Art News. Vasari Codex

Watch the Record-Breaking Auction of This Gustav Klimt Portrait, Which Just Became the Second Most Expensive Painting Ever Sold

Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer" sold at Sotheby's for $236.4 million on November 20, 2025, becoming the most expensive modern artwork ever auctioned and the second most expensive painting overall. The life-size oil painting, created between 1914 and 1916, depicts the 20-year-old daughter of prominent Jewish art collectors. After a 20-minute bidding war starting at $130 million, an anonymous telephone bidder won the work, which had been owned by cosmetics heir Leonard Lauder until his death in June 2025.

museum exhibitions schedule Aug 29, 2025 visibility 13 link 9 artists

America’s Largest-Ever Exhibition on Raphael Will Open at the Met Next Year

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will host "Raphael: Sublime Poetry," the largest-ever U.S. exhibition dedicated to the Renaissance master, opening March 29, 2026. Featuring over 200 works, the show includes loans from major institutions such as the Uffizi, Prado, Galleria Borghese, British Museum, Louvre, and National Gallery of Art. Curated by Carmen Bambach, who previously organized the Met's blockbuster 2017 Michelangelo exhibition, the show spans Raphael's three career periods—Urbino, Florence, and Rome—and highlights recent scientific discoveries and his portrayal of women. A centerpiece is the reunion of Raphael's preparatory sketches with his painting *The Alba Madonna*.

newspaper Smithsonian Magazine open_in_new Read original