Untitled Art fair displays new dimensions on Miami's South Beach

Untitled Art fair opened its 14th edition on Miami's South Beach, featuring 160 exhibitors and a strong focus on emerging talent through its Nest sector and new solo and non-profit booth sections. Notable works include Márton Nemes's multisensory Stereo Paintings 11b (2025), Siebren Versteeg's media-critique piece History (2003), and Tanya Aguiñiga's socially engaged cotton-rope sculpture. The fair saw institutional visitors like collectors Don and Mera Rubell and curator Hans Ulrich Obrist, with sales reported for works by Élise Peroi and Samuel Nnorom.

Stephen Friedman to close New York gallery, two years after opening the Tribeca space

Stephen Friedman, the Canadian-born, London-based dealer, will close his New York gallery in Tribeca at the end of February 2026, less than three years after opening the space in October 2023. The decision is described as a strategic evolution to consolidate operations in London, where several new directors have been hired. The gallery's artist roster will remain unchanged, and Friedman plans to stay active in the US art scene through major fairs. The closure follows a challenging period marked by a £1.7m loss in 2023 due to renovation costs and a downturn in the art market, with cash flow currently tight after slow exhibition sales.

The British artist David Shrigley wants £1m for piles of old rope

British artist David Shrigley has opened an exhibition at Stephen Friedman gallery in London featuring approximately ten tonnes of discarded rope, collected from seaports, climbing schools, tree surgeons, and other sources over eight months. The rope is piled in four rooms of the gallery, with a neon sign reading “exhibition of old rope”. Shrigley has priced the installation at £1 million plus VAT, describing the figure as a “provocation” that highlights the gap between art-world valuation and public perception. He acknowledges the work may not sell but insists every artwork needs a price.

'I never imagined we'd get here': Beirut gallery Marfa' Projects turns ten

Beirut gallery Marfa' Projects celebrates its tenth anniversary, a milestone founder Joumana Asseily never expected to reach given the immense challenges faced since opening in 2015. The gallery, located in the city's port district, survived widespread civil protests, Lebanon's economic crisis, and the devastating 2020 Port of Beirut explosion that destroyed its premises. Asseily rebuilt within a year, supported by a global network of fellow dealers who inspired her with virtual shows and offered solidarity during Israel's 2024 bombardment. The anniversary group exhibition features works consigned by partner galleries including Sadie Coles HQ, Experimenter, and Emalin, alongside Marfa' Projects artists like Mohamad Abdouni and Stéphanie Saadé, both of whom won major art fair prizes last year.

Across The Block

A series of regional auctions across the United States and the UK saw figural artworks and antique furniture achieve top prices. Highlights include Demétre Chiparus's bronze "Shimmer" selling for $33,275 at Ahlers & Ogletree, Andy Warhol's "Marilyn" screenprint reaching $425,000 at Heritage Auctions, and a Mission oak stand attributed to Gustave Stickley surprising at $87,600 at Kaminski Auctions. Other notable sales include a Ken Howard painting at Sworders, a Donald Roller Wilson chimpanzee painting pair at Brunk Auctions, and a Sorel Etrog bronze at Clarke Auction Gallery.

Comment | Galleries are looking to merch to keep spirits up—it's a joyful move in challenging times

The article discusses how galleries are increasingly turning to merchandise and playful, low-cost art items to maintain public engagement during a downturn in the art market. It cites the example of Lucy Sparrow's hand-stitched felt fish and chip shop at Lyndsey Ingram gallery in London, which drew large crowds and media attention but generated far less revenue than traditional fine art sales. The piece notes that while the global art market fell 12% to $57.5bn in the past year, according to the Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report, galleries like Unit and Palmer are offering items such as Gavin Turk T-shirts and Andy Holden records to attract visitors.

New chapter for Artbo: Colombia’s art market finds resilience amidst flux

The 21st edition of Artbo, Colombia's premier art fair, opened in Bogotá with 46 galleries, down from its peak a decade ago. The fair is framed by the inaugural Bogotá Biennial, which adds international draw, and a leadership change: Jaime A. Martínez, an art historian and former gallerist, takes over from María Paz Gaviria. Early sales include works by Tania Candiani, Marcelo Moscheta, and Ximena Garrido-Lecca, with galleries reporting cautious but engaged Colombian collectors.

Sydney Contemporary art fair sees fourth year of decline in sales

Sydney Contemporary, Australia's largest contemporary art fair, reported A$16m (US$10.5m) in sales for its 2025 edition, marking a fourth consecutive year of decline. The fair, held from 11 to 14 September at Carriageworks, featured 116 exhibitors and nearly 500 artists, making it the largest edition to date. Despite the drop from last year's A$17.5m and A$23m in 2022, founder Tim Etchells remains committed, citing record visitor numbers of 26,440 and a shift in buyer behavior where sales often close weeks after the fair. Notable sales included a A$1.5m painting by Emily Kam Kngwarray, still under consideration by a collector. A new photography section, Photo Sydney, debuted and will return next year.

