Vasari Art Codex

trending_up market schedule Feb 24, 2026 visibility 13 link 27 artists, 13 galleries

frieze los angeles art world grief hope 1234773976

The Los Angeles art scene is navigating a complex recovery as it prepares for Frieze Los Angeles 2026. The city is grappling with the lingering trauma of devastating wildfires that destroyed significant private collections, alongside economic instability caused by massive layoffs in the entertainment industry and recent political unrest. This combination of environmental and financial crises has led to a notable market downturn, resulting in the closure of several high-profile galleries including Blum, Tanya Bonakdar, and Sean Kelly.

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trending_up market schedule Dec 23, 2025 visibility 11 link 12 artists, 8 galleries

stop making sense 2025 art market analysis 1234767291

The article analyzes the chaotic and contradictory state of the global art market in 2025, a year marked by extreme volatility following President Donald Trump's return to office. Key events include strong sales at Frieze Los Angeles in February, a record $13.8 million sale of a painting by M.F. Husain at Christie's, and a sharp downturn after Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on major trading partners. Major auctions in May fell far short of expectations, with only $837.5 million hammered against estimates of up to $1.6 billion. Meanwhile, Art Basel expanded with a new Qatar fair, but sales at Art Basel Switzerland dropped over 35% from 2024. The year also saw a wave of gallery closures, including the sunsetting of Blum & Poe.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 3, 2025 visibility 4 link 2 artists, 5 galleries

david zwirner yoshitomo nara artist representation 1234759832

David Zwirner gallery announced it will now officially represent Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, with his first solo exhibition planned at Zwirner's New York space. The representation deal was brokered through Nara's international agent Joe Baptista and his Equivalence Art Agency. Baptista was previously a partner at Pace Gallery, Nara's longtime representative, and his departure from Pace had not been publicly announced. Nara was also long represented by Blum Gallery, which closed earlier this year after its final Nara show in Los Angeles. Pace Gallery CEO Marc Glimcher expressed surprise but said Pace will continue to have a relationship with the artist.

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person people schedule Jul 7, 2025 visibility 4 link 10 artists, 10 galleries

carroll dunham matthew brown 2652485

Carroll Dunham, a leading painter known for his psychologically charged works, has joined the fast-rising Matthew Brown gallery, which has locations in Los Angeles and New York. Dunham, 75, left Gladstone Gallery after nearly 20 years, citing a desire for change. His first solo show with Brown is scheduled for September 2026 in Tribeca. Dunham will continue to be represented by several established dealers including Galerie Max Hetzler, Blum, Eva Presenhuber, and Gerhardsen Gerner.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 5, 2025 visibility 2 link 18 artists, 13 galleries

frieze seoul asian galleries asia pivot 2652323

Frieze Seoul returns for its fourth edition at Coex from September 3 to 6 with 120 galleries, maintaining last year's scale. Asian galleries now represent 64 percent of exhibitors, up from 48 percent, signaling a stronger regional identity. Notable non-returning galleries include Blum, Karma, and Neugerriemschneider. Meanwhile, Kiaf Seoul will run concurrently with 176 exhibitors, and Art021 Group suspended its 2025 Hong Kong show after a single edition. Gallery Weekend Beijing concluded its ninth edition with a new invitation-only model, and several Asian-rooted artists are featured in London Gallery Weekend. New institutions opened, including the Photography Seoul Museum of Art and the Naoshima New Museum of Art, while the inaugural Bukhara Biennial program was announced.

