Christie’s Holds Its Nerve Mid-Marathon as the 21st Century Evening Sale Secures a Steady $123.6 Million

Christie's 21st Century Evening Sale on November 20 achieved $123.6 million across 45 lots, with a 98% sell-through rate. The top lot was Andy Warhol's *The Last Supper*, selling for $8.1 million with fees, while works from the collection of Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson brought in $49.2 million. The sale included strong results for Christopher Wool, Cindy Sherman, and Diego Giacometti, though it lacked the record-breaking fireworks of earlier sessions.

The art world's most infamous toilet is heading to New York auction for US$10m – and the starting bid moves with gold

Maurizio Cattelan's solid-gold toilet sculpture, *America* (2016), will be auctioned at Sotheby's New York on 18 November 2025 as part of the Now & Contemporary Evening Auction. The work, weighing 223 pounds of 18-karat gold, has a raw material value of around US$10.2 million based on current gold prices. In a first for auction history, the starting bid will fluctuate with live gold prices until bidding begins. The sculpture was previously installed at the Guggenheim Museum, where over 100,000 visitors used it, and later made headlines when the Guggenheim offered it to the Trump White House as a loan alternative to a Van Gogh painting. One edition was stolen and never recovered, making this the only surviving example.

Walk the auction: your guide to Christie’s 20th and 21st Century Art sales in NY this November

Christie’s is holding its 20th and 21st Century Art auctions in New York this November, featuring masterpieces by David Hockney, Mark Rothko, Pablo Picasso, Lucian Freud, and Richard Diebenkorn. The sales include works from distinguished private collections such as The Collection of Robert F. and Patricia G. Ross Weis, Elaine: The Collection of Elaine Wynn, the Edlis | Neeson Collection, and the Arnold and Joan Saltzman Collection. A free public exhibition runs from 7–20 November at Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries, with live auctions on 18 and 20 November, including an Impressionist & Modern Works on Paper Sale and a Post-War & Contemporary Art Day Sale. Highlights include Edgar Degas’ pastel *Danseuses sur la scène* (c. 1879), a Joan Miró from 1942, and a Frida Kahlo painting with a storied exhibition history.

The must-see exhibitions during Art Basel Paris

Numéro magazine lists the must-see exhibitions during Art Basel Paris art week. Highlights include a major minimal art exhibition at the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection featuring Sol LeWitt, Agnes Martin, and Lygia Pape; a historic Gerhard Richter retrospective at the Fondation Louis Vuitton with nearly 300 works; the Fondation Cartier's new space near the Louvre designed by Jean Nouvel, showcasing artists like Ron Mueck and Junya Ishigami; and a carte blanche exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo curated by Naomi Beckwith exploring the influence of French theory on American art.

Frieze London diary: art historical speed dating and frozen faeces

During Frieze week in London, the National Gallery hosted its 'Unexpected Views' talk series, where eight contemporary artists including Grayson Perry, Shirazeh Houshiary, and Haegue Yang gave ten-minute talks on their favorite works. Tracey Emin and British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan held a candid discussion titled 'Confessions in the Museum,' and the art collective Konn Artiss placed ice blocks containing frozen feces outside major galleries and auction houses as a protest against the art market. The week also featured a lavish Frieze Collectors' Dinner with guests including Ari Emanuel, Sadie Coles, and Christian Levett, and a secret performance by musician Sampha.

Warhol, Haring, Basquiat: exhibition remembers pivotal 80s New York artists

Gallery Lévy Gorvy Dayan has opened "Downtown/Uptown: New York in the Eighties," a blockbuster exhibition featuring major works by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, Francesco Clemente, and others. Co-curated by Brett Gorvy and legendary dealer Mary Boone, the show aims to present the decade's most pivotal art for new generations, highlighting themes of celebrity, the AIDS epidemic, hyper-capitalism, and sexism through pieces like Warhol's silkscreen portraits, Basquiat's punching bag, Ross Bleckner's "27764," and Guerrilla Girls posters.

Fairfield University Art Museum Receives CT Humanities Grant for U.S. 250th Anniversary Exhibition

Fairfield University Art Museum has received a $15,000 grant from CT Humanities to support a 2026 exhibition titled *For Which It Stands…*, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States. The show will run from January 23 to July 25, 2026, featuring 75 works by diverse artists from the early 20th century to the present, all centered on depictions of the American flag. Highlights include Childe Hassam’s *Italian Day, May 1918* (lent by the Art Bridges Foundation), a new textile sculpture by Maria de Los Angeles, and works by Jasper Johns, Faith Ringgold, Robert Rauschenberg, Shepard Fairey, and Julie Mehretu. Loans come from private collections, artists, galleries, and institutions such as the Yale University Art Gallery, the Gordon Parks Foundation, and the Orlando Museum of Art.

