Vasari Art Codex

trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 2 link 22 artists, 3 galleries

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

Sotheby's inaugural sale at its new New York headquarters on Tuesday evening set multiple records, led by Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer," which sold for $236.4 million—the most valuable work of modern art ever auctioned and the highest price ever achieved by Sotheby's globally. The painting, spared from destruction during World War II, was part of the collection of Estée Lauder heir Leonard A. Lauder, whose holdings fetched $527.5 million total. Other highlights included an Edvard Munch painting at $35.1 million, a Klimt landscape at $86 million, and a Jean-Michel Basquiat work at $48.3 million, while a Cecily Brown set a new record at $9.8 million. However, works 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! at $12.1 million.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 3 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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article policy schedule Nov 14, 2025 link 3 artists, 1 gallery

french art world opposes proposal new taxes 1234761820

Two French parliamentarians, Jean-Paul Matteï and Philippe Juvin, have proposed a new tax regime on art as part of France's 2026 budget, which would make France the only major art market to impose a wealth tax on the mere possession of artworks. The French art world has strongly opposed the proposal, with 27 signatories including Art Basel, auctioneer Drouot, visual artists' rights organization ADAGP, the Association for the International Diffusion of French Art (ADIAF), and the Comité Professionel des Galeries d’Art (CPGA). Critics argue the tax is technically unenforceable, would drive collectors away, and harm the broader art ecosystem.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 12, 2025 link 5 artists

judson memorial church peoples flag show anniversary 1234760808

Three artists—Faith Ringgold, Jean Toche, and Jon Hendricks—organized "The People's Flag Show" at Judson Memorial Church in New York's Greenwich Village in November 1970, protesting the Vietnam War and challenging US flag desecration laws. The exhibition featured around 150 artists via open call, including Yvonne Rainer, Kate Millett, and the Guerrilla Art Action Group. On November 13, 1970, Ringgold, Toche, and Hendricks were arrested and fined $100 for flag desecration; their case was later dismissed with help from the American Civil Liberties Union. Now, 55 years later, Judson Commons—the church's nonprofit arts arm—is mounting a new version of the exhibition, again via open call, featuring over 60 artists and a week of programming in the Judson Gym.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 7, 2025 visibility 1 link 3 artists, 1 gallery

the studio museum in harlem basquiat painting 1234760555

The Studio Museum in Harlem revealed its new building to the press ahead of its public reopening on November 15, showcasing a major new acquisition: Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1984 painting *Bayou*, the first Basquiat painting to enter the museum's collection. The work was gifted in 2023 by financier Joseph Perella and his wife Amy, with Joseph having mentored Raymond J. McGuire, an ARTnews Top 200 Collector and the museum's board chair.

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article news schedule Nov 6, 2025 link 3 artists

teen tourist faces charges after dousing met museum masterpiece 1234760356

A 19-year-old tourist, Joshua Vaurin, allegedly vandalized artworks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on November 3. He threw water at Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres's 19th-century painting *The Princess de Broglie* and a 16th-century altarpiece by Girolamo dai Libri, then ripped two tapestries. Vaurin was taken into custody, arraigned on criminal mischief charges, and appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance. The Met reported minor damage with repairs estimated at $1,000.

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article culture schedule Nov 4, 2025 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

The story of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s brief but dazzling life, as told by an art-world insider

Doug Woodham, former president of Christie's Americas and current managing partner of Art Fiduciary Advisors, has authored a new biography titled "Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Making of an Icon." The book is divided into two halves: the first offers a straightforward biography of Basquiat's life from his gifted childhood in Brooklyn to his rise as a star artist, his friendship with Andy Warhol, and his tragic death from a heroin overdose at age 27. The second half analyzes how Basquiat achieved such early success, examining the influence of his father Gerard, the legal battle with dealer Vrej Baghoomian over the artist's estate, and the roles of collectors like Peter Brant and José Mugrabi. Notably, the Basquiat estate refused permission to include images of his artwork because the book openly addresses sensitive issues about his character and life.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule Nov 3, 2025 visibility 1 link 11 artists, 4 galleries

jean baudrillard photography art performance 1234758770

Jean Baudrillard, the French philosopher whose concept of simulation inspired *The Matrix* (1999), is the subject of a new biography by Emmanuelle Fantin and Bran Nicol. The article explores Baudrillard's complex relationship with the art world: he was celebrated by artists and served on *Artforum*'s editorial board, yet he disavowed the Neo-Geo movement that claimed his ideas, arguing that art had become indistinguishable from commerce and lost its critical distance. His 1987 lecture at the Whitney Museum drew thousands, but he used the platform to declare art's irrelevance.

