Vasari Art Codex

trending_up market schedule Dec 22, 2025 visibility 6 link 6 artists, 2 galleries

auctioneers jewelry evening sales 1234763909

Sotheby's held its inaugural evening sale at the Breuer building, featuring the Contemporary and the Now sale. Auctioneer Oliver Barker achieved $527.5 million in sales, surpassing the pre-sale low estimate of $379 million. The highlight was Gustav Klimt's portrait of Elisabeth Lederer, which sold for $236.4 million, setting an auction record for Klimt and becoming the second most expensive work ever sold at auction. During the sale, auctioneer Phyllis Kao wore a David Webb necklace from the mid-1980s, featuring carved emeralds, rubies, and cabochon sapphires, which was on view and available for private sale at Sotheby's retail salon in the Breuer lobby.

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article news schedule Feb 10, 2026 visibility 3 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

jeff koons stella mccartney capsule 2026 2744142

Jeff Koons and Stella McCartney have launched a limited-edition capsule collection for Spring 2026. The collection features ready-to-wear items like hoodies, t-shirts, tote bags, and keychains, adorned with prints of Koons's artworks such as "Untitled (Girl with Dolphin and Monkey)" (2006) and sculptures from his "Made in Heaven" series, paired with McCartney's playful slogans like "Slippery When Wet" and "Doggy Style." The release also includes a reimagined pendant based on Koons's iconic "Rabbit" (1986) sculpture.

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article news schedule Oct 21, 2025 source 3 sources visibility 3 link 1 artist

louvre jewels stolen value 1234758137

Nine jewels stolen from the Louvre are valued at $102 million, according to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau, contradicting earlier French claims that they were of “incalculable” value. The stolen items include a diadem worn by Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense, an emerald necklace of Empress Marie-Louise, and a diadem once held by Empress Eugénie, the latter containing nearly 2,000 diamonds. One crown belonging to Empress Eugénie was recovered after being dropped by the thieves, but the rest remain missing. The robbers entered through windows using small chainsaws and exited in under eight minutes. The Louvre has been closed since the heist, and cultural minister Rachida Dati defended the museum’s security systems before the National Assembly, calling the theft “a wound for all of us.”

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article news schedule Oct 21, 2025 source 2 sources visibility 3 link 1 artist

louvre jewels stolen value 1234758137

Nine jewels stolen from the Louvre are valued at $102 million, according to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau, contradicting earlier French claims of 'incalculable' worth. The heist, executed with small chainsaws in under eight minutes, included historic pieces such as a diadem worn by Queen Marie-Amélie and an emerald necklace of Empress Marie-Louise. One item, a crown belonging to Empress Eugénie, was recovered after being dropped by the thieves. The Louvre has remained closed since the theft, and criticism has emerged over security lapses, though Culture Minister Rachida Dati defended the museum's systems before the National Assembly.

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article news schedule Nov 28, 2025 visibility 4 link 4 artists, 1 gallery

louvre security report 2720444

A 2018 security audit commissioned by the Louvre from Van Cleef and Arpels identified critical vulnerabilities in the museum's Apollo Gallery, including a balcony accessible via a lift platform—the exact entry point used by thieves in a daring October 19, 2025 heist. The audit, which included diagrams highlighting a window facing Quai François-Mitterrand as a major weakness, was not passed on to current Louvre president Laurence des Cars when she took over in 2021. The museum only discovered the document after the theft, prompting an internal review and referral to France's General Inspectorate of Cultural Affairs. French authorities have since arrested four more suspects, bringing the total to eight, as the investigation continues into the theft of eight valuable pieces including Napoleon Bonaparte's emerald-and-diamond necklace.

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trending_up market schedule Oct 28, 2025 link 1 artist, 1 gallery

salvador dali necklace sea sothebys surrealism sale 1234759258

A Salvador Dalí-designed necklace, the Swirling Sea Necklace, sold for €736,600 ($858,500) at Sotheby's 'Surrealism and Its Legacy' auction on October 24, doubling its pre-sale estimate. The 18-karat gold piece, inlaid with diamonds, a cultured pearl, and sapphire and emerald beads, was conceived by Dalí in 1954 and first owned by São Schlumberger, a frequent patron of the artist. The necklace had previously sold at Sotheby's in 2014 for $665,000 to Anne Schlumberger, who died in April, prompting its return to auction.

