jane fonda lauren halsey usher hammer museum

The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles held its 20th annual Gala in the Garden on Saturday night, raising $2.4 million for the institution. The event honored artist Lauren Halsey and actor-activist Jane Fonda, with speeches from director Zoë Ryan, Studio Museum director Thelma Golden, and actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen. Attendees included LeBron James, Dustin Hoffman, Will Ferrell, Stormzy, Ed Ruscha, Catherine Opie, Mark Bradford, and Andrea Bowers, with a performance by singer Griff.

dustin yellin pioneer works birthday party

Pioneer Works founder Dustin Yellin celebrated his 50th birthday with a fundraiser called Village Fête, raising $1.4 million for the nonprofit arts and sciences center he founded 13 years ago. The event featured a cocktail hour, seated dinner, performances by Annie & the Caldwells and David Byrne, and an afterparty co-hosted by CULTURED, with attendees including Claire Danes, Moses Sumney, Maggie Rogers, and Darren Aronofsky. Speakers included lead sponsor Gabriela Hearst, artist Nate Lewis, artist Azikiwe Mohammed, and founding team members Gabriel Florenz and Janna Levin, who highlighted the institution's impact on over 450 artists.

LILIA CARRILLO IN NEW YORK THE MEXICAN PAINTER WHO WAS AHEAD OF HER TIME

Americas Society in New York has opened "Lilia Carrillo: Ruptures and Premonitions," curated by Tobias Ostrander. The exhibition presents 24 paintings by Mexican artist Lilia Carrillo (1930–1974), created between 1961 and 1974, alongside archival materials. It introduces Carrillo to New York audiences as a key figure of the Generación de la Ruptura, a postwar movement that broke with Mexican muralism in favor of abstraction. The show highlights her experimental techniques—carving and scraping paint, embedding fabric and paper—and her engagement with mortality, Surrealism, and political turmoil, including the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre.

Inside the Inaugural Edition of Art Cologne Palma Mallorca

The inaugural edition of Art Cologne Palma Mallorca took place from April 9–12, 2026, attracting 88 galleries from 20 countries and over 10,000 visitors to the Mediterranean island. The fair, held at the Palau de Congressos Convention Centre, reported strong sales and sold-out weekend days, with Artistic Director Daniel Hug praising the high level of engagement and positive response from both exhibitors and attendees. A second edition has already been scheduled for April 1–4, 2027.

Sharjah Biennial Lines Up 109 Artists for 2027 Edition, Titled ‘What Remains, Sits Restive’

How Pussy Riot Is Challenging Russia’s Return to the Venice Biennale

The feminist art collective Pussy Riot is campaigning to replace the official Russian exhibition at the 2024 Venice Biennale with their own show, "Resistance Imprisoned." The alternative exhibition features art created by nearly 30 current and former political prisoners in Russia, using improvised materials like envelopes, bedding, and blood. The collective's founder, Nadya Tolokonnikova, aims to expose the country's repressive system, drawing from her own experience in a penal colony.

Painting Has Entered Its Performance Era

The rise of short-form video platforms like Instagram and TikTok has transformed painting from a static medium into a performative spectacle. To compete with algorithmic preferences for transformation and speed, artists are adopting specific visual grammars such as the "art reveal"—where a canvas is dramatically flipped toward the camera—and "speed painting," which turns the creation process into a high-stakes live event. These trends emphasize the labor and human presence behind the work, often utilizing emotional storytelling and direct engagement to build dedicated fanbases outside traditional gallery structures.

egidio marzona dead avant garde collector archive 1234777644

Egidio Marzona, the influential German-Italian collector, publisher, and patron, has died at the age of 81 in Berlin. Renowned for his intellectual approach to collecting, Marzona focused on the 20th-century avant-garde, including movements such as Bauhaus, Dada, Fluxus, and Arte Povera. Unlike traditional collectors, he prioritized the preservation of archives, letters, and ephemera alongside physical artworks, viewing the "paper trail of ideas" as essential to understanding artistic history.

