Eight Exhibitions Not to Miss During Frieze Week London

Frieze Week London returns from October 15-19 at Regent's Park, but the city's galleries and museums are mounting a robust slate of concurrent exhibitions. Highlights include "Nigerian Modernism" at Tate Modern (October 8, 2025–May 10, 2026), the first UK survey of mid-century Nigerian modern art featuring over 200 works by 50 artists; "Emily Kam Kngwarray" at Tate Modern, Europe's first major solo show for the Aboriginal artist; "Kerry James Marshall: The Histories" at the Royal Academy of Arts, the artist's largest US exhibition outside the U.S.; and "House of Music" at Serpentine South Gallery, a multisensory presentation of Peter Doig's work. The article also previews several other shows across London.

Phillips' Priority Bidding drives 100% sell-through at Hong Kong evening sale, totalling US$20.5m

Phillips achieved a 100% sell-through rate at its Modern and Contemporary Art Evening Sale in Hong Kong on 27 September, totaling nearly HK$160 million (US$20.5 million). All 20 lots sold, with six works exceeding HK$10 million. The top lot was Yoshitomo Nara's *Pinky* (2000), which sold for HK$56.64 million (US$7.2 million) after its estimate was lowered from HK$60–80 million to HK$35–55 million. The sale was the first major test of Phillips' new Priority Bidding (PB) system, which offers a reduced buyer's premium to collectors who place written bids at or above the low estimate at least 48 hours before the auction. Seven lots were withdrawn and several estimates revised downward ahead of the sale, contributing to the white-glove result.

Blum Gallery’s Sudden End Shocked the Art Industry. What Happened?

On July 1, 2025, Tim Blum, the powerhouse Los Angeles dealer behind Blum Gallery, announced the sudden closure of his gallery after a 35-year run. The closure includes his Culver City headquarters, his Tokyo space, and a planned Tribeca location that will no longer open. Blum publicly framed the decision as a voluntary "sunset" due to systemic industry issues like over-expansion and burnout, but interviews with artists and staff reveal a more chaotic reality: the closure blindsided employees and artists, many of whom learned about it from news reports or a last-minute staff meeting that excluded Tokyo staff. Sources cite weak sales at Art Basel and Art Basel Hong Kong, poor business decisions—including buying out partner Jeff Poe and renovating a costly New York space—and a lack of severance or transition time as underlying factors.

The Ultimate Guide to New York Art Week 2025

New York Art Week 2025 is underway as the international art world converges on the city for a series of major spring fairs. Galerie has surveyed six key fairs—Frieze New York, Independent, TEFAF New York, NADA New York, Future Fair, and Esther II—highlighting standout artworks and notable presentations. Highlights include Jeff Koons' Hulk sculptures at Gagosian, Claire Tabouret's new paintings at Perrotin, and Tuan Andrew Nguyen's kinetic sculptures at James Cohan. Independent returns to Spring Studios with its 16th edition, featuring a new curatorial initiative, Independent Debuts, showcasing 26 emerging artists including Shafei Xia, Laura Footes, and Lewis Brander.

A New Series on Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera Is Heading to Netflix

A New Series on Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera Is Heading to Netflix

Netflix has announced a new series focusing on the turbulent relationship and artistic partnership between Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. The project, adapted from Claire Berest's biography, will be co-directed by Mexican filmmakers Patricia Riggen and Gabriel Ripstein and aims to present the story through a specifically Mexican and feminine perspective, exploring their politics and infamous love affairs.

Lynda Roscoe Hartigan Named Director of Smithsonian American Art Museum

Lynda Roscoe Hartigan has been appointed as the new director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in Washington, DC, effective September 8. She returns to SAAM, where she began her career and later served as chief curator, from her current position as executive director and CEO of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. She succeeds acting director Jane Carpenter-Rock, who will remain as deputy director.

A $433 Million Boost for the Market

Sotheby's May 2026 auctions in New York generated $433.1 million in sales over under three hours, a 132.7 percent increase compared to the same period last spring, despite offering fewer lots. This strong performance signals a top-heavy recovery in the art market after three years of contraction. Separately, the Neue Galerie will merge with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2028, and Art Dubai continues despite disruptions from the U.S.-Iran war.

