Frida Kahlo's self-portrait *El sueño (La cama)* (1940) sold for $54.7 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York, setting a new record for the artist and the highest price ever paid for a work by a female painter. The sale, which exceeded pre-auction estimates of $40–50 million, briefly appeared to signal progress in the art market's gender dynamics.
The Bo Bartlett Center in Columbus, Georgia, is hosting the exhibition "We Are the Drum and the Scribe: Black Art In America Collection" from January 20 to May 16. The show features over 40 works from the private collection of Najee & Seteria Dorsey and Black Art In America (BAIA), including pieces by Kerry James Marshall, Wadsworth Jarrell, David Driskell, and contemporary artists like Dr Fahamu Pecou and Alfred Conteh. A public reception is scheduled for February 19th.
The article highlights eight must-see art exhibitions for the winter season. Key shows include "Dreamworld: Surrealism at 100" at the Philadelphia Art Museum, a Gerhard Richter retrospective at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, a survey of avant-garde artist Bettina Grossman at Ruth Arts in Milwaukee, a Jacqueline Humphries exhibition at the Aspen Art Museum, and "Ideas of Africa: Portraiture and Political Imagination" at New York's Museum of Modern Art. Other notable exhibitions are also mentioned, covering a range of historical and contemporary artists.
The Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA) is hosting a major traveling exhibition, "The Impressionist Revolution: Monet to Matisse from the Dallas Museum of Art," alongside its own companion show, "Encore: 19th-Century Art from the Santa Barbara Museum of Art." The exhibition features works by Monet, Matisse, Pissarro, Berthe Morisot, and others, including rare pieces from SBMA's permanent collection such as Monet's "Villas in Bordighera." The show marks the 150th anniversary of the first Impressionist exhibition and includes related movements like Post-Impressionism, Pointillism, and Fauvism.
Christie's will auction over 40 works from the collection of the late Stefan Edlis and his wife Gael Neeson, beginning with the 21st Century Evening Sale on 19 November and the Post-War & Contemporary Art Day Sale on 20 November in New York, with additional offerings continuing through 2026. The collection, housed in the couple's Chicago residence, includes iconic pieces by artists such as Ed Ruscha, Urs Fischer, Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, and Diego Giacometti, reflecting a blend of avant-garde, Pop, and Art Deco design.
Art Basel Paris held its fourth edition with a new VIP preview slot called Avant Première, where galleries nominated six key collectors to enter the fair on Tuesday afternoon before the main opening. Major sales were reported, including a $23 million Gerhard Richter painting at Hauser & Wirth, a Modigliani for nearly $10 million at Pace, and a $7.5 million Ruth Asawa sculpture at David Zwirner. CEO Noah Horowitz discussed the rationale for the exclusive preview, the renaming of the VIP relations team to 'collector and institutional relations,' and the viability of the upcoming Art Basel Qatar fair amid growing competition in the Gulf region.
The article is a podcast interview with renowned painter Peter Doig, who discusses his upcoming exhibition "House of Music" at Serpentine South in London, running from October 10, 2025, to February 8, 2026. Doig reflects on his career, his evolving body of work informed by memory, personal photographs, art history, and music, as well as his time living in Trinidad and Canada. He delves into specific paintings in the show, his influences including Edward Burra, Henri Matisse, and Caravaggio, his collaboration with poet Derek Walcott, and the repertory cinema he founded in Port of Spain.
The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York is presenting "High Wire: Calder’s Circus at 100," a centennial exhibition celebrating Alexander Calder's iconic work "Calder’s Circus" (1926-31). The show brings together the miniature circus figures, wire sculptures, drawings, archival materials, and early abstract works, exploring how the circus inspired Calder's lifelong exploration of balance and movement, leading to his invention of the mobile. The exhibition runs from October 18, 2025, to March 9, 2026, and is co-curated by Jennie Goldstein and Roxanne Smith.
