Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule Dec 11, 2025 visibility 13 link 5 artists

star wars painting auction record price

The original painting for the 1977 Star Wars movie poster, created by artist Tom Jung, sold for $3.9 million at Heritage Auctions, becoming the most expensive object associated with the Star Wars franchise to date. The acrylic and airbrush artwork served as the half-sheet poster for Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope and features a triangular composition of characters like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Darth Vader. The painting was consigned by Melissa, daughter of producer Gary Kurtz, and surpassed the previous record for movie poster art.

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article local schedule Dec 10, 2025 visibility 14 link 1 artist

georgia okeeffe new mexico desert protected zone

A conservation plan is underway to protect 26 square kilometers of New Mexico desert near Abiquiu that inspired Georgia O’Keeffe’s iconic paintings. The land, owned by a charitable arm of the Presbyterian Church, is being safeguarded through a partnership with the New Mexico Land Conservancy and the state government, with a $920,000 award from a state conservation trust. The protected area includes sandstone bluffs, grasslands, and views of Cerro Pedernal, while preserving access for film productions and ranchers.

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article culture schedule Dec 8, 2025 visibility 16 link 3 artists

frank lloyd wright didnt just design buildings he invented fonts too

Frank Lloyd Wright, renowned for his iconic architectural designs, also created distinctive hand-lettered typefaces that appeared on his architectural drawings. These letterforms, characterized by unique features like nearly meeting arcs in 'O's and double crossbars in 'A's and 'H's, were integral to his holistic artistic vision. The article traces how these lettering styles have been digitized into fonts, starting with Eaglefeather in 1993, designed by David Siegel in partnership with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, followed by other typefaces like Exhibition, Terracotta, and Midway released by P22 Foundry, each drawing from different Wright projects.

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trending_up market schedule Dec 1, 2025 visibility 10 link 3 artists

rediscovered rubens painting sells france

A long-lost painting by Peter Paul Rubens, unseen for four centuries, was sold at auction in Versailles for €2.94 million ($3.4 million), nearly double its high estimate. Created in 1613, the work depicts Jesus Christ on the cross and was discovered in a private Paris townhouse by auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat. The painting was authenticated by German art historian Nils Büttner through X-ray imaging and pigment analysis, and its provenance traces back to the 19th-century French painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau.

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article culture schedule Nov 21, 2025 visibility 13 link 6 artists

jackson pollock children drip patterns study

A new study published in *Frontiers of Physics* analyzed paintings created during a 2003 'Dripfest' experiment, where children aged 4–6 and adults aged 18–25 were asked to splatter paint like Jackson Pollock. Using fractal and lacunarity analysis, researchers found that adults produced denser, more intricate patterns, while children's paintings were more clustered and smaller in scale, likely due to differences in biomechanical balance and coordination. Notably, Pollock's own fractal values fell near the children's range, suggesting his physical limitations influenced his technique.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 20, 2025 visibility 31 link 12 artists

phillips modern contemporary art auction report francis bacon

Phillips held its modern and contemporary evening sale in New York on Wednesday, following Christie’s and Sotheby’s auctions that had already generated nearly $1.4 billion. The 33-lot sale achieved $67.3 million, a 24% increase from the equivalent sale last year, with a 94% sell-through rate. Headlining lots included an untitled Joan Mitchell painting ($14.3 million), a Francis Bacon diptych ($16 million), and a juvenile triceratops skeleton that sold for $5.3 million, exceeding its high estimate. Only two lots failed to sell, and notable results included works by Ruth Asawa, Firelei Báez, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Max Ernst.

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article news schedule Nov 12, 2025 visibility 18 link 13 artists

preservationists petition to save wilbur building the sistine chapel of new deal art

Preservationists are petitioning to save Washington, D.C.'s Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building, known as the 'Sistine Chapel of New Deal Art' for its 20th-century murals by Philip Guston and Ben Shahn. The Trump administration has listed the building for sale under an 'accelerated disposal' program, raising fears it could be demolished. The nonprofit Living New Deal launched a petition demanding transparency and public participation, as the building is one of 45 federal properties slated for swift sale. The structure, completed in 1940, houses ten New Deal-era artworks including frescoes, relief sculptures, and murals, and has been home to Voice of America since 1954.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 11, 2025 visibility 8 link 2 artists

emerging risks art collecting insure against

Private Client Select (PCS), an insurance partner for serious art collectors, highlights the growing complexity of protecting fine art and collectibles. The article details unusual but real claims—such as a conceptual artwork mistaken for trash, a fiber work unraveled by a cat, or a sculpture damaged by a housekeeper—alongside more common risks like climate damage, transit mishaps, and theft. PCS's Art Services team, led by Senior Vice President Muys Snijders, offers proactive risk management, coordinating conservators, appraisers, and storage solutions. Emerging threats include climate change (wildfires, floods), social media exposure, financial complexities (tariffs, collateral lending), and material degradation of contemporary works using nontraditional materials.

