Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule Nov 25, 2025 visibility 17 link 19 artists, 1 gallery

abu dhabi art 2025 scene frieze sales 1234763435

Abu Dhabi Art (ADA) held its final edition at Manarat Al Saadiyat before transitioning into a Frieze franchise in November 2025. The fair featured 53 new galleries, a Focus sector highlighting art scenes from Nigeria, Turkey, and South Asia, and a new Emerge section offering discounted booth prices for works under $3,000 to attract emerging collectors. The shift comes as Abu Dhabi’s cultural landscape moves beyond its iconic Saadiyat Island museums—Louvre Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum, and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi—toward more grassroots ventures like the MiZa warehouse district, which hosts experimental spaces such as MamarLab and Iris Projects. Mega-gallery Pace returned after a 14-year absence, citing renewed energy in the Gulf market.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 23 link 13 artists, 75 galleries

art basel hong kong 2026 exhibitor list announced 1234761975

Art Basel Hong Kong has announced its exhibitor list for the 2026 edition, featuring 240 galleries from 42 countries and territories, roughly the same size as last year's 242 galleries. The fair runs March 27–29 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, with preview days on March 25–26. New additions include 32 first-time exhibitors from Australia, Japan, Turkey, France, Germany, and the US, while 33 galleries from the previous edition are absent—some due to closures (Blum, Clearing, Kasmin) or acquisitions (Millan bought by Almeida & Dale). A new sector called Echoes will showcase works created in the last five years, and the Encounters sector will be curated by a team led by Mami Kataoka. Media artist Ellen Pau will oversee the film program for the first time, and Shahzia Sikander has been commissioned to create a public artwork for the M+ Museum facade.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 17, 2025 visibility 10 link 7 artists, 3 galleries

art abu dhabi focus nigeria turkey 2712901

Abu Dhabi Art returns in 2025 with 142 galleries from 34 countries, introducing two new Focus sectors: Focus: Nigeria Spotlight and Focus: Modern Türkiye. The Nigeria section, curated by Tola Akerele, features seven galleries including kò, SOTO Gallery, and O’DA Gallery, showcasing artists like Samuel Nnorom, Bara Sketchbook, and Rufus Ogundele. Focus: Modern Türkiye, curated by Doris Benhalegua Karako, presents modern masters such as Fahrelnissa Zeid, Burhan Doğançay, and Gülsün Karamustafa through Istanbul-based galleries including DG Art Gallery and Projects, Art on Istanbul Gallery, and BüroSarıgedik.

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museum exhibitions schedule Sep 27, 2025 visibility 17 link 17 artists, 6 galleries

Director of Contemporary Istanbul urges Turkish art to remain ‘radical and clever’ in face of political tension

Contemporary Istanbul (CI) opened its 20th anniversary edition at the Tersane Istanbul complex, a restored Ottoman shipyard, bringing together 51 galleries from 16 countries. The fair coincided with the Istanbul Biennial, drawing a larger crowd of collectors and museum groups than the previous year. Works by leading Turkish artists such as Nil Yalter, Güneş Terkol, and Azade Köker were on view, with prices ranging from €1,000 for emerging artists to over €2m for a James Rosenquist painting. Despite high spirits, the fair unfolded against a backdrop of political tension following the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, ongoing protests, and increasing censorship. Galleries displayed politically and socially engaged works, including Rasim Aksan's homoerotic triptych and Fatoş İrwen's prison-made fabric piece, while collectors sought discounts amid Turkey's high inflation and economic volatility.

