The 20 Most Expensive Artworks Hitting the Auction Block This Season

The May 2026 New York auctions at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips will feature 20 high-value lots priced at $30 million or more, including works by Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Cy Twombly, Gerhard Richter, and others. The sales are staggered around the Venice Biennale and Frieze New York, with Sotheby’s holding its contemporary evening auction on May 14 and Christie’s its 20th-century sale on May 18. Notable consignments come from the estates of S.I. Newhouse, former MoMA board president Agnes Gund, and dealer Marian Goodman.

David Hockney : tout savoir sur la superstar de la peinture exposée à la galerie Lelong

Beaux Arts Magazine has published a comprehensive dossier on David Hockney, coinciding with his current exhibition at Galerie Lelong in Paris. The article presents a multi-episode series covering the British artist's career, from his iconic "Pool Paintings" like *A Bigger Splash* (1967) to his recent works created on iPad in Normandy. It highlights his ongoing exhibitions at multiple venues, including a major retrospective at the Centre Pompidou starting June 21, a dialogue with Matisse at the Musée Matisse in Nice, a show at the Van Gogh Museum, and a loan from Tate Britain to the Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence. The piece also explores Hockney's fascination with Old Masters, his use of technology, and his enduring status as a pop art and hyperrealist superstar.

The Best Exhibitions to See in Paris Right Now

Les meilleures expos du moment à voir à Paris

Beaux Arts Magazine has published a guide to the best current exhibitions in Paris for spring 2026, highlighting major shows such as "Martin Parr. Global Warning" at the Jeu de Paume, "Matisse. 1941–1954" at the Grand Palais, "Michel-Ange Rodin" at the Musée du Louvre, "Renoir et l'amour" at the Musée d'Orsay, "Calder. Rêver en équilibre" at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, and "Splendeurs du baroque" at the Musée Jacquemart-André. The article also features retrospectives of Hilma af Klint at the Grand Palais, Károly Ferenczy at the Petit Palais, Henry Taylor at the Musée Picasso, a Lee Miller exhibition at the Musée d'Art moderne de Paris, a Giovanni Segantini show at the Musée Marmottan Monet, and a Nan Goldin multimedia presentation at the Grand Palais.

Exhibition | Paula Rego, 'Drawing from Life' at Galerie Lelong, 38 Avenue Matignon, Paris, France

Galerie Lelong in Paris is presenting 'Paula Rego, Drawing from Life,' an exhibition focused on the artist's intense three-year period from 2005 to 2007, during which she devoted herself almost exclusively to drawing and lithography in her London studio. The show features works inspired by literary sources such as 'Jane Eyre,' 'Peter Pan,' and the sixteenth-century tale 'The King of Pigs,' as well as her connection with playwright Martin McDonagh. Key pieces include 'Shakespeare’s Room,' 'Scarecrow,' and 'Turtle Hands.' The exhibition is made possible with the support of Nick Willing, the artist’s son, and Cristea Roberts Gallery in London.

Alla Tate Modern di Londra arriverà una super mostra di Claude Monet nel 2027

The Tate Modern in London has announced its 2027 program, headlined by the first solo exhibition ever dedicated by the institution to Claude Monet. Titled "Monet: Painting Time," the show opens on February 25, 2027, and explores the Impressionist founder's relationship with time against the backdrop of the industrial era. It will feature celebrated works and rarely seen canvases from international lenders, supported by Morgan Stanley and AI company Anthropic. The exhibition follows an initial presentation at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris starting September 30, 2026, which marks the centenary of Monet's death with 40 paintings from the Musée d'Orsay and Musée Marmottan, including a virtual reality component. The iconic Water Lilies series and the 1877 masterpiece "The Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare" will travel to London.

Orsay inaugure une salle destinée aux œuvres « MNR »

The Musée d'Orsay in Paris has opened a new dedicated gallery, Room 10b, to display works from its MNR (Musées nationaux Récupération) collection—artworks looted or acquired under dubious circumstances during the Nazi era. The room features detailed labels and educational texts, with some works shown verso to reveal provenance labels. The initiative is funded by the American Friends of the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée de l'Orangerie with €1 million over four years, and includes a fake Monet, a Degas subject to a restitution claim, a Rodin sculpture, and a debated Cézanne. The museum's provenance research team, led by Inès Rotermund-Reynard, collaborates with the French Ministry of Culture's M2RS mission.

