India’s art market sees major resurgence in 2025; M F Hussain’s work breaks record

India's art market experienced a major resurgence in 2025, driven by record auction sales for modernists like M.F. Husain, Tyeb Mehta, and V.S. Gaitonde. Husain's 'Gram Yatra' became the first Indian painting to sell for over USD 10 million, setting a new benchmark. The boom is fueled by India's strong economy, rising private wealth, digital platforms, and increased global recognition. The India Art Fair in Delhi and the launch of India Art Fair Contemporary in Mumbai highlighted strong sales, with galleries selling 90% of their stands on preview day. A reduction in India's goods and services tax on art from 12% to 5% further boosted the market, while independent reports estimate Indian art auctions reached Rs 2,456.7 crore, up over 20% from the previous year.

Inside Kashi Hallegua House, The Historic Kochi Mansion Hosting One of the Biennale’s Most Provocative Art Exhibition

The historic 200-year-old Kashi Hallegua House in Kochi's Jewish quarter has been transformed into Ishara House, hosting the exhibition "Amphibian Aesthetics" during the Kochi-Muziris Biennale season. Running from December 13, 2025, to March 31, 2026, the show features 12 international artists including Shilpa Gupta, Michelangelo Pistoletto, and Dima Srouji, with works responding directly to the building's architecture and maritime histories. The exhibition is organized by Ishara Art Foundation and curated with an "amphibian" lens, exploring themes of transition, climate crisis, and cultural displacement.

'Savannah Figurative' exhibit to showcase process studies of eight artists

Arts Southeast has named Isaac McCaslin as its 2025 Incubator Artist, providing him with a studio, exhibition opportunities, and mentorship. In response to the lack of affordable live-model drawing in Savannah, McCaslin founded the Savannah Open Model Sessions. An upcoming exhibition, "Savannah Figurative," opening January 9, 2026, at Cute Tomatoes Gallery, will showcase completed works and process studies by eight artists, including McCaslin, Phil Musen, and Astoria Jellett, highlighting the importance of figure study in their practices.

Black.2; Family Values; Studio Exhibition

Amelia Winata reviews three concurrent group exhibitions in Melbourne galleries: 'Black.2' at Void_Melbourne (15 Nov–20 Dec 2025), 'Family Values' at Futures (6 Dec–20 Dec 2025), and 'Studio Exhibition' at Haydens (6 Dec 2025). The article opens with a metaphor comparing the gallery-goer's experience to the rescue ship Carpathia navigating icebergs, reflecting the glut of end-of-year group shows in Melbourne's commercial spaces. Winata visits each space, describing the deco-chic building housing Void_, the formalist black-themed works by artists like Nick Devlin, Elvis Richardson, Sarah Goffman, and Suzie Idiens, and the broader context of Melbourne's gallery scene.

Savannah artists finding big ways in small places to stage exhibitions

Savannah artists are creating new exhibition spaces in small, unconventional venues to counter the city's lack of affordable studio and gallery space. Following the closure of several local galleries, nonprofit Arts Southeast has been fostering resilience, with new spaces like Cute Tomatoes Gallery, Pocket Space (hosted by Norwood Gallery), and Camaleon opening in 2025. These artist-run initiatives feature rotating shows, including a group exhibition of 19 female artists at Norwood Gallery and a multidisciplinary venue at Camaleon directed by SCAD graduate Alex Mendi.

Artistic discs

Kolkata Ink Studio presented a group exhibition of graphic art at Gallery Charubasona, featuring 18 artists who each contributed two disc-shaped copperplates and matching prints. The works ranged from Manik Kumar Ghosh's clever double-disc brassiere to Partha Pratim Deb's absurd clownish figures, Laxma Goud's restrained goddess imagery, and Rm. Palaniappan's three-dimensional illusions. Other highlights included Siddhartha Ghosh's identity-less human figures, Sukla Poddar's environmental themes, and Swapnesh Vaigankar's archaeological inspirations. The exhibition was described as neat but lacking in challenge, with most works in monochrome and only faint touches of color.

Bay Area Then

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco presents 'Bay Area Then,' an exhibition running from August 1, 2025, to January 25, 2026, that surveys the Northern California art scene between 1990 and 2005. Guest curated by Eungie Joo, the show features works by nineteen artists or collaborations, including Manuel Ocampo, Margaret Kilgallen, Bill Daniel, Ruby Neri, and Carolyn Castaño, mixing historical pieces with recent productions by artists who emerged during that era.

Jacksonville-born Whitney Oldenburg with exhibition at hometown museum

The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville (MOCA) will open "Whitney Oldenburg: left behind" on November 20, 2025, the first institutional survey of the artist's paintings and drawings. The exhibition features 23 sculptures and 19 drawings exploring the complex relationship between humans and objects in contemporary culture, and will remain on view through April 19, 2026. Oldenburg, a Jacksonville-born artist now based in New York, incorporates repurposed consumer items, personal belongings, and craft materials into her work, which challenges viewers to question their attachments to material possessions.

