‘Halo effect’ of powerful art dealers’ collections boosts Sotheby’s sale

Sotheby's held a successful three-part evening auction in New York on May 15, 2025, achieving a total of $154.2 million in hammer sales ($186.1 million with fees), within its pre-sale estimate. The sale included 12 lots from the estate of late dealer Barbara Gladstone, which sold 100% for $15.1 million, and 15 works from the collection of Daniella Luxembourg, which brought $33.6 million. The main event, Sotheby's The Now and Contemporary evening auction, featured 41 lots—including works from the Dorothy and Roy Lichtenstein collection and three deaccessioned by US museums—and achieved a 93% sell-through rate, hammering $105.4 million. A standout was Andy Warhol's 'Flowers' (1964) from the Gladstone estate, which sold for $3.1 million hammer, more than double its high estimate.

The Broad invites art lovers to Jeffrey Gibson exhibition

The Broad museum in Los Angeles has announced free Thursday evening tickets for "Jeffrey Gibson: the space in which to place me," an exhibition on view through September 28. The show features over 30 works including paintings, sculptures, flags, murals, and a video installation, adapted from Gibson's 2024 U.S. Pavilion presentation at the 60th Venice Biennale, where he became the first Indigenous artist to represent the United States with a solo exhibition. This is Gibson's first single-artist museum exhibition in Southern California.

Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art and Saudi Arabia strike deal to collaborate on exhibitions, conservation and more

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art (NMAA) has signed a partnership agreement with Saudi Arabia's Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) to collaborate on exhibitions, conservation, research, and staff exchanges. The deal, signed on May 14 by NMAA director Chase Robinson and RCU CEO Abeer AlAkel, focuses on the ancient site of Dadan, a capital of the Lihyanite and Dadanite civilizations. The partnership covers joint conservation and research projects, exhibition loans, and professional development over four years.

Peabody Essex Museum opening new gallery of Korean art and culture May 17, 2025

The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, will open the Yu Kil-Chun Gallery of Korean Art and Culture on May 17, 2025. This landmark installation showcases PEM’s historic Korean collection, featuring works from the late Joseon dynasty through the early 20th century and into the present day, including rare objects, textiles, and recent acquisitions by artists like Nam June Paik. The gallery is supported by the Korea Foundation and the National Museum of Korea, and is curated by Dr. Jiyeon Kim.

An UES carriage home from a celebrity architect opens up for a public art show

Art dealer and collector Adam Lindemann is presenting a free public exhibition titled "Urhobo + Abstraction" in his East 77th Street carriage house on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The show features five life-size 19th- and early-20th-century sculptures carved by the Urhobo people of southern Nigeria, paired with works by contemporary artists of African descent including El Anatsui, Alma Thomas, and Jack Whitten. The carriage house is the first Manhattan building designed by Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye, whose renovation was completed in the late 2000s. The exhibition runs through June 13, open Mondays through Thursdays, and the sculptures are not for sale.

Chicago Is The Only City To Host 'The First Homosexuals,' An Extensive Collection Of Queer Art

The article reports that 'The First Homosexuals: The Birth of a New Identity, 1869-1939,' a major international exhibition of queer art, is currently on view at Wrightwood 659 in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. Curated by art historian Jonathan D. Katz, the show features around 350 works from over 100 lenders, including private collectors and major museums, and runs through July 26. Katz notes that no other institution in the world has agreed to host the exhibition, citing widespread refusals from venues in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia.

Five Big Lots to Watch as New York’s Spring Auctions Spring Into Action

New York's May auction season has begun, with Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips presenting major works by artists including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Robert Rauschenberg, Ed Ruscha, Cecily Brown, and Marlene Dumas. Highlights include Basquiat's 'Baby Boom' (estimate $20–$30 million) at Christie's, a Basquiat 'Untitled' (1981) at Sotheby's, and Marlene Dumas' 'Miss January' (1997), which could break the auction record for a living woman artist. Sotheby's will also feature works from the late dealer Barbara Gladstone's collection, while the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is deaccessioning Frank Stella's 'Adelante' and other works to fund new acquisitions.

Iconic photos are part of Gordon Parks exhibition at Wichita Art Museum

The Wichita Art Museum opens "Homeward to the Prairie I Come," an exhibition of 71 photographs by Gordon Parks, running from May 11 to July 27, 2025. The works come from a collection Parks curated and donated to Kansas State University in 1973, now held by the Beach Museum of Art, which co-curated the touring show with Aileen Wang and Sarah Price. The exhibition is organized thematically around five large iconic images, including portraits of Muhammad Ali, Alexander Calder, Malcolm X, and Flavio da Silva, the subject of Parks' first film.

