art market report 2025 growth high end sales 1234777143

The global art market returned to growth in 2025, reaching $59.6 billion in sales according to the latest Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report. This 4 percent increase ended a two-year decline, driven primarily by a 9 percent surge in public auction sales and a significant revival in high-value transactions for works priced over $10 million. While the United States maintained its dominant 44 percent market share, the recovery was uneven, with the Impressionist and Old Masters sectors seeing major gains while Postwar and Contemporary art continued to cool.

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A trio of Bob Ross paintings sold for over $1 million at Bonhams' “Americana” auction on January 27, 2026, with proceeds benefiting American Public Television (APT). The top lot, *Change of Seasons* (1990), fetched $787,900—more than 13 times its high estimate—followed by *Babbling Brook* (1993) at $279,900 and *Valley View* (1990) at $203,700. The sale follows APT's record-breaking November auction and is part of a series of 24 Ross paintings to be offered throughout the year.

Because the Ego Suddenly Dissolves

"Weil das Ego sich plötzlich auflöst"

The art world is facing significant structural and political shifts, highlighted by the merger of Artnet and Artsy which has resulted in mass layoffs, particularly within the Artnet News editorial team and its Berlin operations. Simultaneously, tensions are rising in German cultural policy as gallery owner Rupert Pfab raises concerns over government interference in the Stiftung Kunstfonds jury selection, reflecting a broader climate of unease that includes recent controversies at the Berlinale.

An Old Man Whose Egoscentrism Knows No Bounds

"Ein alter Mann, dessen Ich-Sucht keine Grenzen kennt"

More than 30 current and former jury members of the Stiftung Kunstfonds have issued a formal protest against German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer, accusing his office of political interference and intimidation. The controversy stems from reports that the ministry requested lists of all jury members across various art institutions and bypassed jury decisions to exclude specific recipients from awards based on intelligence service reports.

Before the Night of Museums, monuments across France open their doors for three exceptional nocturnal events

Avant la Nuit des musées, des monuments de la France entière ouvrent leurs portes pour trois nocturnes exceptionnelles

The crowdfunding platform Dartagnans is launching the 2026 edition of "Nuit des monuments" (Night of Monuments) from April 17 to 19 across France. This initiative opens dozens of privately owned historic sites, many of which are usually closed to the public, for unique nocturnal experiences including lantern-lit tours, puzzle games, and immersive light displays. Notable participants include the Château de Cercamp, the Château de la Matray, and the Fondation Vasarely in Aix-en-Provence.

The Iran War Is Already Tanking Luxury Sales in the Gulf—Could Art Be Next?

Escalating military conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran, which has included strikes on Gulf states, is disrupting the region's burgeoning art market. Major events like Art Dubai have been postponed and scaled back significantly due to exhibitor withdrawals, and planned fairs like Frieze Abu Dhabi face uncertainty. The instability has also caused a sharp spike in shipping and insurance costs for artworks moving through the region.

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Manuel Rabaté, the inaugural director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, has been appointed as the first chief executive and director of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in New Delhi. He will lead the institution as it prepares to move from its current location in a shopping mall to a massive new purpose-built complex designed by David Adjaye Associates, which is slated to open within three years.

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Hundreds of staff at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) voted to form a union, LACMA United, in association with AFSCME Cultural Workers United District Council 36, calling for higher wages, better benefits, and greater transparency. LACMA leadership declined to voluntarily recognize the union, opting instead for a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election, which is currently paused due to the federal government shutdown, effectively delaying the unionization effort. The union has filed with the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), asserting its status as public sector employees.

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Glenn Lowry, who stepped down last month after 30 years as director of the Museum of Modern Art, has given a wide-ranging interview on the podcast *The Art World: What If…?!* with Charlotte Burns. He discusses the Trump administration’s threats to museums’ tax-exempt status, his upcoming advisory roles for the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Delhi, a prospective leadership campaign for Alice Walton’s Art Bridges Foundation, and a series of talks at the Louvre titled “I Want a Museum. I Need a Museum. I Imagine a Museum.”

glenn lowry middle east podcast interview 1234755278

Glenn Lowry, who stepped down as director of the Museum of Modern Art after 30 years, has given a wide-ranging podcast interview discussing his future plans and the challenges facing museums. He revealed he will serve as an adviser for the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Delhi, and is working on a leadership campaign for Alice Walton’s Art Bridges Foundation. Lowry also plans to deliver a lecture series at the Louvre titled “I Want a Museum. I Need a Museum. I Imagine a Museum.”

IMLS Spared in Legal Battle—But Threat of Budget Cuts Looms

The U.S. Department of Justice has reached a settlement with the American Library Association and the AFSCME union, effectively halting President Donald Trump’s executive attempt to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Following a series of legal defeats where courts ruled that only Congress has the authority to eliminate federal agencies, the administration withdrew its appeal and reinstated previously terminated grants. However, the threat remains as the proposed 2027 federal budget once again seeks to zero out funding for the IMLS, the NEA, and the NEH.