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article news schedule Dec 30, 2025 source 2 sources visibility 7 link 1 artist

istanbul biennial ends early curator resigns 1234768363

The current Istanbul Biennial, titled "The Three-Legged Cat," will end prematurely after its first leg because curator Christine Tohmé resigned due to personal circumstances. The biennial was conceived as a three-part show spanning three years, with an academic program planned for 2026 and a second exhibition set for 2027. The first exhibition ran from September 20 to November 23 across eight venues in Istanbul, attracting over 600,000 visitors. The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV), which manages the event, announced the conclusion and stated that planning for the 19th Istanbul Biennial in 2027 will begin soon, with a curator announcement expected in 2026.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 10, 2025 source 2 sources visibility 8 link 2 artists

dana awartani venice biennale 2026 saudi arabia 1234760850

Palestinian Saudi artist Dana Awartani has been selected to represent Saudi Arabia at the 2026 Venice Biennale. Her pavilion will be curated by Antonia Carver, director of Art Jameel, with assistance from Hafsa Alkhudairi. Awartani, known for her material interpretations of conflict in the Middle East, draws on Saudi Arabia's craft and cultural legacies, often collaborating with local artisans or displaced craftspeople. Her recent works include a response to heritage site destruction at the 2024 Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale and an archive of recreated stone carvings at the 15th Sharjah Biennial.

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gavel restitution schedule Dec 11, 2025 visibility 8 link 2 artists

virginia museum fine arts repatriate turkey 1234766245

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in Richmond has repatriated 41 terracotta relief fragments valued at approximately $400,000 to Turkey. The works, acquired by the museum in the 1970s from Summa Galleries and antiquities dealer Harlan J. Berk, were determined to have been illegally excavated from a 6th-century B.C.E. Phrygian temple. The repatriation followed an investigation by the Antiquities Trafficking Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which presented evidence of illicit excavation and illegal export to the museum.

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gavel restitution schedule Dec 12, 2025 visibility 7 link 1 artist

us turkey sculptures repatriated aaron mendelsohn 2726367

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office has successfully repatriated eight life-sized Roman sculptures that were illegally removed from Bubon, Turkey, 60 years ago. The sculptures, part of a shrine honoring Roman emperors, were sold to Americans by Turkish villagers in the 1960s without required permits. After a two-year legal battle involving two lawsuits and an arrest warrant, the final sculpture—a headless bronze piece—was surrendered by collector Aaron Mendelsohn, who had acquired it for $1.33 million. The sculpture was returned to Turkish officials at a ceremony hosted by Bragg's office, alongside dozens of other looted Turkish antiquities, including a marble head of Demosthenes seized from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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gavel restitution schedule Nov 20, 2025 visibility 7 link 2 artists

the met returns historic buddhist painting to korea 2715943

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has returned a late-18th century Buddhist painting, *The Tenth King of Hell* (1798), to the Sinheungsa Temple in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, South Korea. The work is believed to have been taken by U.S. troops during the Korean War. The repatriation was celebrated at a ceremony in Seoul attended by Met Director and CEO Max Hollein, Korean government officials, and religious leaders. The painting is part of a larger series of ten scrolls depicting the Ten Kings of the Underworld; three remain abroad, while six others previously at LACMA have already been returned.

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museum exhibitions schedule Sep 22, 2025 visibility 9 link 7 artists, 1 gallery

After a turbulent period of reorganisation, the 18th Istanbul Biennial favours futurity over futility

The 18th Istanbul Biennial, titled "The Three-Legged Cat," has opened after a turbulent period of reorganization. Curated by Christine Tohmé, the biennial unfolds over three years instead of the usual two, featuring 47 artists—only six from Turkey, with many from the Middle East. The exhibition spans eight venues, including a former cone factory and a French orphanage, and includes works such as Naomi Rincón-Gallardo's video installation on opossum resilience and Khalil Rabah's site-specific intervention with oil barrels and saplings. The biennial's budget was raised from €2m to €6.5m, mostly funded by Koç Holdings, following controversy over the initial appointment of curator Defne Ayas, which was rejected by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV), leading to Tohmé's eventual selection.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 10, 2025 visibility 5 link 7 artists, 2 galleries

June 2025 Exhibitions -

ArtDog Istanbul's editors have curated a selection of standout exhibitions opening across Istanbul in June 2025. Highlights include 'A Day’s Story, A Lifetime’s Truth' at Galeri 77, a joint show by Bayram Demir and İlker Kayalı exploring personal memory and collective mythology; solo exhibitions by Jorinde Voigt ('365 Seasons') and Mustafa Hulusi ('Breathing In the World') at Dirimart's two locations; 'Extraordinary Minas' at Pera Museum, celebrating its 20th anniversary with Kütahya tile and ceramic works by Minas Avramidis; and Ali Kazma's 'Landscapes of the Mind' at Istanbul Modern, alongside shows by Nermin Er at Galeri Nev Istanbul and Pelda Aytaş at Gülden Bostancı.