Comment | Muted grey, bloody red, or dark blue—here’s why the colour of museum walls matters more than you might think

The article explores the often-overlooked significance of color in museum spaces, prompted by a conversation with architect Annabelle Selldorf about her $220 million renovation of New York's Frick Collection. Selldorf describes the new auditorium's muted grey as creating a calm, meditative environment, contrasting sharply with Tate Modern's Starr Cinema, which architect Jacques Herzog painted shocking red to symbolize the space as the museum's "brain." The piece traces historical approaches to gallery wall colors, from Charles Eastlake's advocacy at the National Gallery in London—informed by Goethe's color theory—to the enduring orthodoxy of reds and greens, and a notable departure with deep Prussian blue for a Gainsborough exhibition at Tate Britain. It also recounts Henri Matisse's 1946 project in Paris, where he covered his room's grimy beige walls with cut-paper forms, creating the screens "Océanie, Le Ciel" and "Océanie, La Mer."

Tate Modern, the ‘cathedral to contemporary art’, celebrates 25 years

Tate Modern in London celebrates its 25th anniversary this month, marking the transformation of a derelict Bankside power station into a landmark contemporary art museum. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the museum opened on 11 May 2000 and quickly reshaped London's art landscape, catalyzing the launch of the Frieze London art fair in 2003 and attracting international commercial galleries. Artist Michael Craig-Martin, a former trustee, recalls how the project was driven by then-director Nicholas Serota's ambitious vision to elevate modern art from its status as 'art's poor cousin.' The museum pioneered free-admission thematic collection displays and a global curatorial approach, though its inaugural exhibition 'Century City' was widely criticized as overambitious.

‘I derive a lot of inspiration from paintings and fibre art’: clothing designer Ulla Johnson on the art she collects and why

Fashion designer Ulla Johnson, founder of her eponymous clothing line, discusses her art collection in an interview with The Art Newspaper. She shares details about her first major purchase—Kathleen Ryan's sculpture *Diana* (2017)—and her most recent acquisition, a Gilbert Poillerat mirror. Johnson reveals her long-term search for a work by Olga de Amaral and expresses regret over not buying a set of Afra and Tobia Scarpa chairs. She also names upcoming New York exhibitions she plans to see, including the textile show at MoMA and Caspar David Friedrich at the Met.

‘Degenerate’ or ‘woke,’ Paris museum exhibit shows what happens to art in the crosshairs of politics

The Picasso Museum in Paris has opened an exhibition titled "Degenerate Art: Modern Art on Trial Under the Nazis," the first such show in France, running until May 25. It features works by Van Gogh, Klee, Picasso, Kandinsky, Chagall, and others that were condemned by Hitler and the Third Reich as "degenerate" — targeted for destruction, sale, or concealment. The exhibition is organized thematically around Nazi persecution, including sections on race, museum purges, and the art trade, and highlights the fates of artists like Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, who died by suicide, and Otto Freundlich, who was murdered in a concentration camp.

Spiders of Paradise to open at Tweed Regional Gallery

Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre will present 'Maria Fernanda Cardoso: Spiders of Paradise' opening on May 9, 2025. The exhibition, developed and toured nationally by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA Australia), features Colombian Australian artist Maria Fernanda Cardoso's photographic project on the Australian Maratus spider. It includes 17 large-scale digital photographic portraits created with scientific imager Geoff Thompson and entomologist Andy Wang, plus an immersive projection of Cardoso's video 'On the Origins of Art I-II' (2016), co-owned by MCA Australia and Tate.

Humanitas Bong Joon Ho in conversation, new student art, and beach photos

Oscar-winning filmmaker Bong Joon Ho will visit Yale University on May 5-6 for a public conversation with photographer Gregory Crewdson about filmmaking, followed by a Schwarzman Session for students and the community. The visit coincides with a film retrospective of Bong's work organized by Marc Francis, including screenings of "Parasite," "The Host," and "Mickey 17." Separately, the Schwarzman Center has launched a virtual Storyboard exhibition titled "over time," featuring artworks by 10 Yale students responding to a prompt about the future, curated by Airi Gavan. The article also notes an upcoming summer exhibition of photographs by Yale School of Art professor emeritus Tod Papageorge.