Kerry James Marshall offers a fresh lesson in art history at his London retrospective

Kerry James Marshall's retrospective 'The Histories' opens at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, featuring over 80 works spanning his career. The exhibition, co-curated by Mark Godfrey and Adrian Locke, includes early pieces like 'A Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self' (1980) and recent paintings exploring African history and the transatlantic slave trade. After London, the show travels to Kunsthaus Zürich and the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris, timed to Marshall's 70th birthday.

Manetti Shrem Museum Fall 2025 Exhibitions Explore the Borderlands; Environmental Justice

The Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis presents two fall 2025 exhibitions: “OJO” Julio César Morales, a midcareer survey exploring the U.S.-Mexico border as a lived human experience through over 50 works in various media, and “Breath(e): Toward Climate and Social Justice,” a group exhibition from the Hammer Museum at UCLA that connects environmental and social injustice. The exhibitions run through Nov. 29, with a free public opening celebration on Sept. 28 featuring artists, curators, art making, and music. Morales’ show marks his California homecoming after a decade in Arizona as a senior curator and museum director, and includes an outdoor neon commission, “tomorrow is for those who can hear it coming” (2025).

Adam Dressner’s Portraits Are for the People

Adam Dressner, a self-taught former corporate lawyer, opened his debut solo gallery exhibition "Hello Stranger 2" at 1969 Gallery in Tribeca. The show features large-scale oil paintings and a salon wall of 60 small acrylic portraits, many painted live in public spaces like Washington Square Park and Grand Central Terminal. Subjects range from celebrities like Joyce Carol Oates and Anna Delvey to everyday New Yorkers such as a neighborhood waiter and a 90-year-old park acquaintance. Dressner painted 18 works on-site in the days before the opening, continuing his practice of wheeling an "art cart" of supplies to make expressive plein-air portraits.

Serpentine Galleries announces its first-ever Hockney exhibition

Serpentine Galleries has announced its first-ever exhibition dedicated to David Hockney, set to open at Serpentine North from 12 March to 23 August 2026. The show will feature the monumental 90-metre-long frieze *A Year in Normandy* (2020-21), inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry and depicting seasonal changes at the artist’s former Normandy studio, alongside iPad images created during the pandemic, the *Moon Room* series, and digital paintings from his *Sunrise* body of work. Separately, Annely Juda Fine Art will inaugurate its new London gallery in Hanover Square with a Hockney exhibition opening 7 November, showcasing recent paintings exploring reverse perspective.

11 Must-See Museum Shows This Fall

Maxwell Rabb's article for Google News highlights 11 must-see museum exhibitions opening worldwide in fall 2025. Among the featured shows are Ayoung Kim's "Delivery Dancer" video trilogy at MoMA PS1 in New York, the largest UK survey of Kerry James Marshall's work titled "The Histories" at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, and "Strange Realities: The Symbolist Imagination" at the Art Institute of Chicago, which explores the Symbolist movement across Europe. The article also mentions other major retrospectives and thematic exhibitions spanning Symbolism to Nigerian modernism.

London Art Exhibitions Not To Miss Opening Autumn 2025

London's major museums and galleries are preparing a packed autumn 2025 season with blockbuster exhibitions. Highlights include 'Radical Harmony: Helene Kröller-Müller’s Neo-Impressionists' at the National Gallery, 'Theatre Picasso' at Tate Modern, a Kerry James Marshall retrospective at the Royal Academy of Arts, Peter Doig at the Serpentine, Gilbert & George at the Hayward, and 'Encounters: Giacometti x Mona Hatoum' at the Barbican. The Barbican show pairs historic works by Alberto Giacometti with new and existing pieces by Mona Hatoum, including several UK debuts and site-specific large-scale sculptures.

Space, stadiums, poses and prizes: the best art and architecture of autumn 2025

This article is a seasonal preview of the best art and architecture exhibitions opening in autumn 2025, primarily in London and other UK venues. It highlights major shows including Mona Hatoum's dialogue with Giacometti at the Barbican, a Picasso exhibition at Tate Modern, Kerry James Marshall's first major European retrospective at the Royal Academy, and the Turner Prize 2025 at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford. Other featured exhibitions cover Hilary Lloyd's work on Dennis Potter, Marie Antoinette's image through art and fashion at the V&A, Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme's new commission at Nottingham Contemporary, and a Lee Miller retrospective at Tate Britain.

