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The Peter Hujar Archive and Foundation has left Pace Gallery and will now be jointly represented by New York-based gallery Ortuzar and Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco. The archive will continue working with Mai 36 Galerie in Zürich and Maureen Paley in London on select projects. Ortuzar founder Ales Ortuzar expressed deep personal excitement about representing Hujar, who will be the first photographer the gallery has represented since its founding in 2018. The gallery plans two concurrent exhibitions this spring: a recreation of Hujar's 1986 show at Gracie Mansion and a group show featuring artists from his circle.

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Berlin’s Galerie Mehdi Chouakri announced a temporary pause from exhibitions after nearly thirty years and around 250 shows. Owner Mehdi Chouakri cited personal reasons and the increasing demands of the traditional primary market model. The gallery will continue to represent its estates and living artists through collaborations, and may mount a new exhibition as soon as fall 2025. The pause follows a difficult year for galleries globally, with several high-profile closures and retrenchments.

mauritshuis loaning girl with a pearl earring to japan us withdrawing from international arts and cultural heritage groups morning links for january 9 2025 1234769316

The Mauritshuis in The Hague announced it will loan Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" (circa 1665) to the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka, Japan, this summer while the Dutch museum closes for building alterations from August 24 to September 20. Separately, President Donald Trump's administration released a memo on January 7 stating the US will withdraw from over 60 international groups, including ICCROM and IFACCA, which focus on arts and cultural heritage preservation, arguing these bodies operate contrary to US interests.

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Alma Allen, a Utah-born, Mexico-based sculptor, has been selected to represent the United States at the 2026 Venice Biennale, according to ARTnews sources. The pavilion's commissioning curator is Jeffrey Uslip, who previously curated the Malta Pavilion in 2022. The official announcement is pending the end of the government shutdown. Allen, known for large-scale stone, wood, and bronze sculptures, is in talks with Perrotin gallery for representation after his previous gallery, Kasmin, closed and rebranded as Olney Gleason.

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This ARTnews industry moves roundup from December 30, 2025, reports that Fabienne Levy Gallery now represents Amit Berman, whose work is currently in a group show at the Haifa Museum of Art and was previously presented at the Jewish Museum of Venice during the 2024 Venice Biennale. Kevin Umaña has joined The Pit gallery; the New York-based artist had his first solo exhibition in Los Angeles in 2025 and received the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award that same year. Additionally, Qatar Museums and the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Center have signed a five-year partnership to create educational programs in India and Qatar. The article also notes that the Bayeux Tapestry will be loaned to the British Museum in 2026, requiring a UK Treasury guarantee of $1 billion to insure the work while its French owner undergoes renovation.

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Jack Shainman Gallery has formally responded to a lawsuit filed by artist Odili Donald Odita, who accused the New York gallery of refusing to return his artworks. Odita, whose work has been shown at the Venice Biennale and who recently painted the atrium of the Museum of Modern Art, claimed the artworks were worth $1.12 million. In a late November filing, the gallery countered that it holds far less inventory than Odita alleges and that the artist still owes money for production costs. The gallery disclosed that it had paid Odita a monthly stipend starting in 2016—$14,000 per month at its peak—which stopped in 2024, and that Odita had received $586,000 in loans. The gallery claims it has the right to retain five works valued at $650,000, which were consigned to David Kordansky Gallery, and that Odita must repay over $292,000 in outstanding loans.

dealers michael werner and gordon veneklasen split up russia moves to label pussy riot an extremist organization morning links for december 1 2025 1234764237

Dealers Michael Werner and Gordon VeneKlasen are ending their 35-year joint business venture, with Werner continuing to run Galerie Michael Werner in Berlin and VeneKlasen launching his own international gallery, taking over the New York, London, and Los Angeles locations. Meanwhile, Russian billionaire couple Andrey and Yelizaveta Molchanov are opening Zilart, a new private museum in Moscow on December 2, showcasing their collection of 10,000 works despite political repression and sanctions threatening other private museums. The article also reports on the Leiden Collection exhibition at the Norton Museum of Art, the Russian Ministry of Justice moving to classify Pussy Riot as an extremist organization during Nadya Tolokonnikova's performance at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and the opening of the 24th Biennale de Arte Paiz.