Walk the auction: your guide to Christie’s 20th and 21st Century Art sales in NY this May

Christie’s is holding its spring 20th and 21st Century Art sales week in New York from 12–15 May 2025, featuring over 500 works across six live auctions. Highlights include the single-owner collection of Leonard and Louise Riggio, led by a rare Piet Mondrian and René Magritte’s *Les droits de l'homme*; the 20th Century Evening Sale headlined by a Claude Monet from his *Les Peupliers* series; and the 21st Century Evening Sale, where Jean-Michel Basquiat’s *Baby Boom* sold for $23.4 million. Other notable consignors include Anne and Sid Bass, Tiqui Atencio, and Ago Demirdjian. The free public exhibition runs from 3–15 May at Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries.

Turner vs Constable: is it time for art historians to choose?

Art historian and author James Hall, writing in The Art Newspaper, reviews Nicola Moorby's new book "Turner and Constable: Art, Life, Landscape" and uses it as a springboard to argue that art historians should not shy away from making value judgments about artists. He compares the legacies of J.M.W. Turner and John Constable, noting that Turner currently dominates popular and institutional esteem—appearing on banknotes, celebrated by Tate Britain as the greatest British artist, and fitting modern conceptions of the artist as a rebellious, eccentric genius. Hall contrasts this with Constable's more conservative image and declining presence in commercial culture.

The nonconformist: Ben Shahn is honoured in a ‘homecoming’ show at New York's Jewish Museum

A major retrospective titled "Ben Shahn, On Nonconformity" opens this month at New York's Jewish Museum, honoring the American artist's lifelong activism. The exhibition includes 175 artworks and objects from the 1930s to the 1960s, organized into sections covering Shahn's Social Realism, New Deal-era work, responses to McCarthyism and the Atomic Age, and support for the civil rights movement. Co-curated by Laura Katzman and Stephen Brown, the show is adapted from a 2023 retrospective at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, which was a surprise hit.

Artists Across America Are Creating Stunning Floral Arrangements Inspired by Paintings, Sculptures and Artifacts

Museums across the United States are hosting "Art in Bloom" exhibitions, where floral artists create custom arrangements inspired by artworks in museum collections. The Cincinnati Art Museum recently held its show with 65 arrangements alongside pieces ranging from sculptures to oil portraits, including a sugar flower installation by Amsterdam-based artist Natasja Sadi. Other institutions like the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston—which started the tradition in 1976—and the Minneapolis Institute of Art also participate, with artists like Amy Kubas drawing inspiration from works such as a Japanese block print.

Early Basquiat to Lead Sotheby’s Contemporary Auctions -

Sotheby’s will offer a rare untitled 1981 painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat at its Contemporary Evening Auction in New York, estimated at $10–15 million. The work, unseen for 36 years, has been held in a private collection since 1989 and captures the raw energy of Basquiat’s breakout period. Other highlights include Lucio Fontana’s *Concetto spaziale, La Fine di Dio* (1963), Robert Rauschenberg’s *Combine Rigger* (1961), Frank Stella’s *Adelante* (1964), and Ed Ruscha’s *That Was Then This Is Now* (1989). The auction is built around three major private collections: the estate of gallerist Barbara Gladstone, the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, and the “Im Spazio” group assembled by Daniella Luxembourg.

Newcastle gallery to open new exhibition exploring 'craft' in art

The Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle is opening a new exhibition titled 'With These Hands' from May 17 to September 27, exploring the representation of craft in paintings, drawings, and prints. The show features works produced in Britain and Europe from the 1750s onward, depicting hand-making and mending as domestic pastime, rural labor, semi-industrial work, and war effort. It includes paintings by artists such as Mary Cassatt, G.F. Watts, and Evelyn Dunbar, alongside objects like quilts, embroidery, metalwork, and ceramics from makers including Bernard Leach and Michael Cardew. Loans come from Tate, V&A, Royal Academy of Arts, Imperial War Museums, and regional collections.

HommeGirls’s First Store Brings a Streetwear-Chic Slant to Chinatown

HommeGirls has opened its first brick-and-mortar store in New York's Chinatown, a 250-square-foot space designed by Rafael de Cárdenas. The shop features an operational dry cleaner's rack rotating above a Portaluppi-style marble floor, floor-to-ceiling mirrors, and a vintage Italian valet stand, reflecting the label's blend of discipline and disorder. The article also covers Miya Ando's solo show at Saint Laurent Rive Droite Los Angeles, Flamingo Estate's new candle inspired by a New York holiday, and the Met's upcoming "Sargent and Paris" exhibition.

