Winslow Homer’s mountaineer and Bob Ross's valley view: our pick of the January auctions

The article highlights five notable artworks heading to auction in January 2025, spanning sales at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Bonhams Skinner, and Heritage Auctions. Featured lots include Winslow Homer’s *A Mountain Climber Resting* (est. $1.5–2.5M) from the Max N. Berry Collection, Otobong Nkanga’s tapestry *The Pursuit of Bling: The Transformation* (est. £20,000–30,000), Bob Ross’s *Valley View* (est. $30,000–50,000), and Claes Oldenburg’s lithograph *Three Way Plug* (est. $3,000+). Each work comes with distinct provenance—from a Standard Oil heiress to a hardware pioneer—and reflects diverse market segments from blue-chip American painting to contemporary African art and pop-culture collectibles.

Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month at the DAM

The Denver Art Museum (DAM) is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15–October 15) by showcasing several exhibitions featuring works by artists from Latin America, Spain, and the Caribbean. Key exhibitions include "A Century of Art in Latin America," which presents a comprehensive survey of Latin American art over the past 100 years, featuring masters like Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and José Clemente Orozco; "Confluence of Nature: Nancy Hemenway Barton," displaying textile sculptures and works on paper by the late multidisciplinary artist; "Ink & Thread: Codices and the Art of Storytelling," highlighting contemporary codices by Enrique Chagoya and the Tillett Tapestry; and "Painting in the Andes, 1680–1780," exploring colonial-era art from Andean centers. All exhibitions are included with general admission, which is free for visitors 18 and under.

Behind the scenes of the Met’s revamped Rockefeller Wing with its acclaimed architect

Kulapat Yantrasast, the Bangkok-born architect behind Why Architecture, has completed a $70 million overhaul of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, which houses the arts of Africa, Oceania, and the ancient Americas. Working with executive architect Beyer Blinder Belle, Yantrasast redesigned the 40,000-square-foot exhibition hall to address longstanding conservation issues caused by a 200-foot glass wall on Central Park that exposed fragile objects to heat and light. The wing reopens to the public on May 31 after four years of construction.

From monumental scroll paintings to metaphorical breasts: five works to see at Art SG

The article highlights five standout works at Art SG, the Singapore art fair. Featured artists include Pinaree Sanpitak, whose hand-blown glass sculpture *Stacked Offering I* (2024-25) continues her exploration of breasts as metaphors for womanhood and spirituality; Jakkai Siributr, whose textile work *CG20* (2023) repurposes discarded uniforms from Thailand's struggling tourism workers into a tapestry of healing; Citra Sasmita, whose installation *Timur Merah Project XI: Bedtime Story* (2023-24) centers female protagonists in Balinese mythological scrolls; and Ayesha Singh, whose wall reliefs from the *Evolution* series trace Indian architectural motifs. Prices range from around $5,000 to $40,000, with works shown by galleries including Ames Yavuz, Flowers Gallery, Yeo Workshop, and Nature Morte.

Reclaiming Narratives: Rowan’s Art Gallery & Museum Announces 2025-2026 Exhibitions

Rowan University Art Gallery & Museum has announced its 2025-2026 exhibition season, featuring four solo shows by artists vanessa german, Qualeasha Wood, Devan Shimoyama, and Jazlyne Sabree. The exhibitions explore themes of healing, identity, African folk culture, the Black LGBTQ experience, and ancestral resilience through diverse media including sculpture, digital tapestry, painting, and collage. All exhibitions are free and open to the public at the gallery's location in Glassboro, New Jersey.

Au musée de l’Image d’Épinal, les talents multiples de Frans Masereel, entre autres inventeur du roman graphique

The Musée de l'Image d'Épinal is presenting a comprehensive exhibition on Belgian artist Frans Masereel (1889–1972), widely credited as the inventor of the graphic novel in 1918 with his wordless narratives composed of black-and-white woodcuts. The show, curated by Samuel Dégardin, brings together loans from major institutions and a private collection to reveal the full breadth of Masereel's practice, which spanned drawing, animation, painting, theater, ceramics, tapestry, and satirical press illustration. It highlights his pacifist activism during World War I, his collaborations with writers such as Stefan Zweig and Romain Rolland, and his humanist vision of a unified Europe.

