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This ARTnews industry moves column reports several key personnel and representation changes in the art world. Christine Sun Kim has joined Gallery Hyundai, a Seoul-based gallery, and will show at Art Basel Miami Beach. Yoshitomo Nara has moved to David Zwirner while maintaining his relationship with Pace. John Tain has been named Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Carnegie Museum of Art, and Galatea now represents Gabriella Marinho. Chris Sharp has added the duo CrossLypka to his roster. Separately, climate activist Timothy Martin received an 18-month prison sentence for damaging a Degas sculpture at the National Gallery of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art faces turmoil after a rebranding backlash that led to director Sasha Suda's dismissal.

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A signed, limited-edition book titled *The Book of HOV: A Tribute to JAY-Z*, created in collaboration between Jay-Z's Roc Nation, French publisher Assouline, and artist Daniel Arsham, is being auctioned at Christie's. Only five copies exist, and the book is estimated to sell for $100,000 to $150,000, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Brooklyn Public Library. The auction, part of a contemporary editions sale running from July 7 to July 22, follows a 2023 exhibition at the Brooklyn Public Library that attracted 600,000 visitors.

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Many artists are rethinking traditional gallery representation, seeking not just sales but also help with copyrights, visibility, and partnerships. Flexible co-representation arrangements are on the rise, with major galleries like Hauser & Wirth launching initiatives like Collective Impact to co-represent rising artists alongside their smaller founding galleries. Some artists are joining agencies or representing themselves, driven by social media's past ability to build direct collector relationships, though its power has recently declined due to algorithm changes.

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Kenny Schachter's article for Artnet News draws a parallel between President Jimmy Carter's 1977 energy-crisis plea to lower thermostats and the current art-market response to Trump-era tariff turmoil. He reports that the spring 2025 auction cycle generated $1.25 billion, continuing a decade-long decline from the 2014 peak, with bidders spending less and big-ticket sellers stuck. Schachter also promotes his own no-reserve auction, "Hoarder #6," scheduled for July 8–17 at Phillips, and critiques Trump's economic policies and crypto ventures, name-dropping Justin Sun as a major holder of $Trump tokens.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art has unveiled its renovated Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, featuring 1,800 objects from 663 cultures across Africa, Oceania, and the ancient Americas. The $70 million, 12-year project includes Fang masks, ceremonial dance paddles, and 15-foot funerary poles, with a multi-day celebration that featured a sunrise blessing. The wing, named after Nelson Rockefeller's son who disappeared in 1961, opened in 1982 and was revitalized as part of a master plan by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects.

Rashid Johnson Photographs Jay-Z for New GQ Cover Story

Rashid Johnson photographed Jay-Z for the cover of GQ's new special global issue, which features an extensive interview with the rapper and mogul. Johnson, a contemporary art star known for exploring Black male identity, was chosen for his artistic alignment with Jay-Z's career-long challenge of simplistic notions of Blackness in American culture.

10 Shows Around Venice Not to Miss During the Biennale

ARTnews has published a guide to 10 exhibitions in Venice worth seeing during the 2026 Biennale, beyond the central show "In Minor Keys" curated by the late Koyo Kouoh and the national pavilions. Highlights include a major survey of Lee Ufan at the San Marco Art Centre (SMAC Venice), organized by the Dia Art Foundation and curated by Jessica Morgan; "Helter Skelter: Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince" at Fondazione Prada, curated by Nancy Spector; and "Strange Rules" at Palazzo Diedo, conceived by Hans Ulrich Obrist with Mat Dryhurst and Holly Herndon, introducing the concept of "Protocol Art." Other venues include the Gallerie dell'Accademia, Pinault Collection, Berggruen Arts & Culture, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, and a three-night-only performance at Teatro Goldoni.

