michelangelo attributions painting bust 2751163

Recent scientific and archival investigations have led to two significant new attributions to the Renaissance master Michelangelo Buonarroti. The first involves a painting titled 'Spirituali Pietà,' which was previously sold as an anonymous work but has now been linked to the artist through pigment analysis, X-ray fluorescence of monograms, and stylistic parallels to his known masterpieces. Simultaneously, researcher Valentina Salerno has identified a marble bust of Christ the Savior in Rome’s Basilica of St. Agnes Outside the Walls as a potential Michelangelo original, based on a decade of archival research.

Urban Grit Meets Wild Beauty: Inside Seattle Art Museum’s Beyond Mysticism

The Seattle Art Museum has launched "Beyond Mysticism: The Modern Northwest," an extensive exhibition featuring over 150 works that reexamine the region's contribution to Modernism. The show moves past the traditional "mystic" label associated with the Northwest School to highlight how artists engaged with Social Realism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism. By placing local icons like Mark Tobey and Morris Graves alongside international figures such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Salvador Dalí, the exhibition explores the tension between the Pacific Northwest's industrial growth and its dramatic natural landscapes.

Frieze Los Angeles Diary: hockey hotties, roaming Rami and Simon sells

Frieze Los Angeles week kicked off with a flurry of high-profile events, celebrity sightings, and charitable initiatives across the city. Key highlights included the Felix Art Fair, where RF. Alvarez’s painting inspired by the queer hockey drama 'Heated Rivalry' drew significant attention, and a major benefit auction led by Simon de Pury that raised over $500,000 for natural disaster relief. The week also featured a prestigious gathering at a private James Turrell Skyspace to celebrate the Serpentine Americas Foundation.

frank frazetta captive princess propstore 2748074

Frank Frazetta’s 1973 painting 'Captive Princess,' originally created as cover art for Edgar Rice Burroughs’s novel 'The People That Time Forgot,' is heading to auction at Propstore with a high estimate of $1 million. The work, which depicts a dramatic abduction scene involving prehistoric figures, leads a major sale of entertainment memorabilia that includes iconic film props like a 'Jaws' harpoon gun and a C-3PO head.

Paint Drippings: Art Industry News February 23

paint drippings art industry news feb 23 2747715

This week’s art industry roundup highlights major shifts across the global market, including Art Basel’s announcement of 290 galleries for its flagship Swiss fair and Sotheby’s adjustment of its buyer’s premium rates. Significant personnel moves include Devyani Saltzman’s abrupt departure from the Barbican, which sparked an open letter from over 170 cultural figures, and Anne-Claire Legendre becoming the first woman to lead Paris’s Arab World Institute.

Moore Art Gallery opens “All Hands on Deck” WWII naval photography exhibit

The Moore Art Gallery has opened a new exhibition titled "All Hands on Deck: Edward Steichen and the WWII Naval Photographic Unit." The show presents black-and-white photographs taken by the influential photographer Edward Steichen and his team during World War II, offering an intimate look at the lives of sailors and aviators through dramatic and compositionally striking images. The exhibition includes prints annotated by Steichen with editorial instructions, revealing his meticulous process.

carolyn bessette kennedy fashion auctioneer wardrobe sale 2746342

Signature items from Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's personal wardrobe are being sold at auction by the Fashion Auctioneer. The sale includes four key pieces gifted to her friend Rosemarie Terenzio, such as three cherished Prada coats and a Yohji Yamamoto dress, with estimates reaching up to $30,000. The auction is supplemented by dozens of vintage items from a private collector, some of which were used as wardrobe for the new FX television series 'Love Story,' which dramatizes the couple's relationship.

work of the week corneille de lyon mystery 2746196

A 16th-century portrait, attributed only to the "French or Flemish School," sold for $2.3 million at a Sotheby's New York auction, dramatically exceeding its estimate. The work, from the collection of Dutch magnate Anton Philips, sparked a 10-minute bidding war among four participants, likely driven by speculation it could be by the Dutch-born French painter Corneille de Lyon.