Pope Francis and art, J.M.W. Turner’s 250th birthday, John Singer Sargent’s ‘Madame X’—podcast

This episode of The Art Newspaper's podcast 'The Week in Art' covers three major art stories. Host Ben Luke is joined by managing editor Louis Jebb to discuss Pope Francis's deep engagement with art and the Vatican collections following his death on Easter Monday. The podcast also marks the 250th anniversary of J.M.W. Turner's birth, featuring an interview with Tate Britain senior curator Amy Concannon about Turner's enduring appeal. The episode's 'Work of the Week' is John Singer Sargent's 'Madame X' (1883-84), discussed with co-curator Stephanie L. Herdrich ahead of a major Sargent exhibition opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and traveling to the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

Fragility, resilience and humour: Wolfgang Tillmans and Boris Mikhailov to open photography show in war-torn Kharkiv

A major photography exhibition pairing Wolfgang Tillmans and Boris Mikhailov opens today at the Yermilov Centre in Kharkiv, Ukraine, despite ongoing Russian attacks on the city. Titled "Pairs Skating" (April 25–September 28), the show is organized by the non-profit RIBBON International and curated by Maria Isserlis and Tatiana Kochubinska. It features Mikhailov's never-before-shown Crimean seascapes from the 1990s alongside Tillmans's works including "The State We’re In" (2015), with all prints produced specially for the venue, which is a certified bunker allowing public access during the war.

Gotta Have Art: Scottsdale galleries have evolved over decades

The article explores the evolution of art galleries in Scottsdale, Arizona, over the past several decades. It traces how the local gallery scene has transformed from a small, desert-focused art community into a diverse and sophisticated hub for contemporary, Native American, and Western art, attracting both local collectors and international visitors.

Edvard Munch, Reprinted: A Study in Process at Harvard Art Museums

The Harvard Art Museums have opened a new exhibition titled "Edvard Munch, Reprinted: A Study in Process," which delves into the Norwegian artist's experimental printmaking techniques. The show examines Munch's repeated reworking of his own compositions, revealing how he used printmaking as a dynamic, evolving process rather than a means of simple reproduction. It features multiple states of iconic prints such as "The Scream" and "Madonna," alongside preparatory drawings and rare proofs that trace his creative decisions over decades.

Remembering Pope Francis, for 12 years head of the Catholic church and proprietor in trust of the Vatican's library and art collections

Pope Francis, the 266th pope and the first from the Americas and the Global South, has died. He was the spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics, head of state of the Vatican, and proprietor in trust of the Vatican's vast art and architectural collections. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, he was the first Jesuit pope and the first to take the name Francis, signaling a commitment to austerity and social justice. His papacy, beginning in 2013 after Benedict XVI's resignation, addressed theological controversies, church culture wars, interfaith relations, Vatican financial reform, the clergy sexual abuse crisis, and cultural restitution from the Vatican's holdings.

Conversation with Kent Monkman

Artist Kent Monkman (Fisher River Cree Nation) and curator John Lukavic will hold a conversation on April 19, 2025, at the Martin Building's Sturm Grand Pavilion, discussing Monkman's new exhibition *History is Painted By the Victors*. This marks the first time Monkman's work is presented on a grand scale in the United States, featuring his large-scale painting *mistikôsiwak (Wooden Boat People): Resurgence of the People* (2019), which is in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The event is sold out, with a waitlist available.

In ‘Life Forms,’ Janny Baek Imagines a Speculative Landscape

In ‘Life Forms,’ Janny Baek Imagines a Speculative Landscape

Sculptor Janny Baek is presenting her solo exhibition *Life Forms* at Chicago's Joy Machine gallery from March 20 to May 9, 2026. The exhibition features her speculative ceramic sculptures, which blend recognizable natural forms like blossoms and creatures with unexpected, abstract elements to create imagined landscapes and primordial organisms. Using techniques like hand-building and the Japanese *nerikomi* method of patterning colored clay, Baek's work captures beings in a state of playful mutation and transformation.

Outgoing Tate Director Argues for Bigger Tax Breaks for Donors

Outgoing Tate director Maria Balshaw has publicly called on UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves to implement larger tax breaks for wealthy philanthropists who donate to museum endowment funds. She argues this would level the playing field with US institutions and provide crucial financial stability for UK museums.

Tutto Boetti 1966–1993

Tutto Boetti 1966–1993

Magazzino Italian Art has announced a major survey exhibition titled "Tutto Boetti 1966–1993," scheduled to run from April 2026 through April 2028. The show features approximately 30 works tracing Alighiero Boetti’s career from his early industrial material experiments in Turin to his later collaborative embroideries and graph paper works. The exhibition draws from the museum’s permanent collection, the Boetti estate, and private loans, and will be launched alongside a scholarly symposium organized with the Fondazione Alighiero e Boetti.