Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule Feb 5, 2026 visibility 21 link 11 artists

adam lindemann too much art column

Adam Lindemann draws a parallel between the oversupply of wine and the current state of the art market, noting that too many galleries and artists are producing work while demand from collectors is slowing. He cites the glut of art fairs, particularly the 840 galleries exhibiting during Miami Basel week in December 2025, and quotes advisor Allan Schwartzman describing the market as "tired." Lindemann observes that even mega-trophies like Leonardo's *Salvator Mundi* are rare exceptions, and that museums are becoming more selective in accepting donations.

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article culture schedule Jan 26, 2026 visibility 9 link 3 artists

artist turns celebrity fad diets into old master style still lifes

Photographer Dan Bannino has created a series titled "Still Diet," in which he photographs bizarre celebrity fad diets in the style of Old Master still life paintings. The series features diets associated with figures such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Charles Saatchi, Beyoncé Knowles, Henry VIII, and others, using carefully arranged food items and props to mimic classical compositions.

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trending_up market schedule Dec 18, 2025 visibility 21 link 12 artists

report rebounding art auction market 2025 arttactic

ArtTactic's year-end report reveals that the global art auction market rebounded to $4.55 billion in 2025, an 11.1% increase from 2024. Sotheby's saw a 17% sales jump and Christie's a nearly 7% rise. Historic single-owner sales, including estates of Leonard Lauder, Cindy and Jay Pritzker, and Pauline Karpidas, drove recovery with $884.9 million in total. Old Masters, Impressionist, and modern art surged 42.3% year-on-year, while contemporary and post-war art lagged. The trophy market (works over $10 million) grew 19.4% to $1.48 billion, led by Impressionist art up 80.4% to $1.04 billion, fueled by three Gustav Klimt canvases from the Lauder collection.

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article news schedule Dec 15, 2025 visibility 24 link 12 artists

protests new york new school cuts staffing programs

New York's The New School is offering voluntary retirement and severance programs to a large group of faculty and staff as part of a radical restructuring to address a $48 million deficit. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) reported that 40 percent of full-time faculty, about 169 staffers, received the offers, calling it the largest attempted firing of faculty currently taking place in the nation. The school is also eliminating over thirty programs, primarily in social sciences and humanities, and plans to combine several schools into a two-college structure, including Parsons School of Design. The school faces declining enrollment and has been warned by the Department of Education over campus protests related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

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museum exhibitions schedule Dec 9, 2025 visibility 18 link 6 artists

documentary pretty dirty marilyn minter art

A new documentary titled "Pretty Dirty: The Life and Times of Marilyn Minter" premiered at the DOC NYC film festival at IFC Center, chronicling the artist's four-decade career and personal struggles. Directed by Jennifer Ash Rudick and Amanda Benchley, the film follows Minter's journey from a dysfunctional upbringing in the South—with an emotionally abusive mother and her own battles with addiction—to her eventual rise as a major figure in contemporary art. It highlights her gritty, provocative enamel-on-metal paintings, her commercial work for Tom Ford and Zara, and her cultural impact through projects like Madonna's 2009 tour and the TV show Gossip Girl. The documentary features interviews with celebrities such as Lizzo, Jane Fonda, and Miley Cyrus, as well as art-world peers like Laurie Simmons and Jeff Koons.

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article news schedule Nov 24, 2025 visibility 17 link 9 artists

ai brueghel santa scene removed

A controversial AI-generated Christmas mural installed at Riverside Walk, a mall in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, was removed after public backlash. The artwork, rumored to be by YBA artist Mat Collishaw, featured nightmarish imagery including deformed snowmen, monstrous Santas, and distorted figures, sparking outrage on Reddit and in local media. The private developers behind the installation claimed it was inspired by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, but the council denied involvement in its planning or funding.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 20, 2025 visibility 34 link 23 artists

christies 21st century evening sale totals november 2025

Christie's 21st-century evening sale on Wednesday, November 2025, achieved a hammer total of $99.7 million on 44 lots, within the pre-sale estimate of $87.5–$127 million. With fees, the final total reached $123.6 million. The sale opened with 18 lots from the collection of Chicago philanthropists Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson, featuring works by Cindy Sherman, Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann, and Diego Giacometti. A Giacometti coffee table sparked a seven-minute bidding war, selling for $4.53 million. Three artist records were set: Firelei Báez ($1.1 million), Olga de Amaral ($3.1 million), and Joan Brown ($596,500). Only one work, by Cecily Brown, failed to sell.

