Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule May 14, 2026 visibility 67 link 8 artists, 4 galleries

The Most Expensive Works by Mark Rothko Sold at Auction

Mark Rothko's paintings continue to command top prices at auction, with a list of his most expensive works updated in May 2026. The article details sales including 'Orange, Red, Yellow' (1956), 'Untitled' (1952) for $66.2 million, 'White center (Yellow, pink and lavender on rose)' (1950) for $72.8 million, 'No. 1 (Royal Red and Blue)' (1954) for $75 million, and 'No. 10' (1958) for $81.9 million. It also notes that in May 2026, Rothko's 'Brown and Blacks in Reds' (1957) sold for $85.8 million at Sotheby's from dealer Robert Mnuchin's collection, narrowly missing the artist's record.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 11, 2026 visibility 19 link 112 artists, 20 galleries

Independent 20th Century Announces Details of 2026 Fair at the Breuer Building

Independent 20th Century has announced details for its fifth edition, taking place from September 24–27, 2026, at the Breuer Building in New York, now home to Sotheby's global headquarters. The fair will feature 56 exhibitors and over 130 artists, making it the largest iteration yet, with a focus on diversifying the 20th-century art canon. Participants include Luxembourg + Co., Mariane Ibrahim, and Berry Campbell, the latter presenting a show titled “The Women of Stable Gallery.” The fair will also host live performances and events, and its new location is part of a multi-year partnership between Sotheby's and Independent announced in 2025.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 13, 2026 link 4 artists, 3 galleries

Almine Rech Now Represents Famed Surrealist Leonora Carrington

Almine Rech gallery has become the exclusive partner of the Consejo Leonora Carrington in France, representing the estate of the famed Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington. The partnership will debut with a bronze sculpture cast from a life model Carrington created in 2010 at Art Basel in June, followed by a solo exhibition at the gallery’s Paris Turenne location in September. The exhibition, organized with the Consejo Leonora Carrington (founded by Carrington’s son, Pablo Weisz Carrington) and the art advisory firm Rossogranada, will feature paintings, drawings, sculptures, tapestries, and writings.

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article culture schedule Jun 12, 2026 visibility 14 link 27 artists, 1 gallery

‘I think about him every time I go swimming’: David Hockney remembered by Rachel Whiteread, Jeremy Deller and more

The Guardian publishes a tribute to David Hockney, featuring personal reminiscences from artists Rachel Whiteread, Jeremy Deller, and Tacita Dean. Whiteread recalls first seeing Hockney on TV in the 1970s and marvels at his swimming pool paintings, which she thinks about every time she swims. Deller describes Hockney as a great role model who humanized technology, recounting how Hockney designed a banner for a Manchester procession that angered an anti-smoking councillor. Dean shares a story of meeting Hockney in 2014, where he spontaneously painted her son Rufus, coining the family motto "Inspiration, she does not visit the lazy."

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person people schedule Jun 12, 2026 visibility 12 link 5 artists, 1 gallery

Francesca Casadio Named Director of Getty Conservation Institute, GRIMM Opens Amsterdam Space, and More: Industry Moves for June 12, 2026

This week's art industry moves include Francesca Casadio's appointment as director of the Getty Conservation Institute, effective fall 2026. Casadio, currently vice president and Grainger Executive Director of Conservation and Science at the Art Institute of Chicago, will lead the GCI. GRIMM gallery celebrates its 20th anniversary by opening a new Amsterdam space in a 17th-century canal building and launching an artist residency at Château Val Croissant in Provence. Steven Nelson has been named inaugural executive director of the Sam Gilliam Foundation, moving from the National Gallery of Art. Additionally, Elif Saydam won the Tiemann Prize for Contemporary Painting, and two Claude Monet works—Nymphéas (1907) and Camille assise sur la plage à Trouville (1870–71)—are estimated at a combined $67 million ahead of Sotheby's London sale.

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candle obituary schedule Jun 12, 2026 visibility 8 link 24 artists, 1 gallery

David Hockney obituary

David Hockney, the celebrated British artist known for his vibrant paintings of Los Angeles swimming pools and his distinctive use of acrylic paint, has died at the age of 88. The obituary traces his career from his early days at the Royal College of Art, where he was influenced by RB Kitaj, to his move to California in the 1960s, where he created iconic works such as "A Bigger Splash" (1967) and "Peter Getting Out of Nick's Pool" (1966). It highlights his fascination with the artificiality of Los Angeles and his technical shift to acrylics, which allowed for brighter colors and a flat surface texture ideal for depicting chlorinated pools.

