Art market

Sales at Art Basel Hong Kong reflect a deepening Asian market

The region's growing institutional infrastructure is helping to counteract a diminished presence from the West

Important collection of Minimalist art could bring big results at auction

Henry S. McNeil Jr.’s collection, led by a major Judd "stack" sculpture, is expected to exceed $30m at Christie's this spring

Ten must-see works in Art Basel Hong Kong's new section

The fair’s Echoes section is dedicated to art created in the last five years

Art marketcomment

Comment | All hail the rise of the art internship

Against a backdrop of a contracting job market for graduates, initiatives such as the Sotheby’s Institute’s fellowship programme are supporting the next generation of art industry experts

Hong Kong’s contemporary art scene is blossoming in difficult times

With four new art spaces opening, cultural workers see a bright future for the city

French government blocks sale of newly discovered drawing by German Renaissance master Hans Baldung

The portrait has been deemed “a work of major historical and artistic interest“ for France’s national heritage

Gullah artist Sam Doyle’s narrative portraits shine at Outsider Art Fair in New York

His works, painted on found wood and discarded tin, illuminate culture on the remote Saint Helena Island

New Museum extension opens, NextGen collectors, a Wardian Case in Oxford – podcast

In this week's episode of The Week in Art, Ben Luke discusses the newly-enlarged New Museum, talks to Georgina Adam about her new book on the latest generation of art collectors, and hears from the curator of a new exhibition on botany at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by David. Clack and Alexander Morrison

Mexico’s culture ministry urges eBay to halt sales of pre-Hispanic artefacts

The Florida-based seller claims the listed objects were purchased legally, adding: “I suggest you research the laws”

Major collection of Indian paintings and calligraphy to be offered at Christie's

Following the success of the Aga Khan sale in October, works from the collection of Seattle-based Mary and Cheney Cowles will be sold in London in April

Art Dubai 2026 to be postponed and adapted in response to regional conflict

The fair’s 20th edition will be rescheduled to mid-May and have a “more focused and flexible format”, as Iranian strikes in the UAE show no signs of abating

Art marketcomment

Comment | Why doesn't Tefaf Maastricht move to Brussels?

The out-of-the-way Maastricht offers travel complications and inferior accommodation—but its intimate size is its advantage

US congress passes revamped Holocaust recovery bill that sidesteps many legal defences

The Hear Act of 2025, which now only needs president Trump’s signature to become law, extends and expands the reach of its 2016 predecessor

Art marketanalysis

Can Tefaf Maastricht keep up with the experience economy?

The venerable fair continues to offer a trove of historic treasures, but that might not be enough to draw in today's wealthy buyers

Art marketanalysis

The rise and fall of ‘buy-one, give-one’ art sales

A once-popular mechanism that allowed collectors to secure an in-demand work if they gifted a second to an institution, market shifts have made "bogos" less viable

Comment | Cow in MSCHF project survives, but should the project have happened at all?

The artist collective allowed buyers to decide the fate of a cow’s life (thankfully they chose a sanctuary over the slaughterhouse), but the intended awareness-raising gave way to polarising digital discourse

Art communities and heritage in Iran, moderate recovery in the art market, Sydney Biennale—podcast

Ben Luke talks to Sarvy Geranpayeh about the continuing violence in the Middle East, discusses the new Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report with its author Clare McAndrew, and speaks to our reporter in Australia, Elizabeth Fortescue, about a new installation at the Sydney Biennale.

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by David. Clack and Alexander Morrison

Tefaf Maastricht: the wish list

From a painting by a leading Australian Indigenous artist to a bejewelled book of Shakespeare poems, a Modernist beach buggy and a fine Greek marble, here are some of the works to look out for at the fair

'What does the second F in Tefaf truly stand for?'

The Maastricht show, which has been described as “a bit like the Davos of the art world”, has a unique position in the fair world—as well as being a place for selling art, the not-for-profit supports dealers and cultural NGOs

Global art sales grew 4% in 2025 but remain below pre-pandemic levels, Art Basel and UBS report finds

Political volatility and mounting operational costs weigh heavily on the trade, which ticked up to an estimated $59.6bn in 2025 after two years of decline

New rules on importing cultural artefacts create headaches at Tefaf Maastricht

Even the customs authorities responsible for enforcing the regulations seem unsure when and how they apply

Thoroughly Modern Maastricht: why Tefaf is embracing the 20th century

Despite ongoing management turmoil, there is a buzz around this year’s fair, as it welcomes more works from the past 100 years to its traditional roster

New York’s Independent fair reveals 76 exhibitors for first edition at Pier 36

The fair is foregrounding its reputation as a place to discover new galleries and artists, with nearly half of exhibitors showing at Independent for the first time

Is most art now just too expensive for most people?

As billionaires chase blue-chip trophies, a widening wealth gap leaves most would-be collectors priced out. Perhaps it is time artists focused on selling affordable prints again

Art marketfeature

The rise of the destination art fair

As collectors tire of mega-fairs and splurge on experiential travel, a new wave of boutique events seeks to draw buyers and sellers to places like Aspen, Joshua Tree, St Moritz and Mallorca

Art marketanalysis

Show me the money: UK gallery and auction house accounts reveal reality of a tough market

When the venerable Stephen Friedman gallery shut last month, it followed a number of recent closures. Financial filings of the biggest names in the art market paint a picture of collapsing profitability

Legalnews

UK presenters Ant and Dec take legal action over 'secret and unauthorised £250,000 profit' made from Banksy prints

The duo has won a court order to force an art dealer to reveal details of his transactions with an unnamed intermediary

Henry Moore and Dorothea Tanning set records at Christie's triple-header sale in London

The evening brought in £197m, a 52% increase on last year's equivalent auctions

Art marketanalysis

London art market springs back to life in Sotheby's Modern and contemporary evening sale

The packed auction totalled £131m and made a record for Leon Kossoff