Irreconcilable differences: Canadian cultural tourism to the US experiences a steep decline

Canadian tourism to the United States has plummeted by more than 30% following a period of heightened political tension, including threats of annexation and the imposition of trade tariffs by the Trump administration. This decline is being felt acutely across the northern border states and major cultural hubs, with cities like Seattle, Detroit, and Portland reporting significant drops in Canadian visitors.

V&A faces calls to become living wage employer on eve of Stratford opening

The Victoria and Albert Museum is facing intense pressure to become an accredited living wage employer just as it prepares to open its high-profile V&A East site in Stratford. A petition coordinated by Organise and Citizens UK has garnered over 21,000 signatures, calling on Director Tristram Hunt to ensure all staff and contractors receive the London living wage of £14.80 per hour. While the museum meets legal minimum wage requirements, campaigners argue that as a publicly funded institution, it must provide a wage that reflects the actual cost of living in the capital.

Art Collector and ‘Galerie’ Magazine Founder Lisa Fayne Cohen Fawned Over Jeffrey Epstein in Emails: ‘There Is No One Else Like You’

Newly released documents from the Justice Department's Epstein files reveal that New York art collector and Galerie magazine founder Lisa Fayne Cohen and her husband, real estate developer Jimmy Cohen, were in close contact with financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2015 and 2016. The emails show Cohen seeking Epstein's advice and arranging to photograph his Paris apartment for her magazine, which later featured the residence anonymously in its second issue.

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Pace Prints is expanding its operations to Los Angeles, with plans to open a new production facility and small gallery space this fall. Unlike a standard gallery expansion, the Hollywood location will prioritize providing West Coast artists with a dedicated environment for long-term experimentation in printmaking. The move coincides with the publisher's debut at Frieze Los Angeles, featuring a roster of local and international artists including Jonas Wood and Hilary Pecis.

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The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts is launching a new grant program to support U.S.-based visual arts nonprofits with budgets under $200,000, offering awards between $20,000 and $30,000. The program will begin accepting applications for its Spring 2026 grant cycle, with a deadline of March 1. This marks a significant expansion of the foundation's previous focus, which had been on organizations with budgets of $300,000 or more.

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Tobias Berger, a veteran curator who held senior roles at Hong Kong’s M+ and Tai Kwun, has transitioned from the public sector to lead two new private initiatives: Serakai Studio and the Tanoto Art Foundation. Ahead of Art Basel Hong Kong, Berger is launching "Gold," an experimental salon space in Wong Chuk Hang that merges contemporary art with design and fashion. These roles mark a shift toward agile, privately funded cultural models that prioritize regional focus and experimental programming over the bureaucratic structures of large public museums.

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The White House fired the vast majority of the National Council on the Humanities, the advisory body for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), on Wednesday amid a government shutdown. A letter from Mary Sprowls of the Presidential Personnel Office informed council members that their positions were terminated effective immediately. The council, typically composed of 26 scholars and leaders appointed for six-year terms, now has only four remaining members—all white men—after the dismissals. The council's website was updated to reflect the remaining members: Russell A. Berman, Keegan F. Callanan, William English, and Matthew Rose. A White House spokesperson stated that President Donald Trump hopes to place members who align more closely with his vision.

These Are the Winners of the 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has announced its 2026 fellowship recipients, naming 223 individuals across 55 disciplines. The cohort includes 76 professionals from the visual arts, photography, and fine arts research sectors, featuring notable figures such as Sheida Soleimani, American Artist, Kenneth Tam, and Sonya Clark. This year's selection process was notably competitive, drawing 5,000 applicants—a significant increase from previous years.

Kimbell Art Museum’s free community programs this spring

The Kimbell Art Museum has announced an extensive lineup of free community programming for the Spring 2026 season. The schedule features a diverse array of events including gallery discussions, hands-on art-making workshops for children, live music performances, and scholarly lectures. A significant portion of the programming is designed to complement the special exhibition, "The Holy Sepulcher: Treasures from the Terra Sancta Museum, Jerusalem," through documentary screenings and expert-led talks.

Did Qatar’s Courbet acquisition short-circuit French export licence process?

Qatar Museums has acquired Gustave Courbet's early self-portrait *Le Désespéré* (1843-45) from a French collector for €50 million, bypassing the standard French export licence process. The Musée d'Orsay revealed the purchase at a private event in October, announcing the painting will be lent to the museum for five years before moving to Qatar's future Art Mill Museum (opening by 2030). The sale was conducted without an export certificate, with the justification that the work will remain in France for most of the time, using temporary export licences for exhibitions in Doha. Critics, including heritage campaigner Julien Lacaze, argue this exemption is being misused, as it was intended for one-off exhibitions, not recurring rotations.