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High Art, a Parisian gallery known for launching the careers of artists like Lucy Bull and Julien Creuzet, is closing its physical space after 12 years. The gallery announced on Instagram that its last exhibition closed in July and that it will transition toward collaborations, offsite exhibitions, and individual artworks. Founded in 2013 by Romain Chenais, Jason Hwang, and Philippe Joppin, High Art became a tastemaker in Paris's gallery scene, known for its challenging and often unconventional program. Many artists who showed there early, including Rachel Rose, Matt Copson, and Frieda Toranzo Jaeger, later achieved international recognition.

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The United States Pavilion at the upcoming Venice Biennale faces an uncertain future after a proposal by artist Robert Lazzarini and independent curator John Ravenal collapsed. The proposal, selected by the US State Department in early September, fell through when the University of South Florida’s Contemporary Art Museum declined to sign the contract, citing a shortened timeline and financial obligations. Ravenal attributed the breakdown to bureaucratic misalignment rather than ideological disagreement, while the State Department declined to comment. The selection process also shifted this year, with the National Endowment for the Arts excluding itself due to staffing transitions, leaving the State Department to handle it alone.

celebs turn out in force for lacma gala climate activist who targeted degas works gets jail time and more morning links for november 3 2025 1234759857

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) held its 14th annual Art+Film Gala on November 1, drawing nearly 600 celebrities from art, film, fashion, and entertainment. The event honored artist Mary Corse and filmmaker Ryan Coogler, featured a performance by Doja Cat, and set a new fundraising record of nearly $6.5 million to support LACMA's integration of film into its curatorial programs. Separately, climate activist Timothy Martin received an 18-month prison sentence for smearing paint on a Degas sculpture case at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 2023—a punishment critics called disproportionate. Other news includes the permanent installation of Gaetano Pesce's final public artwork in Boston, Antony Gormley's new installation in South Korea, and a report on shifting fortunes in the Islamic art market, where a rare Safavid carpet failed to sell at Christie's London.

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Reginald Madison, a self-taught painter and sculptor from the Black Arts Movement in Chicago, has joined Uffner & Liu gallery for representation. Paul Soto Gallery now represents John Sandroni, whose work is currently on view in New York. KSS Architects completed a new Learning and Engagement Center at the Newark Museum of Art. Meanwhile, at least eight blue-chip galleries have dropped out of Art Basel Miami Beach, and Karim Crippa has been appointed director of Art Basel Paris. Christie’s four auctions held concurrently with Art Basel Paris totaled $107.4 million, with Yves Klein’s "California (1KB 71)" selling for $21.3 million, a record for the artist in France.

ica san francisco to adopt citywide model 1234759381

The Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco (ICA SF) will leave its current home at The Cube in December 2025 to adopt a fully nomadic, citywide model, presenting exhibitions and programs at various sites across the Bay Area starting in early 2026. Its final shows at The Cube are solo exhibitions for Masako Miki and David Antonio Cruz, on view through December 7. The museum has already secured support from the Office of the Mayor of San Francisco and lined up programs for the next year, including exhibitions at the Transamerica Pyramid Center featuring Tara Donovan and Lily Kwong, and a two-person show for Dominique Fung and Heidi Lau at Pier 24 in 2026, with a partnership planned for 2027.

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Olney Gleason, a new gallery founded by former Kasmin senior staff Nick Olney and Eric Gleason, has been appointed as the exclusive representative for the estates of Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner through the Pollock-Krasner Foundation. The gallery, which opened earlier this year, succeeds Kasmin in handling the artists' work; Kasmin had represented Pollock since 2024 and Krasner since 2017. Olney and Gleason previously organized multiple Krasner exhibitions at Kasmin and supported major museum shows, including a 2019 Krasner retrospective at the Barbican Centre and a 2024 Pollock exhibition at the Picasso Museum in Paris.

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Tate has announced an ambitious plan to build a £150 million ($201 million) endowment by 2030, launching the Tate Future Fund in June with over £43 million ($58 million) pledged. The initiative, which raised £1 million ($1.34 million) at a high-profile gala, has sparked debate across the UK museum sector about the viability of endowment models for long-term sustainability. Meanwhile, the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead launched a £10 million ($13 million) endowment bolstered by a gift from musician Sting, and other UK institutions like the British Museum and V&A have quietly built similar reserves. In a separate story, Matthiesen Gallery has filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York against convicted fraudster Thomas Austin Doyle, artist Shalva Sarukhanishvili, Jill Newhouse Gallery, and art collector Jon Landau over the mishandling of Gustave Courbet's *Mother and Child on a Hammock* (ca. 1844), alleging fraud, breach of contract, and sale far below market value.