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trending_up market schedule Oct 28, 2025 visibility 15 link 6 artists

pablo picasso dora maar portrait sells 37 million

A previously little-known Pablo Picasso portrait of Dora Maar, titled *Bust of a Woman with a Flowered Hat (Dora Maar)* (1943), sold for $37 million at Lucien Paris auction house on October 24, 2025—nearly four times its $9.5 million estimate. The painting had been owned by the same family since 1944 and was shown publicly for the first time in 80 years at Hôtel Drouot before the sale. Auctioneer Christophe Lucien called it the highest auction price for any artwork in France this year.

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trending_up market schedule Oct 28, 2025 visibility 16 link 7 artists

sothebys records highest ever totals in france for surrealist and modern sales during art basel paris week

Sotheby's Paris achieved record-breaking totals for surrealist and modern art auctions during Art Basel Paris week, with combined sales of €89.7 million ($104 million) across its Surrealism and Its Legacy and Modernités sales—a 50 percent increase over the same event last year. The top lot was Amedeo Modigliani's *Elvire en buste* (1918-1919), which sold for €27 million ($31.3 million), the highest auction price for a painting by the Italian artist in France and the most valuable work ever sold by Sotheby's Paris. Other highlights included Modigliani's *Raymond* (1915) at €10.6 million, René Magritte's *La Magie Noire* (1934) at €10.7 million, and a complete set of Pablo Picasso's *Séries 347* etchings, which set a French auction record for any print by the artist.

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article news schedule Sep 22, 2025 visibility 8 link 4 artists

man crushed to death by warhol painted bmw art car after winch fails in washington d c

A man was killed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., while unloading a 1979 BMW Art Car custom-painted by Andy Warhol. The accident occurred when a winch securing the vehicle on a flatbed truck failed, pinning the unidentified man beneath the car. The sports car was to be featured in a pop-up exhibition called “Cars at the Capital,” organized by the Hagerty Drivers Foundation, which has since canceled the event out of respect for the deceased.

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trending_up market schedule Sep 17, 2025 visibility 12 link 1 artist

josh baer collectors emerging artists prices first works

Art adviser and Baer Faxt founder Josh Baer has proposed specific price limits for works by "ultra-emerging" artists—those fresh out of school, such as an MFA graduate from Yale. In his No Reserve newsletter, Baer advises collectors to pay no more than $15,000 for a large work and $5,000 for a small piece at a first solo show in a reputable gallery. The advice comes amid ongoing debate about inflated prices for young artists, following a column by Artnet News editor-in-chief Naomi Rea that questioned the market's pricing logic. LA gallerist Charlie James endorsed Baer's thresholds, though some collectors argue that pricing cannot be so neatly codified.

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article news schedule Sep 17, 2025 visibility 17 link 4 artists

basquiat biopic samo lives filming the east village tompkins square park

Filming has begun on the long-awaited Jean-Michel Basquiat biopic *Samo Lives* in New York City's East Village, specifically around Tompkins Square Park. Directed by Julius Onah and starring Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Basquiat, the film was first announced in January 2022 but faced delays. Grainy photos from local blog EV Grieve suggest an actor has been cast to play Andy Warhol, Basquiat's friend and collaborator. The production is shooting in the neighborhood where Basquiat once lived and worked, including his former studio at 57 Great Jones Street.

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article news schedule Sep 10, 2025 visibility 14 link 6 artists

banksy mural judge protestor scrubbed off royal courts wall

On September 8, 2025, street artist Banksy painted a new mural on an exterior wall of the Royal Courts of Justice in London, depicting a judge using a gavel to beat a protester lying on the ground, with a red blood-like spatter on the protester's placard. The artwork was quickly covered and guarded, and by September 10, a masked man was filmed scrubbing the image off the wall while police stood nearby. The Ministry of Justice stated the mural was destroyed because the building is a protected heritage site, and the court was obliged to maintain its original character.

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article news schedule Sep 9, 2025 visibility 25 link 12 artists

school of visual arts transfers ownership alumni society

The School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York has transferred ownership from the Rhodes family, which owned it for nearly 80 years, to the SVA Alumni Society, a nonprofit that has funded student scholarships since 1972. The transfer took effect on September 1, with longtime president David Rhodes stating that day-to-day operations would not change. The move comes amid financial difficulties, a recent faculty unionization effort by SVA Faculty United (affiliated with United Auto Workers), and reported layoffs of around 30 workers.

