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The original painting for the 1977 Star Wars movie poster, created by artist Tom Jung, sold for $3.9 million at Heritage Auctions, becoming the most expensive object associated with the Star Wars franchise to date. The acrylic and airbrush artwork served as the half-sheet poster for Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope and features a triangular composition of characters like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Darth Vader. The painting was consigned by Melissa, daughter of producer Gary Kurtz, and surpassed the previous record for movie poster art.

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An exhibition of work by late Arte Povera artist Marisa Merz, planned for the Fridericianum museum in Kassel, Germany, has been canceled by her daughter Beatrice Merz. Beatrice, president of the Fondazione Merz, called off the show in protest of Documenta's newly adopted Code of Conduct, which uses the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. The exhibition was originally scheduled to open in August 2025 and was replaced with a Robert Grosvenor survey. The cancellation was confirmed by Andreas Hoffmann, managing director of Documenta and the Fridericianum.

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Phillips held its modern and contemporary evening sale in New York on Wednesday, following Christie’s and Sotheby’s auctions that had already generated nearly $1.4 billion. The 33-lot sale achieved $67.3 million, a 24% increase from the equivalent sale last year, with a 94% sell-through rate. Headlining lots included an untitled Joan Mitchell painting ($14.3 million), a Francis Bacon diptych ($16 million), and a juvenile triceratops skeleton that sold for $5.3 million, exceeding its high estimate. Only two lots failed to sell, and notable results included works by Ruth Asawa, Firelei Báez, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Max Ernst.

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The family behind the Fiat empire, the Agnellis, is under a new investigation into missing artworks and forgeries, as reported by the Times of London. Italian investigators are focusing on 13 works by artists including John Singer Sargent, Pablo Picasso, and Francis Bacon, allegedly missing from the collection founded by Giovanni Agnelli and expanded by his grandson Gianni, who died in 2003. Margherita Agnelli de Pahlen, Gianni’s daughter, claims she is being cheated out of her inheritance by Marella’s children from a previous marriage. Shippers reportedly brought copies of the works to the family’s Rome residence between 2016 and 2018, and Carabinieri are seeking information on the originals.

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Molly McQueen, the granddaughter of actor Steve McQueen, is suing South Carolina lawyer Brent Borchert for a Jackson Pollock painting valued at $68 million. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court in August, alleges that Steve McQueen transferred the Pollock drip painting to Borchert's parents, Rudolph and Pamela, in exchange for a motorcycle and a property in Latigo Canyon. When the motorcycle was crashed and the property title never changed hands, McQueen demanded the painting back, but the Borcherts failed to return it. Brent Borchert, who inherited the painting along with his sister Bettina after his parents' deaths, told the Mirror that the deal was 'hazy' and that he is open to a reasonable agreement if evidence supports the claim.

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Jennifer Lynch, daughter of the late artist and filmmaker David Lynch, revealed on Reddit that her father's will stipulates his Los Angeles compound must be sold immediately as a single property, with proceeds split evenly among his four children. The 2.3-acre Hollywood Hills property, listed at $15 million, includes a 10-bedroom home, pool, editing suite, and lime-green kitchen countertops. Jennifer expressed that the family would prefer to keep the property but must follow David's instructions to avoid any sibling feeling less loved.

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Canaletto's painting "Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day" (1731–32) sold for £31.9 million ($43.9 million) at Christie's Old Masters evening sale in London, setting a new auction record for the Italian painter. The work, which once hung in the offices of Britain's first prime minister Robert Walpole, surpassed its presale estimate of £20 million and is the largest Canaletto composition to appear at market in two decades, noted for its exceptional preservation and execution during the artist's career peak.

christies smashes canalettos auction record after venice view sells for 43 7 m 1234746707

Christie’s Old Masters evening sale in London set a new auction record for Canaletto on Tuesday, when his painting *Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day* (circa 1732) sold for £31.9 million with fees ($43.7 million), far exceeding its £20 million estimate. The work, once owned by Britain’s first prime minister Robert Walpole, drew five bidders and sold to an anonymous phone bidder via Christie’s international director Alice de Roquemaurel. The previous Canaletto record of £18.6 million was set at Sotheby’s in 2005.

