Art News. Vasari Codex

article culture schedule May 30, 2025 visibility 25 link 6 artists

the phoenician scheme wes anderson renoir art collecting

Wes Anderson's new film *The Phoenician Scheme* features a protagonist, Zsa-Zsa Korda (played by Benicio del Toro), who is a jet-setting high roller with a vast but neglected art collection housed in a 16th-century palazzo. The collection includes authentic masterpieces such as an 1889 Renoir portrait once owned by Greta Garbo, a 1942 Magritte, and a 17th-century van Schooten still life, alongside replicas like a Peter Paul Rubens. The film, now playing in New York and Los Angeles, uses these artworks as props and backdrops, reflecting the protagonist's indifference to his possessions amid his shady business schemes and fractured family relationships.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 30, 2025 visibility 24 link 9 artists

met museum rockefeller wing renovation review

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, closed since 2021, reopens after a $70 million renovation. The redesign by architect Kulapat Yantrasast transforms the previously dark and cramped galleries into airy, energizing spaces, with a major rehang that reconfigures the Oceania galleries. Notable changes include the repositioning of a Kwoma ceremonial house ceiling in collaboration with descendants of the original painters, the relocation of Asmat funerary poles to a dedicated gallery, and the addition of newly acquired works by Ömie artist Ilma Savari. The renovation also features revised wall texts that better contextualize the objects.

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trending_up market schedule May 30, 2025 visibility 19 link 10 artists

georges lemmen record auction

Belgian Neo-Impressionist Georges Lemmen's painting *Jeune femme faisant du crochet (Julie Lemmen)* (1890) sold for $698,500 at Sotheby's New York on May 14, shattering its $50,000–$70,000 estimate and more than doubling the artist's previous auction record. The Pointillist portrait of the artist's sister, Julie Fréderique Lemmen, had been in a private Florida collection since 1960 and was consigned through Sotheby's online portal. The sale drew over a dozen bidders, including a museum, two dealers, and five private collectors, and was backed by an irrevocable bid.

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article culture schedule May 30, 2025 visibility 23 link 7 artists

5 rediscoveries transforming black art narratives

Artnet News highlights five recent rediscoveries and reinterpretations that are reshaping narratives around Black artists and sitters in art history. These include Gustav Klimt's long-lost portrait of Prince William Nii Nortey Dowuona, an Osu prince exhibited in a racist "human zoo" in Vienna, which resurfaced in 2023 and was shown at TEFAF Maastricht with a $16.4 million price tag. Also featured are Edvard Munch's dual portrayals of Sultan Abdul Karim—one intimate, one stereotyped—on view at the National Portrait Gallery in London, and new research identifying James Cumberlidge, a Black servant in a Jean-Baptiste van Loo portrait, correcting a historical misattribution.

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article news schedule May 29, 2025 visibility 18 link 5 artists

damien hirst will keep making artworks after dies

Damien Hirst, the 59-year-old British artist and one of the world's wealthiest living artists, has revealed a plan to continue creating artworks after his death. In an interview with the London Times, Hirst described a system of 200 notebooks, each representing one year after his demise, which will contain instructions for artworks that collectors can buy the rights to produce. These rights will be tradable certificates, and the works will be signed by his descendants. The scheme allows for back-dating of works, including a sculpture of a pig in formaldehyde conceived in 1991 but never made, which could be fabricated 145 years after his death and dated to 1991. This follows criticism Hirst faced in 2024 for assigning 1990s dates to formaldehyde sculptures actually produced recently, which his company Science Ltd. defended as conceptual artworks dated by conception.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 29, 2025 visibility 21 link 10 artists

berruguete restoration altarpiece

The Museum of Fine Arts in Bilbao has completed a restoration of Pedro Berruguete's *The Annunciation* (1485–1490), a painting that once formed part of an altarpiece likely for a church in Palencia, Spain. The work, on a five-year loan from the Arburu collection, had suffered from cracks, dirt, and oxidized varnish over centuries. Two specialists—Elisa Mora Sánchez for the paint layer and Mayte Camino Martín for the gilding—cleaned, repaired, and re-gilded the panel, revealing Berruguete's blend of Italian Renaissance, Flemish, and Castilian Gothic influences.