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person people schedule Jun 12, 2026 visibility 15 link 18 artists, 7 galleries

Mickalene Thomas, Known for Her Glittering Depictions of Black Women, Joins Jack Shainman Gallery

Mickalene Thomas, the artist celebrated for her glittering, rhinestone-adorned portraits of Black women, has joined New York’s Jack Shainman Gallery. She will have a solo exhibition at the gallery in January 2028 while maintaining existing representation with Yancey Richardson (New York), Galerie Nathalie Obadia (Paris), and Baldwin Gallery (Aspen). Thomas, who earned her MFA from Yale in 2002, works across painting, photography, collage, video, and installation, drawing on art history, popular culture, and African textiles. Her work is held by major institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum, and her touring exhibition “Mickalene Thomas: All About Love” opened at the Broad in 2024.

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candle obituary schedule Jun 12, 2026 visibility 10 link 11 artists, 1 gallery

David Hockney, Revolutionary and Beloved Painter, Dies at 88

David Hockney, the revolutionary British painter known for his vivid swimming pool scenes, portraits, and relentless experimentation across media, died on Thursday in London at age 88. His publicist Erica Bolton confirmed the news. Hockney worked until the end, leaving behind a seven-decade career that spanned acrylics, watercolors, photo collages, iPad drawings, and immersive installations, with major retrospectives at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (2024) and a current show at Serpentine North in London.

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candle obituary schedule Jun 11, 2026 visibility 14 link 9 artists, 1 gallery

Duane Michals, Maker of Enigmatic Sequences of Images That Defied Photography’s Conventions, Dies at 94

Duane Michals, the influential American photographer known for his sequential, narrative-driven images that challenged traditional photography, died on June 9 at age 94 in a Manhattan hospital. His death was confirmed by DC Moore Gallery, which represented him since 2013. Michals pioneered the use of multi-image sequences—often five to nine photographs—to tell enigmatic, often surreal stories, with works like "Death Comes to the Old Lady" (1969) and "Things Are Queer" (1973) exploring themes of mortality, time, and perception. He frequently hand-wrote titles on his prints, a practice born from his lack of formal photography training.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 8, 2026 visibility 42 link 8 artists, 1 gallery

Legacy dealer Marianne Rosenberg unearths family archive for New York show

Marianne Rosenberg, an Upper East Side dealer and descendant of the storied Rosenberg gallery dynasty, has opened a new exhibition titled "Giacomo Manzù: The Artist and his Dealer" at her gallery Rosenberg & Co., running until 27 June. The show features sculptures, works on paper, and archival letters that explore the decades-long relationship between Italian sculptor Giacomo Manzù and her father, Alexandre P. Rosenberg, who represented Manzù until his death in 1987. Marianne, who left a career in international aviation finance law to open her gallery in 2015, continues her family's focus on Impressionist and Modern art while also working with contemporary artists and pursuing restitution of artworks looted by the Nazis during World War II.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 4, 2026 visibility 73 link 16 artists, 9 galleries

London Gallery Weekend 2026: our critics pick their top shows

London Gallery Weekend returns for its sixth edition with over 120 participating galleries and more than 80 public events. Despite recent gallery closures like Stephen Friedman Gallery, the festival highlights expansions by major dealers such as Sadie Coles, Modern Art, and Maureen Paley, along with newcomers like Sundaram Tagore Gallery and Pale Horse. Critics pick top shows across the city, including Freya Tewelde's abstract paintings at Gallery 1957, Savannah Harris's café-gallery hybrid at Harlesden High Street, and Ravelle Pillay's archival works at Goodman Gallery.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 2, 2026 visibility 68 link 214 artists, 1 gallery

What Will Art Basel’s No-Preview-Allowed ‘Basel Exclusive’ Initiative Offer?

