Vasari Art Codex

trending_up market schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 24 link 17 artists, 1 gallery

Picasso Painting That Cost S. I. Newhouse a MoMA Board Position Heads to Christie’s for $55 M.

Christie’s New York will auction 16 masterpieces from the collection of late Condé Nast magnate S. I. Newhouse on May 18, with an estimated total of $450 million. The highlight is Pablo Picasso’s Cubist painting *Homme à la guitare* (1913), estimated at $35–55 million, which Newhouse acquired in 2000 for $10 million after MoMA sold it from its collection. Newhouse, then a MoMA board member, violated museum policy by buying the work and subsequently resigned from the board.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 7 link 1 artist, 2 galleries

jeffrey epstein emails leon black picasso gagosian 1234761921

Newly released emails from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein reveal that he discussed a plan by billionaire art collector Leon Black to purchase a Picasso painting from Gagosian gallery for $100 million. In a 2015 email to Melanie Spinella, a representative for Black, Epstein questioned the lack of a written contract for the overseas transfer, calling it 'fishy.' The emails also show Epstein advising Black on broader art purchasing strategies, including assigning agreements to family members, and offering opinions on Artspace, the online art marketplace acquired by Black's publishing house Phaidon.

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article news schedule Oct 27, 2025 visibility 7 link 9 artists, 1 gallery

german police bust forgery ring rembrandt picasso 1234759011

German police have dismantled an international forgery ring attempting to sell fake artworks attributed to masters including Rembrandt, Pablo Picasso, and Frida Kahlo. The suspected ringleader, a 77-year-old German man from Bavaria, was arrested after trying to sell two counterfeit Picasso paintings, one a portrait of Dora Maar. Investigators, who code-named the operation “Dora Maar,” conducted raids across Germany, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, seizing 19 fake works with asking prices ranging from $460,000 to $16 million. A 74-year-old accomplice is accused of producing forged expert reports to authenticate the fakes.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jun 20, 2025 visibility 6 link 5 artists, 2 galleries

climate activist hurls pink paint at picasso painting at montreal museum 1234745777

On Thursday, an environmental activist from the group Last Generation Canada hurled bright pink paint at Pablo Picasso's 1901 painting *L’hetaire* at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The protester, identified as 21-year-old Marcel, was arrested and later released pending a court appearance; two accomplices who filmed the act were detained and released without charge. The group cited the record-breaking heat wave in Winnipeg and Manitoba as a motivation, arguing that art is meaningless on a dead planet.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 17, 2025 visibility 10 link 42 artists, 9 galleries

Cause for cheer at Art Basel as strong preview-day sales take many galleries by surprise

Major international galleries reported unexpectedly strong sales on the preview day of Art Basel, despite geopolitical tensions, stock market volatility, and uncertainty over US tariffs. Thaddaeus Ropac sold works by Georg Baselitz, James Rosenquist, and Robert Rauschenberg, while Gagosian, David Zwirner, Pace, and Hauser & Wirth also reported multimillion-dollar sales, including a Ruth Asawa sculpture for $9.5 million and a Pablo Picasso painting priced at $30 million. Many dealers expressed surprise at the speed and volume of sales, which defied the broader international environment.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Nov 6, 2025 visibility 5 link 7 artists, 1 gallery

va east opens with gen z in mind calls for us museums to return nazi looted artworks grow louder sothebys selling manny davidson collection morning links for november 5 2025 1234760244

The V&A East, a new museum complex in London's Olympic Park, will open on April 18, 2025, with director Gus Casely-Hayford aiming to engage Gen Z audiences. The museum spans two sites: the V&A Storehouse, which opened in May and exceeded visitor targets, and the V&A East Museum, a five-story building by Irish architects O'Donnell & Tuomey. Casely-Hayford, who felt excluded from museums as a Black British child, wants the institution to spark creative passion in young people. Separately, Gideon Taylor of the World Jewish Restitution Organization calls for US museums to return Nazi-looted artworks, highlighting the case of Paul and Alice Leffmann's Picasso painting *The Actor* (1904), now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and urging passage of the 2025 HEAR Act to remove legal barriers to restitution.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 12, 2025 visibility 7 link 31 artists, 11 galleries

Art Basel 2025: Masterpieces, new galleries, and swimming the Rhine

Art Basel 2025 will feature a large-scale public artwork by Katharina Grosse transforming Basel's Messeplatz, along with a new sector called Premiere for mid-career galleries, the inaugural Art Basel Awards, and 20 first-time exhibitors. Director Maike Cruse highlights major works on offer, including a late-career Pablo Picasso painting at Pace, a Joan Mitchell abstract at Pace, Helen Frankenthaler's 'Swan Lake I' at Yares Art, Leonora Carrington's rare triptych at Di Donna Galleries, and a Heidi Bucher latex imprint at Lehmann Maupin. The Unlimited sector will present 67 monumental works, including Martin Kippenberger's 'Transportable Subway Entrance' and daily performances by Cairo-based dance collective nasa4nasa.

