5 rising artists defined 2025 2726034

Artnet News published a roundup of five rising artist profiles that defined 2025, highlighting interviews with Alexandra Metcalf and Chase Hall. Metcalf, a British-American artist, blends 1960s psychedelia, 2000s pop music, and Victorian literature in her multimedia works, and debuted at Art Basel with London's Ginny on Frederick. Chase Hall, a painter who uses hot coffee on cotton, explores race and fatherhood, with a solo exhibition "Momma's Baby, Daddy's Maybe" at Galerie Eva Presenhuber in Vienna.

the stakes are high for emerging galleries at frieze some are selling others arent as lucky 1234757562

At Frieze London, emerging galleries in the Focus section face high financial pressure, with booth costs reaching £6,750 ($9,000). While some dealers reported strong sales—such as London's Ginny on Frederick, which sold out both works by Alex Margo Arden, and Brunette Coleman, which also sold out—others were reluctant to disclose results. Several unnamed dealers admitted to selling nothing or only a single work, highlighting a stark divide between success and struggle among smaller exhibitors.

the stakes are high for emerging galleries at frieze some are selling others arent as lucky 1234757562

At Frieze London, emerging galleries in the Focus section face high financial pressure, with booth costs starting at £6,750. While some dealers reported strong sales—such as Ginny on Frederick selling out two works by Alex Margo Arden for up to £30,000 each, and Brunette Coleman also selling out—many smaller dealers declined to discuss sales, and at least three admitted to selling nothing by the first VIP day. The disparity highlights the growing difficulty for smaller galleries to compete at major art fairs.

‘The challenge will be to sustain it’: was the autumn art market boom more than just a blip?

The autumn art market saw a significant upturn, with strong sales at Frieze London, Art Basel Paris, and New York auctions, including a $236.4 million Klimt and a $2.2 billion auction week in New York—up 77% year-on-year. Emerging London galleries like Ginny on Frederick, Rose Easton, and A. Squire have reinvigorated Frieze London, while Paris benefits from luxury-house funding, with the Fondation Cartier and Fondation Louis Vuitton hosting major shows. However, concerns persist about sustainability, as geopolitical volatility and post-Brexit challenges continue to affect the market.

met museum sued again van gogh painting jewish heirs 1234759239

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is facing a new lawsuit over Vincent van Gogh's *Olive Picking* (1889), which it sold to a Greek collector in 1972. The suit, filed by heirs of Hedwig and Frederick Stern, alleges the painting was looted from the Sterns when they fled Nazi Germany and should never have entered the Met's collection. The Met bought the work in 1956 for $125,000 and later sold it to the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in Athens, where it is now displayed. A previous 2022 lawsuit in California was dismissed on venue grounds; the heirs are now pursuing the case in New York federal court, arguing the painting was repeatedly trafficked through the city.

Ten essential works of art to see in Dresden

The article presents a curated guide to ten essential artworks in Dresden, Germany, highlighting the city's recovery from World War II devastation to reclaim its status as a Kunststadt (city of art). It focuses on masterpieces housed in the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD), including Raphael's *Sistine Madonna* (1512/13) at the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Caspar David Friedrich's *The Great Enclosure* (1832) at the Albertinum, and a tiny cherry pit with 185 carved heads from the Grünes Gewölbe. The piece traces Dresden's golden age under rulers Augustus the Strong and Frederick Augustus II, whose acquisitions built one of Europe's most celebrated art collections.

