Art News. Vasari Codex

article news schedule Jun 9, 2025 visibility 20 link 4 artists

us pavilion 2026 venice biennale dissident right art hos

The United States has not yet announced its pavilion for the 2026 Venice Biennale, but a controversial proposal has emerged from far-right blogger Curtis Yarvin, who pitched a "dissident-right art hos" pavilion to Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Darren Beattie in April 2025. The proposal, reported by the New Yorker, comes amid a delayed application process and changes to the pavilion's guidelines, which now emphasize a "non-political character" and remove previous language about diversity. The application deadline is July 30, with a $375,000 grant awarded by September, leaving an unusually short timeline for production.

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article culture schedule Jun 5, 2025 visibility 22 link 14 artists

wet paint romero britto cruise

Artnet News' gossip column Wet Paint reports on a Valentine's Day dining experience aboard a simulated Princess Cruises ship at Pier 59 in Chelsea Piers, New York. The event, titled "Love by Britto: First Artistically Inspired Dining Experience Celebrating 'Love'," was designed by Miami-based artist Romero Britto, featuring his signature kaleidoscopic pop art on plates, wine labels, paperweights, and even toilet paper roll stickers. Chef Rudi Sodamin prepared the meal, which included a cocktail with edible glitter and heart-shaped desserts. Britto himself attended a run-through the previous night, and the $214 tickets for the final evening were sold out.

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article news schedule Jun 5, 2025 visibility 15 link 4 artists

campaign for barbara hepworth sculpture gathers momentum

A campaign to return Barbara Hepworth's sculpture "Rock Form" (1964) to the Mander Centre in Wolverhampton, UK, is gaining momentum. The sculpture, valued at £1 million, was removed from the shopping centre in June 2024 during a redevelopment. Campaigners argue it was originally offered to the previous owner at cost price on the condition of public display, and they fear current owners—the Royal Bank of Scotland and Delancey—may sell it privately.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 5, 2025 visibility 19 link 16 artists

barbara hepworth takes top lot at londons british art sales

London's auction houses held seven sales of Modern British art this week, achieving £22.3 million (including buyer's premium) against a presale estimate range of £21.3 million to £31.7 million. A total of 547 of 705 lots sold, a 77.6% sell-through rate. Bonhams struggled, with half its top lots unsold, including a Henry Moore bronze estimated at £1–2 million, but Pyms gallery and art adviser Wentworth Beaumont bought key works below estimate. Sotheby's raised £6.4 million, led by Edward Burra's *Striptease, Harlem* (1934) at £842,500, and a Paul Nash watercolor tripled its estimate to £212,500. Christie's achieved the highest total at £12 million, topped by Barbara Hepworth's *Figure (Sunion)* (1960), bought by Pyms gallery for over £800,000.

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trending_up market schedule May 27, 2025 visibility 16 link 16 artists

calder sale art detective

An Alexander Calder mobile, *Big Horizontal Red* (1956), estimated at $5–7 million, is set for auction at Christie’s on May 12. The work’s provenance traces through Perls Galleries, the Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research, and a private New York collection, but a source reveals that its 1997 purchaser, Patricia Halterman, was the granddaughter of Magda Goebbels, wife of Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels. Christie’s declined to comment on the consignors but stated it conducted careful evaluation and diligence.

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trending_up market schedule May 20, 2025 visibility 20 link 5 artists

art basel qatar

Art Basel is expanding to the Middle East with a new fair in Doha, Qatar, set to launch in February 2026. The inaugural edition will feature around 50 galleries from local and international scenes, held across two venues: M7 and the Doha Design District. The fair is a partnership between Art Basel, Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), and QC+, a cultural commerce collective under Qatar Museums. A new artistic director will be announced soon, and the fair aims to scale up over time, with additional art activations in outdoor spaces like Msheireb Museums and Barahat Msheireb square.

