The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is preparing to open its new David Geffen Galleries in April, marking a major milestone in a two-decade transformation led by CEO and director Michael Govan. The opening coincides with the 20th anniversary of Govan's hiring and features Jeff Koons's outdoor sculpture 'Split-Rocker' as an anchor piece.
Christie's New York will auction Kim Whan-Ki's 1971 painting *19-VI-71 #206* (estimate $7.5–10 million) on 17 November 2025 as part of its prestigious 20th Century Evening Sale. This marks the first time a Korean artwork has been included in this marquee sale, placing the piece alongside works by Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Joan Mitchell, and David Hockney. The painting, from the artist's New York period, is one of only 30 large-scale 'dot paintings' exceeding 200 cm and was created in the same year as his record-setting *05-IV-71 #200 (Universe)*, which sold at Christie's Hong Kong in 2019 for over HK$100 million.
Frieze London 2025 returns for its 23rd edition from October 15-19 in Regent's Park, featuring over 280 international galleries. Major auction houses are staging blockbuster sales during the week, including Sotheby's evening and day sales in partnership with Celine, Christie's 20th/21st Century Evening Sale and a trilogy of drawings from the Klaus Hegeswich collection, and Phillips' Modern & Contemporary sales. Highlights include a Jean-Michel Basquiat rarity, Banksy's spray-painted flag, a Francis Bacon portrait, a Picasso etching, and a Lucian Freud self-portrait estimated at up to $16 million.
Christie's will host its 20/21 Marquee Week in London from October 8, 2025, featuring six live and online sales of Impressionist, Modern, Post-War, and Contemporary art during Frieze Week. Highlights include works by Lucian Freud, Peter Doig, Paula Rego, Yoshitomo Nara, Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne, Louise Bourgeois, Chris Ofili, Paul Signac, Gerhard Richter, and Pablo Picasso, along with the Ole Faarup Collection. The event also includes a philanthropic initiative called Architects for the Birds, with birdhouses designed by architects including Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, and David Chipperfield, benefiting the Tessa Jowell Foundation; an exhibition of wearable sculptures and an installation by artist Natasha Wightman; and a continued partnership with the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair.
Agnes Gund, the influential American arts philanthropist and collector, has died at age 87. Gund was a transformative figure at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, serving on its board from 1976, as president from 1991 to 2002, and later as president emerita. She helped raise funds for MoMA's $858m expansion, donated around 100 works to the museum, and pushed for acquisitions of women and artists of color. Beyond MoMA, she founded Studio in a School in 1977 to bring art education to New York City public schools and co-chaired a Sotheby's auction to support Miss Porter's School. Her death was first reported by The New York Times; she is survived by four children.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, has announced a historic expansion, increasing its size by 50 percent to 114,000 square feet, with a grand opening scheduled for June 6 and 7, 2026. The expansion, designed by Safdie Architects, includes fully reimagined galleries and is celebrated by two landmark gifts: 18 major works by women artists donated by chairperson Olivia Walton and her husband Tom Walton, and 200 artworks by over 100 artists donated by collectors Candace and Michael Humphreys. The Walton gift features artists such as Yayoi Kusama, Alice Neel, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby, while the Humphreys gift introduces many new artists to the museum's holdings.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, announced its expansion will open on June 6, 2026, adding 114,000 square feet—a 50% increase in size. Designed by Safdie Architects, the project began in 2022 and includes hundreds of newly donated works, the largest gift in the museum's history: over 200 pieces from Dallas-based collectors Candace and Michael Humphreys. Additional donations from board chair Olivia Walton and her husband Tom include 18 works by women artists, honoring her late mother, gallerist Monique Knowlton.
The Portland Art Museum (PAM) will open "Global Icons, Local Spotlight: Contemporary Art from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer" in September 2025, featuring over 75 works from the collections of Oregon collector Jordan D. Schnitzer and his Family Foundation. The exhibition includes pieces by major 20th-century artists like Jasper Johns, Helen Frankenthaler, and Robert Rauschenberg, as well as contemporary figures such as Nick Cave, Mickalene Thomas, and Jeffrey Gibson, many shown publicly for the first time. Highlights include Christopher Myers' installation "Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me," debuting at PAM after its 2022 Art Basel Miami premiere.