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article culture schedule Nov 3, 2025 link 2 artists

Comment | Fifty years on, John Berger’s writing is still relevant—and troublingly prescient

The article reflects on the enduring relevance of John Berger, the influential art critic and writer best known for his 1972 series and book "Ways of Seeing." It highlights two current cultural events that underscore his legacy: a new edition of his 1975 book "A Seventh Man," which examines migrant labor in Europe through text and photographs by Jean Mohr, and a dance-theatre collaboration between Nederlands Dans Theater and Complicité titled "Figures in Extinction," which draws on Berger's writings about humanity's relationship with nature and the economy of the dead.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Oct 29, 2025 link 2 artists, 2 galleries

With the help of exhibitions, Jeanne Lanvin's eponymous fashion house is keeping her legacy alive

Jeanne Lanvin, a trailblazer in 20th-century French fashion and interiors, is being honored through exhibitions that explore her legacy. The article features a conversation between Peter Copping, Lanvin's current artistic director, and Olivier Gabet, director of the Department of Objets d'Art at the Musée du Louvre. Gabet curated the exhibition "Louvre Couture" featuring 99 looks from 45 fashion houses, while Copping has drawn inspiration from the Lanvin archive and the preserved rooms of Jeanne Lanvin's apartment now on permanent display at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Oct 28, 2025 link 3 artists, 2 galleries

basquiat estate new print pace 1234759190

The estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat is releasing a new screenprint titled *King Alphonso*, available from Pace Prints starting November 5. Produced in an edition of 60, the print reproduces a 1982–83 drawing in acrylic and charcoal, referencing the Spanish monarch Alfonso XIII, known as “El Africano.” The work will be stamped and signed by Basquiat’s sisters, Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, administrators of his estate. The announcement follows recent estate activities, including the 2022 “King Pleasure” exhibition in New York and the designation of Great Jones Street as “Jean-Michel Basquiat Way.”

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trending_up market schedule Oct 27, 2025 link 7 artists, 4 galleries

How Blue-Chip Art Markets Are Opening Up to New Collectors

The contemporary art market in 2025 is experiencing a paradox: traditional indicators show cooling, but online sales are booming and attracting new, younger collectors. According to the Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report 2025, online sales now account for 22% of dealer transactions, with 46% of online sales in 2024 going to first-time buyers—up from 35% the previous year. High-net-worth individuals increasingly prefer purchasing through digital channels like dealer websites or Instagram, and established collectors are also buying sight unseen. This shift is driven by greater access to authenticated limited editions and prints by blue-chip artists such as Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Banksy, David Hockney, and Damien Hirst, offered by galleries like Calder Contemporary in London with transparent pricing and provenance.

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trending_up market schedule Oct 22, 2025 link 8 artists, 3 galleries

kerry james marshall jean michel basquiat sothebys 1234758126

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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museum exhibitions schedule Oct 22, 2025 link 19 artists, 5 galleries

fondation cartier reopens paris 1234758463

The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain will reopen its new space at 2 Place du Palais-Royal in Paris on October 25, 2025, during Paris Art Week. Designed by architect Jean Nouvel, the building—originally constructed for the 1855 Exposition Universelle and later a hotel, department store, and antiques center—has been transformed with a modular system of five movable platforms, a glass canopy, and transparent ground-floor windows to create an open, flexible exhibition environment. The inaugural show, titled “Exposition Générale,” features nearly 600 works by over 100 artists from the foundation’s history.

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article local schedule Oct 22, 2025 link 3 artists, 1 gallery

stretch of downtown manhattan renamed jean michel basquiat way 1234758099

A stretch of Great Jones Street in downtown Manhattan between Bowery and Lafayette has been officially renamed "Jean-Michel Basquiat Way" in a ceremony co-organized by the Basquiat estate and the New York City Council. The street naming honors the late artist, who lived and worked in a second-floor space at 57 Great Jones Street from 1983 until his death in 1988, a property he rented from Andy Warhol. The event featured remarks from Basquiat's sisters Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, along with city officials and cultural figures.

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museum exhibitions schedule Oct 22, 2025 link 32 artists, 12 galleries

The must-see exhibitions during Art Basel Paris

Numéro magazine lists the must-see exhibitions during Art Basel Paris art week. Highlights include a major minimal art exhibition at the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection featuring Sol LeWitt, Agnes Martin, and Lygia Pape; a historic Gerhard Richter retrospective at the Fondation Louis Vuitton with nearly 300 works; the Fondation Cartier's new space near the Louvre designed by Jean Nouvel, showcasing artists like Ron Mueck and Junya Ishigami; and a carte blanche exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo curated by Naomi Beckwith exploring the influence of French theory on American art.

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