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Sotheby's London held a 'white glove' sale of 126 one-of-a-kind ceramics by Pablo Picasso, all from the collection of his granddaughter Marina Picasso. The auction achieved a 100% sell-through rate, generating £12.3 million ($19.4 million), with the top lot—a painted goat-shaped vase titled *Cabri* (circa 1947)—selling for £485,000, nearly quadrupling its estimate.

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An exhibition titled "Past as Prologue: The Last Decade of Furniture Design by Ray and Charles Eames" opens June 7 at the Transamerica Pyramid Center during San Francisco Design Week. Curated by Llisa Demetrios, the couple's granddaughter and chief curator of the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity, the show highlights the Eameses' often-overlooked final decade of collaboration (1968–1978). It features iconic designs like the side chair, executive chair, chess stool, and chaise, alongside rarely seen models and materials that reveal their iterative design process.

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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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Luka Dončić, the newest star player for the Los Angeles Lakers, quietly funded the restoration of a mural depicting Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna (Gigi) Bryant after it was vandalized in downtown Los Angeles. Dončić donated $5,000 to a GoFundMe campaign organized by artist Louie Palsino, who created the mural titled "Mambas Forever" at 14th and Main Streets. The donation covered the full cost of restoring the defaced artwork, which honors the Lakers legend and his daughter who died in a 2020 helicopter crash.

Masterpieces by Klimt, Matisse and Freud set for London’s most valuable auction

Sotheby's will auction a major collection of masterpieces by artists including Gustav Klimt, Henri Matisse, Lucian Freud, and Francis Bacon, consigned by Joe Lewis and his daughter Vivienne, whose family owns Tottenham Hotspur. The collection, expected to fetch over £150 million, is projected to become the most valuable ever offered in London, with highlights such as Klimt's 'Bildnis Gertrud Loew' (estimated £20-30m) and Egon Schiele's 'Danaë' (estimated £12-18m, potentially setting a new artist record). The works will be exhibited in New York and London before the June sales.

‘The doorbell went at 5am. Six masked men were outside’: Belarus Free Theatre bring totalitarian terror to the Venice Biennale

Belarus Free Theatre (BFT), an exiled troupe based in London, is presenting its first major visual art project, titled 'Official. Unofficial. Belarus.', at the Venice Biennale. The installation, masterminded by the founders' daughter Daniella Kaliada, features contributions from former political prisoners, painters, sculptors, composers, and world-renowned chef Rasmus Munk, who created a dish evoking detention under an authoritarian regime. The work includes a giant ball of banned books, surveillance cameras attached to an iron crucifix, and a custom scent of a freshly dug grave, all reflecting the terror of life under Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko.

Cy Twombly, From Intimate Angles

A recently discovered cache of negatives taken by Tatiana Franchetti, the wife of artist Cy Twombly, reveals intimate and personal photographs of the 20th-century master. The negatives were found by Twombly's granddaughter, offering a new, private perspective on the artist's life and daily surroundings.

Father Daughter Counterfeiting Duo Face Twenty Years in Prison

A father-daughter duo from New Jersey, Erwin Bankowski (50) and Karolina Bankowska (26), pleaded guilty to creating and selling over 200 counterfeit artworks falsely attributed to artists including Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Fritz Scholder, and Banksy. They admitted to wire fraud conspiracy and misrepresentation of Native American-produced goods, defrauding buyers out of at least $2 million. The pair fabricated provenances and collection histories, forged gallery stamps, and attempted to auction the works for up to $160,000 each. They each face up to 20 years in prison.

