Art News. Vasari Codex

rate_review review schedule Jan 27, 2026 visibility 14 link 3 artists

the gallerist sundance review natalie portman jenna ortega

The Gallerist, a new satire directed by Cathy Yan, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film follows struggling gallerist Polina Polinski (Natalie Portman), who is betting everything on a one-artist debut at Art Basel Miami Beach. After an obnoxious art influencer, Dalton Hardberry (Zach Galifianakis), dies accidentally by impalement on a sculpture titled The Emasculator, Polina and her assistant Kiki (Jenna Ortega) conspire to pass off his corpse as part of the artwork, duping wealthy clients. The ensemble cast also includes Catherine Zeta-Jones as a legendary dealer reminiscent of Marian Goodman, Da'Vine Joy Randolph as the earnest artist Stella Burgess, and Sterling K. Brown as Polina's ex-husband.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jan 26, 2026 visibility 13 link 2 artists

ai weiwei returns to china 10 years

Artist Ai Weiwei returned to his native China after 10 years in exile, making a quiet three-week trip to Beijing last month. It was his first visit since authorities returned his confiscated passport in 2015, allowing him to leave China and live in Europe. During the trip, Ai was briefly interrogated at the airport but otherwise faced no interference. He shared photos and videos on Instagram, and told CNN the visit felt like a reconnection after a decade-long disconnection. The trip was partly motivated by a desire for his 17-year-old son and 93-year-old mother to meet.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule Jan 16, 2026 visibility 14 link 4 artists

juergen teller bottega veneta summer 2026 campaign

Juergen Teller has photographed Bottega Veneta's Summer 2026 campaign, set against the iconic landmarks of Venice, including the Palazzo Contarini Polignac and the Venice Giardini. The campaign features models Liya Kebede and Anine Van Velzen, and arrives ahead of the 2026 Venice Biennale. It also marks the debut collection of Louise Trotter, who joined Bottega Veneta as creative director last year, drawing on the house's 50-year archives and reimagining signature items like the Lauren and Knot bags.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jan 12, 2026 visibility 12 link 3 artists

art market minute jan 12

Artnet's Price Database reveals signs of recovery at the top end of the art market in 2025, following three years of contraction. The article highlights gains in high-value sales, exemplified by Gustav Klimt's "Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer" pictured at Sotheby's Marquee Sales Series in New York. It also notes a growing trend of small and emerging galleries working with artists' estates, and reports that roughly half of art-backed loans by non-bank businesses defaulted in 2024.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article policy schedule Jan 5, 2026 visibility 11 link 3 artists

extraordinary artist visas social media influencers

Immigration lawyers report that social media influencers and OnlyFans models are increasingly qualifying for O-1B visas—the U.S. visa category for individuals with extraordinary ability in the arts—by presenting online metrics such as follower counts, earnings, and brand deals as evidence of distinction. Traditionally, visual artists have needed exhibition histories, recommendation letters, and press clips to apply, but attorneys say the criteria have shifted to accommodate digital fame, with some arguing that the quality of approved applicants has been "watered down."

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jan 1, 2026 visibility 12 link 6 artists

sothebys to unveil 1 b of art and luxury goods during abu dhabi collectors week in december

Sotheby's announced that $1 billion worth of fine art and luxury goods will be unveiled during Abu Dhabi Collectors' Week, running from December 2 to 5. The event includes non-selling exhibitions of high-value artworks, such as a Rembrandt drawing and Gustav Klimt's 'Dame mit Fächer,' while luxury items like McLaren racing cars, a Jane Birkin handbag, diamonds, and real estate will be offered at auction or privately, with over $150 million going to auction and $100 million in private sales.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule Dec 29, 2025 visibility 16 link 6 artists

reframing the frame

Artnet News revisits the trend of inventive, sculptural frames in contemporary painting, originally explored in Katie White's essay "Bordercore." The article features a podcast conversation between White and editor Ben Davis, examining how artists like Stephanie Temma Hier use frames as surreal, symbolic extensions of their work, moving beyond traditional containment to comment on and disrupt the artwork's boundaries.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Dec 18, 2025 visibility 16 link 7 artists

phillips records 10 rise in global sales for 2025 taking 927 m as private sales surge by 66

