Art News. Vasari Codex

article news schedule Dec 12, 2025 visibility 19 link 21 artists

gulf museums consultants

A wave of museum openings has swept the Gulf region in recent weeks, including the Zayed National Museum and the Natural History Museum in Abu Dhabi, as well as new institutions in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. These projects are part of an ambitious cultural building drive fueled by oil wealth, with Western partners such as the Louvre, the British Museum, and consultancies like Cultural Innovations providing expertise in planning, governance, and exhibition design. The Zayed National Museum, designed by Foster + Partners, features objects on loan from the British Museum, while the Natural History Museum displays a T-rex skeleton bought at Christie's.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Dec 9, 2025 visibility 27 link 23 artists

philadelphia art museum rocky statue exhibition

The Philadelphia Art Museum is organizing a 2026 exhibition titled “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments,” centered on the famous Rocky Balboa statue that sits atop the museum's steps. Curated by Paul Farber, co-founder of Monument Lab, the show will feature over 150 works by more than 50 artists, spanning 2,000 years of artifacts, and explore the role of monuments in fine art, sports, and popular culture. The exhibition coincides with the 50th anniversary of the original Rocky film and includes works by Keith Haring, Rashid Johnson, Kara Walker, and Andy Warhol, among others.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Dec 9, 2025 visibility 22 link 4 artists

asia society muhammad artwork censorship

New York's Asia Society and Museum has been accused of censorship by Islamic art scholars after a virtual tour of its exhibition "Comparative Hell: Arts of Asian Underworlds" blurred two artworks depicting the Prophet Muhammad. The museum acknowledged the error, blaming an outside contractor and insufficient oversight, and announced plans to restore the images to the online tour. The blurred works include a folio from the Falnama (ca. 1555) on loan from the Arthur M. Sackler Museum at Harvard and a manuscript page from the David Collection in Copenhagen showing Muhammad ascending to heaven. The controversy follows a similar incident at Hamline University, where an adjunct professor lost her contract after showing images of Muhammad in an art history class.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

candle obituary schedule Dec 9, 2025 visibility 17 link 12 artists

frank gehry architect obituary

Frank Gehry, the renowned American architect, has died at age 96 in his Santa Monica home after a brief respiratory illness. He is survived by his wife, three children, and a vast portfolio of iconic buildings including the Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, and the 8 Spruce skyscraper in New York. The article traces his life from his birth in Toronto in 1929, his education at USC and Harvard, his early career at Gruen Associates, and his rise to fame through innovative, sculptural designs that transformed modern architecture.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Dec 2, 2025 visibility 31 link 22 artists

alma allen us venice biennale pavilion non political artist

Alma Allen, a sculptor known for sleek, abstract works, has been selected to represent the United States at the 2026 Venice Biennale, marking the country's 250th anniversary. The selection process, run by the US State Department and funded by the newly formed American Arts Conservancy—which the article notes is stocked with Trump allies—has drawn criticism for favoring politically neutral art. Allen's sculptures, often made of marble and wood with digital technology, are described as aesthetically inoffensive and reminiscent of Constantin Brâncuși, with no apparent commentary on current US issues.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

person people schedule Dec 2, 2025 visibility 21 link 12 artists

after a life backstage es devlin is ready for her spotlight

Es Devlin, the renowned set designer behind iconic pop culture moments for Beyoncé, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, and Miley Cyrus, is shifting focus from large-scale commercial spectacles to more personal artistic projects. A new monograph and retrospective at the Cooper Hewitt, titled "An Atlas of Es Devlin," catalogues her three-decade career, while her latest installation "Surfacing," commissioned by BMW and unveiled at Art Basel 2024, marks a turn toward fine art. Devlin, now 50, describes this phase as a liberating new chapter where she feels "nothing to lose."

