Art News. Vasari Codex

article news schedule Sep 27, 2025 visibility 9 link 5 artists

warhol photographer billy names estate under dispute

A jury trial is underway in Kingston, New York, to determine who will control the estate of Billy Name, the artist and photographer who lived with Andy Warhol in the 1960s and documented the Factory scene. Name died in 2016, and two competing wills have emerged: one from 2011 naming his niece Suzette Linich as executor, and another from 2015 naming his agent Dagon James. Linich argues Name lacked mental capacity when signing the later will, while James insists Name was lucid and fit.

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article policy schedule Sep 27, 2025 visibility 22 link 11 artists

george soros trump open society foundations investigation

The Trump administration has escalated its attacks on billionaire philanthropist George Soros, with the Justice Department calling for an investigation into his Open Society Foundations. The foundations, which provide substantial grants to artists and human rights organizations globally, are accused of potential racketeering, wire fraud, and material support for terrorism, based on allegations from the conservative Capital Research Center. Soros, a major Democratic donor, has previously been targeted by Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who claim the foundations fund leftist protests. The Open Society Foundations have awarded $100,000 fellowships to numerous prominent artists, including Firelei Báez, Yto Barrada, and Nicholas Galanin, and provided $1.2 billion in funding in 2024 alone.

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museum exhibitions schedule Sep 26, 2025 visibility 22 link 9 artists

suzanne duchamp retrospective zurich kunsthall schirn frankfurt

A new retrospective at Kunsthaus Zurich, soon traveling to Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt, spotlights Suzanne Duchamp (1889–1963), a French artist often overshadowed by her brothers Marcel Duchamp, Raymond Duchamp-Villon, and Jacques Villon. The exhibition, titled “Suzanne Duchamp: Retrospective,” showcases her highly individual painterly practice rooted in Cubism and Dada, featuring works like *Radiation of Two Solitary Separates Apart* (1916–20) and *Marcel’s Unhappy Readymade* (1920), which reappropriates her brother’s readymade concept. The show includes a new catalog commission by painter Amy Sillman, who created digital drawings inspired by Duchamp’s formal dynamics.

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article news schedule Sep 23, 2025 visibility 11 link 3 artists

simone leigh on making art under full time fascism

Simone Leigh has announced a fall 2027 exhibition at the Royal Academy in London, featuring a series of new monumental sculptures. In an interview with the Guardian, she criticized the United States under the Trump administration, describing it as "full-on fascism" and reflecting on the kind of art produced under such conditions. She also condemned Columbia University's compliance with anti-woke policies, comparing it to the McCarthy era, and noted that artists of color have faced delayed or canceled commissions due to anti-DEI measures. The exhibition is curated by Tarini Malik, who organized the British Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale.

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article news schedule Sep 17, 2025 visibility 14 link 4 artists

david lynch daughter la compound

Jennifer Lynch, daughter of the late artist and filmmaker David Lynch, revealed on Reddit that her father's will stipulates his Los Angeles compound must be sold immediately as a single property, with proceeds split evenly among his four children. The 2.3-acre Hollywood Hills property, listed at $15 million, includes a 10-bedroom home, pool, editing suite, and lime-green kitchen countertops. Jennifer expressed that the family would prefer to keep the property but must follow David's instructions to avoid any sibling feeling less loved.

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museum exhibitions schedule Sep 12, 2025 visibility 20 link 13 artists

sao paulo bienal 36 2025 bonaventure sharon hayes

The 36th São Paulo Bienal, curated by Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung and his team, explores the theme of humanity through six chapters, from the primordial to the transcendent. The exhibition features works by artists such as Precious Okoyomon, Frank Bowling, Aline Baiana, Gervane de Paula, Frankétienne, and Sharon Hayes, with a focus on textiles, sound, and jewel-toned aesthetics. The curators draw inspiration from avian migration and estuaries, structuring the show like tributaries connecting "the river to the sea," a phrase echoing Palestinian sovereignty without explicit mention. Highlights include Okoyomon's installation of dirt and plants, a career-spanning Frank Bowling survey, and Gervane de Paula's playful wood carvings that reveal subtle, provocative details upon close inspection.

