Hong Kong’s live art auctions are thriving thanks to Picasso and Nara

Hong Kong’s art auction market opened 2025 with significant momentum, characterized by a shift toward high-quality, museum-grade works and selective collecting. Major auction houses like Christie's, Bonhams, and Phillips reported strong results for blue-chip artists, highlighted by the sale of Pablo Picasso’s "Buste de Femme" for HK$196.75 million. While the market has become more deliberate, the demand for rare, impeccably sourced pieces by both Western masters and Asian contemporary icons remains robust.

Records for English painting and Fontana's cuts push the auction

Sotheby’s London kicked off the spring auction season with a robust modern and contemporary art evening sale, totaling £131.7 million and achieving a rare 100% sell-through rate. Despite global political uncertainty, the auction saw aggressive bidding for British post-war masterpieces and Italian avant-garde works. The event also marked the debut of Sotheby’s new commission structure, which lowers fees for high-value lots to incentivize larger transactions.

€3million contemporary art exhibition to open in Dublin

A €3 million contemporary art exhibition titled 'Contemporary Icons' will open at Gormleys Gallery in Dublin from January 15 to February 2, 2025. The show features over 40 works by blue-chip artists including Andy Warhol, Banksy, Tracey Emin, Bridget Riley, Damien Hirst, Keith Haring, Julian Opie, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Francis Bacon, David Hockney, and Robert Indiana. Highlights include Warhol's 'Mick Jagger' (1975) priced at €139,500 and 'Orangutan' (1983) from his Endangered Species series at €220,000.

Peter Doig is bringing a cult classic London pub back to life—here's why it matters

Artist Peter Doig and his partner, gallerist Parinaz Mogadassi, have purchased McGlynn's, a beloved London pub in King's Cross that closed after its landlord Gerry died in 2023. They submitted a planning application to restore the Grade II listed building, preserving its original character while ensuring it remains a functioning pub. Doig, who lived near the pub in the 1980s, bought the building opposite to open a gallery, with a Merry Alpern show opening October 13 organized by Tramps.

An exhibition in Milan brings visionary contemporary landscapes into dialogue with a great Turner watercolor. Review and interview

Una mostra a Milano fa dialogare visionari paesaggi contemporanei con un acquerello del grande Turner. Recensione e intervista

The exhibition "Continuum" at Robilant+Voena in Milan marks the first solo show in the city for American artist Maria Kreyn. It presents a selection of her contemporary landscapes—charged with pathos, abstract geometries, and references to art history—alongside a rare watercolor by J.M.W. Turner, *The Splügen Pass* (1842–43). Kreyn’s seascapes, influenced by her background in mathematics and philosophy, feature turbulent waves, ovoid and parabolic forms, and a sense of latent tension, creating a visual dialogue with Turner’s Romantic vision of nature.

Brooklyn exhibit showcases art by Rikers Island inmates

A groundbreaking exhibition at the Von King Cultural Arts Center in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood features 20 artworks created by inmates at Rikers Island. The show, organized in collaboration with the New York City Department of Correction, includes pieces made with unconventional materials such as markers, cardboard, bedsheets, and toothpaste due to restricted access to traditional art supplies. One featured artist, Brian Croskey, was granted a rare supervised visit to see his work on display, as inmates are typically only allowed to leave for court dates or medical visits.

design salone del mobile 2026 milan raritas

Salone del Mobile 2026 in Milan debuted a new curated section called Salone Raritas, tucked into Pavilion 9 of the fairgrounds. Conceived by fair editorial and cultural director Annalisa Rosso with exhibition design by Formafantasma, the selective showcase brought together 28 exhibitors from 32 countries, featuring rare collectibles, antiques, limited editions, and high-end craft. Highlights included Saudi design house Zaza Maison, Marseille gallery 13desserts, Italian gallery Serafini with works by Indian designer Karan Desai, and live ceramic assembly by Officine Saffi Lab. Formafantasma’s sustainable design used reusable wooden dividers and drilling-free hanging systems.