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trending_up market schedule Jan 23, 2026 visibility 10 link 32 artists, 11 galleries

fog design art fair san francisco sales 2026 jack whitten 1234770684

The FOG Design+Art fair in San Francisco opened with a glitzy preview gala at Fort Mason Center, serving as a fundraiser for SFMOMA's education initiatives. VIP tickets started at $10,000 for the first hour, and by 7 p.m., the event filled to capacity as prices dropped to $250. Dealers reported a different energy this year, partly due to the recent Los Angeles wildfires affecting many participating galleries. Sales were strong, with New York dealer Ales Ortuzar selling multiple works by Suzanne Jackson in the first few hours. Local collector Sonya Yu, a recent ARTnews Top 200 listee, highlighted the resilience and sophistication of the Bay Area art community.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 11 link 13 artists, 154 galleries

art basel hong kong 2026 exhibitor list announced 1234761975

Art Basel Hong Kong has announced its exhibitor list for the 2026 edition, featuring 240 galleries from 42 countries and territories, roughly the same size as last year's 242 galleries. The fair runs March 27–29 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, with preview days on March 25–26. New additions include 32 first-time exhibitors from Australia, Japan, Turkey, France, Germany, and the US, while 33 galleries from the previous edition are absent—some due to closures (Blum, Clearing, Kasmin) or acquisitions (Millan bought by Almeida & Dale). A new sector called Echoes will showcase works created in the last five years, and the Encounters sector will be curated by a team led by Mami Kataoka. Media artist Ellen Pau will oversee the film program for the first time, and Shahzia Sikander has been commissioned to create a public artwork for the M+ Museum facade.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 6 link 26 artists, 6 galleries

sperone westwater gallery closing 1234762042

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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trending_up market schedule Aug 28, 2025 visibility 5 link 12 artists, 8 galleries

claire oliver gallery expands new york 1234750054

Claire Oliver Gallery is expanding its Harlem townhouse location in New York, adding the upper floors to its existing street-level space. The new areas will be dedicated to a more intimate, salon-style presentation, moving away from the traditional white cube model. The expansion will be inaugurated on September 5 with a solo exhibition by BK Adams on the ground floor and a group show upstairs featuring represented artists including Barbara Earl Thomas, Carolyn Mazloomi, Gio Swaby, and others.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 30, 2025 visibility 5 link 6 artists, 5 galleries

morning links july 30 2025 1234748534

The article reports on a generational shift in the art world, with younger gallerists (millennials and Gen Z) redefining success away from the traditional empire-building model. It highlights the recent closures of Venus Over Manhattan and Tim Blum's gallery, but notes that emerging dealers like Bridget Donahue and Matthew Brown are prioritizing collaboration, transparency, and a sustainable pace—attending fewer art fairs and building tight-knit communities rather than large client bases. Separately, the article covers Hauser & Wirth's announcement of a new gallery in Palo Alto, California, set to open in spring 2026, marking the mega-gallery's first Bay Area location and its third in California.

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article news schedule Jul 8, 2025 visibility 3 link 13 artists, 7 galleries

paint drippings art industry news jul 7 2664592

This week's art industry news covers major auction results, gallery changes, and restitution developments. At Christie's Old Masters evening sale in London, Canaletto's "The Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day" set a new auction record for the artist at £31.9 million ($43.9 million), leading the sale to a total of £60.8 million. Sotheby's Old Masters evening sale brought in £14.5 million, with three new records including Diana de Rosa's "Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist" selling for £317,500. A rare early watercolor by Man Ray, "Nude Playing Musical Instrument" (1913), resurfaced after decades and will be auctioned at Dreweatts. In gallery news, Blum gallery laid off most of its staff and plans to cease brick-and-mortar operations, while Waddington Custot announced a new Paris space, and Company Gallery hired Subhas Kim Kandasamy as executive director. White Cube now represents Firenze Lai, and JD Malat Gallery launched a new initiative for UAE artists. In restitution, the Netherlands returned 119 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, transferred two Benin works to the Oba of Benin.

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article news schedule Apr 25, 2026 visibility 30 link 14 artists, 6 galleries

LA’s The Box Gallery to Close After 19 Years

The Box, a prominent Los Angeles gallery, announced it will close after 19 years, with its final exhibition—a two-venue collaboration with Parker Gallery for late California artist Wally Hedrick—ending April 4. The closure will be marked by a fashion show for Johanna Went on June 6. Founder Mara McCarthy cited a combination of factors, including changing economics around support for her father Paul McCarthy's work and the loss of her family's homes in the January 2025 Eaton fire, as making continued operation impossible.

