Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule May 21, 2026 visibility 33 link 16 artists, 2 galleries

Marian Goodman’s Gerhard Richters Total $78.8 Million in $162.7 Million Christie’s Sale

Christie’s 21st-century evening sale in New York on Wednesday achieved $162.7 million, its highest total in the category since 2021. The sale featured eight works from the collection of the late dealer Marian Goodman by Gerhard Richter, which together sold for $78.8 million, nearly half the evening’s haul. Richter’s photorealistic candle painting *Kerze (Candle)* (1982) hammered at $30 million, below its $35 million low estimate, but still set a new auction record for the series. Other Richters performed strongly, with six of seven exceeding high estimates, including *Mohn (Poppy)* (1995) at $20.1 million. A modest Basquiat work on paper, *Asbestos*, sold for $6.54 million, and one lot by Ed Ruscha was bought in.

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trending_up market schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 55 link 22 artists, 1 gallery

Artist Foundations’ Net Worth Has Nearly Tripled to $9 B., Led by Cy Twombly Foundation’s $1.5 B. in Art and Assets

New research from the Aspen Institute’s Artist-Endowed Foundation Initiative (AEFI) reveals that artist-endowed foundations in the U.S. now control roughly $9 billion in assets, nearly triple the $3.5 billion reported in 2011 and up 17% from $7.7 billion in 2018. The Cy Twombly Foundation leads with $1.5 billion in art and assets, followed by foundations for Alexander Calder, Joan Mitchell, Helen Frankenthaler, and Robert Rauschenberg, each holding over $500 million. The data, drawn from public tax forms, shows that just five of roughly 500 foundations account for more than half the total, with most established by postwar American artists born before 1931.

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trending_up market schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 57 link 35 artists, 1 gallery

The 20 Most Expensive Artworks Hitting the Auction Block This Season

The May 2026 New York auctions at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips will feature 20 high-value lots priced at $30 million or more, including works by Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Cy Twombly, Gerhard Richter, and others. The sales are staggered around the Venice Biennale and Frieze New York, with Sotheby’s holding its contemporary evening auction on May 14 and Christie’s its 20th-century sale on May 18. Notable consignments come from the estates of S.I. Newhouse, former MoMA board president Agnes Gund, and dealer Marian Goodman.

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candle obituary schedule Dec 28, 2025 visibility 35 link 185 artists, 9 galleries

2025 art obituaries

Artnet News has published its annual roundup of art world figures who died in 2025, honoring a diverse range of individuals including museum directors, painters, curators, philanthropists, and an archaeologist. Among those remembered are Julia Alexander, former director of the Yale Center for British Art; Sylvain Amic, recently appointed to lead the Musée d'Orsay; philanthropist Wallis Annenberg; abstract painters Timothy App and Jo Baer; curator Leonid Bazhanov; and Tony Bechara, painter and former director of El Museo del Barrio.

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rate_review review schedule Dec 26, 2025 visibility 29 link 38 artists, 2 galleries

the worst art we saw in 2025

Artnet News editors and writers compiled a list of the worst art of 2025, calling out works they found lazy, cynical, overhyped, or ethically dubious. Highlights include Flora Yukhnovich's site-specific painting installation at the Frick Collection, which critics deemed middling and out of place among the museum's historic masterpieces; Jeff Koons's eight-foot-tall Hulk (Tubas) sculpture, sold for $3 million at Frieze New York and described as an obnoxious trophy piece; and actor Adrien Brody's interactive gum wall installation, which invited visitors to stick chewed gum onto a canvas.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 19, 2025 visibility 20 link 16 artists, 2 galleries

sothebys lauder now contemporary sales report klimt record

Sotheby's held a marathon double sale at its new Breuer Building location, selling Gustav Klimt's portrait of Elisabeth Lederer for $236.4 million—the second highest price ever paid for an artwork at auction. The evening featured works from the collection of the late cosmetics heir Leonard Lauder, totaling $527.5 million, far exceeding its low estimate. The subsequent "Contemporary and the Now" sale brought in $178.5 million, with a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting selling for $48.3 million. Overall, the night generated $706 million, with multiple auction records set for artists including Cecily Brown, Antonio Obá, Yu Nishimura, Jess, and Noah Davis.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 12, 2025 visibility 28 link 25 artists, 2 galleries