Egidio Marzona, Collector Who Built a Monument to the Avant-Garde, Dies at 81

Egidio Marzona, the influential German-Italian collector, publisher, and patron, has died at age 81 in Berlin. His vast collection focused on 20th-century avant-garde movements, from Dada and Bauhaus to Fluxus and Arte Povera, and was distinguished by its deep archival holdings of letters, diagrams, and ephemera that documented the intellectual processes behind the art.

collectibles digest january 2026 2738487

A rare cassette tape containing one of the earliest known recordings of rapper Tupac Shakur, made in 1988 at his friend Ge-ology's home, is being auctioned by the music collecting platform Wax Poetics with an estimate of $120,000–$150,000. The sale includes other personal artifacts like handwritten lyrics and photos from Tupac's pre-fame years in Baltimore, with bidding ending February 11.

bob ross second bonhams auction 2736840

A trio of Bob Ross paintings sold for over $1 million at Bonhams' “Americana” auction on January 27, 2026, with proceeds benefiting American Public Television (APT). The top lot, *Change of Seasons* (1990), fetched $787,900—more than 13 times its high estimate—followed by *Babbling Brook* (1993) at $279,900 and *Valley View* (1990) at $203,700. The sale follows APT's record-breaking November auction and is part of a series of 24 Ross paintings to be offered throughout the year.

casa batllo contemporary gaudi barcelona 1234772398

Casa Batlló, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Barcelona designed by Antoni Gaudí, has opened a new exhibition space called Casa Batlló Contemporary dedicated to contemporary art. The program launched with a show by United Visual Artists (UVA), a London-based collective founded by Matt Clark, running from January 31 to May 17. The space, located on the second floor and restored by architecture studio Mesura, will host two annual exhibitions. This initiative expands on Casa Batlló’s existing "Mapping" series, which commissions artists to project audiovisual works onto Gaudí’s façade.

a rhythm 0 for the tiktok age 1234771095

Artist Briony Godivala is performing a year-long piece called *The Inked Link*, in which she has a QR code tattooed on her forearm that redirects to a new link each day based on public votes. Since January 2025, the voting site has been hacked to repeatedly play an anime episode, and participants have submitted links to pornographic, fascist, and racist content, as well as footage of death. Godivala, a graduate of the Glasgow School of Art, previously explored collective responsibility in physical performances where audience members carried her until they dropped her; she now uses social media to continue these experiments in a virtual space.

iconic fashion designer art collector valentino garavani dead 93 1234770264

Italian fashion designer and art collector Valentino Garavani died in Rome on January 19 at age 93. Born in Voghera, he moved to Paris for fashion studies, worked for Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche, then launched his own brand in Rome in 1959. Known for elegant gowns worn by icons like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Princess Diana, he retired in 2008. Garavani and his longtime business partner Giancarlo Giammetti built significant art collections; Garavani sold a Basquiat painting for $67 million at Christie’s in 2023, and Giammetti sold another for $93 million in 2021. Garavani also owned works by Warhol, Lichtenstein, and de Kooning. In 2024, he opened PM23, an exhibition space in Rome run by the Fondazione Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti, which launched its second show, “Venus,” featuring Joana Vasconcelos, two days before his death.

chanel culture fund names winners of its 2026 chanel next prize with each artist bagging e100 k 1234770159

The Chanel Culture Fund has announced the 10 recipients of its 2026 Chanel Next Prize, each receiving €100,000 ($117,400). The winners, announced on January 19 in London, include visual artist Álvaro Urbano, jazz musician Ambrose Akinmusire, fashion designer Andrea Peña, artist and filmmaker Ayoung Kim, fashion designer and artist Bárbara Sánchez-Kane, sound artist Emeka Ogboh, choreographer Marco da Silva Ferreira, experimental musician Pan Daijing, filmmaker Payal Kapadia, and painter Pol Taburet. The biennial prize, now in its third edition, also includes a two-year mentorship program in collaboration with Chanel’s cultural partners, such as London’s Royal College of Art.

art market minute jan 19 2738213

Christie’s has secured the estate of Belgian collectors Roger and Josette Vanthournout, with over 200 works to be sold in its March sales in London, including a René Magritte painting estimated at $4.7 million. Meanwhile, South Africa blames Qatar for the cancellation of its Venice Biennale pavilion featuring a work about Gaza violence by Gabrielle Goliath, claiming Qatar sought to use the pavilion for "proxy power." Art Cologne has announced 88 exhibitors for its revived Palma, Mallorca edition launching April 9.

