meet 5 artists transforming photography 2731217

Soho Beach House in Miami has reoriented its art collection around photography in late 2025, featuring works by established figures like Isaac Julien, JR, Laurie Simmons, Marilyn Minter, and Ming Smith alongside emerging artists such as René Matić, Caroline Allison, and Walead Beshty. The rehang, overseen by chief art director Kate Bryan, spans polaroids, performance-derived imagery, collage, and cameraless prints, with a focus on artists who use photography as a tool for broader inquiry.

The 5 Best Booths at EXPO Chicago 2026

The 2026 edition of EXPO Chicago opened at Navy Pier with a renewed sense of energy, marking its third year under Frieze ownership and its first under the leadership of director Kate Sierzputowski. Early reports from the VIP preview suggest a successful revitalization of the fair, which has successfully re-engaged longtime Midwestern collectors while simultaneously attracting a more robust international audience.

Our Highlights From Frieze New York 2026

Frieze New York 2026 took place from May 13 to 17 at The Shed in Manhattan, featuring nearly 70 galleries. Highlights included Cindy Sherman’s new photographs at Hauser & Wirth (many sold on preview day, with Leonardo DiCaprio visiting), the Focus section curated by Lumi Tan and sponsored by Stone Island, and the Frame section where Diedrick Brackens’ woven works were acquired by the Brooklyn Museum. Frieze Sculpture at Rockefeller Center, curated by Brett Littman, showcased 14 international artists including Nick Cave and Hank Willis Thomas. Mapuche artist Seba Calfuqueo won the Focus Stand Prize for hair-centered works exploring feminism and indigenous heritage.

Basquiat’s 'Museum Security' leads Sotheby’s New York contemporary evening sale at US$52.7m

Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1983 painting 'Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown)' sold for US$52.7 million at Sotheby's Now and Contemporary Evening Auction in New York, becoming the fifth-most expensive Basquiat ever auctioned. The work, estimated at over US$45 million and backed by an irrevocable bid, hammered at US$45.3 million to a telephone bidder represented by Sotheby's Lucius Elliott. The auction totaled US$266.8 million with fees, selling 40 of 44 lots, and combined with the preceding Robert Mnuchin collection sale—led by Mark Rothko's 'Brown and Blacks in Reds' at US$85.8 million—the evening brought in US$433.1 million.

Inside the Vancouver Art Gallery’s Juicy New Show

The Vancouver Art Gallery has unveiled 'Highlights from the Collection,' a major long-term exhibition featuring 200 works selected from its permanent holdings of over 13,000 items. Curated by a team led by Eva Respini, the show marks a strategic shift for the institution by committing to a semi-permanent display that will remain on view until 2030. The exhibition includes iconic pieces ranging from Gathie Falk’s ceramics to Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe prints and Claes Oldenburg’s sculptures.

8 Must-See Shows of Black Art across the U.S. This Black History Month

Galleries and museums across the United States are presenting a diverse range of exhibitions featuring Black artists during Black History Month. These shows highlight artists working in various mediums, from painting and drawing to installation and tapestry, and are on view in cities including Miami, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago.

10 Galleries That Had a Breakout Year in 2025

The article highlights 10 galleries that achieved significant growth and recognition in 2025, despite a challenging market environment marked by tariffs and trade uncertainty. Featured galleries include Tokyo's CON__, which gained global visibility through standout presentations at Frieze Seoul and NADA New York; Munich and New York-based LOHAUS SOMINSKY, which debuted at Art Basel Miami Beach and opened a Tribeca outpost; and Chicago's Hans Goodrich, which quickly established itself with a cross-generational exhibition program and international fair appearances.

Omar Lopez-Chahoud’s fresh curatorial project debuts at Miami Produce

Curator Omar Lopez-Chahoud has launched his first independent project since leaving his role as artistic director of Untitled Art Miami Beach. Titled *Fragments of Displacement*, the group exhibition debuted on December 2 at Miami Produce, an open-air fruit and vegetable market in the Allapattah neighborhood. Co-organized with Eduardo Lopez, founder of Mexico’s FF Projects, the show features works by established artists including Jorge Méndez Blake, Helmut Lang, and Andrea Geyer, alongside emerging talents like Chantal Peñalosa Fong. The exhibition runs until March 1, 2026, and is designed to activate unconventional spaces and engage the local community.

8 Must-See Solo Gallery Shows in November

Galerie magazine has curated a list of eight must-see solo gallery shows across the United States for November, highlighting exhibitions from New York to Los Angeles. Featured artists include Robert Storr, whose return to painting is showcased at Vito Schnabel Gallery in New York with a series of geometric canvases titled "Fits and Starts"; Katherine Bradford, whose figurative works are on view at CANADA in New York; and the late Robert Kobayashi, whose bricolage pieces are displayed at Susan Inglett Gallery in New York, curated by his daughter. Other notable shows include Flora Yukhnovich at Hauser & Wirth in Downtown Los Angeles.