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Dec 1, 2025 visibility 26 link 13 artists

romare bearden digital catalogue raisonne

The Wildenstein Plattner Institute (WPI) and the Romare Bearden Foundation have launched the first installment of a digital catalogue raisonné for the artist Romare Bearden, covering his work from 1964 to 1969. The project, which began in earnest in 2017, has so far documented 3,000 artworks, including 210 in this initial chapter, and has uncovered previously unknown works such as a portrait of artist Edmonia Lewis. The research builds on three decades of archival work by the foundation, which digitized Bearden's ephemera to aid in tracking down works he often gave away informally.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Dec 1, 2025 visibility 16 link 11 artists

black friday deals on artists tools and studio supplies

ARTnews has published a guide to Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on artists' tools and studio supplies, tracking discounts from US retailers on items ranging from tech gear like Samsung's The Frame TV and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to software subscriptions like Topaz Studio. The article advises readers to move fast as products may sell out, and explains the selection process involves research on art supply usage, customer reviews, expert advice, and the authors' own expertise as artists and teachers.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Nov 24, 2025 visibility 30 link 19 artists

princeton university art museum reopening

The Princeton University Art Museum (PUAM) reopened after nearly six years, replacing its 1969 building with a 146,000-square-foot complex designed by Adjaye Associates. The new structure features nine interlocking modernist pavilions, a 40-foot mosaic by Nick Cave, and flexible spaces like a central hall convertible into a lecture hall. The museum's collection of 117,000 objects is installed with ahistorical juxtapositions, pairing works such as Andy Warhol's Blue Marilyn (1962) with a 14th-century Virgin and Child, and Titus Kaphar's To Be Sold (2018) with a George Washington portrait. The reopening follows controversy: David Adjaye stepped back from the project in 2023 after allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denied.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Nov 21, 2025 visibility 21 link 14 artists

sfmoma fisher collection galleries reinstallation

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has announced a major reinstallation of its Fisher Collection galleries, titled “Reimagined: The Fisher Collection at 10,” opening April 18, 2026. The overhaul will feature 250 artworks by 35 modern and contemporary artists across 60,000 square feet of gallery space, organized by thematic and monographic floors. The project is led by curator Ted Mann and chief education officer Gamynne Guillotte. The Fisher Collection, a 100-year loan from the Fisher Art Foundation, includes blue-chip works by Alexander Calder, Gerhard Richter, Andy Warhol, and others, assembled by Gap Inc. founders Donald and Doris Fisher.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Nov 21, 2025 visibility 18 link 12 artists

louvre couture mfa houston fashion exhibition

The Louvre's blockbuster exhibition "Louvre Couture," which drew over one million visitors in Paris, has opened at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH). The show pairs high-fashion garments and accessories—from Yves Saint Laurent to Jacquemus—with artworks and decorative objects, illustrating how designers draw from art history. The Houston edition features 36 objects from 23 designers, including pieces by Jean Paul Gaultier, Iris van Herpen, Schiaparelli, and a John Galliano-designed Dior gown, displayed across two buildings and over a dozen galleries.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 21, 2025 visibility 25 link 9 artists

christies edlis neeson collection 21st century art stats

Christie’s evening sale of 21st-century art on Wednesday achieved $123.6 million in total sales, including 19 lots from the collection of the late Stefan Edlis and his widow Gael Neeson. The top lot was Christopher Wool’s *Untitled (RIOT)* (1990), which sold for $19.8 million. The sale had a 97 percent sell-through rate, with 36 of 45 lots guaranteed, and the hammer total of $99.7 million exceeded the presale low estimate of $87.5 million. A notable moment was a seven-minute bidding war for a Diego Giacometti coffee table owned by Edlis and Neeson, which sold for $3.65 million against a $1.5–2.5 million estimate.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 20, 2025 visibility 18 link 8 artists

sothebys leonard lauder contemporary by the numbers

Sotheby's held a marathon evening sale in New York on Tuesday night, achieving $706 million in total sales—the highest single-evening total in the auction house's history. The standout was the collection of Leonard A. Lauder, which alone brought $527.5 million, led by Gustav Klimt's *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* (1914-16) that sold for $236.4 million after a 20-minute bidding war. A second sale of contemporary and ultra-contemporary works added $178.5 million, with Jean-Michel Basquiat's *Crowns (Peso Neto)* (1981) topping that session at $48.3 million. Notably, no lots were withdrawn across both sales, and Asian collectors drove bidding on many high-value lots. Maurizio Cattelan's gold toilet *America* (2016) sold for $12.1 million, drawing only one bid.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 20, 2025 visibility 26 link 19 artists