Pharrell Williams's auction platform Joopiter has partnered with Martha Stewart for its first contemporary art sale, titled 'The Contemporary Take,' running through May 6. The 48-lot sale features works by blue-chip artists including George Condo, Jeff Koons, and Ed Ruscha, alongside emerging names like Tschabalala Self and Toyin Ojih Odutola. Stewart personally selected six lots, highlighting pieces by Amy Sherald, Damien Hirst, Ai Weiwei, Louise Bourgeois, Roy Lichtenstein, and Alex Katz. Estimates range from $4,000 to $1.2 million, and early bidding has been active, with works by Amy Sherald and Roy Lichtenstein drawing significant attention.
Private dealer Nikolaus Leskovar, through Leskovar Fine Art, has amassed a significant collection of works by Pop art pioneer Roy Lichtenstein (1923–1997), including pieces such as *I Love Liberty* (1982), *Modern Print* (1971), and *Still Life with Red Jar* (1994). The article highlights Leskovar's admiration for Lichtenstein's ability to blend comic strip aesthetics with high art, and notes that the gallery offers both iconic and lesser-known compositions for collectors. Market data from the Artnet Price Database shows that Lichtenstein print sales rose 16% in 2024 to $11.6 million, with average sale prices increasing 17% to $44,000, partly driven by strong demand for his 1994 nude series—exemplified by *Roommates* selling for $1.2 million at Sotheby's in November 2024.
8 mostre da vedere a Vienna per la primavera 2026
Vienna's 2026 spring season features a diverse array of major exhibitions across its leading institutions. Highlights include a landmark survey of Canaletto and Bernardo Bellotto at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, featuring 32 high-quality paintings including international loans from the Wallace Collection and Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie. Other significant shows include "Animalia" at the Heidi Horten Collection, which explores the blurred lines between humans and animals through 90 works of art, and a major Gustave Courbet retrospective at the Leopold Museum.
This article presents Ed Ruscha's artist book "Records" (1971), a photographic survey of thirty vinyl records from his personal collection, offered by Lot 180 Gallery New York. It describes the work as a first edition offset printed book in good vintage condition, measuring 7 x 5.5 inches, from an edition of approximately 2,000 unsigned copies published by Heavy Industries Publications in Los Angeles.
John Sailer, the founder of Vienna's Galerie Ulysses and a key champion of Austrian avant-garde art, has died at age 87. Sailer opened the gallery in 1974 with Gabriele Wimmer in a garage space before moving to its permanent location at Opernring 21. Over five decades, the gallery showcased Austrian artists such as Hans Hollein, Maria Lassnig, Walter Pichler, Arnulf Rainer, and Fritz Wotruba, alongside American greats like Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, and Helen Frankenthaler. Sailer also worked to promote Austrian and German artists in US museums, notably organizing a Rainer exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum and the Menil Collection, and successfully introducing Lassnig to the New York market at age 70.
Alex Da Corte, known for his dreamlike installations such as the Big Bird piece on the Met's roof, is taking on a new role as curator. He is co-organizing the Whitney Museum's upcoming Roy Lichtenstein exhibition with Meg Onli, the largest Lichtenstein show in New York since 1993. In a Q&A for Cultured's 2026 CULT100 honorees, Da Corte discusses his influences, including poet Miyó Vestrini and filmmakers Len Lye and Todd Haynes, and reflects on his six-year preparation for the show.
Marat Guelman's exhibition at Ethan Cohen Gallery in New York (April 23–May 30, 2026) features AI-generated monoprints created in collaboration with the Montenegrin digital art group + - Komma. None of the works were painted by Guelman himself; instead, he programmed AI outputs based on historical models by artists like Picasso, Gauguin, Monet, Warhol, Lichtenstein, Turner, Matisse, and Richter. Every piece in the show incorporates an image of an atomic mushroom cloud, a motif Guelman uses to respond to Vladimir Putin's nuclear threats during the Ukraine war.
