Vasari Art Codex

museum exhibitions schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 1 link 6 artists

An eerie Renaissance masterpiece, fresh from a four-year restoration process, goes on show in Berlin

Berlin's Gemäldegalerie has unveiled Vittore Carpaccio's "The Preparation of Christ's Tomb" (circa 1505-20) after a four-year restoration that removed decades of dirt and discolored varnish. The cleaned painting reveals new subtleties, including a striking sky of bright blue and stubborn grey clouds, and will be the centerpiece of a small exhibition titled "Tribute to Vittore Carpaccio" running from November 20 to April 6, 2026. The restoration was led by recently retired head conservator Babette Hartwieg, who also reinvestigated a false Mantegna signature that had misled earlier attributions.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 19, 2025 link 1 artist, 1 gallery

Live conservation reveals hidden surprises of unfinished Spencer painting

A new exhibition at the Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham, titled *Revealing Genius, Conserving Art: Stanley Spencer’s Final Masterpiece*, features the unfinished painting *Christ Preaching at Cookham Regatta* (c. 1950s). The large canvas, which Spencer worked on for over a decade and left incomplete at his death in 1959, has been lowered from its high hanging position so that conservation student Olivia Leake of the Courtauld Institute can study it up close. Using UV light and paint analysis, Leake has discovered that Spencer used extremely thin paint layers, made multiple changes to underdrawings (contradicting his own statements), and overpainted a green water area with blue. She is also investigating a possible mold stain in the top left corner.

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article news schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 1 link 2 artists, 1 gallery

Louvre closes gallery ‘until further notice’ citing structural problems

The Musée du Louvre in Paris has closed its Campana Gallery, a suite of nine rooms dedicated to ancient Greek ceramics, after a technical report revealed structural weaknesses in the Sully Wing's supporting beams. The closure is indefinite, and 65 staff members will be relocated, though the artworks will remain in place. The announcement comes amid the Louvre's ambitious New Renaissance renovation project, which includes a new entrance under the Perrault Colonnade by 2031.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 1 link 14 artists, 2 galleries

Albuquerque exhibition depicts German art made during the tragic ascent of authoritarianism

The Albuquerque Museum has opened a landmark exhibition titled "Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910–1945: Masterworks from the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin," featuring German and European art from the early 20th century. The show traces the trajectory from the German Empire through World War I, the Weimar Republic, Nazi rule, and World War II, including works by Max Beckmann, George Grosz, Hannah Höch, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Paul Klee, and others. Many pieces were originally condemned as "degenerate art" by the Nazis. The exhibition, which has three U.S. stops, is currently in Albuquerque after appearing at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth and will travel to the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 19, 2025 link 3 artists

An eerie Renaissance masterpiece, fresh from a four-year restoration process, goes on show in Berlin

Berlin's Gemäldegalerie has completed a four-year restoration of Vittore Carpaccio's painting "The Preparation of Christ's Tomb" (around 1505-20), removing decades of dirt and discolored varnish. The cleaned work will debut in a small exhibition titled "Tribute to Vittore Carpaccio" running from 20 November to 6 April 2026, alongside a dozen other works from the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin's holdings. The restoration, led by recently retired head conservator Babette Hartwieg, revealed new subtleties in the painting, including a striking sky with bright blue below and stubborn grey clouds above, and confirmed that a false Mantegna signature was added after the work was finished.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 19, 2025 link 4 artists, 3 galleries

maurizio cattelan america sothebys sale toilet 12 million 1234762122

Maurizio Cattelan's 18-karat gold toilet, *America* (2016), sold for $12.1 million at Sotheby's New York on Tuesday evening, falling short of pre-sale expectations. The work, consigned by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, received a single bid and hammered at $10 million, just above the value of its gold content. Installed in a bathroom at Sotheby's Breuer Building, the toilet was viewable but not usable. The sale was notable for accepting cryptocurrency and lacking a guarantee.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 19, 2025 link 4 artists, 3 galleries