Art Basel has announced the list of artists participating in its new "Basel Exclusive" initiative at its flagship Swiss fair, which opens to VIPs on June 16. The program asks exhibitors in the main Galleries sector to hold back at least one standout work from digital previews, keeping them secret until the fair opens. Over 190 of the roughly 240 galleries opted in, featuring blue-chip names like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Bridget Riley, Lucio Fontana, and Joan Mitchell, alongside emerging artists such as Frieda Toranzo Jaeger and Maia Ruth Lee. The initiative aims to restore the excitement of in-person discovery, countering the rise of digital transactions that became common during the pandemic.

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article news schedule Jun 1, 2026 visibility 69 link 14 artists, 6 galleries

Pioneering Kinetic Artist Julio Le Parc Dies Aged 97—and More Art Industry News

Argentine kinetic and optical art pioneer Julio Le Parc has died at age 97. In other art industry news, François-Henri Pinault has been appointed board chairman of Christie's; Art Basel Paris returns to the Grand Palais for its fifth edition under new director Karim Crippa; Tiwani Contemporary has permanently closed its London gallery; Gehry Partners will design a major renovation of the Getty Center; and the estate of Ansel Adams has spoken out against an unauthorized AI-colorized version of his photograph. The weekly roundup also covers auction highlights, including a T. rex fossil expected to fetch up to $30 million at Sotheby's, and the launch of new art fairs and residency programs.

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trending_up market schedule May 29, 2026 visibility 52 link 10 artists, 1 gallery

Seminal Lucian Freud Painting Comes to Auction for the First Time

Sotheby's will auction Lucian Freud's monumental painting *Sleeping by the Lion Carpet* (1995–96) for the first time this June in London, as part of the Joe Lewis collection sale. The work, depicting sitter Sue Tilley, carries an estimate of £25–35 million ($34–47 million) and is the last of four canvases from Freud's "Benefits Supervisor" series. The 51-lot collection, which also includes works by Gustav Klimt, Amedeo Modigliani, and Francis Bacon, is expected to exceed £150 million ($202 million) in total.

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candle obituary schedule May 29, 2026 visibility 51 link 11 artists, 2 galleries

Alan Saret, Post-Minimal Sculptor of Spiritual Forms, Dies at 81

Alan Saret, the spiritually ambitious Post-Minimalist sculptor known for his ethereal wire sculptures and 'Gang Drawings,' has died at age 81. Born on Christmas Day 1944 in New York City, Saret studied architecture at Cornell University under Paolo Soleri and later studied art at Hunter College under Robert Morris. He debuted at SoHo's Bykert Gallery in 1967, participated in landmark exhibitions including Morris's '9 in a Warehouse' and 'Live in Your Head: When Attitudes Become Form,' and won a Guggenheim fellowship in 1969. After a period of obscurity, a 2007 Drawing Center exhibition reintroduced his work to a new generation. His gallery, Karma, confirmed his death, noting his pursuit of 'ensoulment' through art informed by spirituality, mathematics, nature, and the built environment.

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article news schedule May 29, 2026 visibility 58 link 7 artists, 1 gallery

Smithsonian Women’s Museum chaos, Oliver Beer and Rufus Wainwright, Jasper Johns in Bilbao—podcast

This episode of The Art Newspaper's podcast 'The Week in Art' covers three main stories. Host Ben Luke discusses the US House of Representatives striking down a bill to build the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum on the National Mall, a setback amid broader government interference at the Smithsonian under President Trump. He also interviews artist Oliver Beer and musician Rufus Wainwright about their collaboration for Beer's exhibition 'The Sky in the Cave' at Thaddaeus Ropac during London Gallery Weekend, and examines Jasper Johns's painting 'Painting with Two Balls' (1960), featured in the retrospective 'Night Driver' at the Guggenheim Bilbao.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 28, 2026 visibility 47 link 4 artists, 1 gallery

Rediscovered Leonora Carrington painting to go on show for the first time at London's Freud Museum

A newly discovered painting by Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington, titled *Villa Pilar* (1940), will be exhibited for the first time at the Freud Museum in London starting July 1. The work was created while Carrington was hospitalized at the Morales sanatorium in Santander, Spain, following the arrest of her partner Max Ernst and her subsequent psychological breakdown. The painting, given to her psychiatrist Luis Morales upon her departure, depicts the hospital as an underworld of hybrid creatures. It will be shown alongside its companion piece *Down Below* in the exhibition *Leonora Carrington: The Symptomatic Surreal*, which has been extended through August 10.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 28, 2026 visibility 60 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

