Vasari Art Codex

article news schedule Dec 19, 2025 visibility 2 link 10 artists, 2 galleries

vienna museum exhibition religious controversy 2732661

Conservative religious groups in Austria have launched a campaign against the exhibition “You Shall Make For Yourself An Image” at Vienna’s Künstlerhaus contemporary art museum, which explores Christian iconography from critical, feminist, and queer perspectives. The backlash, including an online petition and a “prayer of atonement” protest outside the museum, has been linked to a prior attack on another religious-themed exhibition at a Jesuit Church in Vienna. The show features over 30 artists, including Martin Kippenberger, Andres Serrano, and Marina Abramović, and has drawn particular ire for works like Kippenberger’s crucified frog and Anouk Lamm Anouk’s depiction of the Virgin Mary as a transgender woman.

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article policy schedule Dec 18, 2025 visibility 2 link 3 artists, 3 galleries

txst black history 101 mobile museum visit aclu challenge 1234767478

Texas State University (TXST) canceled a scheduled appearance of the Black History 101 Mobile Museum at its San Marcos campus for Black History Month 2026, prompting a First Amendment challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas. The museum's founder, Khalid El-Hakim, had been invited by a campus activities director on October 13, 2025, but the invitation was rescinded on October 28 after consultation with supervisors and leadership. The ACLU's letter to TXST president Kelly Damphousse cited a 2023 Texas Senate bill banning DEI programs at public universities and the state's political climate as reasons for the cancellation, though the university denied the DEI ban was the cause.

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article news schedule Dec 15, 2025 link 5 artists, 2 galleries

pussy riot russia designation extremist group 2721804

A Moscow court designated the feminist art collective Pussy Riot as an extremist organization on December 15, following a lawsuit from Russia's Ministry of Justice. Founder Nadya Tolokonnikova, currently living in exile, condemned the ruling, warning that owning a balaclava, having a song on a computer, or liking a post could lead to prison time. She learned of the lawsuit while finishing her durational performance "Police State" at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, which she described as a warning about surveillance authoritarianism. Tolokonnikova co-founded Pussy Riot in 2011 and was previously imprisoned for performing anti-Putin songs at a Moscow cathedral.

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trending_up market schedule Dec 12, 2025 visibility 2 link 16 artists, 1 gallery

yves bouvier de sarthe 91 works lawsuit 2726250

Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier has filed a motion in federal court in Manhattan to recover 91 artworks valued at an estimated $100 million, which he claims were entrusted to French dealer Pascal de Sarthe. Bouvier is seeking to compel at least 15 banks and two major auction houses—Sotheby's and Christie's—to provide information about the artworks' whereabouts. The legal action, initiated in Hong Kong in October, targets de Sarthe, who disputes Bouvier's ownership. Bouvier alleges that after his long-running legal battle with Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, he was blacklisted by auction houses and entered into an oral agreement with de Sarthe and dealer Jean Marc Peretti for custody of the artworks, but de Sarthe has allegedly failed to respond to inquiries. A Hong Kong hearing was held in early October for orders including injunction and preservation.

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article news schedule Dec 11, 2025 visibility 1 link 5 artists

petition protests serbia venice biennale pick 1234766104

A petition with over 600 signatures is protesting the selection of Prague-based artist Predrag Đaković to represent Serbia at the 2026 Venice Biennale with a project titled “Across Golgotha to Resurrection.” The petition, created by the ZUK Informal Art and Culture Collective, alleges that the selection process was unprofessional and non-transparent, and that commission members are closely linked to President Aleksandar Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). The announcement was reportedly made via Đaković’s Instagram rather than through official channels, and neither the artist nor Serbia’s Ministry of Culture has responded to requests for comment.

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article news schedule Dec 11, 2025 visibility 2 link 21 artists, 6 galleries

From hard borders to soft power: how did the art world fare in 2025?