art meriem bennani hugo boss award

Meriem Bennani, a Moroccan-born, New York–based multimedia artist, has been awarded the inaugural Boss Award for Outstanding Achievement at Art Basel Miami Beach. The award, presented by Hugo Boss and its Creative Director Marco Falcioni, includes a $50,000 grant. Bennani is known for her fantasy-driven installations and films, such as the 'Life on the CAPS' series and the public sculpture 'Windy' on the High Line. In an interview, she discusses her plans to donate the grant to Bilna’es, an organization founded by Palestinian artists that funds cultural projects in Gaza and the West Bank.

Da Carrà e de Chirico a Giorgio Morandi, ecco le nuove aste di Farsetti a Prato

Farsettiarte in Prato will hold two auctions at the end of May 2026, featuring modern and contemporary art. The Contemporary Art sale takes place on May 29, followed by the Modern Art sale on May 30, with highlights including works by Giorgio Morandi, Carlo Carrà, Giorgio de Chirico, Afro, Giuseppe Capogrossi, Piero Dorazio, and Hans Hartung. A rare Morandi still life from 1921 is estimated at €1.3-1.6 million, while de Chirico's 'Piazza d'Italia' (1963) carries an estimate of €220,000-320,000.

In Milan there is an art gallery where you can buy works by important artists all under 1000 euros

A Milano c’è una galleria d’arte dove si possono comprare opere di artisti importanti tutte a meno di 1000 euro

IONOI Gallery has opened in Milan at Via Perugino 24, founded by Alessia Rosato. The gallery debuts on April 15, 2026, with the exhibition "anew spring – prima che tutto accada," featuring 28 artists including Cesare Fullone, Giuseppe Frangi, Franko B., Antonio Marras, and Ercole Pignatelli. All works—prints, objects, and multiples—are priced under €1,000, aiming to make art collecting accessible. The space was formerly a showroom for designer Fabio Novembre.

In Venice two new cultural realities in the Civic Museums circuit: a contemporary art center is born in Mestre and the Wagner Museum enters the network

A Venezia due nuove realtà culturali nel circuito dei Musei Civici: nasce un centro d’arte contemporanea a Mestre e entra nella rete il Museo Wagner

The Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE) has opened a new contemporary art museum called MUVEC (Casa delle Contemporaneità) at the Centro Candiani in Mestre, inaugurated on April 24. Simultaneously, MUVE has signed an agreement with the Casinò di Venezia and the Associazione Richard Wagner to bring the Museo Wagner in Ca' Vendramin Calergi into its network starting in 2027, expanding the MUVE circuit to 14 museums (excluding MUVEC). MUVEC features a permanent collection spanning from 1948 to the present, drawn from the Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Venezia Ca' Pesaro, and will host temporary exhibitions including a 2026 show on Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka and the body.

Video interview with Cecilia Canziani and Chiara Camoni, curator and artist of the Italy Pavilion at the Venice Biennale

Video intervista a Cecilia Canziani e Chiara Camoni curatrice e artista del Padiglione Italia alla Biennale di Venezia

The article is a video interview with curator Cecilia Canziani and artist Chiara Camoni about the Italy Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale. Camoni's installation, titled "Con te e con tutto," features large, monumental figures called "Sisters" that evoke ancient yet contemporary presences, created through a slow, collective, and materially responsive process. The pavilion is divided into two spaces: a vertical, sacred-like area and a horizontal, convivial one that includes a sub-exhibition called "Dialoghi." The project builds on years of friendship and collaboration between Canziani and Camoni, and involves a fluid community of international students, weavers, midwives, and artists working at Camoni's studio in Fabbiano, on the Apuan Alps.