Art Basel Paris is underway, and this article highlights 17 must-see museum shows across the city. Key exhibitions include a joint tribute to Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, and Pontus Hultén at the Grand Palais; a Rick Owens fashion retrospective at Palais Galliera; the first French monographic show of John Singer Sargent at the Musée d'Orsay, featuring his scandalous 'Portrait of Madame X'; a Bridget Riley exhibition exploring her debt to Georges Seurat; a Minimalism survey at the Bourse de Commerce; and a major Jacques-Louis David retrospective at the Louvre marking the bicentenary of his death.
Christie's will hold a series of modern and contemporary art auctions and events in Paris during late October 2025, coinciding with the fourth edition of Art Basel Paris. The sales feature major works including a monumental Yves Klein monochrome (estimate on request), Alberto Giacometti's 'Femme debout' (€5-7M), Paul Signac's 'La Passerelle Debilly' (€4-6M), and pieces by Pierre Soulages, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and others. The week opens on October 23 with 'Moderne(s), une collection particulière européenne,' a private collection of 40 European avant-garde works, followed by the flagship 'Avant-Garde(s) including Thinking Italian' sale.
Christie's will host its 20/21 Marquee Week in London from October 8, 2025, featuring six live and online sales of Impressionist, Modern, Post-War, and Contemporary art during Frieze Week. Highlights include works by Lucian Freud, Peter Doig, Paula Rego, Yoshitomo Nara, Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne, Louise Bourgeois, Chris Ofili, Paul Signac, Gerhard Richter, and Pablo Picasso, along with the Ole Faarup Collection. The event also includes a philanthropic initiative called Architects for the Birds, with birdhouses designed by architects including Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, and David Chipperfield, benefiting the Tessa Jowell Foundation; an exhibition of wearable sculptures and an installation by artist Natasha Wightman; and a continued partnership with the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, has announced a historic expansion, increasing its size by 50 percent to 114,000 square feet, with a grand opening scheduled for June 6 and 7, 2026. The expansion, designed by Safdie Architects, includes fully reimagined galleries and is celebrated by two landmark gifts: 18 major works by women artists donated by chairperson Olivia Walton and her husband Tom Walton, and 200 artworks by over 100 artists donated by collectors Candace and Michael Humphreys. The Walton gift features artists such as Yayoi Kusama, Alice Neel, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby, while the Humphreys gift introduces many new artists to the museum's holdings.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, announced its expansion will open on June 6, 2026, adding 114,000 square feet—a 50% increase in size. Designed by Safdie Architects, the project began in 2022 and includes hundreds of newly donated works, the largest gift in the museum's history: over 200 pieces from Dallas-based collectors Candace and Michael Humphreys. Additional donations from board chair Olivia Walton and her husband Tom include 18 works by women artists, honoring her late mother, gallerist Monique Knowlton.
Artnet News's Wet Paint column reports that former David Zwirner director Felix Rödder is opening his own gallery, Rodder (no umlaut), on September 18 at 22 East 80th Street on the Upper East Side, in the same building as Sprüth Magers. The jewel-box space, formerly Barbara Mathes Gallery, will debut with a solo show of sculptural paintings by Wyatt Kahn. Rödder, a lawyer-turned-dealer, plans to mix contemporary programming with historical exhibitions, keeping overhead low and avoiding art fairs for now. The column also teases a mention of Aby Rosen's involvement in the New York mayoral race.
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) has opened a major exhibition titled "Berthe Weill, Art Dealer of the Parisian Avant-garde," showcasing over 100 works that Weill exhibited in her Paris galleries between 1901 and 1940. The show highlights her role in launching the careers of artists such as Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani, and Suzanne Valadon, and includes paintings, drawings, sculptures, and archival materials. Weill, born to a poor Jewish family, opened her first gallery at age 36 using her mother's dowry, never charged for exhibitions, and often sold her own possessions to keep her spaces afloat. Despite her immense contributions, she died in poverty and has been largely omitted from art history.
