NewsSotheby's
Sotheby's goes private as it is sold for $3.7bn
French-Israeli media billionaire Patrick Drahi's company BidFair USA buys firm from shareholders
BlogIn the frame
Toddler sends €50,000 sculpture flying at Art Basel
NewsArt Basel 2019
Now showing: why do art fairs neglect video art?
Collector interest in videos is rising, but the medium still struggles to find floor space
NewsArt Basel 2019
South African art fair gets reboot under a new owner
Johannesburg-based FNB Joburg fair has been bought by its former director Mandla Sibeko
CommentData
A crisis of faith: is Big Data the art world’s new religion?
The rise of Big Data means that connoisseurship is being replaced by "intel", which has far-reaching implications for the art world
InterviewCollector's Eye
Collector's Eye: Markus Hannebauer
The Berlin software entrepreneur tells us what he's bought and why he loves it
NewsArt Basel 2019
Off-floor selling boosts trade at Art Basel
Viewing rooms, appetite-whetting preview publications and digital platforms are all paying off for galleries at the fair
FeaturePaula Rego
Paula Rego: 'retire? and do what? eat ice cream?'
The Portuguese artist’s work focusing on issues such as abortion and honour killings is more relevant than ever – and curators cannot get enough
NewsArt Basel 2019
Auction prices: the elephant in the room at Art Basel
The first rule of art fairs is don't talk about auctions—but sometimes they can benefit artists and their dealers
NewsArt Basel 2019
At Art Basel, dealers are looking to reap the rewards of the Venice Biennale
It is an open secret that sales are made in Venice, but dealers at the Swiss art fair are looking to capitalise on the buzz the Biennale creates
AnalysisGerhard Richter
Buyer’s guide to...Gerhard Richter
As a major retrospective on the artist is due to open at the Met Breuer in New York next year, we look at the German artist's market
NewsArt market
Goodman Gallery will open in London to rail against 'heightened nationalist sentiment and populist politics'
South African gallery is first to be confirmed for new Cork Street redevelopment which has been empty since it was finished last year
AnalysisEthics
The only way is ethics: the art world's 'networks of undue influence'
Ethics specialist Piergiorgio Pepe claims the power in the art industry is still held in the hands of a few
NewsArt market
Gender parity in commercial galleries lags behind public sector in UK, report finds
Opinion that female artists make poorer investments has a lasting impact on the legacy of women, according to the research from Freelands Foundation
NewsNew York real estate
Artists and dealers resist the development of New York’s Chinatown
The coalition Art Against Displacement rallies against the construction of four contested luxury towers in a Manhattan Supreme Court hearing today
NewsArt market
Vancouver's art market sees influx of Chinese cash
As British Columbia clamps down on foreign real estate investment, Chinese collectors are investing in contemporary Canadian art with "no expense spared”
NewsArt market
Gagosian to go off-piste with first pop-up show during Art Basel
Continuing Abstraction show will run off-site throughout the fair, featuring artists such as Willem de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler and Theaster Gates
NewsCommercial galleries
Marlborough rebrands and expands in New York's Chelsea neighbourhood
Max Levai will head up the newly consolidated global gallery as blue-chip dealers increase their real estate footprint and stretch their family legacies
InterviewCommercial galleries
Dominique Lévy: ‘I just don’t think big is better’
She started off as an apprentice clown and did a stint as a currency trader, but it’s as a dealer in works of art in the vanguard of social change that Dominique Lévy has found her true calling
NewsAuction
Multi-million-dollar Matisse fails to find a buyer at Toronto auction
The French Modern master’s oil painting Femme assise sur un balcon was withdrawn from a Canadian sale after bidding stalled below the reserve price
PreviewArt market
Private view: must-see gallery shows opening this June
New commercial gallery shows—from notions of black culture in London to immigrant identity in Los Angeles
ReviewTbilisi Art Fair
Why the Tbilisi art fair should not be afraid of communist-period art
A successful second edition of the fair, with visits to houses and studios, and lots of collateral shows
PreviewArt market
Art Busan hopes to dodge US-China trade war crossfire
Free of the high taxes and stringent customs of mainland China, the fair adds to a burgeoning art scene in South Korea's second largest city
NewsArt market
Art Basel owner sells stake in Art Düsseldorf to fair organisers Sandy Angus and Tim Etchells
Angus says he is also keen to buy MCH’s share in the India Art Fair as the group divests its regional art fair portfolio
NewsArt market
More grief for Aristophil investors as French government seizes hundreds of documents