New York’s Tilton Gallery staging final exhibition after more than four decades in business

New York’s Tilton Gallery has announced that its upcoming exhibition dedicated to German-born American conceptual artist Ruth Vollmer will be its final show, closing after more than four decades in business. The gallery, founded by Jack Tilton in 1983, has been run by his widow Connie Rogers Tilton since his death in 2017. The Vollmer exhibition runs from 30 September to 15 November, after which Rogers Tilton plans to transition to private sales and research projects.

Picasso or Bitcoin? How art’s status is changing among the super-rich

Christie's and Sotheby's reported nearly flat first-half 2025 sales of $2.1bn and $2.2bn respectively, with Christie's 20th/21st-century art sales down 2% but luxury up 29%. The Mei Moses Art Index shows over 50% of auction lots sold at negative compound annual returns, which analyst Michael Moses calls 'the worst overall financial performance in the 21st century.' Meanwhile, Bitcoin, gold, and stocks have significantly outperformed art, with BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF alone attracting $84bn—far exceeding the global art market's total value. A record $43.9m Canaletto sale to a Bezos-linked buyer underscores that top-tier works still command attention, but the broader trend suggests wealthy investors are prioritizing financial returns over art as a status symbol.

The superstars of contemporary art

León Gallery's Magnificent September Auction 2025, taking place on September 13, features a diverse lineup of Philippine modern and contemporary art. Highlights include modernist works by Juvenal Sansó, Cesar Legaspi, Vicente Manansala, José Joya, and Anita Magsaysay-Ho, alongside conceptual pieces by Roberto Chabet. The auction also spotlights living contemporary artists such as Raffy Napay, Geraldine Javier, Demi Padua, and Marc Aran Reyes, with works ranging from textile art and natural-dye pieces to hyperrealistic paintings.

A Husain horse painting, a portrait of Max Ernst’s soulful dog, and a Fini cat mask: our pick of the September auctions and fairs

The article highlights several notable artworks heading to auction and art fairs in September 2024. These include M.F. Husain's "Untitled (Horses)" (1971) at Christie's New York, estimated at $100,000–$150,000, following a record-breaking sale of another Husain work earlier this year. Also featured are Leonor Fini's embroidered cat mask (around 1960) at Weinstein Gallery during Independent 20th Century in New York, Dorothea Tanning's "Katchina and Her Soul" (1951) at Sotheby's London, and Alberto Giacometti's "Small Head of Elsa Schiaparelli" (around 1935) at FAB Paris.

The Slow Death of the Contemporary Art Gallery

The article reports on the decline of the traditional contemporary art gallery model, driven by rising rents, changing collector behavior, and the rise of new artist categories. Tim Blum closed his Blum & Poe galleries in Los Angeles and Tokyo, citing systemic issues rather than market conditions. Art Basel and UBS data show the art market shrank overall but the number of sales increased, indicating a shift toward mid-priced works. Collectors are moving away from "blue-chip" artists toward "red-chip" artists who gain value through viral hype and cultural relevance, exemplified by Olaolu Slawn's accessible solo show at Saatchi Yates. Celebrities like actor Adrien Brody are also entering the market, though his work has been criticized as derivative. Meanwhile, smaller galleries like Tiwa Gallery, Landdd, and Marta are thriving by focusing on genuine connection, and retail spaces like Gentle Monster and Dover Street Market are blending art with commerce.

Another gallery gone: Anderson-Brickler space closes after 9 years on Adams Street

Dr. Celeste Hart, a Tallahassee endocrinologist and daughter of the late Dr. A.D. Brickler, is closing the Anderson-Brickler Gallery after nine years on Adams Street. Opened in 2016, the gallery focused on Modern and Contemporary artists of the African Diaspora, hosting exhibitions by artists such as Joe Roache, Romare Bearden, and Kabuya Bowens-Saffo, as well as lectures, workshops, and thesis shows for Florida State University fine arts students. The space will be taken over by Stan J. Johnson, a professional photographer and FAMU professor, who plans to rename the gallery and continue exhibiting paintings while expanding into spoken word and music.

Three artists, three questions: Contemporary art

Three Israeli artists—Ronit Porat, an evacuated photographer working with archival materials; an emerging artist using shrapnel from rocket shells as art material while serving as an IDF reservist; and a young artist opening a new exhibition after a break—are profiled in this column by Basia Monkaj. Each answers three questions about inspiration, the definition of art, and what makes their work unique, set against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Israel and the centenary of Surrealism.