The article surveys the art world's turbulent 2025, beginning with devastating Los Angeles wildfires that destroyed artworks and the political shockwaves of Donald Trump's re-election. Trump's administration targeted the National Portrait Gallery, whose director Kim Sajet resigned after threats of firing, while immigration crackdowns, tariffs on art imports, and attacks on diversity initiatives chilled the art community. The year also saw Venice residents protest Jeff Bezos's lavish wedding, Trump's gilded Oval Office renovations, and a major Veronese exhibition at the Prado that drew parallels between historical extravagance and decline.

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gavel restitution schedule Dec 10, 2025 visibility 1 link 9 artists, 2 galleries

bouvier us discovery 91 missing artworks 1234766044

Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier has filed a Section 1782 petition in US federal court to locate 91 artworks he claims are his, worth approximately $100 million. The filing targets roughly 15 major banks and two auction houses (Sotheby's and Christie's) to compel disclosure of financial and transactional records. The request is tied to Hong Kong legal proceedings against French dealer Pascal de Sarthe, whom Bouvier accuses of failing to return works placed with him for safekeeping. De Sarthe disputes Bouvier's ownership, and his attorney has asked the New York court to delay or deny the application as premature.

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article news schedule Dec 9, 2025 visibility 1 link 1 artist

swedish court acquits climate activists monet painting 1234765895

A Swedish court acquitted six climate activists from the group Återställ Våtmarker (Restore Wetlands) who smeared red paint on the protective glass of Claude Monet's painting *The Artist’s Garden at Giverny* (1900) at the National Museum of Sweden in June 2023. The painting, on loan from the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, was unharmed; the court ruled the activists had no intent to damage the work, noting they used water-soluble paint and targeted a glass-covered piece, though some paint reached the frame.

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article news schedule Dec 9, 2025 visibility 3 link 21 artists, 9 galleries

paint drippings art industry news jul 14 2667315

This week's art industry news includes Art Basel appointing Egyptian artist Wael Shawky as artistic director of its first Middle East fair, Art Basel Qatar, running February 5–7, 2026. A new fair called Loading… debuts in Hudson, N.Y., during Upstate Art Weekend, while Vienna Contemporary names Abaseh Mirvali as artistic director. Bonhams offers material from Roy Lichtenstein's Hamptons home, and a legendary Le Birkin handbag sells for €8.5 million at Sotheby's Paris. Galleries see Hollis Taggart adding two artists, Adam Lindemann closing Venus Over Manhattan, and Berlin's Meyer Riegger and Paris's Galerie Jocelyn Wolff opening a joint Seoul gallery. Museums include the Zayed National Museum opening in Abu Dhabi, Shamim M. Momin named director of the Bronx Museum, and the Baltimore Museum of Art acquiring 150 new works. The Art Bridges Foundation and Crystal Bridges acquire 90 Indigenous artworks, and the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt opens a temporary location. In legal news, DHS officials visited the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture in Chicago.

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article policy schedule Dec 8, 2025 visibility 1 link 5 artists, 2 galleries

what to know about the smithsonian 2627259

President Donald Trump issued an executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” targeting the Smithsonian Institution. The order tasks Vice President J.D. Vance with removing “improper ideology” from Smithsonian museums, supported by Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and advisor Lindsey Halligan. Critics, including historian Raymond Arsenault, have described the move as totalitarian. The Smithsonian, a public-private partnership founded in 1846 with 21 museums and the National Zoo, faces potential loss of federal funding if it does not comply, echoing pressure applied to other institutions like Columbia University.

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article news schedule Dec 8, 2025 visibility 2 link 3 artists, 1 gallery

what was stolen louvre crown jewels photos 1234757886

Thieves broke into the Louvre Museum in Paris and stole several pieces of the French Crown Jewels from the Galerie d'Apollon, including a diadem, necklace, earrings, and brooches from the parures of Queen Marie-Amélie, Queen Hortense, Empress Marie-Louise, and Empress Eugénie. Two items—the reliquary brooch and the corsage bow—were dropped and recovered, and a ninth item, Empress Eugénie's crown, was also taken but later recovered. The thieves triggered alarms and fled after a fast, violent break-in, leaving behind a cherry picker; no injuries were reported.