Phillips reported global sales of $927 million for 2025, a 10% increase over the previous year. Auction sales accounted for $725 million, while private sales surged 66% to $202 million. The auction house attributed growth to the launch of Priority Bidding, a platform offering reduced buyer's premiums for early bids, which led to a 275% increase in early selling bids. Phillips achieved an 88% sell-through rate by lot, with seven white-glove auctions and over 110 world auction records. Notable sales included a Patek Philippe watch for $17.6 million and Francis Bacon's *Study for Head of Isabel Rawsthorne and George Dyer* (1967) for $16 million. The luxury watch division generated $290 million, its highest annual total, and the Dropshop platform attracted many first-time and younger buyers.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Dec 17, 2025 visibility 13 link 1 artist

christies 2025 sales results analysis

Christie's closed 2025 with $6.2 billion in projected global sales, a nearly seven percent increase from $5.8 billion in 2024 and in line with its 2023 total. Auction sales reached $4.7 billion, up eight percent year-over-year, while private sales held steady at $1.5 billion. The year's top lot was Mark Rothko's *No. 31 (Yellow Stripe)*, which sold for $62.1 million in New York. Other highlights include a record Picasso sale in Hong Kong ($25.4 million) and the Fabergé Winter Egg in London (£22.9 million). The house also saw strong performance from its automobiles business, Gooding Christie's, which delivered $234 million in sales. Geographically, the Americas grew 15 percent to $2.58 billion, while Asia-Pacific slipped 5 percent.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Dec 12, 2025 visibility 16 link 12 artists

frank frazetta fantasy art market

Frank Frazetta's iconic painting *Conan the Berserker* (1967) is being auctioned at Heritage Auctions with an opening bid of $10 million. The work, originally created for the cover of the 1967 paperback *Conan the Conqueror*, has become one of the definitive images of the fantasy hero. This year alone, five Frazetta paintings have sold for over $1 million, including *Man Ape* (1966) which fetched $13.5 million in September. The artist's total sales volume was just $674,640 in 2018, according to the Artnet Price Database.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Dec 11, 2025 visibility 29 link 13 artists

art basel awards 2025

Art Basel launched its inaugural Art Basel Awards ceremony at the New World Center in Miami Beach during Art Basel Miami Beach week. The awards, first introduced in New York in May, recognized 36 medalists across categories including Icon, Established, Emerging, Patron, Institution, Curator, and Media & Storytelling. Top winners included Cecilia Vicuña (Icon), Nairy Baghramian and Ibrahim Mahama (Established), Mohammad Alfaraj and Saodat Ismailova (Emerging), and Meriem Bennani (BOSS Award). The event was hosted by musician and collector Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, with performances by cellist Kelsey Lu and recorded narration by actor Emma D'Arcy. Each artist received $50,000, and established artists will debut commissions at Art Basel in Switzerland next year.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Dec 10, 2025 visibility 16 link 2 artists

red grooms work tennessee state museum seeks help restoring

In 1995, artist Red Grooms created the Tennessee Foxtrot Carousel, a working carousel featuring 36 figures from Tennessee history, installed at the base of Nashville's Broadway. After financial troubles forced its closure in 2003, the Tennessee State Museum acquired and dismantled it in 2004, storing it for years. Though the museum moved to a new $160 million building in 2018, the carousel remained in storage. Now, the museum has issued a request for information seeking partners to restore and operate the carousel, as reported by the New York Times.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Dec 10, 2025 visibility 32 link 9 artists

