Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule Dec 19, 2025 visibility 15 link 4 artists

A Calibrated Market: How 2025 Shaped the Landscape for Collectors in 2026

The article analyzes the art market in 2025, describing a year of divergence rather than a single trend. While aggregate sales remained below post-pandemic peaks, the year ended with a billion-dollar New York auction week, a record-setting Klimt portrait, and strong demand for exceptional works. Segments like Old Master auctions and the $1 million–$10 million band saw growth, while the ultra-contemporary segment struggled. Key events included the May marquee auctions in New York, the second edition of Art Basel Paris, and November sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, which demonstrated a split-level market with record highs at the top and discipline elsewhere.

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trending_up market schedule Dec 19, 2025 visibility 28 link 7 artists, 11 galleries

Art market 2025 review: all eyes on the Gulf as Trump destabilises global order

The global art market continued to contract in 2025, with prominent galleries such as Blum, Clearing, Sperone Westwater, Tilton, Kasmin, TJ Boulting, Project Native Informant, Nir Altman, and Altman Siegel closing due to challenging macroeconomic conditions. However, a rebound emerged at the top end by autumn, driven by Sotheby's white-glove sale of the Pauline Karpidas collection, strong VVIP sales at Art Basel Paris, and New York's November auctions, where Klimt's *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* (1914-16) sold for $236.3 million and Frida Kahlo's *El Sueño (la cama)* (1940) for $54.7 million. Christie's and Sotheby's reported increased sales from 2024, with second-half auctions up 26% year-on-year, though recovery remains uneven and concentrated in classic secondary-market tastes.

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trending_up market schedule Dec 10, 2025 visibility 13 link 2 artists

In the bag: Sotheby’s inaugural Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week finds success with Birkins and bling

Sotheby’s inaugural Collectors’ Week in Abu Dhabi (2-5 December) achieved a total of $133.4m across five live auctions held on a beachfront stage. The sale featured luxury items including a Hermès Birkin Voyageur owned by Jane Birkin ($2.9m), a 31.68-carat pink diamond called The Desert Rose ($8.8m), and a Patek Philippe watch set that became the second most valuable watch sold in Sotheby’s history ($11.9m). No art was offered, but the auction house sold 50 items privately, including the world’s largest fancy deep green diamond. The sell-through rate was strong, with only one piece of real estate and a couple of cars unsold, outperforming Sotheby’s earlier Saudi Arabia sale.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Dec 2, 2025 visibility 18 link 3 artists

Two more mega museums open in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi has opened two new mega museums on Saadiyat Island: the Zayed National Museum (ZNM) and the Natural History Museum, coinciding with the country's 54th National Day. The ZNM, one of five original institutions planned for the Saadiyat Cultural District in 2007, tells the story of the UAE from ancient civilizations to the present, featuring a reconstructed Bronze Age sailing ship and over 1,500 archaeological objects. The openings follow news that Frieze Abu Dhabi will launch next year and that Sotheby's will hold its first auctions in the emirate, with Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund ADQ now holding a minority stake in the auction house.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Nov 21, 2025 visibility 19 link 9 artists

The $236m Klimt, Cop 30 and the art world, Caravaggio’s Victorious Cupid—podcast

This podcast episode from The Art Newspaper covers three major art-world stories. Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer" (1914-16) sold for the second-highest price ever at auction during Sotheby's New York sale of works from the late billionaire Leonard Lauder's collection, a "white-glove" auction that has sparked debate about a market recovery. Additionally, the episode discusses COP30-related art commissions appearing on posters across the UK and Brazil under the theme "It's Not Easy Being Green," alongside the Gallery Climate Coalition's new Stocktake Report on carbon emissions. The episode's Work of the Week is Caravaggio's "Victorious Cupid" (1601-02), which has traveled from Berlin's Gemäldegalerie to the Wallace Collection in London for an upcoming exhibition.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 21, 2025 visibility 23 link 16 artists

Frida Kahlo self-portrait sells for $54.7m at Sotheby's, breaking her auction record

