Vasari Art Codex

candle obituary schedule Dec 22, 2025 source 2 sources visibility 9 link 14 artists, 2 galleries

robert mnuchin dealer dead 2731264

Robert Mnuchin, an investment banker turned prominent art dealer, died at 92 in Bridgewater, Connecticut. After a 33-year career at Goldman Sachs, he opened C&M Arts in 1992, later partnering with Dominique Lévy to form L&M Arts, and eventually running Mnuchin Gallery. He represented major artists like Willem de Kooning, Andy Warhol, and Mark Rothko, and advised billionaires including Steve A. Cohen and Mitchell Rales. Notably, in 2019 he secured Jeff Koons's sculpture *Rabbit* (1986) for Cohen at Christie's for $91 million, a record for a living artist at auction.

newspaper Artnet News Also: ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Mar 23, 2026 visibility 18 link 3 artists, 6 galleries

Art Basel’s Parent Company Plans New ‘Ideas Festival’—and More Art Industry News

MCH Group, the parent company of Art Basel, is launching a new global ideas festival called the Futurific Institute in Basel in 2028, backed by billionaires James and Kathryn Murdoch. Art Dubai has postponed its 20th edition due to regional conflict, while several galleries are opening, closing, or changing locations, including Brooke Benington in London and Timothy Taylor in New York. Additionally, Mexico is demanding eBay remove listings for pre-Columbian artifacts, and institutions like the Royal Academy of Arts and MCA Chicago are announcing key leadership changes.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Dec 12, 2025 visibility 3 link 3 artists

kenny schachter aucton sales column 2725477

Kenny Schachter's column reveals that Jeff Bezos secretly bought Frida Kahlo's 1941 painting *Me and My Parrot* for over $130 million in a private auction hosted by Christie's in 2021, and that Mark Zuckerberg recently purchased René Magritte's 1964 painting *Le fils de l'homme* (The Son of Man) for roughly $150 million in another private treaty sale negotiated by Christie's. The article also discusses a new private auction Christie's is organizing for a major Magritte work valued north of $50 million, and critiques the growing influence of tech billionaires—the "Magnificent 7"—on the art market.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 24, 2025 visibility 4 link 2 artists, 1 gallery

sothebys hong kong sells 125 works from japans okada museum for 88 m so founder can settle 50 m legal bill 1234763159

Sotheby's Hong Kong sold 125 works from Japan's Okada Museum of Art in a white-glove auction on Saturday, netting $88 million (plus fees). The sale set auction records for Japanese artists Kitagawa Utamaro and Hokusai, with Utamaro's *Fukagawa in Snow* fetching $7.1 million and Hokusai's *The Great Wave Off the Coast of Kanagawa* selling for $2.8 million. The collection was sold by museum founder Kazuo Okada, an 83-year-old billionaire, to settle a $50 million legal bill stemming from a long-running feud with casino magnate Steve Wynn. Okada's law firm, Bartlit Beck, successfully pursued the fee in binding arbitration after Okada contested the amount.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jan 18, 2026 visibility 1 link 3 artists

boston midtown hotel ai art warhol 2735290

Boston's Midtown Hotel has sparked outrage after decorating its newly renovated space with AI-generated artwork that mimics Andy Warhol's style to depict local celebrities like David Ortiz and Barbara Walters. Guest Alex Steed publicly criticized the hotel on social media, noting the art's uncanny valley quality and the placard proudly stating the works were entirely created by artificial intelligence. The complaint went viral, drawing thousands of views and comments condemning the hotel for choosing AI over hiring local artists in a city known for its art schools and museums.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

gavel restitution schedule Feb 12, 2026 visibility 2 link 1 artist

belgian museum colonial records congo minerals company 1234773243

The Africa Museum in Tervuren, Belgium, a museum dedicated to the country's colonial history in Africa, is at the center of a dispute over access to its historical geological records from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Congolese government and KoBold Metals, a mining company backed by billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, are seeking access to these documents, which detail rich mineral deposits, as part of a deal to digitize them and explore for critical minerals like lithium and cobalt.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jan 1, 2026 visibility 7 link 4 artists, 2 galleries