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article local schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 12 link 2 artists

david hockney bradford drone light show

A fleet of over 600 drones choreographed by Skymagic lit up the night sky over Bradford, England, on November 13, recreating iconic paintings by David Hockney including *A Bigger Splash* (1967), *Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Percy* (1970–71), and *A Year in Normandie* (2021). The event, held in Roberts Park, celebrated Bradford’s designation as the U.K. City of Culture for 2025 and honored Hockney, the region’s most famous living artist. It marked the first time drone swarm technology has been used for a light painting in the U.K. and the first time Hockney’s work has been rendered by drones.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 21 link 11 artists

christies hauls in 690 million at robust 20th century art sale led by 62 million rothko

Christie’s kicked off the fall auction season in New York with a two-part 20th-century art sale that brought in approximately $690 million, led by Mark Rothko’s *No. 31 Yellow Stripe (1958)*, which sold for $62.2 million. The evening featured 18 works from the collection of Robert F. and Patricia G. Ross Weis, totaling $218 million, followed by a 61-lot main sale that realized $471.7 million. Other top lots included Claude Monet’s *Nymphéas (1907)* at $45.4 million and a new auction record for Beauford Delaney’s *The Sage Black (1967)* at $1.5 million.

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trending_up market schedule Oct 22, 2025 visibility 16 link 10 artists

kerry james marshall jean michel basquiat sothebys

Sotheby's has announced two major consignments for its November marquee auctions in New York: Jean-Michel Basquiat's "Crowns (Peso Neto)" (1981), estimated at $45 million, and an untitled Kerry James Marshall painting from 2008, estimated at $10–15 million. The Basquiat, painted on Christmas night 1981, debuted at Annina Nosei Gallery and Documenta 7, and was previously owned by collectors Thomas Worrell and José Mugrabi before being consigned by French actor Francis Lombrail. The Marshall, depicting a couple embracing at sunset, was purchased on the primary market and has remained in the same collection, recently appearing at the Church in Sag Harbor with lender Neda Young.

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person people schedule Sep 23, 2025 visibility 10 link 3 artists

hong kong adrian cheng web3 blockchain immersive experiences

Adrian Cheng, the mega-collector and regular on ARTnews' Top 200 Collectors list, has announced his new venture ALMAD Group after resigning as CEO of his family's Hong Kong property firm New World Development Co. (NWD) last year. The company will focus on digital assets, blockchain technologies, and immersive digital experiences across entertainment, sports, and media in mainland China, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. ALMAD has absorbed Cheng's art-meets-commerce platform K11 by AC, which includes the K11 Craft and Guild Foundation, the K11 Art Foundation, and the K11 Art Malls that pair luxury retail with exhibitions by artists like Damien Hirst and Takashi Murakami.

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trending_up market schedule Sep 23, 2025 visibility 12 link 3 artists

maurizio cattelan scavenger hunt joseph beuys felt suit

Maurizio Cattelan has partnered with the online art platform Avant Arte for a project centered on a new sculptural self-portrait titled *We Are The Revolution* (2025), which references Joseph Beuys's felt suit. The work lampoons the self-importance of contemporary art while reflecting on the artist's evolving role. Limited to 1,000 resin editions priced at €1,500 each, the release involves a randomized draw and a scavenger hunt in New York, Amsterdam, and London, where sculptures will be hidden in market stalls, bodegas, and an antiques dealership from September 30 to October 7. Prices range from $0.99 to €9,999 depending on location.