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article culture schedule Dec 3, 2025 visibility 4 link 7 artists, 2 galleries

December Book Bag: from a photographic record of a lost nightclub to the tale of an accidental art heist

This article presents a roundup of four new art-related book releases for December. It covers Liz Johnson Artur's photographic monograph 'PDA' documenting a queer Black club night in London from 2011 to 2021; a survey of William Nicholson's career edited by Simon Martin, accompanying an exhibition at Pallant House Gallery; a monograph on Sandy Skoglund's surreal installations tied to a show at the McNay Art Museum; and Whit Rummel and Noah Charney's true-crime memoir 'The Accidental Picasso Thief' about a stolen Picasso painting that ended up in a forklift operator's home.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Apr 15, 2026 visibility 17 link 6 artists, 2 galleries

A Parisian Man Just Won a $1 Million Picasso Painting with a $117 Raffle Ticket

Ari Hodara, a 58-year-old engineer from Paris, has won a Pablo Picasso painting valued at approximately $1 million after purchasing a raffle ticket for just 100 euros. The artwork, a 1941 gouache-on-paper titled "Head of a Woman," depicts the artist's muse Dora Maar and was provided by Opera Gallery. The raffle sold 120,000 tickets globally, successfully raising significant funds for charity.

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trending_up market schedule Apr 13, 2026 visibility 13 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

Sotheby’s Tries Again to Sell $40 M. Picasso Painting That Didn’t Make It to Auction in 2008

Sotheby’s has announced the sale of Pablo Picasso’s 1909 Cubist masterpiece, Arlequin (Buste), which is expected to fetch approximately $40 million during the New York marquee auctions this May. The painting is the crown jewel of a collection belonging to the late Surrealist artist Enrico Donati and his wife Adele. This marks the second time Sotheby’s has attempted to sell the work; it was famously withdrawn from a 2008 auction just a week before the sale due to undisclosed private reasons.

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article news schedule Dec 10, 2025 visibility 5 link 5 artists, 2 galleries

picasso global raffle alzheimers research christies 1234766070

A charity raffle organized by France's Fondation Recherche Alzheimer offers participants the chance to win a Pablo Picasso painting valued at €1 million ($1.2 million) for a €100 ticket. The work, a 1941 gouache on paper titled *Tête de femme*, will be drawn on April 14, 2026, at Christie’s Paris. The raffle is the third of its kind involving a Picasso to support charitable causes, following previous editions in 2013 and 2020 that each raised €5 million for different organizations. The initiative was spearheaded by French TV host Péri Cochin, with the support of the artist's late son Claude Picasso.

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trending_up market schedule Sep 22, 2025 visibility 6 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

unknown pablo picasso painting dora maar for sale 1234752879

A Pablo Picasso painting of Dora Maar, titled *Bust of a Woman in a Flowery Hat (Dora Maar)*, has been consigned to the Paris auction house Lucien Paris after not being seen publicly for 80 years. Painted in 1943 and last exhibited in 1944, the work was inherited by the anonymous seller from a grandparent. It is currently on view at Hôtel Drouot and will be auctioned on October 24 with an estimate of approximately $9.5 million. Photographic evidence of the painting appears in 1944 photos by Brassaï of Picasso’s studio.

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trending_up market schedule Aug 20, 2025 visibility 4 link 1 artist, 1 gallery

sasan ghandehari lawsuit christies picasso auction guarantee 1234749641

Collector Sasan Ghandehari has filed a lawsuit against Christie’s in the High Court of England & Wales, alleging the auction house failed to disclose that a Picasso painting he guaranteed was owned by a man convicted of drug-related charges. The work, Picasso’s *Femme dans un rocking-chair* (1956), was offered in a February 2023 London evening sale with a third-party guarantee from Ghandehari’s company, Brewer Management Corporation (BMC). Ghandehari claims Christie’s told him the owner was José Mestre Jr., but the painting actually belonged to his father, José Mestre Sr., who was sentenced to nine years in prison after 202 kilos of cocaine were found on a cargo ship in 2010. The lawsuit seeks to cancel the guarantee contract and recover a £4.8 million partial payment.

