Peggy Guggenheim in London: The Making of a Collector

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice has announced a major exhibition for 2026 titled "Peggy Guggenheim in London: The Making of a Collector." The show focuses on the pivotal period between 1938 and 1939 when Guggenheim operated her first gallery, Guggenheim Jeune, on Cork Street. It will feature approximately 100 works by avant-garde masters such as Vasily Kandinsky, Jean Cocteau, and Yves Tanguy, alongside archival materials documenting her early career as a gallerist and patron.

What does a woman swimming in urine tell us about the state of the world? Lots! – Venice Biennale review

The 2026 Venice Biennale, curated by the late Koyo Kouoh under the theme "In Minor Keys," has been plagued by months of turmoil including countries withdrawing, artists being fired, exhibitions cancelled, funding pulled, and protests during the preview. A five-person curatorial team took over after Kouoh's death, resulting in what the critic describes as a disjointed, committee-driven exhibition that prioritizes quiet contemplation and healing over direct political engagement. The central shows in the Giardini and Arsenale feature a vast, poorly explained array of art from the global south, with installations of ceramics, textiles, slide projectors, and serene natural scenes that the critic finds anachronistic and dull.

Frieze New York 2026 Reports Major Sales and Acquisitions

Frieze New York 2026 closed its 15th edition at The Shed on May 17, drawing 25,000 visitors from 75 countries and featuring 68 galleries from 26 countries. The fair reported strong sales across market levels, including seven-figure transactions such as El Anatsui's *LuwVor I* sold by White Cube for $2.2 million and Georg Baselitz's *Stunde der Nachtigall* sold by Thaddaeus Ropac for €1.4 million. The inaugural Sherman Family Foundation Acquisition Fund enabled acquisitions by the Brooklyn Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art, with works by Bettina, Reika Takebayashi, Seba Calfuqueo, and Joanne Burke. Several galleries, including Johyun Gallery and James Cohan, reported sold-out or near-sell-out booths.

New York Art Week 2026 Frieze And TEFAF Report

New York Art Week 2026 featured major art fairs including Frieze New York at The Shed, which drew 25,000 visitors from 75 countries and launched the Sherman Family Foundation Acquisition Fund, placing works by four artists into the Brooklyn Museum and Baltimore Museum of Art. TEFAF New York at the Park Avenue Armory presented over 90 international galleries across historic period rooms, while satellite fairs Independent, NADA New York, and 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair offered focused alternatives. Auction houses Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips opened free spring sale previews featuring highlights such as Roy Lichtenstein's 'Anxious Girl' and the Lewis Collection.

It’s the Most Controversial Venice Biennale in Years. Can the Art Stand Up to the Noise?

The 2026 Venice Biennale is embroiled in controversy, with the US Pavilion at the center of a political storm. The Trump administration's State Department overhauled the selection process, bypassing the usual NEA panel and commissioning a nonprofit, the American Arts Conservancy, to organize the pavilion. Artist Alma Allen, who accepted the invitation despite threats from galleries and curators, presents a show that critics find politically muted. The Biennale's jury resigned days before the opening, and annual prizes were canceled, adding to the turmoil.

The Only Guide to This Year’s Venice Biennale You Will Ever Need

The 61st Venice Biennale opens amid significant turmoil. The entire jury of the International Art Exhibition resigned after a statement about withholding prizes from countries with leaders charged with crimes against humanity by the ICC, leading to the cancellation of the Golden Lion awards in favor of 'Visitors' Lions' to be given at the exhibition's end. The event has been further marred by the sudden death of artistic director Koyo Kouoh from liver cancer in early 2025, and the death of artist Henrike Naumann, who was set to debut work in the German pavilion. Additionally, the selection process for the American pavilion artist, Mexico-based sculptor Alma Allen, sparked controversy after a delayed grant application process.

Michael Armitage in Venice, monumental and disturbing. What the exhibition at Palazzo Grassi looks like

Michael Armitage is the subject of a major solo retrospective at Palazzo Grassi in Venice, marking his largest exhibition in Europe to date. Organized by the Pinault Collection, the show features monumental paintings that blend African identity, local Kenyan chronicles, and mythological narratives. Armitage’s work is noted for its physical scale and its ability to transform the chaos of human affairs into a syncretic epic, utilizing traditional materials like Lubugo bark cloth to ground his contemporary subjects.

