stop making sense 2025 art market analysis 1234767291

The article analyzes the chaotic and contradictory state of the global art market in 2025, a year marked by extreme volatility following President Donald Trump's return to office. Key events include strong sales at Frieze Los Angeles in February, a record $13.8 million sale of a painting by M.F. Husain at Christie's, and a sharp downturn after Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on major trading partners. Major auctions in May fell far short of expectations, with only $837.5 million hammered against estimates of up to $1.6 billion. Meanwhile, Art Basel expanded with a new Qatar fair, but sales at Art Basel Switzerland dropped over 35% from 2024. The year also saw a wave of gallery closures, including the sunsetting of Blum & Poe.

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Kim Sajet, former director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG), has been appointed as the new director of the Milwaukee Art Museum, starting September 22. She left the NPG in June after a high-profile clash with President Donald Trump over diversity initiatives and funding. Sajet brings extensive experience from museums in the Netherlands and Australia, and during her 12-year tenure at the NPG, she doubled attendance and raised $85 million. She replaces Marcelle Polednik, who departed in May after nine years.

mauritshuis loaning girl with a pearl earring to japan us withdrawing from international arts and cultural heritage groups morning links for january 9 2025 1234769316

The Mauritshuis in The Hague announced it will loan Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" (circa 1665) to the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka, Japan, this summer while the Dutch museum closes for building alterations from August 24 to September 20. Separately, President Donald Trump's administration released a memo on January 7 stating the US will withdraw from over 60 international groups, including ICCROM and IFACCA, which focus on arts and cultural heritage preservation, arguing these bodies operate contrary to US interests.

trumps tariffs upending decorative arts trade famsf gifted 1600 works by kirk edward long morning links for november 4 2025 1234760128

President Donald Trump's tariffs on wood imports, introduced to support American manufacturers, have inadvertently disrupted the international trade in antiques and decorative arts. Memphis-based antique dealer Millicent Ford Creech notes that the tariffs unfairly penalize dealers specializing in pre-1800 pieces with no domestic equivalent, as fine art is exempt but collectible furniture and decorative items are not. Separately, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) received a gift of 1,600 works from local collector Kirk Edward Long, rich in early modern European prints, paintings, antiquities, and decorative arts, as part of its multiyear 'Gifts of Art' initiative. Other news includes a rare jewelry box identified in Vermeer paintings, a Rembrandt drawing sold by Thomas S. Kaplan for conservation charity, and a popular 'Grumpy Guide' tour at Düsseldorf's Kunstpalast performed by artist Carl Brandi.

qatar to build gulfs largest art storage facility anish kapoor threatens legal action after us border agents pose next to bean sculpture morning links for november 12 2025 1234761234

Qatar is planning to build the Gulf region's largest full-service art storage and logistics facility near Hamad International Airport, in a partnership between QC+ (a strategic partner of Qatar Sports Investments and Art Basel) and Gulf Warehousing Company. The complex will offer secure storage, conservation services, and private viewing rooms, allowing artworks to be stored and traded without entering Qatar's customs territory, similar to freeports in Geneva, Luxembourg, and Singapore. Separately, British artist Anish Kapoor is considering legal action after US border patrol agents posed for a photo in front of his Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago, which he condemned as emblematic of 'fascist America.' Kapoor previously sued the US National Rifle Association for using the sculpture in a 2017 video.

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President Donald Trump has initiated a controversial overhaul of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., renaming it the 'Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts' and appointing himself chairman. Following the dismissal of long-time president Deborah Rutter and the installation of a board led by Richard Grenell, the institution has pivoted toward conservative programming, leading to a 93% to 57% drop in ticket sales and high-profile boycotts from artists like Philip Glass. The center is now slated for a two-year closure starting after July 4 for major renovations, a move that has sparked alarm among preservationists and political figures.

