Art News. Vasari Codex

gavel restitution schedule Jul 15, 2025 visibility 18 link 3 artists

art detective arthur brand netherlands national archives

Arthur Brand, a self-proclaimed art detective, recovered 25 documents stolen from the Netherlands National Archives in 2015. The trove includes items on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, such as a 1602 report of the Dutch East India Company’s first meeting, a 1700 report of a visit to Mughal India’s Emperor Aurangzeb, and a ship’s log by 17th-century admiral Michiel de Ruyter. Brand was contacted after a person clearing an attic found the box and showed it to a former history professor. Brand took possession on condition of returning the documents to the National Archives, which had been unaware the items were stolen.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Jul 14, 2025 visibility 13 link 1 artist

vermeer the street new research

The Rijksmuseum's 2023 Vermeer exhibition, which brought together 28 of the artist's 34 surviving paintings, was a historic success, drawing 650,000 visitors and inspiring extensive new research. A new book, *Closer to Vermeer*, presents findings from advanced imaging techniques and archival studies, revealing that Vermeer made significant changes to 30 of his paintings. For example, in *The Little Street* (1658–59), the door was originally painted shut, the children were absent, and the woman was positioned differently, showing how Vermeer deliberately opened the scene to viewers. Other alterations include modifications to *The Milkmaid* (1657–58) and *Diana and her Nymphs* (1653–54).

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule Jul 11, 2025 visibility 17 link 20 artists

modi johnny depp modigliani film

Johnny Depp has directed a new film titled "Modigliani – Three Days on the Wing of Madness," based on a play by Dennis McIntyre, which dramatizes 72 hours in the life of Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani. The film stars Riccardo Scamarcio as Modigliani and follows the artist's struggles with relationships, money, police, and a meeting with a collector, set against his bohemian life in early 20th-century Paris. It marks Depp's first directorial effort since 1997's "The Brave."

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jul 10, 2025 visibility 11 link 1 artist

nan goldin israel gaza rencontres darles talk

Photographer Nan Goldin publicly addressed Israel’s war in Gaza during a talk at the Rencontres d’Arles photography festival in France. She appeared on stage with novelist Édouard Louis, who read a statement about the conflict. An audience member shouted at Goldin, who responded by citing civilian death tolls and questioning whose lives matter. Goldin also criticized the conflation of anti-Zionism with antisemitism, calling it a weapon to silence critics of Israeli government actions.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Jul 9, 2025 visibility 13 link 6 artists

wafa al hamad overlooked artist

The Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha has opened "Wafa al-Hamad: Sites of Imagination," the first solo museum exhibition dedicated to the late Qatari artist Wafa Al-Hamad (1964–2012). Curated by Lina Ramadan, the show runs through August 9 and features over 40 years of Al-Hamad's work across mediums including ink, watercolor, pastel, collage, and digital art. Al-Hamad was one of the first female students at the Qatari Free Atelier in 1981 and later became a professor at Qatar University, exhibiting in group shows across the Gulf such as the Sharjah Biennale 4 (1999) and "6 Gulf Women Artists" in Sharjah (1994).

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jul 9, 2025 visibility 16 link 9 artists

lorna simpson fort greene brooklyn home art studio hits the market

Lorna Simpson's former home and studio in Brooklyn's Fort Greene neighborhood, designed by British architect David Adjaye in 2006, has been listed for sale at $6.5 million. The four-story, 22-foot-wide building at 208 Vanderbilt Avenue, dubbed "Pitch Black," features black polypropylene panels on the front and glass walls at the back opening onto over 800 square feet of garden space. Simpson, who created the space after failing to find a suitable existing property, used it as a combined residence and studio with her then-husband, photographer James Casebere, before relocating to a larger commercial space nearby. The property now serves as archival and storage space and is being marketed by the Corcoran Group.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule Jul 9, 2025 visibility 16 link 14 artists