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ART SG concluded its 2026 edition at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands with steady sales and a reported attendance of 43,000 visitors. While the fair lacked the million-dollar trophy sales seen in previous years, blue-chip galleries like Thaddaeus Ropac and White Cube reported significant transactions, including a £475,000 Raqib Shaw painting and a sell-out presentation of Lee Bae works by Johyun Gallery totaling $2.76 million. The event also featured a strategic partnership with S.E.A. Focus, integrating the boutique fair into the main hall to highlight regional talent.

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A significant number of New York art galleries, including major players like Pace Gallery, David Zwirner, and Marian Goodman, will close on January 30 to join a nationwide general strike protesting expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. The strike is a response to allegations of federal overreach, including the use of deadly force against protestors and the detention of Native Americans, which have fueled widespread outrage.

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Ruth Asawa's first retrospective at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 1973 featured a communal "dough-in" where children made art from baker's clay, a practice that drew skepticism from some onlookers. Now in 2025, SFMOMA presents a larger retrospective of Asawa's work, showcasing her wire sculptures, drawings, and playful, community-oriented art. The exhibition, organized by SFMOMA's Janet Bishop and MoMA's Cara Manes, will travel to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Guggenheim Bilbao, and the Fondation Beyeler.

The Venice Biennale’s Polite Fiction of Being ‘Above the Market’ Is Wearing Thin

The 61st Venice Biennale is underway, with art world figures flocking to Venice for the opening. While the Biennale is officially a non-selling curatorial platform, commercial interests are increasingly visible: galleries are funding artists' projects to recoup investments, auction houses like Christie's are hosting private selling exhibitions (including a 'Ghost Pavilion' at the Ca' Dario Palazzo), and fashion houses such as Bottega Veneta and Chanel are sponsoring events. Sotheby's has pulled support for the U.S. Pavilion, which is now crowdfunding, while Frieze is bankrolling the British Pavilion for a second time.

The Women Defining Printmaking at the 2026 IFPDA Print Fair

The 2026 IFPDA Print Fair opened at New York’s Park Avenue Armory, placing a significant spotlight on the contributions of women artists to the medium. High-profile offerings include a new release by Laura Owens from Crown Point Press, Louise Bourgeois’s "Spirals" woodcut series presented by Carolina Nitsch, and large-scale sculptural works by Joan Hall and Orit Hofshi. The fair demonstrates the technical breadth of modern printmaking, ranging from traditional woodcuts to unique, hand-embellished compositions and experimental collaborations between artists and master printers.

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The commercial market for performance art is undergoing a significant shift in value and sophistication. While performance has been sellable for decades through archival editions and documentation—a model pioneered by figures like Marina Abramović and dealer Sean Kelly—newer methods include oral contracts for 'live' works and high-stakes secondary market sales. Recent examples, such as Hauser & Wirth offering a Felix Gonzalez-Torres performance piece with an eight-figure price tag, signal that the medium is moving from a niche interest into a high-value asset class.

Art Market Minute February 2026

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The art market is witnessing a significant shift in the commercial viability and valuation of performance art. While the medium has been sold in various forms for years, its increasing presence at major art fairs and galleries suggests a new era where collectors are beginning to prioritize the documentation and rights to live works as legitimate assets.

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Artnet News rounds up eight major controversies that shook the art world in 2025, including a brazen theft of crown jewels from the Louvre Museum in Paris, which exposed severe security gaps and led to a staff strike. Another key scandal involves a lawsuit filed by heirs of the Stern family against the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation, alleging that a Van Gogh painting was looted by the Nazis and later concealed through a series of transactions in New York.

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Artnet News published part two of a two-part series featuring advice from 11 experienced collectors. Among them are comedian Cheech Marin, who began collecting Chicano art in the 1980s and opened the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture in Riverside, California in 2022, and Kiran Nadar, founder of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in India, who with her husband has amassed over 15,000 works. Marin emphasizes trusting instincts, building relationships with artists, seeing art in person, and warns about storage space becoming an addiction. Nadar advises staying open and curious, and not hesitating to explore the unfamiliar.

