Art News. Vasari Codex

museum exhibitions schedule Mar 9, 2026 visibility 37 link 35 artists

la exhibition julia stoschek video art collection

The Julia Stoschek Collection has made its United States debut with a sprawling exhibition titled "What a Wonderful World: An Audiovisual Poem," staged at the historic Variety Arts Theater in Los Angeles. Curated by Udo Kittelmann, the presentation features 45 time-based media works by a high-profile roster of artists including Marina Abramović, Arthur Jafa, and Anne Imhof, alongside early cinema classics. Eschewing traditional "white cube" gallery aesthetics, the show utilizes the dilapidated grandeur of the six-story theater, allowing for overlapping soundtracks and non-linear viewing experiences.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Mar 6, 2026 visibility 16 link 3 artists

phillips modern contemporary sale london

Phillips’s Modern and contemporary evening sale in London concluded with a total of £13 million ($17.3 million), marking a 16 percent decline compared to the previous year's equivalent auction. The sale was led by Andy Warhol’s "Mao" and Vilhelm Hammershøi’s "Interior of Woman Placing Branches in Vase on Table," both of which fetched £1.6 million including fees. Despite the overall contraction in total sales, the auction saw a significant breakout for Danish painter Anna Ancher, whose work "Young Girl Reading a Letter" sold for £154,800, tripling its high estimate and setting a new auction record for the artist.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

person people schedule Mar 3, 2026 visibility 13 link 2 artists

charles chemin artistic director watermill center

The Watermill Center has appointed Charles Chemin as its new artistic director, succeeding the organization's late founder, Robert Wilson. Chemin, a long-time collaborator who first worked with Wilson in 1992, was hand-selected for the role by Wilson prior to his death in August 2025. He will lead the interdisciplinary laboratory's artistic vision alongside managing director Elise Herget and curator Noah Khoshbin.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Feb 13, 2026 visibility 21 link 14 artists

collectibles digest january 2026

A rare cassette tape containing one of the earliest known recordings of rapper Tupac Shakur, made in 1988 at his friend Ge-ology's home, is being auctioned by the music collecting platform Wax Poetics with an estimate of $120,000–$150,000. The sale includes other personal artifacts like handwritten lyrics and photos from Tupac's pre-fame years in Baltimore, with bidding ending February 11.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule Feb 10, 2026 visibility 13 link 6 artists

olympics opening ceremony art references

The opening ceremony of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics featured significant art-historical references, including a flame cauldron inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's knot drawings and performances that brought to life the marble sculptures of Antonio Canova. Dancers animated recreations of works like 'Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss,' and the ceremony included symbolic representations of Italian architectural landmarks like the Colosseum and Florence's Duomo.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Feb 6, 2026 visibility 16 link 7 artists

claire tabouret criticism notre dame cathedral commission

French figurative painter Claire Tabouret has been awarded the commission to create new stained glass windows for Notre-Dame Cathedral, replacing 19th-century works by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and Jean-Baptiste Lassus that survived the 2019 fire. Her designs, featuring multiethnic, multigenerational worshipers during Pentecost, were unveiled in the exhibition "Claire Tabouret: In a Single Breath" at the Grand Palais. The project, chosen by President Emmanuel Macron and Archbishop Laurent Ulrich from 110 candidates, has drawn criticism as an act of vanity and a possible violation of heritage guidelines, though Tabouret and Macron remain undeterred.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Feb 2, 2026 visibility 24 link 12 artists

sothebys second sale saudi arabia results

Sotheby's second auction in Saudi Arabia, titled 'Origins II,' achieved a strong result of $19.6 million, surpassing its presale estimate. The sale of 61 lots was bolstered by a new auction record for a Saudi artist and a significant increase in the value and volume of works by Saudi artists sold compared to the house's inaugural sale in the country last year.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jan 29, 2026 visibility 17 link 4 artists

public television richer bob ross auction

Three paintings by Bob Ross sold for up to thirteen times their high estimates at a Bonhams Skinner auction, raising $1.3 million for American Public Television. The top lot, 'Change of Seasons' (1990), painted live on his TV show, fetched $787,900, setting a new high for Ross at a traditional auction house.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jan 27, 2026 visibility 13 link 1 artist

ai weiwei returns china first time decade

Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei returned to China last month for the first time in a decade, visiting Beijing for three weeks after years of exile in Europe. His passport had been confiscated in 2015, ending travel restrictions tied to his political dissent. Upon arrival, Ai was interrogated for nearly two hours at Beijing's airport before being granted entry. He documented the trip on Instagram, including a reunion between his 17-year-old son and 93-year-old mother, and described the experience as like reconnecting a long-disconnected phone call.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule Jan 27, 2026 visibility 12 link 3 artists