venus over manhattan closing adam lindemann

Adam Lindemann announces the closure of Venus Over Manhattan, the gallery he founded in 2012 after a career as a contemporary art collector and writer. The gallery opened with a show titled "À Rebours," inspired by a novel about a decadent aristocrat, and featured works by Warhol, Hammons, and others—a show that famously saw a Dalí stolen from the wall. Over its 14-year run, Venus Over Manhattan mounted exhibitions including a Maurizio Cattelan show during a market lull, a Calder installation with spotlights and fans, and a show mixing African masterpieces with works by Koons, Prince, and Hirst. Lindemann reflects on the challenges of opening a gallery against advice, the theft that made international news, and the quiet validation he received from artists like David Hammons.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 3, 2025 visibility 20 link 21 artists, 1 gallery

signed book hov jay z auction

A signed, limited-edition book titled *The Book of HOV: A Tribute to JAY-Z*, created in collaboration between Jay-Z's Roc Nation, French publisher Assouline, and artist Daniel Arsham, is being auctioned at Christie's. Only five copies exist, and the book is estimated to sell for $100,000 to $150,000, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Brooklyn Public Library. The auction, part of a contemporary editions sale running from July 7 to July 22, follows a 2023 exhibition at the Brooklyn Public Library that attracted 600,000 visitors.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 27, 2025 visibility 31 link 16 artists, 2 galleries

adrien brody wet paint

Adrien Brody, fresh off his second Best Actor Oscar for *The Brutalist*, opened his first art exhibition in nearly a decade at Eden Gallery in New York. Titled "Made in America," the show features large-scale mixed-media paintings, a sound installation, and an interactive gum wall. The event drew a Hollywood-style crowd, with Brody mingling with guests and discussing his lifelong art practice, which he says preceded his acting career.

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article news schedule May 16, 2025 visibility 31 link 20 artists, 5 galleries

dynamo room uffner lius frieze wet paint

Artnet News's 'Wet Paint' gossip column reports from Frieze Week in New York, noting a prevailing cultural pessimism fueled by essays on the death of culture and the impact of the second Trump administration. Amidst this, Jeff Koons's 'Hulk Elvis' sculptures at Gagosian's Frieze booth (priced at $3 million each, with one sold) offered a perverse relief. The column also highlights the second edition of the Esther art fair at the Estonian House, described as an 'aura fair' prioritizing community and a welcoming environment over strict commercial focus, contrasting with the more predictable Frieze fair.

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trending_up market schedule May 14, 2025 visibility 37 link 22 artists, 1 gallery

phillips modern contemporary 2025 evening sale report

Phillips New York's modern and contemporary evening sale on Tuesday night generated $52 million, a 40 percent drop from the $86 million achieved in the same sale last year. The auction exactly met its pre-sale estimate, but five lots failed to sell and four were withdrawn. Despite the overall downturn, five new records were set for women artists, including Kiki Kogelnik, Ilana Savdie, Olga de Amaral, and Grace Hartigan. The top lot was Jean-Michel Basquiat's *Untitled* (1984) at $6.6 million, followed by works by Ed Ruscha and Donald Judd. Bidding was active for several works, with many going to US buyers, and a painting by Yu Nishimura, newly represented by David Zwirner, sold for more than double its estimate.