Christie's is holding its 20/21 auction week in New York from May 9–22, 2026, featuring seven live auctions and two online sales at its Rockefeller Center galleries. Highlights include the dedicated sale "MASTERPIECES: The Private Collection of S.I. Newhouse" (led by Constantin Brancusi's *Danaïde* and Jackson Pollock's *Number 7A, 1948*), the Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale, and "Defined Space: The Collection of Henry S. McNeil, Jr.," which focuses on Minimalist works by Donald Judd and Dan Flavin. Other consignors include prominent collectors Agnes Gund, Marian Goodman, and Joanna Carson. The public can view works for free from May 9–21.
German sculptor Stephan Balkenhol has unveiled two new hand-painted bronze editions, "Man in a White Shirt and Black Pants 2026" and "Venus 2026." Released in editions of 30 and standing 68 cm tall, the works are being showcased and sold through Frank Fluegel Galerie across its Nuremberg and Kitzbühel locations. The release coincides with the artist's participation in the Art Cologne Palma de Mallorca Fair and precedes his 70th birthday in 2027.
Robert Mnuchin, the prominent New York gallerist who transitioned from a 33-year career on Wall Street to become a major force in the art world, has died at age 92. After heading the trading desk at Goldman Sachs, he co-founded C&M Arts in 1992 with James Corcoran, later establishing L&M Arts with Dominique Lévy in 2005, which was renamed Mnuchin Gallery in 2013. Known for his aggressive bidding at auction, Mnuchin made headlines with high-profile purchases including Roy Lichtenstein's *Sinking Sun* (1964) for $15.6 million in 2006 and Jeff Koons's *Rabbit* (1986) for $91.1 million in 2019, the latter a record for a living artist at the time.
Mary Boone, the legendary New York art dealer, has returned to the gallery world with a new curatorial project titled 'Downtown/Uptown: New York in the Eighties' at Lévy Gorvy Dayan on the Upper East Side. The exhibition, co-curated with Brett Gorvy, features over 60 works by iconic artists of the 1980s including Jeff Koons, Barbara Kruger, Julian Schnabel, Cindy Sherman, Keith Haring, Richard Prince, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. It marks Boone's first major project in more than five years, following the closure of her namesake gallery and her 2019 tax-evasion conviction, for which she served 13 months in prison.
The article examines the megayachts docked outside the Venice Biennale, focusing on the 170-foot vessel 'Private GG' owned by Giancarlo Giammetti, cofounder of the Valentino fashion house. Giammetti, a serious art collector, was in Venice for the Biennale opening, posting photos of artworks and a dinner with actress Salma Hayek and her husband François-Henri Pinault, a major art collector. The yacht, built in 2022 by CRN, features luxury amenities including a jacuzzi, cinema saloon, and beach club.
Sotheby's second auction in Saudi Arabia, titled 'Origins II,' achieved a strong result of $19.6 million, surpassing its presale estimate. The sale of 61 lots was bolstered by a new auction record for a Saudi artist and a significant increase in the value and volume of works by Saudi artists sold compared to the house's inaugural sale in the country last year.
Italian fashion designer and art collector Valentino Garavani died in Rome on January 19 at age 93. Born in Voghera, he moved to Paris for fashion studies, worked for Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche, then launched his own brand in Rome in 1959. Known for elegant gowns worn by icons like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Princess Diana, he retired in 2008. Garavani and his longtime business partner Giancarlo Giammetti built significant art collections; Garavani sold a Basquiat painting for $67 million at Christie’s in 2023, and Giammetti sold another for $93 million in 2021. Garavani also owned works by Warhol, Lichtenstein, and de Kooning. In 2024, he opened PM23, an exhibition space in Rome run by the Fondazione Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti, which launched its second show, “Venus,” featuring Joana Vasconcelos, two days before his death.