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The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum has named architect-designer Mira Nakashima and sculptor Kan Yasuda as the recipients of its 12th annual award, to be presented at the museum's 40th anniversary benefit on November 17. In other industry moves, the Whitney Museum of American Art acquired digital artworks by Gretchen Andrew and Michael Mandiberg; Hesse Flatow gallery added San Francisco-based artist Emily Harter to its roster; Alexander Gray Associates now represents Brooklyn-based Iranian artist Kamrooz Aram; Alisan Fine Arts signed 90-year-old Chinese abstractionist Fong Chung-Ray; and Hakim Bishara was named editor-in-chief of Hyperallergic. The roundup also notes that Ari Emanuel raised $2 billion in equity for his new holding company Mari, which owns Frieze and other assets.

isamu noguchi museum award industry moves 1234756138

The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum has announced the 2025 award honorees: architect-designer Mira Nakashima and sculptor Kan Yasuda, who will receive the 12th annual award at the museum's 40th anniversary benefit on November 17. In other industry moves, the Whitney Museum acquired digital artworks by Gretchen Andrew and Michael Mandiberg; Hesse Flatow added San Francisco-based artist Emily Harter to its roster; Alexander Gray Associates now represents Kamrooz Aram; Fong Chung-Ray joined Alisan Fine Arts; and Hakim Bishara was named editor-in-chief of Hyperallergic. Additionally, Ari Emanuel raised $2 billion in equity to fund Mari, a holding company that owns Frieze, tennis tournaments, and a majority stake in Barrett-Jackson auction house.

artnews awards 2025 nominees 1234754879

ARTnews has announced the nominees for the 2025 ARTnews Awards, which honor excellence in art at US institutions and galleries. Now in its second year, the awards feature six categories: Emerging Artist, Established Artist, Lifetime Achievement, Best Thematic Museum Exhibition, Best Gallery Group Show, and a newly introduced Best Historical Artist category, reflecting a growing focus on under-sung artists of the past. The jury includes five top US curators and two ARTnews editors, with winners to be celebrated in November.

Art Basel Curbs Pre-Fair Sales—and More Art Industry News

Art Basel has launched a "Basel Exclusive" initiative to curb pre-fair PDF sales, encouraging galleries to withhold works from previews to drive in-person discovery at its flagship Swiss event (June 16–21). Around 170 of 232 exhibitors have opted in. Meanwhile, Volta returns to Basel with a new "5,000 Edit" section for works under CHF 5,000 to attract younger collectors, and the alternative fair Esther will hold its third edition in New York during Frieze Week. In other news, Sotheby's set a U.S. record for design auctions with the Jean and Terry de Gunzburg collection totaling $96 million, and billionaire collector Mitchell P. Rales pledged $116 million to the National Gallery of Art to fund loans to smaller museums. The Smithsonian American Art Museum named Lynda Roscoe Hartigan as its new director, and Gladstone Gallery plans a new Seoul space for 2026.

Two Growing London Galleries Launch Second Spaces—and More Art Industry News

The art world is seeing a wave of institutional shifts and physical expansions, headlined by the appointment of Melissa Chiu as the new director of the Guggenheim Museum in New York. In London, galleries Edel Assanti and Emalin are both expanding their footprints with new locations, while the National Gallery has selected Kengo Kuma for a massive £350 million extension project. Meanwhile, the European Commission has threatened to pull €2 million in funding from the Venice Biennale unless it reverses its stance on Russian participation.

Seoul Gets an Intriguing New Art Fair—Plus, a Rundown of the Latest in Asia’s Art World

The Asian art landscape is undergoing significant shifts, headlined by the launch of Hive Art Fair in Seoul, which introduces a fee-free booth model focused on B2B corporate collaborations. Major institutional moves include the appointment of Melissa Chiu as the new director of the Guggenheim Museum and the opening of the Black Gold Museum in Riyadh. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Museum of History has reopened with a controversial thematic revamp that emphasizes Chinese heritage over colonial history.

The Philosopher Who Predicted Our Post-Literate Art Moment

Art critic Martha Schwendener has released a new book titled 'The Society of the Screen: Vilém Flusser’s Radical Prescience,' exploring the prophetic theories of the late philosopher Vilém Flusser. Flusser, a Prague-born thinker who lived in Brazil and Europe, argued in the 1980s that society was transitioning from a text-based culture to one dominated by 'technical images,' a shift he believed would fundamentally alter human consciousness and the function of the 'apparatus' in daily life.

