Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 38 link 3 artists, 3 galleries

Robert Therrien Estate Leaves Gagosian After Nearly Three Decades and Joins David Zwirner

The Robert Therrien estate has left Gagosian after nearly three decades and joined David Zwirner, a rival mega-gallery. The move follows a major survey of the late sculptor's work at the Broad museum in Los Angeles, which featured 120 works and was the largest exhibition of his career. Therrien, who died in 2019, is best known for monumental sculptures of domestic objects, such as Under the Table (1994), and his towering plate columns held by institutions including the Tate and Glenstone.

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trending_up market schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 6 link 28 artists, 3 galleries

Robert Mnuchin's $85.7m Rothko leads Sotheby's $407.5m auction in New York

Sotheby's evening auction in New York on May 13, 2025, realized $407.5 million ($433.1m with fees), led by Mark Rothko's "Brown and Blacks in Reds" (1957) from the collection of the late dealer Robert Mnuchin, which sold for $74m ($85.7m with fees). The sale opened with all eleven lots from Mnuchin's collection achieving a 'white glove' result, totaling $140.7m ($166.3m with fees), and continued with a mixed-vendor contemporary section that added $223m ($266.8m with fees), setting four new artist records.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 7 link 3 artists, 2 galleries

A tale of two Annas: Van Gogh’s favourite Whistler painting stars in Tate Britain show

Tate Britain will open a major exhibition titled *James McNeill Whistler* on 21 May, running through 27 September, before traveling to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam (16 October–10 January 2027) under the subtitle *Dandy and Disrupter*. The show’s centerpiece is Whistler’s iconic *Arrangement in Grey and Black no. 1* (commonly known as *Portrait of the Painter's Mother*), on loan from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and displayed in its original frame designed by the artist. The article explores Vincent van Gogh’s admiration for the painting—he wrote to his sister Wil in 1889 that it reminded him of their own mother—and traces the work’s connections to the Goupil gallery (later Boussod & Valadon), where both Vincent and his brother Theo worked.

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trending_up market schedule May 14, 2026 visibility 13 link 10 artists, 2 galleries

How Christie’s Recruited Nicole Kidman to Sell S.I. Newhouse’s $100 Million Brancusi

Christie's has released a promotional video featuring actress Nicole Kidman to advertise the upcoming auction of Constantin Brancusi's bronze sculpture *Danaïde* (1913), estimated at $100 million. The sculpture comes from the collection of the late media mogul S.I. Newhouse, who purchased it for $18.2 million in 2002. The nearly two-minute film, shot at Christie's Rockefeller Center headquarters, shows Kidman interacting with the work and was conceived by former Sotheby's auctioneer and Newhouse estate advisor Tobias Meyer. The sale is scheduled for May 18 in New York.

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trending_up market schedule May 11, 2026 visibility 32 link 29 artists, 3 galleries

This month’s blockbuster auctions in New York could bring upwards of $2.5bn

This month's May auctions in New York are projected to generate between $1.8 billion and $2.6 billion across Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Phillips, and Bonhams. Major highlights include the estates of legendary dealers Marian Goodman and Robert Mnuchin, with top lots such as Gerhard Richter's *Kerze (Candle)* (est. $35m–$50m) at Christie's and Mark Rothko's *Brown and Blacks in Reds* (est. $70m–$100m) at Sotheby's. Additional offerings include works from the late S.I. Newhouse collection, featuring Jackson Pollock's *Number 7A* and Constantin Brâncuși's *Danaïde*, each estimated at $100m, as well as pieces from the collections of Agnes Gund and Marilyn Arison.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 8, 2026 visibility 34 link 7 artists, 1 gallery

Frank Stella’s Personal Collection of Navajo Textiles Goes on View for the First Time

A selection of Navajo textiles from the personal collection of minimalist artist Frank Stella is being exhibited and sold for the first time. The 55 textiles, dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, will be on view at Arader Galleries in New York from May 15 to June 10, then travel to Peter Pap Rugs in New Hampshire in June. Priced between $6,500 and $25,000, the collection includes a large 19th-century blanket that Stella lent to a seminal 1972 exhibition at LACMA. Stella began collecting these works in the mid-1960s after being introduced to Navajo art by Donald Judd and Tony Berlant.