Joan Mitchell becomes most expensive female artist at auction in Asia with US$17.6m Sotheby's sale

Joan Mitchell’s diptych "La Grande Vallée VII" sold for HK$137 million (US$17.6 million) at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, setting a new record for the most expensive work by a female artist ever sold at auction in Asia. The 1983 masterpiece, part of a celebrated 21-painting cycle dedicated to a grieving friend, led a successful Modern and Contemporary Evening Auction that saw a 100% sell-through rate for its 54 lots. Other notable results included a Mark Rothko canvas that more than doubled its low estimate and significant sales for works by Sanyu and Zao Wou-Ki.

London art exhibitions to see in April

London’s cultural landscape sees a significant surge of activity this April with a diverse array of exhibitions spanning major institutions and commercial galleries. Key highlights include a recreation of Keith Haring’s 1980s subway chalk drawings at the Moco Museum, a retrospective of surrealist couturier Elsa Schiaparelli at the V&A, and a deep dive into the sculptural legacy of Guyanese-British artist Donald Locke at Camden Art Centre.

Spurs owner’s School of London trove nets US$47.8m in Sotheby’s white-glove evening sale

Sotheby’s Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale in London achieved a rare 'white-glove' result, with all 53 lots finding buyers for a total of £131 million ($175 million). The auction was highlighted by a selection of four School of London masterpieces from the private collection of billionaire Joe Lewis, owner of Tottenham Hotspur. These works, including a 1972 Francis Bacon self-portrait and two Lucian Freud portraits, realized a combined £35.8 million ($47.8 million) and established a new auction record for artist Leon Kossoff.

Spurs owner Joe Lewis to sell US$25m of School of London works at Sotheby’s

Billionaire Joe Lewis, the former owner of Tottenham Hotspur, is set to auction four significant works from the School of London at Sotheby’s London on March 4. The selection is headlined by a 1972 Francis Bacon self-portrait estimated at £8 million, alongside major paintings by Lucian Freud and Leon Kossoff. This marks the first time Lewis has publicly sold works from his renowned collection, which is estimated to be worth approximately $1 billion and is famously housed in part on his superyacht.

15 of the Most Anticipated Museum Exhibitions Around the World in 2026

Major museums worldwide have announced their flagship exhibitions for 2026, featuring a diverse array of artists and historical periods. Highlights include a Frida Kahlo retrospective at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, exploring her rise to icon status; a survey of Ovid's influence on art from Caravaggio to Louise Bourgeois at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum; a centennial exhibition for Mary Cassatt at the National Gallery of Art; and the largest career survey to date for Tracey Emin at Tate Modern. Other key shows feature Carol Bove at the Guggenheim Museum, Korean national treasures at the Art Institute of Chicago, and exhibitions at the Whitney Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Louvre.

Meet 14 Women Shaping India’s Booming Art Scene

Artsy profiles 14 influential women who are shaping India's rapidly evolving art market, including Nita Mukesh Ambani, Jaya Asokan, Shireen Gandhy, and others. The article highlights their roles as founders, directors, collectors, and patrons, with a focus on the upcoming 17th edition of the India Art Fair, which will feature a record 135 exhibitors. Each woman is described as contributing to the growth of galleries, auction houses, biennales, and cultural institutions across the country.

11 Must-See Museum Exhibitions in 2026

Artsy has published a list of 11 must-see museum exhibitions scheduled for 2026, highlighting major retrospectives and biennials. The article opens by reflecting on 2025's trend of amplifying marginalized voices, citing exhibitions like "Paris Noir" at the Centre Pompidou and the Turner Prize win of neurodivergent artist Nnena Kalu. For 2026, the piece notes a shift toward large-scale retrospectives of established figures, including Tracey Emin's "A Second Life" at Tate Modern and "Raphael: Sublime Poetry" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, alongside major biennials such as the 61st Venice Biennale, the 18th Lyon Biennale, and the 16th Gwangju Biennale.

22 art exhibitions in L.A. to look forward to in 2026

Los Angeles is set for a major year in visual arts in 2026, with 22 notable exhibitions and events planned across the city. Highlights include the opening of the world’s first AI arts museum (Dataland), the long-awaited Lucas Museum, Yoko Ono’s first solo show in L.A., and the LA Art Show featuring Sylvester Stallone’s abstract works and a new Latin American Pavilion. Other exhibitions include a Selena retrospective at the Grammy Museum and a video art survey at the historic Variety Arts Theater.