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article news schedule Dec 5, 2025 visibility 2

police recover james bond diamond encrusted faberge egg swallowed by thief 1234765508

New Zealand police recovered a diamond-encrusted Fabergé egg pendant from a 32-year-old thief who allegedly swallowed it after stealing it from Partridge Jewellers in Auckland. The suspect was detained within minutes of the theft, and officers monitored him for six days until the pendant was naturally passed. The special-edition locket, valued at $33,585, is a tribute to the Fabergé egg featured in the James Bond film Octopussy, featuring a green guilloché enamel shell and an 18-karat yellow gold octopus set with diamonds and sapphires.

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trending_up market schedule Dec 5, 2025 link 10 artists, 2 galleries

Strauss & Co offers accessible works in year-end auctions

Strauss & Co has launched its year-end auctions, featuring five concurrent timed online sessions from 20 November to 8 December 2025, plus a separate contemporary sale titled 'In the Now' running until 9 December. The auctions offer a wide range of modern and contemporary works at accessible price points, including pieces by major South African artists such as Irma Stern, William Kentridge, Sam Nhlengethwa, Norman Catherine, and Alexis Preller. Sessions include 'Re/View' with works from previous auctions, focused sessions on paintings, sculpture, and works on paper, and an 'Art Club' session curated by Strauss & Co specialists.

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trending_up market schedule Dec 3, 2025 visibility 1 link 18 artists, 9 galleries

NADA Miami and Untitled Art Test the Temperature of the Mid-Tier and Emerging Markets

NADA Miami and Untitled Art opened on December 2, 2024, in Miami Beach, both targeting the mid-tier and emerging art markets. The fairs saw strong early sales and a predominantly American and local audience, with fewer European and Asian collectors than in previous years. Dealers reported a rebound in market confidence, with sales activity signaling a recovery in the mid-career and emerging segments, though not reaching the frenzy of earlier boom periods. The fairs also showcased a shift away from bright figuration and identity politics toward deeper reflections on reality, mediatization, and materiality.

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article policy schedule Dec 3, 2025 link 4 artists, 1 gallery

London's National Gallery announces £750m fundraising drive towards new wing and expanded collection

London's National Gallery has announced a £750m fundraising drive, called Project Domani, to expand its collection into the 20th and 21st centuries and build a new wing on the site of St Vincent House, north of the Sainsbury Wing. Around half the target has already been pledged, including two record £150m donations from the Crankstart foundation and the Julia Rausing Trust. A shortlist of six architectural firms—including Foster + Partners, Kengo Kuma and Associates, and Selldorf Architects—has been released to design the extension, with a final choice expected by April and the wing opening in the early 2030s.

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article local schedule Dec 3, 2025 visibility 4 link 2 artists, 1 gallery

Immersive institution could replace South Beach cinema

A shuttered Regal Cinema on Miami Beach's Lincoln Road may be transformed into the Superhuman Museum, an immersive institution led by Steve Berke, a comedian, cannabis entrepreneur, and former mayoral candidate. The Miami Beach Planning Board has approved a change-of-use permit for the project, which has backing from the Lincoln Road Business Improvement District. The museum is designed as a guided journey combining elements of theme parks, art museums, and experiential venues, featuring facial scans, timed rooms, wireless wristbands, and a mix of tech-forward installations and traditional artworks by artists like Keith Haring and Yaacov Agam. A soft launch is targeted for November 2026, with a grand opening during Miami Art Week.

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trending_up market schedule Dec 2, 2025 visibility 1

Design Miami will expand to Dubai

Design Miami has announced plans to launch a new edition in Dubai in early 2027, in partnership with the Dubai-based cultural enterprise Alserkal. The fair, currently celebrating its 20th anniversary in Miami Beach, also runs an annual edition in Paris, while its Basel show was suspended earlier this year. The inaugural Design Miami Dubai will be led by Vilma Jurkute, executive director of Alserkal, Jennifer Roberts, CEO of Design Miami, and Jesse Lee, chairman of Design Miami and founder of Basic.Space, which acquired the fair in 2023. Beyond the annual event, the collaboration will establish a year-round programme of design talks and educational initiatives.