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candle obituary schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 37 link 23 artists, 1 gallery

Remembering Pat Steir, one of the 20th century’s late-blooming great artists

Pat Steir, the acclaimed American painter known for her Waterfall series, died in Manhattan on 25 March at age 87. The article traces her career from early struggles as a freelance illustrator and art director, through her transformative encounter with Sol LeWitt in the early 1970s, to her eventual emergence as a major figure in contemporary painting. It highlights her teaching at CalArts and Parsons, her involvement with feminist and artist-run institutions like Heresies and Printed Matter, and the pivotal moment in the early 1980s when she cut up a reproduction of a Jan Brueghel the Elder flower painting into 64 panels, repainting each in a different historical style.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 4, 2026 visibility 49 link 36 artists, 1 gallery

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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museum exhibitions schedule May 4, 2026 visibility 42 link 10 artists, 7 galleries

The Venice Biennale Is High Stakes. James Cohan Gallery Is All In

James Cohan Gallery, a mid-sized New York gallery, is representing four artists in the 61st Venice Biennale's central exhibition, "In Minor Keys," curated by the late Koyo Kouoh. The artists are Ranti Bam, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Kennedy Yanko, and Yinka Shonibare (whose Guest Artists Space Foundation is also participating). This marks a breakthrough for the gallery, which has more artists in the central exhibition than any of the four mega-galleries—Gagosian, Pace, David Zwirner, and Hauser & Wirth—none of which have as many. The gallery is investing heavily in production, logistics, travel, and events, including a luncheon at the St. Regis Hotel co-hosted with Salon 94 and Esther Schipper, and a dinner thrown by collector Pamela Joyner for Yanko.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 38 link 4 artists, 1 gallery

Rare early photographs reveal lost sites featured in Van Gogh’s paintings

Two rare photographic albums taken by art critic Gustave Coquiot in 1922 have been acquired by the newly established Van Gogh Academy in Auvers-sur-Oise, France, and are now on display. The images capture many of the sites in Arles that Vincent van Gogh painted in the late 1880s, including the Yellow House, the Langlois Bridge, and the Rhône riverbank. Several of these locations were later destroyed during World War II or by modernization, making Coquiot's photographs valuable historical records of Van Gogh's original subjects.

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article news schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 24 link 41 artists, 2 galleries

The Artists Who Ruled the Biennial Circuit Over the Last Four Years

Artnet News critic Ben Davis analyzed 130 recurring global art events—including biennials and triennials—that opened between the 2022 and 2026 Venice Biennales, tallying over 15,000 participating artists. He identified the most frequently featured artists, with Nolan Oswald Dennis topping the list at 14 biennial appearances. Dennis, a South Africa-based artist born in Lusaka, is known for works like "Black Liberation Zodiac" (2017-ongoing) and was included in the 2026 Venice Biennale curated by the late Koyo Kouoh.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 12, 2026 visibility 20 link 4 artists, 2 galleries

‘It’s a love letter’: exhibition pays tribute to Frank Gehry’s lesser-known works

Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills has opened an exhibition titled "Frank Gehry" showcasing the architect's lesser-known sculptural works, including fish lamps, a crocodile, snakes, and a stainless steel bear. Curated by Deborah McLeod, a personal friend of Gehry, the show celebrates his non-architectural creations that explore animal forms and light, with pieces like the 7-foot-long "Bear With Us" and fish lamps using LED bulbs. The exhibition serves as a tribute following Gehry's death in 2025 at age 96.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 17, 2026 visibility 71 link 15 artists, 5 galleries

Petal passion, super-surreal Polaroids and Billy Childish’s California – the week in art

This week’s art roundup highlights several major exhibitions across the UK, including a floral-themed survey at Kettle’s Yard featuring artists from Henri Rousseau to Lubaina Himid. Other notable openings include Billy Childish’s expressionistic California desert paintings at Carl Freedman Gallery, Katharina Grosse’s site-specific installations at White Cube, and Steve McQueen’s new photography book, 'Bounty', which explores the colonial history of Grenada through its flora.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 8, 2026 visibility 34 link 16 artists, 5 galleries