Giant Golden Toilet Sculpture Appears Near Lincoln Memorial in D.C.: ‘A Throne Fit for a King’

An anonymous artist collective known as the Secret Handshake has installed a 10-foot-tall golden toilet sculpture titled 'A Throne Fit for a King' near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The work is a satirical monument to former President Donald Trump's controversial renovation of the White House's Lincoln Bathroom, which he outfitted with gold fixtures during a government shutdown.

tate director explains departure david hockney blasts bayeux tapestry loan trump eyeing site for garden of american heroes morning links for january 15 2025 1234769918

David Hockney has publicly criticized plans to loan the Bayeux Tapestry to the British Museum, calling the move 'madness' and warning that the fragile medieval embroidery could be damaged during transport. Meanwhile, Maria Balshaw is stepping down as director of Tate, citing a sense of mission accomplished after nearly a decade leading the institution, during which she championed female artists and will co-curate a Tracey Emin exhibition before departing. Other headlines include Kosovo selecting Brilant Milazimi for the Venice Biennale, Donald Trump eyeing a site for his 'Garden of American Heroes,' and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco hosting a second Baby Rave event.

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President Donald Trump’s return to office has triggered a sweeping overhaul of the American cultural landscape through executive orders and the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Key actions include the dissolution of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices at the Smithsonian, the cancellation of thousands of National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grants, and the removal of high-profile Biden appointees from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum board. These measures are accompanied by new tariffs and immigration policies that threaten the international art trade and cross-border collaborations.

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The past year saw major museum events dominated by high-stakes thefts and political interference. The Louvre in Paris suffered a shocking $102 million jewel heist in broad daylight, leading to arrests and an €80 million security overhaul. Other European museums, including the Drents Museum in the Netherlands, were also targeted, raising fears of an organized criminal network.

smithsonian drops text about trumps impeachments legendary painter beatriz gonzalez dies at 93 morning links for january 12 2025 1234769447

The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery removed wall text referencing President Donald Trump's two impeachments from its "America's Presidents" exhibition after installing a new portrait of him. The original label had noted Trump's political accomplishments and his impeachments for abuse of power and inciting insurrection, which had reportedly been a sore point for the Trump administration. Separately, Colombian painter Beatriz González died at age 93; she was known for reworking Old Master paintings in garish colors and later addressing political upheaval in her country.

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Artists in the United States are facing heightened repression, including censorship, funding cuts, and deportation threats, during the first 100 days of Donald Trump's second presidential term. The administration's executive orders have targeted cultural institutions, with a campaign to purge the Smithsonian of 'improper ideology' and the gutting of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Funding for arts grants, particularly those focused on underserved communities, has been canceled or left in limbo, creating a climate of fear and uncertainty.

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The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has updated its 2026 fiscal year grant guidelines, cancelling the Challenge America grants that targeted underserved communities and replacing them with a focus on projects celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States (America250). The changes, announced in response to executive orders by President Donald Trump, eliminate DEI-related funding and require applicants to have a five-year history of arts programming. Organizations that had applied for the $10,000 Challenge America grants must now resubmit under the broader Grants for Arts Projects category, with extended deadlines.

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President Donald Trump has unveiled a rendering for his planned presidential library in downtown Miami, envisioned as a 47-story skyscraper. The proposal features a gold entranceway, a 20-foot-tall golden statue of the former president, and a replica of the Oval Office, alongside a hotel and office space. The project is being designed by architecture firm Bermello Ajamil and is reportedly seeking to raise nearly $1 billion in donations to fund the construction on highly valuable waterfront land.

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The House Oversight Committee has released a crude drawing that President Donald Trump reportedly gave to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003. The sketch, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, features a marker outline of a naked woman with Trump's apparent signature placed where her pubic hair would be. Trump has denied creating the drawing, claiming he has never drawn, and has filed a $10 billion libel lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and its owner Rupert Murdoch. The New York Times compared Trump's signature on the drawing with his correspondence from 1987 to 2001 and found they "closely matched."

Maurizio Cattelan's solid gold toilet going to auction at Sotheby's

Sotheby's will auction Maurizio Cattelan's solid gold toilet sculpture, *America* (2016), during its evening sale of contemporary art in New York on 18 November. Bidding starts at approximately $10 million, based on the current market value of the 18-karat gold used in the work. The piece, a fully functioning toilet modeled after a standard Kohler design, will be on view at Sotheby's Breuer Building from 8 to 17 November, though visitors will not be allowed to use it. This is the only surviving edition; another was famously stolen from Blenheim Palace in 2019 and believed melted down.

