Maurizio Cattelan Opens Up About Sin, Silence, and Stealing: ‘I’m Guilty Too’

Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan directed the Renaissance Society’s annual benefit gala, titled "The Silent Party!", held at the Chicago Athletic Club during the week of Expo Chicago. The event subverted traditional gala expectations by requiring guests to remain silent for two hours, communicating only via handwritten notes while navigating a labyrinth of performances. The evening featured contributions from artists including Jacob Ryan Renolds, Davide Balula, and Isabelle Frances McGuire, culminating in a dinner that raised approximately $600,000 for the non-profit institution.

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Art Basel has announced the lineup for its 2026 flagship fair in Switzerland, featuring 290 exhibitors from 42 countries. The upcoming edition, scheduled for June, includes 21 first-time participants and an expanded Premiere sector, with Ruba Katrib curating the Unlimited section for large-scale works. Simultaneously, the art world mourns the passing of Dóra Maurer, a central figure of the Hungarian neo-avant-garde known for her multidisciplinary approach to seriality and movement.

us artists are increasingly self funding institutional projects diriyah contemporary art biennale names artists morning links for january 7 2025 1234769026

The article reports that US artists are increasingly expected to self-fund institutional projects, as illustrated by Dominican American artist Lucia Hierro's 7.5-foot chair commission. Fabrication costs exceeded the museum's budget, forcing her to seek grants from a residency program's fund, which had only $125,000 available against $1.8 million in applicant requests. Separately, over 65 artists have been announced for the third edition of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale in Saudi Arabia, titled "In Interludes and Transitions," with artistic directors Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed emphasizing locally rooted histories. Other news includes artist Thomas McKean using cut-up MetroCards for sculptures, Kenny Schachter reporting a van Gogh private sale above $190 million, an Iron Age carnyx discovery in Norfolk, and critic Ben Luke's critique of uninspired contemporary painting at recent art fairs.

7 New Art Books to Step Into Spring

Artnet News has curated a selection of seven significant new art book releases for the spring season, highlighting diverse subjects from historical archives to contemporary memoirs. Featured titles include a deep dive into Frida Kahlo’s private sanctuary, 'Casa Roja,' authored by her descendants; a curatorial history of Hong Kong’s avant-garde art scene by Oscar Ho Hing-kay; and a vibrant exploration of color in contemporary art featuring works by Yayoi Kusama and Tomás Saraceno.

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Michael Heizer has unveiled a major exhibition titled "Negative Sculpture" at Gagosian’s West 21st Street gallery in New York. The installation features two massive works, Convoluted Line A and Convoluted Line B, which consist of steel liners filled with crushed red granite embedded into a raised gallery floor. To achieve the artist's vision of negative space without excavating the building's foundation, the gallery undertook a complex two-year engineering project to elevate the entire floor surface, matching the specific concrete hue of Heizer’s Nevada studio.

Marian Goodman’s Prized $65 Million Collection Lands at Christie’s

Christie’s has announced the sale of the private collection of the late legendary art dealer Marian Goodman, who passed away in January at age 97. Estimated to bring in approximately $65 million, the collection is headlined by a group of significant works by Gerhard Richter, an artist Goodman championed for four decades. The centerpiece of the auction is Richter’s 1982 painting "Kerze (Candle)," which carries a high estimate of $50 million and will lead a series of dedicated sales in New York this May.

Are We Too Reverent of Marcel Duchamp?

The Museum of Modern Art has launched a major retrospective of Marcel Duchamp, co-organized with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The exhibition tracks the artist's evolution from his early Cubist experiments and the scandal of 'Nude Descending a Staircase' to his radical invention of the readymade, exemplified by the infamous urinal, 'Fountain'. The show presents a comprehensive look at 'The Duch' through a reverential, church-like atmosphere, concluding with his later years as a dapper, enigmatic figure of the avant-garde.

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A trove of previously undeveloped films shot by Andy Warhol and his team has been recovered and processed. The hour-long collection includes eight new Screen Test portraits, unused footage for known films, and significant pornographic footage predating his famous 'Blue Movie.' The films will premiere in a one-night-only screening at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

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Art critic Ben Davis reflects on the cultural landscape of early 2026, identifying a chaotic aesthetic defined by AI-generated imagery, esoteric Nazi dog whistles, internet trolling, and gaudy luxury, which he calls the "Chaotic Style." He also discusses the muted response to the 2025 Fall of Freedom initiative, the ongoing credibility crisis of liberal institutions over Gaza, and the need for serious AI criticism that moves beyond dismissing it as "slop."

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The article reports that the top tier of the art auction market rebounded strongly in 2025, with the ten most expensive lots totaling $757.1 million, a 48% increase from 2024. Gustav Klimt became the top-selling artist, driven by the sale of his *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* (1914–16) from the collection of the late Leonard Lauder, which was the most expensive artwork of the year. The rankings saw significant shifts: René Magritte, the top artist in 2024, fell to sixth place, while blue-chip names like Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Jean-Michel Basquiat strengthened their positions. Notably, no women or living artists appeared among the top 20 sellers in 2025, a reversal from the previous year when Yayoi Kusama and Joan Mitchell were present.