Andy Warhol’s Former Studio Building Now Home to New Uniqlo Union Square Store

The former New York City studio building of Andy Warhol, known as The Factory, will now house a Uniqlo store. The Japanese fast-fashion brand is opening its seventh New York location on the ground floor of 860 Broadway, the same building where Warhol worked from 1974 to 1984. The brand is leveraging the site's artistic history by selling exclusive merchandise featuring Warhol's imagery to promote the opening.

Churchill Landscape Gets First U.K. Showing in Exhibition Tracing His Artistic Life

An exhibition titled "Churchill the Artist" has opened at Chartwell, Winston Churchill's former home in Kent, England. The show features personal artifacts like his paint-spattered Savile Row overalls and spectacles, alongside paintings, including the first U.K. display of his work "Quiet Waters," a gift to his friend Lord Beaverbrook.

7 museum openings of 2025

The global art landscape is set for a significant transformation in 2025 with the opening of several high-profile museum projects. These range from the long-awaited reopening of New York’s Frick Collection and the Studio Museum in Harlem to ambitious international debuts like the PoMo museum in Norway and the Fenix Museum of Migration Stories in Rotterdam. These projects feature designs by world-renowned architects including Annabelle Selldorf, India Mahdavi, and MAD Architects, often repurposing historic structures with bold contemporary additions.

us museum shows exhibitions 2026

Artnet News has published a preview of major museum exhibitions scheduled across the United States in 2026, highlighting five standout shows. These include "Renaissance to Runway: The Enduring Italian Houses" at the Cleveland Museum of Art, which examines the intersection of fashion and art from the Renaissance to today; "The One-Two Punch: 100 Years of Robert Colescott" at the Tacoma Art Museum, celebrating the centenary of the artist known for his provocative figurative paintings; "Containing Multitudes" at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, a photography exhibition marking America's 250th year; and "Frida: The Making of an Icon" at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, focusing on Frida Kahlo's enduring legacy.

10 most expensive women artists

A Frida Kahlo painting, *El Sueño (La Cama)* (1954), sold at Sotheby’s New York for $54.7 million, setting a new auction record for the most expensive artwork by a female artist. The article, using data from the Artnet Price Database, lists the ten most expensive women artists at auction, including Lee Krasner ($11.6 million for *The Eye is the First Circle*), Jenny Saville ($12.4 million for *Propped*), Marlene Dumas ($13.6 million for *Miss January*), and Agnes Martin ($18.7 million for *Grey Stone II*).

artists studios google street view part 2

Artnet News continues its exploration of famous artists' studios via Google Maps Street View, featuring nine historic homes and workspaces. Among them are Max Liebermann's lakeside Berlin villa, now a memorial museum; the modernist compound of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Mexico City, designed by Juan O'Gorman; Dora Gordine's eclectic Dorich House in South London; and Ben Nicholson's studio in the historic Porthmeor Studios building in Cornwall, which once housed Francis Bacon and other artists. Each entry includes the location, historical context, and an interesting fact about the site.

have new york museums hit their peak

New York's major art museums, including MoMA, the Guggenheim, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Whitney, are experiencing attendance figures that have not surpassed their peaks from several years ago. MoMA projects reaching 3.24 million visitors for the 2012–13 fiscal year, just shy of its 2009–10 record of 3.22 million, driven by blockbuster exhibitions like "Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary" and a Sigmar Polke retrospective. Meanwhile, the Guggenheim's attendance peaked in 2009, the Met saw its busiest season in 2011–12 with 6.28 million visitors and is now on track for a second consecutive decline, and the Whitney's high was 372,000 in 2009–10. Factors cited include a harsh winter, ongoing construction at the Met, and a shift toward more scholarly exhibitions, though tourism growth in New York continues, especially among international visitors.

Artists Gala Porras-Kim, Jeremy Frey and Tuan Andrew Nguyen among winners of 2025 MacArthur ‘genius grants'

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced its 2025 cohort of MacArthur Fellows, awarding 27 recipients—including visual artists Gala Porras-Kim, Jeremy Frey, Matt Black, Garrett Bradley, Tonika Lewis Johnson, and Tuan Andrew Nguyen—with $800,000 each over five years. The artists span conceptual institutional critique, Indigenous basketry, documentary photography, film, and social practice, with several currently holding major solo exhibitions or biennial features.