how the dinosaur came roaring back 2730384

2025 has been a landmark year for dinosaur fossils in the art world, marked by high-profile sales, seizures, and ethical controversies. In November, a pair of Allosaurus fossils and a Stegosaurus skeleton worth £12 million ($15.6 million) were seized by the UK's National Crime Agency from Binghai Su, a Chinese national linked to a major money-laundering case in Singapore. The fossils had been purchased at Christie's Jurassic Icons auction in 2024. Meanwhile, Sotheby's sold a juvenile Ceratosaurus fossil for $30.5 million in July, far exceeding its $6 million estimate, and Phillips entered the dinosaur market for the first time, selling a juvenile Triceratops skeleton for $5.4 million in November. The most expensive dinosaur fossil ever, a Stegosaurus named Apex bought by hedge fund titan Kenneth Griffin for $44.6 million in 2024, was loaned to the American Museum of Natural History.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Dec 18, 2025 visibility 4 link 4 artists

jeff bezos lauren sanchez bezos met gala 2715793

Billionaire couple Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are sponsoring the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2026 Met Gala, the annual benefit for the Costume Institute. The news has revived speculation that Bezos may buy Condé Nast, Vogue’s parent company, which organizes the gala. Sánchez Bezos, a former TV reporter and recent Vogue cover subject, has been increasingly active in fashion circles, attending Paris Fashion Week and sitting front row at Chanel and Balenciaga shows. The 2026 gala will be the first since Anna Wintour’s retirement, with Chloe Malle taking over Vogue, and will feature a new dedicated Costume Institute gallery and the theme “Costume Art.”

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Nov 25, 2025 visibility 7 link 12 artists, 1 gallery

Art meets tech: 6 ways to experience both during Miami Art Week

Miami Art Week is featuring a strong intersection of art and technology, with digital art taking center stage at major fairs. Art Basel Miami Beach (Dec. 5–7) debuts Zero 10, a curated section focused on digital art, showcasing works by Beeple (including robotic dogs resembling billionaires), Lu Yang, and others. CONTEXT Art Miami (Dec. 2–7) hosts Blackdove, a Miami-based digital art company, presenting its first fair exhibit titled "Code and Canvas: The Digital Art Genome." Other tech-forward installations include Emmanuel Van der Auwera's thermal video piece and Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst's AI-driven digital canvas.

newspaper Refresh Miami open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Dec 8, 2025 visibility 8 link 4 artists

art market minute dec 8 2725081

The article reports strong sales across Miami art fairs, particularly at Art Basel Miami Beach, where Beeple's "Regular Animals"—robotic dogs with hyper-realistic heads of billionaires—were a major attraction in the new digital art section Zero10. It also notes that three art-world heavyweights are launching a new gallery focused on secondary market sales, and that the Art Dealers Association of America is launching a new art fair after canceling its long-running Art Show.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article policy schedule Dec 2, 2025 visibility 4 link 1 gallery

switzerland reject inheritance tax billionaires collectors 1234764622

Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposed inheritance tax on Sunday, with 78% voting no. The tax, introduced by the Social Democrats, would have applied a 50% rate to inheritances and gifts exceeding 50 million Swiss francs (about $62.3 million). Billionaire Peter Spuhler threatened to leave the country if the tax passed, and Swiss wealth managers warned that other ultra-wealthy individuals would follow, citing their mobility and options to optimize taxes.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Dec 4, 2025 visibility 6 link 5 artists

Who let the dogs out? Beeple unleashes uncanny robot canines at Art Basel Miami Beach