joan mitchell foundation 2026 artists in residence 1234770065

The Joan Mitchell Foundation has announced the 31 artists selected for its 2026 residency program at the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans. The residencies, lasting six or 14 weeks across three seasons, will host no more than nine artists at a time, beginning February 2. The cohort includes 17 local New Orleans artists and participants from cities such as New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, and Atlanta, ranging in age from 27 to 75. Notable participants include Edra Soto, who also won a United States Artists Fellowship, and two leaders of New Orleans’s Black Masking Indian tradition, Kelly Pearson Boles and Efrem Z. Boles. The selection was made by a jury of artists, curators, and academics.

bose krishnamachari resignation kochi biennale foundation 1234769987

Bose Krishnamachari, artist and co-founder of the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF), has abruptly resigned, citing pressing family reasons. His departure comes during the 6th edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, titled “For the Time Being,” which opened December 12, 2025, and runs through March 31, featuring 66 artists from over 20 countries. The biennial has faced multiple controversies since its 2012 debut, including financial mismanagement, sexual harassment allegations, and a recent closure in January 2026 due to religious protests over a painting by Tom Vattakuzhy referencing the Last Supper.

art market minute jan 12 2736336

Artnet's Price Database reveals signs of recovery at the top end of the art market in 2025, following three years of contraction. The article highlights gains in high-value sales, exemplified by Gustav Klimt's "Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer" pictured at Sotheby's Marquee Sales Series in New York. It also notes a growing trend of small and emerging galleries working with artists' estates, and reports that roughly half of art-backed loans by non-bank businesses defaulted in 2024.

recovered picassos art theft trial nice 1234769368

Seven years after an undercover sting in Nice, France, recovered a cache of stolen artworks including several by Pablo Picasso, ten defendants are now on trial. The 2017 police operation, triggered by a tip from Belgium, involved officers posing as Swiss buyers who met a seller at a Nice hotel and were led to a house in Peillon filled with stolen pieces. Among the recovered works were Picasso's *Le vieux roi* and *Le clown*, along with other items traced to a burglary in Saint-Paul-de-Vence and an armed robbery in Èze. The trial consolidates earlier investigations into a suspected art theft and fencing network, with prosecutors alleging the Peillon property served as a storage and sales hub.

kochi muziris biennale closure christian protests 1234768658

India's Kochi-Muziris Biennale was forced to close briefly in late December 2024, just weeks after its mid-December opening, following protests by Christian groups over a painting of the Last Supper by artist Tom Vattakuzhy. The work was displayed not in the main biennial exhibition, “For the Time Being,” but in a side exhibition called “EDAM” at the Garden Convention Centre in Kochi. Christian organizations, including the Kerala Latin Catholic Association and the Syro-Malabar Church, condemned the painting as offensive and called for its removal, questioning the use of public funds. Vattakuzhy, who is from a Christian family, said he did not intend to offend and that the work was inspired by a play based on a poem about Mata Hari. The biennial's curators and president defended the work, refusing to remove it on grounds of censorship, and organizers announced the exhibition would reopen on January 2.

sothebys to unveil 1 b of art and luxury goods during abu dhabi collectors week in december 1234762692

Sotheby's announced that $1 billion worth of fine art and luxury goods will be unveiled during Abu Dhabi Collectors' Week, running from December 2 to 5. The event includes non-selling exhibitions of high-value artworks, such as a Rembrandt drawing and Gustav Klimt's 'Dame mit Fächer,' while luxury items like McLaren racing cars, a Jane Birkin handbag, diamonds, and real estate will be offered at auction or privately, with over $150 million going to auction and $100 million in private sales.

sothebys saudi arabian auction 2026 2733794

Sotheby's will hold its second auction in Saudi Arabia on January 31, 2026, following a successful inaugural sale in Diriyah in February 2024 that netted $17.3 million. The upcoming sale, titled "Origins," features over 70 works by established Saudi Arabian and Middle Eastern artists alongside international names, with top lots including a Pablo Picasso painting estimated at $2–3 million and works by Jean Dubuffet, Roy Lichtenstein, and Andy Warhol. The auction aims to build on lessons from the first sale, which revealed strong demand across price points and generational diversity among buyers.