Casabianca is the name of the new art space to visit in Como

Si chiama Casabianca il nuovo spazio per l’arte da visitare a Como

A new art space called Casabianca has opened in Como, Italy, housed in a 1930s building designed by Piero Ponci. The project is spearheaded by hoteliers Paolo and Antonella De Santis, who have transformed the former luxury villa and bank into a domestic-style exhibition venue for their contemporary art collection. The space features works by artists such as Giulio Paolini, Stefano Arienti, Alighiero Boetti, Mario Merz, Marina Abramovic, and Joseph Kosuth, with no labels or didactics to preserve the feel of a private home.

Un big della fotografia del Novecento è in mostra a Venezia: tanti scatti inediti

A major exhibition dedicated to 20th-century photography master Horst P. Horst has opened at Le Stanze della Fotografia on San Giorgio Maggiore Island in Venice. Titled "La Geometria della Grazia" (The Geometry of Grace), it is the largest and most significant show ever devoted to the photographer, featuring over 400 works—about half of which are exhibited for the first time. The display pairs original vintage prints with archival materials such as period magazines, preparatory drawings, sketches, letters from Coco Chanel and Salvador Dalí, and slide projections. The exhibition is organized into eight sections exploring Horst's constant search for balance and proportion, moving beyond his famous fashion photography for Vogue to highlight the classical and modernist influences in his work.

Pussy Riot and FEMEN protest at the Russian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. "Blood is the true language of Russia"

Le Pussy Riot e le FEMEN in protesta al Padiglione russo alla Biennale di Venezia. “Il sangue è il vero linguaggio della Russia”

On May 6, 2026, during the preview days of the 61st Venice Biennale, Pussy Riot and FEMEN staged a joint protest outside the Russian Pavilion. Led by Nadya Tolokonnikova, the activists denounced Russia's participation in the Biennale as a form of political normalization while the war in Ukraine continues. The action included chants and slogans such as "Russia kills, Biennale exhibits. Blood is Russia's art," and targeted the Russian ambassador present inside the pavilion. The protest was unannounced and caught Biennale security off guard, drawing a crowd of journalists, visitors, and art professionals.

Actress Alba Clemente Tells Her Story in the Theater and Reveals What Lies Behind Her Partenope, a Smoking Siren

L’attrice Alba Clemente si racconta a teatro e svela cosa si nasconde dietro la sua Partenope, sirena fumatrice

Actress Alba Clemente (née Primiceri) recounts her life and career in a theatrical performance titled "Racconto di una vita, anzi tre: ALBAINCLEMENTE," directed by Guido Torlonia. The show, adapted from an earlier piece created with director Andrew Ondrejcak, premiered in Naples and is set to tour Rome and Milan. Clemente reflects on her rebellious youth in Amalfi, her studies at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Naples, and her encounters with artists such as Joseph Beuys, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Alex Katz, and Robert Mapplethorpe. She also describes meeting her husband, internationally renowned painter Francesco Clemente, in Rome on the day Pier Paolo Pasolini was assassinated.

Fellow Painters and Also Friends. Zandomeneghi and Degas Are on Show in Rovigo

Colleghi pittori e anche amici. Zandomeneghi e Degas sono in mostra a Rovigo

Palazzo Roverella in Rovigo is hosting the exhibition "Zandomeneghi e Degas. Impressionismo tra Firenze e Parigi," curated by Francesca Dini. The show brings together works by Italian 19th-century painter Federico Zandomeneghi and French Impressionist Edgar Degas, featuring about fifteen paintings and sculptures by Degas alongside works by Zandomeneghi. It explores their friendship, mutual artistic influence, and shared commitment to realism, tracing their connections from Florence's Caffè Michelangiolo to Paris, where their paths fully converged. Themes such as dance and the nude are highlighted, with works like Degas's "Classe de ballet" (1888) and Zandomeneghi's "Visita in camerino" and "Donna che si asciuga" on view.