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trending_up market schedule May 7, 2025 visibility 19 link 21 artists, 3 galleries

consignors revealed new york auctions may 2025

The article reports on the upcoming May 2025 marquee auctions in New York at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips, which carry a combined low estimate of about $1.2 billion—similar to last year. However, the market faces headwinds from U.S. trade wars, stock market volatility, high interest rates, and ongoing global conflicts. Major consignors include estates (Len Riggio, Anne Bass), living patrons (Tiqui Atencio, Norman Braman), dealers (Daniella Luxembourg, Barbara Gladstone, Enrico Navara), and institutions (SFMOMA, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Phillips Collection). Notable lots include Sheldon Solow’s $70 million Alberto Giacometti at Sotheby’s and Riggio’s $50 million Mondrian at Christie’s. Collector Peter M. Brant is revealed as the seller of Basquiat’s Baby Boom (1982) and a John Currin painting at Christie’s.

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trending_up market schedule May 5, 2025 visibility 24 link 13 artists, 2 galleries

may 2025 art auctions consignors

The article previews the upcoming May 2025 marquee art auctions in New York, led by Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips. Key consignors include the collection of late Barnes & Noble founder Leonard Riggio and his wife Louise, along with works from Anne and Sid Bass, Tiqui Atencio, Daniella Luxembourg, the estate of Barbara Gladstone, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Notable lots include Dorothea Tanning's 'Endgame' (est. $1M–$1.5M), Robert Motherwell's 'Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 160' (est. $3.5M–$5.5M), and Andy Warhol's 'Big Electric Chair' (est. $30M). The article also reveals undisclosed consignors through research, such as the family of Harold and Gertrud Parker for the Tanning work and the Hess Art Collection for the Motherwell.

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trending_up market schedule May 1, 2025 visibility 22 link 22 artists, 9 galleries

asia rising morgan stanley artnet

Artnet News and Morgan Stanley have collaborated on a report analyzing the art market's recovery after COVID-19, with a focus on Asia's emergence as a powerful engine. Using data from the Artnet Price Database and Artnet Analytics, the report shows that China (including Hong Kong) has become a dominant force, overtaking the U.S. and U.K. in fine-art auction sales. By 2020, China reclaimed the top-selling global fine-art auction market position, and as of mid-2021, it remains neck and neck with the U.S. The report also examines the role of Hong Kong, which has consistently contributed over 40% of China's fine-art sales, driven by its unique economic policies and integration into the global art market.

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trending_up market schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 49 link 27 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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candle obituary schedule May 11, 2026 visibility 55 link 17 artists, 4 galleries

Bruno Bischofberger, Swiss Art Dealer and Early Backer of Basquiat, Dies at 86

Bruno Bischofberger, the influential Swiss art dealer, collector, and historian, died on Saturday at age 86. He opened his first galleries in Zurich and St. Moritz in 1963, championed American Pop artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, and became an early backer of Jean-Michel Basquiat, representing him from 1982. Bischofberger also helped found Interview magazine with Peter Brant and was a longtime exhibitor at Art Basel.

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trending_up market schedule Jan 9, 2026 visibility 32 link 17 artists, 1 gallery

top artists auction 2025

The article reports that the top tier of the art auction market rebounded strongly in 2025, with the ten most expensive lots totaling $757.1 million, a 48% increase from 2024. Gustav Klimt became the top-selling artist, driven by the sale of his *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* (1914–16) from the collection of the late Leonard Lauder, which was the most expensive artwork of the year. The rankings saw significant shifts: René Magritte, the top artist in 2024, fell to sixth place, while blue-chip names like Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Jean-Michel Basquiat strengthened their positions. Notably, no women or living artists appeared among the top 20 sellers in 2025, a reversal from the previous year when Yayoi Kusama and Joan Mitchell were present.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 13, 2025 visibility 27 link 37 artists, 1 gallery

studio museum in harlem reopening review

The Studio Museum in Harlem has reopened after a seven-year closure in a new building designed by David Adjaye, with Thelma Golden continuing as director and chief curator. The museum has expanded its indoor spaces, replacing a garden with a public staircase called the Stoop, and added a rooftop terrace with city views. Adjaye faced sexual misconduct allegations in 2023, leading to Pascale Sablan taking over the project, though Adjaye remains listed as founder and principal of his firm.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 5, 2025 visibility 22 link 23 artists, 2 galleries