As censorship rises, is there a future for truly political, truth-telling art?

The article reports on the growing censorship of politically charged art in the US, focusing on the case of artist Amy Sherald. In August, the White House under President Donald Trump issued a statement criticizing the Smithsonian Institution for including Sherald's painting *Trans Forming Liberty* (2024), which depicts a transgender person as the Statue of Liberty, in a planned solo exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. After the Smithsonian considered removing the work, Sherald canceled the entire show, citing a loss of institutional integrity. The Smithsonian subsequently announced a review of its holdings to align with Trump's vision of "American exceptionalism." Separately, the article highlights a monumental street mural by Dutch artist Judith de Leeuw in Roubaix, France, showing the Statue of Liberty covering its eyes in shame, as a direct response to global migrant injustice.

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President Donald Trump announced the planned closure of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for up to two years, starting July 4, as part of a major renovation project. The closure, pending board approval, aims to transform what Trump called a "tired, broken, and dilapidated" facility into the "finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind."

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ARTnews has announced the winners of its second annual ARTnews Awards, honoring excellence in exhibitions at US arts institutions across six categories. Ralph Lemon received the Lifetime Achievement Award, Claudia Alarcón and Silät won Emerging Artist of the Year, Wafaa Bilal was named Established Artist of the Year, and Jack Whitten took Historical Artist of the Year. Parker Gallery, Los Angeles won Best Gallery Group Show, and “Legacies: Asian American Art Movements in New York City” at 80WSE, New York won Best Thematic Museum Show. Separately, President Donald Trump hosted the 48th Kennedy Center Honors, becoming the first sitting president to do so, amid his ongoing takeover of the institution. Celebrated photographer Martin Parr died at age 73.

From hard borders to soft power: how did the art world fare in 2025?

The article surveys the art world's turbulent 2025, beginning with devastating Los Angeles wildfires that destroyed artworks and the political shockwaves of Donald Trump's re-election. Trump's administration targeted the National Portrait Gallery, whose director Kim Sajet resigned after threats of firing, while immigration crackdowns, tariffs on art imports, and attacks on diversity initiatives chilled the art community. The year also saw Venice residents protest Jeff Bezos's lavish wedding, Trump's gilded Oval Office renovations, and a major Veronese exhibition at the Prado that drew parallels between historical extravagance and decline.

Sculptor Alma Allen officially selected to represent US at 2026 Venice Biennale

The US State Department has officially confirmed that sculptor Alma Allen will represent the United States at the 2026 Venice Biennale, following earlier delays caused by a 43-day government shutdown. Allen's exhibition, titled "Alma Allen: Call the Breeze," will run from May 9 to November 22, 2026, at the US Pavilion, organized by commissioner Jenni Parido of the American Arts Conservancy and independent curator Jeffrey Uslip. The show will feature around 30 sculptures, including new site-specific works, and the state department announcement explicitly aligns the presentation with President Donald Trump's "America first" ideology, framing the artworks as symbols of collective optimism and American excellence.

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The Smithsonian Institution faces a deadline to submit internal communications and exhibition materials to the White House as part of President Donald Trump's review aimed at eliminating so-called 'woke' ideology. Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III has begun turning over documents from several galleries on a rolling basis, and the National Portrait Gallery has already complied by replacing Trump's portrait with a new photograph and removing mentions of his two impeachment trials from the wall text. The review, launched in August 2025, targets eight museums including the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Hirshhorn Museum, following an April executive order titled 'Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.'

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President Donald Trump issued an executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” targeting the Smithsonian Institution. The order tasks Vice President J.D. Vance with removing “improper ideology” from Smithsonian museums, supported by Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and advisor Lindsey Halligan. Critics, including historian Raymond Arsenault, have described the move as totalitarian. The Smithsonian, a public-private partnership founded in 1846 with 21 museums and the National Zoo, faces potential loss of federal funding if it does not comply, echoing pressure applied to other institutions like Columbia University.