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article culture schedule Jul 16, 2025 visibility 14 link 13 artists

strategies art world

Cem A., an artist and anthropologist known for the art meme page @freeze_magazine, argues that the art world is suffering from an oversupply of graduates trained by art schools that cannot sustain them. He describes a paradox where art graduates face high unemployment and are dismissed as unqualified for non-art jobs, while those who remain in the field must align with market trends and the attention economy, risking burnout and compromised creativity. Cem A. shares his own experience of being rejected for being "too artsy" before finding success through his Instagram page, which opened doors that traditional career paths could not.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 16, 2025 visibility 12 link 8 artists

christies first half results 2025

Christie's reported that its auction sales for the first half of 2025 totaled $2.1 billion, identical to the same period last year, suggesting the art market may be stabilizing. However, the $2.1 billion figure marked a 22 percent drop from the first half of 2023, indicating stabilization at a lower level. The house sold seven of the top 10 works at auction, led by Piet Mondrian's *Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black, and Blue* (1921) for $47.6 million from the collection of Barnes & Noble founder Leonard Riggio. Luxury sales rose 29 percent, while Old Master sales increased 15 percent, but Asian art and Classics fell 28 percent and 32 percent respectively. The Americas led buyer activity at 45 percent, followed by EMEA at 34 percent and APAC at 21 percent.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jul 9, 2025 visibility 14 link 5 artists

ed sheeran heni show sale pollock

Pop star Ed Sheeran is launching his debut painting collection, "Cosmic Carpark Paintings," at HENI Gallery in London's Soho district from July 11 to August 1. The series of multicolored drip and splash works was created in a disused carpark using house paint, inspired by Jackson Pollock. Sheeran, who began painting in 2019, will sell original canvases and prints for £900 ($1,200) each, with 50 percent of proceeds going to the Ed Sheeran Foundation to support youth music programs in the U.K. The exhibition was encouraged by Sheeran's friends Damien Hirst and HENI founder Joe Hage.

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article news schedule Jun 25, 2025 visibility 25 link 10 artists

vito schnabel 190 bowery

Vito Schnabel's curated exhibition 'First Show/Last Show' at 190 Bowery, a landmark building recently acquired by Aby Rosen, was abruptly closed to the public just before its scheduled opening on May 16. The show, which would have been the first public access to the graffiti-laden former bank since 1966, was initially announced with a three-hour public opening, but organizers cited 'unprecedented demand' and switched to an appointment-only format from May 18 to 29. The exhibition features works by seven male artists: Joe Bradley, Dan Colen, Jeff Elrod, Ron Gorchov, Mark Grotjahn, Harmony Korine, and Julian Schnabel.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 9, 2025 visibility 22 link 16 artists

new york sales underperform may 2025

Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips collectively fell short of their spring auction expectations, bringing in just over $1 billion in evening sales against estimates of $1.2 billion to $1.6 billion. The hammer total of $837.5 million was down from $1.4 billion in the same week last year and $1.8 billion in 2022, with a notable drop in high-priced works and fading interest in emerging artists. The top ten lots generated $278.6 million, a 63 percent decline from 2022, and only a handful of artists under 45 appeared in evening sales, compared to previous years.

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rate_review review schedule Jun 9, 2025 visibility 19 link 23 artists

j hobermans book everything is now 1960s nyc downtown yoko ono andy warhol

J. Hoberman's new book, *Everything Is Now: The 1960s New York Avant-Garde—Primal Happenings, Underground Movies, Radical Pop*, offers a sweeping cultural history of the downtown New York scene in the 1960s. The book centers on figures like Jonas Mekas, Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, and Jack Smith, weaving together experimental films, happenings, music, and the chaotic energy of the era. Hoberman, a longtime critic and curator, draws on his personal connections to the scene, including his mentorship under Mekas, and will present a selection of shorts from the book at Anthology Film Archives in June.

