Private Sales Are Surging as Auction Houses Lean into Exclusive, Experience-Led Selling

Sotheby's and Christie's are increasingly turning to private, invitation-only sales to move high-value artworks, bypassing the traditional auction model. Sotheby's recent "The Apartment" exhibition in London, featuring works by David Hockney, George Condo, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, sold half its $40 million inventory before the public even saw it. Christie's reported that its three most expensive paintings sold in 2025 were all private transactions, with the house trading $1.5 billion privately last year—nearly a quarter of its global sales.

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The New York Gallery History Project has launched its first installment: an online archive of Jay Gorney Modern Art, which operated from 1985 to 1998. The archive documents over 90 exhibitions held at the gallery, featuring artists such as Catherine Opie, Jessica Stockholder, Gillian Wearing, Haim Steinbach, and Martha Rosler. The material includes installation views, artwork images, and original invitations, all digitized from analog transparencies and slides. The project is an initiative of the Independent art fair and the Contemporary Art Library, a Los Angeles nonprofit.

Salon des Refusés 2.0

Salon des Refusés 2.0

A group exhibition titled "we refuse_d" has opened at the Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst (M HKA) in Antwerp, bringing together 15 artists, many of whom faced cancellations or disinvitations from exhibitions following the October 7, 2023 attacks. The show, referencing the historic 1863 Salon des Refusés, aims to reclaim reputation and amplify marginalized voices, specifically focusing on Palestinian history and artists affected by the cultural fallout.

New Orleans Takes the Stage at the 2026 Venice Biennale

New Orleans artists Dawn DeDeaux and Demond Melancon have been selected to participate in the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026. Curated by Koyo Kouoh under the title "In Minor Keys," the exhibition marks a historic moment as two artists from the city receive simultaneous invitations to the prestigious international forum. DeDeaux, a veteran multimedia artist known for her "MotherShip Series" and environmental themes, will bring her focus on post-anthropocene landscapes to the global stage.

An exhibition in New York City takes on censorship in the art world

Art at a Time Like This, a non-profit organization, has opened the exhibition 'Don’t Look Now' in New York City's Nolita neighborhood (October 10–25), featuring 24 contemporary artists whose work has been censored or blacklisted. Participants include Marilyn Minter, Shepard Fairey, Dread Scott, Danielle SeeWalker, and Yvonne Iten-Scott, whose pieces were removed from shows, rescinded from residencies, or targeted by officials due to political content. The exhibition responds to the Trump administration's crackdown on free speech in the culture sector, including mass layoffs at the NEA and NEH, proposed funding cuts, and canceled shows at institutions like the Smithsonian.

Before He Stole the Oscars, Timothée Chalamet Stole Ballet and Opera

Actor Timothée Chalamet sparked controversy by stating in an interview that he doesn't want to work in ballet or opera, describing them as artforms where the goal is to "keep this thing alive." The comment prompted swift backlash from the dance community, with institutions extending personal invitations and op-eds criticizing his remarks.

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Art Basel Paris has announced a new ultra-VIP preview program called "Avant Première" for its upcoming edition at the Grand Palais. Scheduled for Tuesday, October 21, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., the initiative allows all 203 participating galleries to invite select clients for an exclusive early viewing, ahead of the fair's official VIP days on October 22–23. The fair declined to disclose how many invitations each gallery can extend. The program was first reported by the Baer Faxt, and Art Basel CEO Noah Horowitz described it as "for the market, by the market."

Artcube 2R2 to Hold Oh Ji-yoon Solo Show in Seoul After Back-to-Back Venice Biennale Invitations

Seoul-based gallery Artcube 2R2 is launching a solo exhibition titled "Dignity: Accumulated Time" featuring the work of artist Oh Ji-yoon. The show focuses on her "Dignity" series, which utilizes a labor-intensive process of layering charcoal, gold, hanji paper, and pearls to explore themes of human existence and reflection. The exhibition is designed to coincide with the artist's consecutive invitations to the Venice Biennale, bringing the same body of work shown on the international stage to a domestic audience.

In Monica Rohan’s Paintings, Tablecloths and Chairs Uncannily Perch in Remote Landscapes

Monica Rohan, a Brisbane-based artist, creates vibrant oil paintings in which domestic objects like patterned tablecloths and bentwood dining chairs appear in remote, natural landscapes. Her recent works, including those from her upcoming solo exhibition "Invitations" at Sophie Gannon Gallery in Melbourne this June, increasingly omit human figures, allowing the objects themselves to become stand-ins for people. The scenes are inspired by her hiking trip through Tasmania, featuring alpine summits, streams, and meadows.

national gallery london citizen panel 1234749007

The National Gallery in London is launching a citizens' panel called NG Citizens, composed of 20 randomly selected members of the public from across the UK. Starting with 15,000 household invitations, a civil lottery will narrow the group to 50, then to 20 individuals who will serve for five years, advising the museum on its purpose, priorities, and public value, though not directly on artwork selection or exhibitions. The initiative is overseen by the public participation charity Involve and follows similar models at institutions like the Federal Art Gallery in Bonn and the Dresden State Art Collections.

Power to the people: London’s National Gallery seeks public panel to help shape its future

London's National Gallery is launching NG Citizens, a citizens' assembly that will advise the museum on its future policy and direction. Starting next month, 15,000 households across the UK will receive invitations, from which 50 participants will be selected via a civic lottery, eventually narrowing to 20 individuals who will serve on the panel for five years. The gallery states the initiative places audiences at the heart of decision-making, aiming to shape programs around the needs of diverse UK communities, though the assembly will not directly choose exhibitions or acquisitions but will produce recommendations on purpose, priorities, and public value.

Amid a wave of global crises, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov’s Ship of Tolerance sets sail again—with added potency

Ilya and Emilia Kabakov's participatory art project *Ship of Tolerance* (2005–present) has been reinstalled at Oakville Galleries on Lake Ontario, near Toronto, opening on 31 May as part of the exhibition *Between Heaven and Earth* (through 20 September). The project, which involves children from diverse backgrounds creating painted sails for a 60-foot wooden boat, has previously traveled to locations including Siwa, Egypt; the Venice Biennale; Sharjah; Brooklyn; Miami; Moscow; and London. Emilia Kabakov continues to lead the project after Ilya Kabakov's death in 2023, and the latest iteration arrives amid global crises including wars, migrant displacement, and US President Donald Trump's threats to annex Canada.

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Dublin-born Egyptian artist Rafik Greiss discusses his practice and recent work in an interview conducted at a Paris café. Greiss, who recently presented a solo show titled “The Longest Sleep” at Galerie Balice Hertling in Paris, creates photographs and films that explore themes of loneliness, urban space, and religious experience. His 12-minute film *The Longest Sleep* (2024), shot in Cairo, depicts Sufi rituals and deserted fairgrounds, informed by neurotheology. Greiss prints his black-and-white photographs on thick Japanese paper, emphasizing the tactile signature of his lens-based work. He is currently considering exhibition invitations from institutions around the Mediterranean and plans to travel to Egypt to make new work.