harry clarke geneva window wolfsonian miami 2576058

The Wolfsonian FIU in Miami Beach is exhibiting "Harry Clarke and the Geneva Window," showcasing a luminous stained glass window created by Irish artist Harry Clarke (1891–1931) for the League of Nations building in Geneva. Commissioned by the Irish Free State in 1926, the window was completed in 1930 but ultimately rejected by the Irish government due to its controversial content, including depictions of drunkenness, nudity, and Protestant writers. The exhibition juxtaposes the window with late 19th and early 20th-century Irish decorative artworks and explores Clarke's life, his premature death from tuberculosis at age 41, and the political and cultural turmoil of post-independence Ireland.

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article local schedule Nov 18, 2025

mutter museum expansion philadelphia 1234762184

Philadelphia's Mütter Museum is expanding into the adjacent Swedenborgian Church and Parish House, which it purchased for $9.3 million in 2023. Construction is set to begin in phases in early 2026, funded by $27 million raised so far. The expansion will unify the campus, add new rotating galleries, a larger museum store, and more educational spaces, allowing the museum to display more of its nearly 500,000 objects currently not on view. The Gothic Revival church, designed by Theophilus Parsons Chandler Jr., was built in 1881 and closed in the mid-1980s before being used as medical offices.

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article local schedule Nov 18, 2025

mutter museum expansion philadelphia 1234762184

Philadelphia’s Mütter Museum is expanding into the adjacent Swedenborgian Church and Parish House, with construction set to begin in early 2026. The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, which oversees the museum, purchased the property for $9.3 million in 2023 and has raised $27 million to create a unified campus. The expansion will add new rotating galleries, a larger museum store, and multi-purpose educational spaces, allowing the museum to display more of its nearly 500,000 objects currently in storage.

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gavel restitution schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 1 link 4 artists

california attorney general nazi looted picasso madrid 1234762075

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has re-entered a decades-long legal battle over a Camille Pissarro painting, *Rue Saint-Honoré in the Afternoon, Effect of Rain* (1897), which was sold under duress by Lilly Cassirer Neubauer to a Nazi appraiser in 1939 for 900 Reichsmarks. The painting is now held by the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid. The case, originally filed in 2000 by Neubauer's son Claude Cassirer, has been continued by his heir David Cassirer, Ava's estate, and the United Jewish Federation of San Diego County. A new California law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September allows exceptions for property taken due to political persecution, and Bonta is now defending the state's authority to compel the return of stolen art to victims connected to California.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 2 link 14 artists, 157 galleries

art basel hong kong 2026 exhibitor list announced 1234761975

Art Basel Hong Kong has announced its exhibitor list for the 2026 edition, featuring 240 galleries from 42 countries and territories, roughly the same size as last year's 242 galleries. The fair runs March 27–29 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, with preview days on March 25–26. New additions include 32 first-time exhibitors from Australia, Japan, Turkey, France, Germany, and the US, while 33 galleries from the previous edition are absent—some due to closures (Blum, Clearing, Kasmin) or acquisitions (Millan bought by Almeida & Dale). A new sector called Echoes will showcase works created in the last five years, and the Encounters sector will be curated by a team led by Mami Kataoka. Media artist Ellen Pau will oversee the film program for the first time, and Shahzia Sikander has been commissioned to create a public artwork for the M+ Museum facade.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 2 link 13 artists, 4 galleries

sperone westwater dealers lawsuit gallery closure 1234762097

Sperone Westwater, a prominent New York gallery that has operated for 50 years, will close on December 31. The announcement came three months after co-founder Gian Enzo Sperone filed a lawsuit against his partner Angela Westwater, accusing her of creating a "parasitic deadlock," mishandling funds, withholding records, and mismanaging rent payments. The suit, filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York alongside Sandstown Trade Ltd., which holds a 50 percent stake in the gallery, details disputes over rent, salaries, and control. Westwater allegedly sought to change the rent payment structure due to declining revenues and claimed she could close the gallery at any time. The gallery, founded in 1975 as Sperone Westwater Fischer, has represented major artists including Bruce Nauman, Francesco Clemente, and Richard Long, whose current show will be the final exhibition.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 1 link 6 artists, 2 galleries

