Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule Jun 27, 2025 visibility 18 link 30 artists, 6 galleries

one takeaway from art basel it remains a buyers market 2659059

Art Basel 2025 saw cautious buying despite optimistic statements from major dealers like Pace's Marc Glimcher, who claimed sales velocity was as vigorous as any year. However, collector attendance was thin, with American attendance down for the second year running due to trade tensions and geopolitical concerns. Deals were closing at 20 to 30 percent below asking prices, confirming a buyer's market. Sales ranged from a $245 collectible Labubu figurine by Kasing Lung to works by Wei Libo, Joyce Joumaa, Lonnie Holley, Joan Jonas, Hao Ling, Sarah Lucas, and Rosemarie Trockel, with most activity under $1 million.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 4, 2025 visibility 12 link 7 artists, 6 galleries

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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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trending_up market schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 37 link 20 artists, 2 galleries

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.

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article news schedule Jan 12, 2026 visibility 21 link 22 artists, 5 galleries

paint drippings art industry news jan 9 2736112

This week's art industry roundup covers a postponement, financial losses, legal disputes, and leadership changes. New Jersey's Art Fair 14C has been postponed to May 2027, with organizers citing capacity issues unrelated to market conditions. Bonhams reported a 90% pre-tax loss jump to £213 million in 2024 due to impairment charges. A rediscovered Watteau drawing will be auctioned at Christie's Paris, and personal items of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter are featured in Christie's 'American Collector' sales. In galleries, Amy Sillman left Gladstone for David Zwirner, Trevor Paglen joined Jessica Silverman, and Maya Hewitt joined Theta. The Louvre partially closed after a staff strike demanding director Laurence des Cars' resignation and reassessment of a renovation plan. Belgium's plan to dismantle Antwerp's M HKA museum has sparked resignations and backlash. New appointments include Will Cary as COO of the Barnes Foundation and Patton Hindle as director of arts at the Knight Foundation. MATHAF museum in Doha announced a campus expansion by architect Lina Ghotmeh. Legal disputes emerged between Gian Enzo Sperone and Angela Westwater over the shuttered Sperone Westwater gallery.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 17, 2025 visibility 11 link 7 artists, 2 galleries

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Abu Dhabi Art (ADA) opens its largest edition to VIPs on November 18 at Manarat Al Saadiyat, featuring 142 exhibitors—up from just over 100 last year. This is the final edition under the ADA name before it relaunches as Frieze Abu Dhabi in 2025, marking a major transition for the Gulf's art market. Key international dealers like Pace are returning after a long absence, and the fair includes works by Robert Indiana, Arlene Shechet, and a teamLab installation. The event comes as Art Basel also plans its 2026 debut in Qatar, signaling a broader regional shift.

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trending_up market schedule May 28, 2025 visibility 13 link 12 artists

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Rashid Johnson's mixed media work *Untitled Escape Collage* sold for $292,100 at Phillips's Modern and contemporary art day sale in New York on May 14, falling short of its low estimate and representing a 72 percent loss in value for the consignor, who had purchased it for $816,500 at the same auction house in 2022. The disappointing result coincides with Johnson's solo exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

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trending_up market schedule May 19, 2025 visibility 11 link 17 artists

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New York's marquee spring auctions in May 2025 tested the theory that strong supply drives demand, but results were mixed. Alberto Giacometti's *Grande tête mince* (1955), estimated at $70 million, failed to sell at Sotheby's, while Christie's withdrew a $30 million Andy Warhol electric-chair painting. The top lot of the week was Piet Mondrian's *Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue* (1922), which fetched $47.6 million from the collection of late Barnes & Noble founder Len Riggio. However, Christie's pre-sold 93% of that collection's value to third-party backers, and the house fell $26 million short of its guaranteed amount. Sotheby's avoided financial risk on the Giacometti by not guaranteeing it, still earning $34.4 million in buyer's premiums. A new record for a living woman artist was set when Marlene Dumas's *Miss January* (1997) sold for $13.6 million at Christie's, though adjusted for inflation it fell short of Jenny Saville's 2018 record.