MAD's lucas museum of narrative art in los angeles prepares for september 2026 opening

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles's Exposition Park has announced its public opening for September 22, 2026. Designed by MAD (Ma Yansong), the futuristic building features a sculptural canopy with over 1,500 fiberglass-reinforced polymer panels, a 56-meter central archway, and a four-story elliptical oculus. Co-founded by filmmaker George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the museum will house 9,290 square meters of galleries drawing from a collection of more than 40,000 works spanning classic illustration, muralism, comic art, science fiction imagery, and cinematic artifacts. Landscape architect Mia Lehrer is transforming surrounding parking lots into a shaded public oasis with over 200 trees. Sandra Jackson-Dumont, the former CEO, left her post in April 2025 as the museum restructured, splitting the roles of director and CEO, with Lucas steering artistic content.

Kellogg Gallery spotlights unconventional, colorful artists

Cal Poly Pomona's W. Keith and Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery is presenting "Color & Quirk," an exhibition running from August 25 to November 18, 2025, curated by Michele Cairella Fillmore. The show features unconventional, colorful artists who avoid white, black, and gray, including Megan Geckler, known for immersive flagging tape installations like "You can never quarantine the past," Colin Roberts, who creates plexiglass sculptures inspired by glass architecture, and Seda Saar, whose work explores perception, light, and color through interior architecture and themed entertainment design.

The most beautiful artwork at Frieze London? My newborn

A new mother recounts her chaotic experience attending Frieze London with her three-month-old baby. She struggles to find a private space to breastfeed, is directed away from a stack of chairs reserved for an art installation, and ultimately feeds her baby on a crowded bench near the entrance. After a diaper change, she finally joins a tour of the fair's curated section "Echoes in the Present" and connects with works by artists like Bunmi Agusto.

Philadelphia museum opens $20m expansion after winning back cancelled funding from Trump administration

Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia will unveil a $20 million expansion on November 1, adding the Frances M. Maguire Hall for Art and Education—a converted 19th-century mansion with 14 galleries and an education studio. The project, which also includes four acres of new green space, was funded in part by a gift from the Maguire Foundation and follows the museum's acquisition of the adjacent building in 2021. The expansion allows the museum to display more of its 8,000+ works by regional artists, including Pennsylvania Impressionists and Violet Oakley's preparatory sketches.

Shifting the dial: new fair Echo Soho celebrates women-run galleries

Echo Soho, a new art fair dedicated to female-led galleries, launched this week in London to address the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles within the art world. Organized by India Rose James, founder of Soho Revue, the fair features 12 galleries, most of which are showing women artists, with works priced accessibly and participation costs kept low to encourage inclusivity. The fair takes place at Artists House, a Georgian townhouse owned by James's family's Soho Estates.

Shifting the dial: new fair Echo Soho celebrates women-run galleries

Echo Soho, a new art fair dedicated to female-led galleries, launched this week in London to address the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles within the art world. Conceived by gallerist India Rose James, the fair features 12 galleries, most of which are showing women artists, with works priced accessibly and participation costs kept low to encourage inclusivity. The fair takes place at Artists House, a Georgian townhouse owned by James's family's Soho Estates.

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

The Pavilion of Art and Design (PAD) in Mayfair's Berkeley Square opened with strong sales, with limited-edition design pieces selling rapidly. Highlights included a Finn Juhl Judas table at Modernity, Alvar Aalto furniture at Rose Uniacke, and works by Carlo Bugatti at Sceners, which won best stand. Gallerists reported high demand for bar carts and Scandinavian design, while Tristano di Robilant's glass sculptures and Max Lamb's ceramic chairs also drew attention.

Stone Gallery Show Explores What It Means to Be Not from Here, Not from There

Boston University's Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery is presenting "Ni de Aquí, Ni de Alla" (Not from Here, Not from There), a solo exhibition by artist Victor Quiñonez, known as Marka27, running through December 10. The show features paintings, murals, sculptures, and large-scale installations that explore the intersection of opposing cultures, languages, and experiences, drawing on Quiñonez's neo-Indigenous aesthetic and his background as a graffiti artist. The exhibition was three years in the making and includes works that blend street art with references to Mexican masters like Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros.

Comment | Bristol's Spike Island has become an environmental beacon—here's why it makes financial sense for others to follow suit

Spike Island, a creative hub in Bristol housed in a historic tea packing factory, has become a model for environmental sustainability in the art world. Its director Nicole Yip commissioned an energy report during the Covid-19 pandemic, which revealed that 85% of the organization's emissions and a large portion of its running costs were due to heat loss through the roof. In response, Spike Island replaced the roof and installed solar panels, which have already saved 6,000 kilograms of CO2 emissions since March. The upgrades are now part of a larger capital masterplan developed with Max Fordham and 6a Architects, aiming to reduce heat loss by 50% over the next decade.