a rhythm 0 for the tiktok age

Artist Briony Godivala is performing a year-long piece called *The Inked Link*, in which she has a QR code tattooed on her forearm that redirects to a new link each day based on public votes. Since January 2025, the voting site has been hacked to repeatedly play an anime episode, and participants have submitted links to pornographic, fascist, and racist content, as well as footage of death. Godivala, a graduate of the Glasgow School of Art, previously explored collective responsibility in physical performances where audience members carried her until they dropped her; she now uses social media to continue these experiments in a virtual space.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jan 26, 2026 visibility 13 link 2 artists

ai weiwei returns to china 10 years

Artist Ai Weiwei returned to his native China after 10 years in exile, making a quiet three-week trip to Beijing last month. It was his first visit since authorities returned his confiscated passport in 2015, allowing him to leave China and live in Europe. During the trip, Ai was briefly interrogated at the airport but otherwise faced no interference. He shared photos and videos on Instagram, and told CNN the visit felt like a reconnection after a decade-long disconnection. The trip was partly motivated by a desire for his 17-year-old son and 93-year-old mother to meet.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jan 23, 2026 visibility 25 link 6 artists

di rosa art center estate sale

The di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art in Napa, California, has listed its 217-acre estate for $10.9 million amid ongoing financial struggles. The property, which houses a significant collection of postwar Northern California art including works by Mark di Suvero, Peter Saul, and Jay DeFeo, was founded by collector Rene di Rosa and his wife Veronica. The center has been seeking financial stability since 2019, when it briefly attempted to sell its holdings before reversing course after local backlash. Director Kate Eilertsen hopes a wealthy philanthropist will purchase the estate and lease it back to the center, or that Napa County may acquire the land for public use while preserving the sculptures.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Jan 22, 2026 visibility 13 link 1 artist

leonardo da vinci mural milan olympics

A Leonardo da Vinci mural undergoing restoration at Sforza Castle in Milan will be temporarily opened to the public for five weeks starting February 7, coinciding with the Winter Olympics in Italy. Visitors can climb a 20-foot scaffold inside the Sala delle Asse to observe conservators at work on the delicate tempera painting, which was begun shortly before Milan fell to France in 1499 and was later covered by plaster and lost for centuries. The mural was rediscovered in the late 19th century, with further sections uncovered in the 20th century, and the current restoration uses Japanese rice paper and demineralized water to clean the surface.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article policy schedule Jan 22, 2026 visibility 14 link 4 artists

vienna to temporarily close composer museums amid culture budget cuts

Vienna will temporarily close several museums dedicated to famous composers, including the apartments of Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss, and Joseph Haydn, as part of city-wide budget cuts. The closures, announced on Wednesday, are expected to last up to two years, with Schubert's birthplace also closing for a redesign ahead of the 200th anniversary of his death in 2028. The city's cultural budget has dropped from €29.7 million in 2025 to €28.4 million this year, with further reductions planned for 2027. Other institutions, such as the Prater Museum and Hermes Villa, will also reduce opening hours.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jan 20, 2026 visibility 14 link 3 artists

roman basilica fano vitruvius

Archaeologists in Fano, Italy, have unearthed the remains of a 2,000-year-old Roman basilica during redevelopment work on Piazza Andrea Costa. The rectangular structure, bordered by eight columns on the long side and four on the shorter sides, matches the precise measurements and layout described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book V of his treatise *De Architectura*. This is the first time a physical building has been attributed to Vitruvius, whose writings have long been studied but whose structures had never before been found.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jan 20, 2026 visibility 13 link 3 artists

archeologists uncover vitruvius basilica italy

Italian officials announced the discovery of a 2,000-year-old basilica attributed to the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius, uncovered in the town of Fano (ancient Fanum Fortunae) and completed in 19 BCE. The structure, the only known building by Vitruvius, was found using his own descriptions from the treatise *De architectura*, with archaeologists led by Andrea Pessina confirming an "absolute match" after locating columns exactly where predicted. The discovery was hailed by Italy's culture minister Alessandro Giuli as "the Tutankhamun of the 21st century."