park avenue armory 2026 program marina abramovic 1234761974

The Park Avenue Armory in New York has announced its 2026 program, headlined by the US premiere of Marina Abramović's provocative performance piece "Balkan Erotic Epic" on December 8. The four-hour work, centered on nude fertility rituals rooted in Balkan traditions, will be joined by other multidisciplinary works including Céleste Boursier-Mougenot's sound installation "clinamen," Steve Reich's "Music for 18 Musicians" conducted by Alan Pierson, a Simon Stone production of "The Cherry Orchard" set in modern-day Seoul, and a Benjamin Millepied dance piece based on Romeo and Juliet. All performances will take place in the Armory's Drill Hall.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 1 link 6 artists, 2 galleries

park avenue armory 2026 program marina abramovic 1234761974

The Park Avenue Armory in New York has announced its 2026 program, headlined by the US premiere of Marina Abramović's provocative performance piece "Balkan Erotic Epic" on December 8. The program also includes Steve Reich's "Music for 18 Musicians" conducted by Alan Pierson, Céleste Boursier-Mougenot's installation "clinamen," a Simon Stone production of "The Cherry Orchard" set in modern-day Seoul, and a Benjamin Millepied dance work based on "Romeo and Juliet." All performances will take place in the Armory's Drill Hall.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 2 link 25 artists, 4 galleries

christies takes 690 m at fall curtain raiser art basel hong kong announces 2026 details and more morning links for november 18 2025 1234762067

Christie’s opened New York’s fall marquee auctions with a $690 million evening sale across 79 lots, surpassing the pre-sale low estimate of $534.7 million. The doubleheader included the Robert and Patricia Ross Weis collection and a 20th-century sale, with works by Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian, Rothko, and others. The sell-through rate was 97% by value and 96% by lot, marking a 41% increase from May’s auctions. Separately, Sperone Westwater, a New York gallery that championed artists like Bruce Nauman and Francesco Clemente, announced it will close after 50 years. Art Basel Hong Kong also revealed its 2026 edition will feature 240 galleries from 42 countries.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 1 link 18 artists, 1 gallery

christies marquee fall 20th century evening sale report 1234762038

Christie’s fall marquee 20th century evening sales on Monday night brought in a combined $690 million with fees, well above the pre-sale low estimate of $534.7 million. The double-header auction included 18 lots from the collection of the late Robert and Patricia Ross Weis, featuring works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian, and Mark Rothko, followed by a 62-lot sale with pieces by Alexander Calder, David Hockney, and Alberto Giacometti. The sell-through rate was 97% by value and 96% by lot, with only one lot withdrawn and three failing to sell. Notable bidding wars involved adviser Ralph DeLuca, who secured Henri Matisse’s "Figure et bouquet (Tête ocre)" for $32.3 million and Marc Chagall’s "Le songe du Roi David" after intense competition.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 3 link 8 artists, 2 galleries

norman rockwell president white house paintings auction 2 2704973

A four-panel suite of Norman Rockwell paintings, *So You Want to See The President!* (1943), sold for $7.2 million at Heritage Auctions on November 14, following a bitter ownership dispute. The White House Historical Association revealed itself as the buyer, marking the most expensive acquisition in the Association's history. The work, commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's press secretary Stephen T. Early, had hung in the White House for decades before being removed in 2022 amid legal battles over ownership. A federal judge ruled in favor of William Elam, the grandson of Early's daughter, in 2023, clearing the way for the sale.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 link 1 artist

