Artnet News is searching for a permanent writer for its Wet Paint gossip column, with guest writers like Janelle Zara filling in temporarily. The column focuses on speculating about the identity of the anonymous Instagram account @artnotnet, which posts humorous, all-caps commentary on art world headlines, and notes the rise of art sales on platforms like Facebook Marketplace.
The art market in 2024 saw an aggregate 12% decline in sales to an estimated $57.5bn, driven by a slowdown at the ultra-premium end, according to the Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report and Artprice. However, the lower end of the market is flourishing: auction sales of works under $5,000 grew 7%, dealers with turnover under $250,000 reported a 17% increase, and sales of works under $20,000 reached record levels. Online platforms like Avant Arte, which sold $23m in print and sculpture editions (up 53% year-on-year), are key drivers, attracting younger and first-time collectors with affordable, editioned works.
The global art market saw total sales of $57.5 billion in 2024, a 12% decline year-on-year, marking the second consecutive annual drop. Transaction volumes rose 3% to about 40.5 million, driven by works under $50,000 which made up 85% of dealer sales. Sotheby's and Christie's together accounted for roughly half of global fine-art auction turnover, though both saw significant auction revenue declines. The United States led with 43% of global sales, while China's market share fell to 15%, its lowest since 2009. Online art sales grew to 18% of total value, and new buyer momentum was strong, with 44% of dealer buyers being new and 91% of high-net-worth collectors optimistic.
Pharrell Williams's auction platform Joopiter has partnered with Martha Stewart for its first contemporary art sale, titled 'The Contemporary Take,' running through May 6. The 48-lot sale features works by blue-chip artists including George Condo, Jeff Koons, and Ed Ruscha, alongside emerging names like Tschabalala Self and Toyin Ojih Odutola. Stewart personally selected six lots, highlighting pieces by Amy Sherald, Damien Hirst, Ai Weiwei, Louise Bourgeois, Roy Lichtenstein, and Alex Katz. Estimates range from $4,000 to $1.2 million, and early bidding has been active, with works by Amy Sherald and Roy Lichtenstein drawing significant attention.
The contemporary art market in 2025 is experiencing a paradox: traditional indicators show cooling, but online sales are booming and attracting new, younger collectors. According to the Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report 2025, online sales now account for 22% of dealer transactions, with 46% of online sales in 2024 going to first-time buyers—up from 35% the previous year. High-net-worth individuals increasingly prefer purchasing through digital channels like dealer websites or Instagram, and established collectors are also buying sight unseen. This shift is driven by greater access to authenticated limited editions and prints by blue-chip artists such as Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Banksy, David Hockney, and Damien Hirst, offered by galleries like Calder Contemporary in London with transparent pricing and provenance.
Investment group Beowolff Capital has announced a voluntary takeover offer for Artnet, valuing the company at approximately €65 million ($73.7 million). Beowolff Capital, a U.K.-registered firm led by CEO Andrew Wolff, has already secured 65% of Artnet's shares and plans to delist the company from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The deal includes the purchase of a 29.99% stake from Weng Fine Art AG, ending a long-running control struggle. Artnet's management supports the offer, which is expected to close on May 30, 2025.
Brazilian artist Vânia Quintão is offering her 2023 painting "Cold Afternoon" for sale through Inn Gallery. The acrylic-on-canvas work, sized 70 × 100 cm, depicts a suspended, cool-toned landscape under a diffuse blue sky. Quintão, a self-described cultural producer and fundraiser based in Belo Horizonte, has exhibited internationally including at the Louvre Museum in Paris and won prizes at The Holly Art Exhibition (London) and Art Connects Women (Dubai). The work is hand-signed, includes a certificate of authenticity, and is priced at US$1,500.
Artnet and Artsy, both acquired in 2025 by British fund Beowolff Capital, are beginning their integration under a shared management structure while maintaining separate brands and websites. The reorganization has already involved job cuts and aims to more closely align market data, online visibility, and transactions amid a fragile online art sales environment.
Chinese artist Shaohua Nong (b. 1960, Linfen, Shanxi) is offering an original oil on canvas titled "Twain II" (2015) for sale at US$1,300 through the gallery Sojourner in New York. The 25 × 37 inch painting is hand-signed, includes a certificate of authenticity, and is listed on Artsy with a money-back and authenticity guarantee. Nong, a member of the Shanxi Branch of Chinese Artists Association, has exhibited widely in China and internationally, including at Hong Kong ART CENTRAL Art Fair, Shangshang Art Museum in Beijing, and the Nanjing International Art Exhibition.