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

candle obituary schedule Jan 20, 2026 visibility 17 link 10 artists

iconic fashion designer art collector valentino garavani dead 93

Italian fashion designer and art collector Valentino Garavani died in Rome on January 19 at age 93. Born in Voghera, he moved to Paris for fashion studies, worked for Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche, then launched his own brand in Rome in 1959. Known for elegant gowns worn by icons like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Princess Diana, he retired in 2008. Garavani and his longtime business partner Giancarlo Giammetti built significant art collections; Garavani sold a Basquiat painting for $67 million at Christie’s in 2023, and Giammetti sold another for $93 million in 2021. Garavani also owned works by Warhol, Lichtenstein, and de Kooning. In 2024, he opened PM23, an exhibition space in Rome run by the Fondazione Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti, which launched its second show, “Venus,” featuring Joana Vasconcelos, two days before his death.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Jan 20, 2026 visibility 17 link 11 artists

claire tabouret notre dame windows grand palais

French artist Claire Tabouret is presenting her full-scale maquettes for Notre-Dame Cathedral's new stained glass windows at the Grand Palais in Paris, in an exhibition titled "In a Single Breath." The six windows, each over 20 feet tall, were selected by a committee from over 100 submissions last December, replacing 19th-century designs by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. The project has sparked controversy: conservation group Sites and Monuments launched a petition with over 328,000 signatures and a legal case arguing the replacement violates the 1964 Venice Charter and French historic monuments law. A Paris administrative court ruled in favor of the state in late November, but the group plans to appeal. Tabouret's designs are now being fabricated by the historic Atelier Simon-Marq glass workshop.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jan 20, 2026 visibility 19 link 14 artists

california college of the arts closure

California College of the Arts (CCA), the Bay Area's last private art and design school, will close after the 2026–27 academic year, ending 116 years of operation. Vanderbilt University will acquire CCA's San Francisco campus and open a West Coast outpost in 2027, continuing some art and design programs. The closure follows years of financial struggles, including a $20 million deficit, declining enrollment from 1,800 to 1,295 students, and emergency fundraising that raised nearly $45 million—including a $22.5 million matching gift from the Jen-Hsun and Lori Huang Foundation and a $20 million state grant—but proved insufficient to ensure long-term independence.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jan 18, 2026 visibility 8 link 4 artists

boston midtown hotel ai art warhol

Boston's Midtown Hotel has sparked outrage after decorating its newly renovated space with AI-generated artwork that mimics Andy Warhol's style to depict local celebrities like David Ortiz and Barbara Walters. Guest Alex Steed publicly criticized the hotel on social media, noting the art's uncanny valley quality and the placard proudly stating the works were entirely created by artificial intelligence. The complaint went viral, drawing thousands of views and comments condemning the hotel for choosing AI over hiring local artists in a city known for its art schools and museums.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jan 16, 2026 visibility 18 link 13 artists

joan mitchell foundation 2026 artists in residence

The Joan Mitchell Foundation has announced the 31 artists selected for its 2026 residency program at the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans. The residencies, lasting six or 14 weeks across three seasons, will host no more than nine artists at a time, beginning February 2. The cohort includes 17 local New Orleans artists and participants from cities such as New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, and Atlanta, ranging in age from 27 to 75. Notable participants include Edra Soto, who also won a United States Artists Fellowship, and two leaders of New Orleans’s Black Masking Indian tradition, Kelly Pearson Boles and Efrem Z. Boles. The selection was made by a jury of artists, curators, and academics.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule Jan 16, 2026 visibility 14 link 4 artists

juergen teller bottega veneta summer 2026 campaign

Juergen Teller has photographed Bottega Veneta's Summer 2026 campaign, set against the iconic landmarks of Venice, including the Palazzo Contarini Polignac and the Venice Giardini. The campaign features models Liya Kebede and Anine Van Velzen, and arrives ahead of the 2026 Venice Biennale. It also marks the debut collection of Louise Trotter, who joined Bottega Veneta as creative director last year, drawing on the house's 50-year archives and reimagining signature items like the Lauren and Knot bags.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jan 15, 2026 visibility 14 link 3 artists

bose krishnamachari resignation kochi biennale foundation

Bose Krishnamachari, artist and co-founder of the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF), has abruptly resigned, citing pressing family reasons. His departure comes during the 6th edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, titled “For the Time Being,” which opened December 12, 2025, and runs through March 31, featuring 66 artists from over 20 countries. The biennial has faced multiple controversies since its 2012 debut, including financial mismanagement, sexual harassment allegations, and a recent closure in January 2026 due to religious protests over a painting by Tom Vattakuzhy referencing the Last Supper.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jan 2, 2026 visibility 17 link 4 artists