consignors november 2025 new york sales christies sothebys

As the fall auction season returns to New York, Christie’s and Sotheby’s are preparing for evening sales amid an uneven art market. The article reveals key consignors behind major lots, including a Frida Kahlo painting from 1931, estimated at $6–8 million, owned by Miami-based Francisco and Fiorella Pérez Díaz, and three French Post-Impressionist works from the collection of the late Argentine patron Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier. The market context includes underwhelming results at Art Basel in Switzerland but strong attendance at Frieze London and Art Basel Paris, with collectors showing willingness to spend only on exceptional, well-priced works.

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article news schedule Jul 4, 2025 visibility 20 link 22 artists, 2 galleries

glenstone divorce mitch emily rales

Mitch and Emily Rales, the billionaire founders of the Glenstone Foundation and its private museum in Potomac, Maryland, are divorcing. The foundation, established in 2006, holds net assets of $4.6 billion and an endowment rivaling that of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The article revisits longstanding criticisms of private art museums, including Glenstone, arguing they function as tax shelters, social climbing tools, and competitors to public institutions. It notes Glenstone's restrictive policies—appointment-only access, a ban on visitors under 12, and a prohibition on gum chewing—and references past unionization efforts by its workers.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 13, 2026 source 2 sources visibility 22 link 33 artists, 4 galleries

10 Must-See Museum Exhibitions This Spring

Major museums worldwide are launching a series of high-profile exhibitions this spring that challenge traditional art historical narratives. Highlights include a Marcel Duchamp retrospective at MoMA, a deep dive into Pop art's legacy at the Guggenheim, and significant surveys of icons like Frida Kahlo and Agnes Martin. Meanwhile, UCCA Beijing is presenting a major exhibition of Duan Jianyu, highlighting the evolution of Chinese painting in relation to Western influence.

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trending_up market schedule May 18, 2026 visibility 39 link 22 artists, 5 galleries

Consignors Revealed: The Mystery Sellers Behind the $1.8 Billion May Auctions

Sotheby's kicked off the May auction season with a $433 million sale, including an 11-lot group from the estate of late dealer Bob Mnuchin, led by an $86 million Mark Rothko painting. The three major auction houses are offering $1.8 billion worth of art by low estimate, a 50% increase from last year, driven by consignments from estates of key figures like Mnuchin, philanthropist Agnes Gund, and dealer Marian Goodman. Christie's will stage a sale from publisher S.I. Newhouse's collection expected to bring $450 million, potentially setting records for Jackson Pollock and Constantin Brancusi. The article reveals that many top sellers are anonymous, but unmasked names include the Dennison family and French collector John Sayegh-Belchatowski.

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trending_up market schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 43 link 10 artists, 5 galleries

The Most Expensive Jean-Michel Basquiat Works Ever Sold at Auction

ARTnews published a listicle ranking the most expensive Jean-Michel Basquiat works ever sold at auction, updated as of May 15, 2026. The article traces Basquiat's rise from street artist under the moniker SAMO to a major figure in the downtown New York scene, highlighting key relationships with Keith Haring, Diego Cortez, and curator Henry Geldzahler. It notes that Basquiat's entire mature output was created between 1981 and 1984, and that his 1983 painting *Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown)* sold at Sotheby's in May 2026 for $52.7 million, placing it among his top sales. The piece also details earlier top sales, including *Untitled* (1982) for $29.3 million at Christie's in 2013 and *Flesh and Spirit* (1982–83) for $30.7 million at Sotheby's in 2018.