In the frame: photography comes to the fore at Frieze London and beyond

Photography takes center stage at Frieze London and across the city, with major exhibitions of Lee Miller at Tate Britain, Wolfgang Tillmans at Maureen Paley, Arthur Jafa at Sadie Coles, and Marina Abramović stills at Saatchi Yates. At Frieze Masters, Pace Gallery dedicated its booth to Peter Hujar, selling six prints on opening day at prices from $25,000 to $45,000. Commercial galleries like Gagosian and David Zwirner are investing heavily in photography, with Zwirner bringing Diane Arbus to London for the first time in a UK commercial context.

The story behind the Van Gogh still life that looks destined to become his most expensive Paris painting

Van Gogh's 'Parisian Novels' (November-December 1887) will be the leading lot in the Pritzker sale at Sotheby's, New York on 20 November, with an estimate of $40 million. The still life, depicting 22 books and three pink roses, has been consigned by the estate of Cindy Pritzker, who died in March at age 101. The painting was created during Van Gogh's time living with his brother Theo in Paris and was among the first three works publicly exhibited during his lifetime, at the Société des Artistes Indépendants in March 1888. The Pritzker collection sale also includes 36 other works estimated at $120 million, featuring pieces by Paul Gauguin and Henri Matisse.

New York's Art on Paper fair draws a fuzzy line between its titular medium and everything else

The Art on Paper fair has returned to Pier 36 in Lower Manhattan for its 11th edition, featuring 81 exhibitors from around the world. The fair, organized by Art Market Productions (a division of a21), includes a VIP preview on September 4 and a full program of interactive events and workshops, including the return of Booksmart Fair in partnership with the Center for Book Arts. Standouts include Nina Katchadourian's plant-like sculptures at Pace Gallery, Mary Beth Edelson's Story Gathering Boxes at Accola Griefen Fine Art, and Nicolas V. Sanchez's hyperrealistic ballpoint pen sketchbook drawings. Some exhibitors push the boundaries of the paper medium by showing paintings, ceramics, and other non-paper items, prompting one visitor to ask, "Where's the paper stuff?"

From L.A. to Jaipur Palace, Rajiv Menon Centers South Asian Artists

Rajiv Menon Contemporary, a Los Angeles-based gallery dedicated to South Asian and diasporic art, is making its Indian debut with the group exhibition “Non-Residency” at the Jaipur Center for Art (JCA), housed within The City Palace. Opening August 9, the show features sixteen artists working in painting, sculpture, and textiles, marking the first time a gallery has independently taken over the entire palace grounds for a self-curated exhibition. Founded in 2023 by Rajiv Menon, the gallery has quickly gained traction, securing at least six museum acquisitions in its first year, including placements at the Portland Museum of Art and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

To help preserve her works, Cindy Sherman is offering to destroy and reprint old photographs

Photographer Cindy Sherman has launched the Cindy Sherman Legacy Project (CSLP), a formal initiative to preserve her photographic works by offering to destroy and replace damaged prints with new, artist-approved reprints. The project, announced on June 16, includes condition assessments, a controlled replacement process, and an online catalogue raisonné. Collectors can submit works for evaluation at a New York facility; eligible prints are destroyed and replaced with mint-condition reprints signed by Sherman, with a $10,000 administrative fee plus production costs. The fee is waived for non-profit institutions.

Rachel Whiteread in a West Sussex woodland: UK’s Goodwood Art Foundation opens

The Goodwood Art Foundation, a new non-profit contemporary art center, has opened on the Goodwood Estate in West Sussex, UK, launched by Charles Richmond, 11th Duke of Richmond. The 70-acre site, reimagined by landscape designer Dan Pearson, features refurbished pavilions, a new restaurant by Studio Downie Architects, and a launch season curated by Ann Gallagher. The headline exhibition includes sculptures and photography by Turner Prize-winning artist Rachel Whiteread, alongside works by Rose Wylie, Veronica Ryan, Susan Philipsz, Amie Siegel, Lubna Chowdhary, Isamu Noguchi, and Hélio Oiticica. The foundation opened on 31 May.

New documentary bringing Metro Pictures gallery to the screen

A new feature documentary, *Pictures of Pictures: The Metro Years*, is being made about the influential New York gallery Metro Pictures. Founded in 1980 by Janelle Reiring and Helene Winer, the gallery represented key artists of the Pictures Generation, including Cindy Sherman, Robert Longo, Louise Lawler, and Walter Robinson. The film, directed by Sophie Chahinian, explores the gallery's four-decade run, its founding principles of integrity and curatorial care over profit, and the personal stories of its artists and founders.