Lost Leonora Carrington Painting Emerges After More Than 80 Years

A long-lost painting by Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington, titled *Villa Pilar* (1940), has been rediscovered in Spain with the family of her former psychiatrist, Luis Morales. The work was created during Carrington's six-month stay at Morales's Peña Castillo sanatorium in Santander, where she was treated after escaping Nazi-occupied France. The painting will debut publicly at the Freud Museum in London as part of the exhibition “Leonora Carrington: The Symptomatic Surreal,” curated by Vanessa Boni, which gathers artworks from that period. The Morales family still owns the painting but is lending it to the show, which runs from July 1 to August 10, before the work travels to the Faro Santander art center in September.

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article news schedule May 22, 2026 visibility 49 link 4 artists, 2 galleries

Elle Pérez Envisions New Residency Built on Family Legacy

Artist Elle Pérez is raising $100,000 to buy out relatives from a family home in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, that has been in their family since the 1920s, with the goal of transforming it into an artist residency called Casa Pérez. To fund the project, Pérez is selling a portfolio of chromogenic studio prints for $1,795 each, produced in collaboration with the cultural office Public Relations. The artist’s work, known for intimate portraits and scenes of underground music, has been featured in the Whitney Biennial and solo exhibitions at the Baltimore Museum of Art and Carnegie Museum of Art.

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trending_up market schedule May 19, 2026 visibility 44 link 7 artists, 2 galleries

15 Van Gogh Masterpieces that Set Auction Records

ARTnews published a listicle on May 19, 2026, detailing 15 Van Gogh masterpieces that set auction records, from *Landscape with Rising Sun* (1985) to *Portrait of Dr. Gachet* (1990). The article recounts landmark sales including *Sunflowers* ($39.9 million in 1987), *Irises* ($53.9 million in 1987), and *Portrait of Dr. Gachet* ($82.5 million in 1990), highlighting the buyers, provenance, and institutional homes such as the Sompo Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum.

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trending_up market schedule May 18, 2026 visibility 58 link 9 artists, 3 galleries

Mark Rothko Painting Agnes Gund Hung in Her Living Room Sells for $98 M., Setting a Record

A Mark Rothko painting, *No. 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe)* (1964), formerly owned by prominent art patron and Museum of Modern Art president emerita Agnes Gund, sold at Christie’s on Monday night for $98.4 million (including fees). The work, which Gund purchased directly from Rothko in 1967 and kept in her living room until her death last September, received about a dozen bids before hammering at $85 million to a buyer represented by Christie’s specialist Rachael White Young. The sale broke Rothko’s previous auction record of $86.9 million set in 2012 for *Orange, Red, Yellow* (1961), also at Christie’s New York.

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person people schedule May 18, 2026 visibility 39 link 6 artists, 3 galleries

‘The story can be almost as important as the piece itself’: philanthropist Christian Levett on his approach to collecting

Philanthropist and collector Christian Levett, who opened the Mougins Museum of Classical Art in 2011 in southern France, closed that institution in 2023 and replaced it with Female Artists of the Mougins Museum, reflecting his growing focus on abstraction by women artists. Levett, a former investment manager, now owns around 1,700 works spanning antiquity to contemporary art, with significant holdings in post-war American art, African cutting-edge works, and the Zero movement. He recently bought Françoise Gilot's 1942 painting 'Geneviève Pensive' privately through Christie's and will speak at Tefaf Talks in New York on a panel titled 'Collecting with a Mission for Public Access.'

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article policy schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 48 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

Borghese Gallery Faces Pushback Over New Building Plan

The Borghese Gallery in Rome has proposed building an adjacent facility to expand its exhibition space and increase visitor capacity beyond the current limit of 360 people per two-hour slot. The museum, which welcomed over 630,000 visitors in 2025, argues the expansion is needed to display works long held in storage. A press conference is scheduled for May 19 to provide further details.

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trending_up market schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 59 link 27 artists, 3 galleries

Robert Mnuchin's $85.7m Rothko leads Sotheby's $407.5m auction in New York

Sotheby's evening auction in New York on May 13, 2025, realized $407.5 million ($433.1m with fees), led by Mark Rothko's "Brown and Blacks in Reds" (1957) from the collection of the late dealer Robert Mnuchin, which sold for $74m ($85.7m with fees). The sale opened with all eleven lots from Mnuchin's collection achieving a 'white glove' result, totaling $140.7m ($166.3m with fees), and continued with a mixed-vendor contemporary section that added $223m ($266.8m with fees), setting four new artist records.