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article news schedule Dec 1, 2025 visibility 6 link 11 artists, 7 galleries

high art paris gallery closing 1234764267

High Art, a Parisian gallery known for launching the careers of artists like Lucy Bull and Julien Creuzet, is closing its physical space after 12 years. The gallery announced on Instagram that its last exhibition closed in July and that it will transition toward collaborations, offsite exhibitions, and individual artworks. Founded in 2013 by Romain Chenais, Jason Hwang, and Philippe Joppin, High Art became a tastemaker in Paris's gallery scene, known for its challenging and often unconventional program. Many artists who showed there early, including Rachel Rose, Matt Copson, and Frieda Toranzo Jaeger, later achieved international recognition.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 7, 2025 visibility 2 link 3 artists, 3 galleries

gladstone gallery robert colescott estate representation 1234760508

The estate of Robert Colescott, the influential American painter who died in 2009, has signed with Gladstone Gallery for representation. Gladstone will debut Colescott's work at Art Basel Miami Beach next month and mount its first solo exhibition for the artist in 2025. Colescott is best known for satirical, large-scale paintings like "George Washington Carver Crossing the Delaware: Page from an American History Textbook" (1975), which critiques the exclusion and caricaturing of Black figures in American history and art. The estate sought new representation after its longtime gallery, Blum, closed this summer. Gladstone senior partner Max Falkenstein said the gallery had long admired Colescott and that the partnership felt like a natural fit given the gallery's focus on identity and politics.

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trending_up market schedule Jan 10, 2026 visibility 7 link 9 artists, 2 galleries

robert colescott market 2732463

The article examines the posthumous market resurgence of painter Robert Colescott, who died in 2009. After his commercial profile faded, Los Angeles dealer Tim Blum and his gallery Blum & Poe began working with the artist's estate in 2017, staging five solo shows and rescuing a disorganized estate with works stored in shipping containers in Arizona. Major auction prices followed, including a record $15.3 million for 'George Washington Carver Crossing The Delaware' in 2021. In 2024, after Blum & Poe closed, Gladstone Gallery took over representation. A current exhibition at the Tacoma Art Museum, 'The One-Two Punch: 100 Years of Robert Colescott,' runs through March 29.

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article news schedule Jul 16, 2025 visibility 3 link 20 artists, 9 galleries

art galleries closing museum restaurants wet paint 2667206

Artnet News' Wet Paint column reports a wave of gallery closures and rumors in New York's art scene. Blum and Venus Over Manhattan have recently shut down, while Clearing's Bowery space temporarily became a Tank Air clothing pop-up, not a permanent closure. Micki Meng sent a cryptic 'I'm quitting' email but clarified it was a reference to Marcel Duchamp, not a business closure. Jack Barrett Gallery is relocating, not closing, and Tramps has closed its Washington Square Park location while planning a new Paris outpost. Jack Hanley, who closed his gallery in January, is now painting in the Hamptons.

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trending_up market schedule Apr 27, 2026 visibility 6 link 13 artists, 7 galleries

The Box Shutters in Los Angeles After Nearly Two Decades

The Box, a pioneering Los Angeles gallery known for its nonprofit-style support of experimental and performance art, has announced its closure after nearly two decades. Founded in 2007 by Mara McCarthy, the gallery’s final exhibition featured late California painter Wally Hedrick, and a closing event will include a fashion show by Johanna Went. Mara McCarthy cited the shifting market for her father Paul McCarthy’s work and the loss of family homes in the Eaton Fire as factors behind the decision.