The National Gallery in London, home to over 2,300 paintings spanning Western European art from Giotto to Cézanne and including early modernism by Picasso, has recently completed a comprehensive rehang of its collection at its Trafalgar Square site. This coincides with the reopening of the Sainsbury Wing after a two-year renovation. The article highlights ten essential works to see, including Jan van Eyck's *The Arnolfini Portrait* (1434), Leonardo da Vinci's *The Burlington House Cartoon* (around 1506-08), and Paolo Veronese's *The Adoration of the Kings* (1573), emphasizing the gallery's free admission and its role as a cultural treasure.
This article highlights the best museum shows to see alongside Art Basel in Basel 2025, covering exhibitions at Fondation Beyeler, Schaulager, Kunsthalle Basel, Kunsthaus Baselland, and Kunstmuseum Basel. Featured artists include Vija Celmins, Jordan Wolfson, Steve McQueen, Ser Serpas, Dala Nasser, and Medardo Rosso, with works ranging from VR installations and immersive light-and-sound pieces to textile art and historical retrospectives.
The Sainsbury Wing at the National Gallery in London has reopened after a three-year refurbishment, inaugurated by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The wing now serves as the main entrance, featuring large windows that flood the foyer with natural light, a high-tech screen showcasing masterpieces, and a rehang of the collection that groups early Renaissance and early Christian art together in rooms 51-66. Notable highlights include Sir Richard Long's 'Mud Sun', Paula Rego's 'Crivelli's Garden', a new unsigned Netherlandish altarpiece, and the temporary display of the Coronation portraits of the King and Queen until June 5th.
Arthur Jafa has curated a new exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) as part of the museum's ongoing Artist's Choice series. Titled "Less Is Morbid," the show runs through July 5 and features over 80 objects selected from MoMA's collection. Jafa, an artist and filmmaker known for his emotionally charged collages and installations, brings together works by figures such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Cy Twombly, Lygia Clark, Roy DeCarava, Piet Mondrian, and Lutisha Pettway. The exhibition challenges binary oppositions like minimalist/maximalist and sparse/dense, and critiques the historical hierarchies that have governed art institutions.
A new auction record has been set, with a significant artwork selling for a high price at a major auction house. The sale took place recently, drawing attention from collectors and the art market.
The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) is launching a new research project to re-examine a 17th-century shipwreck discovered during a 1916 subway dig in Lower Manhattan. The wreck, long believed to be the Dutch ship *Tyger*—one of the earliest European vessels to anchor in New York Harbor—was excavated by subway foreman James A. Kelly and later donated to MCNY in the 1940s. In partnership with the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE), the museum will apply advanced scientific techniques, including dendrochronology and wood species analysis, to the ship's timbers to confirm their origins and better understand the vessel's history.
Curator Karen Mary Davalos removed a 1969 portrait of Cesar Chavez by George Rodriguez from the exhibition "Chicano Camera Culture: A Photographic History, 1966 to 2026" at the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture in Riverside, California. The decision came after news reports on March 17 revealed that Chavez had assaulted multiple women and girls associated with the United Farm Workers, including allegations of rape against co-founder Dolores Huerta. Davalos, who curated the show, acted swiftly after a call from interim director Valerie Found, removing the photograph to avoid honoring a figure now seen as an abuser.
Galerie de l'Institut, a family-run Parisian gallery specializing in prints since 1954, is currently staging "Picasso. Dessin. 1903–1972," a major exhibition showcasing Pablo Picasso's prints and works on paper spanning nearly seven decades. The gallery, led by siblings Marc Lebouc and Anne-Gaëlle Lebouc (the second generation), with the third generation (Louis Lebouc) now involved, has expanded its focus from prints to include unique works and strengthened its online presence through platforms like Artnet. The exhibition marks both Picasso's 144th anniversary and the opening of the gallery's third space.