lalanne hippopotame bar 31m sothebys record

François-Xavier Lalanne’s copper sculpture-bar 'Hippopotame Bar' sold for $31.4 million at Sotheby’s in New York, more than tripling its $7–10 million estimate after a 26-minute bidding war among seven bidders. The work, commissioned in 1976 by patron Anne Schlumberger and unique in its copper execution, set a new auction record for the artist and became the most expensive work of design ever sold at auction. The sale capped a year of strong performance for Lalanne’s hybrid animal-furniture works, which have consistently outperformed expectations even in a tougher art market.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Dec 5, 2025 visibility 20 link 4 artists

daughter of marisa merz cancels show in kassel over documentas antisemitism policy

An exhibition of work by late Arte Povera artist Marisa Merz, planned for the Fridericianum museum in Kassel, Germany, has been canceled by her daughter Beatrice Merz. Beatrice, president of the Fondazione Merz, called off the show in protest of Documenta's newly adopted Code of Conduct, which uses the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. The exhibition was originally scheduled to open in August 2025 and was replaced with a Robert Grosvenor survey. The cancellation was confirmed by Andreas Hoffmann, managing director of Documenta and the Fridericianum.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Dec 4, 2025 visibility 19 link 5 artists

beeple pooping robot dogs at art basel miami beach

At Art Basel Miami Beach, digital artist Beeple (Mike Winkelmann) debuted a new installation titled "Regular Animals" in the fair's Zero10 digital art section. The work features a pen of robot dogs fitted with lifelike heads of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Jeff Bezos, and Beeple himself. The robots wander, twitch, and periodically tip backward to eject printed images from their backsides, satirizing the algorithmic nature of digital platforms. The installation drew large crowds, with visitors like Courtney Karnez describing it as a "guilty pleasure" and a communal spectacle. By the end of the first VIP day, all editions of the robots had sold for $100,000 each.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule Dec 4, 2025 visibility 19 link 6 artists

pantone color of the year white

Pantone has announced 11-4201 Cloud Dancer, a soft shade of bright white, as its 2026 Color of the Year. This marks the first time the company has chosen a white hue since launching the initiative in 1999, following last year's Mocha Mousse. The decision, announced by Pantone Color Institute vice president Laurie Pressman, is framed as a symbol of calm and a desire for a fresh start in a frenetic society, drawing comparisons to Kazimir Malevich's Suprematist compositions and Robert Ryman's white paintings. The announcement has sparked debate over its cultural and political implications, with critics noting the choice's potential elitism and its resonance amid ongoing racial tensions.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 29, 2025 visibility 12 link 6 artists

sothebys london lifts lid on its old master and 19th century evening sale with half of works unseen for a century

Sotheby's London has announced the full lineup for its Old Master and 19th century evening sale on December 3, featuring 31 works defined by exceptional scholarly significance and rare discoveries. Half of the lots have been hidden from public view for over a century, and 12 have not appeared on the secondary market in 40 years. Top lots include Hans Eworth's portrait of Thomas Howard (estimate £3 million), Pieter Brueghel the Younger's The Census at Bethlehem (£5 million), a rediscovered Peter Paul Rubens oil sketch (£3 million), and a Rembrandt portrait of Saint John on Patmos (£7 million). The sale also includes works from the collection of Dr Hinrich Bischoff, such as Lucas van Valckenborch's Autumn: Landscape with Archduke Matthias of Austria (£800,000).