Where to go this weekend?

Wohin am Wochenende?

This week's art tips include Anton Corbijn's birthday exhibition at Fotografiska Berlin, featuring iconic portraits alongside personal favorites; the 25th anniversary of Daniel Libeskind's extension at the Jewish Museum Berlin; Refik Anadol's first Belgian AI-driven installation at Brusk in Bruges; the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt's 40th anniversary weekend with free entry and performances; and a Lee Ufan solo show at Dia Beacon in New York, following his Wolfgang Hahn Prize.

2 exhibits at Portland Museum of Art show off photography, decorative arts

The Portland Museum of Art (PMA) is presenting two concurrent exhibitions: "Ming Smith: Jazz Requiem — Notations in Blue" (through June 7) and "Precious: The Value of Ornament" (through July 19). The Ming Smith exhibition showcases the pioneering Black photographer's emotive, manipulated images, including jazz club scenes and portraits, drawn from the museum's collection and loans from The Gund at Kenyon College. The decorative arts exhibition highlights the value of ornament in applied arts.

What’s on for spring? Spiritualism and symbolic systems

This article surveys several spring exhibitions in Chicago that explore themes of spiritualism, symbolic systems, and interconnected consciousness. Featured shows include Mindy Rose Schwartz's "Countersealed" at M. LeBlanc, which uses deconstructed fur coats, wands, and twisted fiber sculptures to evoke rituals addressing ecological disaster and historical subjugation. Daniel G. Baird's "Margin" at Patron examines thresholds between material and spiritual realms through a gilded canoe, wax arm cast, and birchwood oar. Leah Ke Yi Zheng's "Change, I Ching (64 Paintings)" at the Renaissance Society presents 64 hexagram paintings on silk, connecting abstract minimalism with Eastern silk painting traditions.

The 10 Most Expensive Auction Works in 2025

The article reports on the ten most expensive auction lots of 2025, led by Gustav Klimt's 'Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer (Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer)' (1914), which sold for $236.36 million at Sotheby's, making it the second-most-expensive artwork ever sold at auction. The top end of the market rebounded after a quieter 2024, with the 100 most expensive lots totaling $2.13 billion, up from $1.8 billion the previous year. Nine of the top ten lots were sold during the marquee New York sales in November, where Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips together generated over $2 billion and set 16 artist auction records. The list includes multiple Klimt works from the collection of American philanthropist Leonard A. Lauder, as well as a Vincent van Gogh still life that sold for $62.71 million.

Jorge Pérez donates more than 80 photographs to the Pérez Art Museum Miami

Jorge M. Pérez, the Miami-based real estate developer and art collector, has donated more than 80 photographic works to the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM). The donation includes pieces by artists such as Thomas Ruff, Ana Mendieta, Cindy Sherman, Isaac Julien, Candida Höfer, Vik Muniz, Tania Bruguera, Renata Lucas, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, and Wolfgang Tillmans. The works are currently on view in the museum's exhibition "Language and Image: Conceptual and Performance-Based Photography from the Jorge M. Pérez Collection" through January 11. Museum director Franklin Sirmans noted that photography has been integral to PAMM's collection since 1996 and that the donation strengthens the museum's holdings in conceptual and performance-based photography, including the Düsseldorf School.

Here’s Your Guide to the 13 Must-See Gallery and Museum Shows in Miami This Week

CULTURED magazine has published a guide to 13 must-see gallery and museum shows in Miami this week, highlighting exhibitions across the city during Art Basel Miami Beach. Featured shows include Studio Lenca's first solo show in Miami at David Castillo Gallery, Jeffrey Deitch's pop-up exhibition in the Miami Design District, Aneta Grzeszykowska's "DISORDER" at Voloshyn Gallery, a posthumous survey of Richard Hunt at the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, Woody De Othello's hometown museum solo at Pérez Art Museum Miami, Shayla Marshall's installation at a Walgreens storefront organized by the Bass and Bakehouse Art Complex, and Lawrence Lek's "NOX Pavilion" at the Bass, among others.

Smithsonian American Art Museum Debuts Monumental New Commission by Nick Cave in February 2026

The Smithsonian American Art Museum will debut "Nick Cave: Mammoth," a monumental new commission by artist Nick Cave, in February 2026. This marks Cave's first solo exhibition in Washington, D.C., and represents the museum's largest-ever commission by a single artist. The installation combines sculpture, video, and found objects, drawing on Cave's childhood in Chariton County, Missouri, and exploring themes of family history, landscapes, and craft traditions. The exhibition will be on view from February 13, 2026, through January 3, 2027, and is organized by curator Sarah Newman.