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trending_up market schedule May 19, 2025 visibility 24 link 16 artists

at christies 13 6 million marlene dumas painting sets new record for living female artist at auction

Christie's 21st-century evening sale in New York on Wednesday night totaled $96.5 million, surpassing last year's $80.3 million, though the auction was characterized by caution, few fireworks, and a reduced number of lots. The headline event was Marlene Dumas's painting *Miss January* (1997) selling for $13.6 million with premium, setting a new auction record for a living female artist. The work, estimated at $12–18 million, was guaranteed and sold to a client bidding through Christie's deputy chairman Sara Friedlander; Miami collectors Don and Mera Rubell were the consignors. Other notable results included new records for Simone Leigh, Emma McIntyre, and Louis Fratino, while the top lot was Jean-Michel Basquiat's *Baby Boom* (1982) at $23.4 million. Four of 43 lots were withdrawn, and several works failed to sell, including an Ellsworth Kelly canvas with a $2 million low estimate.

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trending_up market schedule May 19, 2025 visibility 20 link 7 artists

by the numbers a marathon night at sothebys moves 186 1 million worth of contemporary art

Sotheby's held a marathon night of three sales in New York, totaling $186.1 million in contemporary and ultra-contemporary art. The evening began with single-owner sales from the collections of the late dealer Barbara Gladstone and veteran dealer Daniella Luxembourg, both achieving 'white glove' results with no buy-ins. The main sale featured 42 lots, led by Jean-Michel Basquiat's *Untitled* (1981), which sold for $16.4 million. Overall, 66 of 69 lots sold, with a 94% sell-through rate, though the total fell short of the $234.6 million achieved in the equivalent sale last year.

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trending_up market schedule May 16, 2025 visibility 14 link 6 artists

decorative art sold 2024

Sales in the decorative-art category—including design objects, furniture, jewelry, and watches—dropped nearly 42% year on year in 2024, netting $3.3 billion, the lowest total in a decade. The average price of a decorative artwork at auction fell 39.5% to $13,010, also the lowest since 2014. Sotheby’s and Christie’s remained nearly tied, with Sotheby’s edging ahead by $72.9 million. Europe led regional sales with $1.3 billion, followed by Asia at $1 billion and North America at $898 million.

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article news schedule May 16, 2025 visibility 16 link 6 artists

michelangelo pistoletto great pyramids art degypte

Italian artist and Arte Povera pioneer Michelangelo Pistoletto, aged 91, has been announced as a headliner for the 2025 edition of "Forever Is Now," an annual outdoor exhibition at the Great Pyramids of Giza. Pistoletto will create a monumental installation described as merging ancient civilization with modern ideas, with full details yet to be revealed. The project involves his Cittadellarte foundation, which is offering a fully-funded three-year bachelor course at its Unidee Academy in Biella, Italy, to Egyptian artists, supported by the Italian Institute of Culture in Cairo.

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trending_up market schedule May 15, 2025 visibility 15 link 7 artists

by the numbers despite 70 million giacometti failure sothebys made money at modern evening sale

Sotheby's Modern art evening sale in New York generated $186.4 million in total sales after fees, but the headline was the failure of Alberto Giacometti's 1955 sculpture *Grande tête mince (Grande tête de Diego)*, estimated at $70 million, which failed to receive a single bid. Despite the high-profile flop, Sotheby's walked away with $34.4 million in buyer's premium net of fees paid to third-party backers, and because it did not guarantee the Giacometti, it faced no financial risk from the unsold lot. The top seller was Pablo Picasso's *Homme assis* (1969), which sold for $15.1 million with fees. The sale's sell-through rate was 76.9 percent, and the hammer total of $152 million fell $88.3 million below the presale low estimate.

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trending_up market schedule May 14, 2025 visibility 11 link 2 artists

frank lloyd wright lamp sothebys auction

A rare Frank Lloyd Wright lamp, the Double-Pedestal lamp, sold at Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction on May 13 for $7.5 million, far exceeding its $3–5 million estimate after an 11-minute bidding war. Designed in 1902 for the Susan Lawrence Dana House in Springfield, Illinois, the lamp is one of only two surviving examples; the other remains in the house’s collection. The sale set a new auction record for a Wright work, surpassing the previous high of $2.9 million for a 1902 ceiling light sold in 2023.