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article news schedule Sep 8, 2025 visibility 12 link 5 artists

new banksy mural london royal courts covered up

On September 8, 2025, street artist Banksy unveiled a new mural on the side of the Royal Courts of Justice in London, depicting a judge beating a protester with a gavel. Banksy confirmed the work's authenticity via Instagram, and within hours, the mural was covered up and guarded by security officers. Local reports suggest the artwork references the recent arrest of nearly 900 pro-Palestine protesters in London on September 6.

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museum exhibitions schedule Aug 19, 2025 visibility 15 link 1 artist

alexandria biennale returns 2026

The Alexandria Biennale will return in September 2026 after a 12-year hiatus, with its 27th edition curated by Egyptian artist Moataz Nasr under the title “This Too Shall Pass.” The exhibition will feature 55 artists from across the Mediterranean, with a main program complemented by smaller shows in Alexandria museums focusing on emerging Egyptian artists. Venues include the Roman amphitheater, the Alexandria Library, and the Qaitbay Citadel. The biennale was originally established in 1955 under Gamal Abdel Nasser, suspended in 2011 amid the Egyptian revolution, briefly reopened in 2014, and then shuttered again due to financial and political instability.

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trending_up market schedule Aug 18, 2025 visibility 12 link 3 artists

sothebys van halen guitar grails week

Sotheby’s will auction Eddie Van Halen’s custom-built 1982 Kramer guitar, estimated at $2–3 million, as the centerpiece of its inaugural “Grails Week” in New York this October. The instrument, unseen for over 40 years, was played on tour, later owned by Mötley Crüe’s Mick Mars, and features Van Halen’s iconic red, black, and white striped design. The week-long sales series will also include Bob Dylan lyrics, Rolling Stones album artwork, and a Beatles cymbal.

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museum exhibitions schedule Aug 11, 2025 visibility 19 link 6 artists

george lucas comic con panel lucas museum preview

George Lucas made his long-awaited debut at Comic-Con's Hall H to present a sneak peek of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, set to open in Los Angeles next year. The panel, moderated by Queen Latifah, included filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and production designer Doug Chiang, and revealed details about the 300,000-square-foot building designed by Ma Yansong of MAD, with 33 galleries, two theaters, and 11 acres of green space. Lucas discussed his personal collection of over 40,000 works, emphasizing narrative art's role in shaping community and shared beliefs, and highlighted pieces by Norman Rockwell, Kadir Nelson, Beatrix Potter, and Frida Kahlo.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 17, 2025 visibility 21 link 13 artists

top auction results june 2025

The summer 2025 auction season concluded with total sales of $85.7 million, a significant drop from $105 million the previous year. The top lot, François-Xavier Lalanne's *Grand Rhinocrétaire II* (2003), sold for $16.42 million at Sotheby’s New York, far below last June’s $29 million top price. Other notable results include Tamara de Lempicka’s *La Belle Rafaëla* (1927) at $10.18 million, two Jean-Michel Basquiat works, and a strong showing by Jacek Malczewski’s *Reality* (1908) at Desa Unicum in Warsaw.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 16, 2025 visibility 8 link 5 artists

global auction sales h1 2025 arttactic analysis

Global auction sales at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips fell 6.2% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year, while the number of lots sold rose 1.3%. ArtTactic’s analysis reveals significant category shifts: post-war and contemporary art dropped 19.3% to $1.22 billion, impressionist and modern art fell 7.7% to $989.5 million, and luxury sales were nearly flat. In contrast, Old Masters surged 35.6% to $171.2 million, and design, decorative arts, and furniture rose 20.4% to $172 million. The decline in high-value trophy lots, including the withdrawal of Andy Warhol’s *Big Electric Chair* and Alberto Giacometti’s *Grande tête mince*, contributed to the slump in contemporary sales.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 15, 2025 visibility 11 link 3 artists

phillips pollock painting lawsuit david mimran

Phillips auction house has filed a lawsuit against David Mimran, a film producer and son of billionaire Jean Claude Mimran, alleging he failed to pay $14.5 million for a Jackson Pollock drip painting (ca. 1948) that sold at a New York auction in November 2024. Mimran had agreed to a third-party guarantee for the work, which sold for $15.3 million with fees, but according to Phillips, he sought an extension and then claimed he could not pay. The auction house is seeking nearly $15 million including interest.

