Art Basel’s Soft Opening Belies Strong, Swift Sales Across Tiers

Art Basel's 2025 edition opened with a soft atmosphere that belied strong and swift sales across all price tiers. Major galleries reported significant transactions: David Zwirner sold 68 works including a $9.5 million Ruth Asawa sculpture and a $6.8 million Gerhard Richter painting; Gladstone placed a $3.5 million Keith Haring piece; and Thaddaeus Ropac sold a €1.8 million Georg Baselitz and a $1.8 million James Rosenquist painting to a European institution. White Cube, Hauser & Wirth, and Tina Kim Gallery also reported robust sales, with works by artists such as Dana Schutz, Marlene Dumas, Yayoi Kusama, and Ha Chong-Hyun moving quickly. However, mid-tier galleries like Marianne Boesky Gallery noted more cautious, eye-driven buying rather than the frenzied chasing of past years.

Cause for cheer at Art Basel as strong preview-day sales take many galleries by surprise

Major international galleries reported unexpectedly strong sales on the preview day of Art Basel, despite geopolitical tensions, stock market volatility, and uncertainty over US tariffs. Thaddaeus Ropac sold works by Georg Baselitz, James Rosenquist, and Robert Rauschenberg, while Gagosian, David Zwirner, Pace, and Hauser & Wirth also reported multimillion-dollar sales, including a Ruth Asawa sculpture for $9.5 million and a Pablo Picasso painting priced at $30 million. Many dealers expressed surprise at the speed and volume of sales, which defied the broader international environment.

Frieze New York shows signs of stability in challenging US art market

Frieze New York (7-11 May) opens its 13th edition at The Shed with around 65 galleries, including mega-galleries Gagosian, David Zwirner, Hauser & Wirth, Pace, and White Cube. The fair arrives amid a turbulent art market: global art sales declined 12% in 2024 per Clare McAndrew's Art Market Report, and President Trump's tariff decisions have roiled the stock market. Frieze's owner Endeavor recently sold the fair to a new company founded by former CEO Ari Emanuel. Despite this, US fair director Christine Messineo expresses optimism, citing strong sales at Frieze Los Angeles in February. The Focus section features 12 emerging galleries, seven of which are first-time participants, including King's Leap, Management, Voloshyn Gallery (Kyiv), and Public Gallery (London).

At Art Basel Hong Kong, Blue-Chips Report Flurry of 7-Figure Deals, While Others Lament ‘Slower Than Usual’ Sales

Major galleries reported significant seven-figure sales on the opening day of Art Basel Hong Kong. Hauser & Wirth sold works by Louise Bourgeois and George Condo for millions, while David Zwirner sold paintings by Liu Ye and Marlene Dumas for $3.8 million each. Pace Gallery's CEO noted a renewed energy, and other blue-chip dealers like White Cube and Lehman Maupin also reported high-value transactions, particularly with Asian collectors and institutions.

Hauser & Wirth Partner Cristopher Canizares Departs to Start Artist Agency

Cristopher Canizares, a longtime partner at mega-gallery Hauser & Wirth, is departing after 16 years to launch his own venture, the Artist Legacy Bureau. This new agency will function as an artist management firm, with Canizares working directly for and being paid by a select group of five or six artists to advise on long-term career strategy across their gallery, institutional, and collector relationships.

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A coalition of Los Angeles’s leading art institutions, including the Getty, LACMA, MOCA, and the Hammer Museum, has officially pledged to adopt the Bizot Green Protocol. This collective commitment, which also includes the gallery Hauser & Wirth, establishes climate-minded guidelines for museum operations such as widening temperature and humidity parameters for galleries and reducing air travel for loans. The move was largely catalyzed by the devastating impact of recent wildfires on the region's cultural infrastructure.

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CORE and TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary are launching "Get Up Stand Up: Artists for Jamaica and Los Angeles," a high-profile benefit auction scheduled for February 26 during L.A. Art Week. The event features over 20 works by major contemporary artists including Henry Taylor, Hank Willis Thomas, and Nari Ward, with a live sale led by auctioneer Simon de Pury. Proceeds will fund long-term recovery efforts following Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica and recent wildfires in Los Angeles, as well as CORE’s ongoing emergency response work.

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Thaddaeus Ropac is opening a new project space in New York and has hired Emilio Steinberger as a senior director. Hauser & Wirth now represents artist Conny Maier in collaboration with Société in Berlin. Zippora Elders Tahalele has been appointed director of the Nederlands Fotomuseum. The Tulsa Artist Fellowship announced its 2026–28 cohort of ten artists and arts workers. The ADAA appointed four new board members: Elizabeth Feld, Bridget Moore, Yancey Richardson, and Melissa Timarchi. Sotheby's second sale in Saudi Arabia, 'Origins II,' totaled $19.6 million, with a record $2.1 million for Safeya Binzagr's work. The article also covers Art Basel Qatar's first edition, with comments from Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and artistic director Wael Shawky.