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article news schedule May 30, 2025 visibility 11 link 3 artists

justin sun lawsuit david geffen jeff koons hulk

This episode of the Art Angle podcast, hosted by Kate Brown with co-hosts Ben Davis and Andrew Russeth, covers three major art-world stories: crypto collector Justin Sun’s escalating legal battle with billionaire David Geffen over a Giacometti sculpture; Jeff Koons’ trio of massive Hulk sculptures that debuted at Frieze New York; and the first round of the new Art Basel Awards. The discussion weaves together legal disputes, market signals, and institutional recognition.

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trending_up market schedule May 21, 2025 visibility 10 link 9 artists

10 artworks perfect valentines day art

Artnet News has curated a list of 10 artworks available through its Gallery Network as Valentine's Day gift suggestions. The featured works include pieces by artists such as Damien Hirst, Marc Chagall, Man Ray, and Emilie Charmy, with prices available upon inquiry. The selection ranges from contemporary works like Hirst's 'Butterfly Heart' (2020) to historical pieces like Chagall's 'The Adolescents' (1975), all presented as alternatives to traditional Valentine's gifts like roses or chocolates.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 19, 2025 visibility 21 link 13 artists

quantel paintbox digital art exhibition and documentary

An exhibition titled “How Quantel’s Paintbox Changed Our World” at the Phoenix Cinema and Arts Centre in Leicester, U.K., showcases 20 long-lost digital artworks made with the Quantel Paintbox, a pioneering 1980s computer graphics machine. The works, created by artists including David Hockney, Keith Haring, Larry Rivers, and Jennifer Bartlett, were tracked down by graffiti artist and photographer Adrian Wilson, an early Paintbox user. The exhibition is organized by the Computer Arts Society and marks the first public display of these pieces.

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trending_up market schedule May 13, 2025 visibility 21 link 16 artists

christies riggio modern art new york evening auctions 2025

Christie’s spring marquee auctions in New York brought in a combined $489 million with fees across two evening sales: the Leonard & Louise Riggio: Collected Works sale and the 20th Century sale. The Riggio collection, featuring 39 works heavy on Surrealism, modernism, and Minimalism, achieved $272 million with buyer’s premium, led by Piet Mondrian’s Composition With Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue (1922) at $47.56 million and René Magritte’s L’empire des lumières (1949) at $34.9 million. The 20th Century sale included major canvases by Monet, Rothko, and Warhol, but the hammer total of $409 million fell below the $446 million pre-sale low estimate, indicating the auction house did not meet expectations.

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article policy schedule Oct 6, 2025 source 7 sources visibility 16 link 1 artist

where to go what to expect amid us government shutdown 2025

The United States government shutdown, which began on October 1 after Congress failed to reach a funding agreement, has forced the closure of numerous federally operated museums, historic sites, and national parks. While some outdoor monuments and parks remain accessible, many are understaffed and operating with limited services. In Washington, D.C., sites like the Library of Congress, National Archives Museum, and Washington Monument are closed, while Smithsonian-run institutions remain open only through October 11 using prior funds. In New York, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island remain open, but the lack of uniformity across agencies has created confusion for visitors.

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article culture schedule Apr 17, 2026 visibility 43 link 9 artists

Andrew Lloyd Webber Says He's Writing a New Musical About the Time the 'Mona Lisa' Vanished Without a Trace in 1911

Andrew Lloyd Webber, the legendary composer behind 'The Phantom of the Opera,' has announced he is developing a new musical centered on the 1911 theft of Leonardo da Vinci’s 'Mona Lisa.' The production will dramatize the true story of Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian glazier who stole the masterpiece from the Louvre, leading to a two-year international search before the painting was recovered in Italy.

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museum exhibitions schedule Feb 18, 2026 visibility 23 link 12 artists

Martha Graham Took Classic Ballet and Turned It Into Modern Dance. It’s Still Moving Us 100 Years Later

The Martha Graham Dance Company, the oldest professional dance troupe in the United States, is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a worldwide centennial tour. The company is marking the milestone by performing Graham's classic works, like the 1946 ballet *Cave of the Heart*, alongside newer commissions that continue her innovative legacy.