The Ricci Oddi Gallery in Piacenza has been renovated. Here's how it changed after the work (funded by citizens)

La Galleria Ricci Oddi di Piacenza è stata rinnovata. Ecco com’è cambiata dopo i lavori (finanziati dai cittadini)

La Galleria d'Arte Moderna Ricci Oddi in Piacenza, Italy, has completed a year-long renovation and reinstallation project, reopening to the public on April 28. The work, designed pro bono by Milanese studio Lissoni & Partners and funded by citizens, restored the original architecture by Giulio Ulisse Arata, emphasizing a central panopticon and natural zenithal light. The museum remained partially open during construction, which refreshed all 22 rooms and over 1,000 square meters of space, aiming to reconnect the collection with its purpose-built building.

The Myth of Sandokan on Display in Monza Between History and Imagination. The Curators Speak

Il mito di Sandokan in mostra a Monza tra storia e immaginario. Parola ai curatori

A new exhibition titled "Sandokan. La Tigre ruggisce ancora" has opened at the Reggia di Monza, exploring the enduring myth of the fictional pirate Sandokan, who first appeared in Italian serialized fiction in 1883. Curated by Francesco Aquilanti and Loretta Paderni, the show brings together ethnographic materials, costumes from the 1970s television series, weapons, books, illustrations, and archival items, including the original Dayak collection donated by Sir Charles Brooke to the King of Italy. The exhibition traces Sandokan's evolution across literature, comics, film, and television, presenting him as a layered, ambivalent hero—both ruthless pirate and justice fighter—whose story remains relevant today.

The Poet of Light. Interview with Lighting Designer Davide Groppi

Il poeta della luce. Intervista al lighting designer Davide Groppi

Lighting designer Davide Groppi (born 1963 in Piacenza) is the subject of a rare retrospective exhibition titled "Un'ora di luce" (An Hour of Light), on view until May 26 at the Volumnia gallery in Piacenza, curated by Marco Sammicheli. The show, held in a deconsecrated late-16th-century church, traces Groppi's nearly 40-year career through products, prototypes, and personal artistic research, including his iconic lamp "Nulla" (2010), which won the first of his three Compasso d'Oro awards. In an interview, Groppi discusses the exhibition's themes of lightness, cosmic references, and his philosophy of subtraction in design.

Fondazione Fiera Milano opens its contemporary art collection to the public during Art Week

La Fondazione Fiera Milano apre al pubblico la sua collezione d’arte contemporanea in questi giorni della Art Week

Fondazione Fiera Milano has announced it will open its private contemporary art collection to the public at the Palazzina degli Orafi during the 2026 edition of the miart fair. The initiative features free guided tours of a selection of the foundation's 140 works, including pieces by Nicolas Party, Marisa Merz, and Monica Bonvicini. This rare opening coincides with Milan's Art Week, providing public access to a corporate collection usually held in private offices.

The world's largest, heaviest, and most expensive art book arrives in Venice as a donation to the Biblioteca Marciana

Il libro d’arte più grande, più pesante e più costoso al mondo arriva a Venezia. In donazione alla Biblioteca Marciana

The Alberto Peruzzo Foundation has donated a copy of "Modern Art – Revolution and Painting" to the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Venice. Described as the world’s largest, heaviest, and most expensive art book, the volume weighs 35 kilograms and measures 70 x 100 centimeters. It features 544 hand-bound pages with 25-color lithographs reproducing over 250 masterpieces from the 19th and 20th centuries, including works by Picasso, Chagall, and Fontana.

'L.A. has changed me,' says architect of LACMA's divisive David Geffen Galleries

Peter Zumthor, the Pritzker Prize-winning architect, discusses the making of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's (LACMA) new David Geffen Galleries in an interview. He explains his rejection of overly slick, corporate architecture in favor of a raw, handmade concrete structure, describing the building as a "concrete sculpture." Zumthor details his collaboration with LACMA director Michael Govan, who encouraged him to incorporate "American roughness" into the design, a lesson Zumthor says he has brought back to his European practice.