Christie’s $700M Night, Trump’s $7.25M Rockwell & Bonhams’ Big Names

Christie’s held a major evening sale generating $700 million, while a Norman Rockwell painting sold for $7.25 million under the Trump name. Bonhams also featured high-profile consignments in the same auction cycle. The article reports on these auction results and the notable names attached to the sales.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 source 3 sources visibility 1 link 20 artists, 3 galleries

In major auction night, rare Klimt painting smashes records at $236.4 million

Sotheby's held its first sale at its new US headquarters in New York, where Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer" sold for $236.4 million, becoming the most valuable work of modern art ever sold at auction and the most expensive artwork ever sold by Sotheby's globally. The record-breaking 20-minute bidding war also saw strong results for works by Edvard Munch ($35.1 million) and a Klimt landscape ($86 million), while the evening's total reached $706 million. However, two top lots by Kerry James Marshall and Barkley L. Hendricks failed to sell, and Maurizio Cattelan's gold toilet "America" drew only a single bid from Ripley's Believe It or Not! for $12.1 million.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 1 link 10 artists, 2 galleries

Gold toilet, Klimt portrait sell for millions at Sotheby’s

A portrait by Gustav Klimt, *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* (1914–1916), sold for $236 million at Sotheby's in New York, setting a record for the auction house. The painting, depicting the daughter of Klimt's patron, was part of the collection of late billionaire Leonard A. Lauder. In the same sale, Maurizio Cattelan's solid gold toilet *America* (2016) fetched $12.1 million, with the piece satirizing superwealth. The toilet had previously been exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum and was stolen from Blenheim Palace in 2019; its current whereabouts remain unknown.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 2 link 16 artists, 1 gallery

Impressionist and Modern Works on Paper & Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale Achieve $56.5 Million - Christie's

Christie's held back-to-back Day Sales on November 18, 2025, in New York, featuring Impressionist and Modern Works on Paper in the morning and Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale in the afternoon. The sales included works from notable collections such as those of Robert F. and Patricia G. Ross Weis, Carol and Terry Wall, Arnold and Joan Saltzman, the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum, and Max and Cecile Draime. The two sales achieved a combined total of $56.5 million, with top lots including Edgar Degas's *Danseuses sur la scène* ($1,143,000), Childe Hassam's *The Flower Seller* ($2,149,000), and Robert Delaunay's *Portrait de Jean Metzinger* ($2,027,000). The sales saw strong bidding across American, Latin American, and European artists, with 84% and 88% sold by lot in the respective sessions.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 1 link 3 artists

Smithsonian American Art Museum presents blockbuster Grandma Moses exhibition

The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. will present the exhibition “Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work,” opening November 25, 2025, and running through July 12, 2026. The show features 88 works drawn from the museum’s collection, private collections, and public institutions, primarily created between the late 1930s and the artist’s death in 1961. It repositions Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses as a multidimensional force in American art, exploring her evolution from farmwife to famous artist, her life in post-Reconstruction Virginia, and her fusion of creativity, labor, and memory. The exhibition is organized by Leslie Umberger and former Randall Griffey, with support from Maria R. Eipert, and will travel after its premiere.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 link 1 artist, 1 gallery

Night of Modern Art History, Night of Spectacle at Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s held a high-profile evening auction featuring major works of modern art, drawing significant attention from collectors and the art world. The event was characterized by record-breaking bids and a theatrical atmosphere, with several iconic pieces selling for tens of millions of dollars, underscoring the enduring appeal of blue-chip modern masters.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 link 3 artists

In a Billionaire’s Playground, Six Artworks Could Predict the Market

The New York Times reports on a closely watched auction at Christie's in Palm Beach, where six high-value artworks from a billionaire's collection are expected to set market benchmarks. The sale, taking place in the exclusive playground of the ultra-wealthy, features works by artists such as Basquiat and Richter, and is seen as a barometer for the current state of the art market amid economic uncertainty.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 2 link 14 artists, 1 gallery

Impressionist and Modern Works on Paper & Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale Achieve $56.5 Million - Christie's

Christie's New York held back-to-back Day Sales on November 18, 2025, featuring Impressionist and Modern Works on Paper in the morning and Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale in the afternoon. The two sales achieved a combined total of $56.5 million, with top lots including Edgar Degas's *Danseuses sur la scène* ($1.14 million), Childe Hassam's *The Flower Seller* ($2.15 million), and Robert Delaunay's *Portrait de Jean Metzinger* ($2.03 million). The sales drew from notable collections such as those of Robert F. and Patricia G. Ross Weis, Carol and Terry Wall, and Arnold and Joan Saltzman, with strong bidding across American, Latin American, and European artists.