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 21, 2025 visibility 15 link 10 artists

phillips evening sale 2025 stats

Phillips held its Modern and contemporary art evening sale in New York on Wednesday night, achieving $67.3 million in total sales—a 24.4 percent increase from the same auction last November. The sale featured 33 lots with a 94 percent sell-through rate, including a triceratops fossil that sold for $5.4 million through a partnership with natural history dealer Christian Link. Top lots included Francis Bacon's *Study for Head of Isabel Rawsthorne and George Dyer* (1967) at $16 million with premium, Jean-Michel Basquiat's *Exercise* (1984) at $3.8 million, and two works by Ruth Asawa. Only one artwork, a Jadé Fadojutimi, failed to sell, and there were no withdrawals.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 12 link 3 artists

konstantin chaykin mad horological party universe

Russian watchmaker and artist Konstantin Chaykin debuts his new painting, 'A Mad Horological Party,' at Dubai Watch Week 2025 from November 19–23, before it heads to auction via Ineichen Auctioneers on December 13. The artwork draws inspiration from Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland' and parallels Chaykin's ambitious 'White Rabbit' wristwatch, which features 16 complications. Chaykin, a master of haute horlogerie and member of the Academy of Independent Creators in Watchmaking (AHCI), blends his technical watchmaking expertise with painting, using a proprietary method rooted in geometry, precise calculations, and hidden symmetries.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 17, 2025 visibility 16 link 5 artists

liebermann resituted gurlitt auction

Max Liebermann's painting *Two Riders on a Beach* (1901), recently restituted to the Rosenburg family from the Cornelius Gurlitt hoard, will be auctioned at Sotheby's in London on June 24, with an estimated price of up to £500,000 ($850,000). The work is one of the first two artworks returned from the trove discovered in Gurlitt's Munich apartment in 2012; the other, Henri Matisse's *Woman with a Fan* (1932), was also handed back to the Rosenburg family last week.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 17, 2025 visibility 12 link 7 artists

art market minute nov 17

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.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Nov 12, 2025 visibility 15 link 13 artists

preservationists petition to save wilbur building the sistine chapel of new deal art

Preservationists are petitioning to save Washington, D.C.'s Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building, known as the 'Sistine Chapel of New Deal Art' for its 20th-century murals by Philip Guston and Ben Shahn. The Trump administration has listed the building for sale under an 'accelerated disposal' program, raising fears it could be demolished. The nonprofit Living New Deal launched a petition demanding transparency and public participation, as the building is one of 45 federal properties slated for swift sale. The structure, completed in 1940, houses ten New Deal-era artworks including frescoes, relief sculptures, and murals, and has been home to Voice of America since 1954.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

person people schedule Nov 6, 2025 visibility 15 link 5 artists

sara friedlander christies chairman post war contemporary art

Sara Friedlander has been named chairman of Post-War & Contemporary Art for the Americas at Christie's. In an interview, she discusses her philosophy of prioritizing client relationships and the art itself over market speculation, criticizing the trend of 'wet paint' sales that inflate young artists' prices. She has overseen major private collection sales including the Edlis | Neeson Collection, which will anchor Christie's 21st Century Sale, and has set records for artists like Ernie Barnes and Joan Mitchell.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Oct 29, 2025 visibility 15 link 7 artists

jfk terminal one artist commissions

Seven artists—Kelly Akashi, Firelei Báez, Julie Curtiss, Woody De Othello, Tomás Saraceno, Ilana Savdie, and Yinka Shonibare—have been commissioned to create public artworks for the new $9.5 billion Terminal One at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The terminal will open in phases starting in 2026, with completion expected by 2030. The works, presented under the banner "We Travel Under One Sky," include sculptures, mosaics, murals, and a suspended installation, many of which explore themes of migration and New York's history. The program is organized by Culture Corps as part of a larger cultural initiative for the airport.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Oct 28, 2025 visibility 17 link 1 artist

canaletto 2026 christies old masters sale

A Canaletto painting titled *Venice, the Bucintoro at the Molo on Ascension Day* (ca. 1754) will lead Christie’s Old Masters sale in New York this February 2026, with an estimate of over $30 million. The monumental canvas, commissioned by the King family (later Earls of Lovelace), is the last known version of this subject by the artist. It last sold at Christie’s 20 years ago during the Champalimaud Collection sale, setting a record. The work will tour exhibitions in New York, Hong Kong, and London before returning to New York for a pre-sale exhibition.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Oct 28, 2025 visibility 14 link 7 artists

sothebys records highest ever totals in france for surrealist and modern sales during art basel paris week