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trending_up market schedule May 9, 2026 visibility 5 link 8 artists, 1 gallery

New York Art Week Will Test the Market’s Momentum

New York Art Week is set to test the art market's momentum with half a dozen fairs and major auctions. Frieze New York opens at the Shed on May 13 with 68 galleries, while Sotheby's leads auction sales starting May 14, featuring a Mark Rothko painting estimated at $70–$100 million from Robert Mnuchin's collection. The total low estimate for Sotheby's week is $690.4 million, roughly 70% higher than last year's hammer total. Alternative fair Esther, co-founded by Margot Samel and Olga Temnikova, kicks off May 12 at the Estonian House for its third and final edition, emphasizing intentionality and community over scale.

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trending_up market schedule May 4, 2026 visibility 9 link 2 artists, 1 gallery

Tracking the Biggest Market Players at the Venice Biennale

The 61st Venice Biennale is underway, and while it is officially a non-commercial exhibition, market forces are increasingly influential behind the scenes. Artnet News host Margaret Carrigan reports on auction houses actively participating in opening week, and highlights Sotheby’s upcoming single-owner sale in London featuring works from billionaire Joe Lewis’s collection, expected to exceed $200 million. Meanwhile, Whitechapel Gallery has created a new economist-in-residence position to address ongoing financial strain in museums.

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trending_up market schedule Jan 10, 2026 visibility 13 link 8 artists

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The article examines the art market's struggle to attract new wealthy buyers despite a surge in global wealth. Marc Spiegler, former global director of Art Basel, argues that galleries have failed to recruit the newly wealthy, noting that inflation-adjusted art sales have declined over the past 15 years. He suggests the industry needs to reposition art as 'magical' and transformative to appeal to potential patrons.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 9, 2025 source 2 sources visibility 4 link 1 artist

art market minute jun 9 2653576

The article reports on a new European Union regulation, Regulation 2019/880, set to take effect on June 28, which will impose stricter import requirements on antiquities and artworks over 200 years old and valued above €18,000. Importers must now prove that such objects were legally exported from their country of origin, even if the export occurred decades ago. This comes amid ongoing tariff confusion in the U.S., adding another layer of complexity for the international art trade. The article also teases a rediscovered J.M.W. Turner painting bought for $500 that could sell for $500,000, and highlights upcoming art hot spots for summer.

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trending_up market schedule Jan 12, 2026 visibility 8 link 3 artists

art market minute jan 12 2736336

Artnet's Price Database reveals signs of recovery at the top end of the art market in 2025, following three years of contraction. The article highlights gains in high-value sales, exemplified by Gustav Klimt's "Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer" pictured at Sotheby's Marquee Sales Series in New York. It also notes a growing trend of small and emerging galleries working with artists' estates, and reports that roughly half of art-backed loans by non-bank businesses defaulted in 2024.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 17, 2025 visibility 8 link 2 artists

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The U.K. Crown Prosecution Service has charged Hauser & Wirth and an art shipping firm with violating criminal sanctions by making George Condo's 2021 work on paper, *Escape from Humanity*, available to a person connected to Russia in 2022. Separately, Frida Kahlo's 1940 painting *El sueño (La cama)*, estimated at $40–60 million, will be auctioned at Sotheby's on November 20, potentially yielding a 78,400 percent return for its consignor. Qatar is also planning the first duty-free art storage unit in the Gulf.

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trending_up market schedule May 12, 2025 visibility 4 link 2 artists

art market minute may 12 2643096

New York's marquee auction season begins this week, headlined by Christie’s offering the $250 million art collection of Barnes & Noble founder Len Riggio, including Pablo Picasso’s *Femme à la coiffe d’Arlésienne sur fond vert (Lee Miller)*. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has released the grant application for the 61st Venice Biennale, introducing tighter deadlines and new ideological guidelines. Separately, Sotheby’s Hong Kong has postponed an auction of ancient Indian gemstones linked to the Buddha.

