This week's art news is dominated by the opening of Art Basel 2025, where dealers reported a strong start with numerous six-figure sales, including a David Hockney painting at Annely Juda Fine Art for $13–17 million and a $9.5 million Ruth Asawa sculpture at David Zwirner. Other major developments include the Museum of Modern Art announcing a major Marcel Duchamp survey for 2026, the reopening of a historic Paris building (temporary home for Centre Pompidou) after a £395 million rebuild, and the Studio Museum in Harlem receiving a significant gift from Vancouver real estate magnate Bob Rennie. The article also covers gallery representation changes, awards, and the passing of sculptor Joel Shapiro and businessman/art patron Leonard Lauder.
These developments matter because they signal robust health in the high-end art market, with Art Basel serving as a bellwether for global sales. The MoMA Duchamp survey will be the first in the U.S. in 50 years, potentially reshaping scholarship on the artist. The Studio Museum's gift and expansion underscore continued investment in institutions focused on artists of African descent. The deaths of Shapiro and Lauder mark the end of significant eras in American sculpture and arts philanthropy, respectively, while new prizes and gallery representations highlight emerging talent and shifting market dynamics.