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gavel restitution schedule Apr 17, 2026 visibility 31 link 1 artist

Turkey Notches Another Successful Restitution After Denver Art Museum Returns 1500-Year-Old Marble Head

The Denver Art Museum has repatriated a 1,500-year-old marble head of a bearded man to Turkey, following a successful restitution claim. The sculpture, which dates back to the fifth century BCE, was originally unearthed in the agora of the ancient city of Smyrna (modern-day Izmir) and was likely trafficked illicitly before entering the museum's collection. The artifact is now on public display at the İzmir Archaeology Museum.

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gavel restitution schedule Dec 9, 2025 visibility 8 link 1 artist

looted nude emperor statue marble head returned to turkey 1234765920

A California antiquities dealer, Aaron Mendelsohn, surrendered a 2,000-year-old bronze statue of a Roman emperor, known as the Nude Emperor, to New York prosecutors. The statue, valued at $1.33 million, was purchased in 2007 from a defunct New York gallery but is believed to have been looted in the late 1960s from a Roman shrine in Bubon, Turkey. In a deal filed in New York Criminal Court, Mendelsohn relinquished claims to the statue without admitting wrongdoing, and prosecutors withdrew an arrest warrant. The statue was repatriated to Turkey in a restitution ceremony on Monday, alongside dozens of other objects, including an $800,000 marble head of Demosthenes seized from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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article news schedule Oct 29, 2025 visibility 3 link 1 artist

bust of egyptian goddess satala turkey 1234759327

Archaeologists excavating the ancient Roman military stronghold of Satala in northeastern Turkey have unearthed a bronze bust of the Egyptian goddess Isis. The eight-inch-tall sculpture, found in a necropolis, dates to the 2nd or 3rd century CE and depicts Isis atop a circular base with calyx-shaped leaves. The discovery was led by Elif Yavuz Çakmur of Karadeniz Technical University and marks the first sculpture found at the site since the Satala Aphrodite was unearthed in 1872.

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article news schedule Jul 2, 2025 visibility 5 link 1 artist

ancient ceramics found preserved in shipwreck turkey 1234746741

Hundreds of ancient ceramics from the Late Hellenistic-Early Roman Period have been discovered perfectly preserved in a shipwreck off the coast of Adrasan, Turkey. The cargo ship, dating back approximately two thousand years, contained plates, trays, and bowls stacked inside one another with raw clay, which protected their original colors and patterns. Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy visited the site and announced the finds as part of the ministry's 'Heritage of the Future' project, which aims to accelerate archaeological excavations.

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gavel restitution schedule Feb 19, 2026 visibility 8 link 5 artists

dealer michael ward charged by manhattan da 2379589

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has charged veteran New York antiquities dealer Michael Ward with criminal facilitation following an investigation into the illicit trade of cultural property. Ward, who operated his Upper East Side gallery for nearly forty years, was convicted in September for his role in facilitating the sale of stolen artifacts, including a 1st-century gilded bronze plaque. Court documents reveal a broader pattern of misconduct involving 40 objects stolen from Italy, Greece, and Turkey, with a total value reaching into the millions.

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article culture schedule Nov 25, 2025 visibility 7 link 3 artists

norman rockwell thanksgiving freedom from want three facts 1926485

Norman Rockwell's iconic painting "Freedom From Want" (1943), known as the quintessential Thanksgiving image, is examined through three lesser-known facts. The painting was part of a series responding to FDR's "Four Freedoms" speech, initially rejected by the military's Office of War Information before being embraced for a war bond campaign that raised over $132 million. Rockwell used friends and family as models, including his wife and the family cook, who actually prepared the turkey depicted. The work has recently returned to the spotlight: a four-panel Rockwell suite sold for $7.2 million at Heritage Auctions to the White House Historical Association, while Rockwell's family criticized the Department of Homeland Security for using his art in divisive social media posts.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 17, 2026 visibility 12 link 3 artists