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article culture schedule Sep 11, 2025 visibility 10 link 2 artists

mahmoud khalil nan goldin market tanked palestine activism

Artist Nan Goldin and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil discussed Khalil's 104-day ICE detention, the 'Palestine Exception' to free speech, and the backlash faced by pro-Palestinian activists in a conversation published in Dazed magazine. Khalil was arrested in March 2024 after serving as a negotiator during Columbia University protests, with the Trump administration alleging he undermined foreign policy and later claiming he failed to disclose information on his green card application. Goldin compared her own experience leading the activist group PAIN, which successfully pressured museums to cut ties with the Sackler family over the opioid crisis, noting that pro-Palestinian activism has faced far greater criminal and professional repercussions.

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trending_up market schedule Sep 5, 2025 visibility 15 link 7 artists

basquiat picasso works linked to global 1mdb scandal net 36 m in auction by us marshals

Four artworks by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Pablo Picasso, and Diane Arbus, seized by the U.S. Department of Justice in connection with the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, sold for a combined $36 million in an online auction conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service. The lots included Basquiat's *Self Portrait* (1982) for $8.3 million and *Red Man One* (1982) for $22 million, Picasso's *Tête de taureau et broc* (1939) for $5 million, and Arbus's *Child with a Toy Hand Grenade* for $500,150. The auction, held by Gaston and Sheehan in Texas, ran from July 16 to September 4.

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trending_up market schedule Aug 19, 2025 visibility 21 link 14 artists

barbara hepworth sculpture uk national collection

The Hepworth Wakefield and Art Fund have successfully raised £3.8 million to acquire Barbara Hepworth’s sculpture *Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red* (1943). The wood and string artwork, previously in private hands and rarely seen publicly, was sold at Christie’s in London last March for £3.5 million. A temporary export bar imposed by the UK government gave the museum time to raise funds, with the deadline set for August 27. The funding came from over 2,800 donations and major grants, including £1.89 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and £750,000 from the Art Fund, along with private support.

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museum exhibitions schedule Aug 11, 2025 visibility 17 link 6 artists

george lucas comic con panel lucas museum preview

George Lucas made his long-awaited debut at Comic-Con's Hall H to present a sneak peek of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, set to open in Los Angeles next year. The panel, moderated by Queen Latifah, included filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and production designer Doug Chiang, and revealed details about the 300,000-square-foot building designed by Ma Yansong of MAD, with 33 galleries, two theaters, and 11 acres of green space. Lucas discussed his personal collection of over 40,000 works, emphasizing narrative art's role in shaping community and shared beliefs, and highlighted pieces by Norman Rockwell, Kadir Nelson, Beatrix Potter, and Frida Kahlo.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 28, 2025 visibility 11 link 6 artists

priority bidding phillips

Phillips auction house announced a new fee structure for fall 2025 called "priority bidding," which offers lower buyer's premium rates to bidders who place written bids at least 48 hours before a live sale. The move aims to encourage early engagement and generate more spirited bidding, while also providing certainty for sellers. The house is simultaneously raising its standard buyer's premium to as high as 29 percent on works up to $1 million, making it the highest among major auction houses. CEO Martin Wilson, who took over in January, hopes the program will mitigate risk and shore up sales of mid-priced works.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jul 23, 2025 visibility 14 link 3 artists

eames house restored reopened

The Eames House, designed by Charles and Ray Eames in the late 1940s in Los Angeles's Pacific Palisades, has reopened after a six-month closure due to smoke damage from the January 2025 wildfires. The property was saved from destruction partly because hundreds of surrounding trees were removed in 2024. The restoration has expanded visitor access, opening the studio for the first time, which will host exhibitions on the house's evolution and contemporary design influences. The first exhibition may focus on community rebuilding after the fires.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 22, 2025 visibility 15 link 9 artists

