fight rages in norway over sale of barbara hepworth sculpture 46334

A legal and public battle has erupted in Norway over Kunsthall Stavanger's decision to sell Barbara Hepworth's sculpture *Figure for Landscape* (1960) at Christie's London, with an estimate of £1-2 million. The sale is intended to fund the institution's operating and exhibition budget, as the Kunsthall faces potential closure without the proceeds. Local group Stavanger Byselskap filed a lawsuit to block the sale, which was settled in the Kunsthall's favor, but over 260 community members have signed a petition against the deaccession. The Hepworth estate has also condemned the sale as unethical, noting the work was sold to the institution at a reduced price due to Hepworth's wish to have her work in a Norwegian public collection.

how did hiroshige become an international sensation 2643771

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.

lalanne ostrich bar sothebys paris 2641959

François-Xavier Lalanne's functional sculpture "Ostrich Bar" (1965) sold for €11.1 million ($12.5 million) at Sotheby's Paris on May 20, far exceeding its €3–4 million estimate after an 11-minute bidding war. The piece, one of only six ever produced, features two porcelain ostriches gripping a metal shelf with a central egg for ice cubes; it was the artist's personal favorite, kept in his bedroom for over four decades. The sale took place within Sotheby's Important Design sale curated by model Betty Catroux.

kids damage art 2639206

A child under the age of five recently scratched a Mark Rothko painting at a museum in the Netherlands, forcing its removal for restoration. The article compiles several notorious incidents of children accidentally damaging artworks, including a 12-year-old boy punching a hole through a $1.5 million Baroque painting by Paolo Porpora in Taipei, a 4-year-old shattering a 3,500-year-old vase at the Hecht Museum in Israel, a girl climbing a Donald Judd sculpture at Tate Modern, and kids breaking a glass artwork by Shelley Xue at the Shanghai Museum of Glass. In most cases, the damage was accidental, driven by curiosity or misinterpretation, and often involved lapses in adult supervision.

leonardo da vinci existing paintings ranked 2636065

Artnet News has published a ranking of Leonardo da Vinci's surviving paintings, focusing on completed, stand-alone works and excluding frescos like *The Last Supper* and unfinished pieces. The article evaluates paintings such as *Annunciation* (c. 1472–76), *Madonna of the Carnation* (1478–80), and *Ginevra de' Benci* (c. 1474–78), considering factors like attribution certainty, historical context, and unique traits—for instance, *Ginevra de' Benci* is the only Leonardo painting in a public collection in the Americas.

botticelli virgin and child export bar 2643265

The United Kingdom has imposed a temporary export bar on Sandro Botticelli's painting "The Virgin and Child Enthroned" (c. 1470), valued at £10.2 million ($13.5 million). The work was sold to a foreign buyer at Sotheby's London last fall for £8.6 million, but the export license deferral—recommended by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art—gives British institutions until August 8 to express interest in acquiring it. The painting, previously attributed to Botticelli's workshop, was confirmed as an autograph work through new scientific analyses and has been in the private collection of Lady Wantage since 1904.

medardo rosso invented modern sculpture 2628760

The article highlights Medardo Rosso, an Italian sculptor largely overlooked despite his pioneering role in modernist sculpture. A new exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Basel, "Medardo Rosso: The Invention of Modern Sculpture," showcases 50 of his works alongside pieces by over 60 artists including Rodin, Degas, and Brancusi, aiming to reassert his influence. Rosso's radical approach rejected monumentality for materiality and process, embracing subjects from society's fringes and anticipating 20th-century art developments. The show also revisits his bitter rivalry with Rodin, whom Rosso accused of borrowing his signature tilting effect.