Lu Yang's solo exhibition "Electromagnetic Brainology" opened at Kunsthalle zu Kiel, running from January 30 to March 15, 2026. Curated by Muriel Meyer, the show features a new body of work from the Shanghai-based multimedia artist, known for immersive installations blending digital avatars, neuroscience, and pop culture iconography.
The Polygon Gallery in North Vancouver is presenting a major solo exhibition titled "Photolithics" by artist, curator, and scholar Tania Willard. The show, on view from March 7 to May 24, 2026, is a decade-long survey featuring new and existing works that demonstrate Willard's innovative use of photographic printing and presentation techniques.
È su RaiPlay il film di Pappi Corsicato sul fotografo Claudio Abate che racconta il fermento artistico di Roma tra gli Anni ’60 e ‘90
RaiPlay has released a new documentary film by Pappi Corsicato titled "Claudio Abate. L’obiettivo nell’arte" (2026), which pays tribute to the late photographer Claudio Abate (1943–2017). The film weaves together interviews, archival materials, and footage from Istituto Luce to chronicle Abate's life and work, focusing on his role documenting the vibrant Roman art scene from the 1960s through the 1990s. It highlights his collaborations with key figures such as Jannis Kounellis, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Fabio Sargentini, and the artists of the Pastificio Cerere school, capturing seminal performances, happenings, and installations that defined Arte Povera and other avant-garde movements.
An exhibition titled "Paris in Black: Internationalism and the Black Renaissance" at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center in Chicago celebrates the Black American artists, writers, and performers who moved to Paris after World War II to escape American racism. Curated by Danny Dunson, the show features over 100 artworks from the museum's permanent collection, including paintings by Archibald J. Motley Jr., sculptures by Richmond Barthé, Augusta Savage, and William Artis, and ephemera related to Josephine Baker. It traces the global influence of the Harlem Renaissance and the cross-pollination between Paris and U.S. cities like Chicago.
The article details the early career of Peggy Guggenheim before she established her famous Venetian museum, focusing on her London gallery Guggenheim Jeune (1938–1939). It describes how the gallery mounted pioneering exhibitions of avant-garde art, including the first UK solo show of Wassily Kandinsky, a group exhibition of contemporary sculpture featuring Jean Arp and Henry Moore, and shows of artists like Marie Vassilief and Gisèle Freund. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice now presents a retrospective of this formative period, titled "Peggy Guggenheim a Londra. Nascita di una collezionista."
“L’arte russa oggi è il sangue”. Una dura intervista alle Pussy Riot
During the preview of the 2026 Venice Biennale, the Russian Pavilion became the site of a protest by Pussy Riot and FEMEN, who staged an action called "STORM OF VENICE." Wearing pink balaclavas and carrying radical slogans, they denounced Russia's presence at the Biennale, accusing the Kremlin and the European cultural system of complicity. The protest centered on the phrase "Blood is Russia's art." In an interview, Pussy Riot member Nadya Tolokonnikova argues that artists who represent the official Russian Pavilion become instruments of the aggressive imperial state, and that the Biennale confuses cultural dialogue with political normalization.
Una nuova ala per risolvere i problemi della Galleria Borghese a Roma. Bella sfida, stucchevoli polemiche
The Galleria Borghese in Rome, one of Italy's most extraordinary museums, faces significant accessibility and capacity issues due to its historic 17th-century structure. The museum is difficult for visitors with disabilities, overcrowded, and forces visitors to book far in advance—often waiting over a month for a time slot—while many masterpieces remain in storage. In 2025, the engineering firm Proger offered to sponsor a feasibility study for a new wing, contributing nearly 900,000 euros to fund an international architecture competition and a technical-economic feasibility plan. The study, currently underway, aims to explore whether a new annex can be built within the protected Villa Borghese park to create new entrances, exhibition spaces, and services.