john singer sargent the gilded age hbo

HBO's *The Gilded Age* introduces John Singer Sargent (played by Bobby Steggert) in its third season, depicting the artist painting a portrait of Gladys Russell. The show coincides with the 100th anniversary of Sargent's death and major exhibitions on both sides of the Atlantic. The episode features the unveiling of the portrait, which was actually a photograph printed on canvas with fake brushwork.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Jul 8, 2025 visibility 22 link 6 artists

marcel duchamp retrospective 2026 moma philadelphia museum

The United States will host its first major Marcel Duchamp retrospective in over 50 years, opening at the Museum of Modern Art in New York on April 16, 2026, before traveling to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in fall 2026 and then to the Grand Palais in Paris in 2027. Organized by MoMA’s Ann Temkin and Michelle Kuo and the Philadelphia Museum’s Matthew Affron, the exhibition features nearly 300 objects spanning Duchamp’s entire career, including iconic works such as *Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2* (1912) and *Fountain* (1917). The show aims to reveal lesser-known aspects of Duchamp’s practice, emphasizing his transatlantic life between France and the United States.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jul 8, 2025 visibility 14 link 6 artists

romare bearden catalogue raisonne

The Wildenstein Plattner Institute (WPI) has released the first online tranche of the Romare Bearden Catalogue Raisonné Project, covering over 200 works from 1964 to 1969—a pivotal period when Bearden honed his signature collage style. The free digital publication fills a long-standing gap for the canonical Black American artist, who died in 1988, and includes works verified by an anonymous committee of experts, with a verified icon for examined pieces.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Jul 8, 2025 visibility 19 link 9 artists

why this french city just trademarked cezanne

The city of Aix-en-Provence has trademarked the name of Paul Cézanne and the phrase “Cézanne chez lui” as part of a major cultural tourism initiative called “Cézanne 2025.” The city has invested €30 million ($35 million) in a summer-long program of events, centered on a monumental retrospective of 130 works at the Musée Granet, titled “Cezanne au Jas de Bouffan.” The exhibition focuses on the artist’s family home, Bastide du Jas de Bouffan, which has undergone recent conservation and now allows visitors to see murals Cézanne painted on the walls in his twenties. Other highlights include the reopening of his first studio and the restored Atelier des Lauves, his last studio.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jul 8, 2025 visibility 14 link 6 artists

work of the week emily carr

A painting by Emily Carr, titled *Fir Trees* (ca. 1935), sold for CA$576,000 ($418,370) at Cowley Abbott’s live auction of Canadian and international art in Toronto on May 28, more than doubling its low estimate. The work is a vivid example of Carr’s signature forest scenes, reflecting her deep connection to the British Columbian landscape and her association with the Group of Seven. The auction also saw strong results for other Group of Seven artists, including Franklin Carmichael’s *Old Orchard* (1940) at CAD$768,000, and for Marcelle Ferron’s untitled 1964 abstract painting at CAD$696,000.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Jul 4, 2025 visibility 15 link 6 artists

fra angelico fresco restored

A long-forgotten fresco by the early Renaissance master Fra Angelico, believed to be his earliest known work, has been restored in the chapter house of San Domenico in Fiesole, Tuscany. The painting, a Crucifixion dating to around 1420, was hidden under whitewash for centuries and rediscovered by Bottega Belacqua, a group of Renaissance art enthusiasts. Funding from Friends of Florence enabled conservators Alessandra Popple and Cristiana Conti to revive the work, just in time for a landmark exhibition in Florence.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jul 3, 2025 visibility 12 link 7 artists

frank lloyd wright rollin furbeck home

A Frank Lloyd Wright home, the Elizabeth and Rollin Furbeck House (1898), has been listed for sale at $2 million in Oak Park, Illinois. The 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom property features a 9-foot-wide picture window thought to be the first such residential feature by Wright, along with Roman brickwork, diamond-paned windows, and a heated pool. The current owners, Tom and Deb Abrahamson, have lived there for 27 years and are seeking a buyer who will appreciate its historic and architectural significance.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Jul 2, 2025 visibility 10 link 2 artists