Acquisitions round-up: an ‘exceptionally rare’ portrait of an enslaved person and two large-scale donations

The article reports on three major acquisitions and donations in the art world. The Mississippi Museum of Art and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art jointly acquired an 'exceptionally rare' portrait of Frederick, an enslaved person in pre-emancipation Mississippi, painted around 1840 by C.R. Parker. The portrait sold for $508,750 at Neal Auction Company. Separately, entrepreneur and collector Hermann Gerlinger donated 42 works by the German Expressionist group Die Brücke to Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, including a marriage portrait by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. Additionally, the family of late Korean artist Suki Seokyeong Kang donated around 400 of her works to Ewha Womans University in Seoul, where she studied and taught.

architecture houses lost los angeles fires 2598556

A week after wildfires erupted across Los Angeles, the city remains under critical threat as the Pacific Palisades, Eaton, Hollywood Hills, and San Fernando Valley fires have forced the evacuation of roughly 200,000 residents, destroyed about 12,000 buildings, and claimed at least 24 lives. Among the losses are culturally and architecturally significant structures, including the Bunny Museum in Altadena, the historic Will Rogers ranch, the Altadena Community Church (designed by Harry L. Pierce), the Andrew McNally House (a Queen Anne-style mansion by Frederick Roehrig), Richard Neutra's Benedict and Nancy Freedman House, and Gregory Ain's Park Planned Homes in Altadena. Adrian Scott Fine of the Los Angeles Conservancy described the destruction as "a mass erasure of heritage."

40 Years Later, Houston's FotoFest Keeps Its Edge

Houston’s FotoFest is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a massive retrospective titled "Global Visions: FotoFest at 40," featuring over 450 artists from 58 countries. Founded by Wendy Watriss and Frederick Baldwin after a transformative trip to the Rencontres d'Arles, the biennial was established to combat American parochialism by introducing international photography to the U.S. The current iteration spans multiple venues, including the Sawyer Yards Galleries and Project Row Houses, showcasing the festival's history of thematic curation ranging from Russian Pictorialism to contemporary Arab media.

pepperdine weisman museum director resigns 1234758951

Andrea Gyorody has resigned as director of Pepperdine University’s Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art after the university removed or obscured artworks deemed “political” from the exhibition *Hold My Hand in Yours*, which she curated. The administration turned off Elana Mann’s video *Call to Arms 2015–2025* and covered an “Abolish ICE” patch in a collaborative sculpture by the collective Art Made Between Opposite Sides (AMBOS). Gyorody’s departure, effective October 24, was described by the university as mutual, and the exhibition was shuttered six months early after artists withdrew their work in protest.

tina turner statue tennessee bad public art 1234755013

A 10-foot-tall statue of Tina Turner was unveiled in her hometown of Brownsville, Tennessee, on Saturday, September 29, 2025. Created by sculptor Fred Ajanogha, the work has sparked widespread online outrage for its distorted depiction of the late pop star, with critics comparing it to a caricature and noting its bizarre proportions, unnatural hair, and toothy grin. The statue has been condemned by both right-wing commentators and comedians like Kevin Fredericks, who likened it to other infamous public art failures.

Inside Clarissa, the Hottest Art Show of Frieze Week

A new curatorial platform called Clarissa launched during Frieze Week in London, staged across three levels of a former club and sex shop in King's Cross. Organized by the team behind Émergent Magazine in collaboration with Soft Commodity, the group show features a mix of established and emerging artists including Michael Dean, Hilary Lloyd, Tobias Spichtig, Joel Wycherley, Remi Ajani, and Tiago Francez. The exhibition draws on the history of the regenerated King's Cross area to explore how contemporary art can inhabit and provoke urban change.

43rd Ellarsie Open Announces Juror Adam Welch: Accepting Submissions Until May 6th

The Trenton City Museum has launched the call for entries for the 43rd Ellarslie Open, appointing Adam Welch as the juror for the 2026 edition. Welch, the Executive Director of the Arts Council of Princeton and a former lecturer at Princeton University, will oversee the selection process for the prestigious regional showcase. Artists from the New Jersey and Pennsylvania areas are invited to submit digital entries through May 6, with the final exhibition scheduled to open on June 6 at the historic Ellarslie Mansion.