The MAR Museum in Ravenna Opens a Permanent Gallery Dedicated to Fashion Photographer Paolo Roversi

Il museo MAR di Ravenna apre una galleria permanente dedicata al fotografo di moda Paolo Roversi

The MAR museum in Ravenna, Italy, is opening a permanent gallery dedicated to fashion photographer Paolo Roversi, set to launch on May 20. The space, curated by Chiara Bardelli Nonino, will showcase Roversi's poetic and visual universe, featuring his iconic portraits of models like Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, and Rihanna, along with his fashion work and still lifes. The gallery is designed by scenographer Ania Martchenko with lighting by Silvestrin & Associati, and includes areas such as the Studio, the Archive, and the Room of the Muses.

Joe Macken Spent 22 Years Building a Miniature New York by Hand

Joe Macken, a truck driver from upstate New York, spent 22 years building a 50-by-27-foot miniature scale model of New York City entirely from balsa wood, cardboard, and glue. The model, which includes all five boroughs and landmarks like the Twin Towers and One World Trade Center, went viral on TikTok after Macken’s daughter encouraged him to post a video. It is now on display at the Museum of the City of New York in an exhibition titled *He Built This City: Joe Macken’s Model*.

What to Look for at Frieze New York 2026

Frieze New York 2026 returns to The Shed in Hudson Yards from May 13–17, featuring over 65 international galleries in its 15th edition. The fair emphasizes Latin American art with new committee members Fátima González and Omayra Alvarado, and includes highlights such as Southern Guild's expansion into Tribeca and Yeni Mao's cyborg sculptures in the Focus section. Collectors and enthusiasts can explore a diverse range of contemporary and blue-chip works across multiple fairs during Art Week.

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Hollywood star Johnny Depp is releasing limited-edition prints of two personal watercolors originally painted in the early 2000s at his French estate, Le Hameau. The collection, titled "Let the Light in," includes a self-portrait called *Add the Light* and a rose painting *A Rose Is a Rose Is a Rose*, a tribute to his daughter Lily-Rose. Each work is offered in 195 signed editions through London's Castle Fine Art on July 18, priced individually at £2,950 framed or £2,500 unframed. The paintings reflect Depp's life with former partner Vanessa Paradis and their children in the south of France.

Antonia Papatzanaki: Unseen Brought to Light Exhibition Opens May 22

Mosaic ArtSpace in Long Island City, NY, presents Antonia Papatzanaki: Unseen Brought to Light, a solo exhibition running from May 22 to September 30, 2025. The show features Papatzanaki's stainless steel light sculptures, inspired by microscopic imagery such as cellular formations and plant tissues, creating immersive environments that blend art, science, and technology. The opening reception is on May 22, 5-8 PM.

“Daughter of the Stars” Opens in Front Royal, Showcasing 70+ Women Artists in Largest Exhibition of Its Kind

The "Daughter of the Stars" exhibition opens October 18 at the Melissa Ichiuji Studio Gallery in Front Royal, Virginia, featuring over 70 women artists from the Shenandoah Valley and greater DMV region. The show is part of the Women Artists of the DMV Survey Show, a regional collaboration conceived by curator Lenny Campello in partnership with the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, spanning 18 venues and approximately 400 women artists. The opening includes live music, refreshments, and artist meet-and-greets, and the exhibition runs through December 7, 2025.

BMCC’s Shirley Fiterman Art Center Fall Exhibition to Feature Artists Courtney McClellan and Victoria Dugger

Borough of Manhattan Community College's Shirley Fiterman Art Center will present two concurrent exhibitions from September 10 to December 20, 2025: Courtney McClellan: Simulations and Victoria Dugger: Late Bloomer. McClellan's installation features photographs of mock courtrooms at law schools across the American South, exploring performance and the law through what she calls 'applied fiction.' Dugger's mixed-media works, including painting and sculpture, use playful yet grotesque imagery to interrogate growth, identity, and embodiment as a Black, disabled woman. Both artists, who live and work in Georgia, will participate in an opening discussion and reception on September 10.