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trending_up market schedule May 29, 2025 visibility 23 link 4 artists

5 essential works rene magritte

René Magritte, the iconic Belgian Surrealist, remains a dominant force in the art market and popular culture. In November 2024, his painting *L’empire des Lumières* (1954) sold for a record $121.2 million at Christie’s in New York, followed by *La reconnaissance infinite* (1933) fetching £10.3 million ($13.7 million) at Christie’s in London in March 2025. Magritte also topped Artnet News’ 2025 Intelligence Report as the best-selling Impressionist & Modern artist, with over $312 million in sales. The article highlights five essential works, including *The False Mirror* (1928) and *The Lovers* (1928), both held by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and *The Treachery of Images* (1929), exploring their surrealist themes and enduring appeal.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 29, 2025 visibility 20 link 4 artists

how did hiroshige become an international sensation

A new exhibition at the British Museum, “Hiroshige: Artist of the Open Road,” showcases over 100 works by the Japanese ukiyo-e master Utagawa Hiroshige, including a landmark gift of 35 prints from U.S. collector Alan Medaugh. Many of the prints have never been publicly displayed before, and some are believed to be the only surviving examples of their kind. The show runs through September 7 and features landscapes, bird-and-flower prints, fan prints, and an immersive digital experience created with Outernet London.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 29, 2025 visibility 29 link 12 artists

rolling stone artechouse amplified immersive

Artechouse has partnered with Rolling Stone to launch "Rolling Stone Presents: Amplified, The Immersive Rock Experience," a 50-minute, 270-degree immersive journey through rock history. The showcase draws on Rolling Stone's vast photography archive, featuring over 1,000 images, 200 videos, and 1,300 magazine covers, with a soundtrack of classic rock songs. The experience is divided into thematic chapters such as "Backstage," "Fans," "Studio," and "Hair," and includes narration by actor Kevin Bacon. The creative team, led by former Rolling Stone creative director Jodi Peckman and music director Joe Levy, spent two years curating the archival material, which includes work by renowned photographers like Lynn Goldsmith, Bob Gruen, and Anton Corbijn.

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article policy schedule May 29, 2025 visibility 23 link 8 artists

neh stipends trump

The Trump administration is moving to eliminate the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) while simultaneously cutting its funding and reshaping its priorities. In early May, the NEH announced $9.55 million for 68 projects, a sharp drop from $26.2 million for 238 projects the previous year. The number of Summer Stipends was slashed from nearly 100 to just 18, with total funding cut by three-fourths to $144,000. Only one Media Project grant was awarded, down from ten. The administration has also sought to lay off NEH workers, cancel grants, and divert funds to a National Garden of American Heroes, a presidential pet project.

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trending_up market schedule May 28, 2025 visibility 25 link 12 artists

hot lots and top flops 6 artworks that had shocking results at the marquee may auctions

Artnet News analyzed six standout lots from the marquee May auctions at Christie's and Phillips, highlighting both surprising successes and failures. Among the 'hot lots,' Mark Tansey's study for "The Enunciation" (1992–93) sold for $3.2 million at Christie's—over ten times its low estimate—while Henri Matisse's tiny portrait "Henriette, robe jaune" (1923) fetched $1.4 million, nearly quadrupling expectations. Firelei Báez's "Untitled" (2017) also soared, selling for $381,000 at Phillips, more than triple its high estimate. The article contrasts these with 'top flops,' though the provided text focuses on the successes.

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article news schedule May 28, 2025 visibility 39 link 43 artists

albright pennsylvania college selling art collection

Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania, is quietly selling off the Freedman Gallery collection, which includes works by Romare Bearden, Salvador Dalí, Jasper Johns, and Robert Rauschenberg, to address a budget shortfall that recently reached $23 million. Art preparator Rich Houck discovered the storage space emptied without notice and was fired after reporting the move; the college has cut 53 positions, canceled academic majors, and considered selling real estate as part of a broader cost-cutting campaign. Former gallery staff are no longer employed, and major donors were not informed of the sale.

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article culture schedule May 28, 2025 visibility 22 link 5 artists

art bites robert rauschenberg erased de kooning drawing

American Pop artist Robert Rauschenberg created his controversial work *Erased de Kooning Drawing* (1953) by taking a drawing from Abstract Expressionist legend Willem de Kooning and erasing almost all of its marks. Rauschenberg, then 28, had recently returned to New York after studies at Black Mountain College and the Art Students League. He convinced de Kooning to donate a drawing for the project with a bottle of Jack Daniels, and de Kooning insisted it be a work he would miss. The erasing took about a month and wore down roughly 40 erasers. The finished piece, framed in a traditional gilded frame and inscribed by Jasper Johns, is now held by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), which used infrared technology in 2010 to reveal traces of de Kooning's original charcoal-and-pencil figures.

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trending_up market schedule May 28, 2025 visibility 29 link 9 artists

rashid johnson nosedive auction

Rashid Johnson's mixed media work *Untitled Escape Collage* sold for $292,100 at Phillips's Modern and contemporary art day sale in New York on May 14, falling short of its low estimate and representing a 72 percent loss in value for the consignor, who had purchased it for $816,500 at the same auction house in 2022. The disappointing result coincides with Johnson's solo exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 23, 2025 visibility 22 link 12 artists

6 textile works at moma

MoMA has opened "Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction," a touring survey that examines the role of textiles in modern and contemporary art. The exhibition features works by artists such as Sonia Delaunay, Paul Klee, Agnes Martin, Jeffrey Gibson, and Anni Albers, and incorporates other mediums like video and photography. Curator Lynne Cooke notes that the show has evolved at each venue, and at MoMA it holds special significance because the museum was foundational in writing the history of Modernism and collected textiles from its early days.