Sotheby's held three back-to-back evening sales in New York on November 20, achieving a combined total of $252.9 million ($304.5 million with fees). The highlight was Frida Kahlo's self-portrait *El sueño (La cama)* (1940), which sold for $54.6 million with fees, setting a new auction record for the artist, for a Latin American artist, and for a female artist. The sales included 13 lots from the estate of Cindy and Jay Pritzker, a group of Surrealist works from an unnamed collection, and a multiple-owner Modern art sale featuring collections from the Bucksbaum family and Geri Brawerman.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 21, 2025 visibility 24 link 4 artists

Phillips Collection sells O’Keeffe and other masterpieces amid outcry from supporters

The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., sold three masterworks from its permanent collection at auction on Thursday evening for a combined $13,413,000. The deaccessioned works were by Georgia O’Keeffe, Arthur Dove, and Georges Seurat. The sale proceeded despite strong outcry from some of the museum's influential supporters, who viewed the decision as a betrayal of the founders' vision and accused the director and board of prioritizing financial gain over the institution's mission.

newspaper The Washington Post open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 15 link 9 artists

All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork

Gustav Klimt's "Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer" (Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer) sold for $236.4 million at Sotheby's first auction in its new Breuer building location in New York, becoming the most expensive modern artwork ever sold at auction. The 1914-1916 portrait depicts Elisabeth Lederer, daughter of Klimt's patrons Serena and August Lederer, and was previously owned by Estée Lauder heir Leonard A. Lauder, who died earlier this year. The painting was looted by the Nazis during World War II, returned to the Lederer family in 1948, and later sold in 1983.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 12 link 5 artists

Klimt painting becomes most expensive modern art ever sold at auction

Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer" sold for $236.4 million at Sotheby's, becoming the most expensive work of modern art ever sold at auction. The sale occurred after a 20-minute bidding war that drew gasps and applause from the room, and it also set a record as the most expensive artwork ever sold by the auction house globally.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 13, 2025 visibility 21 link 1 artist

Jenny Saville to present unseen Venice-inspired works to coincide with 61st Biennale

Jenny Saville will present previously unseen works in Venice next year as part of a major exhibition at the International Gallery of Modern Art at Ca’ Pesaro, running from 28 March to 22 November 2026. The show will feature around 30 works from the last 30 years, including a new cycle created in homage to the lagoon city, and coincides with the 61st Venice Biennale (9 May-22 November 2026). The exhibition draws from private and public collections, placing Saville's monumental canvases in dialogue with the great painters of Venice's artistic heritage.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

person people schedule Nov 6, 2025 visibility 21 link 7 artists

Sara Friedlander Appointed Chairman, Post-War & Contemporary Art, Americas - Christie's

Christie's has promoted Sara Friedlander to chairman of Post-War and Contemporary Art for the Americas, as announced by Global President Alex Rotter. Friedlander, a specialist and dealmaker with nearly 20 years at the auction house, will focus on works from the last 50 years. She has brought major collections to market, including the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art and the Edlis | Neeson Collection, and has achieved world-record prices for artists such as Joan Mitchell, Alice Neel, Ernie Barnes, Dorothea Tanning, and Marlene Dumas.

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article culture schedule Nov 4, 2025 visibility 20 link 7 artists

The story of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s brief but dazzling life, as told by an art-world insider

Doug Woodham, former president of Christie's Americas and current managing partner of Art Fiduciary Advisors, has authored a new biography titled "Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Making of an Icon." The book is divided into two halves: the first offers a straightforward biography of Basquiat's life from his gifted childhood in Brooklyn to his rise as a star artist, his friendship with Andy Warhol, and his tragic death from a heroin overdose at age 27. The second half analyzes how Basquiat achieved such early success, examining the influence of his father Gerard, the legal battle with dealer Vrej Baghoomian over the artist's estate, and the roles of collectors like Peter Brant and José Mugrabi. Notably, the Basquiat estate refused permission to include images of his artwork because the book openly addresses sensitive issues about his character and life.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 3, 2025 visibility 14 link 4 artists

Star drawing from world’s largest private Rembrandt collection could bring $15m at auction