How the adoption of canvas in Venice changed the way artists painted

Art historian Cleo Nisse has published a new book, *Venetian Canvas and the Transformation of Painting*, examining how 16th-century Venetian painters such as Titian, Veronese, and Tintoretto pioneered the use of canvas as a painting support. Nisse reveals that canvas was not a uniform material—artists experimented with different weaves, including tabby and herringbone patterns, and even repurposed sailcloth and tablecloth-quality fabrics to achieve specific visual effects. The book argues that canvas was already familiar in the late Middle Ages for banners and alternatives to tapestry, and that Vittore Carpaccio was the first master of the medium, varying canvas types for expressive purposes in his *Legend of St Ursula* series.

beauty kustaa saksi tapestry oribe

Artist Kustaa Saksi, known for tapestries inspired by the visual auras of his migraines, has created a new work titled "Golden Threads" in collaboration with luxury hair-care brand Oribe. The tapestry, woven at the TextielMuseum’s TextielLab in Tilburg, took six months and over 180 pounds of thread, and is an abstract homage to the Norse goddess Sif. It is part of Oribe’s annual artist program, now in its eighth year, which invites creatives to reinterpret the brand’s visual language for limited-edition holiday packaging. Past participants include photographer Thandiwe Muriu, digital painter Kohei Kyomori, and clay artist Rowan Harrison.

Otobong Nkanga: ‘I Dreamt of You in Colours’

Artist Otobong Nkanga has unveiled a major new installation titled 'I Dreamt of You in Colours' at the Kunsthalle Basel. The immersive, site-specific work explores themes of memory, landscape, and the extraction of natural resources through a complex tapestry of textiles, drawings, and sculptural elements.

Art, Ambition and Atmosphere: Inside Dallas Contemporary’s Annual Gala

Dallas Contemporary held its annual gala and benefit auction on a balmy night, raising over $1 million. The event, presented by Headington Companies and board president Ann McReynolds with John McReynolds, featured a live auction led by Christie’s Brett Sherlock, a runway show by students from Booker T. Washington School for the Performing Arts, and a surprise donation from painter Francisco Moreno. Guests included philanthropist Grace Cook, collector Marguerite Hoffman, artist Vicki Meek, and museum director Jeremy Strick, among others.

vrindavani vastra tapestry india loan british museum 1234774971

The British Museum has agreed to a six-month loan of the Vrindavani Vastra, a 350-year-old Himalayan tapestry, to the Assam State Museum in India. This 2027 homecoming is contingent on the construction of a specialized preservation facility in Guwahati to house the fragile nine-meter silk textile, which depicts the life of Krishna and features the earliest known Assamese script.

Elizabeth Blackadder exhibition to showcase 'meaningful' 50 year collaboration with Scottish studio

Edinburgh’s Dovecot Studios is launching a major exhibition titled "Elizabeth Blackadder: Her Life in Colour" to celebrate the late artist’s 50-year collaboration with the tapestry studio. The show features over 30 tapestries and hand-tufted rugs, headlined by the debut of a newly created rug based on Blackadder’s 1975 painting, "The Red Bouquet." The exhibition also incorporates works from the Royal Scottish Academy’s collection to provide a comprehensive look at her legacy.

British Museum secures £5m sponsorship for Bayeux Tapestry display

The British Museum has secured a £5m sponsorship deal from billionaire Igor Tulchinsky to fund the landmark loan of the Bayeux Tapestry. The 11th-century textile, which depicts the Norman Conquest of 1066, will be displayed in the museum’s Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery from September 2025 through July 2027. This historic event marks the first time the artifact has returned to British soil in nearly 1,000 years, facilitated by the temporary closure of its home in Normandy for renovations.

Back to Assam: British Museum agrees to loan fragile tapestry showing Krishna’s life

The British Museum has reached an agreement with the state government of Assam to loan the Vrindavani Vastra, a 350-year-old sacred tapestry depicting the life of Krishna, for a six-month period starting in 2027. The loan is contingent upon the construction of a specialized new extension at the Assam State Museum in Guwahati to accommodate the textile's extreme fragility. This marks the first time the artifact, which features the earliest known Assamese inscriptions, will return to its place of origin since it was acquired by the British Museum following the 1904 Younghusband expedition to Tibet.

Lina Ghotmeh: ‘Museums should go beyond conservation to foster exchange, reflection and critical thinking’

In February 2025, Beirut-born, Paris-based architect Lina Ghotmeh won the competition to oversee the remodelling of the Western Range of the British Museum, a series of galleries comprising one-third of the historic London institution. Her project team includes conservation specialists Purcell and engineers Arup. Ghotmeh, known for her human-centred, sustainable approach and her 'archaeology of the future' methodology, has previously designed the Stone Garden tower in Beirut and the 2023 Serpentine Pavilion in London. She also holds commissions for a contemporary art museum in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, a Venice Biennale pavilion for Qatar, and the Bahrain Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka.