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The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) will host the 2025 Museums of Tomorrow Roundtable (MTR) from May 11-17, bringing together 14 global museum leaders and technology firms including Adobe, Anthropic, Bloomberg, and Salesforce. Participants include directors such as Marion Ackermann (Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz), Stephanie Rosenthal (Guggenheim Abu Dhabi), Eike Schmidt (Museo di Capodimonte), Mami Kataoka (Mori Art Museum), and others, alongside Bay Area museum heads and AI artist Refik Anadol, who will speak in a free public program at the de Young Museum. The forum aims to bridge the museum and technology communities, exploring how advanced technologies can enrich operations and visitor experiences while supporting artists working with technology.

art iiu susiraja photography gratin exhibition

Finnish artist Iiu Susiraja, known for her deadpan self-portraits that blend vulnerability and absurdity, is opening her first New York solo exhibition since her 2023 MoMA PS1 show, titled “A style called a dead fish,” at the gallery Gratin on December 11. The article, an interview by a critic, explores Susiraja’s practice of embracing her “inner clown” through photographs that feature nudity, balloons, and domestic props, often staged in her own home or her parents’ home in Turku. New works include images like “Lift up, Breasts” (2025), where helium balloons are taped to her nipples, and a sculpture involving photocopying machines that will distribute keepsakes during the show.

art meg webster land art minimalism

Artist Meg Webster, now 80, is receiving overdue recognition for her contributions to Land art and Minimalism. Nine of her sculptures—made from moss, beeswax, salt, and other natural materials—recently went on long-term view at Dia Beacon in Upstate New York. Webster, who worked as Michael Heizer's studio assistant in her late 30s, has spent decades creating intimate, urban-sited Land art in downtown Manhattan, challenging the movement's reputation as a macho, remote, monumental practice. She will also feature prominently in a Minimal art group exhibition at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris this October.

art new york exhibition guide september

The article, published by Cultured, serves as a curated guide to September's art exhibitions in New York, highlighting both ongoing and closing shows. It recommends balancing the frenzy of fair week with slower, more meaningful experiences, pointing to specific exhibitions like EJ Hill's silent kneeling performance at 52 Walker, Lisa Yuskavage's drawing show at the Morgan Library, the Stettheimer Dollhouse at the Museum of the City of New York, and MoMA's presentation of Hilma af Klint's nature notebooks. It also notes upcoming must-see shows, including a Cady Noland exhibition at Gagosian, and mentions the Gaza Biennial, Nancy Holt, Raúl de Nieves, and Kahlil Robert Irving, along with future features on Ambera Wellmann and Sophie Calle.

What to See This Spring at Museums Across the U.S.

Major museums across the United States are preparing to launch a diverse array of exhibitions for the spring season. Highlights include a comprehensive Marcel Duchamp retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, an exploration of Etruscan civilization at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, and a major fashion-focused exhibition at the Phoenix Art Museum.

In a Historic Kyoto Neighborhood, a New Hotel Channels the Past

A new hotel, the Ace Hotel Kyoto, has opened in the historic Umekoji neighborhood, housed within a renovated 1920s brick building that was once the Kyoto Central Telephone Office. The project, a collaboration between Ace Hotel Group and Japanese developer NTT Urban Development, blends the original structure's industrial character with contemporary design by Kengo Kuma and Commune Design, featuring guest rooms, restaurants, and a gallery space.

Taiwan’s New Typologies

Taiwan is undergoing a significant cultural transformation with the opening of several major municipal art institutions, including the New Taipei City Art Museum, the Taoyuan Museum of Fine Arts, and the Taichung Green Museumbrary. The latter, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects SANAA, represents a new hybrid typology that merges a public library with an art museum within a sprawling urban park. These institutions are characterized by striking contemporary architecture and a mission to balance international prestige with deep-rooted local art histories.

What you (perhaps) didn't know about Alexander Calder

Ce que vous ne saviez (peut-être) pas sur Alexander Calder

The Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris has launched the exhibition "Calder. Rêver en équilibre," prompting a retrospective look at the life and technical mastery of Alexander Calder. The article explores the artist's journey from his arrival in Paris in 1926 to his interactions with avant-garde masters like Duchamp and Miró, highlighting how he defied traditional artistic labels through his innovative use of movement and simple materials.

Ides Kihlen, Abstract Painter and Argentine Art Legend, Dies at 108

Ides Kihlen, the beloved Argentine abstract painter, died on April 14 at age 108. Her first solo exhibition came at age 85 in 2002 at the National Museum of Decorative Arts in Buenos Aires, after which her career blossomed with presentations at institutions including the Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo and the Emilio Caraffa Fine Arts Museum. Known for rhythmic compositions blending geometric forms, experimental line work, and collage on varied supports, Kihlen maintained a daily routine of painting from morning and playing piano after sunset, reflecting her lifelong dual commitment to art and music.