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trending_up market schedule May 14, 2025 visibility 20 link 4 artists

giacometti bust fails to sell at sothebys may 2025 sale

A 1955 bronze bust by Alberto Giacometti, estimated at $70 million, failed to sell at Sotheby's modern evening auction in New York on May 13, 2025. The sculpture, from the estate of real estate magnate Sheldon Solow, was offered without a guarantee and bidding reached $64 million before the lot was pulled after four minutes, likely because the reserve price was set above that amount. Auctioneer Oliver Barker presided over the sale, which Sotheby's CEO Charles Stewart described as an organic auction moment despite the lack of a sale.

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trending_up market schedule May 12, 2025 visibility 15 link 2 artists

art market minute may 12

New York's marquee auction season begins this week, headlined by Christie’s offering the $250 million art collection of Barnes & Noble founder Len Riggio, including Pablo Picasso’s *Femme à la coiffe d’Arlésienne sur fond vert (Lee Miller)*. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has released the grant application for the 61st Venice Biennale, introducing tighter deadlines and new ideological guidelines. Separately, Sotheby’s Hong Kong has postponed an auction of ancient Indian gemstones linked to the Buddha.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 11, 2025 visibility 11 link 6 artists

anna marie tendler other art fair

Anna Marie Tendler is presenting her interactive "House of Self Portrait Booth" at the Other Art Fair in Brooklyn, where she photographs fairgoers in a darkly romantic style inspired by her acclaimed 2021 self-portrait series "Rooms in the First House." The booth, which has previously appeared at the fair's Los Angeles and Chicago editions, features props from Tendler's own home, including a horned skull, a gramophone, and Victorian-style lampshades. Tendler's original series emerged from a period of personal struggle following her highly publicized divorce from comedian John Mulaney and an extended stay in a psychiatric hospital.

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trending_up market schedule May 5, 2025 visibility 19 link 6 artists

lalanne auction london

A rare complete set of Claude Lalanne's green-painted 'Ginkgo' dining suite will be auctioned at Christie's London on June 5, 2025, as part of a single-owner sale from the collection of Baron Diego von Buch. The 12-piece set, sold as four individual lots, is expected to fetch over £1 million ($1.4 million) total, with individual estimates ranging from £100,000 to £300,000 per lot. The sale includes 100 lots from von Buch's homes across Europe, featuring works by François-Xavier Lalanne, Fernand Léger, Fernando Botero, and Lee Ufan.

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trending_up market schedule May 3, 2025 visibility 22 link 9 artists

how much should an art fair cost

Frieze, the international art fair group, has been sold to Ari Emanuel, the Hollywood power broker who previously owned it through Endeavor. Emanuel acquired Frieze via a new, unnamed company from his former entertainment conglomerate, which was recently taken private by Silver Lake. The deal, valued at approximately $200 million according to sources, includes all seven fairs, Frieze magazine, and the No. 9 Cork Street exhibition space. Simon Fox will remain CEO. The sale comes just days before Frieze New York’s 2025 edition and follows months of speculation about the fair's future ownership.

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trending_up market schedule May 1, 2025 visibility 15 link 12 artists

art shipping in turmoil as tariffs trigger delays

President Trump's tariff policies are causing significant disruption in the art shipping industry, despite artworks themselves remaining largely exempt from import taxes under U.S. law. While Section 1702(b) of the IEEPA protects artworks, books, and films from presidential trade restrictions, antiques and design objects are subject to a 10 percent universal tariff, creating confusion for customs officers. Meanwhile, changes to de minimis rules—lowering the threshold for formal customs processing from $2,500 to $800—have forced DHL to temporarily suspend certain shipments and caused multi-day delays. Smaller art dealers relying on global logistics firms are particularly affected, as bespoke fine-art shippers like Crozier, UOVO, and Cadogan Tate are often too expensive for lower-value works under $10,000.