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candle obituary schedule May 14, 2026 visibility 54 link 6 artists, 3 galleries

Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Painter Who Defied the Bounds of Abstraction, Dies at 84

Mary Lovelace O’Neal, the American painter known for her large-scale abstract works that defied easy categorization, died in Mérida, Mexico, on May 10 at age 84. Her death was confirmed by her galleries, Jenkins Johnson and Marianne Boesky, on May 13. Active in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, O’Neal developed a distinctive practice that blended Minimalism, Abstract Expressionism, and figurative elements, most notably through her Lampblack series and later the "Whales Fucking" series. Her work gained renewed attention in the 21st century, with exhibitions at Mnuchin Gallery and the Museum of the African Diaspora, and her painting *Blue Whale a.k.a. #12* (1983) was selected for the 2024 Whitney Biennial.

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candle obituary schedule Jun 12, 2026 visibility 12 link 8 artists, 1 gallery

David Hockney, Master Painter of Modern Life, Dead at 88

British painter David Hockney, renowned for his vibrant depictions of 1960s and ’70s Los Angeles life, died in London on June 11 at age 88. His publicist Erica Bolton announced his death. Hockney rose to prominence in the 1960s by reviving figurative painting and the human form amid the era's abstraction, later embracing digital tools like the iPad and immersive art. His career included iconic works such as *A Bigger Splash* (1967) and *Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)* (1972), and he consistently depicted queer life, openly challenging censorship before homosexuality was decriminalized in England.

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person people schedule May 22, 2026 source 3 sources visibility 47 link 2 artists, 1 gallery

Wolfgang Tillmans wins 2026 Roswitha Haftmann Prize

Wolfgang Tillmans has been awarded the 2026 Roswitha Haftmann Prize, worth CHF 150,000. The German photographer, based between London and Berlin, rose to prominence in the 1990s with intimate portraits of the European club scene and LGBTQIA+ community. Over nearly four decades, his practice has expanded to include still life and landscape photography, while maintaining a focus on social critique and the materiality of images. He has also been active in democracy promotion, launching an anti-Brexit campaign in 2016, encouraging voting in German and European elections, and founding the Between Bridges foundation in 2017 to support arts, LGBTQIA+ rights, and anti-racism work. The award ceremony will take place on 17 September at the Kunsthaus Zürich.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 11, 2026 visibility 16 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

Influential art world figure Joe Hage moves from the shadows to take top billing

Joe Hage, the reclusive founder of Heni art services and manager of artists including Damien Hirst, Gerhard Richter, and Peter Doig, is stepping into the public eye. He is backing a major Barbara Hepworth exhibition at London's Courtauld Gallery, titled "The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour" (12 June–6 September). The exhibition is named after Hage's law firm, Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen LLP (JHAB), an elite dispute resolution and advisory practice based in London.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 11, 2026 visibility 17 link 28 artists, 61 galleries

Frieze Lines Up Nearly 300 Galleries for Its Two London Fairs in October

Frieze London and Frieze Masters will take place in Regent’s Park from October 14 to October 18, featuring nearly 300 galleries. Frieze London will host 172 exhibitors, while Frieze Masters will have 138, with eight galleries participating in both, including Hauser & Wirth, Hales, and Alison Jacques. The fairs will include curated sections such as the new “The Code Universe,” organized by Carol Yinghua Lu, and the Artist-to-Artist and Focus sections, alongside blue-chip and emerging galleries.

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article culture schedule Jun 8, 2026 visibility 42 link 15 artists, 1 gallery

‘I make casts of their feet!’ Rachel Whiteread, Michael Armitage and more on how they get their kids into art

Five artist parents—Rachel Whiteread, Michael Armitage, Chantal Joffe, and Rachel Maclean—share their personal approaches to introducing young children to art. Whiteread describes letting her boys play in her studio and casting their hands and feet for fun; Armitage lets his daughter lead, using his materials in unexpected ways; Joffe emphasizes good materials and allowing mess; Maclean prefers making art at home over museum visits. The article includes practical tips and photographs of children interacting with artworks.

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