The Great Indian Art Mafia

The Indian art market has undergone a dramatic transformation, shifting from a selective market with works priced between Rs 5-25 crore to a high-stakes arena where record-breaking sales are now common. Between 2023 and 2025, multiple works crossed the Rs 50-100 crore threshold, with M.F. Husain's 'Gram Yatra' (1954) achieving the highest price to date at approximately Rs 118 crore, acquired by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. The market has expanded to over Rs 3,000 crore, with projections of Rs 10,000 crore by 2030.

The Great Indian Art Mafia

The Indian art market has undergone a dramatic transformation, shifting from a selective market with works priced between Rs 5-25 crore to a record-breaking phase where prices now routinely cross Rs 50-100 crore. Key sales include M.F. Husain's 'Gram Yatra' (1954) for approximately Rs 118 crore in 2025, currently the highest price for an Indian artwork, and significant price escalations for modern masters like Tyeb Mehta, S.H. Raza, and Amrita Sher-Gil.

Nevada Union High School Opening Reception for Student Art Exhibition

Nevada Union High School in Grass Valley, California, is hosting an opening reception for its Student Art Exhibition on February 26 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the school's art gallery. The exhibition features diorama artworks, photo collage pieces, and photography created by studio art and photography students, highlighting an interdisciplinary project that explores storytelling, composition, lighting, and perspective. Studio Art teacher Jillene Davidson describes the diorama unit as a favorite for its emphasis on innovation and hands-on creation using found objects and repurposed materials.

painting female old master artemisia gentileschi sells 2 million 1378720

Artemisia Gentileschi's 17th-century painting 'Lucretia' sold for €1.88 million ($2 million) at Dorotheum's Old Master sale in Vienna, more than double its high estimate. The work, previously unseen in public, was acquired by an Australian collection, continuing a trend of strong auction results for the Baroque artist.

schiaparelli paris recreates stolen louvre jewels 2740242

Schiaparelli's artistic director Daniel Roseberry debuted dramatic recreations of crown jewels stolen from the Louvre during the brand's Paris Haute Couture Week show. The pieces, worn by actor Teyana Taylor, were inspired by a pearl-and-diamond tiara and bow brooch once owned by Empress Eugénie, which were among an estimated $102 million in gems taken in a heist last October.

Five artists announced for India's Venice Biennale pavilion

India is returning to the Venice Biennale after a seven-year hiatus with a national pavilion in the Arsenale. The presentation, titled 'Geographies of Distance: Remembering Home,' will feature five artists: Alwar Balasubramaniam (Bala), Sumakshi Singh, Ranjani Shettar, Asim Waqif, and Skarma Sonam Tashi. The exhibition is curated by Amin Jaffer and is backed by India's Ministry of Culture and two cultural institutions.

hirshhorn museum art bridges lend american artworks museums united states 1234771970

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has launched a major partnership with the Art Bridges Foundation called '50 for 50'. This initiative will send long-term loans of significant American artworks from the Hirshhorn's collection to smaller museums in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, with loans lasting three to five years.

work of the week frederic remington 2741298

Frederic Remington's 1905 painting *Coming to the Call* sold for $13.3 million at Christie's in New York, setting a new auction record for the artist. The work was part of the two-part sale "Visions of the West: The William I. Koch Collection," which became the most successful Western art auction ever, realizing $84.1 million.

hirshhorn museum loan program 2742425

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has launched the "50 for 50" loan program, a landmark initiative to disperse over 200 artworks from its collection to museums in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Major works by artists like Jackson Pollock, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Willem de Kooning will be loaned for up to five years, with a focus on reaching underserved and rural communities.

Six key works by M.F. Husain to see at Lawh Wa Qalam

Amita Shenoy, former curator of the M.F. Husain Museum in Bangalore, has selected six key works by the renowned Indian artist M.F. Husain that are now part of the collection at Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha. The selection includes pieces like 'The Raman Effect series' (1987), 'Arab Astronomy' (2008), and 'Quit India Movement' (1985), which illustrate major themes in Husain's life and artistic practice.