What Germany’s Art Market Reveals About the Limits of Localism

German art dealers are increasingly pivoting toward regional strategies as the national market faces a period of stagnation. While the broader European Union saw a modest rise in dealer sales, Germany’s market contracted by 4 percent between 2024 and 2025, hampered by high interest rates and a sluggish post-pandemic recovery. In response, major fairs like Art Cologne are launching satellite editions in locations like Mallorca to follow wealthy German collectors on vacation, while Art Düsseldorf prepares for a record-breaking edition despite the economic downturn.

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Art Basel has launched its inaugural edition in Doha, Qatar, debuting a specialized format that emphasizes solo artist presentations and a slower, more meditative pace compared to its flagship fairs. The event features a curated selection of international galleries including Pace, Lisson, and Almine Rech, with a layout designed to foster deeper engagement and introduce regional collectors to the fair circuit.

lucia di luciano painter dead 1234768776

Lucia Di Luciano, an Italian painter associated with the 1960s Arte Programmata movement, has died at age 93. Her death was announced by her Milan gallery, 10 A.M. Art, without specifying a cause. Di Luciano was known for her hand-painted, gridded black-and-white abstractions that mimicked computer-generated patterns, made with house paint and acrylic. Despite painting for nearly eight decades, she only gained wider international recognition in 2022 when her work was included in the main exhibition of the Venice Biennale, curated by Cecilia Alemani. Her career saw a late surge, with appearances at Tate Modern's "Electric Dreams" exhibition, art fairs like Frieze Masters and Independent 20th Century, and a solo show at Herald St. in London. The Maxxi museum in Rome is organizing a retrospective set to open in 2027.

art toronto 2025 showcasing indigenous art 1234758460

Art Toronto, Canada's oldest and largest international fair for modern and contemporary art, opens to the public on Friday with a strong focus on Indigenous artists. Over half of the fair's 100-plus booths feature works by Indigenous makers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin America. The fair includes a mix of Canadian, European, Latin American, and US galleries, with a dedicated 'Arte Sur' section highlighting Mexican and Central and South American art. Notable exhibitors include Ceremonial Art, Fazakas, Feheley Fine Arts, and N. Smith Gallery, showcasing works by artists such as Ningiukulu Teevee, Shuvinai Ashoona, Gerardo Ramírez, and Manuel Mathieu.

sam mckinniss jeffrey deitch review 1234756098

Sam McKinniss's new exhibition "Law and Order" at Jeffrey Deitch in New York presents paintings of viral and iconic figures, including Jeremy Meeks, Luigi Mangione, Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl, and riderless horses running through urban streets. The show explores how social media blurs the lines between advertising, entertainment, and politics, capturing the experience of scrolling through online content. The article, part of ARTnews's Link Rot column by Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, examines McKinniss's attempt to illustrate the feeling of living in contemporary America through curated images of law enforcers and law breakers.

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Acquavella Galleries, a blue-chip gallery known for secondary market sales, has taken exclusive US representation of Swiss sculptor Harumi Klossowska de Rola. The artist, daughter of painter Balthus and ceramicist Setsuko Klossowska de Rola, creates bronze and alabaster animal sculptures that blend fine art and design. Her works, priced from under $100,000 to over half a million dollars, are cast in small editions and meticulously reworked by hand. Acquavella discovered her work at the Palm Beach home of collector Peter Brant. Her first show with the gallery opened in Palm Beach, accompanied by a Rizzoli book, with new works planned for Art Basel Paris and a major solo exhibition at Acquavella's New York space in 2026.

les lalanne mania drives big results at sothebys karpidas sale 1234752622

Sotheby's London sale of British socialite and arts patron Pauline Karpidas's collection shattered its $53 million high estimate, totaling $100 million on Wednesday evening. Nine works by artist-designer couple François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne (known as Les Lalanne) achieved $18.5 million, more than five times their combined high estimate of $3.5 million, contributing nearly 20% of the total. The top result was Claude Lalanne's Structure végétale mirror and wall light, which sold for $4.8 million against a $615,000 high estimate. Additional Lalanne works in a day sale and online auction also performed strongly, with jewelry and furniture pieces far exceeding expectations.