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person people schedule Jan 13, 2026 visibility 22 link 4 artists

Miles Davis Emerged From Middle America to Become the ‘Picasso of Jazz’ and Taught Us All How to Be Cool

Miles Davis, born in 1926 in Illinois, rose from a middle-class background to become a transformative figure in jazz. He left formal studies at Juilliard to play with Charlie Parker, but soon forged his own iconic sound characterized by intimate tone and phrasing, most famously on the seminal *Birth of the Cool* sessions. His career was defined by constant reinvention, pioneering multiple major movements from cool jazz and modal recording to jazz fusion, earning him the nickname "the Picasso of Jazz" from Duke Ellington.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 23, 2026 source 3 sources visibility 39 link 12 artists

The Sprawling New David Geffen Galleries At LACMA Open To The Public On Sunday, May 3

The David Geffen Galleries at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) will open to the public on Sunday, May 3, after 20 years of development. Designed by architect Peter Zumthor, the 900-foot-long horizontal glass and concrete structure overlooks the La Brea Tar Pits and stretches over Wilshire Boulevard. The main floor, elevated 30 feet above street level, offers 110,000 square feet of gallery space for LACMA’s permanent collection. The inaugural exhibition is inspired by four major bodies of water—the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea—and features works by artists including Todd Gray, Do Ho Suh, Lauren Halsey, Tavares Strachan, Jeff Koons, and Diego Rivera. The building also includes open plazas, an outdoor public space, and an Erewhon Cafe, with a larger restaurant and wine bar planned for fall 2026.

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candle obituary schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 12 link 10 artists, 1 gallery

Artist Valie Export, Who Saw Right Through the Male Gaze, Dies at 85

Austrian artist Valie Export, a pioneering feminist performance and media artist, died on May 14, three days before her 86th birthday. Her death was confirmed by Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery. Export, born Waltraud Lehner in 1940, rejected traditional domestic roles and adopted her iconic all-uppercase name from a cigarette brand. She created guerrilla-style performances and films that directly confronted the male gaze and patriarchal society, often using her own body as a medium. Key works include “Genital Panic” (1968), in which she walked through a Munich cinema in crotchless pants, and “Tapp und Tastkino (Tap and Touch Cinema)” (1968), where she invited strangers to touch her bare breasts through a stage strapped to her chest.

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article culture schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 22 link 2 artists, 1 gallery

The Guardian view on the legacy of the Festival of Britain: look to the future | Editorial

The Guardian editorial reflects on the 75th anniversary of the Festival of Britain, launched by King George VI on 3 May 1951 as a "tonic" for a war-weary nation. It highlights the festival's most enduring legacy: the construction of the South Bank, including the Royal Festival Hall, which later became the Southbank Centre—the UK's largest arts complex. This summer, commemorations include poems from London schoolchildren projected onto its walls and a mobile poetry library visiting coastal towns, recreating the journey of the repurposed naval ship Campania. The festival, a triumph for the Labour government, faced critics like Evelyn Waugh and Noël Coward, and much of its physical infrastructure was demolished by the incoming Conservative government, save for the Royal Festival Hall.

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candle obituary schedule Apr 24, 2026 visibility 29 link 9 artists, 3 galleries

Remembering James Hayward, LA’s Adored Cowboy Painter

Abstract painter James Hayward, known for his monochromatic oil and wax impasto works, died last week at age 82. A legendary figure in the LA art scene, Hayward was equally celebrated for his magnetic personality, ribald humor, and storytelling. He rose to prominence in 1977 when included in the group show "Less is More" at Sidney Janis Gallery in New York, and was admired by art-world giants such as Dave Hickey, Chris Burden, Nancy Rubins, Ed Moses, and Mike Kelley. Hayward also taught at colleges across the country, including a guest seminar at the University of Southern California, and was a longtime supporter of the LA contemporary art magazine Artillery.

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