Explore 200 Years of American Art at the PEM

The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, is hosting "Making History: 200 Years of American Art," an exhibition organized by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) and on view through September 21, 2025. The show features 85 original works by American artists, including Charles Willson Peale's *The Artist in His Museum*, Patience Wright's wax sculpture of George Washington, and portraits of Ruth St. Denis and Mrs. Chase. PEM's curators have reimagined the exhibition with local relevance and immersive design, and the final gallery invites visitors to contribute personal reflections on history.

The good, the bad and the simply ‘tone deaf’: a roll call of celebrity art

Pop superstar Ed Sheeran has joined the ranks of celebrity artists, offering his Cosmic Carpark Paintings at £900 each at HENI Gallery in London from 11 July to 1 August, with half the proceeds supporting music education in UK state schools. The article also reviews other celebrity artists including Robbie Williams (whose Moco Museum show is called 'tone deaf' by critic Eddy Frankel), Adrien Brody (showing at Eden Gallery in New York), Lucy Liu (creating erotic lesbian art), Bob Dylan (exhibiting at Halcyon Gallery), and Johnny Depp (represented by Castle Fine Art).

What Does It Feel Like to Be Called an Emerging Artist at 72? Ask Takako Yamaguchi

Takako Yamaguchi, a 72-year-old Japanese-born artist based in Los Angeles, is experiencing a career resurgence with a new series of seascapes featured in a 2023 show at Ortuzar and the 2024 Whitney Biennial. She is set to receive her first solo museum exhibition in Los Angeles at MOCA's Grand Avenue space starting June 29, where she will present 10 new works. In an interview with CULTURED, Yamaguchi discusses her ambivalent relationship with the sea, her process of drawing inspiration from other artists' seascapes rather than nature itself, and her identity as an outsider who has lived most of her life in the U.S. while retaining Japanese citizenship.

Treasure House Fair hopes to be the flagship summer event London desperately needs

Thomas Woodham-Smith and Harry Van der Hoorn are staging the third edition of the Treasure House Fair at London’s Royal Hospital Chelsea, running until 1 July. The fair, which launched hastily in 2023 after the collapse of Masterpiece London, features 72 exhibitors spanning ancient to contemporary art, design, jewellery, antiques, and even a meteorite. Woodham-Smith reports a mood of optimism despite global turmoil, with strong ticket sales and a 40% share of new exhibitors, including many from outside the UK.

In tough times for dealers, Art Basel debuts a section for new works

Art Basel is introducing a new section called Premiere at its upcoming fair, designed for galleries to present works created within the last five years by up to three artists, organized around a loose curatorial concept. The inaugural section features ten exhibitors, mostly smaller to mid-sized galleries showing mid-career artists, with prices ranging from €5,000 to $85,000. The section is priced at SFr22,000 for a 32 sq. m stand, cheaper than the main section but more expensive than the emerging-artist-focused Statements section, which can be financially risky for dealers.

New dealer-run fair aims to fill gap left by Design Miami

A group of 11 mostly French galleries, led by Charlotte Ketabi-Lebard of Parisian gallery Ketabi Bourdet, have launched Maze Design Basel, a new dealer-run design fair to fill the gap left by the cancellation of Design Miami Basel. The fair is held in the 19th-century Elisabethenkirche church next to Basel's Kunsthalle, with stands arranged throughout the nave, mezzanines, chancel, pulpit, and clerestory. The vernissage on June 16 was playful and relaxed, with sales reported by all exhibitors and about 1,000 guests attending the preview.

Los Angeles dealer Ariel Pittman launching new gallery in MacArthur Park

Ariel Pittman, a Los Angeles art historian and former director at Vielmetter and Various Small Fires, is opening a new gallery called Official Welcome in the MacArthur Park neighborhood on May 30. The gallery, located in the historic Granada Building, will launch with an inaugural exhibition titled "California Split" featuring works by June Edmonds, Jay Lynn Gomez, Henry Taylor, and others, with prices starting at $800. Pittman plans to diversify revenue by offering consulting services, project management, and space rentals, and aims to keep operations lean before eventually hiring staff and establishing equitable profit-sharing structures.

Collections of two leading dealers, Barbara Gladstone and Daniella Luxembourg, hit the auction blocks in New York

Sotheby's will auction collections from two prominent dealers, Barbara Gladstone and Daniella Luxembourg, in New York on May 15. Gladstone's estate consigned 12 lots, including an Andy Warhol painting (est. $1m-$1.5m) and a Richard Prince work (est. $4m-$6m), following a competition between Christie's and Sotheby's. Luxembourg's collection of 15 post-war works, valued at over $30m, features pieces by Lucio Fontana, Salvatore Scarpitta, and Michelangelo Pistoletto, with Fontana's 'Fine di Dio' (1963) expected to lead at $12m-$18m.