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article news schedule Dec 8, 2025 visibility 6 link 2 artists, 1 gallery

what was stolen louvre crown jewels photos 1234757886

Thieves broke into the Louvre Museum in Paris and stole several pieces of the French Crown Jewels from the Galerie d'Apollon, including a diadem, necklace, earrings, and brooches from the parures of Queen Marie-Amélie, Queen Hortense, Empress Marie-Louise, and Empress Eugénie. Two items—the reliquary brooch and the corsage bow—were dropped and recovered, and a ninth item, Empress Eugénie's crown, was also taken but later recovered. The thieves triggered alarms and fled after a fast, violent break-in, leaving behind a cherry picker; no injuries were reported.

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article news schedule Oct 20, 2025 visibility 3 link 3 artists, 1 gallery

Louvre heist sparks cross-party ire amid reports of ‘persistent delays’ to security updates

Two masked thieves stole ten pieces of 19th-century royal and imperial jewelry from the Louvre in Paris on 19 October, using a goods lift and grinders to break into the Apollo Gallery. They escaped on scooters after seven minutes, leaving behind a broken crown and tools, while an employee prevented a fire. The stolen items include a diamond brooch and diadem belonging to Empress Eugénie, and a royal emerald necklace.

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gavel restitution schedule Feb 17, 2026 visibility 4 link 1 artist

australian police arrest thief egyptian artifacts heist 1234773601

Police in Queensland, Australia, arrested a 52-year-old man suspected of stealing ancient Egyptian artifacts from the Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology in Caboolture. The suspect was apprehended on Russell Island after police found part of the stolen haul, including a 2,600-year-old wooden cat figure, a 3,300-year-old necklace, and a mummy mask, in a camper van at a ferry terminal. The items were recovered and returned to the museum within two days of the brazen break-in.

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article news schedule Oct 23, 2025 visibility 2 link 1 artist

french culture ministry admits stolen louvre jewels valued at 102 m are not insured 1234758527

Masked thieves stole jewels once belonging to Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie from the Louvre in a daylight smash-and-grab, using a furniture lift to access the first floor and cutting into display cases. The stolen items, including a diamond-encrusted brooch, diadems, necklaces, and the empress's crown (which was dropped during the escape), are valued at $102 million. French officials have admitted the loot is not privately insured, meaning the state will not be reimbursed if the items are not recovered. Louvre director Laurence des Cars blamed a "terrible failure" in security, offered her resignation (which was refused), and acknowledged staff did not detect the thieves soon enough.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jan 20, 2026 visibility 6 link 5 artists

Self-portraits, Surrealism and sanitary pads: what to expect from Tate Modern's Frida Kahlo show

Tate Modern has announced details for its upcoming blockbuster exhibition "Frida: the Making of an Icon" (25 June–3 January 2027), featuring more than 30 works by Frida Kahlo alongside photographs and personal artefacts. Co-curator Tobias Ostrander revealed that the show highlights Kahlo's impact on women artists across Mexico, the Americas, and Europe from 1970 to today, including highly personal works reflecting her suffering after a miscarriage and her complex relationship with the United States. The exhibition includes paintings such as "My Dress Hangs There" (1933-38), "Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird" (1940), and "The Frame" (1938), and examines Kahlo's links to Surrealism following her 1939 Paris exhibition. The show also features portraits of contemporary artists who have imitated Kahlo, such as Tracey Emin and Yasumasa Morimura, and a final section on "Fridamania" exploring how her image dominates popular culture on toys, dolls, and even branded sanitary pads by Saba.