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trending_up market schedule Aug 6, 2025 visibility 3 link 2 artists, 4 galleries

lauren quin joins pace gallery 1234748985

Los Angeles-based painter Lauren Quin has joined Pace Gallery, following the closure of her previous gallery Blum & Poe earlier this summer. Her first exhibition at Pace's Los Angeles space is scheduled for 2026, and her work will also appear in the gallery's booth at Frieze Seoul next month. Quin, known for densely layered abstractions, has been on a rapid ascent since earning her MFA from the Yale School of Art in 2019, with her paintings held by major institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the Walker Art Center, and the Hirshhorn Museum. Pace founder Arne Glimcher, a longtime supporter, gave Quin a solo show at Pace-affiliated 125 Newbury in 2024, which she credits as a turning point in her practice.

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article news schedule Aug 12, 2025 visibility 3 link 4 artists, 6 galleries

museum of plastic pollution opens clearing gallerist talks end of business and more morning links for august 11 2025 1234749196

The article reports on the death of Matthew Christopher Pietras, a prominent New York patron who was found dead after the Soros family claimed that a $10 million donation he made to the Metropolitan Opera actually belonged to a family member. It also covers the closure of Clearing gallery in New York, the fourth such closure in a month, following Blum, Venus Over Manhattan, and Kasmin. Additional news includes a Russian drone strike damaging a historic synagogue in Odessa, the death of collector Sylvio Perlstein, the launch of Victoria Miro's digital platform Live / Archive, and a feature on Enzo Suma's Archeoplastica museum of plastic waste.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 4, 2025 visibility 3 link 14 artists, 6 galleries

blum a market force for three decades will close galleries 2663456

Blum gallery, a powerhouse with locations in Los Angeles and Tokyo, is closing its brick-and-mortar operations after 31 years. Founded as Blum and Poe in 1994, the gallery laid off most of its staff and will transition to a flexible studio model with no permanent public space or formal artist roster. The gallery represents high-profile artists including Yoshitomo Nara and Mark Grotjahn, whose works have sold for over $10 million. Co-founder Jeff Poe left the partnership two years ago, leaving Tim Blum in control alongside managing partner Matt Bangser.

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trending_up market schedule Sep 16, 2025 visibility 9 link 11 artists, 4 galleries

la louver gallery closes venice huntington archive donation 1234751979

LA Louver, one of Los Angeles's longest-running galleries, is closing its physical space in Venice, California, after 50 years and shifting to private dealing. The gallery, founded in 1975 by Peter and Elizabeth Goulds, has shown artists including Marcel Duchamp, David Hockney, Ed Ruscha, and Doris Salcedo, mounting over 660 exhibitions. The Venice space will host select exhibitions by appointment, while the gallery will focus activities on a private warehouse in LA's West Adams neighborhood. The Huntington library, museum, and botanical garden will receive LA Louver's archive of photography, correspondence, and documents.

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person people schedule Aug 12, 2025 visibility 3 link 4 artists, 3 galleries

matt bangser art intelligence amy cappellazzo 1234749236

Matt Bangser, a longtime director at Blum gallery (formerly Blum & Poe), will join Art Intelligence Global (AIG) as senior director on September 8. Bangser spent 16 years at Blum overseeing global sales and securing major estates like Robert Colescott, and previously held senior posts at Van de Weghe Fine Art, Phillips, and Christie's. His move follows the closure of Blum's Los Angeles and Tokyo galleries last month, when founder Tim Blum announced he was leaving the traditional gallery model. AIG co-founder Amy Cappellazzo said Bangser's experience across galleries, auction houses, and artist studios made him a rare hire.

