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Lindsay Jarvis, a London-born dealer who previously worked at Sadie Coles and greengrassi in the UK and spent a decade in New York as an art adviser and auction specialist, has opened a new 2,000-square-foot gallery on the second floor of 96 Bowery in Manhattan. The inaugural exhibition, titled "Ghost," organized with Max Werner, opens Wednesday and runs through October 4, featuring contemporary artists like Francesca Mollett and Daniel Licht alongside 20th-century figures such as Lois Dodd, Richard Mayhew, Joan Snyder, Beverly Buchanan, Peter Saul, and Janet Sobel. Jarvis, known for spotting overlooked value in 20th-century artists, is transitioning from advising collectors to running his own gallery program.

Which Auction House Led the Pack in 2025?

Christie's led the global fine-art auction market in 2025 with $3.5 billion in sales, a 10.1% increase from 2024. Its top lot was Mark Rothko's 'No. 31 (Yellow Stripe), 1958,' which sold for $62.1 million. Sotheby's followed closely with $3.3 billion in sales, a 31% annual increase, highlighted by the record-breaking $54.7 million sale of Frida Kahlo's 'El sueño (La cama).' Phillips placed a distant third with $390.9 million in sales, a 14.2% decline.

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Laura Footes, a British artist living with chronic illness, opened her solo exhibition “Anamnesis” at Shrine NYC in early December 2024. Her paintings feature translucent, ethereal bodies in hallucinogenic landscapes, exploring themes of entrapment, escape, and the porous, temporal nature of the body. Footes, who has Crohn’s disease, draws on her hospital experiences and was discovered by Tracey Emin in 2022 after Emin saw her work on social media. Emin later mentored Footes at TKE Studios in Margate and curated her solo show “A Healing Dream” at Carl Freedman Gallery in late 2024.

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The article critiques the current art market frenzy in New York, where fairs and auctions dominate the scene, and argues that the relationship between art and money is being misrepresented in mainstream media. It cites recent op-eds by David Brooks, Tyler Cowen, and Matthew Yglesias, who suggest that wealth inequality benefits artists by boosting the financial returns of fine art. The author counters that these commentators conflate the art market with artists' livelihoods, ignoring the precarious reality most artists face.

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Alexandra Metcalf, a rising artist based in Berlin, is gaining attention for her multidisciplinary work that blends Victorian and psychedelic aesthetics with the dark history of women's psychiatric facilities. Her upcoming Art Basel debut with London's Ginny on Frederick features an installation titled "Assembly," consisting of four reclaimed grandfather clocks transformed into psychologically charged dioramas, which has been nominated for the Baloise Art Prize 2025. Metcalf also recently opened a solo exhibition "Gaaaaaaasp" at The Perimeter in London, an immersive installation evoking a 1960s doctor's waiting room and surgical theater, further exploring themes of madness, gendered labor, and Freudian psychology.

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Sotheby's underperformed with the highly anticipated Saunders Collection of Old Masters, which was estimated at $80–120 million but sold for only $65.4 million, falling $14.6 million short of its low estimate. The sell-through rate was a dismal 58%, with 16 of 43 lots failing to sell in the standalone auction. Christie's also saw disappointing results, with a smaller sale totaling $6.89 million, 17% below its low target. The collection, amassed by the late banker Thomas A. Saunders III and his wife Jordan, was billed as the most valuable Old Masters collection ever to come to auction.

Art for art’s sake, but for people’s health too | Letter

Art Fund director Jenny Waldman responds to a philosophical article about art's intrinsic value, arguing that while art should be enjoyed for its own sake, promoting its measurable health benefits can serve as a crucial entry point for new audiences. She cites the organization's National Art Pass adverts and recent research with King's College London, which demonstrated immediate physiological responses to viewing original art, as tools to invite people who might otherwise feel excluded from cultural institutions.

Paris art enthusiast wins €1m Picasso painting in €100 charity raffle

Ari Hodara, a Parisian sales engineer and art enthusiast, won a 1941 Pablo Picasso portrait valued at over €1 million through a €100 charity raffle ticket. The draw, held at Christie’s in Paris, featured the painting 'Head of a Woman,' a portrait of the artist’s muse Dora Maar. The lottery successfully sold all 120,000 available tickets, raising a total of €12 million.