Les jardins de Monet à l’épreuve du surtourisme

Claude Monet's gardens in Giverny, France, which were recreated in 1980 after being abandoned in the 1950s, are now suffering from severe overtourism. The site, which attracted 70,000 visitors in its first year, is expected to exceed one million visitors in 2026, the centenary of Monet's death. Crowds are so dense that visitors report feeling unable to experience any emotion, and gardeners spend hours each morning repairing damage from trampling. The gardens have become a kind of industrial product, with 15,000 plants propagated each season to replace those destroyed.

American Rousseaus Return to Paris

Les Rousseau américains de retour à Paris

The Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris is hosting a landmark exhibition titled "Henri Rousseau, l’ambition de la peinture," featuring 50 works by the self-taught master. The show is distinguished by a historic loan from the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, which has sent nine paintings to France for the first time since they were acquired a century ago by Albert Barnes. A highlight of the exhibition is the rare gathering of three "manifesto paintings"—The Sleeping Gypsy, Unpleasant Surprise, and The Snake Charmer—displayed together in a dedicated gallery.

Alain Passard's Art Recipe: Monet's Sublime 'Water Lilies' Invade the Plate

La recette d’art d’Alain Passard : les sublimes « Nymphéas » de Monet s’invitent dans l’assiette

Chef Alain Passard shares a recipe inspired by Claude Monet's "Nymphéas" (Water Lilies) series, connecting the painter's obsessive depictions of his Giverny water garden to a spring consommé decorated with flower petals. The article recounts Monet's move to Giverny in 1883, his creation of a water garden, and his decades-long focus on painting the pond's surface, light, and reflections—culminating in the immersive panoramic panels gifted to France in 1918 and now housed at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris.

Which museums are free on the first Sunday of the month in Paris and Île-de-France?

Quels musées sont gratuits ce 1er dimanche du mois à Paris et en Île-de-France ?

This article from Beaux Arts Magazine lists museums in Paris and Île-de-France that offer free admission on the first Sunday of each month, including the Musée de l'Orangerie, Musée national Picasso-Paris, Musée des Arts et Métiers, Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Musée Carnavalet, Musée Cognacq-Jay, Crypte archéologique de l'île de la Cité, Maison Victor Hugo, and Musée de Cluny. It also notes that municipal museums in Paris are free year-round, and provides practical tips such as booking online and taking advantage of free entry for visitors under 18 or 26.

Inside Youssef Nabil’s Landmark Musée d’Orsay Exhibition

Egyptian artist Youssef Nabil makes history as the first Arab artist invited to show at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, with his landmark exhibition 'To Dream Again.' The show features his hand-painted silver gelatin prints that blend cinema, memory, and identity, and marks the first time the museum has invited an artist working primarily with photography to engage with its collection. The exhibition is deeply personal, tracing Nabil's journey from a 19-year-old rejected by art academies in Cairo to a globally recognized artist, and includes a dialogue with Pierre Puvis de Chavannes's painting 'Le Rêve,' which inspired a self-portrait Nabil created in 2021.

A young but already highly competitive profession

Un métier jeune mais déjà très concurrentiel

The museum visitor services sector in France is undergoing rapid professionalization as specialized outsourcing firms compete for lucrative contracts. Companies like Marianne International, Pénélope, and City One—originally rooted in corporate reception and event management—are now managing front-of-house operations for major institutions including the Palais de Tokyo, MuCEM, and the Musée d'Orsay. This shift reflects a broader trend of museums treating visitors as customers and seeking the high-volume staffing expertise found in the corporate world.

The arrival of the Orient Express hotel in Venice reopens the historic Palazzo Donà Giovannelli (filling it with contemporary art)

L’arrivo dell’hotel Orient Express a Venezia riapre lo storico Palazzo Donà Giovannelli (riempiendolo di arte contemporanea)

Palazzo Donà Giovannelli, a 15th-century Venetian palace, has reopened as the flagship Orient Express hotel after an eight-year restoration led by architect and interior designer Aline Asmar d’Amman. Located in the Cannaregio district, the 5-star luxury hotel features 47 rooms, suites, and residences, blending historical frescoes and neogothic details with contemporary sculptures, Murano glass chandeliers, and custom furnishings. The property, owned by Arsenale Group since 2019, includes a transformed courtyard lobby, a secret garden, and a rotating selection of contemporary artworks displayed in a passage called Calle Meraviglia.