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trending_up market schedule Aug 20, 2025 source 2 sources visibility 6 link 7 artists, 5 galleries

tanya bonakdar gallery closes los angeles 1234749700

Tanya Bonakdar Gallery is closing its Los Angeles location after seven years, with the final exhibition being a solo show for Ben Hyunjin that ends on August 29. The gallery, which opened on Highland Avenue in 2018, decided not to renew its lease, citing a natural pause to assess its accomplishments in the city. The closure follows recent shutdowns of other LA galleries, including Blum and Clearing.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 22, 2025 source 2 sources visibility 3 link 8 artists, 3 galleries

art dealers association cancels 2025 edition of new york fair 2668781

The Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) has canceled the 2025 edition of its annual New York art fair, The Art Show, which was scheduled to open at the Park Avenue Armory on October 28. The decision was communicated to members via email and confirmed by ADAA president Susan Sheehan, with the board citing a strategic pause to reimagine the fair for long-term sustainability. The fair has been a staple of the New York social calendar, with its VIP opening night serving as a fundraiser for the Henry Street Settlement, raising over $38 million for the nonprofit over three decades.

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article news schedule Jul 31, 2025 visibility 7 link 18 artists, 3 galleries

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.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 18, 2025 visibility 4 link 16 artists, 7 galleries

What does a so-called ‘buyer’s market’ look like at Art Basel?

At Art Basel 2025, a consensus has emerged among dealers and advisers that the fair represents a 'buyer's market,' characterized by slow sales, modest expectations, and increased negotiating power for collectors. Galleries are offering discounts of 20-30% below asking prices, particularly for works under $1 million, though open discussion of discounts remains taboo in Switzerland. Some dealers, like Tim Blum of Blum gallery, acknowledge a paradigmatic shift, with galleries adapting by focusing on established artists and estates, while still seeing demand for reasonably priced younger artists.

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trending_up market schedule Mar 16, 2026 visibility 8 link 5 artists, 3 galleries

after 35 years in business galerie francesca pia becomes latest dealership to fold amid market downturn 1234758348

Galerie Francesca Pia, a fixture of the Swiss art scene for 35 years, has announced it will close its doors at the end of October. Founded in Bern in 1990 before moving to Zurich's prestigious Löwenbräukunst-Areal district, the gallery will conclude its operations following a final exhibition with American artist Wade Guyton. The closure marks the end of a significant tenure for a dealership that was a regular participant at Art Basel for over two decades.

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trending_up market schedule Oct 28, 2025 visibility 9 link 13 artists, 5 galleries

altman siegel closes gallery san francisco 1234757474

Altman Siegel, a key gallery in San Francisco's art scene, will close in November 2025 after 16 years. Founder Claudia Altman-Siegel attributed the closure to a challenging market for mid-size galleries, stating it became too difficult to scale in the current climate. The gallery's final show is a solo exhibition by Shinpei Kusanagi, ending November 22. Its roster included artists such as Simon Denny, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Trevor Paglen, and others. The closure follows a trend of galleries shutting down or scaling back, including Blum and LA Louver in Los Angeles, and Clearing and Venus Over Manhattan in New York.

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trending_up market schedule Sep 5, 2025 visibility 6 link 17 artists, 11 galleries

clearing gallery closes 1234749090

Clearing, a New York-based gallery known for launching the careers of artists like Korakrit Arunanondchai, Harold Ancart, and Marguerite Humeau, has permanently closed its spaces in New York and Los Angeles after 14 years. Founder Olivier Babin cited an unsustainable path forward, stating the gallery could no longer operate at its standards. The closure follows a wave of New York gallery shutdowns, including Blum, Venus Over Manhattan, and Kasmin, which is transitioning into a new entity called Olney Gleason. Clearing’s final exhibitions were solo shows by Coco Young in New York and Henry Curchod in Los Angeles.

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article news schedule Jul 17, 2025 visibility 3 link 5 artists, 2 galleries

tim blum unplugs from the gallery machine 1234746678

Tim Blum, co-founder of the influential Blum & Poe gallery, is stepping away from the traditional gallery model after more than 30 years. He told ARTnews that the decision was driven by burnout with the relentless cycle of art fairs, openings, and obligations, not by financial strain. His Tokyo and Los Angeles locations will close after summer exhibitions, and a planned New York space may not open as a conventional gallery. Blum will instead pursue a more flexible model involving special projects and collaborations, while continuing to buy and sell art personally.

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