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article news schedule May 22, 2025 visibility 24 link 6 artists

pope leo first general address van gogh sower at sunset

Pope Leo XIV, in his first general address, referenced Vincent van Gogh's 1888 painting *The Sower at Sunset* as a metaphor for faith and divine guidance. He noted that behind the sower, van Gogh painted the grain already ripe, interpreting the sun as the central figure of the biblical parable. The address highlighted the Pope's engagement with art as a means of spiritual reflection.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 22, 2025 visibility 23 link 1 artist

calder gardens philadelphia opening date

Calder Gardens, a new museum in Philadelphia dedicated to Alexander Calder, has announced it will open on September 21, 2025. The institution, located on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, features a building designed by Herzog & de Meuron and a sculpture garden by Piet Oudolf, with rotating works curated by the Calder Foundation. It will be administered in partnership with the Barnes Foundation, and memberships offering unlimited admission to both institutions start at $98 annually.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 21, 2025 visibility 26 link 9 artists

suzanne valadon post impressionist painter

Suzanne Valadon, a self-taught French post-impressionist painter known for her brash, unflinching style and commitment to representation, is the subject of a major retrospective at the Centre Pompidou in Paris through May 26. The exhibition, simply titled "Suzanne Valadon," features 200 works and is part of a recent swell of attention that includes six major exhibitions in six years, highlighting her self-portraits, nudes, and depictions of the human body with unidealized realism.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 21, 2025 visibility 16 link 5 artists

going beyond fashion with charles james at the met

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's new Anna Wintour Costume Center opens with the exhibition "Charles James: Beyond Fashion," showcasing the work of the mid-century couturier often called "America's First Couturier." The show presents James's sculptural gowns—made of silk, tulle, and taffeta—on pedestals, accompanied by quotations that frame his designs as art. Highlights include the famous 10-pound "Clover Leaf Gown" and the "Taxi dress," a precursor to the wrap dress. The exhibition features animated video imaging by Diller Scofidio + Renfro that uses robotic cameras to reveal the architectural layers within the garments. The show runs from May 8 to August 10, 2014.

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article news schedule May 20, 2025 visibility 18 link 6 artists

jim morrison pere lachaise grave bust recovered

French authorities recovered the marble bust that once adorned Jim Morrison's grave at Père Lachaise cemetery, 37 years after it vanished in 1988. The bust, created by Croatian sculptor Mladen Mikulin and installed in 1981, was discovered during a fraud investigation by the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office. The sculpture, missing its nose and covered in graffiti, had become a iconic fixture at the singer's burial site before its mysterious theft.

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trending_up market schedule May 20, 2025 visibility 24 link 4 artists

art basel qatar

Art Basel is expanding to the Middle East with a new fair in Doha, Qatar, set to launch in February 2026. The inaugural edition will feature around 50 galleries from local and international scenes, held across two venues: M7 and the Doha Design District. The fair is a partnership between Art Basel, Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), and QC+, a cultural commerce collective under Qatar Museums. A new artistic director will be announced soon, and the fair aims to scale up over time, with additional art activations in outdoor spaces like Msheireb Museums and Barahat Msheireb square.

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article culture schedule May 20, 2025 visibility 26 link 4 artists

vincent van gogh news

Artnet News highlights the enduring public fascination with Vincent van Gogh, 135 years after his death, by compiling 10 recent stories that demonstrate "Van Gogh Mania." Examples include the National Gallery in London's major exhibition "Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers," the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston's "Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits," and a legal dispute over the garden that inspired his final painting, Tree Roots (1890). Other stories cover a van Gogh portrait kept in a chicken coop for over a decade and Lego's release of a Sunflowers-themed building set in collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum.

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article news schedule May 19, 2025 visibility 33 link 24 artists

whitney museum cancels palestine performance independent study program

The Whitney Museum of American Art canceled a performance piece titled "No Aesthetics Outside My Freedom: Mourning, Militancy, and Performance" scheduled for May 14 as part of the Independent Study Program's exhibition "A Grammar of Attention." The performance, by artists Fadl Fakhouri, Noel Maghathe, and Fargo Tbakhi, was grounded in the struggle for Palestinian freedom. The museum cited a zero-tolerance policy for harassment after reviewing a video of a previous iteration where an artist called for anyone who believes in Israel or America to leave the audience and valorized specific acts of violence. Participants and the program's associate director accuse the museum of censorship and seeking greater control over the historically autonomous program.