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article news schedule Nov 17, 2025 visibility 1 link 5 artists

layoffs metropolitan museum art 1900013

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art has laid off 79 employees and furloughed 181 additional workers, citing a $150 million deficit exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. An additional 93 staff members accepted early retirement offers. The cuts, which follow 81 layoffs in April, reduce the museum's workforce from about 2,000 to roughly 1,600—a 20 percent reduction. Director Max Hollein and CEO Daniel H. Weiss announced the measures in an email, noting that staff salaries account for 65 percent of the annual budget. The museum has also implemented hiring freezes, pay cuts for top executives, and drawn on its $3.6 billion endowment. The Met remains closed pending state approval, aiming for an August 29 reopening with reduced hours.

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article news schedule Nov 17, 2025 link 5 artists

layoffs metropolitan museum art 1900013

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art has laid off 79 employees and furloughed 181 workers, with 93 staff members taking early retirement, citing a $150 million deficit exacerbated by the pandemic. The museum's director Max Hollein and CEO Daniel H. Weiss announced the cuts in an email, noting that salaries comprise 65% of the annual budget. This is the second round of layoffs since April, when 81 employees lost their jobs, and the museum has also implemented pay reductions for top executives and frozen hiring. The workforce has shrunk by about 20%, from 2,000 to 1,600 staff, with 48% of those laid off being people of color. The Met aims to reopen on August 29 with reduced hours, pending government approval.

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article news schedule Nov 17, 2025 visibility 1

ancient limestone face carving discovered controversial maya train project excavation 1234761994

Archaeologists working on the controversial Maya Train project in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula have discovered a 2,000-year-old limestone face carving. The 18-inch-tall sculpture, featuring deep-set eye sockets, a flat nose, and a cleft lip, was found in Sierra Papacal near Mérida during construction of the Mérida-Progreso Railway Bypass. The carving was attached to the foundation of an ovoid building with a west-facing entrance, suggesting it served as a ceremonial marker. Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) is overseeing the excavation of 15 other nearby structures, and the artifact will be transported to a laboratory for conservation.

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article news schedule Nov 17, 2025 link 10 artists, 3 galleries

have new york museums hit their peak 28800

New York's major art museums, including MoMA, the Guggenheim, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Whitney, are experiencing attendance figures that have not surpassed their peaks from several years ago. MoMA projects reaching 3.24 million visitors for the 2012–13 fiscal year, just shy of its 2009–10 record of 3.22 million, driven by blockbuster exhibitions like "Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary" and a Sigmar Polke retrospective. Meanwhile, the Guggenheim's attendance peaked in 2009, the Met saw its busiest season in 2011–12 with 6.28 million visitors and is now on track for a second consecutive decline, and the Whitney's high was 372,000 in 2009–10. Factors cited include a harsh winter, ongoing construction at the Met, and a shift toward more scholarly exhibitions, though tourism growth in New York continues, especially among international visitors.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 17, 2025 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

met conde m nast galleries costume institute art 1234761960

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute announced its spring 2026 blockbuster exhibition, "Costume Art," which will explore the relationship between fashion and the dressed body across visual art history. Curator Andrew Bolton explained that the show aims to correct the long-held belief that fashion must be disembodied to be considered art. The exhibition will inaugurate the new 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast galleries and will pair historical and contemporary garments with paintings, drawings, and objects spanning 5,000 years from the Met's other curatorial departments.

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