After a century in storage, an 18th-century tapestry goes on show at Blenheim Palace

A rare 18th-century tapestry, *The Battle of Arbela*, has gone on public display at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, UK, after more than a century in storage. The tapestry, part of the *Story of Alexander the Great* series commissioned by the first Duke of Marlborough in 1707, was woven by Flemish weaver Judocus de Vos and designed by French artist Charles Le Brun. It depicts Alexander the Great's victory over the Persian Army at the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC. The piece is now exhibited in the palace's Great Hall until 26 August, following conservation work completed in the early 2000s.

Fire-damaged room at Castle Howard brought back to life by meticulous restoration

The Tapestry Drawing Room at Castle Howard, a historic stately home in Yorkshire, England, has been meticulously restored after being gutted by a fire in 1940. The room, originally adorned with early 18th-century tapestries woven by John Vanderbank and based on scenes by David Teniers, was reduced to a scorched shell. Nick Howard, whose family has lived in the house for three centuries, oversaw the restoration, which involved reinstalling the original tapestries—found rolled up in the attic—after conservation by Alison Stanton. The centerpiece, a painting by Marco Ricci titled *Judgment of Paris*, and a newly built fireplace based on archival photographs complete the revival.

Weaving a history: Worcester Art Museum exhibits tapestries 'From the Vault'

The Worcester Art Museum is opening a new exhibition, "From the Vault: Collecting Tapestries at the Worcester Art Museum," on May 3, 2025, running through July 27. The show features nearly 30 works, including 12 large-scale tapestries and 18 fragments, many unseen for decades. The centerpiece is the museum's iconic 16th-century "The Last Judgment" tapestry, restored after 35 years in storage. Other highlights include a contemporary piece by Diedrick Brackens, a Flemish tapestry depicting Emperor Titus, and works by Jean Lurçat.

Marinella Senatore's exhibition in Milan is a party in name and in fact

La mostra dell’artista Marinella Senatore a Milano è una festa di nome e di fatto

Marinella Senatore's solo exhibition "FESTA!" opens at Mazzoleni's Milan space, marking both the artist's first show at the gallery and the gallery's 40th anniversary. The exhibition presents new works including sketches, drawings, and embroidered tapestries that reinterpret Baroque public celebrations as participatory, community-driven art. The tapestries, produced in collaboration with the Chanakya school in Mumbai, feature motifs from 17th- and 18th-century festivities—ephemeral architecture, light displays, and fireworks—transformed into contemporary banners that activate the gallery space.

In Venice, famous street artist JR completely wraps a historic palazzo with an installation

A Venezia il famoso street artist JR avvolge completamente un palazzo storico con un’installazione

Street artist JR has wrapped the historic Palazzo Ca' da Mosto in Venice—now the Venice Venice Hotel—with a large-scale installation timed to the 61st Venice Biennale. The project, titled "Il Gesto," reinterprets Paolo Veronese's 1563 masterpiece "The Wedding at Cana" as a contemporary fresco featuring 176 people from the Refettorio Paris community kitchen. Inside the palazzo, an immersive installation combines photographic portraits, reflective surfaces, and audio recordings to create a layered narrative. A monumental tapestry woven by Giovanni Bonotto and the Fondazione Bonotto, made from recycled plastic, wool, cotton, and washi paper, extends the work into a durable, contemplative form.

Artist to Watch: Erin M. Riley’s Tapestries Examine Hard-Hitting Themes While Breaking Down Barriers

Brooklyn-based artist Erin M. Riley is preparing to unveil her latest and largest weavings in a solo exhibition at New York's P.P.O.W gallery in September 2025. Her tapestries tackle hard-hitting themes such as family trauma and domestic abuse, drawing on memory, photographs, and everyday iconography. Riley, who studied at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and Tyler School of Art and Architecture, initially faced pushback from both galleries and traditional weavers but has since become a leading figure in the blurring of fine art and craft. Her new works incorporate embroidery for the first time and include pieces like "Road Reverberations" (2024), which uses crowdsourced quotes from survivors of abusive relationships.

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A new study by University of Bristol historian Benjamin Pohl, published in the journal *Historical Research*, proposes that the Bayeux Tapestry was originally designed as mealtime reading for monks in the refectory of St. Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury. Pohl argues that the tapestry’s moralistic episodes, inclusion of Aesop’s fables, and simple Latin text align with Benedictine rules requiring silent dining accompanied by edifying readings. The theory builds on earlier speculation that the tapestry once hung in a private school’s refectory, but Pohl provides documentary and archaeological evidence for the Canterbury location.

bayeux tapestry 93 penises offer clues 2639001

The article examines historian George Garnett's analysis of the 93 penises depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, a 225-foot-long embroidery chronicling the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Garnett, a professor of Medieval history at Oxford University, argues that the size and placement of these genitalia—88 on horses and five on men—offer clues about the tapestry's meaning. He notes that the largest equine phallus belongs to Duke William's stallion, followed by those of Harold Godwinson and Odo of Bayeux, suggesting a hierarchy of importance. More significantly, Garnett interprets four penises attached to men in the tapestry's border as references to Aesop's fables, indicating themes of deceit, shame, and illicit sex, which he believes challenge the traditional attribution of the tapestry's commission to Odo of Bayeux.