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article news schedule Apr 30, 2025 visibility 16 link 9 artists

natalie white arrested political protest

Artist Natalie White was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for vandalizing federal property after painting “ERA NOW” in red letters on the pavement of the US Capitol building in Washington, DC. The protest followed a 16-day, 250-mile Equal Rights Amendment march from New York to DC. White surrendered to Capitol Police earlier this month and spent 14 hours in jail. Her lawyer, Ronald Kuby, arranged the surrender and noted that because the cleanup cost was under $1,000, the charge remained a misdemeanor. White faces up to a year in prison.

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article culture schedule Apr 29, 2025 visibility 13 link 7 artists

kamala culture failure

Ben Davis, an art critic, analyzes the failure of Kamala Harris's 2024 presidential campaign through the lens of its visual culture, particularly a MoveOn.org poster in Brooklyn that renders Harris's face entirely from emojis—smiley eyes, fist-bump skin, octopus lips, and coconut necklace. He argues this poster epitomizes the campaign's reliance on incoherent internet vibes and substance-free memes, contrasting it with Shepard Fairey's uninspired "FORWARD" poster and the self-parody of "Brat Summer" aesthetics. Davis blames Democratic Party consultants for wasting over $1 billion on a campaign that failed to connect with voters on economic anger, instead offering wonkish proposals and appeals to nonexistent Liz Cheney Republicans.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 23, 2025 visibility 9 link 6 artists

a controversial caravaggio debut in india

A Caravaggio painting, *Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy* (ca. 1606), has been publicly exhibited in India for the first time, hosted at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in Delhi. The exhibition, organized in partnership with the Italian Embassy’s cultural center, coincides with a visit by Italy’s deputy prime minister Antonio Tajani and runs through May 18. It includes a VR experience and a documentary series about the artist. The painting was only rediscovered in 2014 and authenticated by scholar Mina Gregori, though some experts still debate whether it is a 17th-century copy rather than an original Caravaggio.

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article news schedule Apr 22, 2025 visibility 10 link 3 artists

mural rialto venice restoration

A rare 16th-century mural has been discovered on an apartment building near the Rialto Bridge in Venice, hidden for centuries beneath layers of plaster. The painting, featuring three life-sized allegorical figures by an unknown artist, was uncovered during a routine restoration of the building on Riva del Ferro. After being reported to Venice’s Superintendency for Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape, a major restoration project was undertaken by the private company Seres srl. Conservators cleaned the heavily deteriorated work, removing dirt, calcium oxalates, and a modern convenience store sign, revealing the mural's vivid palette and dynamic composition.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 7, 2026 visibility 19 link 3 artists

Li Yi-Fan “Screen Melancholy” at Palazzo delle Prigioni, Venice

The Taipei Fine Arts Museum of Taiwan is presenting a collateral event titled "Screen Melancholy" by Taiwanese artist Li Yi-Fan at the 61st Venice Biennale. The exhibition will take place at the Palazzo delle Prigioni from May 9 to November 22, 2026, featuring a new work by the artist.

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museum exhibitions schedule Mar 20, 2026 visibility 14 link 1 artist

Susanne Wenger “Àdùnní Olórìṣà” at HALLE FÜR KUNST Steiermark, Graz

The HALLE FÜR KUNST Steiermark in Graz is presenting "Àdùnní Olórìṣà," a major exhibition of Austrian-Nigerian artist Susanne Wenger. This marks a significant homecoming for Wenger's work, which has not been shown in depth in Austria for over two decades, and features her sculptures, paintings, drawings, prints, and batik textiles.