Digital artist Mike Winkelmann, known as Beeple, is presenting a new installation titled *Regular Animals* (2025) at Art Basel Miami Beach's Zero 10 digital art section. The work features robotic canines with hyper-realistic heads resembling tech billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg, as well as historical figures Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, and Beeple himself. Each robot costs $100,000 (in an edition of two plus one artist's proof), and all were sold during the VIP preview, except the Bezos piece. The robots excrete certificates of authenticity that include QR codes for purchasing accompanying NFTs, and they continuously photograph their surroundings, with images reinterpreted in the style of each dog's humanoid counterpart.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Dec 8, 2025 visibility 1

ubs report billionaires spend more art antiques 1234765643

UBS's eleventh Billionaire Ambitions Report reveals that global billionaire wealth hit a record $15.8 trillion in 2025, with the number of billionaires rising 8.8% to nearly 3,000. The report, based on a survey of 87 ultra-wealthy clients, found that 27% plan to increase their investment in art and antiques, while 65% intend to maintain current levels—totaling 92% of respondents. Enthusiasm is strongest in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (35% planning increases), followed by Asia-Pacific (25%), and weakest in the Americas (15%).

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule Oct 21, 2025 visibility 7

Where Private Fortunes Treat the Public to Sumptuous Art

The New York Times article explores the growing trend of private collectors and foundations establishing their own museums to showcase their art collections to the public. These institutions, often funded by immense private fortunes, offer lavish exhibition spaces and high-profile shows that rival traditional public museums, blurring the lines between private ownership and public cultural access.

newspaper The New York Times open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Apr 29, 2026 visibility 2 link 5 artists

Bizarre robot dogs sporting Musk, Zuckerberg heads torment visitors in Berlin museum — as part of creepy influencer exhibit

A pack of robot dogs fitted with hyper-realistic silicone heads of tech billionaires and cultural icons—including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol—is now on display at the New National Gallery in Berlin as part of the traveling interactive exhibit "Regular Animals." Created by American artist Beeple (Mike Winkelmann), the cyborg canines wander aimlessly and defecate AI-generated images in the style of the celebrity head they wear. The exhibit previously appeared in Miami and San Francisco.

newspaper AOL.com open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Apr 29, 2026 visibility 1

WATCH: Robot ‘tech billionaire’ dogs roam new art exhibition

A new art exhibition features robotic dogs designed to resemble tech billionaires, roaming the gallery space as interactive artworks. The installation combines robotics, artificial intelligence, and satire to critique the influence and eccentricities of Silicon Valley's elite.

newspaper Stuff open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Apr 28, 2026 visibility 4 link 8 artists, 1 gallery

Robot dogs with Elon Musk's head 'poo' AI art in bizarre exhibition

Artist Beeple (Mike Winkelmann) has installed "Regular Animals" at Berlin's Neue Nationalgalerie, featuring robot dogs with hyper-realistic silicone heads of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, and Beeple himself. The dogs roam the gallery and periodically "poo" printed images of their surroundings that have been transformed by artificial intelligence, with each dog's output reflecting the style of its figurehead—for example, the Picasso dog produces Cubist-style images. The work premiered at Art Basel Miami Beach 2025, where Beeple distributed the prints with certificates reading "100% organic GMO-free dog s**t" and QR codes for free NFTs.

newspaper Indy100 open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Apr 28, 2026 source 5 sources visibility 5 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

Robot dogs with Musk and Zuckerberg heads roam around Berlin gallery in Beeple's new exhibit

American artist Beeple (Mike Winkelmann) has installed an interactive piece titled "Regular Animals" at Berlin's Neue Nationalgalerie, featuring robot dogs with hyper-realistic silicone heads modeled after Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, and Beeple himself. The dogs roam the gallery and "poo" printed AI-transformed images of their surroundings, with each dog's output reflecting the worldview of its human figure—for example, the Picasso dog produces Cubist-style images. The work, first shown at Art Basel Miami Beach 2025, includes QR codes on prints that grant access to free NFTs.

newspaper Audacy open_in_new Read original