Tirzah Garwood's archive of work worth £30,0000 to be sold at auction

Cheffins auction house in Cambridge, UK, will sell the first archive of work by artist Tirzah Garwood to come to the market, in its Art & Design Sale on 22 May. The archive, estimated to fetch around £30,000, includes wood engravings, pencil sketches, and a sketchbook, and has been consigned by the granddaughter of artist Frederick Austin, a friend of Garwood and her husband Eric Ravilious. The sale coincides with the first major retrospective of Garwood's work, "Tirzah Garwood: Beyond Ravilious" at Dulwich Picture Gallery, which has helped revive interest in her career.

Boxing News: WBC Honors Rocky Exhibition & Joe Frazier Legacy At Philadelphia Museum Of Art » May 13, 2026

The World Boxing Council (WBC) presented two commemorative championship belts at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in connection with the exhibition "Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments," which marks the 50th anniversary of the film "Rocky." On April 23, 2026, Rasheen Farlow of the WBC gave a belt to the family of Joe Frazier, accepted by his daughter Jacquelyn Frazier-Lyde. The following evening, a second belt was presented to the exhibition itself, accepted by guest curator Paul Farber. The belts honor boxing figures Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, and Jose Sulaiman, and one also features the film character Rocky.

There's still a time to catch Matisse's "Jazz" at the Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago is currently hosting "Matisse's Jazz: Rhythms in Color," an exhibition centered on Henri Matisse's 1947 artist's book "Jazz." The show, on view until June 1, features the iconic cut-paper works Matisse created after a 1941 surgery left him unable to paint. Visitors enter directly into the "Jazz" gallery before backtracking through earlier works, offering a chronological journey that culminates in the cut-paper technique. Wait times can exceed 90 minutes, but the museum recommends joining a virtual queue and exploring other galleries in the meantime.

‘There’s a bead connection to every place’: Wendy Red Star on exploring the real and symbolic currency of beads

Artist Wendy Red Star has launched a site-specific solo exhibition titled 'One Blue Bead' at Sargent’s Daughters in Tribeca, exploring the historical and symbolic weight of trade beads. The exhibition transforms the gallery into a simulated trading floor featuring monumental glass beads, over 100 watercolors, and Hudson’s Bay point blankets. The project originated from the artist's residencies at the Pilchuck School of Glass and the Tacoma Museum of Glass, where she researched the global circulation of glass beads from Europe to Africa and the Americas.

Collection of 61 Matisse works—mostly portraying his daughter Marguerite—donated to Paris museum

Barbara Dauphin Duthuit, the wife of Henri Matisse’s late grandson Claude Duthuit, has donated 61 works by Matisse to the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris. The donation includes seven paintings, one sculpture, 28 drawings, and eight etchings, most of which depict Matisse’s eldest daughter Marguerite. Many of the works were featured earlier this year in the museum’s exhibition *Matisse and Marguerite: Through Her Father’s Eyes*. The pieces span the first half of the 20th century, from early childhood portraits to moving works created in 1945 after Marguerite survived deportation for her role in the French Resistance.

All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork

Gustav Klimt's "Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer" (Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer) sold for $236.4 million at Sotheby's first auction in its new Breuer building location in New York, becoming the most expensive modern artwork ever sold at auction. The 1914-1916 portrait depicts Elisabeth Lederer, daughter of Klimt's patrons Serena and August Lederer, and was previously owned by Estée Lauder heir Leonard A. Lauder, who died earlier this year. The painting was looted by the Nazis during World War II, returned to the Lederer family in 1948, and later sold in 1983.

Inside the Jewish Museum’s $14.5m renovation in New York City

The Jewish Museum in New York City reopened its third and fourth floors on October 24 after a $14.5 million renovation led by United Network Studio and New Affiliates Architecture. The redesigned 20,000-square-foot space features thematic galleries displaying centuries-old artifacts alongside works by Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell, and contemporary artists, as well as a new Robert and Tracey Pruzan Center for Learning with art studios and a children's archaeological dig. A highlight is the display of 139 Hanukkah lamps from the museum's collection, arranged geographically in a 50-foot vitrine.