Treasures from the worlds of fashion and art collide at an extraordinary new exhibition in Lisbon

A new exhibition titled 'Art & Fashion' has opened at Lisbon's Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, curated by Eloy Martínez de la Pera Celada. It juxtaposes masterpieces from the museum's permanent collection—spanning ancient Egyptian artifacts to Rembrandt and Impressionist works—with historic and contemporary fashion pieces, including garments from Charles Frederick Worth, Yohji Yamamoto, Dries Van Noten, Alexander McQueen, and Sarah Burton's debut at Givenchy. The show is organized by regional provenance and temporarily replaces the museum's usual display while its Brutalist building undergoes renovation.

Pepperdine Closes Exhibit Featuring “Overtly Political” Art

Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, closed the exhibition “Hold My Hand In Yours” at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art on October 6, after artists discovered their works had been removed or altered for being “overtly political.” The show, curated by museum director Andrea Gyorody, explored hands as symbols of labor and care. One artist found her video turned off, and a sculpture was modified to hide text reading “Save the Children” and “Abolish ICE.” The affected artists requested their pieces be removed, and others withdrew in solidarity. University officials cited a policy to avoid overtly political content consistent with its nonprofit status, and offered apologies while honoring compensation agreements.

Political censorship of art exhibition at California’s Pepperdine University

Pepperdine University, a private Christian institution in Malibu, California, censored and closed an art exhibition titled "Hold My Hand in Yours" at its Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art. The exhibition, curated by museum director Andrea Gyorody, featured works centered on hands as symbols of labor, identity, care, and connection. On October 1, administrators Lauren Cosentino and Nicole Singer visited the museum, leading to the shutdown of artist Elena Mann's video "Call to Arms 2015-2022," which included references to Donald Trump's policies, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, and the George Floyd protests. Another work, "Con Nuestras Manos Construimos Deidades" by Natalie Godinez and the nonprofit AMBOS, was also censored after officials objected to text reading "Save the Children" and "Abolish ICE."

California School Shutters Exhibition After Altering "Political" Art

Pepperdine University, a private Christian university in Malibu, abruptly closed the exhibition "Hold My Hand in Yours" at its Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art six months early after school administrators removed or altered artworks deemed "political." The show, curated by museum director Andrea Gyorody, featured works centered on hands as symbols of labor and identity. At least a dozen artists requested to withdraw after the university turned off Elana Mann's video "Call to Arms 2015-2025" (2025), which documented performances including a 2017 May Day March in Los Angeles with chants supporting immigrants and opposing racism. Administrators also turned a fabric swatch reading "Save the Children" and "Abolish ICE" on a collaborative sculpture by Art Made Between Opposite Sides (AMBOS) so the text was hidden, and removed a sign inviting visitors to touch the work.

California School Shutters Exhibition After Altering "Political" Art

Pepperdine University, a private Christian university in Malibu, abruptly closed the exhibition "Hold My Hand in Yours" at its Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art six months early, after at least a dozen artists requested to withdraw their works in protest. The school had removed or altered artworks it deemed "political," including Elana Mann's video "Call to Arms 2015-2025" (2025), which documented performances using megaphone-like sculptural instruments and included footage from a 2017 May Day March with chants supporting immigrants and racial justice. Another work by the group AMBOS, a collaborative sculpture featuring an embroidery reading "Save the Children" and "Abolish ICE," was altered by turning the fabric swatch to hide the text and removing a sign inviting visitor interaction. The school did not explain its decisions to the artists.

Museum Sculptures in Park Sanssouci Return Restored

Musen-Skulpturen im Park Sanssouci kehren restauriert zurück

Eight 18th-century marble sculptures depicting Greek muses have been reinstalled in the western pleasure garden of Park Sanssouci in Potsdam following a six-month restoration project. The works, created by Berlin sculptor Friedrich Christian Glume, represent figures like Melpomene (Tragedy), Klio (History), and Thalia (Comedy) and have been cleaned, repaired, and given a protective coating.