Izmir opens new art center backed by Centre Pompidou

The Lucien Arkas Art Center has officially opened in Izmir, Turkey, marking the seventh venue in the Arkas Sanat network. Launched by collector Lucien Arkas in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou, the multidisciplinary space debuted with a preview exhibition titled "Sonia & Robert Delaunay: The Invention of Modern Color." The center is designed to host a diverse range of programming, including exhibitions, educational initiatives, and various forms of artistic production.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 12, 2025 visibility 9 link 10 artists

Rediscovering Roger Fry, the overlooked Bloomsbury artist who helped bring Cézanne and Van Gogh to the world

The Charleston museum in Firle, East Sussex, will mount a major solo exhibition of paintings by Roger Fry (1866-1934) from 15 November 2025 to 15 March 2026. Fry, a central figure in the Bloomsbury Group, was a polymath who introduced Post-Impressionists like Cézanne, Van Gogh, and Gauguin to British and American audiences, co-founded the Omega Workshops and the Burlington Magazine, taught at Cambridge, and curated at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The show brings together nearly 80 works, over 60 from private collections, including portraits of friends like E.M. Forster and Vanessa Bell, and landscapes that reveal his experimental range from Gauguin-esque outlines to Cubism.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 24, 2026 visibility 12 link 2 artists, 1 gallery

Historic Istanbul exhibition reveals century of growth and creative vision

Yapı Kredi Culture Arts and Publishing has opened a landmark exhibition in Istanbul titled "Imprints on the Century: The Koç Group and the Arts," running until November 29, 2026, at the Yapı Kredi Culture Center in Galatasaray. Curated by YKYM Gallery Director Didem Yazıcı over two years, the show commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Koç Group, tracing its evolution from a small business registered by Vehbi Koç in 1926 to a global industrial conglomerate. The exhibition draws on archives from the Sadberk Hanım Museum, Arter, and the Rahmi M. Koç Museums, highlighting the group's contributions to archaeology, museology, contemporary art, publishing, and theater, including milestones like the first color film in Turkey and the Bauhaus-inspired Küçük Sahne theater.

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article news schedule May 8, 2026 visibility 4 link 11 artists

Historic Strike Disrupts Biennale as Thousands March in Venice

On May 8, 2026, artists and cultural workers staged the first strike in the 131-year history of the Venice Biennale, disrupting the pre-opening of the international exhibition. At least 27 of the 100 national pavilions were partially or fully shut down, and thousands marched through Venice to the Arsenale, which was barricaded by Italian riot police. The strike, organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) and local activist groups, was a 24-hour action for Palestine and workers' rights, with some artists altering or draping their works in the main exhibition, "In Minor Keys."

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museum exhibitions schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 9 link 3 artists

With Nearly 30,000 Clay Earth Bricks, Dana Awartani Remakes History in the Saudi Arabia Pavilion

Dana Awartani, a Jeddah- and New York-based artist of mixed Palestinian, Saudi, Jordanian, and Syrian descent, has created the Saudi Arabia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale using nearly 30,000 clay earth bricks. The installation, titled "May your tears never dry, you who weep over stones," replicates traditional mosaic motifs sourced from over 20 cultural heritage sites across the Arab world that have been destroyed by human conflict. Awartani emphasizes collaboration, crediting numerous skilled craftsmen—economic migrants to Saudi Arabia—who worked alongside her, and her practice blends formal training at Central St. Martins with Islamic geometry and illumination studies in Turkey.

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article news schedule Jan 12, 2026 visibility 9 link 7 artists

israel pavilion venice biennale belu simion fainaru protest 1234769500

Israel will officially participate in the 2026 Venice Biennale, two years after its pavilion closed amid protests. The pavilion will be located in the Arsenale rather than its usual Giardini site, which is under construction. Representing Israel is sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru, a Haifa-based artist and Israel Prize winner, who previously represented Romania at the 2019 Biennale. His pavilion, titled "Rose of Nothingness," will feature an installation about water inspired by poet Paul Celan's concept of black milk, with 16 pipes dripping black water into a pool. The pavilion is curated by Sorin Heller and Avital Bar-Shay. However, the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) has renewed its protest, calling the pavilion the "Genocide Pavilion" on Instagram and demanding Israel's exclusion from the Biennale.