napoleon sword could fetch 1 million auction 2638647

A ceremonial saber commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 sold for €4.6 million ($5.2 million) at Giquello auction house in Paris on May 22, far exceeding its estimate of €700,000–€1 million. The sword, made by master armorer Nicolas-Noël Boutet, was given to Marshal Emmanuel de Grouchy on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and remained in his family ever since. It features a curved Damascus blade, gold-plated silver mounts, and a stingray-skin sheath, with classical imagery including Medusa, Hercules, and Mars. The sale was part of a 20-lot auction at Hôtel Drouot that also included a 15th-century sword, a Gabonese mask, and a 17th-century tapestry.

Stitches in time: the artist chronicling the DRC’s blood-soaked history in tapestry

Lucie Kamusekera, an 82-year-old artist in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, creates embroidered tapestries on tobacco sacks that chronicle the country's violent history. Born in 1944 and taught sewing by Italian nuns, she began documenting contemporary conflicts after witnessing a military truck filled with corpses. Her more than 70 works depict events from the colonial Belgian Congo era to the 1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba and the second Congo war, as well as personal tragedies including her husband's murder by rebels. Despite ongoing danger from rebel offensives, she continues to stitch from her home studio, training her children and great-granddaughter to carry on her work.

At Centquatre, Circulation(s) Highlights the Diverse Perspectives of Young European Photographers

Au Centquatre, Circulation(s)s met en lumière la diversité de regards des jeunes photographes européens

The 16th edition of the Circulation(s) festival has opened at Centquatre-Paris, showcasing the work of 26 emerging photographers from 15 European countries. Organized by the Fetart collective, this year’s festival features Ireland as the guest country and emphasizes the hybridization of photography with other mediums, such as embroidery, tapestry, and digital installations.

design coolwater childs estate connecticut

The article profiles Coolwater, a historic estate in Norfolk, Connecticut, owned by the Childs family for over a century. Originally a colonial farmhouse built around 1803, it was purchased by Starling Winston Childs in 1909. The property features a later addition designed by architect Alfredo Taylor, a prolific local designer who created over 50 buildings in the area. The estate is filled with family heirlooms, including Currier & Ives lithographs, a Jubilee-era tapestry, and eclectic decor that blends Adirondack lodge style with Colonial Revival elements. Siblings Starling Winston Childs and Elisabeth Gill, now the family elders, share stories of the house's quirks, such as its poor insulation and a subterranean basketball court.

UK government insures Bayeux Tapestry for £800m during loan to British Museum

The UK Treasury will insure the Bayeux Tapestry for an estimated £800 million under the Government Indemnity Scheme during its loan to the British Museum next year. The tapestry, created in the 1070s, will travel from Normandy to London via the Channel Tunnel and be displayed in the Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery from September 2025 to July 2027 while its home museum in Bayeux undergoes renovations. The loan agreement, announced by French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, includes a dry run with a facsimile and vibration monitoring, and in exchange, British Museum treasures such as the Lewis chessmen and Sutton Hoo helmet will travel to Normandy.

Art Basel Miami Beach, Louvre crisis deepens, Helene Schjerfbeck—podcast

This episode of The Art Newspaper's 'The Week in Art' podcast covers three major stories. Ben Sutton and Kabir Jhala report from Art Basel Miami Beach, discussing top sales and the overall mood at the fair. Ben Luke speaks with Paris correspondent Vincent Noce about the deepening crisis at the Musée du Louvre following a staff strike and a recent robbery, as the museum plans to raise ticket prices for non-EU visitors by 45%. The episode also features a 'Work of the Week' segment on Helene Schjerfbeck's painting 'The Tapestry' (1914-16), with curator Dita Amory discussing the work ahead of a new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Straight-line storytelling: how will the British Museum display the Bayeux Tapestry?

The British Museum (BM) is planning to display the Bayeux Tapestry from September 2026 to July 2027, following a loan agreement with the French government. The tapestry, owned by the French state, will return to England for the first time in nearly a thousand years after its dedicated museum in Bayeux closed for renovations. The BM's Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery is long enough to accommodate the 70-meter embroidered strip in a single straight line, a key factor in securing the loan over other contenders like the Victoria and Albert Museum. Conservators will display the tapestry at a 60-degree angle with low lighting to minimize fading, and visitors will likely follow an audio-guided tour with 25 minutes to view the 58 scenes.