Pepperdine Closes Exhibit Featuring “Overtly Political” Art

Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, closed the exhibition “Hold My Hand In Yours” at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art on October 6, after artists discovered their works had been removed or altered for being “overtly political.” The show, curated by museum director Andrea Gyorody, explored the imagery of hands in relation to labor and care. One artist found her video turned off at the university’s request, and a sculpture was modified to hide text reading “Save the Children” and “Abolish ICE.” The affected artists requested their pieces be removed, and others withdrew in solidarity. University officials cited a policy to avoid overtly political content consistent with its nonprofit status, and offered apologies while honoring compensation agreements.

Pepperdine Closes Exhibit Featuring “Overtly Political” Art

Pepperdine University closed the exhibition "Hold My Hand In Yours" at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art on October 6 after artists discovered their works had been removed or altered for being "overtly political." The show, curated by museum director Andrea Gyorody, featured imagery of hands as symbols of labor and care. One artist's video was turned off at the university's request, and a sculpture was modified to hide text reading "Save the Children" and "Abolish ICE." The affected artists requested their pieces be removed, and several others withdrew their work in solidarity. Pepperdine administrators cited a museum policy to avoid overtly political content consistent with the university's nonprofit status.

Pepperdine Administrators Shut Down Weisman Exhibition After Censoring Artwork

Pepperdine University administrators directed the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art to shut down a video installation by artist Elana Mann due to its political content, sparking a censorship controversy. After the censorship, over 20 artists in the exhibition "Hold My Hand in Yours" requested their works be removed in protest, leading the university to close the entire exhibition, which had been scheduled to run until March 29.

Frederick artist Todd Gardner makes the personal universal in ‘iCommentary’ exhibition

Frederick-based artist Todd Gardner is presenting a new body of work in his solo exhibition titled ‘iCommentary.’ The show features a series of mixed-media pieces that blend personal narratives with broader social observations, utilizing a distinct visual language to bridge the gap between individual experience and collective consciousness.

Here are the exhibits honoring Black art and culture during Miami Art Week

During Miami Art Week 2025, multiple exhibitions and events are spotlighting Black art and culture. Highlights include the Point Comfort Art Fair + Show at the Historic Ward Rooming House, themed "Life & Times of Frederick Douglass," with a special installation hosted by former NBA star Alonzo Mourning. Soul Basel returns to Historic Overtown with exhibitions at the Center for Black Innovation and the Black Archives Lyric Plaza, featuring Marcus Blake's "In Art We Trust." The Art of Transformation showcase in Opa-locka explores "At the Edge of Entanglement," while Revolt Art Fair returns for its second year at Ice Palace Studios with over 50 Black artists. Additionally, historian Nadege Green's installation "The Power of Her Hands: Black Washerwomen in Early Miami" is on view at YoungArts Gallery.

Studio A exhibition opens at Lismore gallery

Lismore Regional Gallery has launched a new exhibition featuring the work of Studio A artists Guy Fredericks and Damian Showyin. The showcase includes Fredericks’ 'Bleeding Hearts and Morning Glory,' which addresses climate change and environmental regeneration, alongside Showyin’s 'Suede Blue,' a solo presentation of rhythmic, color-focused paintings. The exhibition is part of a strategic touring program designed to bring museum-quality contemporary art by artists with intellectual disabilities to regional New South Wales.

john singer sargent paintings 12 15 million 1234753307

Three paintings by John Singer Sargent from the collection of Carol and Terry Wall will be auctioned at Christie’s this fall, with a combined estimate of $12 million to $17 million. The works—Capri (1878), Corner of the Church of San Stae, Venice (1913), and Gondolier’s Siesta (1902-03)—depict Italian scenes and will be part of the 20th century evening sales in New York in November. The collection also includes works by Mary Cassatt, Childe Hassam, Frederick Frieseke, and William Merritt Chase, and will be previewed in Paris, London, and Taipei.