Why the inaugural Art Week Riyadh was a fair in everything but name

The inaugural Art Week Riyadh (AWR), organized by Saudi Arabia's Visual Arts Commission, took place from April 6-13 in the Jax district of Diriyah. Though officially billed as a non-commercial curated exhibition, the event functioned much like an art fair, with 32 galleries displaying available works, price lists visible on stands, and sales conducted throughout the week. The main exhibition, titled "At The Edge," was curated by Vittoria Matarrese with associate curators Basma Harasani and Victoria Gandit Lelandais, featuring galleries from Saudi Arabia and the wider region. Standout presentations included works by Ayesha Sultana, Mohamed Bourouissa, Mohammed Al Resayes, and Miramar Al Nayyar, alongside a moving image section and a satellite program of open studios and gallery shows.

Introducing the Intelligence Report: The Year Ahead 2026

The art auction market showed signs of recovery in 2025, with total sales increasing for the first time since 2021, driven by a strong late-season surge in New York. The U.K. market grew by 11.3%, aided by major sales like the $136 million dispersal of Pauline Karpidas's Surrealist collection, while the ultra-contemporary sector declined for a fourth year as investment flowed to established Impressionist and Modern works.

Nastaran Mir Sadegh | Untitled (2025) | For Sale

Nastaran Mir Sadegh's painting "Untitled" (2025) is listed for sale at US$2,500 through Sahar K. Boluki Gallery in Toronto. The work, an acrylic on canvas measuring 76 × 59 cm, is hand-signed by the artist and includes a certificate of authenticity. Mir Sadegh, an Iranian artist born in 1985 and based in Tehran, holds a bachelor's degree in Fine Art from Art University of Tehran. Her exhibition history includes shows in Toronto, Tehran, Dubai, and at institutions such as the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art and Saba Cultural Institute. The listing appears on Artsy, with shipping available within Canada and internationally.

Historic Strike Disrupts Biennale as Thousands March in Venice

On May 8, 2026, artists and cultural workers staged the first strike in the 131-year history of the Venice Biennale, disrupting the pre-opening of the international exhibition. At least 27 of the 100 national pavilions were partially or fully shut down, and thousands marched through Venice to the Arsenale, which was barricaded by Italian riot police. The strike, organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) and local activist groups, was a 24-hour action for Palestine and workers' rights, with some artists altering or draping their works in the main exhibition, "In Minor Keys."

Culture Workers Announce Venice Biennale Strike in Israeli Pavilion Protest

Cultural workers, unions, and grassroots groups are planning a 24-hour strike on Friday, May 8, at the Venice Biennale to protest Israel's participation amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA), the action includes a rally on Viale Garibaldi and calls for a boycott of Israel's "genocide pavilion." Participating groups include Biennaleocene, Sale Docks, Mi Riconosci, Vogliamo Tutt’altro, and several Italian trade unions. The strike follows months of activism, including a letter signed by over 200 event participants, and comes after the Biennale jury resigned over award eligibility rules that initially excluded Israel and Russia.

Where did the great artist Joseph Beuys live? The comic story by Gianluca Costantini

Dove viveva il grande artista Joseph Beuys? Il racconto a fumetti di Gianluca Costantini

In the summer of 2022, the author visited Düsseldorf and discovered that Joseph Beuys's former home at Drakeplatz 4 in Oberkassel was for sale, but the city's cultural department declined to purchase it. Beuys lived and worked there from 1961 until his death in 1986, using the space as both a residence and studio. The article recounts the intimate details of family life there, including how Beuys painted the main room white for his wife Eva's photography, and how the family navigated the blend of private life and artistic practice. Two years later, the Brunhilde Moll Foundation acquired the house and opened it to the public, though it was closed for renovations when the author returned. The house now displays about sixty works from Beuys's creative period and will host artist residencies and events.

Highlights and Hidden Gems at Dumbo Open Studios

DUMBO Open Studios celebrated its 10th anniversary with over 175 artists across 21 buildings participating in the weekend event. The open studios, jointly managed by Team Dumbo and real estate developer Two Trees, featured a wide range of work, with a noted highlight being works on paper from artists like Bianca Fields, Amy Cutler, and Jason Karolak. Despite rainy weather, the event fostered impromptu conversations and community, with more than half of surveyed artists reporting sales and expectations of future exhibition opportunities.