balenciaga decade of demna

At Kering's historic Laennec headquarters in Paris, the exhibition "Balenciaga by Demna" presents a self-curated retrospective of the designer's decade-long tenure at the house, from 2015 through 2025. Open by appointment through July 9, the show features 101 objects including complete looks, accessories, and provocations drawn from 30 collections, alongside audio narration using an AI rendering of Demna's voice. The exhibition serves as a capstone before Demna transitions to his new role as creative director of Gucci, while Pierpaolo Piccioli prepares to take over at Balenciaga. Highlights include a metallic gold ballgown shaped like a Ferrero Rocher candy, a hyperrealistic mannequin of muse Eliza Douglas, and the Spicy Chili Chips Bag clutch.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Jul 1, 2025 visibility 23 link 16 artists

goodwood art foundation

The Goodwood Art Foundation, a new contemporary art destination set within the 11,000-acre Goodwood Estate in West Sussex, England, opens to the public on May 31. The inaugural season features works by Susan Philipsz, Rachel Whiteread (including a monumental staircase sculpture *Down and Up*), Veronica Ryan, Rose Wylie, Isamu Noguchi, and Hélio Oiticica (whose *Magic Square #3* will be the first outdoor sculpture by the late Brazilian artist in Europe). The estate, owned by Charles Gordon-Lennox, the 11th Duke of Richmond, is historically known for sporting events like the Festival of Speed and the Qatar Goodwood Festival, and houses a historic art collection including Canalettos and works by George Stubbs.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule Jun 30, 2025 visibility 22 link 8 artists

shana moulton wellness culture buffalo interview

Shana Moulton, an artist and chair of the art department at the University of California, Santa Barbara, discusses her exhibition "Meta/Physical Therapy" at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and her retrospective at the Buffalo Institute for Contemporary Art. The article centers on Moulton's semi-autobiographical alter ego, Cynthia, a hypochondriac navigating New Age wellness culture through video installations, performances, and a collection of eccentric objects. Moulton explores themes of hypochondria, hospital art, and the absurdity of wellness consumerism, drawing from her upbringing in a California mobile home park and her long-running video series "Whispering Pines" (2002–18).

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Jun 30, 2025 visibility 20 link 8 artists, 3 galleries

brice arsene yonkeu amoako boafos dot ateliers gagosian

Independent curator Brice Arsène Yonkeu has organized "Ever So Present II: Between Home and Elsewhere," the second installment of a two-part exhibition at Gagosian's Park & 75 space in New York. The show features four emerging artists of African descent—including Emma Prempeh and Josèfa Ntjam—whose works in painting, photomontage, and assemblage explore themes of diaspora, memory, migration, and belonging. Yonkeu is the first curator invited to participate in dot.ateliers' new residency program, a foundation and exhibition space launched by Ghanaian painter Amoako Boafo in Accra in 2023. The exhibition expands on questions raised in the first iteration held in Accra, asking what remains "ever so present" in diasporic art across borders and cultures.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Jun 27, 2025 visibility 20 link 10 artists

liz collins fiber art risd museum venice biennale

Liz Collins created two monumental 16-foot-long tapestries for the 2024 Venice Biennale, titled *Rainbow Mountains: Moon* and *Rainbow Mountains: Weather* (both 2023). Initially conceived as a single 40-foot weaving, the project proved too ambitious and was split in two. Collins worked at the TextielLab in Tilburg, Netherlands, switching to a lighter yarn after a failed trial, and ultimately brought the finished works to New York in duffel bags before curator Adriano Pedrosa selected them for the Biennale. The textiles depict mountain ranges emitting rainbows through dark skies, exploring themes of duality—danger and joy, precarity and euphoria.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

