more than 15 national pavilions at the Venice Biennale temporarily or partially closed in a coordinated strike organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA). The protest opposes Israel’s participation in the event, which organizers say normalizes what they call genocide and exploits precarious labor. Participating countries include Austria, Lebanon, Slovenia, Egypt, Poland, and the Netherlands, whose artist Dries Verhoeven stood outside his shuttered pavilion with a Palestinian flag. Some pavilions, like Japan’s, remained open but suspended interactive elements. The strike follows earlier controversies, including the resignation of the prize jury and an open letter demanding the Israeli pavilion’s cancellation.
An exhibition titled 'Forget Me Not: South Lebanon in Memory and Motion' was held at London's Palestine House earlier this month. It featured archival news footage from 2000, photographs, audiovisual materials, and children's drawings to document the history, culture, and resilience of southern Lebanon, a region experiencing renewed conflict.
charles bronson art auction
A collection of 500 artworks by Charles Bronson, one of the United Kingdom’s most notorious prisoners, is scheduled for auction at David Duggleby Auctioneers on March 11. The works, created using crayon, ink, and pencil on prison documents, will be sold as a single lot. The collection explores themes of isolation and endurance, reflecting Bronson’s decades of incarceration and solitary confinement.
A marble bust of Jesus Christ located in Rome’s Basilica of Sant’Agnese fuori le mura has been reattributed to Michelangelo. Independent researcher Valentina Salerno, a member of the Vatican committee for Michelangelo’s 500th anniversary, used archival records and inventories to trace the sculpture back to the Renaissance master, reversing a 19th-century dismissal of its origins. Simultaneously, a private owner in Belgium is claiming a recently acquired Pietà painting is also a work by Michelangelo, supported by carbon dating and stylistic analysis from art historian Michel Draguet.
Artist Ektor Rivera has created a painting titled "The Discovery of Americans" (2025) that reimagines Emanuel Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware" to celebrate Puerto Rican cultural figures, with Bad Bunny at the center. The work was commissioned by Miami art collector Seth Goldberg as a response to conservative criticism over Bad Bunny being selected to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show. The five-by-eight-foot painting places George Washington in the background while Puerto Rican icons including Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, and Roberto Clemente take center stage, with Bad Bunny draped in the Puerto Rican flag. The artwork has garnered over 2.3 million views on Instagram and Facebook.
This week's episode of HBO's *Industry* features a watercolor of Neuschwanstein Castle signed "A. Hitler," reflecting the real-world market for Adolf Hitler's amateur paintings. The show uses the artwork as a symbol of inherited wealth and moral ambiguity, mirroring actual auction sales—such as a 2015 Nuremberg sale where a group of Hitler watercolors fetched roughly €400,000, with one version of Neuschwanstein selling for €100,000 to an anonymous Chinese buyer. These works continue to circulate legally in Germany as long as they omit Nazi symbols.
Recent evidence suggests that Mayken Verhulst (ca. 1518–1599), the mother-in-law of Pieter Brueghel the Elder, authored works long attributed to the anonymous Brunswick Monogrammist. A key painting, *Ecce Homo* from the National Museum in Gdańsk, bears a unique double signature combining the initials of her husband, Pieter Coecke van Aelst, with her family name “Bessemer,” indicating her authorial role within the workshop. This discovery, detailed in an essay from the exhibition *The Woman Question 1550–2025* at the Museum of Modern Art Warsaw, challenges centuries of art-historical attribution.
An edition of XCOPY's digital artwork "Last Selfie" (2019) sold for a record-breaking $3.27 million (727 ETH) to a private collector, making it the highest price ever paid for an editioned artwork in the tokenized art space. The anonymous London-based artist minted the limited edition of 10 in 2019 for $20 each; the buyer's intermediary approached all ten holders, nine of whom rejected the offer before one accepted. Notable collectors who own editions include Raoul Pal, CozomoMedici, and punk6529, while AI art collector Jediwolf turned down the offer.
A statue of President Donald Trump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, titled *The Secret Handshake*, was removed from a public park in Washington, D.C., early Wednesday morning after going viral online. The anonymous artists claim they had a legal permit for the 12-foot-tall sculpture, which depicted the two men smiling and dancing together, but that National Parks Service officials toppled and destroyed it without the 24-hour notice they were promised. The Department of the Interior said the removal was due to the statue exceeding the permit's six-foot height limit.
An anonymous artist collective called the Secret Handshake has installed a 12-foot-tall statue in Washington, D.C., depicting Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands and twirling, titled "The Secret Handshake." The sculpture, made from wood, foam, and resin, includes plaques quoting a birthday message Trump reportedly wrote to Epstein and a satirical reference to free speech. The artists declined to identify themselves, speaking through a pseudonymous representative, and stated the work aims to highlight the public friendship between the two men, both of whom have been accused of abusing women.