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trending_up market schedule May 3, 2025 visibility 7 link 9 artists

how much should an art fair cost 2639061

Frieze, the international art fair group, has been sold to Ari Emanuel, the Hollywood power broker who previously owned it through Endeavor. Emanuel acquired Frieze via a new, unnamed company from his former entertainment conglomerate, which was recently taken private by Silver Lake. The deal, valued at approximately $200 million according to sources, includes all seven fairs, Frieze magazine, and the No. 9 Cork Street exhibition space. Simon Fox will remain CEO. The sale comes just days before Frieze New York’s 2025 edition and follows months of speculation about the fair's future ownership.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 14, 2025 visibility 8 link 3 artists, 1 gallery

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A survey by PwC found that 88% of U.S. companies plan to increase AI budgets, and the art world is following suit. The article explores how AI is infiltrating the art market beyond controversial authentication and IP issues, covering topics like autonomous agents, data privacy, logistics partnerships (Carpenters Workshop Gallery with Convelio), and new AI-powered search tools being developed by Artnet using Google's Gemini. It also notes that collector Jorge Pérez used AI assistance to acquire 24 works at Art Basel in Basel.

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trending_up market schedule Apr 16, 2026 visibility 18 link 6 artists

One of the Art Market’s Biggest Secrets, Revealed

Global auction totals saw a significant rebound in 2025, rising 13.3 percent compared to the previous year after a prolonged period of decline. The latest Artnet Intelligence Report highlights this recovery while shifting focus toward the increasingly influential world of private auctions, where high-value masterpieces are traded in invitation-only, clandestine settings away from the public eye.

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trending_up market schedule Dec 15, 2025 visibility 8 link 1 artist

art market minute dec 15 2729603

The article reports on the state of the art market at the end of 2025, noting that while it has been a difficult year with three years of contraction, there are signs of improvement. Recent sales in Miami and $2.2 billion in marquee auctions in New York last month have boosted optimism. Factors such as lower interest rates and easing geopolitical tensions are contributing to a slightly rosier outlook for 2026, though the article warns that some sectors will recover while others may not for some time.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 28, 2025 visibility 8 link 2 artists

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Phillips auction house announced a new fee structure for fall 2025 called "priority bidding," which offers lower buyer's premium rates to bidders who place written bids at least 48 hours before a live sale. The move aims to encourage early engagement and generate more spirited bidding, while also providing certainty for sellers. The house is simultaneously raising its standard buyer's premium to as high as 29 percent on works up to $1 million, making it the highest among major auction houses. CEO Martin Wilson, who took over in January, hopes the program will mitigate risk and shore up sales of mid-priced works.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 14, 2025 visibility 3 link 1 artist

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Sotheby’s held Saudi Arabia’s first-ever international auction on February 8, 2025, in Diriyah, offering fine art and luxury items in a historic amphitheater. The event, led by auctioneer Oliver Barker, underscores the Gulf states’ rapid expansion in the art world, with major firms like Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Art Basel launching new ventures in the region.

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trending_up market schedule May 27, 2025 visibility 5

art market minute may 26 2649332

Art Basel is launching a new fair in Doha in February 2026, marking its fifth global edition and a strategic expansion into the Gulf region. The move is backed by Qatar Sports Investments and QC+, a commercial arm of Qatar Museums, reinforcing Qatar’s cultural ambitions while placing the country in direct market competition with Dubai and a rising Saudi Arabia. Additionally, Sotheby’s has sold the most valuable trove of Old Master works ever offered in a single auction, and there have been more high-profile shifts from auction houses to private dealerships.

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trending_up market schedule May 19, 2025 visibility 4

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New York’s spring marquee auctions, traditionally a bellwether for the global art market, concluded with thin margins and soft demand despite an increased number of high-value "masterpiece" lots priced at $30 million and above. The results indicate that strong supply alone cannot overcome deeper market challenges. Separately, Yuga Labs, the company behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club, has sold its landmark CryptoPunks NFT collection to the NODE Foundation.

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