kochi muziris biennale closure christian protests

India's Kochi-Muziris Biennale was forced to close briefly in late December 2024, just weeks after its mid-December opening, following protests by Christian groups over a painting of the Last Supper by artist Tom Vattakuzhy. The work was displayed not in the main biennial exhibition, “For the Time Being,” but in a side exhibition called “EDAM” at the Garden Convention Centre in Kochi. Christian organizations, including the Kerala Latin Catholic Association and the Syro-Malabar Church, condemned the painting as offensive and called for its removal, questioning the use of public funds. Vattakuzhy, who is from a Christian family, said he did not intend to offend and that the work was inspired by a play based on a poem about Mata Hari. The biennial's curators and president defended the work, refusing to remove it on grounds of censorship, and organizers announced the exhibition would reopen on January 2.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jan 1, 2026 visibility 14 link 6 artists

sothebys to unveil 1 b of art and luxury goods during abu dhabi collectors week in december

Sotheby's announced that $1 billion worth of fine art and luxury goods will be unveiled during Abu Dhabi Collectors' Week, running from December 2 to 5. The event includes non-selling exhibitions of high-value artworks, such as a Rembrandt drawing and Gustav Klimt's 'Dame mit Fächer,' while luxury items like McLaren racing cars, a Jane Birkin handbag, diamonds, and real estate will be offered at auction or privately, with over $150 million going to auction and $100 million in private sales.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Dec 22, 2025 visibility 20 link 5 artists

banksy new mural queens mews centrepoint london

A new Banksy mural appeared on a wall in west London on Monday, December 22, 2025, depicting two children in winter clothing lying on their backs and gazing at the sky. The stenciled artwork, located on Queen’s Mews in Bayswater near Notting Hill, was officially claimed by Banksy via Instagram. An identical version was also spotted outside the Centre Point tower in central London, though not yet claimed. The piece has sparked widespread speculation about its meaning, with interpretations ranging from a commentary on childhood imagination and wonder to a satirical critique of consumerism and the replacement of sacred values by utility.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Dec 19, 2025 visibility 23 link 10 artists

vienna museum exhibition religious controversy

Conservative religious groups in Austria have launched a campaign against the exhibition “You Shall Make For Yourself An Image” at Vienna’s Künstlerhaus contemporary art museum, which explores Christian iconography from critical, feminist, and queer perspectives. The backlash, including an online petition and a “prayer of atonement” protest outside the museum, has been linked to a prior attack on another religious-themed exhibition at a Jesuit Church in Vienna. The show features over 30 artists, including Martin Kippenberger, Andres Serrano, and Marina Abramović, and has drawn particular ire for works like Kippenberger’s crucified frog and Anouk Lamm Anouk’s depiction of the Virgin Mary as a transgender woman.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Dec 17, 2025 visibility 14 link 1 artist

christies 2025 sales results analysis

Christie's closed 2025 with $6.2 billion in projected global sales, a nearly seven percent increase from $5.8 billion in 2024 and in line with its 2023 total. Auction sales reached $4.7 billion, up eight percent year-over-year, while private sales held steady at $1.5 billion. The year's top lot was Mark Rothko's *No. 31 (Yellow Stripe)*, which sold for $62.1 million in New York. Other highlights include a record Picasso sale in Hong Kong ($25.4 million) and the Fabergé Winter Egg in London (£22.9 million). The house also saw strong performance from its automobiles business, Gooding Christie's, which delivered $234 million in sales. Geographically, the Americas grew 15 percent to $2.58 billion, while Asia-Pacific slipped 5 percent.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Dec 16, 2025 visibility 19 link 2 artists

tuan andrew nguyen 2026 high line plinth commission

The High Line in New York has selected Vietnamese artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen to create its next plinth commission, titled *The Light That Shines Through the Universe*, opening spring 2026. The 27-foot sandstone sculpture reimagines one of the Bamiyan Buddhas, destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, replacing the lost hands with melted brass artillery shells. The work is an "echo" meant to invoke memory of the lost cultural treasures.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Dec 15, 2025 visibility 15 link 7 artists

marina abramovic and roman polanski team up for new film

Marina Abramović has announced production dates for her upcoming performance piece "Seven Deaths," a seven-part film incorporating death scenes from influential operas such as "Madam Butterfly" and "Carmen." The 68-year-old artist has invited controversial filmmaker Roman Polanski, along with directors Alejandro González Iñárritu, Marco Brambilla, Giada Colagrande, Yorgos Lanthimos, and screenwriter Petter Skavlan, to contribute segments. Abramović will portray singer Maria Callas, whom she describes as a muse, and plans to produce a making-of documentary and a biography on Callas's life. Lars von Trier was invited but declined due to scheduling conflicts.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original