Around 18,000 people invested in the now bankrupted company's manuscripts collection, but state says many items of historical importance should never have been sold
NewsArt market
Anti-Brexit artist campaign set to raise more than £1.5m as UK heads to polls for European elections
United Artists for Europe exhibition and auction will benefit cultural projects supporting heritage preservation across the continent, but Notre Dame is ruled out
AnalysisAuctions
Edward Hopper's over-priced ode to Shakespeare goes unsold as market for American art proves capricious
Christie's American art sales this week realise a new record for Hartley but Sotheby's struggles to get the pricing right on Hopper's Shakespeare scene
CommentLitigation
The elephant in the room: the rise of art-related lawsuits
Worthy causes can often disguise more opportunistic motives
CommentArt market
Forget millennials —the art market should be looking at Gen Z
People under the age of 22 account for 40% of consumers
NewsArt market
San Francisco museum's Rothko sells for $50m as Sotheby’s closes bumper week of New York auctions
Dana Schutz’s record broken twice in one night at Phillips then Sotheby's, while the bidder behind the $91m Koons Rabbit buys Lee Krasner painting for $10m
ReviewArt market
Back to the drawing board: new London fair pushes works on paper
Draw Art Fair at Saatchi Gallery caters to fans of the quieter medium with a range of budgets
NewsArt market
Rabbit hops to a record $91m at Christie's as Jeff Koons once again becomes the world's most expensive living artist
Post-war and contemporary sale in New York also produced a big sale for Robert Rauschenberg and new records for Louise Bourgeois and Jonas Wood
NewsArt market
Monet's glowing haystacks set alight Sotheby's Impressionist and Modern art sale with a new £97m record
Market is alive and kicking at the top for prime Impressionist works, though Bouguereau's uncomfortably placed, 19th century Bacchanalian scene failed to sell
FeatureArt market
'Those were different times': the antics of an Imps and Mods dealer in the swinging sixties
Martin Summers recalls a long and eventful career in the trade
NewsArt market
Anish Kapoor unveils new paintings that evoke menstruation
British artist says men should be able “to deal with women’s questions”, as first major solo show in China is announced
CommentTbilisi Art Fair
Why I agreed to join the advisory board of the art fair in Georgia (no, not the southern US state)
It has art schools, tradition, a culturally rich catchment area, and a true-grit backer
NewsArt market
Big but bland Impressionists lead Christie's sale, with new records for a peachy Cezanne and feline-filled Bonnard
Fresh material from big collections led the $399m New York auction, while mid-tier Monets primed the market for his $55m haystacks work at Sotheby's tonight
NewsKnoedler
Knoedler owner Michael Hammer may be liable for fraud over fakes, New York judge finds
The ruling was based on the loose business dealings of Hammer, the gallery and its parent company—like reimbursing him $2m for luxury cars
NewsArt market
UniCredit to sell off one of world's largest corporate art collections
The Italian bank, which just announced €1.4bn profit in first quarter of 2019, will offload some of the 60,000 works of art in order to fund social initiatives
NewsLaw
Wildenstein & Co sued for the 1985 sale of an alleged fake Bonnard painting
The collectors are seeking more than $300,000 in damages after the painting failed to be authenticated before heading to auction last year
NewsArt market
Carl Freedman opens Margate gallery 30 years after first visiting town with former girlfriend Tracey Emin
Dealer, who started out mounting exhibitions in East End warehouses in the 1990s, has opted for a change of pace—and much larger space—in seaside town
ReviewArt market
Expanded Art Chengdu bucks slowing Chinese economy
Second edition of fair moves from tent to bricks-and-mortar in western China's 'skyrocketing' city
NewsArt market
Italian galleries no longer have to pay artist royalties on primary market sales
New guidelines are published after six year negotiation, but galleries will have to provide written contracts with artists when acting on consignment
NewsDesign
When form plus function equals art
High-profile shows are breaking down the boundaries between designers and artists
ReviewArt market
Watch out Frieze, here comes Tefaf with its mac and cheese
Sales to the Upper East Side set may take their time at the New York fair, but they do happen and exhibitors praise its slick presentation and diverse offering
NewsFrieze New York 2019
The walls come tumbling down at new Object & Thing fair
Brooklyn fair waives stand fees, charges a commission on sales instead
NewsFrieze New York 2019
African art fair 1-54 decamps to NY’s West Village
Newcomers seize on a “logical place to be”
NewsArt market
Sotheby’s reports loss of $7.1m in first quarter of 2019