Documenta Taps an All-Women Artistic Team—and More Art Industry News

Documenta has selected an all-women artistic team for its upcoming edition, marking a historic shift for the prestigious quinquennial exhibition. In other art industry news, Sotheby's will open its new global headquarters in the Breuer Building on November 8, Christie's London will auction the collection of Danish businessman Ole Faarup in October, and Bob Ross's market has surged with record auction prices. Several galleries announced new artist representations and relocations, including François Ghebaly adding Brooklin A. Soumahoro and Latitude Gallery moving to Tribeca. The Whitney Museum made three curatorial appointments, the Harvard Art Museums acquired a Heinz Mack sculpture, and Claudia Gould was named executive director of the Shaker Museum. The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation added new board members, and Maëlle Ebelle was appointed inaugural director of the Liu Shiming Art Foundation.

Blum Gallery’s Sudden End Shocked the Art Industry. What Happened?

On July 1, 2025, Tim Blum, the powerhouse Los Angeles dealer behind Blum Gallery, announced the sudden closure of his gallery after a 35-year run. The closure includes his Culver City headquarters, his Tokyo space, and a planned Tribeca location that will no longer open. Blum publicly framed the decision as a voluntary "sunset" due to systemic industry issues like over-expansion and burnout, but interviews with artists and staff reveal a more chaotic reality: the closure blindsided employees and artists, many of whom learned about it from news reports or a last-minute staff meeting that excluded Tokyo staff. Sources cite weak sales at Art Basel and Art Basel Hong Kong, poor business decisions—including buying out partner Jeff Poe and renovating a costly New York space—and a lack of severance or transition time as underlying factors.

55 years. Berggruen Gallery

Berggruen Gallery in San Francisco announces its 55th Anniversary Exhibition, a group show running from June 26 to August 14, 2025. The exhibition features paintings, works on paper, sculpture, film, and archival ephemera from the SFMOMA Library and SFAI archive, showcasing museum-quality works by contemporary and historical artists. Many pieces are on loan from private collections and rarely exhibited publicly. The gallery, founded by John Berggruen in 1970 on Grant Avenue, quickly became a nationally recognized force in shaping the West Coast art scene, bridging New York and international artists with local collectors.

The Top 3 Japanese ultra-contemporary artists

The article profiles three Japanese ultra-contemporary artists—Miwa Komatsu, Justin Caguiat, and Yukimasa Ida—who are gaining significant traction on the international art market. It details Komatsu's rise from a 2015 Christie's Hong Kong sale to becoming the first Japanese ultra-contemporary artist ranked among the world's top 1,000 sellers, with $2 million in sales in 2022.

SF's art scene is back— 9 summer shows you shouldn’t miss

San Francisco's art scene is showing signs of recovery after a difficult period marked by the pandemic, federal arts grant cuts, and museum closures. June brought positive developments: the Headlands Center for the Arts raised record funds at its annual auction, the shuttered San Francisco Art Institute plans to reopen as an artist studio, and local criticism magazine SquareCylinder is returning. The article highlights nine summer exhibitions across the Bay Area, including shows by Ruby Neri, William T. Wiley, Hank Willis Thomas, Charlie Tweddle, and Shepard Fairey, ranging from public art installations to gallery retrospectives.

What does a so-called ‘buyer’s market’ look like at Art Basel?

At Art Basel 2025, a consensus has emerged among dealers and advisers that the fair represents a 'buyer's market,' characterized by slow sales, modest expectations, and increased negotiating power for collectors. Galleries are offering discounts of 20-30% below asking prices, particularly for works under $1 million, though open discussion of discounts remains taboo in Switzerland. Some dealers, like Tim Blum of Blum gallery, acknowledge a paradigmatic shift, with galleries adapting by focusing on established artists and estates, while still seeing demand for reasonably priced younger artists.

‘A new lease of life’: London’s Annely Juda Fine Art looks to the future with Mayfair move

London’s Annely Juda Fine Art is relocating from its Dering Street premises in Mayfair after 35 years to a new gallery on nearby Hanover Square, set to open at the end of October. The move marks a new phase for the nearly 60-year-old gallery, with co-director Nina Fellmann taking on greater responsibilities as founder David Juda, who turns 80 next year, steps back. The new space occupies three floors of a Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse, including a former ballroom with a glass-domed ceiling, and will feature a smaller gallery for emerging artists. David Hockney will inaugurate the venue with his Moon series (2020-23), while the final exhibition at the old space is a site-specific installation by Tadashi Kawamata titled Demolition.

15 Outstanding Artworks from the May 2025 New York Art Fairs

Artsy's editorial team curated a selection of 15 outstanding artworks from the seven art fairs taking place in New York during May 2025, including TEFAF, NADA, Esther II, Future Fair, Independent, and 1:54. The article highlights specific works such as Brandon Morris's "Teapot (Desire for No Tomorrow)" at Esther II, and notes that the fairs range from blue-chip offerings at TEFAF to emerging art at NADA, all compressed into a single week.