Anonymous Was A Woman (AWAW) and the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) have awarded $521,125 in grants to 29 environmental art projects led by women-identifying artists from the United States and its territories. The grants, up to $20,000 each, require a public engagement component to be completed by August 2026. Recipients include artists such as Heidi K. Brandow, Charlotte Brathwaite, Cara Romero, and collectives like BEAM and DeepTime Collective, working across locations from California to Senegal and South Korea.
Maria Lai (1919–2013), a Sardinian artist who blended abstraction, Arte Povera, and craft, is receiving her first North American museum retrospective at Magazzino Italian Art in Cold Spring, N.Y. The exhibition, curated by Paola Mura, features nearly 100 works drawn from the personal collection of founders Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu, the artist's foundation, and Italian museums. It includes a permanent installation of Lai's 1992 cement sculpture *Colombe di Cemento* on the museum grounds.
An anonymous artist collective, previously responsible for an eight-foot-tall golden monument of Donald Trump crushing Lady Liberty, has installed a new unauthorized artwork on Washington, D.C.'s National Mall. The piece is a life-size, gold-painted television set playing a silent 15-second loop of Trump performing his signature slow-motion dance moves, set against backdrops including campaign rallies and a party with Jeffrey Epstein. The installation, permitted through Sunday, includes a spray-painted gold eagle and a plaque quoting a White House statement criticizing the earlier sculpture. The White House responded with a sarcastic statement from spokesperson Abigail Jackson, claiming the video brings 'joy and inspiration' to tourists.
A 4.9-meter stainless steel sculpture titled "Chaînes de Lumière" was unveiled on March 15, 2025, in Bikfaya, Lebanon, by artist duo Pierre and Cedric Koukjian. The work, composed of seven monumental links, was inaugurated in the presence of local officials including Bikfaya Mayor Nicole Gemayel, former President Amine Gemayel, Swiss Ambassador Marion Weichelt, and several UN envoys. It is part of a series of chain-motif sculptures installed globally, with previous works like "X-Link" (2022) in Geneva, Switzerland, and future installations planned for London and Bristol.
Martin Scorsese's 1990 film *Goodfellas* features a brief but memorable scene where mobsters Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro), and Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) visit Tommy's mother, played by Scorsese's own mother Catherine. She shows them a small painting of a man in a boat with two dogs facing opposite directions, prompting an improvised, humorous exchange of amateur art criticism that ties into the film's dark plot. The painting was actually based on a photograph by Adam Woolfitt from the November 1978 issue of *National Geographic*, depicting Irish river advocate John Weaving and his dogs Brocky and Twiggy; the on-screen version was created by Pileggi's mother.
Somali artists, cultural workers, and organizations have published multiple open letters and statements expressing concern over the Somalia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. The pavilion, announced in March for the 2026 edition, is titled 'SADDEXLEEY' and features Somali-Swedish artist Ayan Farah, Somali-Danish poet and filmmaker Asmaa Jama, and Somali-British writer Warsan Shire, curated by Stockholm-based Mohamed Mire and Italian project manager Fabio Scrivanti. Critics, including the Somali Arts Foundation and the queer collective Warbixinta Cidda, allege that the pavilion was organized without meaningful consultation of artists and organizations based in Somalia, and object to the appointment of an Italian co-curator given Italy's colonial history in Somalia. An anonymous open letter further alleges intimidation and coercive pressure against critics, and demands Scrivanti's removal, calling for a boycott if demands are not met.
Artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino discuss their project 'conference of one’s self' for the Australia Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale. Sabsabi explains how the work draws on the twelfth-century Sufi poem 'The Conference of the Birds' by Farīd al-Dīn ʿAṭṭār, mapping its seven spiritual valleys and adding an eighth level of 'wholeness and completeness'. He also reflects on his childhood in Lebanon, migration to Australia, and how his return to Lebanon in 2002 reconnected him with his Sufi lineage, which informs his artistic practice focused on memory, displacement, and social justice.
The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) has opened "On the Matter of Memory: The Drawings of Harold Cromwell," the first solo exhibition dedicated to the late African Nova Scotian folk artist. Cromwell (1919–2008) created intricate ballpoint-pen drawings on everyday surfaces like cupboard doors and paper plates, chronicling working-class rural life. His works were sold for a few dollars at the Annapolis Farmer’s Market and were largely overlooked during his lifetime, despite his regional popularity. The exhibition runs until September 13, 2026, and aims to elevate his legacy alongside better-known Nova Scotian folk artists like Maud Lewis.