christies edlis neeson sale 124 million

Christie's 21st-century evening sale in New York on Wednesday night achieved $123.6 million, just below its $126 million high estimate and 16% above last year's sale. The sale featured 19 lots from the collection of the late Stefan Edlis and his widow Gael Neeson, which brought in $49.2 million against a $30 million estimate. The top lot was Christopher Wool's "Untitled (RIOT)" (1990), selling for $19.8 million. New auction records were set for Firelei Báez ($1.1 million) and Olga de Amaral ($3.1 million). Only one of 45 lots failed to sell—a Cecily Brown painting estimated at $4–6 million. The sale was characterized by careful use of third-party guarantees and lowered reserves, with art advisor Aileen Agopian noting bidding was "deep and robust" despite a flat atmosphere.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 15 link 16 artists

november marquee auction sales midpoint analysis

Christie's and Sotheby's November marquee auctions in New York generated a combined $1.4 billion, with Sotheby's achieving a record $706 million from a double-header sale. The highlight was Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer" (1914–16), sold for $236.4 million from the collection of late cosmetics heir Leonard Lauder, becoming the most expensive modern artwork ever sold at auction. Christie's Monday sale brought in $690 million, falling short of its $731.5 million high estimate but still marking a 42% increase over its equivalent sale last November.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 26 link 18 artists, 1 gallery

the art market has lost its grip on price

Former Sotheby's rainmaker Brooke Lampley, now a director at Gagosian, discusses the art market's loss of control over pricing, citing a failed $70 million Alberto Giacometti bust at auction as a symptom of deeper market confidence issues. The article traces the evolution of art pricing from opaque, dealer-driven norms to a data-rich system enabled by Artnet's Price Database in 1989, which fueled a price spiral and attracted speculators. Now, in 2025, the market faces a correction with auction sales down 27.3 percent to $10.2 billion, and buyers are pausing as traditional pricing signals become scrambled.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 19 link 17 artists

records fall during 706 million night at sothebys turbocharged by blue chip lauder trove

Sotheby's achieved a record-breaking $706 million auction night at its new global headquarters in the Breuer Building, New York, the highest total in the auction house's 281-year history. The sale was propelled by the collection of late art patron Leonard A. Lauder, whose 24 pieces sold for $527.5 million, led by Gustav Klimt's *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* (1914–16) which fetched $236.4 million, becoming the second-priciest artwork ever sold at auction. A subsequent contemporary and ultra-contemporary art sale added $178.5 million.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 30 link 21 artists, 8 galleries

shanghai art021 west bund art recap

Shanghai's West Bund Art & Design fair and Art021 opened last week with unexpectedly strong sales, despite economic headwinds and regional competition. Many galleries reported brisk first-day sales, with Thaddaeus Ropac placing five works including a Martha Jungwirth painting for €500,000, and Hauser & Worth selling two works for over $1 million. However, major blue-chip galleries like Gagosian and Pace opted out entirely, while others like Almine Rech, White Cube, and David Zwirner scaled back their participation. The fairs took place against a backdrop of China's ongoing property slump and the overlapping Art Collaboration Kyoto, which siphoned attention from international collectors.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 12, 2025 visibility 28 link 16 artists, 1 gallery

marquee art sales fall 2025 christies sothebys phillips

Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips are holding their marquee fall 2025 sales in New York next week, with an unusually high volume of inventory. Christie's alone will offer 80 works on Monday night, and across the week 27 lots carry estimates above $10 million—a stark contrast to the tepid May sales. The season is top-heavy, with the $2 million–$5 million range considered the trickiest. Notable consignments include the estate of Leonard Lauder and the collection of Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson, while many discretionary sellers remain absent. Day sales feature works with significant price drops, such as a Steve Parrino painting last sold for nearly $1 million now estimated at $300,000–$500,000, and an Avery Singer work that sold for $3 million in 2022 now estimated at $600,000–$800,000. Several pandemic-era speculative purchases are also returning to market at steep discounts.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 10, 2025 visibility 29 link 29 artists