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article local schedule Jul 7, 2025 visibility 17 link 8 artists

manhattans beloved elizabeth street garden is saved

New York City has abandoned plans to demolish Soho's Elizabeth Street Garden for affordable housing, instead rezoning three nearby sites to build 620 units while preserving the garden. The deal, brokered with council member Christopher Marte—a former garden volunteer—ends a years-long campaign backed by celebrities like Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, and Patti Smith, as well as artists JR and Dustin Yellin and curator Klaus Biesenbach. The garden, filled with antique architectural remnants, was created by the late Allan Reiver and his son Joseph Reiver, who continued the fight after Allan's death in 2021.

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article culture schedule Jun 26, 2025 visibility 13 link 3 artists

28 years later antony gormley angel of the north

The article examines the appearance of Antony Gormley's iconic 1998 sculpture *Angel of the North* in the zombie film *28 Years Later*. The Cor-Ten steel work, which towers 66 feet tall near Gateshead, appears in an overgrown field as a symbol of post-apocalyptic abandonment, reflecting the film's themes of failed quarantine and societal collapse. Director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland use the sculpture to critique conservative British politics, with the film's ending making explicit reference to a British celebrity posthumously accused of rape.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 26, 2025 visibility 17 link 13 artists

carlos agredano fume los angeles nomadic art division

Artist Carlos Agredano, who grew up near the 105 Freeway in Lynwood, California, has created a traveling sculpture titled "FUME" (2025) that uses air quality sensors mounted on his 1992 Toyota Pickup to measure pollution from vehicle exhaust and ambient air. The work was exhibited at the Los Angeles Nomadic Art Division (LAND) and is part of Agredano's broader practice examining how the LA freeway system has harmed working-class communities of color through toxic drift and destructive urban planning. His research draws on sources including Eric Avila's book "Folklore of the Freeway" and studies from UCLA's Center for Occupational & Environmental Health.

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article news schedule Jun 19, 2025 visibility 22 link 5 artists

casa batllo restores back facade courtyard

Casa Batlló, Antoni Gaudí’s iconic Barcelona landmark, has completed a €3.5 million ($4 million) restoration of its long-neglected back façade and courtyard. The project involved stratigraphic paint analysis to uncover original colors—revealing that the now-cream stucco was once deep gray and the windows originally green—along with restoration of trencadís mosaics, ironwork, wooden elements, and an 85,000-piece Nolla mosaic. The courtyard’s custom planters and parabola-shaped pergola were also rebuilt, returning the rear of the house to Gaudí’s original vision for the first time in over a century.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 18, 2025 visibility 12 link 2 artists

picasso ceramics auction geneva

A rare collection of seven unique Picasso ceramics, hand-painted between 1947 and 1964 at the Madoura Pottery Workshop in Vallauris, France, will be auctioned at Piguet in Geneva on Thursday. The pieces, including plates and platters featuring animals and motifs from Picasso's oeuvre, have been in private hands for nearly 40 years after being gifted from the Picasso estate to a friend in the 1980s. Estimates range from 20,000 to 50,000 Swiss francs, with a pigeon platter expected to fetch the highest price. Two additional works on paper by Picasso from the same owner are also included in the sale.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 17, 2025 visibility 12 link 3 artists

sothebys picasso ceramics

Sotheby's London held a 'white glove' sale of 126 one-of-a-kind ceramics by Pablo Picasso, all from the collection of his granddaughter Marina Picasso. The auction achieved a 100% sell-through rate, generating £12.3 million ($19.4 million), with the top lot—a painted goat-shaped vase titled *Cabri* (circa 1947)—selling for £485,000, nearly quadrupling its estimate.

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article news schedule Jun 12, 2025 visibility 13 link 4 artists

moca los angeles closed anti ice protests

The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles (MOCA) has closed its Geffen Contemporary space through the weekend due to nearby anti-ICE protests and increased military activity, including National Guard deployment. The closure affects an Olafur Eliasson exhibition and has postponed a durational performance by Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova, who turned part of the venue into a prison cell-like installation. The protests began after ICE raids in Los Angeles, leading to arrests, a curfew, and vandalism of MOCA's facade.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 5, 2025 visibility 20 link 11 artists

collectors igor and mojca lah open contemporary art museum slovenian mountains

Collectors and philanthropists Igor and Mojca Lah are opening a new contemporary art museum called Muzej Lah in Bled, Slovenia, set to debut next year. Designed by David Chipperfield Architects, the 55,000-square-foot museum will be built into a hillside beneath Bled Castle and will house the Fundacija Lah art collection of around 800 works, including pieces by Joseph Beuys, Anselm Kiefer, William Kentridge, Anne Imhof, and Theaster Gates, many never before publicly displayed.

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