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Amy Sherald, the painter known for her tender portraits of Black American life, has signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), a major talent agency. Sherald, who has been represented globally by Hauser & Wirth since 2018, rose to fame after painting Michelle Obama's official portrait for the National Portrait Gallery. She was set to become the first Black contemporary artist to have a solo exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in 2025, but canceled the show after a censorship controversy involving her painting 'Trans Forming Liberty.'

condo moves from hauser wirth to spruth magers and skarstedt was j m w turner neurodivergent trump squeezes arts talent pool morning link for november 10 2025 1234760829

Artist George Condo has left Hauser & Wirth and will now be jointly represented by Sprüth Magers and Skarstedt, marking a return to galleries with which he had long-standing relationships. Condo first showed with Monika Sprüth in 1984 and was represented by Skarstedt from 2004 to 2019 before joining Hauser & Wirth in late 2019. Separately, a new BBC documentary titled *Turner: The Secret Sketchbooks* explores whether J. M. W. Turner's creative genius was shaped by childhood trauma and neurodivergence, featuring commentary from artists, actors, and a psychotherapist. The article also reports that Dana Awartani will represent Saudi Arabia at the 2026 Venice Biennale, and that the Trump administration has tightened H-1B visa rules, making it harder for arts institutions to hire foreign specialists.

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Hauser & Wirth's UK subsidiary reported an 87% decline in pretax profit for 2024, falling to $1.6 million from $12.5 million the previous year, as revenue dropped by more than half to $91.4 million. The gallery attributed the downturn to a sharp fall in secondary-market sales, which can fluctuate significantly based on a few high-value transactions. The UK entity represents only a small portion of the gallery's global business, which the founders said remained aligned with the prior year's successful performance. Separately, the gallery's hospitality arm, Artfarm Group, posted a wider pretax loss of $24 million despite a 16% rise in turnover.

rowena chiu appointed gallery director of perrotins new london operation ahead of frieze week 1234755248

Rowena Chiu has been appointed gallery director of Perrotin's new London operation, which opened in March at Claridge's hotel in Mayfair. Chiu previously served as director of museum and institutional relations at Stephen Friedman Gallery for four years and spent six years at Hauser & Wirth across London, Zurich, and New York. Her first exhibition at Perrotin London will be a solo show by Laurent Grasso, winner of the 2008 Marcel Duchamp Prize, opening October 14.

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Frieze London and Frieze Masters have announced highlights for their 2025 editions, running concurrently October 15–19 in Regent’s Park. Frieze London will feature ceramics and textiles, including a presentation titled “Three Generations of Female California Ceramics” at The Pit, stoneware sculptures by Sanya Kantarovsky at Modern Art, and textile works by Antonio Pichillá Quiacaín at Portas Vilaseca. Major galleries like Gagosian, Pace, Lehmann Maupin, White Cube, and Lisson will present new works by artists such as Lauren Halsey, William Monk, Do Ho Suh, and Marguerite Humeau. The fair’s curated section “Echoes in the Present” by Jareh Das includes artists like Diambe and Tadáskía, while the Focus section emphasizes installation-based works. Frieze Masters highlights include a booth of 19th- and 20th-century paintings curated by Nicolas Party at Hauser & Wirth, a solo of Peter Hujar’s drag portraits at Pace, and a new Reflections section organized by Abby Bangser focusing on decorative art.

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Sylvio Perlstein, the legendary art collector, patron, and impresario, died on August 6. Hauser & Wirth confirmed the news, calling him a visionary who shaped one of the most important art collections of the past century. In 2018, the gallery exhibited 380 pieces from his collection across its Chelsea and Hong Kong locations in the show 'The Sylvio Perlstein Collection – A Luta Continua'. Perlstein was born in Belgium in the 1930s, fled to Brazil with his family during World War II, and later joined the diamond business in Antwerp. His collection spanned Dada, Surrealism, American minimalism, and Land art, featuring works by Man Ray, René Magritte, Donald Judd, and many others. He maintained close friendships with artists and displayed works throughout his Paris home, which cultural critic Arthur Lubow described as 'a contemporary version of Ali Baba's cave'.