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Artnet News published a year-end roundup of the worst artworks of 2023, as selected by its writers and editors. The list includes Meta's AI-art chatbot experiments on Instagram, which cloned celebrity likenesses into cringe-worthy avatars like Snoop Dogg's 'The Dungeon Master' and Kendall Jenner's 'Billie,' alongside Refik Anadol's 'Unsupervised' at MoMA, criticized as shallow tech spectacle. Other entries include a poorly received Picasso-themed exhibition and additional works deemed ill-conceived or badly executed.

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White Cube has announced the representation of Navajo artist Emmi Whitehorse, who will be represented alongside her New York gallery, Garth Greenan. The partnership follows Whitehorse’s successful solo exhibition at White Cube’s Paris space and her inclusion in the 2024 Venice Biennale. The gallery plans to debut new work, including the painting "Father Sky meets Mother Earth," at its Art Basel Hong Kong booth later this month.

Collaborations: Robert Rauschenberg, Laurie Anderson, Trisha Brown, and Merce Cunningham at BAM

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The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is hosting "Dancing with Bob," an international tour celebrating the centennial of Robert Rauschenberg’s birth. The program features restagings of seminal avant-garde dance collaborations, most notably the 1983 masterpiece "Set and Reset," which combined the choreography of Trisha Brown, the music of Laurie Anderson, and the visual design of Rauschenberg. The tour also includes a rare professional restaging of the 1977 piece "Travelogue," a collaboration between Rauschenberg and Merce Cunningham.

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London’s Courtauld Gallery will open two new contemporary art galleries at its Somerset House campus, funded by a £10 million ($13.8 million) gift from the Blavatnik Family Foundation. The top-floor spaces, originally built as a display area for the Royal Society in the 18th century, are expected to debut in 2029. The donation brings the foundation’s total support for the Courtauld to £20 million ($27.5 million), following earlier backing for the museum’s 2021 renovation. The new galleries will be programmed in part by students in the Courtauld’s curating master’s program and will host exhibitions connecting historical and contemporary art.

big name artists donate works to auction benefitting gaza courtauld unveils plans for two new contemporary art galleries morning links for january 27 2026 1234771112

A group of 21 artists, including Antony Gormley, Brian Eno, and Mona Hatoum, have donated works to “Seeds of Solidarity,” an art auction organized by Health Workers 4 Palestine to support medical professionals in Gaza. The sale will take place on February 1 at The Savoy in London, with proceeds benefiting the Gaza Medics Solidarity Fund, which provides stipends for doctors, supports mobile clinics, and helps rebuild maternity wards. Separately, the Courtauld in London announced plans for two new contemporary art galleries and a reading room at Somerset House, funded by a £10 million donation from the Blavatnik Family Foundation, as part of an £82 million redevelopment set to open in 2029.

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Tony Shafrazi, the legendary and controversial New York art dealer, is returning to the art fair circuit for the first time since 2012 with a booth at the Independent 20th Century fair in New York. He is presenting works by Armenian sculptor Zadik Zadikian, whose installation of gold bricks Shafrazi first exhibited in Tehran in 1978 before they were lost in the Iranian Revolution, alongside paintings by Brandon Deener. Shafrazi, now in his 80s, closed his New York gallery in 2011 and was banned from Art Basel in 2012 for breaking the fair's rules.

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Sperone Westwater, a pioneering New York gallery that launched artists like Bruce Nauman, Richard Long, and Francesco Clemente, will close on December 31 after 50 years. Co-founders Angela Westwater and Gian Enzo Sperone are pursuing separate endeavors. The gallery's final show is a current exhibition for Long, and it will still participate in Art Basel Miami Beach next month. Founded in 1975 in SoHo, the gallery was known for championing Neo-Expressionism and transavanguardia, and later diversified its roster with artists like Joana Choumali and Gamaliel Rodriguez. Its eight-story Bowery building, designed by Norman Foster, faces an uncertain future.

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Sperone Westwater, a pioneering New York gallery that launched artists like Bruce Nauman, Richard Long, and Francesco Clemente, will close on December 31 after 50 years. Co-founders Angela Westwater and Gian Enzo Sperone are pursuing separate endeavors. The gallery’s final show is a current exhibition for Long, and it will still participate in Art Basel Miami Beach next month. Founded in 1975 in SoHo, the gallery was known for championing Neo-Expressionism and transavanguardia, and later diversified its roster with artists like Joana Choumali and Gamaliel Rodriguez. Its eight-story Bowery building, designed by Norman Foster, faces an uncertain future.