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article culture schedule May 19, 2025 visibility 26 link 12 artists

art bites marcel duchamp dentist check

Marcel Duchamp paid his dentist, Daniel Tzanck, with a hand-painted forged check in 1919, titled *Tzanck Check*. The work mimics a real bank check made out for $115, drawn on the fictitious “The Teeth’s Loan & Trust Company Consolidated.” Duchamp meticulously painted each letter to look printed, and the dentist—who was also a major art collector—never cashed it, recognizing its artistic value. The check is now a promised gift to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, with a 1938 reproduction held by M+ museum in Hong Kong.

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trending_up market schedule May 19, 2025 visibility 23 link 12 artists

are trophy lots losing their luster

New York's marquee spring auctions in May 2025 tested the theory that strong supply drives demand, but results were mixed. Alberto Giacometti's *Grande tête mince* (1955), estimated at $70 million, failed to sell at Sotheby's, while Christie's withdrew a $30 million Andy Warhol electric-chair painting. The top lot of the week was Piet Mondrian's *Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue* (1922), which fetched $47.6 million from the collection of late Barnes & Noble founder Len Riggio. However, Christie's pre-sold 93% of that collection's value to third-party backers, and the house fell $26 million short of its guaranteed amount. Sotheby's avoided financial risk on the Giacometti by not guaranteeing it, still earning $34.4 million in buyer's premiums. A new record for a living woman artist was set when Marlene Dumas's *Miss January* (1997) sold for $13.6 million at Christie's, though adjusted for inflation it fell short of Jenny Saville's 2018 record.

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trending_up market schedule May 19, 2025 visibility 26 link 21 artists

christies 21st century auction may 2025 marlene dumas

Christie's 21st century evening sale on May 14, 2025, generated $96.4 million against a presale low estimate of $79.5 million, with 39 lots offered and a sell-through rate of 90% before withdrawals. The top lot was Jean-Michel Basquiat's 'Baby Boom' (1982), which sold for $23.4 million with fees, consigned by collector Peter M. Brant. Marlene Dumas's 'Miss January' (1997) achieved $13.6 million, setting a new record for the most expensive living female artist, surpassing Jenny Saville's previous record. Other notable sales included Simone Leigh's 'Sentinel' (2020) at $5.7 million, while works by Ellsworth Kelly and Felix Gonzalez-Torres failed to sell.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 19, 2025 visibility 30 link 13 artists

german photography typologien prada foundation milan richter bechers

The Fondazione Prada in Milan is hosting “Typologien,” a survey of 20th-century German photography curated by Suzanne Pfeffer of Frankfurt’s Museum für Moderne Kunst (MMK). The exhibition features works by Karl Blossfeldt, Lotte Jacobi, Hilla Becher, Thomas Struth, Andreas Gursky, Sybille Bergmann, and Candida Höfer, among others, all arranged in dead-on, grid-like typologies. It highlights the formal rules and ethical underpinnings of German photographic traditions, including the influential legacy of Bernd and Hilla Becher and their students from the Düsseldorf Art Academy.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 17, 2025 visibility 25 link 21 artists

fenix immigration museum rotterdam

A new cultural institution called Fenix has opened in Rotterdam, Netherlands, dedicated entirely to the topic of migration. Housed in a 1923 waterfront warehouse that once served the Holland America Line—a major transporter of cargo and passengers—the museum occupies nearly 175,000 square feet in the Katendrecht neighborhood, a historic gateway for millions of immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries. Designed by Ma Yansong of MAD Architects, the building features a central double-helix staircase nicknamed the Tornado, leading to a rooftop observation deck. Three inaugural exhibitions, including “All Directions,” showcase over 150 artworks and objects by artists such as Max Beckmann, Willem de Kooning, Sophie Calle, and Yinka Shonibare, alongside personal mementoes from local families.

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article policy schedule May 16, 2025 visibility 19 link 1 artist

smithsonian teams up with saudi arabias alula project

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art (NMAA) has signed a formal partnership agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), formalizing two years of behind-the-scenes collaboration. Signed by NMAA director Chase Robinson and RCU chief executive Abeer Al Akel, the deal covers joint archaeological research, exhibition loans, curatorial exchange, and professional development, with a focus on the ancient site of Dadan, a key stop on the Incense Road. The partnership is part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan to rebrand the kingdom as a global cultural destination.

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article culture schedule May 16, 2025 visibility 25 link 7 artists

yayoi kusama georgia okeeffe pen pals

The article reveals the little-known friendship and correspondence between Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and American modernist Georgia O'Keeffe. In 1955, a 26-year-old Kusama, inspired by O'Keeffe's work, wrote to her from Japan seeking guidance. O'Keeffe replied within 20 days, offering advice and encouragement, including urging Kusama to move to the United States and show her art widely. Their decades-long correspondence helped Kusama make her career-defining move to America, though the two met only once, in New York, six years after their first exchange.

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