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article news schedule Dec 30, 2025 visibility 9 link 2 artists

palestinian artists shield istanbul biennial morning links 1234768400

The Istanbul Biennial, titled "The Three-Legged Cat," will not proceed with its planned second and third phases after curator Christine Tohmé resigned due to personal circumstances, as announced by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV). The first phase ran from September 20 to November 23, spanning eight venues and attracting over 600,000 visitors. The biennial's early end follows a turbulent period, including the overturning of the advisory board's 2023 curator selection, which sparked protests. IKSV stated that preparations for the 19th Istanbul Biennial, scheduled for 2027, will begin shortly, with a new curator to be announced in 2026.

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article policy schedule Nov 24, 2025 visibility 4 link 1 artist

art and wellness world health organization 1234759351

The World Health Organization (WHO), Jameel Arts & Health Lab, and The Lancet have launched a global series of research papers and commissions titled the Lancet Global Series on the Health Benefits of the Arts, aimed at providing scientific evidence for the role of art in promoting physical and mental health. The first article in the series, a photo essay—the first photo essay in The Lancet's 202-year history—features 32 photographs curated by Stephen Stapleton illustrating art integration in clinical and institutional settings, including a clown school at a refugee camp in Turkey and a project by street artist JR at a California prison.

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article news schedule Jul 2, 2025 visibility 8 link 6 artists

gordion royal tomb king midas 2661601

Archaeologists from the Penn Museum and Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University have discovered an 8th-century B.C.E. royal tomb in Gordion, Turkey, containing 88 well-preserved objects including bronze cauldrons, vessels, and iron tools. The tomb, located near the famous Midas Mound, suggests a connection to the legendary King Midas or his family, and its cremation burial method predates previous evidence of elite cremation in the region by over a century.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 23, 2026 visibility 8 link 1 artist

Nilbar Güreş on Representing Turkey at the 61st Venice Biennale

Nilbar Güreş, the artist representing Turkey at the 61st Venice Biennale (2026), responds to a questionnaire from ArtReview about her upcoming exhibition. She expresses exhaustion with having to explain herself to Western audiences and critiques the white, male-dominated art world. Her inspiration for the pavilion comes from this disgust and fatigue, and she states that the Biennale's theme, "In Minor Keys," did not guide her preparation. Güreş also voices disillusionment with the art world's silence on humanitarian crises, particularly the bombing of hospitals and children in Palestine, and notes that artists speaking out on Palestine face censorship and exclusion.

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article news schedule Mar 10, 2026 visibility 7 link 1 artist

Dirimart on Its London Move and What Comes Next

Istanbul gallery Dirimart has opened a new space in London's Mayfair district, marking its first expansion outside Turkey. The gallery, founded in 2002, will present a program of international artists alongside its established roster of Turkish and regional names, beginning with a solo show by Turkish artist Burhan Doğançay.

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gavel restitution schedule Dec 23, 2025 visibility 5

looted artworks returned turkey met museum manhattan da 1234768114

On December 8, 2025, a repatriation ceremony in New York saw 43 looted antiquities returned to Turkey, including a 2nd-century marble head of Demosthenes from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a Roman bronze statue of an emperor from collector Aaron Mendelsohn, and 41 terracotta reliefs from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The returns resulted from a years-long investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit into networks that plundered archaeological sites in Turkey and sold items with forged provenance.

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gavel restitution schedule Apr 3, 2026 visibility 32

Canada returns 11 artefacts to Turkey in the first repatriation between the countries

Canada has returned 11 Ottoman-era artefacts to Turkey, marking the first official repatriation of cultural property between the two nations. The items, which include manuscript pages and calligraphy works from the 17th to 19th centuries, were handed over in a ceremony at the Canadian Conservation Institute in Ottawa following a federal court ruling.

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