Art Basel’s Parent Company Plans New ‘Ideas Festival’—and More Art Industry News

MCH Group, the parent company of Art Basel, is launching a new global ideas festival called the Futurific Institute in Basel in 2028, backed by billionaires James and Kathryn Murdoch. Art Dubai has postponed its 20th edition due to regional conflict, while several galleries are opening, closing, or changing locations, including Brooke Benington in London and Timothy Taylor in New York. Additionally, Mexico is demanding eBay remove listings for pre-Columbian artifacts, and institutions like the Royal Academy of Arts and MCA Chicago are announcing key leadership changes.

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The Making Their Mark Forum recently convened 350 women in the arts—including artists, curators, and over 20 museum directors—at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C. Organized by collector Komal Shah alongside Cecilia Alemani and Loring Randolph, the invitation-only conference coincided with a traveling exhibition of Shah’s collection at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The event featured high-profile speakers like Chelsea Clinton and Ava DuVernay, focusing on dismantling structural gender inequities and celebrating the foundational contributions of women to art history.

Frida Kahlo: Making of an Icon

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The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has launched a major exhibition titled "Frida Kahlo: Making of an Icon," which explores the artist's transformation from a relatively unknown figure during her lifetime into a global cultural phenomenon. Curated by Mari Carmen Ramírez, the show features over 200 objects related to "Frida mania" alongside works by 80 contemporary artists who have been influenced by her legacy. The exhibition traces her life from her childhood in Mexico City and her tumultuous relationship with Diego Rivera to her emergence as a symbol for various social movements.

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The New York art scene is witnessing a shift in the Tribeca gallery landscape as 1969 Gallery, a fixture known for championing emerging painters, has shuttered its physical space at 39 White Street. Founder Quang Bao confirmed the closure following the building owner's decision to sell the property, noting that he is currently operating from Barcelona with plans to pivot toward collaborations and residencies rather than the traditional gallery model. Meanwhile, the itinerant Ward Gallery continues to gain traction by hosting pop-up symposia at institutions like the International Center for Photography, signaling a broader trend toward real-estate-free dealership.

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The American Federation of the Arts (AFA) has launched a major touring exhibition titled "Abstract Expressionists: The Women," featuring nearly 50 works from the collection of Christian Levett. Currently on view at the Muscarelle Museum of Art in Virginia, the show highlights 32 artists who were pivotal to the movement but often overshadowed by their male peers. The exhibition includes masterpieces by celebrated figures like Helen Frankenthaler and Lee Krasner alongside rediscovered works by lesser-known painters such as Emiko Nakano and Yvonne Thomas.

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The Denver Art Museum is hosting "Women of Abstract Expressionism," the first major museum exhibition dedicated exclusively to female painters of the movement. Curated by Gwen Chanzit, the show features over 50 works by artists including Helen Frankenthaler, Jay DeFeo, Elaine de Kooning, and Mary Abbott. The exhibition highlights how these women were integral to the first internationally influential American art movement but were historically sidelined in favor of male peers like Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.

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A significant trend is emerging in the New York art scene this winter, as a wave of gallery and museum exhibitions highlights contemporary artists engaging deeply with European Old Masters. While some critics dismiss art historical references as "reference-baiting" to boost market value, artists like Émile Brunet and Eleanor Johnson are demonstrating a profound technical and intellectual commitment to these lineages. Their work moves beyond mere pastiche, utilizing traditional materials, Northern Renaissance aesthetics, and Baroque glazing techniques to address modern themes of labor, humanism, and information overload.

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Austrian-born, Netherlands-based performance artist Florentina Holzinger has joined the roster of blue-chip gallery Thaddaeus Ropac. This move comes just months before she is set to unveil her project "Seaworld Venice" for the Austrian Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, marking a significant shift of her boundary-pushing, interdisciplinary practice from the theater and dance worlds into the commercial art gallery system.

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The Flemish government in Belgium has reversed its controversial plan to dismantle Antwerp's Museum of Contemporary Art (M HKA). The original proposal would have stripped the museum of its status and transferred its permanent collection to another institution in Ghent, but following significant opposition, authorities have agreed to preserve M HKA as a museum with its collection intact.