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ARTnews analyzed publicly reported sales from five blue-chip galleries—Hauser & Wirth, Pace, Thaddaeus Ropac, White Cube, and David Zwirner—at Art Basel 2025, finding a combined total over 35% lower than in 2024, around 8% below 2023, and just over 20% down from 2022. The high-water mark was $204 million in 2024, boosted by eight-figure works from Hauser & Wirth. Meanwhile, the number of artists sold by these galleries rose steadily from 109 in 2022 to 157 in 2025, indicating a shift toward broader, less concentrated inventory. Dealers reported mixed sentiments, though seven-figure deals still occurred, and some noted that market uncertainty has led to more scattershot presentations with wider price ranges.

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David Hammons has released a "post-exhibition catalogue" through Hauser & Wirth Publishers, six years after his 2019 survey at the gallery's Downtown Los Angeles location. The 12-by-12-inch, nearly 7-pound volume contains hundreds of images—installation shots, artwork reproductions, and ephemera—but no text whatsoever: no table of contents, essays, titles, dates, or page numbers. The book functions more as an artist's book than a traditional exhibition catalog, presenting Hammons's work in a raw, unapologetic sequence that resists scholarly interpretation.

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Sotheby’s is offering María Berrío’s mixed-media collage "Act II, Scene 4: Threshold" in its "Contemporary Discoveries" online sale with an estimate of $60,000–$80,000. This specific work previously sold for $380,000 at the Two x Two for AIDS and Art charity auction in 2023, far exceeding its then-retail value of $125,000. The current auction serves as a litmus test for the artist's secondary market resilience following a period of intense speculative trading.

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Hauser & Wirth and art shipping company Artay Rauchwerger Solomons face trial over charges of evading U.K. sanctions by allegedly making artist George Condo's 2021 work on paper, *Escape from Humanity*, available to a person connected with Russia in 2022. The U.K. Crown Prosecution Service brought the charge in November, and a judge has scheduled a 10-day trial for January 2028, with a hearing on May 5, 2026, for arraignment. Hauser & Wirth has stated it will plead not guilty, while the shipping firm, which went into voluntary liquidation in April 2024, did not respond to requests for comment.

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Hauser & Wirth and Société are collaborating on a large-scale group exhibition titled "States of Being" during Berlin Art Week 2025. The show, running from September 11 to November 1, will feature over 30 artists across two floors of Hauser & Wirth's Berlin space, including Alina Szapocznikow, Rashid Johnson, Lee Lozano, Louise Bourgeois, Lu Yang, Mika Rottenberg, Tina Braegger, Darren Bader, Phyllida Barlow, and Petra Cortright. The initiative stems from a friendship between Hauser & Wirth president Marc Payot and Société CEO Daniel Wichelhaus, and marks Hauser & Wirth's first project in Berlin, though the gallery has no plans to open a permanent outpost there.

The Asian Market Carries Art Basel Hong Kong

Le marché asiatique porte Art Basel Hong Kong

Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 concluded with strong attendance and significant sales, demonstrating the fair's central role in the Asian art market. The event attracted over 91,000 visitors and featured 240 galleries, with a strong presence from the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, and the United States. Major international galleries like Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, and David Zwirner reported multimillion-dollar sales of works by artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Liu Ye, and Marlene Dumas, alongside notable transactions for works by Tracey Emin and Antony Gormley.

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The article recounts the author's experience at Art Basel Miami Beach 2025, beginning with a moment of reflection on the beach before the fair week's chaos. Three veteran attendees—an artist, an advisor, and a gallery owner—chose to skip the event this year, citing lackluster parties, declining collector interest in Miami compared to Paris, and poor sales attrition. Despite these doubts, the fair saw strong sales, with Hauser & Wirth reporting a 40% increase in the first three hours, and a new digital art sector boosting optimism. Pop-up exhibitions, like "The Body is The Body" at the Rice Hotel, were highlights, while Vanity Fair's party remained the most coveted invite.

Pat Steir, known for her colorful, cascading “Waterfall” paintings, dies at 87.

Pat Steir, the influential abstract painter celebrated for her large-scale "Waterfall" works created by pouring paint down the canvas, has died at the age of 87. Her death was confirmed by family and her gallery, Hauser & Wirth.

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UK tax authority HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has charged mega-gallery Hauser & Wirth with breaching criminal sanctions by allegedly making a luxury artwork available to a person connected with Russia. The case involves a 2021 work-on-paper by George Condo titled *Escape from Humanity*, sold by the gallery between April and December 2022, after the UK banned luxury goods exports to Russia-linked individuals in April 2022. The gallery, along with shipping company Artay Rauchwerger Solomons, faces charges under the sanctions law, which was enacted following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Hauser & Wirth has stated it strongly contests the charge and intends to plead not guilty.