At 90, Rhona Hoffman Is Closing Her Chicago Gallery—but She Isn’t Retiring Yet

Rhona Hoffman, the 90-year-old Chicago gallerist, is closing her eponymous gallery at the end of May 2025 after nearly five decades in operation. The final group show, “Not Just A Pretty Picture,” ends April 26. Hoffman, who opened her gallery in 1976, gave early platforms to artists like Sol LeWitt, Mickalene Thomas, and Carrie Mae Weems, and is especially known for championing women artists such as Cindy Sherman, Barbara Kruger, and Jenny Holzer. She was also made an honorary member of the Guerrilla Girls after documenting her exhibition history of women artists. Hoffman plans to remain in Chicago, curating shows and working with artists, but will not use the term "pop-up" for her future activities.

Sarah Lucas Unveils VENUS VICTORIA at the New Museum’s Bowery Plaza

The New Museum has unveiled "VENUS VICTORIA," a new public sculpture by British artist Sarah Lucas, inaugurating the museum's outdoor plaza at the junction of Bowery and Prince Street in downtown Manhattan. The sculpture, which features Lucas's signature Bunny figure seated atop a giant washing machine, was selected by an all-artist jury including Teresita Fernández, Joan Jonas, Julie Mehretu, Cindy Sherman, and Kiki Smith. It opens on May 12, 2026, and will remain on view for two years as the first of five commissions dedicated to public sculpture by women artists.

From Rembrandt to Warhol, a Paris exhibition asks: what do artists wear?

Annabelle Ténèze, now Director of the Musée du Louvre-Lens, has curated a new exhibition titled 'The Art of Dressing – Dressing like an Artist' at the museum. The show explores how artists from Rembrandt to Warhol use clothing and self-fashioning in their self-portraits and public personas, drawing on examples such as Niki de Saint Phalle's eccentric wardrobe and Rembrandt's deliberate sartorial choices. Ténèze was inspired by her earlier work on de Saint Phalle at Les Abattoirs in Toulouse and by Charlie Porter's book 'What Artists Wear'.

liz collins motherlode 2667590

The RISD Museum in Providence has opened "Liz Collins: Motherlode," the first U.S. survey dedicated to fiber and textile artist Liz Collins. Curated by Kate Irvin, the exhibition spans Collins's multi-decade career, from her early fashion label to her recent cross-disciplinary experiments, and includes works like "Cosmic Explosion" (2008–18). Collins, a double RISD graduate and former professor there, describes the show as a homecoming rooted in her deep ties to the school and museum.

art robert rauschenberg centennial

Robert Rauschenberg's centenary is being celebrated with a sprawling, interdisciplinary series of events that began this fall and will continue into 2026. At least eight major institutional exhibitions of his work are mounted worldwide, alongside a book of his writings published by Yale University Press and a national tour by the Trisha Brown Dance Company and the Merce Cunningham Trust featuring Rauschenberg's sets and costumes. Cultured magazine invited artists across disciplines to reflect on his legacy, with contributions from Jeff Koons and RJ Messineo, among others.

report rebounding art auction market 2025 arttactic 1234767509

ArtTactic's year-end report reveals that the global art auction market rebounded to $4.55 billion in 2025, an 11.1% increase from 2024. Sotheby's saw a 17% sales jump and Christie's a nearly 7% rise. Historic single-owner sales, including estates of Leonard Lauder, Cindy and Jay Pritzker, and Pauline Karpidas, drove recovery with $884.9 million in total. Old Masters, Impressionist, and modern art surged 42.3% year-on-year, while contemporary and post-war art lagged. The trophy market (works over $10 million) grew 19.4% to $1.48 billion, led by Impressionist art up 80.4% to $1.04 billion, fueled by three Gustav Klimt canvases from the Lauder collection.

christies 21st century evening sale totals november 2025 1234762509

Christie's 21st-century evening sale on Wednesday, November 2025, achieved a hammer total of $99.7 million on 44 lots, within the pre-sale estimate of $87.5–$127 million. With fees, the final total reached $123.6 million. The sale opened with 18 lots from the collection of Chicago philanthropists Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson, featuring works by Cindy Sherman, Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann, and Diego Giacometti. A Giacometti coffee table sparked a seven-minute bidding war, selling for $4.53 million. Three artist records were set: Firelei Báez ($1.1 million), Olga de Amaral ($3.1 million), and Joan Brown ($596,500). Only one work, by Cecily Brown, failed to sell.