person people schedule Jun 26, 2025 visibility 23 link 7 artists

justin vivian bond current cultural climate

Justin Vivian Bond, a multidisciplinary artist and performer, is profiled in ARTnews as part of their Newsmakers series. Bond, who received a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” in 2024, discusses their upcoming performances at Joe’s Pub in New York, including a show titled “Well, Well, Well” inspired by lesbian singer-songwriters and the novel *The Well of Loneliness*. They also mention resurrecting their duo Kiki & Herb in London, and reflect on their 2017 exhibition at the New Museum, “Trigger: Gender as a Tool and a Weapon,” whose wallpaper is now installed at the V&A East Storehouse.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jun 26, 2025 visibility 16 link 4 artists

napoleon sale sothebys paris france famous antiques dealer

On Wednesday in Paris, Sotheby's auctioned a collection of Napoleonic artifacts from the private collection of prominent French antiques dealer Pierre-Jean Chalençon, generating €8.7 million ($9.6 million) against a €6 million estimate. The 112-lot sale included imperial furniture, Old Master paintings, and personal relics such as Napoleon's worn stockings and a copy of his marriage certificate. Highlights included a portrait by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse that sold for €863,600 (20 times its estimate) and the only surviving remnant of Napoleon's first will, which fetched €482,600. However, Napoleon's bicorne hat underperformed, selling for €355,600 against a €600,000 low estimate, amid provenance questions raised by French newspaper Le Figaro.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jun 25, 2025 visibility 19 link 15 artists, 1 gallery

sothebys london contemporary evening summer sale report

Sotheby's London contemporary evening sale on Tuesday brought in nearly £62.5 million ($84 million), within its pre-sale estimate of £55 million to £74 million. The 48-lot sale achieved an 83% sell-through rate, with five works selling for over £5 million each, led by Tamara de Lempicka's 'La Belle Rafaëla' (1927) at £7.4 million and Pablo Picasso's 'Nu assis dans un fauteuil' (1964–65). The auction saw strong bidding for a Basquiat work on paper, 'Untitled (Indian Head)', which sold for £5.4 million, and a standout result for Yu Nishimura's 'through the snow' (2023), which tripled its high estimate at £230,000.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 18 link 7 artists, 1 gallery

work of the week elizabeth peytons liam noel

Elizabeth Peyton's double portrait of Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher sold for £1,992,000 ($2.7 million) at Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Evening Auction in London, just above its low estimate of £1.5 million. The work, depicting the band in 1996, was backed by a house guarantee and irrevocable bid. The consignor had purchased it in 2011 for $511,640, yielding a positive return. The sale coincided with Oasis's upcoming reunion tour starting July 4.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

rate_review review schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 21 link 7 artists

the mastermind film review kelly reichardt josh oconnor

Kelly Reichardt's new film *The Mastermind*, starring Josh O'Connor as a carpenter and family man who turns art thief, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and will be released by Mubi. The film follows O'Connor's character, J.B., as he plots a heist inspired by a real 1972 robbery of the Worcester Art Museum, targeting paintings by American modernist Arthur Dove. The movie blends suspense, humor, and meticulous visual storytelling, with Reichardt drawing on the aesthetic of 1970s America and the work of photographers Stephen Shore and William Eggleston.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 13 link 3 artists

queen elizabeth ii memorial design london st jamess park

The UK government has finalized design plans for a national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II in London’s St James’s Park. A team led by architect Norman Foster of Foster + Partners, including British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare CBE RA, will create a natural stone path connecting royal gardens, a translucent cast-glass balustrade on the Blue Bridge inspired by the Queen’s wedding tiara, and figurative sculptures of the Queen and Prince Philip. Landscape designer Michael Desvigne is also part of the team, working with the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee. The final design will be announced in April 2026, coinciding with what would have been the Queen’s 100th birthday, with a budget of £23 to £46 million from public funds.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 18 link 3 artists