Venice Biennale 2026 Highlights: Arsenale & Giardini

ArtReview editors highlight the must-see national pavilions at the 61st Venice Biennale, running from 9 May to 22 November 2026. Notable presentations include Austria's Florentina Holzinger turning her pavilion into a toilet and sewage-treatment plant with naked performers, and Germany's pavilion featuring works by Sung Tieu and the late Henrike Naumann, who died in February 2026, exploring East German memory and conceptual minimalism.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 3 link 55 artists, 1 gallery

At the Venice Biennale, the Thrill of Victory, the Agony of Defeat

The article reports on the opening of the 61st Venice Biennale, highlighting the central exhibition "In Minor Keys" conceived by the late Koyo Kouoh, along with national pavilions and collateral events. It notes standout contributions from artists such as Alvaro Barrington, Kaloki Nyamai, Florentina Holzinger, Ei Arakawa-Nash, Li Yi-Fan, and Dries Verhoeven, while describing the American pavilion as lackluster and the overall commercial offerings as uneven. The text also covers performances and exhibitions featuring nudity and body horror, including Tino Sehgal's "The Kiss" and Maja Malou Lyse's video with the collective DIS.

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article culture schedule May 8, 2026 visibility 26 link 8 artists, 2 galleries

Inside Sunpride Foundation’s Mission to Champion LGBTQ+ Art Across Asia

Patrick Sun founded the Sunpride Foundation in 2014 to support LGBTQ+ communities through art, combining his passion for contemporary queer Asian art with philanthropy. The foundation's flagship "Spectrosynthesis" exhibition series has been staged at major institutions across Asia, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei, and the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. The latest iteration, "Spectrosynthesis Seoul," opened at Seoul's Art Sonje Center and runs through June 28, 2026. Sun, a Hong Kong-born real estate developer and longtime art collector, built the foundation's collection with a focus on works suitable for museum exhibitions about queer identity.

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article culture schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 43 link 33 artists, 3 galleries

The Defining Themes of Today’s Biennial Art

The article analyzes the defining themes and styles of the past four years in the international biennial circuit, based on a survey of 130 biennials. It identifies a core group of artists who appeared most frequently, including Ali Eyal, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Carolina Caycedo, Kapwani Kiwanga, and Tuan Andrew Nguyen, among others. Many of these artists are also featured in the upcoming 61st Venice Biennale curated by the late Koyo Kouoh. The piece categorizes their work under two broad themes: "Post-Colonial Post-Conceptualism," which involves poetic engagement with colonial history and artifacts, and "Families and Networks," where artists explore personal and political family histories.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 28, 2026 visibility 36 link 192 artists, 1 gallery

Venice Biennale 2026: all the national pavilions, artists and curators so far

The 61st edition of the Venice Biennale, the world's oldest and most prestigious art biennial, will open on 9 May 2026 and run through 22 November. The main exhibition follows the curatorial plan of the late Koyo Kouoh, while national pavilions have been announcing their participating artists and organizers. The article provides a comprehensive list of confirmed pavilions so far, including artists such as Genti Korini (Albania), Matías Duville (Argentina), Khaled Sabsabi (Australia), Florentina Holzinger (Austria), Faig Ahmed (Azerbaijan), and many others, with details on venues and organizers.

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candle obituary schedule May 14, 2026 visibility 4 link 8 artists, 1 gallery

Renowned feminist artist and film-maker Valie Export dies aged 85

Valie Export, the Austrian performance artist and film-maker known for her provocative feminist works that challenged the male gaze, has died at age 85. Her foundation announced she died in Vienna on Thursday, three days before her 86th birthday. Export gained notoriety in the late 1960s for low-budget performances such as "Tapp und Tastkino" (1968), where she invited shoppers to touch her bare breasts through a tiny curtain strapped to her chest. She also co-founded the Austrian Filmmakers Cooperative, participated in documenta (1977, 2007) and the Venice Biennale (1980), and was a professor of multimedia and performance at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne.