Billionaire entrepreneur Thomas S. Kaplan and his wife Daphne Recanati Kaplan are selling Rembrandt's drawing *Young Lion Resting* (circa 1638-42) from their Leiden Collection, one of the world's largest private holdings of 17th-century Dutch art. Sotheby's announced on November 3 that the work will be auctioned during its Old Masters sales in New York on February 4, 2026, with a pre-sale estimate of $15 million to $20 million. Proceeds from the sale will benefit Panthera, a wild-cat conservation organization co-founded by Kaplan and philanthropist Jonathan Ayers, marking the 20th anniversary of the organization's founding.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Oct 17, 2025 visibility 20 link 2 artists

Rare wooden Alexander Calder mobile heads to Christie’s

Christie’s has secured the consignment of Painted Wood (1943), a rare wooden mobile by Alexander Calder, which will lead its 20th Century Evening Sale next month. Specialists estimate the work will sell for between $15 million and $20 million, the highest auction estimate ever placed on a Calder piece. The mobile comes from the collection of prominent Latin American art collector Patricia Phelps de Cisneros and was featured in Calder’s landmark 1943 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where he became the youngest artist to receive a solo exhibition at the museum.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Oct 9, 2025 visibility 17 link 5 artists

$45 million Basquiat painting heads to auction for the first time.

Sotheby's will auction Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting *Crowns (Peso Neto)* (1981) in its contemporary evening sale in New York this November, with an estimate of $35–$45 million—the highest ever for a Basquiat work from 1981. The painting, making its auction debut, was featured in Basquiat's breakthrough solo show at Annina Nosei Gallery in 1982 and later exhibited at documenta 7 in 1983 and the artist's retrospective at Fondation Louis Vuitton in 2018. It will tour London and Paris before being presented at Sotheby's new New York headquarters in the historic Breuer building.

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trending_up market schedule Oct 9, 2025 visibility 19 link 5 artists

Sotheby’s to sell painting from Jean-Michel Basquiat’s first solo show

Sotheby's will offer Jean-Michel Basquiat's early painting *Crowns (Peso Neto)* (1981) as the top lot in its Contemporary Evening Sale on 18 November, held at the auction house's new headquarters in the Breuer Building. The work, estimated at $35–40 million, was created in the basement of dealer Annina Nosei's gallery and featured in Basquiat's first solo show in 1982, marking a pivotal moment in his rise from street artist to market star. It comes from a European private collection and has never been auctioned before.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule Oct 3, 2025 visibility 19 link 10 artists

New documentary gives E.J. Hughes, painter of lyrical Canadian landscapes, his due

A new documentary titled *The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes*, directed by Vancouver filmmaker Jenn Strom, premieres at the Vancouver International Film Festival. The film explores the personal and professional life of the reclusive Canadian landscape painter E.J. Hughes (1913-2007), known for his dreamlike depictions of British Columbia's coastal life. It features interviews with art historians, curators, and locals, and includes footage of major works, such as *Entrance to Howe Sound* (1949), which is set for auction at Heffel with an estimate of C$1.25m–C$1.75m. The documentary was inspired by books by artist-author Robert Amos and took several years to complete due to the pandemic.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Oct 3, 2025 visibility 16 link 11 artists

SILSILA: Highlights from the Dalloul Collection Including Modern & Contemporary Middle Eastern Art - Christie's

Christie's will hold a live auction titled 'SILSILA: Highlights from the Dalloul Collection including Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art' on 6 November 2025 at King Street, London, with an online sale running from 28 October to 11 November. The evening sale features 20 exceptional works from the esteemed Dalloul Collection in Beirut, Lebanon, led by masterpieces from artists such as Mohamed Melehi, Mahmoud Saïd, Dia Al-Azzawi, Marwan, Huguette Caland, Paul Guiragossian, Samia Halaby, and Kamal Boullata. A preview will be held at Christie's Dubai from 3-10 October, showcasing highlights including Guiragossian's 'Automne (Autumn)', El Rayess's 'Soukhour Meyrouba', and Said's 'La colline de Mekarzel'.