A man was killed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., while unloading a 1979 BMW Art Car custom-painted by Andy Warhol. The accident occurred when a winch securing the vehicle on a flatbed truck failed, pinning the unidentified man beneath the car. The sports car was to be featured in a pop-up exhibition called “Cars at the Capital,” organized by the Hagerty Drivers Foundation, which has since canceled the event out of respect for the deceased.
The summer 2025 auction season concluded with total sales of $85.7 million, a significant drop from $105 million the previous year. The top lot, François-Xavier Lalanne's *Grand Rhinocrétaire II* (2003), sold for $16.42 million at Sotheby’s New York, far below last June’s $29 million top price. Other notable results include Tamara de Lempicka’s *La Belle Rafaëla* (1927) at $10.18 million, two Jean-Michel Basquiat works, and a strong showing by Jacek Malczewski’s *Reality* (1908) at Desa Unicum in Warsaw.
A 77-year-old Pennsylvania man, Carter Reese, pleaded guilty on May 29 to wire fraud and mail fraud for selling artworks falsely attributed to major modern and contemporary artists including Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, Fernand Léger, and Francis Bacon. The scheme ran from February 2019 to March 2021, and was uncovered by the FBI's Art Crime Team in Philadelphia and Miami. Reese, a former teacher and admissions director at Pottstown's Hill School, also claimed a personal collection of 17,000 antiques valued at over $6 million.
Wayne Thiebaud's 1961 painting *Pie a la Mode* will headline Bonhams' 20th and 21st century sale in New York on May 14, with an estimate of $1.2 million to $1.8 million. The work, which depicts a lone slice of pie with melting ice cream against a stark black background, is making its auction debut after six decades in a private collection. The 25-lot sale also includes works by Willem de Kooning, Alexander Calder, Fernando Botero, Joel Shapiro, and Ernie Barnes.
Bruno Bischofberger, the influential Swiss gallerist and collector, has died at age 86. A pivotal figure in the contemporary art market, he opened his first gallery in Zurich in 1963 and was instrumental in introducing American Pop Art to Europe, exhibiting Warhol, Lichtenstein, and Rauschenberg. He later championed Minimalism, Land Art, and Neo-Expressionism, representing artists like Sol LeWitt, Donald Judd, and Francesco Clemente. Most famously, Bischofberger discovered Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1981 and orchestrated the legendary collaboration between Warhol, Basquiat, and Clemente. His close relationship with Warhol included a first-refusal agreement on future works and the suggestion of standardized portrait commissions that became Warhol's primary income source.
SFMOMA is hosting a free community day on Sunday, May 24, 2026, offering free admission to all visitors. The event includes access to the museum's permanent collections and a newly opened temporary exhibition titled "Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal," centered on Henri Matisse's iconic painting. The museum also features the recently reimagined Fisher Collection, with nearly 250 works on view, and a year-round free gallery space spanning 45,000 square feet.
Elisa Contemporary Art Riverdale Gallery will open a new group exhibition titled "People and places" on May 20, 2026, running through September 2. The show features works by six artists: Betty Ball, Carol Bennett, Sherry Karver, Mitch McGee, Dean Moore, and Jeffrey Palladini, with a focus on uplifting summer themes including water scenes, poolside figures, and bright yellow elements. The exhibition includes new works from Ball's Land & Sea series and introduces Sherry Karver as a new gallery artist.
Christie’s New York kicked off its 20th and 21st Century Art sales week on 18 May 2026 with a record-shattering evening, generating over $1.12 billion across two sales: Masterpieces: The Private Collection of S.I. Newhouse and the 20th Century Evening Sale. The top lot was Jackson Pollock’s *Number 7A, 1948*, which sold for $181.2 million, setting a new auction record for the artist. Other artist records were set for Constantin Brancusi, Joan Miró, Alice Neel, and Mark Rothko. The S.I. Newhouse collection alone achieved $631 million, selling 100% of lots, and its cumulative total across four Christie’s sales reached $1.05 billion, making it the second-highest collection ever sold at auction after Paul Allen’s.