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Morgan Stanley and Artnet have released an Intelligence Report analyzing the explosive growth of the ultra-contemporary art market—defined as work by artists born after 1974. Auction sales in this category surged 305% from 2019 to 2021, reaching $742.2 million last year, driven by strong demand in the U.S. and China. The report breaks down sales by region, price band, and leading artists, highlighting how galleries, fairs, museums, and collectors are capitalizing on this trend.

Bringing back the salon: UK organisation aims to revive Brighton's contemporary art scene

The Adelaide Salon, a new arts organization founded in 2024 by Pascal Dowers and Paulina Anzorge, is staging a ticketed contemporary art event at Brighton's Royal Pavilion on 30 May, featuring live art and performance. This follows the organization's earlier exhibitions at their home in Adelaide Crescent and a current takeover of the Founders Room at Brighton Dome with the exhibition Act O (until 25 May), part of the Brighton Festival. The salon aims to revive Brighton's art scene after notable losses, including the 2023 closure of Brighton University's Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) and the withdrawal of Arts Council funding at Fabrica gallery.

A renewed focus on rigour and connection at Expo Chicago

The 2026 edition of Expo Chicago marks a strategic shift under the leadership of new director Kate Sierzputowski, featuring a leaner roster of 130 galleries at Navy Pier. The fair has introduced a more spacious layout and a new curatorial role, filled by Essence Harden, to deepen institutional ties and scholarly rigor. Notable participants include local mainstays like Monique Meloche Gallery and Gray, alongside international exhibitors from South Korea, South Africa, and Nigeria, as well as high-profile New York newcomers like Karma.

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Digital artist Kevin Esherick's solo debut at New York’s Heft Gallery has sparked a legal confrontation with painter George Condo. The exhibition features AI-generated works trained to mimic the styles of prominent contemporary artists, including Beeple, Cindy Sherman, and Salman Toor. While most artists were receptive to the project, Condo’s legal team issued a cease-and-desist letter regarding three specific paintings, leading the gallery to shroud the disputed works in black velvet and display the redacted legal notice in their place.

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The 2026 Winter Olympics are set to begin in Milan, Italy, with an opening ceremony featuring Mariah Carey at San Siro Stadium. While most events take place across northern Italy, the article provides a guide to Milan's top museums and galleries for art-loving visitors during the three-week games. Highlights include exhibitions at Fondazione Prada (with works by Mona Hatoum and Hito Steyerl), Pirelli HangarBicocca (Nan Goldin's "This Will Not End Well" and Benni Bosetto's "Rebecca"), Pinacoteca di Brera (Italian masterpieces plus Giorgio Armani garments), and Museo del Novecento (sports-themed posters by Armando Testa). Several commercial galleries also feature solo shows by artists such as Emily Sunblad, Claudia Losi, and Jonathan Lyndon Chase.

Here’s How Stars at the 2026 Met Gala Nodded to Art History

The 2026 Met Gala, themed "Fashion Is Art," saw celebrities and fashion figures wearing outfits directly inspired by or referencing iconic artworks and art historical movements. Notable nods included Chloe Malle in a gown referencing Frederic Leighton's *Flaming June*, Lauren Sánchez Bezos in a Schiaparelli dress echoing John Singer Sargent's *Madame X*, and Hunter Schafer channeling Gustav Klimt's portrait *Mäda Primavesi*. Other attendees like Anne Hathaway, Hailey Bieber, and Karan Johar also drew from specific paintings, sculptures, and poems, while stylist Law Roach wore a hand-painted piece by Gabonese artist Naïla Opiangah.