Lack of supply dogs London and Hong Kong and guarantees are down over 50% as former chief operating officer Adam Chinn apparently joins the Mugrabi dealing family
NewsArt market
With loot from two veteran dealers and one artist, Christie’s Old Masters sales push $50m
A Dutch double portrait from Frank Stella's collection led the New York auctions by fetching $10m
NewsFrieze New York 2019
Done deals: what's selling in New York this week
Follow our tweets tagged #TANsalestally for notable purchases from Frieze New York and the surrounding fairs
PreviewArt market
Private view: must-see gallery shows opening this May
New commercial gallery shows—from a new space in south London to an apartment show in San Gimignano
AnalysisArt market
Spanish still-lifes test the staying power of a dealer's legacy at Christie's
Two works from the private collection of renowned New York dealer Herman Schickman, previously on long-term loan to the Met, hit the auction block today
BlogFrieze New York 2019
Frieze New York diary: from Oliver Beer's pot sounds to art dealer Joel Mesler's watercolour portraits
Plus, Mark Zuckerberg and other tech bros as Greek and Roman gods
NewsFrieze New York 2019
Why advance sales at fairs are gaining ground
In the internet age, pre-selling at fairs is commonplace but collectors are unlikely to stop buying in person any time soon
NewsVenezuela
Venezuelan art market fractured as coup erupts in Caracas
Once the cultural darling of South America, the country's capital is now a shadow of its former glory as artists and dealers struggle in the face of a military uprising
NewsFrieze New York 2019
VR market realities tested at Frieze New York
This edition of the fair has a special section of virtual reality and augmented reality works
AnalysisFrieze New York 2019
Battle of the art fairs: Frieze New York feels the pinch as Tefaf gains ground
After contending with flooding in 2017 and a heatwave last year, some major players are heading for the Armory instead
InterviewArt market
Tefaf chairman Nanne Dekking speaks out about sexual abuse at Amsterdam 'cult'
Opening up about his traumatic experiences as a young man, he says the industry must act to improve transparency and diversity
NewsArt market
Frans Hals court case may be settled but it raises questions over science, scholars and contracts
After settling with dealer Mark Weiss, Sotheby’s is still trying to recoup losses after refunding US buyer of the painting
NewsArt fairs
NADA to launch Chicago fair in September
After cancelling its New York event, the organisation's new Chicago Invitational will feature around 40 galleries in the historic Chicago Athletic Association
NewsArt market
Art Brussels stretches rules to include galleries that eschew bricks-and-mortar
Nomadic, collaborative and pop-up models are all showing in the new "Invited" section of the Belgian fair, but is it too little, too late?
NewsArt market
Artvest sells its stake in Tefaf New York just days before fair opens
Sale marks the end of legal battle over ownership between the US art investment firm and the non-profit Dutch fair group
NewsArt market
EU copyright crackdown is intended to protect artists, but might it damage their market instead?
New laws to stop copyrighted material from being uploaded to social media without permission could pose problems for those using sites like Instagram to sell art
NewsArt market
Two art dealers sentenced over 'fake-genuine' Rodin sculptures after 18 year legal battle
US-based Gary Snell and Paris dealer Robert Crouzet found guilty in French court of making and selling copies of works by the French sculptor
NewsArt market
On the Bard’s birthday, Sotheby’s announces it will offer Edward Hopper’s ode to Shakespeare
Estimated to fetch $7-$10m, the New York cityscape, depicts the iconic Central Park statue of the playwright
NewsArt market
Artory bags Spotify backer in first funding round
The blockchain-based art registry announces a $7.3m group investment, following the acquisition of Auction Club and partnerships with Christie’s
NewsArt market
Larry Gagosian launches art advisory firm in New York
Laura Paulson, formerly of Christie's, to head up new business, while her husband Andrew Fabricant has been promoted to the new position of chief operating officer
CommentArt market
Should dealers reveal past prices in provenance?
London case surrounding Brueghel painting raises questions over whether a work's full sales history should be listed—even when that shows a big markup
ReviewArt market
Smaller Art Cologne caters to our short attention spans
Less is more in the internet age, says organiser of fair which has dropped from 210 exhibitors to 176
CommentArt market
Sotheby's newfound privacy gives it greater freedom, but at what cost to the rest of us?
Former public company status left the auction house at a disadvantage to rival Christie's, but its quarterly finance reports provided rare insight in a secretive market
Georgina Adam