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New York's Kasmin gallery is closing after 35 years, transitioning into a new venture called Olney Gleason, led by Nick Olney (Kasmin's president since 2020) and Eric Gleason (senior director since 2013). The plan was discussed with founder Paul Kasmin before his death in 2020, and the estate is fully supportive. Olney Gleason will open its first exhibition this fall in Chelsea with a roster of about 25 artists and estates, around 80 percent of whom began working with Kasmin within the last five years.

rene magritte les lalannes exhibition di donna galleries 1234748525

Di Donna Galleries in New York will present a major exhibition titled “Magritte and Les Lalanne: In the Mind’s Garden,” opening October 8, 2025, in collaboration with London-based Ben Brown Fine Arts. The show features over 50 works—paintings, works on paper, and sculptures—by Belgian Surrealist René Magritte and French sculptors François-Xavier Lalanne and Claude Lalanne, including rare loans from private collectors and the Lalanne estate. Highlights include Magritte’s *L’ami intime* (1958), which sold for £33.66 million at Christie’s, and François-Xavier Lalanne’s *Hippopotame I* (1968/1998) and “Sauterelle” Bar (1970).

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New York galleries are rethinking the traditional summer group show, moving away from ambitious, canon-redefining exhibitions toward more pragmatic, relationship-driven presentations. Dealers and advisers note that these shows now serve primarily to maintain gallery visibility during the slow August season, test emerging artists, and foster networking. The article highlights examples like "Open Eyes" at A Hug from the Art World, curated by 14-year-old Luke Newsom, which balances playfulness with serious curation, featuring works by KAWS, Urs Fischer, and Raymond Pettibon.

independent 20th century names 31 exhibitors for 2025 edition in september 1234747150

Independent 20th Century, the art fair focused on 20th-century works, has announced the 30 exhibitors for its fourth edition, running September 4–7 at Casa Cipriani in New York's Battery Maritime Building. The fair emphasizes single-artist presentations, spotlighting underknown figures such as Raymond Jonson, Gertrude Greene, Elda Cerrato, and Bruce Richards, alongside established names like Picasso, Munch, and Judy Pfaff. Notable collaborations include Nahmad Contemporary and Skarstedt Gallery on Georges Rouault, and presentations of self-taught artists like the Florida Highwaymen and Balraj Khanna.

bronze rhinoceros desk francois xavier lalanne sothebys 1234744810

A life-size bronze rhinoceros desk by François-Xavier Lalanne, titled *Grand Rhinocéros II* (2003), sold for $16.422 million at Sotheby’s Important Design day sale in New York on June 11. The piece, which measures over four feet wide and 8.5 feet long, had a pre-sale estimate of $3–5 million. After 45 bids over 13 minutes, it hammered at $13.75 million, with the final price including buyer’s premium. The sculpture was the first of eight editions and had been acquired from Galerie Mitterand in Paris in 2003.

In Minor Keys: how Venice's international exhibition was brought to life after the death of artistic director Koyo Kouoh

The 61st Venice Biennale's international exhibition, titled "In Minor Keys," was realized after the sudden death of its artistic director, Koyo Kouoh, in May 2025. A team of five of Kouoh's collaborators, known as "la squadra di Koyo Kouoh," worked with her before her death and finalized the exhibition's themes, artist list, and scenography. The exhibition features 111 invited artists, duos, collectives, and artist-led organizations, with the team emphasizing that this remains Kouoh's vision rather than a replacement.

Claude Lalanne’s set of bronze mirrors shatters artist's auction record at Sotheby's

A set of 15 bronze and copper mirrors by Claude Lalanne sold for $33.5 million at Sotheby's in New York, shattering the artist's previous auction record and surpassing the record price for works by her late husband and collaborator, François-Xavier Lalanne. The ensemble, which far exceeded its $15 million high estimate, drew fierce competition from five bidders over ten minutes.