Veronica Ryan review – the seeds are sensational but the detritus is distracting

A major retrospective of Turner Prize-winning artist Veronica Ryan has opened, showcasing her career-long exploration of organic forms and repurposed materials. The exhibition features new works made from plastic bottles, bandages, and avocado trays, alongside earlier sculptures in bronze and lead that reference seed pods and fruit.

Do you remember the last negative review you read?

« Vous souvenez-vous de la dernière critique négative que vous avez lue ? »

The traditional art of negative criticism is vanishing from mainstream media, replaced by a culture of polite consensus or violent but unprincipled social media attacks. Historically, critics like Baudelaire, Zola, and Huysmans used sharp, subjective arguments to defend avant-garde movements and challenge academicism, viewing the attack on certain artists as a necessary byproduct of championing others. Today, limited editorial space and a desire to support the arts have led French journalists to focus almost exclusively on praise, resulting in a loss of discernment and comparative analysis.

In Venice to Install Work for the Biennale, Artist Guadalupe Maravilla Alleges Racial Profiling by Police

New York–based artist Guadalupe Maravilla, in Venice to install his work for the 2026 Venice Biennale, alleges he was racially profiled by police after leaving the Arsenale venue. Two officers demanded his documents, called backup, and attempted to handcuff him before he de-escalated the situation and left. Maravilla, known for his 'Disease Thrower' sculptures that address migration and healing, shared the incident on Instagram and provided a statement to ARTnews.

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Patricia Marroquin Norby, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s first-ever curator of Native American art, has stepped down from her role after a five-year tenure. While both Norby and the museum cited health reasons for her December 2025 departure, the exit follows intense public scrutiny regarding her claims of Indigenous heritage. A 2024 report by the Tribal Alliance Against Frauds (TAAF) alleged that Norby has no American Indian ancestry, leading to a public debate over her qualifications and identity.

Montclair Art Museum Hires New Chief Curator Kate Kraczon

The Montclair Art Museum in New Jersey has hired Kate Kraczon as its new chief curator, replacing Gail Stavitsky. Kraczon previously served as director of exhibitions and chief curator at the David Winton Bell Gallery at Brown University, where she was terminated last December amid university layoffs. At the Bell, she organized the only US screening of "Prisoners of Love, 2025" by Palestinian artists Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme, and an exhibition of Julien Creuzet's work originally shown at the French Pavilion in the 2024 Venice Biennale. Before Brown, she worked as a curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in Philadelphia, where she organized the 2018 show "Ree Morton: The Plant That Heals May Also Poison."

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Adam Lindemann draws a parallel between the oversupply of wine and the current state of the art market, noting that too many galleries and artists are producing work while demand from collectors is slowing. He cites the glut of art fairs, particularly the 840 galleries exhibiting during Miami Basel week in December 2025, and quotes advisor Allan Schwartzman describing the market as "tired." Lindemann observes that even mega-trophies like Leonardo's *Salvator Mundi* are rare exceptions, and that museums are becoming more selective in accepting donations.

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Spring 2025 auction results at Christie’s and Sotheby’s in New York showed a mixed market. Major lots like Alberto Giacometti’s *Grande tête mince* failed to sell, and Andy Warhol’s *Electric Chair* was withdrawn. However, top sales included Piet Mondrian’s *Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue* for $47.56 million, Claude Monet’s *Peupliers au bord de l’Epte, crépuscule* for $42.96 million, and Mark Rothko’s *No. 4 (Two Dominants)* for $37.78 million. Works by Basquiat, Magritte, Picasso, and Richter also sold well.

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Christie's marquee auctions in New York generated $489 million across two sales, led by the $272 million 'Leonard & Louise Riggio: Collected Works' sale and a $217 million 20th century art evening auction. The house guaranteed all 39 lots in the Riggio sale and used third-party guarantees on many others to mitigate risk in a soft market. Top lots included Piet Mondrian's *Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black, and Blue* (1922) at $47.6 million, Claude Monet's *Peupliers au bord de l'Epte, crépuscule* (1891) at $49.2 million, and Mark Rothko's *No. 4 (Two Dominants) [Orange, Plum, Black]* (1950–51) at nearly $39 million. Two Warhols were pulled before the sale, highlighting ongoing challenges in selling high-value works at auction.