Art Basel unveils gallery line-up and first highlights for its 2026 Hong Kong edition

Art Basel has announced the gallery lineup and first highlights for its 2026 Hong Kong edition, which will feature 240 leading galleries from 41 countries and territories. Over half of the participating galleries operate in the Asia-Pacific region, including 29 with spaces in Hong Kong. A new sector called Echoes debuts, spotlighting recent works by up to three artists per presentation. The Encounters sector will be curated for the first time by a collective of four Asia-based curators led by Mami Kataoka. The fair also introduces a Film Program curated by media artist Ellen Pau and a Conversations Program directed by Venus Lau. For the fifth year, Art Basel and M+ will co-commission a monumental public artwork for the M+ Facade, this time by Shahzia Sikander. The fair runs March 27–29, 2026, with preview days on March 25 and 26 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

World Economic Forum and J. Paul Getty Trust bring art world leaders together to find ‘Connection in Times of Division’

The World Economic Forum and the J. Paul Getty Trust co-hosted a "cultural table" dinner for art world leaders on 23 October at the Hotel Le Meurice in Paris, themed "Bridging Worlds: Culture as a Force for Connection in Times of Division." The event, held in the Pompadour Room—where Pablo Picasso celebrated his 1918 wedding—was co-hosted by Getty president Katherine Fleming and WEF arts head Joseph Fowler, and marked the first collaboration between the two organizations. Fowler described the initiative as a global movement to place culture at the heart of systemic change, while Fleming emphasized art's unifying power and its measurable health benefits.

In pictures: demand is high at the Pavilion of Art and Design

The Pavilion of Art and Design (PAD) in Mayfair's Berkeley Square saw strong sales on opening day, with limited-edition design pieces and jewelry being snapped up quickly. Highlights included a Finn Juhl Judas table listed at £68,000, a Maurice Marty sofa from 1971, Alvar Aalto furniture, and works by Carlo Bugatti, Tristano di Robilant, and Max Lamb. Galleries such as Meubles et Lumières, Sceners, and Fumi reported brisk business, with some items selling within minutes of the doors opening.

An exhibition in New York City takes on censorship in the art world

Art at a Time Like This, a non-profit organization, has opened the exhibition 'Don’t Look Now' in New York City's Nolita neighborhood (October 10–25), featuring 24 contemporary artists whose work has been censored or blacklisted. Participants include Marilyn Minter, Shepard Fairey, Dread Scott, Danielle SeeWalker, and Yvonne Iten-Scott, whose pieces were removed from shows, rescinded from residencies, or targeted by officials due to political content. The exhibition responds to the Trump administration's crackdown on free speech in the culture sector, including mass layoffs at the NEA and NEH, proposed funding cuts, and canceled shows at institutions like the Smithsonian.

LACMA Geffen Galleries Opening Gala Brings Out Artists, Supermodels, Oscar Winners & Studio Chiefs – Photo Gallery

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) hosted a high-profile opening gala for its new David Geffen Galleries, drawing a massive crowd of celebrities, industry titans, and art world figures. The guest list spanned various sectors of influence, including Disney CEO Bob Iger, artist Jeff Koons, and director Alejandro González Iñárritu, all gathered to celebrate the completion of the museum's new centerpiece.

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Italy slashed VAT on art sales from 22% to 5% in July 2024, the lowest rate in the European Union, after two decades of lobbying by the Apollo Group. The tax cut took effect just before Artissima, Italy's largest contemporary art fair, which saw strong turnout and reported sales increases for many of its 73 Italian galleries, with prices ranging from $2,200 to nearly $20,000. ARTnews interviewed Artissima director Luigi Fassi about the impact of the new rate on the Italian art market and the broader cultural ecosystem.

What Makes a Photograph a Photograph? The Photography Show 2026 Offers New Perspectives

The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD) has announced the 45th edition of The Photography Show, scheduled to take place at New York’s Park Avenue Armory from April 22–26, 2026. The fair will feature 77 galleries, ranging from long-standing participants like Edwynn Houk Gallery to first-time exhibitors such as Galerie Sophie Scheidecker and Central Server Works. A significant addition to this year's programming is the debut of "Focal Point," a new sector dedicated exclusively to solo presentations that explore the experimental and evolving nature of lens-based media.

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The Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC), a London-based organization with 2,000 members across 60 countries, released a report titled "Five-Year Review of Climate Action in the Visual Arts" during London Art+Climate Week, timed with the UN climate summit Cop30 in Brazil. The report reveals that 80 percent of members who began tracking their carbon footprint in 2019 have reduced their impact by 25 percent, and are on track to cut emissions by 50 percent by 2030. Key sources of emissions include shipping, air travel, and energy use, accounting for 80 to 95 percent of members' carbon output. Christie's London, which hosted a launch event, reported a 69 percent reduction in emissions from 2019 to 2024 through renewable energy and reduced catalog publishing.

Nominees revealed for £120,000 Art Fund Museum Of The Year prize

Art Fund has announced the five finalists for the 2026 Museum of the Year prize, the world’s largest award of its kind. The shortlist includes Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, The Box in Plymouth, and London’s National Gallery and V&A East Storehouse. The winner, to be announced on June 25 at the Cutty Sark, will receive £120,000, while the four runners-up will each be awarded £20,000.