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The article describes a weekend stay at the Hotel Cipriani, a Belmond hotel in Venice, highlighting its role as a luxurious oasis amid the city's cultural offerings. It details visits to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, including the exhibition "Manu-Facture: The Ceramics of Lucio Fontana," and the Gallerie dell'Accademia, while focusing on the hotel's upcoming redesign by architect Peter Marino, set to debut in 2025 with new suites and a lobby. The hotel's art program, including past collaborations like Daniel Buren's pavilion and future activations tied to the 2026 Venice Biennale, is also emphasized.

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The article reviews the Independent art fair, highlighting its curated approach that results in a visually cohesive and easeful experience compared to other fairs. It notes the prevalence of neo-bucolic landscapes and animal paintings by artists like Sameen Agha, Tim Braden, and Lisa Sanditz, as well as delicate abstractions and small ceramic works. Standout pieces include Pope.L's provocative paint-scribbled underwear at Mitchell-Innes and Nash, Rosa Barba's kinetic painting at Vistamare, Ibrahim El-Salahi's silkscreen painting at Vigo Gallery, and works by emerging artists such as Constanza Camila Kramer Garfias and Ada Friedman at Kendra Jayne Patrick Gallery.

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The 30th edition of the International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA) Print Fair concluded at New York’s Javits Center, featuring 77 international exhibitors. The fair showcased a vast chronological range of works, from $2 million Edvard Munch prints to contemporary editions priced at $200, attracting a diverse crowd of collectors and institutional buyers.

15 Art Shows to See in NYC This May

Hyperallergic's May 2025 guide to New York City art shows highlights 15 exhibitions, including a survey of Hawaiian Japanese-American artists from the Metcalf Chateau group at Ryan Lee Gallery, a retrospective of Malian photographer Seydou Keïta at the Brooklyn Museum, and Renée Green's multimedia project 'Secret' at Bortolami Gallery. The article also features Lynette Yiadom-Boakye's quietude-focused works, a meditation on grief and death, and a document of a city devastated by the AIDS crisis through portraits of inanimate objects, among other shows.

Art Movements: Look Who’s Headed to Perrotin Gallery

The French mega-gallery Perrotin has added sculptor Alma Allen to its roster. Allen previously caused controversy by accepting a nomination to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale under the Trump administration's State Department, a decision that led his former galleries to drop him. The article also notes other industry news, including Keisha Scarville winning the Brooklyn Museum's UOVO Prize and Marina Abramović creating an inflatable installation for New York's Balloon Museum.

Biennale di Venezia 2026. Le grandi mostre da non perdere in città

The article previews major exhibitions in Venice during the 2026 Biennale, highlighting a rich lineup of shows across the city's museums and foundations. Key highlights include a retrospective for Marina Abramović at the Gallerie dell'Accademia, a Peggy Guggenheim exhibition at her former home, and dual shows at Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana featuring artists like Michael Armitage, Amar Kanwar, Lorna Simpson, and Paulo Nazareth. Other notable venues include Fondazione Prada, Ca' Pesaro, and the Museo Correr, with artists ranging from Joseph Kosuth to Jenny Saville.

The Paradoxical Delights of South America’s Biggest Art Fair

The 22nd edition of SP-Arte has opened at the Oscar Niemeyer Pavilion in São Paulo, featuring 180 exhibitors. As Latin America’s largest art fair, the event continues to serve as a critical bridge for 'South-South' artistic relationships, drawing international curators like the Met’s Brinda Kumar. Despite a slightly smaller footprint than previous years, the fair showcases a robust selection of Brazilian talent alongside international galleries navigating the country's complex market.

What You Should Definitely Avoid in Venice

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The article humorously critiques the Venice Biennale, highlighting several disappointments. It describes a Japanese pavilion installation by Ei Arakawa-Nash featuring baby dolls for diaper-changing, which a critic dismisses as a male artist over-romanticizing parenthood. Other flops include long queues for the German and Austrian pavilions, underwhelming main exhibition "In Minor Keys," and annoying self-promotional performers outside venues. The piece also laments the presence of loud American collectors and donors who dominate the event.