Paint Drippings: Art Industry News November 21

paint drippings art industry news nov 21

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has appointed Daniel H. Weiss, former head of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as its new director and CEO to provide stability following the controversial dismissal of Sasha Suda. The transition occurs amid a legal battle, with the museum filing court documents alleging Suda misappropriated funds and falsified records. Meanwhile, the auction market saw a historic moment at Sotheby’s, where Gustav Klimt’s 'Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer' sold for $236.4 million, setting a new record for the artist and becoming the most expensive Modern work ever sold at auction.

fog design art fair san francisco sales 2026 jack whitten

The FOG Design+Art fair in San Francisco opened with a glitzy preview gala at Fort Mason Center, serving as a fundraiser for SFMOMA's education initiatives. VIP tickets started at $10,000 for the first hour, and by 7 p.m., the event filled to capacity as prices dropped to $250. Dealers reported a different energy this year, partly due to the recent Los Angeles wildfires affecting many participating galleries. Sales were strong, with New York dealer Ales Ortuzar selling multiple works by Suzanne Jackson in the first few hours. Local collector Sonya Yu, a recent ARTnews Top 200 listee, highlighted the resilience and sophistication of the Bay Area art community.

barbara stauffacher solomon

The gallery Anthony Meier in San Francisco is hosting "Barbara Stauffacher Solomon: Garden = Grid = City," the first exhibition of the late artist’s work since her estate began being co-represented by the gallery and von Bartha. The show highlights Solomon’s diverse eight-decade career, moving beyond her famous "supergraphics" to showcase rarely seen paintings and drawings from the 1980s that explore the intersection of city grids and landscape architecture.

art world joe rogan onx expands and more industry moves

This week's art industry moves include Allison Blais being named President and CEO of the Wadsworth Atheneum, succeeding Jeffrey N. Brown. The Onassis Foundation's ONX art-and-tech hub is expanding with a new Tribeca space opening in January 2026, debuting with the exhibition "TECHNE: Homecoming." Other appointments include Frank Lord joining Withers as senior counsel, Matthew Stavro becoming Senior Specialist at Freeman's, and Madeline Cornell as Sales Director at Morgan Presents. Galleries announced new artist representations: Anthony Meier and von Bartha jointly represent the estate of Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, Jessica Silverman now represents Lava Thomas, Kendall Koppe represents Michael Bühler-Rose, and David Kordansky Gallery takes on Tristan Unrau. The Spector Craft Prize launches with Crystal Bridges Museum partnership. A blue diamond pendant known as the Mellon Blue sold at Christie's for $25 million, a 22% drop from its previous sale. The New York Times explores whether artist-podcaster Joshua Citarella could be the "Joe Rogan of the left."

art fog san francisco gallery show guide

The article is a gallery show guide for San Francisco timed to the FOG Design + Art Fair, highlighting five must-see exhibitions. Featured shows include Tara Donovan's "Stratagems" at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco (now at the Transamerica Pyramid Annex Gallery), Samia Halaby's "Kinetic Paintings" at SFMOMA, Rose B. Simpson's "Lexicon" at the De Young, Heather Day's "Blue Distance" at Berggruen, and Christian Marclay's eponymous show at Fraenkel Gallery. Each entry provides dates, location, and a brief description of the artist's work.

‘Even more beautiful than I imagined’: the nifty Japanese printing gadget uniting artists worldwide

Designer Gabriella Marcella has curated a new exhibition at Glasgow’s Glue Factory Galleries celebrating the global community of risograph printing. The show highlights work from her 'Riso Club' initiative, a non-profit program that distributes monthly sets of artist-designed postcards from cities ranging from Kyiv to Damascus. Originally developed in Japan in the 1980s as an affordable office tool, the risograph has been reclaimed by independent creatives for its unique soy-ink aesthetic and tactile, screenprint-like quality.