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candle obituary schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 26 link 4 artists, 1 gallery

Georg Baselitz, artist who turned painting upside down, 1938–2026

Georg Baselitz, the German painter, sculptor, and printmaker known for turning his canvases upside down, has died at age 88. Born Hans-Georg Kern in Saxony in 1938, he witnessed the bombing of Dresden as a child, an experience that shaped his artistic vision. Expelled from art school in East Berlin, he moved to West Berlin and adopted the name Baselitz. His first solo exhibition in 1963 was deemed obscene and confiscated. In 1969, he created his first upside-down painting, which became his signature. He rose to international prominence as a neo-expressionist in the late 1970s and 80s, represented Germany at the Venice Biennale in 1980, and continued working until his death. A recent series of his paintings will be shown at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice from May to September 2026.

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trending_up market schedule May 14, 2026 visibility 6 link 10 artists, 2 galleries

What is Nicole Kidman Doing in a Christie’s Video Promoting the Upcoming S.I. Newhouse Sale?

Christie’s has released a two-minute promotional video featuring actress Nicole Kidman interacting with Constantin Brancusi’s bronze sculpture *Danaïde* (1913), ahead of the S.I. Newhouse collection sale in New York. The sculpture carries a pre-sale estimate of $100 million, and the video—inspired by a Man Ray film of Lee Miller—shows Kidman dancing around the work to David Bowie’s “Golden Years.” The sale, scheduled for May 18, includes 16 masterpieces from the late media magnate’s collection, expected to total around $450 million.

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trending_up market schedule May 12, 2026 visibility 16 link 10 artists, 6 galleries

A Joan Mitchell diptych and a rare stack by Donald Judd: our pick of the May auctions

The Art Newspaper highlights five major lots from New York's May 2025 auctions. Phillips offers Joan Mitchell's diptych 'Plain' (1989), estimated at $5-7 million, from the collection of late Miami art patron Tina Hills. Christie's presents Donald Judd's rare copper and red Plexiglas 'Untitled (Stack)' (1969), estimated at $10-15 million, from the Minimalist collection of the late Henry S. McNeil Jr. Sotheby's leads with Jean-Michel Basquiat's 'Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown)' (1983), estimated above $45 million, and Mark Rothko's 'Brown and Blacks in Reds' (1957), estimated at $70-100 million from the collection of late dealer Robert Mnuchin.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 8, 2026 visibility 26 link 20 artists, 3 galleries

Alma Allen Flops in Venice

Hyperallergic reports on the 2026 Venice Biennale, with Editor-in-Chief Hakim Bishara criticizing the U.S. pavilion's exhibition of Alma Allen's work as a disappointing departure from the previous editions' profound explorations of Indigenous life and Black sovereignty. Editor-at-Large Hrag Vartanian offers a positive review of the main exhibition "In Minor Keys," while Greta Rainbow covers a poetry procession honoring the late artistic director Koyo Kouoh. Additional stories include a review of the film "The Christophers" about an artist and forger, and news of workers at the American Folk Art Museum picketing for higher wages.

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rate_review review schedule May 8, 2026 visibility 18 link 12 artists, 1 gallery

The 2026 Venice Biennale Is Quintessential Biennial Art

The 61st Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" and curated by the late Swiss-Cameroonian curator Koyo Kouoh, opened in 2026. The main exhibition at the Arsenale and Giardini features works by artists such as Éric Baudelaire, Maria Magdalena Campos Pons, Mohammed Z. Rahman, Sohrab Hura, and Rose Salane, among others. The exhibition centers on themes of mourning, colonial history, slavery, and healing, with works like Baudelaire's video installation linking the flower trade to the transatlantic slave trade, and a tribute section honoring artists Beverly Buchanan and Issa Samb.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 12, 2026 visibility 17 link 42 artists, 3 galleries