A Nazi-looted painting, *Portrait of a Young Girl* by Dutch artist Toon Kelder, has been discovered in the home of descendants of Hendrik Seyffardt, a Dutch SS collaborator who aided the Nazis during World War II. The work, stolen from the renowned Goudstikker collection, was allegedly displayed for decades by Seyffardt's family. An anonymous descendant contacted art detective Arthur Brand after learning of his family's past and seeing the painting in the hallway of Seyffardt's granddaughter. The family member told Dutch newspaper *De Telegraaf* that he feels "deep shame" and insists the painting must be returned to the Jewish rightful heirs.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) is presenting "Shirley Gorelick: Figuring It Out," an exhibition running from March 27 to June 28, 2026, that centers on three large-scale paintings by the American realist artist Shirley Gorelick (1924–2000). The show brings together these works from NMWA’s collection for the first time, including the first canvas in her "Three Graces" series, a triple portrait of activist Libby Ourlicht, and a depiction of longtime friends Gunny and Lee Benson. More than 30 additional paintings, drawings, and prints further illuminate Gorelick’s practice and her subjects. Gorelick, who was active in New York artist-run women’s cooperative galleries in the 1970s, developed a bold realist style that combined vigorous brushwork, heightened shadows, and vivid patterns, yet she was largely omitted from art historical narratives that focused on Pop art, Minimalism, and conceptual art.
Minnie Evans (1892–1987), a self-taught African American artist who worked for 25 years as a ticket seller at Airlie Gardens in Wilmington, North Carolina, is experiencing a major resurgence. Long overlooked after her death, Evans created thousands of vibrant, kaleidoscopic drawings featuring florals, animals, and abstraction, often on scrap paper using affordable materials. A touring exhibition, "The Visionary Art of Minnie Evans," is currently on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, curated by Colton Klein, and a larger exhibition opens this November at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta before traveling to the Whitney Museum of American Art in summer 2026. Evans had a 1975 retrospective at the Whitney during her lifetime but faded from prominence afterward.
Francis Dosoo, a self-taught Scottish artist now based in Vienna, is mounting his first solo show at Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) titled "Portrait Of Dorothy Gale." Dosoo began his career in nightlife, running club nights and DJ sets that blended into performance and installation art. His practice spans sound, film, and visual art, with past collaborations including Joanne Dawson, Aniela Piasecka, and Alberta Whittle, and commissions from the Glasgow Film Festival and Edinburgh Art Festival. The DCA exhibition draws on the 1978 film *The Wiz*, reimagining *The Wizard of Oz* with an African-American cast, focusing on star Diana Ross's career and personal life at the time.
Emerging artist Charlie Gosling, a 2023 graduate of Camberwell College of Arts, is gaining attention for his evocative portraits that draw comparisons to Frank Auerbach and Willem de Kooning. His second solo exhibition at London's Incubator gallery, titled "Good Luck with Me Here," features intimate portraits of friends and family, created through a process of layering and scraping paint to achieve an almost abstract quality. The show runs until 24 May.
The Lindsay Museum and Gallery recently debuted "Still Point: Everything Moves, One Remains," an international contemporary exhibition curated by JunHwan Chang of Gallery Chang. The show features a cross-cultural dialogue between local California artist Shane Guffogg and four prominent Korean artists: Kim Miné, Kim Hongbin, Anon, and Shin Kiwoun. The works on display range from Guffogg’s layered abstract paintings and Kim Miné’s lenticular "Nobody" series to hand-dyed fabric installations and video art exploring historical currency.
The Colorado Springs art community has announced its extensive 2026 spring and summer calendar, featuring a diverse range of student exhibitions, juried festivals, and monthly gallery walks. Key highlights include the Young People’s Art Exhibition at The Colorado Springs School, the UCCS Visual Art Majors exhibition titled “Chrysalis” at the Ent Center for the Arts, and the Garden of the Gods Art Festival, which will host over 150 national artists. The schedule also confirms the continuation of the popular First Friday art walks across Old Colorado City and downtown Colorado Springs through the end of the year.
Lamberto Pignotti, the 100-year-old Florentine artist and poet and a leading figure in visual poetry, is celebrated with two concurrent exhibitions: "Pignotti 100. Pop-esie visive" at the Mart in Rovereto (in collaboration with the Collegio Cairoli of Pavia) and the dual solo show "Identikit di Pignotti e Hogre" curated by Marco Giovenale at Galleria Bianco Contemporaneo in Rome. The latter exhibition, born from a dialogue between Pignotti and the anonymous artist Hogre, centers on a collection of envelopes Pignotti has saved for over fifty years—each addressed to him with varying titles (architect, artist, poet, professor) or altered names (Alberto, Lorenzo, Mario, Giuseppe)—revealing his fragmented identity. Pignotti co-founded the Gruppo '70 in Florence in 1963 with Eugenio Miccini, a movement that brought together multidisciplinary artists including Lucia Marcucci, Ketty La Rocca, and musicians Giuseppe Chiari and Sylvano Bussotti.