Fair Week in NYC!

New York City is hosting a packed week of art fairs in May 2025, including Frieze at The Shed, Independent Art Fair at Pier 36, TEFAF New York at the Park Avenue Armory, and NADA New York at the Starrett-Lehigh Building. The fairs feature hundreds of international galleries, with Frieze emphasizing Central and South American exhibitors, Independent exploring a dystopian theme, TEFAF offering antiquities and fine art, and NADA celebrating its 12th edition with 121 galleries. The article also notes recent major exhibitions at the New Museum, Whitney Biennial, MoMA PS1, The Met, and MoMA, and includes a guide to Upstate New York art destinations.

Remembering Pearl Fryar, Siri Aurdal, and Frank Stack

The art world mourns the loss of several influential figures, including self-taught topiary artist Pearl Fryar, who transformed a South Carolina cornfield into a botanical landmark, and painter Celeste Dupuy-Spencer, known for her politically charged works featured in the Whitney Biennial. The week's memorials also include Norwegian sculptor Siri Aurdal, a pioneer of industrial materials in the 1960s Scandinavian scene, and Frank Stack, the educator and cartoonist credited with creating the first underground comic.

Art and Springtime in Upstate NY

This regional update highlights a diverse array of developments, ranging from the seasonal art circuit in Upstate New York to significant human rights actions. Lebanese artist Ali Cherri, a former Venice Biennale Silver Lion winner, has filed a formal war crimes complaint against Israel following a strike in Beirut that killed his parents. Simultaneously, a new report reveals systemic staffing crises within POC-led arts organizations in the Northeast, where over a third of institutions operate without a single full-time employee.

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.

Amy Sherald Dresses As Her Own Award-Winning Painting for Met Gala

Amy Sherald attended the 2025 Met Gala dressed as the subject of her own award-winning painting, *Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deliverance)* (2014). The work, which won the Outwin Boochever Prize at the National Portrait Gallery and appeared on a *New Yorker* cover, depicts a young girl holding an oversized teacup. Sherald collaborated with designer Thom Browne to recreate the painting's look, including a red fascinator, as part of the gala's theme “Fashion Is Art,” which also aligns with the Costume Institute's exhibition “Costume Art.” Sherald served on the gala's committee alongside artists Anna Weyant and Tschabalala Self.

rm curating exhibition sfmoma opening kpop

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has announced a new exhibition titled “RM x SFMOMA,” featuring around 200 works from both the museum’s permanent collection and the personal collection of K-pop star RM, a member of BTS. RM will serve as lead curator, alongside assistant curator Hyoeun Kim and curatorial project manager América Castillo. The exhibition, running from October 2026 to February 2027, will pair Korean artists—including historical figures like Yun Hyong-keun, Park Rehyun, Chang Ucchin, and Kwon Okyon, as well as contemporary artists such as To Sangbong and Kim Yun Shin—with Western masters like Mark Rothko, Agnes Martin, Henri Matisse, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Paul Klee. A key highlight is Kim Whanki’s 26-I-70 (1979), owned by SFMOMA.

m f husain museum qatar opening november 2025

A new museum dedicated to M. F. Husain, one of India's most important modernist artists, will open in Doha, Qatar, on November 28, 2025. Officially named Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum, it is operated under the Qatar Foundation and will be the first museum devoted solely to Husain. The 32,300-square-foot institution, designed based on a 2008 sketch by the artist, will house a newly formed permanent collection spanning paintings, tapestries, photographs, films, installations, and poetry. Highlights include a series of paintings on Arab civilization commissioned by Sheikha Moza bint Nasser and Husain's final work, *Seeroo fi al ardh* (2009), which will have its own gallery. The museum is located in Doha's Education City, home to several US university outposts.

