Art market

Art marketpreview

Miami Beach moves to attract sun-seeking tech community—and Art Basel hopes to cash in

The fair's chief executive Marc Spiegler says greater gallery diversity and a changing global scene have shaped this month’s event

Art marketanalysis

A swindler’s playground: why is the art market so appealing to fraudsters?

Indian antiquities dealer Monson Mavunkal is currently in custody following a string of fraud allegations, including trying to sell a walking stick he said belonged to Moses. But he is not the first con artist to target the art world

Whitney Duan was one of China's richest women, until she vanished in 2017. Now the Zeng Fanzhi painting she once owned is being auctioned in Beijing

The real-estate tycoon, a key patron of Zeng, has not been seen since she was "disappeared"—the painting, Prayer, is now described by Poly auctions as "entrusted by an important institution"

'Jack found a rocking chair for me and we talked about his baby ducks for 45 minutes': rising sculptor Rose B. Simpson joins Jack Shainman Gallery

The signing of the artist, who will continue to be represented by Jessica Silverman in San Francisco, comes at a time of increasing—and overdue—recognition of Indigenous artists within the US art world

How China's museums are cosying up to commercial galleries for big-ticket exhibitions

Dealers are eagerly filling curatorial gaps in new museums with shows for their artists, but does the market hold too much sway?

New records set for Arthur Dove and Paul Cadmus in latest American art sales

The specialist New York auctions at Christie's and Sotheby's made $28.9m and $14.2m respectively

Frieze appoints Christine Messineo as director of US fairs

Messineo, who previously worked for Bortolami and Hannah Hoffman galleries, will head up Frieze Los Angeles and Frieze New York following the departure of Bettina Korek and Loring Randolph

Mucho mucho amor: Celebrity astrologer Walter Mercardo’s estate to be sold at Bonhams

Highlights include a platinum diamond ring and his signature white silk cape

Sotheby's to offer The Hamilton Aphrodite, an ancient Roman marble last sold 70 years ago now expected to fetch up to £3m

The larger than life-size statue was brought back from Rome by the Duke of Hamilton in the 18th century and is named after his Scottish palace

'May the image rights be with you': Artists claim Art Wars sold NFTs linked to their designs for Stormtrooper helmets without their permission

The online project was launched earlier this year by the London-based artist and curator Ben Moore, with NFTs based on his previous project which saw major artists design Stormtrooper helmets

Art dealer Daniel Blau in tussle with Italian authorities to get paid for the painting bought for Uffizi galleries

Blau purchased the self-portrait by Ottone Rosai at auction last December, but but it was subject to a compulsory purchase by the Italian state and given to the Florence museum

Podcastspodcast

Big money, new collectors: the low-down on the New York auctions

Plus, Fabergé in London and a rediscovered Dürer

Hosted by Ben Luke, Aimee Dawson and Martin Bailey. with guest speaker Anna Brady. Produced by Julia Michalska and David Clack. With Henrietta Bentall
Sponsored byChristie's

Sotheby's triple-header New York auction night notches up $234.2m with artist records for Lisa Brice, Maria Berrio and seven others

The auction house also accepted cryptocurrency on two works by Banksy and sold a rare copy of the US Constitution for $41m

Pace to launch a custom-built NFT platform

Pace Verso launches on 22 November with digital artworks from Lucas Samaras’s 'XYZ' series.

Abu Dhabianalysis

Abu Dhabi plans two new museums in addition to Guggenheim and Zayed

Announcement was made at yesterday's preview of Abu Dhabi Art 2021, where cultural leaders were keen to emphasise their commitment to the emirate following its strict lockdown

Strong prices for female painters and young artists—but Francis Bacon's Pope sells to the guarantor—at Phillips's $137.9m auction in New York

The 20th century and contemporary art evening sale saw stiff competition for works by Shara Hughes, Joan Mitchell, Amy Sherald and Cecily Brown

Lehmann Maupin gallery to move to larger space in Seoul’s Hannam-dong district, home to K-pop artists and movie stars

The US gallery is expanding its footprint in South Korea as young collectors boost a buzzing art scene

‘A reflection of the spirit of collegiality’: Nearly two-thirds of dealers opt out of Art Basel’s $1.6m solidarity fund

Those who participated benefited from a 35% reduction in booth fees during what Art Basel global director Marc Spiegler describes as a “rough year”

Frida Kahlo breaks record for a Latin American artist in Sotheby's $238m Modern art sale

While the auction's star lots included the $34.9m Kahlo and four Monets, the most aggressive bidding was on works by Alexander Calder and Pierre Soulages

Founder of Hic et Nunc pulls the plug on the leading digital art marketplace—but its half a million NFTs live on

Projects such as the Whitworth gallery’s NFT of a William Blake watercolour are now available on other platforms

UK puts temporary export ban on Tipu Sultan tiger's head—but commentators claim it was looted in the 18th century

The finial, valued at £1.5m, is one of eight golden heads that adorned the throne of the so-called Tiger of Mysore, which was broken up by British East India Company forces after his defeat in 1799

Art fairspreview

Paintings and African art to dominate at Abu Dhabi Art

Emirati art fair expects lots of US collectors as international visits to Dubai Expo give "a really good indication that people have the confidence to travel again"

Rising censorship and conservatism dampen mood at Shanghai's art fairs, but China still has 'economic firepower'

The city's two flagship fairs, Art021 and the West Bund Art & Design Fair, saw a rise in budding collectors interested in younger and more diverse artists

Macklowe collection auction brings $676.1m, the highest sale total in Sotheby’s history

Bidders from Asia snapped up the sale’s two biggest lots, trophy works by Giacometti and Rothko

New app artpass ID promises art market due diligence in one click—but does it really work?

Artpass ID has been created by Dutch tech entrepreneurs David Dehaeck and Nathalie Haveman, and has Rakhi Talwar, former global compliance head at Christie’s, on the team

Caillebotte masterpiece goes to Getty and four auction records smashed at Christie’s New York sale of Edwin Cox’s Impressionist trove

Last night's single-owner sale of the late Texan oilman's vaunted collection brought in a massive $332m

'I wanted to prove that you could take younger artists and have it work out for the gallery': exhibition opens in tribute to influential New York gallerist Martha Jackson

Show aims to draw more attention to the overlooked work of the postwar Manhattan-based art dealer whose gallery is now occupied by Hauser & Wirth