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museum exhibitions schedule Oct 2, 2025 visibility 3 link 5 artists

New Frida Kahlo museum, focused on the artist's youth and family life, opens in Mexico City

Museo Casa Kahlo, a new museum dedicated to Frida Kahlo's youth and family life, opened on 27 September in Mexico City's Coyoacán neighborhood, a five-minute walk from the famous Casa Azul. Housed in the historic Kahlo family home acquired in 1930 and later owned by Frida's sister Cristina, the museum was created after over ten years of effort by descendants, led by Mara de Anda Romeo, Cristina's great-granddaughter. The collection draws from the private archive of Isolda Kahlo (Cristina's daughter), featuring letters, personal objects, pre-Hispanic necklaces, traditional dresses, and a few artworks including the early painting *Tray of Poppies* and Frida's only known mixed-media mural (c. 1949), which was uncovered during restoration. The museum emphasizes intimate domestic spaces, audiovisual elements, and the influence of Frida's father Guillermo and the women in her family.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jan 29, 2026 visibility 2 link 4 artists

Sharif Bey's “Autoethnography” to open at Alfred Ceramic Art Museum

The Alfred Ceramic Art Museum will present "Autoethnography," a solo exhibition by artist Sharif Bey, from February 12 to July 19. The show features a comprehensive range of Bey's work, from functional pottery to figurative sculptures, shields, and large-scale necklaces, tracing the evolution of his practice.

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article news schedule Nov 4, 2025 visibility 3 link 2 artists

A rare jewellery box identified in Vermeer paintings sheds new light on the artist’s connections

New research by curator Alexandra van Dongen of Rotterdam’s Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum reveals that a rare Indo-Portuguese jewellery casket depicted in two Johannes Vermeer paintings—Mistress and Maid and A Lady Writing (both 1664-67)—is a real, surviving object. Van Dongen tracked down the sole known example in the Távora Sequeira Pinto collection in Porto, with help from Amsterdam dealer Dickie Zebregs. Her findings, published in the book De tastbare wereld van Johannes Vermeer, suggest the casket likely belonged to Vermeer’s patron Maria de Knuijt, a wealthy Dutch East India Company shareholder who may have asked the artist to include it in her paintings.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 25, 2025 visibility 2 link 1 gallery

rare royal blue sapphire necklace sells christies hong kong 1234763538

A rare sapphire necklace known as the “Royal Blue” sold for HKD 125,450,000 ($16,131,051) at Christie’s Hong Kong on Tuesday, during the auction house’s Hong Kong Luxury Week Autumn 2025. The necklace, featuring 104.61 carats of Kashmir Royal Blue sapphires, was the highlight of the “Magnificent Jewels” sale and fell within its pre-sale estimate of HKD 100–150 million.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 16, 2026 visibility 13 link 3 artists

Want to visit Wakanda? Step inside the Walters’ new ‘Black Panther’ exhibit.

The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore is launching "Douriean Fletcher: Jewelry of the Afrofuture," an exhibition featuring the intricate metalwork and costume designs from the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Black Panther franchise. The show highlights the work of self-taught artist and metalsmith Douriean Fletcher, whose collaboration with Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth Carter helped define the visual identity of Wakanda. On display are iconic pieces such as Nakia’s gold-plated brass necklace and Queen Ramonda’s silver bodice cage, alongside new works created specifically for the museum.

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article news schedule Dec 10, 2025 visibility 2 link 1 gallery

roman medusa cameo hallstatt 2725536

A rare ancient Roman cameo relief depicting the gorgon Medusa was discovered by construction workers during excavation work for a new funicular railway in Hallstatt, Austria. The 1.5-cm banded agate piece, dated to the 2nd century C.E., was likely crafted in a northern Adriatic workshop and worn as a necklace by an elite Roman woman. It will become part of the permanent collection at Austria's Linz Castle Museum.

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trending_up market schedule Feb 13, 2026 visibility 4 link 3 artists

Christie’s to Auction 3 of Agnes Gund’s Art Jewels

Christie's will auction three significant pieces of jewelry from the collection of philanthropist and art collector Agnes Gund. The sale includes a 1969 brooch by Alexander Calder, a 1973 necklace by Anni Albers, and a 1970s bracelet by Louise Nevelson, all artists whose primary work is in other mediums. Proceeds from the sale will benefit Gund's philanthropic organization, the Art for Justice Fund.

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