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article policy schedule Dec 1, 2025 visibility 2 link 2 artists, 1 gallery

louvre museum raises ticket prices for non european foreigners 1234764243

The Louvre Museum board has voted to raise ticket prices by 45% for visitors outside the European Economic Area, effective January 14. The price will increase from €22 ($25) to €32 ($37), affecting tourists from the United States, Britain, and Russia. The move is part of a broader effort to fund infrastructure upgrades and security improvements following a high-profile heist in October in which thieves stole nine pieces of jewelry worth an estimated $102 million from the Apollo Gallery. The museum's director, Laurence des Cars, acknowledged that the institution has "very inadequate" and "outdated" security systems, and a full overhaul is not expected until 2032.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 24, 2025 link 1 gallery

Through PPL exhibit, artists find new meaning in books amid censorship

An exhibition titled "Turn the Page" has opened in the Updike Room at the Providence Public Library, featuring works by artists who transform books into art. Curated by Brown University lecturer Andre Bassuet, the show includes pieces like Iris Wright's wearable "Book Body No. 7: Palimpsest," which addresses censorship and queer erasure, and Michael Ezzell's ongoing "The Junior Classic" series, which repurposes deaccessioned library book pages. The exhibition runs through January 31.

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article policy schedule Nov 24, 2025 link 1 artist, 4 galleries

A Holistic and People-Centered Approach to Accessible Exhibition Design: Walker Art Center Case Study

The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis developed a holistic, people-centered set of guidelines for accessible exhibition design, moving beyond legal ADA compliance. The project involved collaboration across curatorial departments, artists, d/Deaf and disabled staff and community members, and the Institute for Human Centered Design (IHCD). The guidelines were created in three stages: identifying the need, drafting and revising, and implementing, with strategies including cross-departmental working groups, targeted interventions for bottlenecks, shared terminology, and embodied learning for staff.

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gavel restitution schedule Nov 20, 2025

thirty five arrested in bulgaria criminal art trafficking network 1234762594

Bulgarian authorities, with support from Europol, arrested 35 individuals and conducted 131 searches across Bulgaria, seizing over 3,000 cultural artifacts valued at more than €100 million. The operation targeted a criminal network trafficking artifacts from Thracian and Greco-Roman civilizations across Europe, with connections to illegal excavations in Bulgaria and the Balkans. The investigation, which began after a 2020 house raid that uncovered 7,000 artifacts, involved law enforcement from Albania, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, and the UK, and was coordinated from Sofia and Eurojust in The Hague.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 link 24 artists, 8 galleries

chelsea art fair chelsea hotel 2025 1234762014

The Chelsea Art Fair returned for its sophomore edition at New York's legendary Chelsea Hotel, hosting a one-day event with five exhibitors—56 Henry, Lomex, Magenta Plains, Ramiken, and Castle—plus a special presentation by Off Paradise. VIP preview drew early arrivals including collector Beth Rudin DeWoody, DJ Mark Ronson, and Whitney Museum curator Dan Nadel, with around 3,000 people registered for the public day. Dealer Ellie Rines of 56 Henry reported strong sales, swapping out a work within 30 minutes of the preview's start.

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article news schedule Nov 17, 2025 link 3 artists, 3 galleries

stolen banksy print recovered thief sentenced 2536351

A judge at London's Kingston Crown Court sentenced Larry Fraser to 13 months in jail for stealing a Banksy print of the iconic *Balloon Girl* image from Grove Gallery in September 2024. Fraser, who pleaded guilty, used a hammer to break a glass door and stole the print in 36 seconds, hoping to pay off a drug debt. The Metropolitan Police's Flying Squad recovered the artwork within days after Fraser and accomplice James Love stashed it on the Isle of Dogs. Love was acquitted by a jury, claiming he was unaware of the theft until after the fact.