sothebys offer 50m lichtensten

Sotheby's has announced the consignment of Roy Lichtenstein's painting *The Ring (Engagement)* (1962) for its May 12 spring contemporary evening sale in New York, with an estimated price of around $50 million. The work, one of the largest from Lichtenstein's iconic 1961–1964 comic-book-inspired series, has had only two owners in its 53-year history, most recently from the collection of Chicago philanthropist Stefan Edlis, who acquired it at Sotheby's in 1997 for $2.2 million.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 11 link 3 artists

tamara de lempicka retrospective de young

A major retrospective of Art Deco painter Tamara de Lempicka (1898–1980) has opened at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, featuring over 120 works including iconic portraits, lesser-known drawings, and early Cubist still lifes. Co-curated by Furio Rinaldi and Gioia Mori, the exhibition is the first comprehensive U.S. retrospective of the artist in over four decades, drawing passionate responses from audiences unfamiliar with her name as well as from connoisseurs discovering her draftsmanship.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 16 link 5 artists

israeli us strikes iran jeopardize cultural heritage

Israeli and U.S. military strikes on Iran, occurring since June 13, 2025, have threatened significant damage to the country's cultural heritage. Israeli bombings targeted the headquarters of the Iranian state broadcaster (IRIB) in Tehran, a major work of Modern architecture designed by the firm of renowned Iranian architect Abdol Aziz Farmanfarmaian. U.S. bombings over the weekend struck a nuclear complex near Isfahan, one of Iran's most historically significant cities, though its historic landmarks appear unscathed. The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMoCA), designed by Kamran Diba and home to a major collection of modern Western art, is also a source of concern.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jun 23, 2025 visibility 16 link 12 artists

romania wins long term hold on disputed el greco

Romania has secured a "long-term hold" on El Greco's painting *Saint Sebastian* (1610–1614), which was pulled from a Christie's New York Old Masters sale in February. The work is claimed by Romania as unlawfully taken from its national collection in 1947. The painting will remain at Christie's until legal proceedings resolve the dispute. Meanwhile, Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro died in Milan at age 98, and abstract painter Thornton Willis died in New York at 89. Other news includes a letter from National Gallery director Gabriele Finali defending the Rubens attribution of *Samson and Delilah*, Japan's curatorial appointments for the 2026 Venice Biennale, and a Bristol City Council fundraiser to acquire an early JMW Turner painting.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article policy schedule Jun 23, 2025 visibility 15 link 7 artists, 3 galleries

elizabeth street garden lawsuit seeks vara protection

The Elizabeth Street Garden in New York City has filed a federal lawsuit seeking protection under the Visual Artist Rights Act (VARA) to prevent its destruction for an affordable housing project called Haven Green. The lawsuit, filed by law firms Siegel Teitelbaum and Evans and McLaughlin and Stern, argues that the garden is a unique work of visual art and landscape architecture created by the late Allan Reiver and his son Joseph Reiver, and should be legally protected as a sculptural work. The garden received a temporary stay after eviction papers were served last fall, but the city plans to build 100% deeply affordable senior housing on the site, claiming the project will provide over 15,000 square feet of public space.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Jun 19, 2025 visibility 18 link 11 artists

harriet tubman river raid exhibition

A new exhibition at the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina, titled “Picturing Freedom,” highlights Harriet Tubman’s role in the Combahee River Raid of 1863, where she guided Union troops to free 756 enslaved people in a single night. The show features works by Jacob Lawrence, Aaron Douglas, Elizabeth Catlett, and Faith Ringgold, alongside contemporary artists, and includes multimedia elements such as audio interviews with descendants, a video reenactment, and landscape photographs by J. Henry Fair. Guest curated by Vanessa Thaxton-Ward of Hampton University Museum, the exhibition is based on Edda L. Fields-Black’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book "COMBEE."

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original