ex christies chief jussi pylkkanen works trends watch auction season

Jussi Pylkkanen, former Christie's chairman, analyzes the upcoming New York 20th and 21st Century Art sales, noting a return to market confidence after strong European auctions in London and Paris aligned with Frieze and Art Basel Paris fairs. Christie's London posted its best October sales since 2018, Sotheby's had its most valuable Paris season, and a Picasso portrait sold for $37 million at Hôtel Drouot. The season shows a shift from speculative buying toward established artists like Bacon, Freud, Picasso, and Klimt, with 27 works valued over $10 million, led by Gustav Klimt's *Portrait of Elizabeth Lederer* from the Leonard Lauder collection, estimated to exceed $150 million at Sotheby's.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 7, 2025 visibility 27 link 16 artists

sothebys newly relocated to the breuer building reintroduces itself to new york

Sotheby's has relocated its New York headquarters to Marcel Breuer's iconic Brutalist building on Madison Avenue, formerly home to the Whitney Museum, the Met Breuer, and a Frick Collection outpost. After a renovation by Herzog & de Meuron that restored original gallery proportions and upgraded infrastructure, the auction house is inaugurating the space with a series of exhibitions featuring three major single-owner collections—Leonard A. Lauder, Cindy and Jay Pritzker, and Exquisite Corpus—estimated at over a billion dollars. Highlights include Gustav Klimts from the Lauder trove, a Van Gogh still life from the Pritzker collection, a Frida Kahlo painting expected to set a record for a woman artist, and a Basquiat work in the contemporary evening sale.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule Nov 7, 2025 visibility 26 link 15 artists

jennifer lawrence contemporary artist collaboration w magazine art issue

W magazine's current art issue features Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence in a three-part collaboration with French filmmaker and artist Philippe Parreno, American painter Elizabeth Peyton, and German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans. Parreno shot a short film starring Lawrence, Tillmans photographed her at his London studio wearing a T-shirt referencing his Centre Pompidou exhibition, and Peyton painted a portrait of the actress in her signature loose, romantic style. The issue has three different covers, each dedicated to one collaborating artist's work.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Nov 7, 2025 visibility 16 link 6 artists

the 2026 preis der nationalgalerie maurizio cattelan

Maurizio Cattelan has been awarded the 2026 Preis der Nationalgalerie, administered by Berlin’s Nationalgalerie. The prize, given every two years to an influential contemporary artist, includes a solo exhibition at the Neue Nationalgalerie. Cattelan was selected by a jury of international directors including Emma Lavigne, Sam Keller, and Klaus Biesenbach. His exhibition will open in September 2026 during Berlin Art Week, curated by Biesenbach and Lisa Botti. Cattelan previously co-curated the 4th Berlin Biennale in 2006.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

person people schedule Nov 4, 2025 visibility 20 link 2 artists

philadelphia art museum director dismissed sasha suda

Sasha Suda, director and CEO of the Philadelphia Art Museum (formerly the Philadelphia Museum of Art), was dismissed on Tuesday. Reports from the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Magazine indicate she was terminated for “cause” via email, though the specific reasons were not disclosed. The dismissal follows controversy over the museum’s recent rebranding, which was criticized online and reportedly caught board members off guard. Suda, who joined in 2022 after leading the National Gallery of Canada, faced internal dissent from unionized staff and tense negotiations, as well as the departure of deputy director Carlos Basualdo. The museum has also struggled with a deficit and declining attendance since the pandemic.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Oct 31, 2025 visibility 23 link 7 artists