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article policy schedule Nov 17, 2025 link 6 galleries

gallery climate coalition carbon five year report 1234761939

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.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 17, 2025 visibility 1 link 2 artists, 1 gallery

art market minute nov 17 2714089

The U.K. Crown Prosecution Service has charged Hauser & Wirth and an art shipping firm with violating criminal sanctions by making George Condo's 2021 work on paper, *Escape from Humanity*, available to a person connected to Russia in 2022. Separately, Frida Kahlo's 1940 painting *El sueño (La cama)*, estimated at $40–60 million, will be auctioned at Sotheby's on November 20, potentially yielding a 78,400 percent return for its consignor. Qatar is also planning the first duty-free art storage unit in the Gulf.

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article news schedule Nov 17, 2025 visibility 1 link 1 artist

Artist studios in Kyiv damaged by Russian drone strike for second time

A Russian drone strike on November 14 damaged the studios of Nahirna22, a collective of young artists based at the Kyiv Institute of Automation, for the second time in three months. The attack, which killed six people in Kyiv, shattered wooden windows and left studios covered in glass and rubble, though plastic windows installed after a previous strike in August survived. Co-founder Marta Nyrkova expressed uncertainty about whether the building can be repaired, while the collective plans a fundraising event and a sale of works in Berlin.

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article news schedule Nov 15, 2025 link 1 artist, 3 galleries

hauser wirth charged by uk authorities for breaching criminal sanctions 1234761572

UK tax authority HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has charged mega-gallery Hauser & Wirth with breaching criminal sanctions by allegedly making a luxury artwork available to a person connected with Russia. The case involves a 2021 work-on-paper by George Condo titled *Escape from Humanity*, sold by the gallery between April and December 2022, after the UK banned luxury goods exports to Russia-linked individuals in April 2022. The gallery, along with shipping company Artay Rauchwerger Solomons, faces charges under the sanctions law, which was enacted following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Hauser & Wirth has stated it strongly contests the charge and intends to plead not guilty.

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article news schedule Nov 14, 2025 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

With end of US government shutdown, National Gallery of Art and Smithsonian museums start reopening

Federal museums in Washington, DC, including the National Gallery of Art and multiple Smithsonian Institution branches, began reopening after the longest US government shutdown in history ended on Wednesday night (12 November). The National Gallery of Art reopened its West Building and sculpture garden on 14 November, with the rest of the campus following on 15 November. Its postponed exhibition *The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art* opened on 15 November instead of 18 October. Three Smithsonian museums reopened on 14 November, five more on 15 November, and all remaining venues—including the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York—by 17 November. The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s exhibition *Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work* was postponed from its original 24 October opening.

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article local schedule Nov 12, 2025 link 11 artists, 1 gallery

mr wash community center compton book fundraiser 1234761270

Artist Fulton Leroy Washington, known as Mr. Wash, is establishing the Art By Wash Studio & Community Center, a 13,000-square-foot campus in Compton, California, to serve recently incarcerated individuals and local youth. Released in 2016 after President Barack Obama commuted his life sentence for nonviolent drug offenses, Mr. Wash taught art in prison for 18 years and later gained recognition in the art world, including a breakout appearance at the 2020 Made in L.A. biennial. The center, designed pro bono by Morphosis Architects and The NOW Institute, will offer art-making instruction, studio space, materials, and exhibition opportunities, with the goal of connecting emerging artists to curators and galleries. The project is currently fundraising $100,000 for its first phase, with completion targeted for 2028.

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article news schedule Nov 11, 2025

national museum of damascus heist missing artifacts search 1234761025

The National Museum of Damascus temporarily closed this week after a theft of artifacts from its classical department. Six gold ingots and six Hellenistic marble statues were reportedly stolen, with a broken door discovered Monday morning. Several employees and guards were detained and interrogated before being released. Damascus police chief Brig. Gen. Osama Atkeh confirmed the theft and stated an investigation is underway. The museum had only reopened in January after being closed since December 7, 2024, when anti-Assad forces approached the capital.

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