Sotheby's Paris achieved record-breaking totals for surrealist and modern art auctions during Art Basel Paris week, with combined sales of €89.7 million ($104 million) across its Surrealism and Its Legacy and Modernités sales—a 50 percent increase over the same event last year. The top lot was Amedeo Modigliani's *Elvire en buste* (1918-1919), which sold for €27 million ($31.3 million), the highest auction price for a painting by the Italian artist in France and the most valuable work ever sold by Sotheby's Paris. Other highlights included Modigliani's *Raymond* (1915) at €10.6 million, René Magritte's *La Magie Noire* (1934) at €10.7 million, and a complete set of Pablo Picasso's *Séries 347* etchings, which set a French auction record for any print by the artist.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Oct 23, 2025 visibility 15 link 5 artists

christies modern british and irish evening auction in london nets 23 m marking 20 percent increase on 2024s sale

Christie’s Modern British and Irish Art evening sale in London on Wednesday achieved £17.3 million ($23 million), a 20 percent increase over the equivalent sale in 2024. The top lot was Barbara Hepworth’s *The Family of Man (Figure 9, The Bride)* (1970), which sold for £3.9 million ($5.2 million). The sale had a 90 percent sell-through rate by value and 81 percent by lot, with 39 percent of works exceeding their high estimates, though the total fell short of the £22.6 million high estimate. Other notable results included Hepworth’s *Vertical Wood Form* (1968) at £1.4 million, Stanley Spencer’s *The Meeting* (1933) at the same price, and Bridget Riley’s *Dendera* (1983-2002) at £1.2 million.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Oct 21, 2025 visibility 14 link 3 artists

chinese artist gao zhen detainment poor health

Chinese artist Gao Zhen, arrested in 2024 on charges of slandering China's heroes and martyrs, remains in detention with deteriorating health, according to Human Rights Watch. The nonprofit reports that Gao, known for politically charged works challenging Communist orthodoxies, has fainted and may have arteriosclerosis, a stroke precursor. He is held in a crowded cell, denied medical bail, and awaits a trial date. Gao, a US permanent resident, has written to dissident artist Ai Weiwei, drawing parallels to Ai's 2011 detention and lamenting the lack of international outcry.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Oct 16, 2025 visibility 29 link 15 artists

phillips london evening sale frieze results

Phillips’s Frieze Week evening sale in London totaled £10.33 million ($13.88 million) across 22 lots, a 32% decline from last year’s £15.1 million on 31 lots. The sale was 82% sold by lot and 84% by value. Highlights included a new world auction record for Emma McIntyre, whose painting *Seven Types of Ambiguity* (2021) sold for £167,700, and strong results for Martha Jungwirth and Flora Yukhnovich. However, major lots by Banksy, Andy Warhol, and Jean-Michel Basquiat underperformed or failed to sell, and four lots went unsold, including works by Andreas Gursky and Sigmar Polke.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Oct 16, 2025 visibility 19 link 3 artists

fake paintings india investment banker farmer charge sheet

Indian officials have released a charge sheet in an ongoing investigation into the sale of forged paintings attributed to major modern Indian artists M. F. Husain, S. H. Raza, Manjit Bawa, and F. N. Souza. The alleged scheme involved a poor farmer, Raghavendra Parmar, who posed as a maharaja to sell fake works, aided by lawyer Vishwang Desai, who presented himself as a collector to persuade investment banker Puneet Bhatia to purchase the pieces. The paintings, collectively valued at around ₹17.9 crore ($2 million), were allegedly funneled through Mumbai's Rare Art Gallery, run by Rajesh Rajpal, and the related firm Art India International. A former IAS officer, Subroto Banerjee, is also implicated but denies involvement.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original