qatar launches quadriennial 2026

Qatar has announced the launch of a new quadrennial art event called Rubaiya Qatar, set to debut in November 2026. The inaugural edition will feature a curated exhibition titled “Unruly Waters,” organized by Tom Eccles, Ruba Katrib, Mark Rappolt, and Shabbir Husain Mustafa. The event will take place across Qatar, centered at the Al Riwaq pavilion near the Museum of Islamic Art. A preview performance by artist Rirkrit Tiravanija, titled "untitled 2025 (no bread no ashes)," was unveiled in Doha, involving communal bread baking with diverse bakers. The quadrennial aims to reflect Qatar's cultural diversity and its historical connections to maritime trade routes.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Oct 29, 2025 visibility 20 link 10 artists

artists withdraw relational aesthetics exhibition maxxi rome

Seven artists—Tania Bruguera, Dora Garcia, Phil Collins, Siniša Mitrović, Alessandra Saviotti, and Gemma Medina—have withdrawn their work from the exhibition “1+1: The Relational Years” at MAXXI in Rome, scheduled to open this week. In an open letter published by Nero Editions, they accuse the museum of having “links to genocide in Palestine” through its acceptance of funding from and collaborations with Italian companies Eni and Leonardo s.p.a., which have ties to Israel's military and energy sectors. The exhibition, curated by Nicolas Bourriaud, surveys relational aesthetics and also includes works by Vanessa Beecroft, Maurizio Cattelan, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Pierre Huyghe, and Rirkrit Tiravanija. Five anti-Zionist activist groups have added their own statement supporting the boycott.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Oct 23, 2025 visibility 16 link 3 artists, 1 gallery

gen z art collecting continuum 2025

The Art Basel & UBS Survey of Global Collecting 2025 reveals that Gen Z collectors are reshaping the art market by treating art, sneakers, digital assets, and luxury goods as a single continuum of collectibles. Gen Z allocates 26% of their total wealth to art and collectibles—the highest of any generation—and spends 56% of that on non-traditional items like limited-edition sneakers, handbags, and digital artworks. Digital art ownership has rebounded sharply, with 23% of collectors planning to buy digital works, up from 19% in 2024, and Gen Z shows the strongest appetite for sculpture.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Oct 22, 2025 visibility 30 link 29 artists, 14 galleries

art basel paris avant premiere vip sales report

Art Basel Paris launched a new ultra-exclusive invitation-only preview called Avant Première, held one day before the official VIP preview. The four-hour event on Tuesday afternoon saw strong sales, with Thaddaeus Ropac selling works including a 1953 Alberto Burri for €4.2 million and two George Baselitz pieces, while Hauser & Wirth sold Gerhard Richter's 1987 *Abstraktes Bild* for $23 million, the highest reported sale. The fair limited each gallery to six invites with plus-ones, resulting in an estimated 3,000 attendees compared to 6,000 for the regular First Choice preview, creating a more manageable and urgent atmosphere.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

rate_review review schedule Oct 22, 2025 visibility 20 link 6 artists, 4 galleries

future of the art world andras szanto review

András Szántó has published the third volume of his trilogy on the future of museums and the art world, titled "The Future of the Art World." The book compiles 38 interviews conducted between April 2024 and June 2025 with a wide range of art-world stakeholders, including artists, curators, collectors, dealers, auctioneers, art fair directors, sociologists, philosophers, and policymakers. Unlike his previous books, which focused on museum directors and architects, this volume gives significant voice to artists, who offer provocative critiques and predictions about the future of museums, art education, and digital art.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Oct 17, 2025 visibility 20 link 2 artists

david hockneys ipad drawings sell for 8 3 m at sothebys london doubling sales high estimate

A group of 17 iPad drawings by David Hockney, titled 'The Arrival of Spring,' sold for a combined £6.2 million ($8.3 million) at Sotheby’s London on Friday, more than doubling their high estimate. Fifteen of the 17 works achieved record prices for the subject, with the top lot, 'The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011 – 19 February (2011),' selling for £762,000 ($1 million), breaking the artist's print record three times. The sale was a white-glove result, with 40 percent of the drawings going to American collectors and 65 percent bought online.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original