Exhibition | Nengi Omuku, 'We Were Like Those Who Dreamed' at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London, United Kingdom

Pippy Houldsworth Gallery in London presents 'We Were Like Those Who Dreamed,' the second solo exhibition by Nigerian artist Nengi Omuku. The show features new paintings that explore the politics of green spaces in urban centers, particularly Lagos, where rapid urbanization has created a 'concrete jungle.' Omuku transposes figures from contemporary and archival images of Lagos into lush, Impressionistic landscapes painted with pointillist brushstrokes and a Fauvist palette, using the garden as a radical symbol of equality and resistance. She paints on sanyan, a hand-spun Yoruba cloth, working with local artisans in Ilorin to revive the tradition. Works like 'Dream Logic' and 'One Particular Man' address socio-economic tensions, while 'A quiet nation' captures the dichotomy between urban Brutalist architecture and natural foliage.

Ursula Launch: Celebrating Firelei Báez and Issue 16 with Casa Dragones

Hauser & Wirth is hosting a launch event during the opening weekend of Firelei Báez's solo exhibition 'Feet squelching on wet grass, nourished by uncertainty' at its 22nd Street gallery in Chelsea, celebrating the release of Ursula issue No. 16. The issue features a portfolio by Báez titled 'The Earth That Remains,' a cover story on collector Eileen Harris Norton, and contributions on Elsa Schiaparelli, Christopher Harris, Alice B. Toklas, and LACMA director Michael Govan. The free event includes Casa Dragones tequila and access to Báez's exhibition alongside 'Carol Rama. I See You You See Me.'

Art Basel’s ‘Basel Exclusive’ Initiative Asks Galleries to Withhold at Least One Work from PDF Previews, and Other News.

Art Basel is launching a new initiative called "Basel Exclusive" for its June 2026 Switzerland fair, asking exhibitors to withhold at least one key work from pre-fair digital PDF previews to encourage in-person viewing. Around 170 of 232 exhibitors, including major galleries like Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Pace, and David Zwirner, have already adopted the program. Separately, Tate Britain announced the 2026 Turner Prize shortlist featuring artists Simeon Barclay, Tanoa Sasraku, Kira Freije, and Marguerite Humeau, with the exhibition opening at Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA) in September. The Museum of Sonoma County will also commemorate the 50th anniversary of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's land art installation "Running Fence" with a major exhibition opening June 27.

The Dallas Art Fair: A Balance Of Growth And Consistency

The Dallas Art Fair (DAF), founded in 2009 by developer John T. Sughrue and curator Chris Byrne, concluded its eighteenth edition this past weekend. Director Kelly Cornell, who started as an intern and became director in 2016, has strengthened partnerships with the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, and Dallas Contemporary, while securing sponsors like Bank of America. The fair has grown from 35 to over 90 galleries, though it still lacks mega-galleries like Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, David Zwirner, and Pace. International participation this year included about 20 galleries, with notable names such as Perrotin, Anat Egbi, and Hesse Flatow, while galleries from Germany and China were absent.

‘My paintings are always really kitchen sink, everything’s thrown into them’: Christina Quarles on her new solo show in Los Angeles

Artist Christina Quarles has launched her first solo exhibition with Hauser & Wirth in Los Angeles, titled "The Ground Glows Black." The new body of work features her signature fluid, elastic depictions of bodies, but introduces a more "untethered" and monochromatic aesthetic influenced by recent personal trauma. The paintings and works on paper were created in the aftermath of the Eaton fire, which destroyed the artist's home and community in Altadena.

15 Art Shows to See in Los Angeles This Spring

Los Angeles art institutions are presenting a diverse slate of spring exhibitions. Highlights include a major retrospective of conceptual artist Michael Asher at the Museum of Contemporary Art, a sprawling group show on Chicanx photography at the Riverside Art Museum and the Cheech, and an exploration of the Black Arts Movement through photography at the Getty. Other notable shows feature Arshile Gorky's road trip-inspired works at Hauser & Wirth, an audiovisual film exhibition at the Variety Arts Theater, and a presentation of Steven Arnold's queer baroque aesthetics at Del Vaz Projects.

In pictures: a sculptural celebration at Art Basel Miami Beach

Nora Lawrence, executive director of Storm King Art Center, curated a selection of her favorite three-dimensional works at Art Basel Miami Beach, highlighting sculptures by Thaddeus Mosley, Rashid Johnson, Mary Ann Unger, Paloma Varga Weisz, and Claes Oldenburg, as well as a painting by Saif Azzuz. The tour, published by The Art Newspaper, showcases works from galleries including Karma, Hauser & Wirth, Berry Campbell, Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, Konrad Fischer Galerie, and Paula Cooper.