maripol sophie bramly joopiter marketplace sale

Maripol, the French-born photographer who documented downtown New York's 1980s cultural scene, is selling selections from her archive through Joopiter's Marketplace platform in a sale titled "Downtown Archive: '80s – '90s New York." The sale includes her Polaroid portraits of icons like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Madonna, Grace Jones, Debbie Harry, and Andy Warhol, as well as ephemera such as an invitation to Fiorucci's 15th anniversary party at Studio 54. Also featured are artifacts from Sophie Bramly, creator of "Yo! MTV Raps," including her custom bomber jacket and photographs of hip-hop pioneers like Kool Herc, Run-DMC, and Keith Haring. The sale is rounded out with vintage designer fashions from Chanel, Thierry Mugler, Bob Mackie, and Donna Karan, curated by retailer Vintage Grace.

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article culture schedule Jul 22, 2025 visibility 14 link 3 artists

eddington ari aster poster david wojnarowicz

Ari Aster's upcoming film *Eddington*, premiering at Cannes, uses David Wojnarowicz's 1988–89 artwork *Untitled (Buffalos)* as its poster image. The film, set in May 2020, follows a sheriff and mayor clashing over face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wojnarowicz's work, originally a critique of U.S. government indifference during the AIDS crisis, depicts bison falling off a cliff—a metaphor for societal collapse. The poster slightly alters the image, and A24, the production company, has not commented on the design.

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gavel restitution schedule Jul 16, 2025 visibility 12 link 1 artist

risque pompeii mosaic looted german restituted

A Roman erotic mosaic looted from Pompeii by a German Wehrmacht captain during World War II has been returned to Italy and is now on display at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. The heirs of the last owner contacted the Carabinieri in Rome, leading to a diplomatic repatriation via the Italian Consulate General in Stuttgart, Germany, in September 2023. The mosaic, dating to around 79 C.E., depicts a pair of lovers and is thought to have decorated a bedroom floor in a Roman villa.

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person people schedule Jul 15, 2025 visibility 19 link 15 artists

racquel chevremont interview and just like that

Racquel Chevremont, a curator and collector who recently appeared on the Real Housewives of New York, was brought in by the producers of the Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That… to build the art collection for the character Lisa Todd Wexley. Chevremont selected works by Black artists including Carrie Mae Weems, Deborah Roberts, Barkley Hendricks, Gordon Parks, Mickalene Thomas, Derrick Adams, and Alma Thomas to adorn the Wexley family home, carefully choosing each piece to reflect the character's identity as a successful Black documentarian and mother. In an interview with ARTnews, Chevremont explains how she researched the character's background to curate a collection that feels authentic, and describes the process of licensing images for reproduction on set rather than borrowing original works.

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article local schedule Jul 7, 2025 visibility 16 link 8 artists

manhattans beloved elizabeth street garden is saved

New York City has abandoned plans to demolish Soho's Elizabeth Street Garden for affordable housing, instead rezoning three nearby sites to build 620 units while preserving the garden. The deal, brokered with council member Christopher Marte—a former garden volunteer—ends a years-long campaign backed by celebrities like Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, and Patti Smith, as well as artists JR and Dustin Yellin and curator Klaus Biesenbach. The garden, filled with antique architectural remnants, was created by the late Allan Reiver and his son Joseph Reiver, who continued the fight after Allan's death in 2021.