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article news schedule Apr 16, 2026 visibility 18 link 5 artists, 1 gallery

French Engineer Snags $1 Million Picasso With $116 Raffle Ticket

French engineer Ari Hodara has won a 1941 Pablo Picasso painting titled 'Tête de Femme' through a charity raffle after purchasing a single €100 ticket. The draw, held at Christie’s Paris, sold 120,000 tickets globally and raised €12 million for the Alzheimer’s Research Foundation. The artwork was sourced from the Opera Gallery, which will receive approximately €1 million of the proceeds.

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trending_up market schedule Dec 26, 2025 visibility 9 link 10 artists, 2 galleries

sothebys saudi arabian auction 2026 2733794

Sotheby's will hold its second auction in Saudi Arabia on January 31, 2026, following a successful inaugural sale in Diriyah in February 2024 that netted $17.3 million. The upcoming sale, titled "Origins," features over 70 works by established Saudi Arabian and Middle Eastern artists alongside international names, with top lots including a Pablo Picasso painting estimated at $2–3 million and works by Jean Dubuffet, Roy Lichtenstein, and Andy Warhol. The auction aims to build on lessons from the first sale, which revealed strong demand across price points and generational diversity among buyers.

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trending_up market schedule Apr 15, 2026 visibility 18 link 8 artists, 2 galleries

Paris art enthusiast wins €1m Picasso painting in €100 charity raffle

Ari Hodara, a Parisian sales engineer and art enthusiast, won a 1941 Pablo Picasso portrait valued at over €1 million through a €100 charity raffle ticket. The draw, held at Christie’s in Paris, featured the painting 'Head of a Woman,' a portrait of the artist’s muse Dora Maar. The lottery successfully sold all 120,000 available tickets, raising a total of €12 million.

newspaper The Guardian open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Apr 13, 2026 visibility 12 link 3 artists, 2 galleries

€1m Picasso painting to be won for €100 in charity raffle

A charity raffle in France is offering participants the chance to win a 1941 Pablo Picasso portrait, 'Tête de Femme', for the price of a €100 ticket. The initiative aims to sell up to 120,000 tickets to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Research Foundation in Paris, with the painting's current owner, Opera Gallery, receiving €1m from the proceeds. The artwork will be displayed at Christie’s in Paris ahead of the drawing.

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museum exhibitions schedule Oct 8, 2025 visibility 8 link 9 artists, 2 galleries

The rooms where the magic happened: National Gallery of Ireland exhibition explores Picasso’s studios

The National Gallery of Ireland is opening an exhibition titled "Picasso: From the Studio" that shifts focus from the artist's famous subjects—such as weeping women and bullfighting—to the physical spaces where he created his work. Curated by Janet McLean and Joanne Snrech, the show draws heavily from the Musée Picasso in Paris and includes over 100 works, ranging from early pieces made from scraps to late paintings like *Musician* (1972). The exhibition recreates the atmosphere of key studios through paintings, film, and photographs, including iconic images by Dora Maar of Picasso painting *Guernica* (1937). The gallery owns only one Picasso painting, *Still Life with a Mandolin* (1924), which is included.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Sep 22, 2025 visibility 3 link 4 artists, 1 gallery

Picasso painting not seen in 80 years heads to auction in France

A Picasso painting unseen for over 80 years, *Buste de femme au chapeau à fleurs (Dora Maar)* (1943), will be auctioned at the Drouot salesroom in Paris on 24 October by Lucien Paris auction house. The work, depicting the artist's lover and muse Dora Maar, has been held in a private French collection since 1944 and carries an estimate of €8 million. The auction catalogue includes an authentication certificate from the Comité Picasso and notes the painting was documented in *Cahiers d’art* and photographed by Brassaï.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 18, 2025 visibility 8 link 7 artists, 6 galleries

Koons lobster snapped up amid day two sales at Art Basel

On the second day of the Art Basel VIP preview, sales continued at a slower pace. White Cube sold Michael Armitage's 2015 painting *In the garden* for $3.2 million, while Gagosian placed a large lobster sculpture by Jeff Koons for a seven-figure sum. Pace Gallery reported that a Pablo Picasso painting *Homme à la pipe assis et amour* (1969), priced at $30 million, remains on reserve, though it did sell a 1964 bronze by Louise Nevelson for $850,000. Berlin's Galeria Plan B sold an untitled 2025 Adrian Ghenie painting for €1 million, and Hauser & Wirth sold Frank Bowling's *Iceni* (1975) for $1.8 million, with Felix Gonzalez-Torres's *"Untitled" (Go-Go Dancing Platform)* (1991), priced at $16 million, placed on serious hold for an institution.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Mar 25, 2026 visibility 12 link 1 artist, 1 gallery

$4 Million Picasso painting leads sales at Art Basel Hong Kong 2026.

