Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule Sep 5, 2025 visibility 27 link 36 artists, 11 galleries

armory show vip day sales report

The Armory Show's VIP preview day on Thursday saw long queues and a cautiously upbeat mood at the Javits Center, despite a shaky art market marked by gallery closures and fair cancellations. Dealers reported serious interest and solid sales, including a $1 million work at Galleria Lorcan O’Neill, a Kehinde Wiley painting for $265,000 at Sean Kelly, and a Kennedy Yanko sculpture for $150,000 at James Cohan. The highest-priced work, Alex Katz's 1962 painting *October 2*, was listed at $1.2 million but remained unsold. The fair attracted major collectors like Don and Mera Rubell and institutional figures such as Thelma Golden and Scott Rothkopf, with the Presents section for emerging galleries also seeing brisk sales.

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‘Quality always rules’: VIP day sales at Frieze London 2025

Frieze London 2025 opened with VIP day sales reflecting a cautious but resilient market. Gallerists reported solid sales, including Michael Landy's 'Multi-Saint' (2013) sold to the Walker Art Gallery for €125,000, and blue-chip works at Frieze Masters such as René Magritte's 'Le domaine enchanté' (1953) for $1.6m and Gabriele Münter's 'The Blue Garden' (1909) for SFr2.4m ($3m). Dealers noted a shift from speculative frenzy to more considered buying, with collectors taking longer to decide but still investing in quality works. The fair saw strong attendance, including wealthy individuals who had left London due to UK tax changes returning to buy.