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museum exhibitions schedule Oct 2, 2025 visibility 15 link 6 artists

IMA’s 50th Anniversary Gala and Art Auction Promises a Bacchanalian Feast

The Institute of Modern Art (IMA) in Brisbane, Australia's longest-running independent contemporary art gallery, will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a surrealist-themed gala dinner and art auction on October 31 at The Calile Hotel. The event features a sit-down banquet, a benefit auction with works by leading artists including 2025 Archibald Prize winner Julie Fragar, a raffle with prizes from local venues, and live performances. Attendees are encouraged to dress in black tie with a surrealist twist, and artists will be present to interact with buyers.

newspaper Broadsheet open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Oct 1, 2025 visibility 17 link 1 artist, 2 galleries

Hong Kong’s latest art auctions see turnover lingering at 8-year low

Hong Kong's major auction houses—Christie's, Phillips, and Sotheby's—held their seasonal modern and contemporary art evening sales over the past weekend, with total turnover lingering at an eight-year low. Despite the overall downturn, a handful of records and last-minute withdrawals improved the success ratio, and several lots drew vigorous bidding, such as Salvo's "Mattino di primavera (Spring Morning)" which sold for HK$4 million (five times its low estimate) and Firenze Lai's "Basic Knot" which fetched HK$477,300 (nearly four times its low estimate).

newspaper South China Morning Post open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Sep 26, 2025 visibility 18 link 6 artists

Picasso Achieves HK$197 Million Breaking Artist's Asia Auction Record at Christie's Hong Kong Evening Sale - Christie's

Christie's Hong Kong held its 20th/21st Century Evening Sale on 26 September 2025 at The Henderson, achieving a total of HK$565,649,000 (US$73,038,183). The top lot was Pablo Picasso's *Buste de femme*, which sold for HK$196,750,000 (US$25,404,911) after over 15 minutes of bidding, setting a new auction record for the artist in Asia. Zao Wou-Ki's *17.3.63* also performed strongly, achieving HK$85,200,000. The sale saw 92% of lots sold, with the overall hammer price 116% above the low estimate, and works by Chinese, Southeast Asian, Korean, and Japanese artists all sold out.

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trending_up market schedule Sep 22, 2025 visibility 14 link 6 artists

Picasso painting not seen in 80 years heads to auction in France

A Picasso painting unseen for over 80 years, *Buste de femme au chapeau à fleurs (Dora Maar)* (1943), will be auctioned at the Drouot salesroom in Paris on 24 October by Lucien Paris auction house. The work, depicting the artist's lover and muse Dora Maar, has been held in a private French collection since 1944 and carries an estimate of €8 million. The auction catalogue includes an authentication certificate from the Comité Picasso and notes the painting was documented in *Cahiers d’art* and photographed by Brassaï.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Sep 21, 2025 visibility 19 link 16 artists

The Red-Hot Market for South Asian Modernism Has a New Star

A 1989 painting by Bangladeshi modernist S.M. Sultan, titled *Untitled (Cultivation)*, sold for $50,800 at Christie’s New York on Wednesday, more than doubling its high estimate of $25,000 and setting a new auction record for the artist. The work was acquired by a South Asian institution. Sultan, who died in 1994, is known for his depictions of muscular peasants and has only 14 recorded auction results, with his previous record of $19,500 set just two months earlier at Sotheby’s.

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article culture schedule Sep 18, 2025 visibility 17 link 19 artists

From Dior's golden coat to landscape jewellery at Christie's: where the worlds of art and luxury collide this autumn

The article highlights two luxury-art crossovers this autumn: Jonathan Anderson's debut Dior menswear collection for spring/summer 2026, presented in Paris, and Natasha Wightman's new jewellery collection displayed at Christie's London. Anderson's show reimagined Dior's iconic women's silhouettes for men, featuring a standout €200,000 coat embroidered with ancient Indian mukesh work that took 12 artisans 34 days to create. Wightman's jewellery incorporates bog oak, a semi-fossilised wood from British fens, carved into pendants celebrating the country's remaining temperate rainforests.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Sep 18, 2025 visibility 21 link 18 artists

Christie's specialist's Post-War to Present highlights

Christie's specialists highlight key works from their upcoming 'Post-War to Present and Photographs' sale, including Joan Mitchell's 'Peinture II' (1964) from the collection of Vivian Fusillo, Matthew Wong's '5:22 PM', Alejandro Obregón's 'Chivo expiatorio', and a lifetime print by Francesca Woodman. The sale coincides with Mitchell's centennial and a landmark Jack Whitten exhibition, with the auction scheduled for 18 September 2025.