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article news schedule Jul 2, 2025 visibility 15 link 1 artist

leonardo da vinci vitruvian man secrets dentist

A London-based dentist, Dr. Rory Mac Sweeney, has published a new analysis of Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" (c. 1490) in the Journal of Mathematics and Arts. Using his professional training, Sweeney identifies an equilateral triangle hidden between the figure's legs, which he links to "Bonwill's triangle," a 19th-century dental principle describing optimal jaw function. He argues that Leonardo intuitively encoded geometric relationships—including a tetrahedral ratio of approximately 1.64—that anticipate modern understanding of biological architecture.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 27, 2025 visibility 21 link 8 artists

curator andrea von goetz alps

Curator, collector, and artistic director Andrea von Goetz founded Sommer Frische Kunst in 2011 as a humble artist-led retreat in Bad Gastein, Austria, housed in the historic Kraftwerk am Wasserfall building. Over 15 years, the initiative has grown from a small artist-in-residence program into an internationally recognized contemporary art festival at 1,000 meters above sea level, featuring major exhibitions, public art projects, and its own art fair, art:badgastein. The 2025 anniversary is marked by a reunion exhibition titled "Welcome back!" co-curated with Dr. Silvie Aigner.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 26, 2025 visibility 17 link 13 artists

carlos agredano fume los angeles nomadic art division

Artist Carlos Agredano, who grew up near the 105 Freeway in Lynwood, California, has created a traveling sculpture titled "FUME" (2025) that uses air quality sensors mounted on his 1992 Toyota Pickup to measure pollution from vehicle exhaust and ambient air. The work was exhibited at the Los Angeles Nomadic Art Division (LAND) and is part of Agredano's broader practice examining how the LA freeway system has harmed working-class communities of color through toxic drift and destructive urban planning. His research draws on sources including Eric Avila's book "Folklore of the Freeway" and studies from UCLA's Center for Occupational & Environmental Health.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 26, 2025 visibility 16 link 4 artists

ai weiwei major installation ukraine

Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei will debut a major new installation in Kyiv, Ukraine, this fall at Pavilion 13, a Soviet-era glass exposition hall that recently reopened as a cultural venue after renovation by architectural firm Forma. The work, titled *Three Perfectly Proportioned Spheres and Camouflage Uniforms Painted White* (2025), features metal spheres inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's mathematical illustrations, encased in camouflage fabric thinly painted white, exploring themes of concealment, reality, and war. Commissioned by the nonprofit Ribbon International, the installation will be on view from September 14 to November 30, 2025, alongside a site-responsive intervention by Berlin-based artist Sam Lewitt.

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article news schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 9 link 2 artists

banksy mural lawsuit bethnal green

A legal dispute has erupted over a Banksy mural, *Yellow Lines Flower Painter* (2007), painted on the Bethnal Green Working Man’s Club in east London. The club’s trustees have filed a lawsuit against employee Warren Dent and others, alleging the work was illegally removed and put up for sale in the US. The mural, depicting a workman and a giant flower emerging from double-yellow lines, is currently in Colorado. The club’s former accountant claims secretary Stephen Smorthit agreed to sell the piece to Dent for £20,000 in 2019, after which art restorer Chris Bull removed it and later loaned it to his father’s gallery in Aspen. The trustees argue they never authorized the sale and are demanding the work’s return.

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gavel restitution schedule Jun 23, 2025 visibility 15 link 2 artists

romania secures hold on stolen el greco painting

Romania has secured a 'long-term hold' on El Greco's painting *Saint Sebastian* (1610–1614), which was pulled from a Christie’s New York Old Masters sale in February after the Romanian government claimed the work was unlawfully taken from its national collection. The painting, valued at $7–9 million, was consigned by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, who acquired it in 2010 from Swiss dealer Yves Bouvier. Romania has initiated litigation through Paris to recover the work, arguing it was illegally removed in 1947 by King Michael I as he fled the Communist takeover.

