met opera may sell prized marc chagall paintings 1234770398

New York's Metropolitan Opera is considering selling two monumental Marc Chagall murals, 'The Sources of Music' and 'The Triumphs of Music' (1966), valued at $55 million by Sotheby's, to address a severe financial crisis. The Met has already drawn $120 million from its endowment, reduced performances, and struck a controversial $100 million deal to perform in Saudi Arabia, which has drawn scrutiny over human rights abuses. The murals, which hang in the Grand Tier, would remain in place even if sold, and the Met is also exploring naming rights and theater leasing.

design miami announces 2025 programming new event seoul 1234745570

Design Miami has announced its 2025 programming for its 20th anniversary year, including a new initiative called Design Miami.In Situ. The schedule features a one-day event in Aspen in July, a 14-day exhibition in Seoul in September, the third edition of its Paris fair in October, and the 21st edition of its flagship fair in Miami Beach in December. The Seoul exhibition, curated by Hyeyoung Cho and held at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, is a collaboration with the Seoul Design Foundation focusing on Korean collectible design. CEO Jen Roberts described this as the organization's largest global expansion and most ambitious program to date.

Despite external chaos, Frieze Seoul soldiers on

The fourth edition of Frieze Seoul (3-6 September) took place alongside the Korea International Art Fair (Kiaf) at the Coex convention centre in Gangnam, amid economic concerns and a slower art market. Despite a modest 0.8% expected growth in South Korea's economy and fewer Western exhibitors, the fair saw strong institutional attendance, including curators from M+, the Museum of Modern Art, and the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, as well as celebrity visitors like BTS members and Blackpink's Lisa. Galleries reported cautious but steady sales, with a notable presence of Asian collectors, particularly from Japan, and a Stand Prize awarded to Kohesi Initiatives for a politically charged booth by Timoteus Anggawan Kusno.

Au Louvre, l’ambitieuse restauration du cycle de Marie de Médicis

The Louvre Museum in Paris is undertaking an ambitious restoration of Peter Paul Rubens's monumental cycle of 24 paintings depicting the life of Marie de Médicis. The project, which will take four years and cost €4 million funded by the Société des Amis du Louvre, begins this autumn with the paintings being restored in situ in the Médicis Gallery. The gallery will close in May to prepare the space as a restoration workshop, where two teams of 10–15 restorers will work simultaneously on cleaning, relining, and filling gaps. The last major restoration of the cycle dates to the 1950s, and recent diagnostics revealed yellowed varnish, discordant repaints, and flaking paint layers that risk irreversible loss.

Art Paris: A Better Result Than Expected

Art Paris, un bilan meilleur que prévu

The 28th edition of Art Paris concluded with stronger-than-expected sales despite a sluggish start and a volatile global climate. Featuring 165 galleries, the fair solidified its position as a key regional event for French collectors, offering a price range typically between €10,000 and €40,000. While mega-galleries like Almine Rech participated with accessible works, the fair also welcomed newcomers like Esther Schipper and In Situ-Fabienne Leclerc, who reported positive results across various media including ceramics, photography, and painting.

Comment | I used to think it wasn’t cool to like Andy Goldsworthy—now I see how he helps us appreciate the natural world

Mia maxima culpa. For many years I felt it wasn’t cool to like Andy Goldsworthy. The British artist’s interventions in and workings with nature, while highly skilful and often very beautiful, seemed out of kilter with an increasingly hardcore, conceptually underpinned and urban-orientated art world. It also didn’t help that most of his work could only be experienced at one remove. Books and photographs were the only record of the ephemeral pieces he’d created from ice, leaves, sticks and stones; as well as of the more lasting installations—walls, sheepfolds, cairn paths and giant arches—he’d make in situ, usually in remote locations across the world.

Design Miami announces 2025 international events and exhibitions programme

Design Miami has announced its 2025 international events and exhibitions programme, dubbed Design Miami.In Situ, in celebration of its 20th anniversary. The initiative includes a one-day design event in Aspen with Range Rover on July 31, a 14-day exhibition in Seoul titled 'Illuminated: A Spotlight on Korean Design' in September, the third edition of its Paris fair at L'hôtel de Maisons in October, and the 21st edition of its flagship Miami Beach fair in December. The programme expands beyond the fair's traditional model, with events curated by Ashlee Harrison, Hyeyoung Cho, and Glenn Adamson.

The Big Review | Fra Angelico at Palazzo Strozzi and Museo di San Marco, Florence ★★★★★

A major two-venue exhibition dedicated to early Renaissance master Fra Angelico (c. 1395-1455) has opened at Palazzo Strozzi and Museo di San Marco in Florence. The show, four years in the making, features unprecedented loans from over 70 museums and 28 newly conserved works, including the Fiesole Altarpiece (c. 1420-23) and the San Marco Altarpiece (1438-43). It reunites dispersed predella panels and decorative components looted during the Napoleonic era, presenting the most complete picture of Fra Angelico to date while challenging the notion that his work was archaic.

Augmented reality enjoys growing appeal as a tool for the art trade

Augmented reality (AR) headsets like the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest II are gaining traction as tools for the art trade, according to experts interviewed in this article. Gallerists Will Shott and Hal Bromm see potential for virtual tours, studio visits, and previewing artworks in situ, while adviser India Price notes that seeing works at scale in one's own space could boost buyer confidence. However, Martin Murphy of Ringling College of Art and Design argues that practical barriers—such as device personalization and generational divides—may limit adoption among traditional collectors.