leon black ronald lauder epstein files 2742950

Newly released documents from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation reveal that billionaire art collectors and Museum of Modern Art trustees Leon Black and Ronald Lauder have co-owned several major artworks for decades. The files, made public by the U.S. Department of Justice, confirm long-standing rumors of their joint acquisitions, including a Max Beckmann self-portrait and two Ernst Ludwig Kirchner works, purchased for a total of $31.6 million and later appraised at $93.5 million.

At SLAM, Anselm Kiefer’s Material Transformations

The Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM) is presenting "Anselm Kiefer: Becoming the Sea," an exhibition of 40 works by the German artist dating from the 1970s to the present, including 20 recent pieces and five monumental site-specific paintings. Curated by museum director Min Jung Kim, the show features Kiefer's characteristically vast, heavy works built from materials like tar, melted lead, and steel, displayed without stanchions and with minimal labels to encourage immersive viewing. The exhibition was inspired by a conversation between Kim and Kiefer about the confluence of rivers—the Rhine in his native Germany and the Mississippi and Missouri in St. Louis—and makes use of SLAM's grand 1904 World's Fair building.

New exhibition explores how Max Beckmann's hard-edged signature style first emerged in his drawing

An exhibition opening at Frankfurt's Städel Museum focuses on Max Beckmann's drawings, featuring 80 works that trace the emergence of his hard-edged signature style. Curated by Regina Freyberger, Stephan von Wiese, and Hedda Finke, the show spans from before World War I to the artist's final years in the US, including loans from major collections. It highlights how Beckmann's drawing evolved from preparatory studies to autonomous artworks, with key pieces like a 1928 portrait of his wife Quappi and the eerie watercolor 'The Murder' (1933).

Albuquerque exhibition depicts German art made during the tragic ascent of authoritarianism

The Albuquerque Museum has opened a landmark exhibition titled "Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910–1945: Masterworks from the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin," featuring German and European art from the early 20th century. The show traces the trajectory from the German Empire through World War I, the Weimar Republic, Nazi rule, and World War II, including works by Max Beckmann, George Grosz, Hannah Höch, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Paul Klee, and others. Many pieces were originally condemned as "degenerate art" by the Nazis. The exhibition, which has three U.S. stops, is currently in Albuquerque after appearing at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth and will travel to the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Federal President praises Emder Kunsthalle: 'Extraordinary quality'

Bundespräsident lobt Emder Kunsthalle: "Außerordentliche Qualität"

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier praised the Emder Kunsthalle on its 40th anniversary, calling its collection of "extraordinary quality." The museum was founded in 1986 by Henri Nannen, the late founder of Stern magazine, and his wife Eske Nannen. Steinmeier spoke at a ceremony attended by 500 guests, including his wife Elke Büdenbender and Lower Saxony's Minister President Olaf Lies. The anniversary exhibition "Bilder, die wir lieben" (Pictures We Love) showcases 200 works from the collection, which has grown to around 1,700 pieces, including pieces by Gabriele Münter, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Max Beckmann, and Franz Marc.

The National WWII Museum Hosting Special Exhibit Highlighting Nazi Campaign against Modern Art

The National WWII Museum in New Orleans has opened a special exhibit titled 'Degenerate! Hitler’s War on Modern Art,' on loan from the Jewish Museum Milwaukee and running through May 10, 2026. The exhibit features over 65 works by artists deemed 'degenerate' by the Nazi regime, including Wassily Kandinsky, Max Beckmann, Pablo Picasso, and Marc Chagall, alongside documents and artifacts that explore how modernist art was suppressed and weaponized as propaganda. The museum has expanded the original exhibit to include a focus on suppressed music, featuring instruments from the era, such as a tenor saxophone played by Eddie Powers and a clarinet played by George Lewis, on loan from the New Orleans Jazz Museum.

Degenerate! Hitler’s War on Modern Art

The National WWII Museum in New Orleans will host the traveling exhibition "Degenerate! Hitler's War on Modern Art" from November 6, 2025, through May 10, 2026. Originally created by the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, the show examines the Nazi campaign against modern art and music, featuring over 65 original works by artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Max Beckmann, Pablo Picasso, and Marc Chagall. It explores how modernist art was labeled "degenerate" by the Third Reich, used as propaganda, and systematically suppressed, with many works seized, destroyed, or sold. The exhibition also expands into music, highlighting the suppression of jazz and works by Jewish composers.