News

30 July 2025

Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim-Era Plaza Suite Sells for $18.9 Million

In 1954, construction was about to begin on the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. It had been a long journey for its architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, who spent the good part of a decade wrangling with Guggenheim over the structure's now-iconic spiral design and with city authorities over building permits. Now, with his ambitious design set to be realized, Wright decamped Wisconsin for New York, setting up an office at a suite in the Plaza Hotel. It would be his home away from home for the next five years. ... read more (external link)

30 July 2025

US Government To Auction Works By Jean-Michel Basquiat, Pablo Picasso and Diane Arbus Purchased With Funds from 1MDB Scandal

Four artworks by Pablo Picasso, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Diane Arbus surrendered to the US Department of Justice in connection with the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal are now being auctioned online by the US Marshals Service. ... read more (external link)

30 July 2025

What You Need to Know About Buying Your First Artwork

Do you want to buy an artwork, but you're unsure about where to begin? You may have a living space in mind or a vague idea of the type of work you want. Perhaps you've fallen in love with a piece at a friend's house or just saw an inspiring exhibition. ... read more (external link)

30 July 2025

Renoir's Long-Hidden Drawings Return to the Spotlight After 100 Years

More than 100 drawings, pastels, watercolors, and prints by the French painter are going on view at the Morgan Museum and Library. ... read more (external link)

02 July 2025

Historic Canaletto Masterpiece Shatters the Painter's Auction Record

Canaletto's sublime view of Venice, which once hung in the offices of Robert Walpole, the U.K.'s first prime minister, set a new auction record for the Italian painter when it sold for GBP 31.9 million ($43.9 million) at Christie's Old Masters evening sale in London on Tuesday. The final bid for the work, titled Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day, surpassed its presale estimate of GBP 20 million ($26.4 million). ... read more (external link)

02 July 2025

Billionaire Art Collector Ken Griffin Buys Lincoln's Handwritten Copy of 13th Amendment for $13.7 M.

Billionaire Kenneth C. Griffin has been revealed as the winner of last week's auction at Sotheby's for President Abraham Lincoln's handwritten copy of the 13th Amendment, the auction house said in a statement Monday. ... read more (external link)

02 July 2025

Why Is Salvador Dali's Persistence of Memory So Important?

The Persistence of Memory (La persistencia de la memoria) (1931) is a trifecta of superlatives: Surrealism's most famous painting, created by its most famous artist, featuring its most famous motif. The painter, of course, is Salvador Dali�, and his iconic rendering of melted pocket watches is instantly recognizable to nearly everyone, even those with little or no interest in art. ... read more (external link)

02 July 2025

Major Raphael Discovery Emerges From Vatican Museum Restoration

The Vatican Museums have finally unveiled the finished restoration of the stately Hall of Constantine, one of its renowned Raphael Rooms. As the monumental 10-year project draws to a close, museum officials have announced a major art-historical discovery made during the meticulous conservation process. ... read more (external link)

25 June 2025

Italy Finally Bows to Local Pressure and Slashes Art VAT to 5 Percent

On Monday, the Italian government announced it will cut the country's VAT on art sales from 22 percent the highest in the European Union to just 5 percent. The slashed rate, set to go into effect later this week, will now be the lowest in the EU. Germany and France are the closest, with 7 percent and 5.5 percent VATs on art sales, respectively. ... read more (external link)

25 June 2025

Blue-Chip Works Headline Art Basel, Where Dealers Cast Wide Range of Price Points and Styles Against Market Uncertainty

For decades, Art Basel in Switzerland was the only fair that mattered the undisputed apex of the art market calendar. But in 2025, that certainty has splintered. With a bloated and chaotic global fair circuit and new contenders arriving every year (oh, hello Art Basel Qatar), even loyalists have started to ask: is Basel still top dog? ... read more (external link)

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