Here Are This Spring’s 11 Must-See Museum Exhibitions in New York

This article highlights 11 must-see museum exhibitions in New York for spring 2025, including shows at Amant, the American Folk Art Museum, the Guggenheim, the Hill Art Foundation, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and MoMA PS1. Featured artists include Madalena Santos Reinbolt, Rashid Johnson, Sam Moyer, Jennie C. Jones, and Andro Eradze, with works spanning textiles, sculpture, sound installations, and mixed media.

What to Look for at Frieze New York 2025

Frieze New York 2025, its 13th edition, opens May 7 at The Shed in Hudson Yards with over 65 international galleries. The fair features solo, group, and themed presentations, including the Focus section curated by Lumi Tan showcasing 12 emerging galleries. Highlights include the Artist Plate Project (a collaboration with Coalition for the Homeless featuring limited-edition plates by Cindy Sherman, Rashid Johnson, and Takashi Murakami), performances by Pilvi Takala, Asad Raza, and Carlos Reyes, and notable presentations by Christine Sun Kim at François Ghebaly and Jennie C. Jones at Alexander Gray Associates. Frieze’s director of Americas, Christine Messineo, shares her top picks.

The 10 Exhibitions to See in May 2025

The article highlights ten exhibitions to see in May 2025, including the Venice Architecture Biennale curated by Carlo Ratti, which explores intelligence in natural, artificial, and collective forms, alongside a parallel show by AMO/OMA at Fondazione Prada. It also covers Gallery Weekend Berlin, featuring Sky Hopinka's new film and photographs at Tanya Leighton, an exhibition by exiled Russian journalists Meduza at Kunstraum Kreuzberg, and a study group on Palestinian agrarian initiatives at Spore Initiative.

Hydrojustice: A Review

A Non-Aspirational Justice: Review of Hydrojustice

The article is a critical review of Andreas Philippopoulos-Mihalopoulos's book 'Hydrojustice,' which uses the concept of water as a lens to critique traditional, top-down legal justice and propose a more fluid, collective, and embodied alternative. The review frames this analysis through the recent erasure of a Banksy graffiti piece on the London Courts of Justice, which depicted a judge violently silencing a protester.

Can a Play Capture an Artist as Enigmatic as Henry Darger?

Can a Play Capture an Artist as Enigmatic as Henry Darger?

A new play, *Bughouse*, is attempting to portray the life of reclusive artist Henry Darger on stage at New York's Vineyard Theater. The one-man show, starring John Kelly, draws from Darger's own lengthy autobiography to depict his traumatic childhood, institutionalization, and decades of solitary life in Chicago, where he secretly created his vast, fantastical artwork and writings.

Venice Biennale 2026 Highlights: Arsenale & Giardini

ArtReview editors highlight the must-see national pavilions at the 61st Venice Biennale, running from 9 May to 22 November 2026. Notable presentations include Austria's Florentina Holzinger turning her pavilion into a toilet and sewage-treatment plant with naked performers, and Germany's pavilion featuring works by Sung Tieu and the late Henrike Naumann, who died in February 2026, exploring East German memory and conceptual minimalism.

Richard Lewer Wins 2026 Archibald Prize

The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) named Richard Lewer the winner of the 2026 Archibald Prize on May 8. Lewer, a New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based artist and six-time finalist, won the AU$100,000 prize for his life-size portrait of Pitjantjatjara elder, senior artist, and traditional healer Iluwanti Ken. The jury of AGNSW trustees selected the work unanimously from 59 finalists culled from 1,034 entries. Additional prizes were awarded: Gaypalani Waṉambi won the Wynne Prize for The Waṉambi tree, Lucy Culliton won the Sulman Prize for Toolah, artist model, and Sean Layh won the Packing Room Prize for his portrait of actor Jacob Collins.

As Her Venice Biennale Opens, Koyo Kouoh Foundation Launches in Memory of Late Curator

The Koyo Kouoh Foundation has launched in Basel, Switzerland, coinciding with the opening of the 2026 Venice Biennale, which features the late curator Koyo Kouoh's main exhibition "In Minor Keys." The foundation aims to continue Kouoh's work supporting contemporary African cultural production globally, including plans for the Koyo Kouoh Prize and a permanent home for the Koyo Kouoh Collection. It is led by her partner, saxophonist Philippe Mall, and includes board members such as artist Alfredo Jaar, curator Adrienne Edwards, and former Kunstmuseum Basel director Josef Helfenstein.