Monet and Van Gogh Masterpieces Hit the Shampoo Aisle

Beauty brand Dove has launched a limited-edition haircare collection called "The Art of Repair" featuring iconic artworks by Claude Monet, Mary Cassatt, and Vincent van Gogh on its product packaging. The shampoo, conditioner, and serum bottles display images of Monet's *The Japanese Footbridge*, Cassatt's *The Loge*, and Van Gogh's *Roses*, drawing a parallel between art conservation and hair repair. The collection is exclusively available at Walmart.

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Artnet Auctions has launched its "20th Century Art" sale, featuring works by blue-chip masters including Joan Miró, Yves Klein, and Andy Warhol. The auction, curated by specialists Sylvie François Sturtevant and Jason Rulnick, highlights the distinction between "rarity"—objects that are unusual due to limited production or historical loss—and "scarcity"—where high market demand outstrips the available supply of editioned works.

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Gagosian is set to present a solo exhibition of Nam June Paik’s work in Seoul, marking the first time in 25 years that a show in the artist’s home country has been organized in collaboration with his estate. Titled "Nam June Paik: Rewind / Repeat," the exhibition will be held at the APMA Cabinet and features approximately a dozen works, including rare early pieces from the 1960s such as "Media Sandwich" and the iconic "TV Bra for Living Sculpture."

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Museums across the United States are presenting a series of major exhibitions featuring Black artists in conjunction with Black History Month. Highlights include the final stop of Noah Davis's first museum show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a major retrospective of self-taught artist Minnie Evans at Atlanta's High Museum, a thematic group show of Black women artists at the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum, a long-overdue South Carolina retrospective for 92-year-old artist Leo Twiggs at the Gibbes Museum, and a survey of Tavares Strachan's work at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

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Artnet News published a roundup of the top five episodes of its podcast 'Art Market Minute' from 2025, hosted by Margaret Carrigan. The episodes cover key industry topics: whether artists still need galleries, how to build professional relationships in the art world, the rising market value of Jack Whitten's work, the impact of AI on the art market, and the wave of high-profile gallery closures reshaping the trade. Guests include Sonia Manalili, Brooke Lampley, Naomi Rea, Eileen Kinsella, Jo Lawson-Tancred, and Katya Kazakina.

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Sperone Westwater, the venerable New York gallery that celebrated its 50th anniversary two months ago, will close as an entity on December 31, 2025. Co-founders Angela Westwater and Gian Enzo Sperone have decided to pursue separate endeavors, affecting 28 artists and estates. The gallery, known for representing legends like Bruce Nauman and David Lynch, will continue its current Richard Long show through December 13 and attend Art Basel Miami Beach as planned. The closure follows months of rumors and comes as both partners are in their 80s.

Revealed: the amazing frame once created for Van Gogh’s Sunflowers

A long-lost, custom-designed Art Deco frame for Vincent van Gogh's painting "Three Sunflowers" has been identified through archival research. The frame, which featured a dark lacquer finish, randomly placed gold circles, and angled outer edges, was commissioned by the Parisian couturier and collector Jacques Doucet shortly after he acquired the painting in 1912. Its existence was pieced together from a 1930s interior photograph, a 1967 family snapshot, and a frame sold at Sotheby's in 1989, allowing for a digital reconstruction of the complete artwork.

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Thaddeus Mosley, the acclaimed American sculptor known for his monumental wood abstractions, has died at the age of 99 in Pittsburgh. Throughout a career spanning seven decades, Mosley transformed salvaged walnut, sycamore, and cherry wood into curvaceous, gravity-defying forms that balanced immense weight with a sense of lightness. Though he was a long-standing pillar of the Pittsburgh creative community, he achieved widespread national recognition and major museum representation only in his 90s.

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The inaugural Making Their Mark forum convened 350 art world professionals at the National Museum of Women in the Arts to address systemic gender inequity. Organized by collector Komal Shah and the Making Their Mark Foundation, the event featured panels with artists, curators, and public figures like Chelsea Clinton and Ava DuVernay. The forum served as a call to action to dismantle the male-dominated art historical canon and reform the systems governing visibility and valuation.

M HKA Remains Museum, SMAK Plan Scrapped

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The government of Belgium's Flanders region has reversed its controversial plan to close the M HKA contemporary art museum in Antwerp and transfer its collection to the SMAK museum in Ghent. Under a new plan called "M HKA 2.0," the museum will retain its collection, its museum status, and continue its programming, while SMAK will be operated by the regional government.

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The United States invaded Venezuela in a military operation that seized President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who will face federal charges in New York. The Trump administration has stated it will run the country until a favored government is installed, while Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as interim president. The operation has sparked global protests and mixed reactions among Venezuelans, with some celebrating Maduro's ouster and others condemning the violation of international law.

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New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani declared in a New York Times interview that the city's best museum is its subway system, citing the public artworks by artists like Vito Acconci, Nick Cave, Yoko Ono, Faith Ringgold, and Jeffrey Gibson that are accessible to all riders. He praised the MTA for making art available regardless of income, while also expressing interest in visiting the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, and crediting his wife, illustrator Rama Duwaji, for expanding his appreciation of art beyond formal settings.