A series of significant developments occurred across the global art industry this week. Expo Chicago announced a scaled-back edition under new director Kate Sierzputowski, while the Outsider Art Fair revealed its exhibitor list. A long-lost Renaissance portrait by Sofonisba Anguissola resurfaced at the Winter Show. Christie's will sell the collection of the late MoMA trustee Barbara Jakobson, featuring works by Jeff Koons and others. Bonhams made a key hire, and Sotheby's priced a major art-backed securitization. In gallery news, Alissa Friedman returned to Salon 94, Mary Cork joined Lehmann Maupin London, and several artists gained new representation, while New York's Francis Irv gallery announced its closure.
These events highlight pivotal market and institutional shifts. The planned sale of Barbara Jakobson's collection is a major market event, reflecting the movement of major works from a noted collector. Sotheby's securitization deal signals the increasing financialization of art as an asset class. Simultaneously, the strike by 200 Spanish dealers protesting a high sales tax underscores the regulatory pressures facing regional art markets, potentially impacting the upcoming ARCO Madrid fair. Leadership appointments at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and the Smithsonian's restitution of artifacts to India point to ongoing evolution in museum governance and ethical practices.