11 Must-See Art Shows That Reframe U.S. History as the Nation Turns 250

Museums across the United States are launching a series of major exhibitions to mark the nation's 250th anniversary. These shows use art and material culture to explore the construction of American identity, featuring themes like migration, modernity, and reinterpretations of national icons.

art venice biennale gallery exhibition guide

Cultured magazine has published a guide to art exhibitions during the Venice Biennale, highlighting several major shows across the city. Featured exhibitions include "If All Time Is Eternally Present" at Palazzo Nervi-Scattolin with works by Tai Shani, Meriem Bennani & Orian Barki, and Kandis Williams; "Michael Armitage: The Promise of Change" at Palazzo Grassi; "Amoako Boafo: It doesn’t have to always make sense" at Palazzo Grimani; "Transforming Energy" by Marina Abramović at Gallerie dell’Accademia; and "Helter Skelter" by Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince at Fondazione Prada. The guide provides details on dates, locations, and curatorial themes for each show.

art new york gallery guide spring

Cultured's spring gallery guide for New York highlights a curated selection of exhibitions across the city, with standout shows including Carol Bove's sculptural installation at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Joan Semmel's retrospective at the Jewish Museum, Jessi Reaves's furniture-based works at the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the group show "Afterlives: Contemporary Art in the Byzantine Crypt" at the Metropolitan Museum. The guide also notes exhibitions by Paul Chan, Nicola Tyson, Doron Langberg, and Yuval Pudik that are closing soon, and extends coverage to shows in Philadelphia and Warsaw.

art collector advice beginner collecting

Cultured magazine asked several seasoned art collectors—Will Bennett, Laurent Asscher, Geoff Snack, Amélie du Chalard, Allison Sarofim, and Pamela Joyner with Fred Giuffrida—to share their most important advice for novice collectors. Their responses range from building relationships with dealers and scouring unexpected sources like eBay and street-side book boxes (Snack) to focusing on an artist's conceptual approach, technical mastery, and aesthetic result (du Chalard). Others emphasize training the eye through constant exposure, buying what you love rather than what is trendy, and developing a focused area of interest to guide acquisitions.

art criticism cameron rowland anne imhof

The article reviews several notable art events and exhibitions from 2025, beginning with Cameron Rowland's controversial work "Replacement" at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, where the French flag was replaced with the flag of Martinique, leading to the artwork being deemed potentially illegal. It also covers Johanna Fateman's review of Rowland's "Properties" at Dia Beacon, Ross Simonini's reflection on Joseph Beuys and the Eaton fire in Los Angeles, John Vincler's critiques of Cady Noland at Gagosian and Nicole Eisenman at 52 Walker, and Fateman's year-end roundup including figures like Anne Imhof, Laura Owens, and Jack Whitten.

art howardena pindell interview white cube show

Howardena Pindell, the 82-year-old artist known for her dot-based abstractions and incisive video works, was honored with a Cultural Leadership Award at the American Federation of Arts’s 2025 Gala. In an interview with Cultured, she discusses her current White Cube show “Off the Grid” in London, which spans her decades-long career from early figurative work to new abstract pieces. The exhibition runs through January 18, and Pindell also reveals upcoming projects: a 50-foot-tall stained-glass mural for the University of Texas at Austin, a Dia Beacon acquisition of her works for long-term display in 2026, and her inclusion as the only living artist in the AFA’s touring exhibition Abstract Expressionists: The Women.

art fall new york gallery guide

Cultured's 'What's On' column presents a curated guide to fall art exhibitions in New York's Chinatown, Little Italy, and SoHo neighborhoods. Featured shows include Zoe Leonard's black-and-white photography of medieval armor at Maxwell Graham, Ohad Meromi's cigarette-themed sculptures and paintings at 56 Henry, Ambera Wellmann's hallucinatory paintings and charcoal mural at Company Gallery, and Sam McKinniss's portrait of Luigi Mangione at Deitch. The guide draws from the publication's Critics' Table coverage, offering neighborhood-by-neighborhood recommendations.

collector questionnaire interiors most shocking works of art

Cultured magazine asked 12 collectors to name the single work in their home that most stops guests in their tracks. Responses include Wolfgang Tillmans’s camera-less photograph *Freischwimmer 153* (2010), a medieval illuminated *Book of Hours* (ca. 1480/90), Jordan Wolfson’s robotic installation *(Female figure)* (2014), Julie Curtiss’s hair-covered sculpture *Spider* (2018), and Haegue Yang’s kinetic bell sculpture *Sonic Rotating Geometry Type E – Brass Plated #23* (2014). Each collector explains why the piece provokes awe, laughter, discomfort, or deep conversation.