McEvoy Gallery Open House & Art Sale Planned

Newtown artist Dick McEvoy will open his studio and gallery at 51 Taunton Lake Road to the public for a weekend open house and art sale on June 13-14, 2026, from 1-4 pm each day. This is the first time in five years he has hosted such an event. McEvoy, known for his pastel landscapes and later large-scale oil paintings, synthesizes techniques from Impressionism and Abstract Expressionism, with curator Peter Hastings Falk praising his evolution into drip-action painting and his ability to reconcile seemingly opposing art movements.

TOXIC’s ‘ALWAYS EVER SINCE 83’ brings four decades of uncompromising practice to Woodbury House

Torrick Ablack, known as TOXIC, will present a major solo exhibition titled 'ALWAYS EVER SINCE 83' at Woodbury House in London from 14th May to 26th June 2026. The show features new paintings alongside rarely seen early works dating back to 1983, marking what the gallery calls a long-overdue recognition of TOXIC's career. TOXIC emerged from the downtown New York scene of the early 1980s alongside figures like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Rammellzee, and participated in the landmark Post-Graffiti exhibition at Sidney Janis Gallery in 1983. The exhibition positions 1983 as a psychological and artistic turning point, tracing over four decades of his uncompromising practice.

Art Leven First Nations And Australian Fine Art Auction Opens This Week - Scoop

Art Leven, a Sydney-based gallery focused on First Nations art, is opening its First Nations and Australian Fine Art Auction and Exhibition, headlined by the private collection of the late Dame Marie Bashir AD CVO and Sir Nicholas Shehadie AC OBE. The exhibition runs from 15–19 May 2026 at Art Leven's new Woolloomooloo gallery, with the live auction on 19 May at Artspace. The sale includes approximately 115 artworks, with 79 from the Bashir-Shehadie collection, featuring works by Balang John Mawurndjul AM, Arthur Boyd, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Albert Namatjira, and others. The collection reflects decades of travel to remote art centres and close relationships with artists, supported by archival material like handwritten notes and early catalogues.

Local artists’ works in national IHC exhibition

An exhibition showcasing artwork by 20 local artists with intellectual disabilities will be held at The Loan & Merc in Oamaru next Friday. The North Otago IHC Association Art Exhibition features works by artists including Lisa Graham, Dan Joyce, Katie Mcrae, Christopher Wright, and Katrina Hewitt, with all participants also set to appear in a national exhibition in Wellington next month as part of the IHC National Art Awards. Artists receive 100% of proceeds from sales, and the group attends weekly art classes throughout the year.

The rare midnight photos that might reveal the ‘real’ Marilyn Monroe

A National Portrait Gallery exhibition and a BFI season are set to re-examine Marilyn Monroe, focusing on rare midnight photographs that may reveal a more authentic side of the iconic star. The show and film program aim to look beyond her public persona to explore her true self through lesser-known images and cinematic works.

Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata win Oscar for “Two People Exchanging Saliva,” a short film.

Artist Alexandre Singh and art historian Natalie Musteata won an Academy Award for their short film "Two People Exchanging Saliva" at the 2026 Oscars. The film tied for first place in the live action short category with Sam Davis's "The Singers," marking a rare seventh tie in Oscar history.

A Rococo Snuffbox for Cleveland

Une tabatière rocaille pour Cleveland

The Cleveland Museum of Art has acquired a rare gold and lapis-lazuli snuffbox (tabatière) by the Rococo master Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier, dated 1728-1729. The box, which bears Meissonnier's hallmark and the coat of arms of Marie-Anne de Neubourg (widow of King Charles II of Spain), was likely made for her during her long exile in Bayonne. It will be a centerpiece of the museum's upcoming exhibition "Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier: Rococo Goldsmith in Focus," opening in October.