Comment | Bristol's Spike Island has become an environmental beacon—here's why it makes financial sense for others to follow suit

Spike Island, a creative hub in Bristol housed in a historic tea packing factory, has been recognized by the Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) as a model of environmentally sustainable practice. After an energy audit revealed that 85% of its emissions and running costs came from heating the leaky 1950s building, the organization installed solar panels and began a major retrofit. Since March, the panels have saved 6,000 kilograms of CO2, and further upgrades—including heat pumps and insulation—are planned as part of a long-term capital masterplan developed with Max Fordham and 6a Architects.

Martin Parr steps out from behind the camera lens in informal autobiography

Martin Parr, the renowned British documentary photographer, has released an informal autobiography titled "Utterly Lazy and Inattentive: Martin Parr in Words and Pictures," written with author Wendy Jones. The book traces his career from early black-and-white work inspired by Garry Winogrand and Tony Ray-Jones to his signature vivid color series like "The Last Resort" (1983-85) and "Small World" (1987-94), which drew controversy for their satirical take on British leisure and global tourism. Parr, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2021, continues to be active, with his photographs of Bristol Pride currently on display at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery through March 2026.

Hannah Black at zaza'

Artist Hannah Black opened a solo exhibition titled "Harsh Muting" at the gallery zaza' in Naples. The show runs from March 20 to May 3, 2026, and is documented with 14 images on the Contemporary Art Daily platform.

Announcement

Announcement

The Contemporary Art Daily has released the full digital archive of artist SoiL Thornton's solo exhibitions. The comprehensive collection, published in their Contemporary Art Quarterly, documents Thornton's work dating back to 2017, providing centralized access to years of the artist's major projects and installations.

Chantana Tiprachart Wins Han Nefkens Foundation’s Southeast Asian Video Art Grant

Thai artist and filmmaker Chantana Tiprachart has been awarded the 2026 Southeast Asian Video Art Production Grant by the Han Nefkens Foundation. The prize provides $15,000 for the production of a new moving-image work over a nine-month period, which will subsequently tour several international institutions including the Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai and Nottingham Contemporary. The jury selected Tiprachart for her ability to locate social and political narratives within quiet, everyday spaces, praising her commitment to reflection in an era of information overload.

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Former Museum of Modern Art director Glenn Lowry has publicly defended billionaire collector Leon Black regarding his continued presence on the museum's board despite his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Lowry emphasized Black's financial commitment to the institution, specifically citing his role in preventing staff layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic and his decision to step down as board chair in 2021 to protect the museum from further controversy.

Chehel Sotoun Damaged in Isfahan, Iran

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The 17th-century Chehel Sotoun Palace in Isfahan, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has sustained significant damage following airstrikes in the region. Reports and video footage indicate that the palace's grand windows were shattered and its historic doors blasted open after a strike targeted a nearby government building. This incident follows a similar attack just one week prior that damaged the Golestan Palace in Tehran, marking a troubling trend of collateral damage to Iran's most significant cultural landmarks.

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The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto has appointed Nicholas R. Bell as its new director and CEO, effective July 6. Bell, who currently leads the Glenbow museum in Calgary, succeeds Josh Basseches following a decade-long tenure. During his time at Glenbow, Bell was noted for securing a $250 million capital campaign and implementing a landmark free-admission policy, the first of its kind for a major Canadian museum.

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The Birmingham Museum of Art has launched a public appeal to locate missing artworks by Corietta Mitchell, the first Black artist to receive a solo exhibition at the institution during the Jim Crow era. Staged quietly in March 1963 just months before the repeal of local segregation ordinances, the exhibition is documented only by a checklist and a single grainy photograph. As the museum celebrates its 75th anniversary, officials are seeking to recover these works to address a significant gap in their institutional archives.

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Plans for a Centre Pompidou satellite museum in Jersey City have been officially canceled. The project, first announced in 2021, would have been the Paris museum's only North American outpost, but faced years of political opposition and funding disputes, culminating in the newly elected mayor declaring the project dead.

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The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore has appointed Katherine Larson as its chief collections and curatorial affairs officer, a newly created senior role. Larson will also serve as senior curator of Ancient Art, overseeing curatorial operations, collections, conservation, research, the exhibition calendar, and fundraising, beginning March 30.

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Paul Dien, the chief marketing officer behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art's controversial rebranding, has resigned effective February 1. Dien, who joined the museum in 2023, oversaw the institution's name change to "Philadelphia Art Museum" and a new visual identity that drew widespread public mockery on social media. The rebranding was intended to boost attendance, but faced backlash from locals and critics. Dien's departure follows the ouster of former director and CEO Sasha Suda in November, who has since filed a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the museum.

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Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican musician, touched a Mayan stela on display at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City and posted an image of the act on Instagram. Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) publicly reprimanded him, stating that physical contact with archaeological property is prohibited and that security staff had repeatedly warned him. The post has since been deleted.