MOCAD Reopens with New Exhibitions from Detroit Artists

Detroit's Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCAD) has reopened after an eight-month closure for construction, unveiling four new exhibitions as part of its 2026 Spring Exhibition and 20th anniversary. The renovations include a new HVAC system, educational space, and windows that allow passersby to see inside. The building has been renamed the Julia Reyes Taubman Building in honor of the late co-founder, whose family contributed $1.8 million toward the $3 million first phase. Mayor Mary Sheffield toured the exhibitions at an April 23 media preview, praising the museum's role in community healing and access. Featured exhibitions include "Olayami Dabls: Detroit Cosmologies," the first retrospective of the artist's nearly 50-year career, showcasing his evolution from figurative acrylics to abstract collage.

Bilingual Catacombs of Neto Art Museum is much more than art on a wall

Milwaukee's Third Ward now hosts The Catacombs of Neto Art Museum, a bilingual museum-gallery hybrid founded by artist-couple Ernesto Atkinson and Jenny Urbanek. Housed in the Marshall building's basement tunnels, the one-and-a-half-year-old space serves as a permanent home for Atkinson's work, which he previously stored in his basement. The couple, inspired by visits to sites like Els Quatre Gats in Barcelona and the Milwaukee Art Museum, conceived the museum as a "sacred resting place" where art comes alive through viewer interaction. Atkinson, a licensed art therapist, integrates psychological and wellness elements into the museum, which also functions as a gallery, educational space, community hub, and introduction to art therapy.

Important private collections feature in Strauss & Co March sales of modern and contemporary

Strauss & Co has announced its upcoming Evening Sale of Modern and Contemporary Art scheduled for March 24, 2026. The auction features 96 lots, headlined by significant private consignments including the Stan and Li Boiskin Art Collection and the Patricia Fine Art Collection. High-value works from South African masters such as Irma Stern, J. H. Pierneef, and Gerard Sekoto will lead the sale alongside a robust selection of contemporary pieces by artists like William Kentridge and Mary Sibande.

Art gallery opens new exhibition, featuring intimate work of master's students

The UCF Art Gallery has debuted "The Rooms We Build," the 2026 Master of Fine Arts thesis exhibition featuring the work of six graduating studio art and design students. The showcase includes a diverse array of mediums such as sculpture, welding, woodworking, digital animation, and collaborative murals. Each artist presents a distinct "universe," ranging from explorations of queer masculinity and Jungian archetypes to the intersection of digital fandoms and traditional painting.

Tracey Emin: 'Racist behaviour is dividing our country'

Tracey Emin has unveiled her major new exhibition, "Second Life," at Tate Modern, marking a significant departure from the tradition of living British artists showing at Tate Britain. The exhibition, curated by Harry Weller alongside Tate’s Maria Balshaw, Alvin Li, and Jessica Baxter, eschews a traditional retrospective format in favor of a thematic exploration of Emin's personal history. During the press preview, Emin addressed her multicultural heritage—including Turkish Cypriot, Sudanese, and Romanichal roots—and criticized the rise of jingoism and divisive politics in the UK.

NEXT in the Gallery: March art is NFL photography, Empty Bowls and a giant egg

Pittsburgh’s art scene is set for a diverse series of openings this March, ranging from historical sports photography to contemporary textile art. Highlights include Michael Zagaris’s 60-year retrospective of NFL photography at the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, the first U.S. solo exhibition for English photographer Ajamu X at Silver Eye Center for Photography, and solo shows by Nicole Renee Ryan and Abby Franzen-Sheehan. The month also features collaborative exhibitions like "What We Carry," which pairs Penny Mateer’s political quilts with Dante Campudoni’s psychological paintings.

Museum Of Contemporary Art, Chicago — Yoko Ono: A Force Of Nature

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Chicago is presenting "Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind," a major retrospective of the artist's work that runs from October 18, 2025, to February 22, 2026. The exhibition features over 200 works spanning Ono's career, including interactive installations like "Wish Trees" and "Mend Piece," as well as iconic performances such as "Cut Piece." The show, which originated at the Tate Modern in London and will travel to The Broad in Los Angeles, highlights Ono's role in the Fluxus movement and her pioneering use of instruction-based art, film, and mixed media. The article also notes Ono's connection to Chicago through her permanent public sculpture "Sky Landing" in Jackson Park.