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Newly released emails between Jeffrey Epstein and journalist Michael Wolff reveal Epstein speculating about the $450 million sale of Leonardo da Vinci's *Salvator Mundi* and its possible connection to Donald Trump. In a May 2019 exchange, Epstein suggested that the painting's sale by Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman might have been a covert bribe to secure Trump's support on Middle Eastern policy, specifically his veto of a congressional resolution against U.S. involvement in the Yemen war. Epstein also noted that his "art guy" thought the painting wasn't very good.

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Vanity Fair has commissioned and will publish an abstract nude portrait of journalist Olivia Nuzzi, titled "How to Disappear," by artist Isabelle Brourman, in its Dec. 2 Hollywood Issue. The painting, which depicts Nuzzi nude with Americana symbols swirling around her, was created after the two met during Donald Trump's criminal trial and will also be exhibited at Art Basel Miami Beach as part of Jeffery Deitch's presentation "The Great American Nude."

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Newly released emails from Jeffrey Epstein, published by House Republicans, show the disgraced financier discussing Leonardo da Vinci's *Salvator Mundi* with journalist Michael Wolff. In a May 2019 exchange, Epstein referenced the $450.3 million painting—the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction—and suggested its sale was linked to a real estate deal involving a Russian billionaire and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Epstein also mentioned that his "art guy" thought the painting wasn't very good.

"Du bist nun in die ewigen Jagdgründe der Kunst entschwunden"

This week's art news roundup covers several stories: Jonathan Meese publishes an obituary for his mother Brigitte Meese in Der Spiegel, describing her as a central figure in his life and work. Pussy Riot seeks to take over the Russian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. The European Media Art Festival (EMAF) in Osnabrück faces controversy over antisemitism allegations linked to Palestinian-American filmmaker Basma al-Sharif, leading the city and state government to distance themselves from the festival. In the NZZ, Christian Wildhagen reports on conflicts over official political portraits, citing examples like Swiss councilor Martin Neukom rejecting paintings and Donald Trump criticizing his portrait. Art historian Horst Bredekamp pays tribute to Italian philosopher Federico Vercellone (1955–2026) in the FAZ, highlighting his theory of the 'self-activity of form.'

More UNESCO Sites Damaged in Isfahan and Lebanon; Democrats Probe Whereabouts of Millions Given to Fund Trump Library; Morning Links for March 11, 2026

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Recent airstrikes have caused significant damage to several UNESCO World Heritage sites and historical landmarks across Iran and Lebanon. In Isfahan, the 17th-century Naqsh-e-Jahan Square, Ali Qapu Palace, and the Jame Abbasi Mosque suffered damage, while in Lebanon, strikes impacted the Al-Bass archaeological site in the ancient city of Tyre. Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers have launched an investigation into $63 million in settlement payments intended for Donald Trump’s now-dissolved presidential library fund, raising concerns over the whereabouts of the capital.

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In mid-December, Abby Jones, acting chief of protocol at the State Department, suggested during a tour of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery that the museum create a dedicated gallery featuring multiple images of President Donald Trump, in addition to his official portrait. The White House later noted it regularly receives artworks depicting Trump from supporters and proposed displaying some at the museum, though no formal request has been made. The discussion follows the gallery’s recent replacement of Trump’s official photograph with a more flattering image and the removal of wall text referencing his two impeachments, which the museum described as part of a broader exhibition update.

uk museums increasingly turning to public to make decisions trump auctions off jesus christ painting for 2 75 m morning links for january 2 2026 1234768600

British museums are increasingly turning to citizens' assemblies to guide policy, priorities, and funding decisions, with the National Gallery launching its NG Citizens panel following similar initiatives at Birmingham Museums Trust, the Imperial War Museum, and the Migration Museum. Separately, Donald Trump hosted a New Year's Eve gala at Mar-a-Lago where a live-painted portrait of Jesus Christ by artist Vanessa Horabuena sold for $2.75 million, with proceeds split between St. Jude's Children's Hospital and the local sheriff's department. The article also reports a £30 million donation to the Royal Academy of Music's museum, the discovery of a 9,500-year-old cremation pyre in Malawi, a list of major 2026 exhibitions, the death of artist Janet Fish, and research by Daisy Fancourt linking arts engagement to better health outcomes.