A 1964 painting by Pablo Picasso, 'Le peintre et son modèle,' sold for approximately $4.05 million at the VIP preview of Art Basel Hong Kong 2026. The sale, conducted by gallery BASTIAN, led a wave of early transactions across various price points and media as the fair opened its 13th edition.

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trending_up market schedule Oct 7, 2025 visibility 8 link 3 artists

whatsapp founder lawsuit young collectors old art morning links 1234755743

WhatsApp cofounder Jan Koum has filed a lawsuit against interior designer Remi Tessier, alleging a pattern of fraud including inflated prices and undisclosed commissions. One example involves a $7.8 million Picasso painting where Tessier allegedly received a $600,000 secret commission from the gallery. Separately, the National Museum of Korea faced backlash after posting a photo of its director with music executive Bang Si-hyuk, who is under criminal investigation for alleged stock fraud. The article also reports that Sotheby's has appointed Evelyn Lin as Asia chairman of modern and contemporary art, and that global auction sales of Old Masters rose 24% in the first half of 2025, with younger collectors increasingly buying old paintings.

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article news schedule Apr 15, 2026 visibility 11 link 1 artist

Paris Man Wins $1.2 Million Picasso Painting in Charity Raffle

A Parisian software salesman, Christophe Dothen, won a 1921 oil painting by Pablo Picasso titled 'Nature Morte' in a charity raffle. The raffle, which sold tickets for 100 euros each, raised over $5 million for the international charity Abridge, which provides clean water to villages in Africa.

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article news schedule Oct 10, 2025 visibility 5 link 1 artist, 4 galleries

acquavella and nahmad contemporary billionaire jan koum 1234755775

WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum has filed a lawsuit against interior designer Remi Tessier, alleging that Tessier inflated prices and misrepresented the quality and origin of luxury goods purchased on his behalf, including several artworks. Koum hired Tessier for nine projects, including residences in the US and Europe and two superyachts. The suit claims Tessier received kickbacks on art purchases, including a $7.8 million Picasso painting, and a judge has granted discovery orders against three galleries—Acquavella Galleries, Nahmad Contemporary, and Perrotin New York—to produce records and testimony. Koum intends to use the evidence to file a criminal complaint against Tessier in France.

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article news schedule Oct 27, 2025 visibility 3 link 8 artists

Forged Picasso, Rembrandt and Kahlo paintings seized by Bavarian police

Bavarian police seized forged artworks falsely attributed to Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt, Juan Miró, Amedeo Modigliani, and Frida Kahlo in coordinated raids across Germany, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein on October 15. The operation targeted a 77-year-old German man and ten suspected accomplices, who are accused of conspiring to commit fraud with art forgeries. The main suspect attempted to sell two fake Picasso paintings—including a portrait of Dora Maar—out of a car boot, prompting a buyer to alert authorities. Other seized works include a copy of Rembrandt's *The Syndics*, offered for SFr 120 million, and pieces falsely attributed to Anthony van Dyck, with prices ranging from €400,000 to €14 million.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Oct 5, 2025 source 2 sources visibility 7 link 5 artists

Christie's Hong Kong autumn sale drops 46% from last year but makes Picasso's record in Asia

Christie's 20/21st Century Autumn sale in Hong Kong on 26 September generated $72.6 million, a 46% drop from the same sale last year and roughly flat compared to its March sale. Despite the decline, a Picasso painting, *Buste de Femme* (1944), set a new Asia record at HK$196.75 million ($25.4 million) after a fierce bidding war. Other top lots included Zao Wou-ki's *17.3.63* (HK$85.2 million) and Yayoi Kusama's *Pumpkin [TWAQN]* (HK$34.66 million). The sale marked the first anniversary of Christie's Asia headquarters in the Henderson building. Sotheby's and Phillips also held autumn sales that weekend, with Sotheby's totaling HK$335.7 million and Phillips achieving HK$160 million.

newspaper The Art Newspaper Also: ARTnews open_in_new Read original