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trending_up market schedule May 11, 2026 visibility 55 link 28 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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candle obituary schedule May 9, 2026 visibility 23 link 22 artists, 1 gallery

Bruno Bischofberger, Art Dealer of Stars Like Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Dies at 86

Bruno Bischofberger, the legendary Swiss art dealer who championed American artists like Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat in Europe, has died at age 86. His Zurich-based gallery announced his death on Saturday. Bischofberger founded his eponymous gallery in 1963, which became one of Switzerland's most important blue-chip art spaces. He forged deep personal and professional relationships with artists, including acquiring a stake in Warhol's Interview magazine, producing Warhol's film L'amour, and famously proposing the collaborative paintings between Warhol and Basquiat in 1984. Bischofberger also maintained a decades-long tradition of placing advertisements on the back page of every Artforum issue.

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article event schedule Feb 2, 2026 visibility 24 link 14 artists, 12 galleries

art basel qatar preview galleries

Art Basel has launched its first edition in Doha, Qatar, with a deliberately small and tightly controlled format. The fair features only 87 galleries, all required to mount solo presentations, with strict limits on booth size, power sources, and rehanging of works. This creates a slower, calmer atmosphere distinct from its larger, more chaotic sister fairs in Miami and Paris.

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trending_up market schedule Jan 7, 2026 visibility 27 link 6 artists, 2 galleries

top lots jean michel basquiat

Artnet News examines the top five auction results for Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose meteoric rise and tragic death at age 27 fueled a legendary market. The list includes works such as "Versus Medici" (1982), which sold for $50.82 million at Sotheby's in 2021; "El Gran Espectaculo (The Nile)" (1983), which fetched $67.1 million at Christie's in 2023; and "Untitled" (1982), which reached $85 million at Phillips in 2022. The article highlights the artist's synthesis of graffiti and Renaissance aesthetics, his relationships with figures like Andy Warhol, and the explosive growth of his market over the past decade.

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museum exhibitions schedule Dec 31, 2025 visibility 28 link 19 artists, 2 galleries

tony shafrazi independent art fair return

Tony Shafrazi, the legendary and controversial New York art dealer, is returning to the art fair circuit for the first time since 2012 with a booth at the Independent 20th Century fair in New York. He is presenting works by Armenian sculptor Zadik Zadikian, whose installation of gold bricks Shafrazi first exhibited in Tehran in 1978 before they were lost in the Iranian Revolution, alongside paintings by Brandon Deener. Shafrazi, now in his 80s, closed his New York gallery in 2011 and was banned from Art Basel in 2012 for breaking the fair's rules.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 5, 2025 visibility 16 link 3 artists, 1 gallery

conditional authenticity appraisal reports recent cases

A Paris court seized 135 allegedly stolen paintings from Paris-based art authenticators ArtAnalysis in January, which had been holding the works for collector Mozes Frisch. The pieces are part of a 1,778-work collection supposedly by heavyweight Russian modernists. Palestinian businessman Uthman Khatib and his son Prince Castro Ben Leon claim the works were stolen from them by Frisch in 2019, and are suing in Germany for return of the works or $323 million. ArtAnalysis owner Laurette Thomas, Frisch, and collector Olivia Amar are countersuing Khatib for return of the Paris-held works plus $30.5 million in damages. The Khatibs' law firm Dentons hired Doerr Dallas Valuations to appraise the 135 disputed works, which assigned a $208 million valuation but included a caveat, likely related to the fact that many works were listed on the Art Loss Register in 2014 during an investigation into disgraced Israeli art dealer Itzhak Zarug, who was suspected of dealing fakes.

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trending_up market schedule May 16, 2025 visibility 27 link 23 artists, 1 gallery

basquiat ruscha sothebys now contemporary art sale may 2025

Sotheby's three-part evening sale in New York on Thursday generated $186.1 million across 68 lots, landing near the high end of its $141 million to $204.9 million estimate. The sale included a focused 12-lot offering from the collection of late gallerist Barbara Gladstone, which sold all works without guarantees and totaled $18.5 million, and a 15-work guaranteed sale from dealer Daniella Luxembourg featuring postwar Italian artists, where Lucio Fontana's 'Concetto spaziale, La fine di Dio' (1963) achieved $14.5 million and Michelangelo Pistoletto's 'Maria Nuda' (1969) sold for $2.7 million after a five-minute bidding war.

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