sothebys saudi arabia second auction art luxury 1234768014

Sotheby's will hold its second auction in Saudi Arabia, titled "Origins II," on January 31 in Diriyah, following its first auction in the kingdom in February 2024. The inaugural sale, also called "Origins," achieved $17.3 million within pre-sale estimates but had a 65.8% sell-through rate, with 40 of 117 lots unsold, particularly jewelry and handbags. The upcoming auction will focus exclusively on fine art, featuring over 70 works by international and Middle Eastern artists, including Anish Kapoor, Andy Warhol, Mohammed Al Saleem, Mahmoud Sabri, and Samia Halaby. The sale is scheduled just before the inaugural Art Basel Qatar.

smithsonian content review white house threatens funding 1234767747

The Trump administration has threatened to withhold funding from the Smithsonian Institution, accusing it of failing to comply with a content review demanded by the White House. In an email obtained by the Washington Post, budget director Russell Vought and Domestic Policy Council director Vince Haley alleged that the Smithsonian had not turned over all requested documents and exhibition materials, citing a prior executive order in which President Trump claimed the institution promoted “corrosive ideology” by portraying the U.S. as inherently racist. Smithsonian secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III defended the network’s independence, stating it remains committed to sharing information but that a government shutdown had slowed efforts. The administration set a January 13 deadline for full compliance, specifically targeting programming for America’s 250th anniversary.

art bites singerie monkeys 2716648

This article explores the artistic tradition of Singerie, or 'monkey trick,' a genre that depicts primates dressed and acting like humans. It traces the history from its origins in the early 1600s through its peak in the Rococo period, citing examples such as Jan Brueghel the Elder's 'Monkeys Feasting' (c. 1620) and Edwin Landseer's 'The Monkey Who Had Seen the World' (1827). The piece connects this historical convention to contemporary culture, noting its influence on the 2024 Robbie Williams biopic 'Better Man,' where the singer is portrayed as a chimpanzee, and on modern satirical works like Banksy's 'Devolved Parliament' (2009).

malba acquires daros latinamerica collection expansion 1234766956

Malba, the Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires, has acquired the Daros Latinamerica Collection, a private trove of 1,233 works by 117 artists spanning the 1950s to 2010s. The deal, orchestrated by founder Eduardo F. Costantini, nearly doubles the museum's holdings to roughly 3,000 works and is part of a broader expansion timed to Malba's 25th anniversary in 2026, including a building extension beneath Plaza Perú that will double its footprint to 90,000 square feet.

marina abramovic and roman polanski team up for new film 188117

Marina Abramović has announced production dates for her upcoming performance piece "Seven Deaths," a seven-part film incorporating death scenes from influential operas such as "Madam Butterfly" and "Carmen." The 68-year-old artist has invited controversial filmmaker Roman Polanski, along with directors Alejandro González Iñárritu, Marco Brambilla, Giada Colagrande, Yorgos Lanthimos, and screenwriter Petter Skavlan, to contribute segments. Abramović will portray singer Maria Callas, whom she describes as a muse, and plans to produce a making-of documentary and a biography on Callas's life. Lars von Trier was invited but declined due to scheduling conflicts.

best art world movies 2025 2724792

Artnet News has published a roundup of the best art world movies of 2025, highlighting films that explore the anxieties, ambitions, and contradictions of the contemporary art scene. The selection includes Kelly Reichardt's heist film *The Mastermind*, about a man stealing Arthur Dove paintings from a museum; the satire *Auction*, which follows a Parisian auctioneer discovering a long-lost Egon Schiele; the documentary *Art for Everybody*, reexamining Thomas Kinkade's legacy; and Ira Sachs's *Peter Hujar's Day*, a gentle portrait of the photographer's daily life. Spike Lee's *Highest 2 Lowest* also features, marking his entry into the old-guard canon.

frank frazetta fantasy art market 2725011

Frank Frazetta's iconic painting *Conan the Berserker* (1967) is being auctioned at Heritage Auctions with an opening bid of $10 million. The work, originally created for the cover of the 1967 paperback *Conan the Conqueror*, has become one of the definitive images of the fantasy hero. This year alone, five Frazetta paintings have sold for over $1 million, including *Man Ape* (1966) which fetched $13.5 million in September. The artist's total sales volume was just $674,640 in 2018, according to the Artnet Price Database.