5 Trends Shaping the 2026 Venice Biennale

The 2026 Venice Biennale has opened to the public, featuring the main exhibition 'In Minor Keys' conceived by the late Cameroonian Swiss curator Koyo Kouoh, who died unexpectedly in May 2025. Kouoh, the first African woman appointed to lead the Biennale, had her curatorial team—including Rasha Salti, Marie Hélène Pereira, and Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo—carry forward her vision of art as a 'shared and sustaining force.' The opening was weighted with politics and emotion.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 11, 2026 visibility 19 link 8 artists

Frank Stella’s eye-dazzling collection of Navajo weavings to go on view

An exhibition of Navajo (Diné) weavings from the collection of the late artist Frank Stella opens on 15 May at Peter Pap Rugs at Arader Galleries in New York City, running until 10 June. The show features 40 weavings from the 19th and early 20th centuries, acquired by Stella over four decades for their optical effects and resonance with his own work. Organized by dealer Peter Pap in collaboration with Stella’s widow Harriet McGurk, the exhibition also includes geometric drawings by Stella from the 1960s, on loan from the Frank Stella Estate.

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trending_up market schedule May 3, 2026 visibility 43 link 22 artists

A $35 M. Warhol, a $45 M. Basquiat, and More: Who’s Selling The Top Works in the May Sales?

The article reports on the upcoming May marquee sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, detailing high-value consignments from major collections. Christie’s will offer works from the estates of S. I. Newhouse (including a Brâncuși sculpture and a Jackson Pollock painting, each estimated at $100 million), former MoMA board president Agnes Gund (a Rothko estimated at $80 million), and the late dealer Marian Goodman (a Gerhard Richter estimated at $50 million). Sotheby’s counters with a Rothko from the collection of the late Robert Mnuchin (estimated at $100 million) and works from David and Shoshanna Wingate, including a Giacometti sculpture. The article also reveals previously unnamed consignors for top lots, such as collector John Sayegh-Belchatowski for a $45 million Basquiat and the Moore family for an Elizabeth Peyton painting.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 17 link 4 artists, 1 gallery

Guadalupe Rosales Brings East LA to Venice for the Biennale

Guadalupe Rosales, a Los Angeles–based artist known for her Instagram archive @veteranas_and_rucas documenting 1990s Chicana life, has been selected to participate in the main exhibition of the 2026 Venice Biennale, curated by the late Koyo Kouoh. In an interview with ARTnews, Rosales discusses how her invitation came about after Kouoh's passing, her evolving practice that includes photography, murals, and installations, and the emotional depth of her archival work—balancing joy and grief, as exemplified by her cousin's death certificate. She will also publish a memoir titled *East of the River* in September.

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trending_up market schedule May 14, 2026 visibility 9 link 8 artists, 3 galleries

Robert Mnuchin’s Rothko Sells at Sotheby’s for $85.8 M., Narrowly Missing a Record

A Mark Rothko painting, *Brown and Blacks in Reds* (1957), formerly owned by the late influential art dealer Robert Mnuchin, sold at Sotheby’s on Thursday night for $85.8 million. The work hammered at $74 million, falling short of the upper end of its $70–$100 million estimate, but with premium fees it became the second-most expensive Rothko ever sold at auction, narrowly missing the artist’s record of $86.9 million set by *Orange, Red, Yellow* (1961) in 2012. The painting was part of a sale devoted to Mnuchin’s collection, which also included works by Willem de Kooning, Pablo Picasso, Franz Kline, and Jeff Koons.

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rate_review review schedule May 8, 2026 visibility 24 link 36 artists, 1 gallery

What does a woman swimming in urine tell us about the state of the world? Lots! – Venice Biennale review

The 2026 Venice Biennale, curated by the late Koyo Kouoh under the theme "In Minor Keys," has been plagued by months of turmoil including countries withdrawing, artists being fired, exhibitions cancelled, funding pulled, and protests during the preview. A five-person curatorial team took over after Kouoh's death, resulting in what the critic describes as a disjointed, committee-driven exhibition that prioritizes quiet contemplation and healing over direct political engagement. The central shows in the Giardini and Arsenale feature a vast, poorly explained array of art from the global south, with installations of ceramics, textiles, slide projectors, and serene natural scenes that the critic finds anachronistic and dull.

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