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trending_up market schedule Sep 16, 2025 visibility 25 link 20 artists

Sotheby’s secures $120m Pritzker and $400m Lauder collections, with works by Matisse, Munch and Van Gogh

Sotheby’s has secured two major private collections for its autumn New York sales: the Pritzker collection, estimated at $120 million, and the Lauder collection, valued at around $400 million. The Pritzker collection includes Vincent van Gogh’s *Romans Parisiens* (1887) with a $40 million estimate, while the Lauder collection features Gustav Klimt’s *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* (1914-16) estimated at over $150 million, along with works by Matisse, Munch, and Martin. The sales will take place at Sotheby’s new headquarters in the Breuer Building this November.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Sep 9, 2025 visibility 14 link 11 artists

Christie’s expects Elaine Wynn’s collection to bring $75m, while her record-breaking Bacon triptych goes to Lacma

Christie’s will auction more than a dozen jewels from the collection of the late billionaire and philanthropist Elaine Wynn this autumn in New York, with total estimates exceeding $75 million. Highlights include Lucian Freud's *The Painter Surprised by a Naked Admirer* (2005) and Richard Diebenkorn's *Ocean Park #40* (1971), each estimated at $15–$25 million, alongside works by Joan Mitchell, J.M.W. Turner, Wayne Thiebaud, and others. Meanwhile, the crown jewel of Wynn’s collection—Francis Bacon’s 1969 triptych *Three Studies of Lucian Freud*, which she bought for a record $142.4 million at Christie’s in 2013—has been bequeathed to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Lacma) and will debut in its new David Geffen Galleries building next April.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Sep 9, 2025 visibility 17 link 8 artists

Chef Daniel Humm Is the Latest Star to Leave Their Mark on Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated Auction Series

Chef Daniel Humm, the renowned culinary figure behind Eleven Madison Park, has guest-curated Sotheby's Contemporary Curated auction series, selecting artworks with the same rhythmic and intentional approach he uses in menu creation. In an interview with CULTURED, Humm describes how a transformative encounter with Claude Monet's Water Lilies at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris inspired his curatorial philosophy, emphasizing stillness, contemplation, and dialogue between works. His selections include pieces by Roni Horn, Alex Katz, Keith Haring, Sarah Crowner, and Jean Dubuffet, reflecting personal friendships and a desire to create an immersive, sensory experience akin to a multi-course meal.

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museum exhibitions schedule Sep 6, 2025 visibility 18 link 8 artists

Man Ray’s Mysteries, in Glorious Bloom at the Met

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is opening a major exhibition titled "Man Ray: When Objects Dream" on September 14, 2025, featuring 64 rayographs and about 100 other works by the artist from his most productive period in the late 1910s and 1920s. Curators Stephanie D'Alessandro and Stephen C. Pinson aim to separate fact from the artist's own mythology, while the exhibition's centerpiece is "Le Violon d'Ingres" (1924), the most expensive photograph ever sold at auction, purchased by museum trustee John Pritzker for $12.4 million at Christie's in 2022. The show also includes a previously unannounced promised gift of 188 artworks by Man Ray and his Dada and Surrealist cohort from Pritzker.

newspaper The New York Times open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Aug 27, 2025 visibility 22 link 15 artists

Sarasota Art Museum stages an Art Deco extravaganza

The Sarasota Art Museum (SAM) on the Ringling College of Art and Design campus has opened "Art Deco: The Golden Age of Illustration," an exhibition of 100 large posters from the Crouse family collection. Curated by Rangsook Yoon, the show celebrates the 100th anniversary of Art Deco, tracing its origins from the Belle Epoque through the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, and features works by artists such as Alphonse Mucha, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen. The Crouses, who previously lent works to The Guggenheim and the Victoria and Albert Museum, displayed part of their collection at New York's Poster House in 2023-2024.

newspaper Your Observer open_in_new Read original