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article news schedule Jun 19, 2025 visibility 20 link 5 artists

casa batllo restores back facade courtyard

Casa Batlló, Antoni Gaudí’s iconic Barcelona landmark, has completed a €3.5 million ($4 million) restoration of its long-neglected back façade and courtyard. The project involved stratigraphic paint analysis to uncover original colors—revealing that the now-cream stucco was once deep gray and the windows originally green—along with restoration of trencadís mosaics, ironwork, wooden elements, and an 85,000-piece Nolla mosaic. The courtyard’s custom planters and parabola-shaped pergola were also rebuilt, returning the rear of the house to Gaudí’s original vision for the first time in over a century.

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article policy schedule Jun 17, 2025 visibility 14 link 3 artists

frank lloyd wright hollyhock house facing closure city cuts

Hollyhock House, Frank Lloyd Wright's Los Angeles masterpiece, faced potential closure after Mayor Karen Bass proposed a budget on April 21 that cut $283,000 in city funding and eliminated three of four staff positions, threatening its operations and UNESCO status. The Department of Cultural Affairs warned the cuts would make the property inoperable, but after advocacy from the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy and others, Bass fully restored funding, allowing the house to retain its two full-time staff and UNESCO designation.

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candle obituary schedule Jun 13, 2025 visibility 16 link 11 artists

graham gund architect art collector dead

Graham Gund, an architect and prominent art collector, died on June 6 at age 84. With his wife Ann, he built a significant contemporary art collection featuring works by Pablo Picasso, Kenneth Noland, Kiki Smith, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, and Richard Serra. Gund designed and funded the Gund Gallery at Kenyon College, his alma mater, and was a longtime patron of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, where a gallery and the directorship endowment bear his name. He appeared multiple times on the ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 12, 2025 visibility 13 link 5 artists

eames past prologue san francisco

An exhibition titled "Past as Prologue: The Last Decade of Furniture Design by Ray and Charles Eames" opens June 7 at the Transamerica Pyramid Center during San Francisco Design Week. Curated by Llisa Demetrios, the couple's granddaughter and chief curator of the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity, the show highlights the Eameses' often-overlooked final decade of collaboration (1968–1978). It features iconic designs like the side chair, executive chair, chess stool, and chaise, alongside rarely seen models and materials that reveal their iterative design process.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 11, 2025 visibility 25 link 85 artists

2025 bienal de sao paulo artist list

The Bienal de São Paulo has announced the 120 artists for its 2025 edition, titled “Not All Travellers Walk Roads – Of Humanity as Practice,” opening September 6 at the Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion. Curated by Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, the selection was inspired by bird migration patterns and rivers, aiming to avoid nation-state classifications. Notable participants include Isa Genzken, Firelei Báez, Wolfgang Tillmans, Forensic Architecture, and 19 Brazil-based artists, alongside 20 deceased figures such as Bertina Lopes and Ernest Cole.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 10, 2025 visibility 15 link 5 artists

new institute of sexology celebrates history of erotic art film photography

The Wellcome Collection in London has opened a new exhibition titled "The Institute of Sexology," celebrating the history of erotic art, film, and photography. The show features a wide range of objects including archival material, ethnographic and medical artifacts, erotica, and works by contemporary artists such as John Stezaker, Sharon Hayes, Zanele Muholi, and Timothy Archibald. It highlights pioneers of sexology like Sigmund Freud, Alfred Kinsey, and Marie Stopes, and marks the first exhibition after the institution's £17.5 million expansion, inaugurating a new gallery for large, year-long shows.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 10, 2025 visibility 12 link 6 artists

christo jeanne claude the gates ar shed

An augmented reality (AR) experience is reviving Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s iconic 2005 installation *The Gates* in New York’s Central Park. Starting in February 2025, visitors can use the Bloomberg Connects app to view virtual saffron-colored fabric panels suspended over 23 miles of park pathways, recreating the original work that featured 7,503 panels on metal arches. The project is a collaboration between the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation, the New York City Parks Department, the Central Park Conservancy, and Bloomberg Philanthropies, with support from former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The Shed is concurrently hosting an exhibition documenting the project’s history, including original arches and a scale-model diorama.

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