A surge of gallery exhibitions in New York this January focuses on deceased artists and estates, including shows for Marcia Marcus at Olney Gleason, Hung Liu at Ryan Lee, and Lynn Geesaman at Yancey Richardson. This trend reflects a broader shift toward historical reappraisals, with young dealers increasingly taking on artist estates and museums doubling their share of solo shows for dead artists from 18% in 2019 to nearly 50% in 2025.
This matters because it signals a lasting transformation in how the art world values and presents historical figures, challenging the traditional canon and creating new market opportunities for estates. The concentration of such shows in January could establish the month as a dedicated season for artist reappraisals, similar to summer's focus on contemporary group exhibitions, reshaping gallery calendars and collector behavior.