‘Christmas came early’: Art Basel Miami Beach opens with avalanche of blue-chip sales

Art Basel Miami Beach opened its 23rd edition with a surge of blue-chip sales, signaling renewed market confidence. Major galleries reported strong early results: David Zwirner sold a Gerhard Richter painting for $5.5m and an Alice Neel for $3.3m; Hauser & Wirth saw sales 40% higher than last year, including a George Condo for nearly $4m and a Louise Bourgeois for $3.2m. Other notable sales included works by Alex Katz, Pablo Picasso, Sam Gilliam, and Robert Rauschenberg, with 283 galleries participating at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Art Basel Miami Beach 2025

Art Basel Miami Beach 2025 is set to take place, bringing together leading galleries, artists, and collectors from around the world for its annual edition in Miami. The fair will feature a curated selection of modern and contemporary art, with special sections dedicated to emerging artists and large-scale installations.

Hyperallergic Fall 2025 New York Art Guide

Hyperallergic has published its comprehensive Fall 2025 New York Art Guide, recommending over 80 exhibitions across all five boroughs. Major highlights include the reopening of the Studio Museum in Harlem after a seven-year renovation, the debut of the new New Museum on the Bowery, and multiple exhibitions marking the 100th anniversary of Robert Rauschenberg's birth at the Guggenheim and the Museum of the City of New York. The guide also features shows by Monet at the Brooklyn Museum, Renoir at the Morgan, and Ruth Asawa and Wifredo Lam at MoMA, along with public art installations by Mika Rottenberg and Lady Pink on the High Line and MoMA PS1 facade.

Blum Gallery’s Sudden End Shocked the Art Industry. What Happened?

On July 1, 2025, Tim Blum, the powerhouse Los Angeles dealer behind Blum Gallery, announced the sudden closure of his gallery after a 35-year run. The closure includes his Culver City headquarters, his Tokyo space, and a planned Tribeca location that will no longer open. Blum publicly framed the decision as a voluntary "sunset" due to systemic industry issues like over-expansion and burnout, but interviews with artists and staff reveal a more chaotic reality: the closure blindsided employees and artists, many of whom learned about it from news reports or a last-minute staff meeting that excluded Tokyo staff. Sources cite weak sales at Art Basel and Art Basel Hong Kong, poor business decisions—including buying out partner Jeff Poe and renovating a costly New York space—and a lack of severance or transition time as underlying factors.

The Art World This Week: 20 June 2025

This week's art news is dominated by the opening of Art Basel 2025, where dealers reported a strong start with numerous six-figure sales, including a David Hockney painting at Annely Juda Fine Art for $13–17 million and a $9.5 million Ruth Asawa sculpture at David Zwirner. Other major developments include the Museum of Modern Art announcing a major Marcel Duchamp survey for 2026, the reopening of a historic Paris building (temporary home for Centre Pompidou) after a £395 million rebuild, and the Studio Museum in Harlem receiving a significant gift from Vancouver real estate magnate Bob Rennie. The article also covers gallery representation changes, awards, and the passing of sculptor Joel Shapiro and businessman/art patron Leonard Lauder.

Art Basel’s Soft Opening Belies Strong, Swift Sales Across Tiers

Art Basel's 2025 edition opened with a soft atmosphere that belied strong and swift sales across all price tiers. Major galleries reported significant transactions: David Zwirner sold 68 works including a $9.5 million Ruth Asawa sculpture and a $6.8 million Gerhard Richter painting; Gladstone placed a $3.5 million Keith Haring piece; and Thaddaeus Ropac sold a €1.8 million Georg Baselitz and a $1.8 million James Rosenquist painting to a European institution. White Cube, Hauser & Wirth, and Tina Kim Gallery also reported robust sales, with works by artists such as Dana Schutz, Marlene Dumas, Yayoi Kusama, and Ha Chong-Hyun moving quickly. However, mid-tier galleries like Marianne Boesky Gallery noted more cautious, eye-driven buying rather than the frenzied chasing of past years.

At Sotheby’s, a $70M Giacometti Fails to Sell While Works By Munch and Cézanne Ignite Buyer Excitement

Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction on May 13, 2025, achieved $186.4 million in sales but was overshadowed by the failure of its headline lot: Alberto Giacometti’s hand-painted bronze bust *Grande tête mince (Grande tête de Diego)*, estimated at $70 million. The work, consigned by the Soloviev Foundation, went unsold after minimal bidding, lacking a guarantee or irrevocable bid. Other highlights included a strong performance by Edvard Munch and Paul Cézanne works, with 40% of lots exceeding high estimates. Notable sales included Georgia O’Keeffe’s *Leaves of a Plant* ($12.97 million) and Alexander Calder’s *Four Big Dots* ($8.285 million), both fresh to market.