Sung Min Jang

One Art Space in Tribeca presented "Thread of Memory – The Language of Healing," a solo exhibition by Korean artist Sung Min Jang, held from November 18–25, 2025. The show featured Jang's acrylic paintings that combine painterly surfaces with textile motifs and symbolic threads, exploring themes of memory, trauma, and renewal. A private VIP reception took place on November 20.

December 2025 Exhibitions and Events at SVA

The School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York is hosting a series of exhibitions and events throughout December 2025 and into January 2026. Highlights include "Wavelengths," a juried alumni survey at SVA Chelsea Gallery; "Act 1: Geraldine Scott III," a solo exhibition by alumnus Lillian Ansell at SVA Gramercy Gallery; "The Book Show" featuring first-year MFA students; "Migrant Housing: Water as a Medium for Healing" at SVA Flatiron Gallery; and "fables for introverts, chapter iii: limbo" by Gerald Euhon Sheffield II at SVA Flatiron Project Space. Events include open studios, a lecture on the anti-Nazi "Red Orchestra" group, and an artists' roundtable with Samson Young.

Right to Rest

The Denver Art Museum (DAM) created a visitor experience for the exhibition "Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas from the Smithsonian American Art Museum" that centered on rest and well-being, inspired by Thomas's belief that art should offer beauty and restoration. The exhibition team, including an interpretive specialist, layered inclusive design practices such as specific interventions for rest, aiming to make Black audiences, disabled audiences, and older audiences feel comfortable and welcome. The DAM's Lifelong Learning and Accessibility division applied universal design principles and well-being outcomes to support the exhibition's goal of honoring Thomas's vision of art as a restorative space.

Interview: Jon Seydl, John G.W. Cowles Director of the Allen Memorial Art Museum

Jon Seydl has been appointed as the new John G.W. Cowles Director of the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College. Seydl, who previously served as director of the Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and worked at the Cleveland Museum of Art, brings extensive experience in university museums and a background in early modern Italian art history. In an interview, he discusses his deep appreciation for the Allen's collection, particularly self-portraits by Michael Sweerts and William Hogarth, and his vision for the museum as a sanctuary for mental health and interdisciplinary learning.

World Economic Forum and J. Paul Getty Trust bring art world leaders together to find ‘Connection in Times of Division’

The World Economic Forum and the J. Paul Getty Trust co-hosted a "cultural table" dinner for art world leaders on 23 October at the Hotel Le Meurice in Paris, themed "Bridging Worlds: Culture as a Force for Connection in Times of Division." The event, held in the Pompadour Room—where Pablo Picasso celebrated his 1918 wedding—was co-hosted by Getty president Katherine Fleming and WEF arts head Joseph Fowler, and marked the first collaboration between the two organizations. Fowler described the initiative as a global movement to place culture at the heart of systemic change, while Fleming emphasized art's unifying power and its measurable health benefits.

Frieze in London, Hypha Studios and a Renoir drawing for ‘The Great Bathers’—podcast

This episode of The Art Newspaper's podcast 'The Week in Art' covers three main stories. Host Ben Luke discusses the mood at the Frieze art fairs in London with art market editor Kabir Jhala, amid ongoing debate about the health of the art market. The episode also explores Hypha Studios, a UK initiative that provides free exhibition and studio space to unrepresented artists in vacant properties, which has just launched an online sales platform called Hypha Curates. Finally, the podcast features a 'Work of the Week' segment on a Renoir drawing from the 1880s, a study for 'The Great Bathers,' now on view at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York as part of the exhibition 'Renoir Drawings.'

UC Davis Artist, Sociologist, Ph.D. Student Reflect on ‘Breathe' Exhibition at Manetti Shrem Museum

Three UC Davis scholars—artist and professor Margaret Laurena Kemp, a sociologist, and a Ph.D. student—reflect on the exhibition 'Breath(e): Toward Climate and Social Justice' at the Manetti Shrem Museum. The show, curated by Glenn Kaino and Mika Yoshitake, combines climate change and social justice themes through works like Jin-me Yoon's video installation 'Turning Time (Pacific Flyways),' 2022. Kemp incorporates the exhibit into her course, using breathwork and dance to engage students with Black literature and visual art, culminating in a student performance at the museum on November 13.