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article policy schedule Feb 20, 2026 visibility 19 link 4 artists, 1 gallery

South Africa pavilion will be empty at 2026 Venice Biennale, culture ministry says

South Africa will not host a national pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale following a legal battle between the country’s Department of Sports, Arts and Culture (DSAC) and artist Gabrielle Goliath. The conflict began when Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie labeled Goliath’s planned project, which addressed violence in Gaza, as "highly divisive" and cancelled the exhibition after she refused to alter the content. A South African high court recently dismissed Goliath’s urgent application to overturn the cancellation, leading the government to abandon its participation in the prestigious international event entirely.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 16, 2025 visibility 17 link 11 artists, 1 gallery

Venice Unveils Stunning New Art Spaces

During the Architecture Biennale preview in Venice, two major new art spaces opened: the Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation's new home in a historic palazzo on the San Barnaba canal, and SMAC (San Marco Art Centre), a contemporary art center on Saint Mark's Square designed by David Chipperfield. Additionally, Belgian artist Luc Tuymans accepted a last-minute commission from the Abbot of San Giorgio Maggiore to replace two Tintoretto paintings with his own large-scale works. The Fiorucci Foundation's palazzo, acquired in December 2024, opened May 10 with an exhibition by Georgian artist Tolia Astakhishvili, featuring works made from found materials and drawings on walls, alongside pieces by Thea Djordjadze and Maka Sanadze. SMAC, restored by Chipperfield, currently hosts two exhibitions: one on Australian modernist architect Harry Seidler and another on Korean landscape architect Jung Youngsun.

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article news schedule May 22, 2026 visibility 9 link 12 artists

Weekly News Roundup: May 22, 2026

This weekly roundup from ArtAsiaPacific covers four major developments in the art and architecture world. Chinese architects Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu have announced the theme for the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale, titled “Do Architecture – For the Possibility of Coexistence Facing a Real Reality,” emphasizing hands-on, context-driven design. The 2026 Sovereign Asian Art Prize winners were revealed, with Balinese artist Citra Sasmita winning the Grand Prize for her work "Poetry of the Fountain" (2025). Dubai announced plans for the Museum of Digital Art (MODA), a new institution dedicated to new media and immersive technologies, as part of a major district expansion. Finally, the Asian Cultural Council (ACC) named 70 grantees for its 2026 cycle, awarding over USD 1.6 million to support cultural exchange between the US and Asia.

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person people schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 15 link 3 artists

The Cosmos in a Drop: Interview with Wallace Chan

Wallace Chan, the Chinese artist known for his work across microscopic gemstone carving and monumental titanium sculpture, is presenting two concurrent exhibitions in Venice during the 61st Venice Biennale: “Vessels of Other Worlds” at the Pietà Chapel and “Mythos” at Scala Contarini del Bovolo. In an interview with ArtAsiaPacific, Chan discusses his artistic journey from traditional Chinese Buddhist carving to Western iconography, the spiritual resonance of the Pietà Chapel (where Vivaldi composed), and how his works explore themes of transformation, birth, growth, and rebirth through the lens of Buddhist philosophy and Catholic ritual.

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article news schedule Apr 24, 2026 visibility 20 link 4 artists

Venice Biennale Jury Bars Israel and Russia from Official Prizes

The international jury of the 61st Venice Biennale announced on April 23 that it will not consider the Israeli and Russian pavilions for official prizes, including the Golden Lion for national participation. The five-member, all-women panel—comprising Solange Farkas, Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi—said it would exclude countries whose leaders are currently charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, a criterion that applies to Israel and Russia due to ICC arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin. The decision comes amid mounting controversy over the Biennale's decision to host both pavilions, with Russia returning after its artists withdrew in 2022 over the Ukraine invasion and Israel reopening after its 2024 pavilion remained closed pending a Gaza ceasefire. The European Commission had also threatened to suspend a €2 million grant over the Russian pavilion's reopening.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 10, 2026 visibility 15 link 1 artist

Michael Joo Steps Into the Art World’s Spotlight

Michael Joo, a contemporary artist known for his multidisciplinary work, is currently featured in multiple exhibitions spanning New York, the San Francisco Bay Area, a Mediterranean island, and Venice. These shows highlight his ongoing engagement with themes of identity, ecology, and cultural exchange, bringing his practice to a broader international audience.

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