Frieze and NADA New York’s Early Sales Signal Buyer Confidence

Frieze New York opened its VIP preview on May 7, with early sales indicating cautious but steady buyer confidence amid economic uncertainty and the recent acquisition of the fair by Endeavor's former CEO Ari Emanuel. American buyers dominated, while Asian and European collectors were largely absent. Mega-galleries like Gagosian and Pace reported significant sales, including Jeff Koons's Hulk Elvis sculptures and works by Adam Pendleton and Lynda Benglis, though the atmosphere was more subdued and negotiation-friendly than in previous years.

Our Guide to New York Art Week 2025

New York Art Week 2025 is condensed into a single mega-week starting May 5, featuring major art fairs including Frieze New York, Independent, and TEFAF New York, alongside gallery openings, auction previews, and museum shows. The guide provides a day-by-day itinerary, fair overviews, and practical tips for navigating the week, emphasizing that many events are ticketed or free and do not require VIP passes.

Charge of the Indian art brigade

At a Christie’s auction in New York’s Rockefeller Center, an untitled work (Gram Yatra) by MF Husain sold for over Rs 118.7 crore ($13.8 million), becoming the most expensive modern Indian painting ever sold. The buyer is reportedly collector and philanthropist Kiran Nadar. Other record-tying sales include Amrita Sher-Gil’s The Story Teller and Tyeb Mehta’s Trussed Bull, each fetching Rs 61.8 crore at SaffronArt auctions, while a Jagdish Swaminathan painting exceeded estimates at Sotheby’s. These results come amid a 19% rise in the top 50 Indian artists’ sales to $36.2 million, per the 2024 Hurun India Art List.

Openings

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The Great Lone Wolf of Art

Der große Einzelgänger der Kunst

Georg Baselitz, the German painter known for his radical, figurative works and iconic upside-down motifs, has died at age 88. Born Hans-Georg Kern in 1938 in Deutschbaselitz, Saxony, he fled East Germany for West Berlin in 1957 after being expelled from art school for "socio-political immaturity." Baselitz rose to international fame with his expressive, fractured depictions of the human figure, famously inverting his compositions starting with "Der Wald auf dem Kopf" (1969). He also worked as a stage and costume designer for operas by Harrison Birtwistle, György Ligeti, and Richard Wagner.

Amanda Carneiro and Raphael Fonseca to curate 2027 Bienal de São Paulo

Amanda Carneiro and Raphael Fonseca have been named curators of the 2027 Bienal de São Paulo. Carneiro, a curator at MASP since 2018, has organized solo exhibitions for artists including Santiago Yahuarcani, Beatriz Milhazes, and Sonia Gomes, and was part of Adriano Pedrosa’s curatorial team for the 2024 Venice Biennale. Fonseca, visual arts programmer at Culturgest and curator-at-large at the Denver Art Museum, is currently curating the Taiwan Pavilion for the 2026 Venice Biennale and co-curating the 3rd Counterpublic Triennial. He also curated the 2025 Bienal do Mercosul.

art new york fall gallery show guide

Cultured's fall gallery show guide for New York highlights five exhibitions opening in September 2025. Christopher Kulendran Thomas presents 'Peace Core' at Gagosian, featuring an AI-auto-edited video of pre-9/11 TV footage alongside paintings of a Sri Lankan massacre. Catharine Czudej's 'God is Good' at Meredith Rosen Gallery combines corrupted QR codes and religious imagery with a line of merchandise. Florian Krewer's 'cold tears released' at Michael Werner explores animalistic human nature through thickly layered oils. Ohad Meromi's 'At Rest' at 56 Henry focuses on moments of inactivity and reflection. Nayland Blake's three-part exhibition at Matthew Marks Gallery includes a retrospective on the AIDS crisis and new sculptural works.

us museum shows exhibitions 2026

Artnet News has published a preview of major museum exhibitions scheduled across the United States in 2026, highlighting five standout shows. These include "Renaissance to Runway: The Enduring Italian Houses" at the Cleveland Museum of Art, which examines the intersection of fashion and art from the Renaissance to today; "The One-Two Punch: 100 Years of Robert Colescott" at the Tacoma Art Museum, celebrating the centenary of the artist known for his provocative figurative paintings; "Containing Multitudes" at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, a photography exhibition marking America's 250th year; and "Frida: The Making of an Icon" at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, focusing on Frida Kahlo's enduring legacy.